“Here’s hoping. But no, let me see to this, Nick,” Honda said. “She told me she didn’t have a chance to get some before you left, but Cally sent along a few things that she said has helped you before – something about your catching a round in the vest? Just in case we needed it.”
“Oh, that stuff,” Ashton said. “Yeah, okay, that’s a plan.”
“Good. I’ll go get it out of my luggage.”
Despite the ice pack, the bruise cream, and sleeping in the recliner in a half-sitting position, when Ashton woke the next day, he could hardly see out of one eye for the swelling, and his neck was almost too stiff to move.
“That’s not good,” Honda said, watching Ashton attempt to straighten up in the recliner. “We maybe need to get you to a doctor.”
“I’ve had worse,” Ashton protested. “It’s just bruising and muscle stiffness. But yeah, I hate like hell to admit it, but I’m probably not gonna make it to the office today.”
“Wait until I get my little go-all-over camera, and I’ll take a picture and upload it to you, so you can send it to Niebecker and he can see what shape you’re in.”
“What kind of camera is it?”
“Nothing fancy, and nothing that would give us away,” Honda noted. “I made sure to grab my old ‘I’m traveling around the galaxy and wanna record it’ camera from my school days. It’s an inexpensive import from the DP, and a good five years old, if not more. It focuses, and takes decent pictures, but it doesn’t have great resolution.”
“Okay. That’s probably all right then.”
To: Abelson Niebecker
From: Nikolas Lindberg
Subj: Work today
Your Excellency, I’m afraid I won’t be in today after all. I’d hoped the ice pack, as well as some prescription bruise ointment of Rikky’s that he broke out for me, would take care of matters. And yes, I did sleep in the recliner, propped up, as you recommended. But my face is badly swollen, my eye is nearly swelled shut, and my neck flatly doesn’t want to move. Rikky took a photo of my current condition, and I’m attaching it to this mail so you can see the aftermath, as it were. He’s been trying to talk me into seeing a doctor, and if the swelling gets worse, I may. Otherwise, I think I just want to lie here with my ice pack, take analgesics, and try not to move. Hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow, and I’m sorry for the inconvenience.
~R.L.
From: His Excellency Abelson Niebecker
To: Nikolas Lindberg
Subj: RE: Work today
Oh dear. I was afraid of that, based on what I saw yesterday. The bruising showed up very fast. I was worried, and I ended up calling the cab service and verifying whether you went to a hospital or not. I was quite relieved that you felt you could go home and not need an emergency room visit. If you feel you need a doctor – and by the look of that image, you might – then let me know, and I will ensure the fees come from the consulate’s budget. We have a line item for on-the-job injuries, and in the circumstances, this certainly was one.
The work I was planning for us to do today can wait just as well until you feel better and can see to get here. The important work has been done already, I believe, and now we simply await its fruit.
For whatever it is worth, I have sent a strong complaint against Baron Beaudelaire through official channels for his behavior.
~H.E.A.N.
“Well, looks like he believes you,” Honda decided.
“Yeah, but you see where he checked up on me,” Ashton pointed out. “I’ve gotta walk a damn careful line now.”
“No, right now, you need to heal up. Did you talk to Cally last night?”
“No. I was going to, but by the time she’d have been available, I was hurting pretty good. ‘Member? I asked you to turn down the lights and hand me the throw, and konked out when the analgesics kicked in? All while you were still watching the vid?”
“Yeah?”
“So instead, I just sent her a message explaining everything that happened, and telling her to contact Lee and reference your report. And thanks for compiling it and sending it back to New Headquarters.”
“Hey – again, partners. I’m backing you up. Did she reply at all?”
“Yeah, I got the reply this morning, when I first woke up. She was concerned, but I’d been careful to specify that nothing was seriously damaged or broken, I just got popped hard in the face, and it hurt like hell. She told me to be careful, sent her love, sent her thanks to you for doing the report, told me she, little Paul, and the baby were fine, and that was about it.”
“Okay, that’s good. She’s got a level head on her shoulders. Now we need to get some sustenance in you, here, to speed the healing. I’m thinking maybe mushy foods today; what do you think?”
“I think it’s a plan. It’s gonna hurt to chew anything substantial. Hell, it’s gonna hurt to open my jaw enough to shovel it in. Never mind looking down to see what the hell I’m eating.”
“Scrambled eggs for breakfast, soup for lunch? ‘Cause I can put the soup in a mug and you can drink it. And then we’ll see how you’re doing for dinner. I can always thicken the soup, add some chunkier meat and veg, and make it a stew, if you’re up for that. Or maybe mac and cheese, if you’re not.”
“Yeah. Those work. And thanks. You’re a good
