Star Trek Read Free Page B

aren’t anything alike. Any first-year medical student can tell them apart. He purposely gave the wrong answer. He flubbed it.
G: Oh.
L: Now do you see?
G: Why do you think he did it?
L: Well, I can’t imagine it was the pressure of the exams. I think he was trying to hide that he was genetically enhanced. He was lying. And I was caught up in his lie. I’m sorry, I’d like to stop now. This isn’t doing me any good. May I be dismissed, sir?
G: Yes. But I’d still like to hear about your experiences on the
Lexington
after you resumed your post there. May we try to continue this tomorrow?
L: Make it the day after tomorrow.
G: Two days then. Dismissed.
    TRANSCRIPT ENDS
For what it’s worth, I think I see a trend—there’s a certain theme of guilt over unearned rewards. She feels she didn’t deserve to be valedictorian, and she feels she didn’t deserve to live when so many others on her ship didn’t.
    Of course, this doesn’t give me any idea what to
do
about it.
    I’m not sure how much more I can do here, other than just listen to her vent. She either has to make changes on her own, or with the help of people much more qualified than myself. And doing that may only make things worse.

CHAPTER
3
    â€œJ ubilee, you are a bad influence.”
    â€œComing from you, Doctor, that is a compliment. Don’t tell me you’ve never slipped a patient sweets before.”
    â€œYes, but I keep it to one a patient. You spoil them. Just because ‘Candy Striper’ is a term for volunteers doesn’t mean you have to go overboard.”
    â€œWell, the kids look so cute when they sniffle. I can’t help myself.”
    â€œAt this rate, we’re going to run out of candy.”
    â€œDr. Tyler, that’s not because I’m handing out too much candy per child.”
    â€œI know. Have we gotten any of the lab results back?”
    â€œThey should be done by now. Let me finish my tea and I’ll check.”
    â€œNever mind, Jube. I’ll get it. How’s your throat?”
    â€œGetting sorer. I don’t know what I caught from those kids, but it’s a dilly.”
    â€œYou could take an extra hour off and get a nap, you know.”
    â€œNo, you’re shorthanded enough as it is. This bug has already laid up half the medical staff, and you’re getting more people checking in. This is a bad one, whatever it is.”
    â€œI hear you. Well, we do what we—”
    â€œAttention. All available staff personnel please report to the operating amphitheater at once.”
    â€œAny ideas, Doctor?”
    â€œNot a one.”
    * * *
    Dr. Ambrose stood in the operating theater, looking up at the half-full gallery. He noted ruefully that the number of people in the room wasn’t going to get any larger—
it’s only going to get smaller from here,
he thought to himself.
    He addressed the room. “Thank you all for coming. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a dire emergency on our hands.”
    A picture flashed on the screen. “This was Abraham Auerbach. He came to Sherman’s about two months ago from Earth, according to Customs. He was brought into the hospital three days ago, complaining of severe chest pains, stomach cramping, coughing, and vomiting blood. He’d been suffering from what he thought was a very bad cold for the last three weeks. He died twenty-three hours ago of severe sepsis with multiorgan failure, primarily in the lungs. Our autopsy revealed many of the organs were necrotic.” Dr. Ambrose flicked to images of the organs. A quiet rumble could be heard from the upper decks.
    â€œThere is no immediately apparent explanation for this. He had a clean bill of health when he came to the planet. There have been twenty-seven additional cases from all over the world admitted with similar symptoms two days ago. We have had an additional one hundred and fifty-seven cases admitted today. We—”