Part 5 (1/2)
”Well, our patient used to be a machinist. A good one. Now he's only able to be an oiler. A good one, too, when you improve his eyesight. He can go on doing that for years, performing a useful function. But he'd wear himself out in no time as a machinist again if you de-aged him.”
”Is that supposed to make sense?”
”It does,” said Dr. Lowell, ”for Deneb.”
Dr. Hoyt wanted to continue the discussion, but Dr. Lowell was already on his way to inspect another part of the hospital. Grumbling, the young man helped chart the optical nerves that had to be replaced and measure the new curve of the retinas ordered by Social Control.
But he fought just as strenuously over other cases, especially a retired freight-jet pilot who had to have his reflexes slowed down so he could become a contented meteorologist. Whenever there was a loud disagreement of this sort, Dr. Lowell was there to mediate calmly.
At the end of the day, Dr. Kalmar was emotionally exhausted. He said as he and Dr. Lowell were was.h.i.+ng up, ”The kid's hopeless. I thought you could straighten him out--G.o.d knows I couldn't--but he'll never see why we have to work the way we do.”
”What do you suggest?” Dr. Lowell asked through a towel.
”Send him back to Earth. Get an intern who's more malleable.”
Dr. Lowell tossed the towel into the sterilizer. ”Can't be done. We're expanding so fast all over the Galaxy that Earth can't train and s.h.i.+p out enough doctors for the new colonies. If we sent him back, I don't know when we'd get another.”
Dr. Kalmar swallowed. ”You mean it's him or n.o.body?”
”Afraid so.”
”But he'll never fit in on Deneb!”
”You did,” Dr. Lowell said.
Dr. Kalmar tried to smile modestly. ”I realized immediately how little I knew and how much more experience you had. I was willing to learn. Why, I used to listen to you and watch you work and try to see your reasons for doing things--”
”You think so?” asked Dr. Lowell.
Dr. Kalmar glanced at him in astonishment. ”You know I did. I still do, for that matter.”
”When you landed on Deneb,” said Dr. Lowell, ”you were the most stubborn, opinionated young a.s.s I'd ever met.”
Dr. Kalmar's smile became an appreciative grin. ”d.a.m.n, I wish I had that light touch of yours!”
”You were so dogmatic and argumentative that Dr. Hoyt is a suggestible schoolboy in comparison.”
”Well, you don't have to go that far,” Dr. Kalmar said. ”I get what you're driving at--every intern needs orientation and I should be more patient and understanding.”
”Then you don't follow me at all,” stated Dr. Lowell. ”Invite Dr. Hoyt, Miss Dupont and me to your house for dinner tonight and maybe you'll get a better idea of what I mean.”
”Anything for a free meal, eh?”
”And to keep a doctor here on Deneb that we'd lose otherwise.”
”Implying that I can't do it.”
”Isn't that the decision you'd come to?”
”Yes, I guess it is,” Dr. Kalmar confessed. ”All right, how about dinner at my house tonight? I'll round up the other two and call Harriet so she'll expect us.”