Part 36 (1/2)

”Out, Steve,” said Farrow, untangling herself from the steering wheel and the two attendants. ”Out!”

”What next?” I asked her.

”We've made enough racket to wake the statue of Lincoln. Out and run for it.”

”Which way?”

”Follow me!” she snapped, and took off. Even in nurse's shoes with those semi-heels, Farrow made time in a phenomenal way. I lost ground steadily. Luckily it was still early in the afternoon, so I used my perception to keep track of her once she got out of sight. She was following the gently rolling ground, keeping to the lower hollows and gradually heading toward a group of buildings off in the near-distance.

I caught up with her just as we hit a tiny patch of dead area; just inside the area she stopped and we flopped on the ground and panted our lungs full of nice biting cold air. Then she pointed at the collection of buildings and said, ”Steve, take a few steps out of this deadness and take a fast dig. Look for cars.”

I nodded; in a few steps I could send my esper forward to dig the fact that there were several cars parked in a row near one of the buildings.

I wasted no time in digging any deeper, I just retreated into the dead area and told her what I'd seen.

”Take another dig, Steve. Take a dig for ignition keys. We've got to steal.”

”I don't mind stealing.” I took another trip into the open section and gandered at ignition locks. I tried to memorize the ones with keys hanging in the locks but failed to remember all of them.

”Okay, Steve. This is where we walk in boldly and walk up to a couple of cars and get in and drive off.”

”Yeah, but why--”

”That's the only way we'll ever get out of here,” she told me firmly.

I shrugged. Farrow knew more about the Medical Center than I did. If that's the way she figured it, that's the way it had to be. We broke out of the dead area, and as we came into the open, Farrow linked her arm in mine and hugged it.

”Make like a couple of fatuous mushbirds,” she chuckled. ”We've been out walking and communing with nature and getting acquainted.”

”Isn't the fact that you're Mekstrom and I'm human likely to cause some rather pointed comment?”

”It would if we were to stick around to hear it,” she said. ”And if they try to read our minds, all we have to do is to think nice mushy thoughts. Face it,” she said quietly, ”it won't be hard.”

”Huh?”

”You're a rather nice guy, Steve. You're fast on the uptake, you're generally pleasant. You've got an awful lot of grit, guts and determination, Steve. You're no pinup boy, Steve, but--and this may come as a shock to you--women don't put one-tenth the stock in pulchritude that men do? You--”

”Hey. Whoa,” I bubbled. ”Slow down, before you--”

She hugged my arm again. ”Steve,” she said seriously, ”I'm not in love with you. It's not possible for a woman to be in love with a man who does not return that love. You don't love me. But you can't help but admit that I am an attractive woman, Steve, and perhaps under other circ.u.mstances you'd take on a large load of that old feeling. I'll admit that the reverse could easily take place. Now, let's forget all the odd angles and start thinking like a pair of people for whom the time, the place, and the opposite s.e.x all turned up opportunely.”

I couldn't help thinking of Nurse Farrow as--Nurse Farrow. The name Gloria did not quite come out. I tried to submerge this mental att.i.tude, and so I looked down at her with what I hoped to resemble the expression of a love-struck male. I think it was closer to the expression of a would-be little-theatre actor expressing l.u.s.t, and not quite making the grade. Farrow giggled.

But as I sort of leered down at her, I had to admit upon proper examination of her charm that Nurse Farrow could very easily become Gloria, if as she said, we had the time to let the change occur. Another idea formed in my mind: If Farrow had been kicked in the emotions by Thornd.y.k.e, I'd equally been pushed in the face by Catherine. That made us sort of kindred souls, as they used to call it in the early books of the Twentieth Century.

Gloria Farrow chuckled. ”Unlike the old torch-carriers of that day,” she said, ”we rebound a bit too fast.”

Then she let my arm go and took my hand. We went swinging across the field in a sort of happy comrades.h.i.+p; it must have looked as though we were long-term friends. She was a good egg, hurt and beaten down and shoved off by Thornd.y.k.e, but she had a lot of the good old bounce. Of a sudden impulse I wanted to kiss her.