Chapter 375 (2/2)
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Dambree stared at the 'striker' as the Terran helped her little sister up into it. Nee was already in a safety seat, gnawing on a biter biscuit and glaring at everyone, Elu was already belted in. Mister Mewmew was in something called a kittykitty cradle which would help him feel better so he didn't limp and could jump better.
”Are you all right?” the Terran female asked.
”Yes,” Dambree said softly. She wished she had a fizzybrew.
”It's perfectly safe. Warrant Officer Mukstet is an experienced and very skilled pilot,” the Terran said. ”It's safe to get in.”
”I know,” Dambree said, wiping her mouth again. She turned and looked at the little cabin where she'd lived for an entire year.
”It's OK if you feel like you don't want to leave,” the Terran said softly. ”It's all right to feel that way.”
”I know,” Dambree said. She dug in her jacket pocket and pulled out one of her last cans of fizzybrew, only one more in her other pocket. She cracked it open, staring at the striker, then turning to stare at the house, then at the lake in the distance.
She took a long drink, the fizzybrew soothing her throat.
”I killed a lot of people,” Dambree whispered. ”They didn't leave me any choice.”
”It's all right,” the Terran said. ”Bad things happen to good people sometimes.”
”I know,” Dambree said. She took another drink, her hand going to the butt of her pistol. It had a trigger lock on it, the only way the Terrans would let her carry it onto the striker. She took another drink and stepped forward slowly. She stopped twice more in the five meters to the striker's door to take a drink of her fizzybrew and look back at the little cabin. Finally she got in and let the Terran soldier strap her into the seat.
”Can you leave the door open?” Elu asked, feeling excited at being able to ride in an aircraft.
The striker started up, vibrating, and lifted off.
She didn't realize she was silently crying as she watched the cabin dwindle away.
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PAGE SIX OF FIFTEEN
additionally the patient has displayed alcohol dependent symptoms. Review of Purrboi-66231a87's records show that patient used alcoholic drinks to hold off traumatic incident stress syndromes and to self medicate for traumatic stress disorder.
Patient is withdrawn, speaking infrequently, and shows high signs of social withdrawl and attachment disorder. Patient reports difficultly sleeping, hyper-alertness, as well as high anxiety. Patient has also admitted to homicidal impulses around non-family members. Patient shows neural damage from initial Precursor attack, as well as what appears to be close proximity to hostile life form psychic attack.
Physically, the patient is in good health. Several injuries will require physical therapy but no surgical intervention is needed.
RECOMMENDED COURSE OF ACTION
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Dambree sat in the chair quietly, her hands folded in her lap. She felt naked without the pistol, without her hand axe, without even a knife in her boot. Of course, she didn't have boots on, not since she'd arrived at the Terran Medical Center. Instead she wore soft shoes that were supposed to be comfortable but felt wrong on her feet.
She was comfortable with the Terran soldier standing near her. He had a pistol on his hip, his uniform kept trying to blur in with the wall, and he was large as well as dangerous and competent looking.
He felt comfortable to Dambree.
The doctor entered. A russet Mantid by the name of Soothes the Pain of the Soul. She moved up and sat on the bench seat next to Dambree.
”They came as soon as you gave consent to have them notified,” Soothes said. ”They didn't think you were alive.”
”I know,” Dambree said softly.
Soothes noticed that those two words were often her patient's only reply.
”Are you ready?” Soothes asked.
Dambree nodded, wiping her mouth with one soft sleeve.
”She's ready. Send them in,” Soothes said gently.
Dambree sat perfectly still as her two uncles and her aunt came into the room. Her aunt Fenn ran forward, gathering her up in a hug.
Soothes noticed the pause before Dambree hugged her back. Noticed how Dambree's eyes stayed open, how her right hand rubbed up and down on her aunt's back, stopping between her fifth and sixth rib. Dambree let herself be hugged by her two uncles, repeating the action.
She's finding their hearts,Soothes thought to herself.
”We thought you were dead,” Matron Fenn said, sitting down and taking Dambree's hands.
”I know,” Dambree said.
Soothes watched as Dambree's Aunt Fenn kept talking, saying how glad they were that Dambree and her siblings had survived. That when they'd seen the house bombed out they'd fear the worst. Soothes noticed that Dambree's demeanor didn't even change when she was informed that five of her cousins had survived.
Soothes wasn't sure about clearing the young Hesstlan woman to leave the hospital, but she had three other patients in Dambree's family to worry about.
Later, at the desk, as she signed the release forms, she watched carefully as Dambree and her three siblings, the one called Tru holding onto the damaged purrboi's crate, she felt a little bit of worry.
Not that her patient was a danger.
But that her family might not understand her any more.
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Dambree sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the street outside the window. She was rooming with her cousin Meglee. The room felt closed in, almost claustrophobic after the year spent in the cabin. Outside were ground cars, lights, neon, and flickering holograms slightly disrupted by the drifting snowflakes.
She found she missed the quiet of the woods.
Dambree got up slowly, moving over and standing in front of the window. She put her hand on the smartglass, finding it strange how the windowpane was warm instead of carrying the chill of the winter night.
”Dambree?” her cousin said, rolling over and opening her eyes. The sound of her cousin getting up had woken her up.
”Yes,” Dambree said.
Meglee frowned sleepily. ”You're naked in front of the window.”
”I know,” Dambree said softly. ”It doesn't matter.”
”Oh,” Meglee said. She rolled over, pulling her blanket around her. She yawned. ”Good night, Dambree.”
”Good night, Meglee,” Dambree said.
She stared at the snow drifting down for a long moment, then moved over to the bed. She reached underneath it, getting what she'd hidden there early in the morning before anyone else had woken up. She walked back in front of the window and stared out it.
The fizzybrew can snapped and then hissed when she opened it, the contents cooling almost instantly.
The sound disturbed Meglee enough that she shifted slightly under her blanket.
Dambree just stared at the snow, sipping at the fizzybrew.
They mostly come out at night, she thought to herself, remembering the early weeks of the Slorpy Attack. Mostly.