Bactine (19 page)

Daniel understood that. He was very sharply aware that he could have been dead without ever having know it. "Doctor... How was it possible that you could reach Rhon- doctor Flower so quickly?"

"She was on the planet, so that was easy. Do you have any more questions? You should rest now." The man got up.

Daniel's head was in turmoil. "She was still on the planet? Uhm, no, I'm... I have no more questions. Thank you, doctor."

The patient kept wondering about Rhonda for the rest of the day...

The next morning a nurse came in, holding a rattling box. "Mr. Zacharias, it sounds as if someone is trying to reach you."

"Thank you, nurse," Daniel said, and opened the device. The call was from Tomlin Barker.

"Daniel, man-" Tomlin fell silent as he saw Daniel's face. "Good grief, man, what happened to you?"

Daniel gave him the nutshell version of recent events, which was enough for Tomlin to drop what he was doing and rush over to the hospital.

"Holy fucking shit, Daniel," Tomlin said after fighting his way past a few stern nurses, "you look like crap!"

Daniel grinned. It was long ago that he had heard such language and it was surprisingly refreshing. "And a good day to you too, Seigner Barker," he joked. "Please don't make me laugh, that still hurts."

Tomlin pulled up a chair. "Now tell me again. You were not really making sense on the box. You said pirates?"

Daniel nodded and told him the longer version.

His friend stared at him. "And they brought you here for that kind of fun, right? Aren't you the lucky one." Tomlin shook his head. "And when are you leaving?"

Daniel shrugged carefully. "I don't know. They have not told me when I am released from this place. I'd love to get out on the ship again, but I know it's not time for me yet."

"The ship." Tomlin got to his feet and paced the room while keeping his eyes on Daniel. "The ship? You got all ripped up, wrapped up in that Glandrine stuff they have here, you're obviously still in plenty of pain, and you want to get your hiney back on that boat?" He stopped his pacing. "Are you out of your bloody mind? If it were up to me I'd get the next carriage to Embarcado and hightail it out of here."

"Perhaps. But it is not up to you, Tomlin." Daniel grimaced as he reached for his glass of water. "It's up to me, and I want to get back to the ship."

Tomlin grinned and calmed down. The talk became more peaceful. When he had to leave again, he said: "Let me know when you get home again, Daniel. I'll come and pick you up. You should meet my family."

Daniel promised he would to that and thanked his old friend for coming by. He really was pleased with the visit.

Two days of getting up and exercising later the nurses told him that he was declared well and fit, and that by the afternoon he was allowed to return home. After lunch, someone delivered a package, which turned out to be a brand new set of clothes. The card attached stated that it was a gift from Seigner Clelem Dandra ko Galem. He got dressed, surprised about the gift as well as his, once again, new body. He did not understand why someone went through such effort to keep him alive.

There was a modest knock on the door.

"Please come in."

Daniel almost fell back on the bed when he saw Gaguran Slindris enter. "Mr. Zacharias. Ah. I see the attire that the Seigner sent over is satisfactory. He has asked me to see to it that you reach your home in safety. Are you ready to leave?"

Daniel had nothing to take along but his ring and his hydger. The things he had been wearing when the problems began had been torn from him in the hospital. "I am ready, sir. And I do appreciate the concern from the Seigner and you."

"The Seigner was very worried, Mr. Zacharias."

That statement told Daniel something.

As he followed Gaguran out the room, there were several of the nurses waiting in the hall. They had been taking care of him and wished him all the best in regaining his health again. Daniel thanked them and promised to look after himself.

Outside, a carriage was already waiting, so the two men could get in and ride off quickly. The journey to Daniel's building passed mostly in silence, as Gaguran did not respond to most of Daniel's remarks. If he did it was with a nod or a single word.

"Do take care, Mr. Zacharias." The mouse said it as a formality, not as something he had actually put his heart in.

Daniel nodded and then watched the carriage roll off. He went into his apartment, sat on a chair and stared out the window. He wondered where Rhonda was. And why she had left without saying goodbye.

Krrrrrr... Krrrrrrrr...

Daniel grabbed the hydger and saw Ulaman's call sign. "Ulaman, best skipper of the planet, good morning."

"Daniel, you are becoming a lazy heap. Are you still in your bed?"

"Looks like it, yes," Daniel grinned.

Ulaman made a sound that conveyed disapproval. "The sun is already out. How are you feeling?"

"Not too bad. Still sore in places where the new skin takes longer to heal. Why, is something the matter?"

"Not really. The crew wants to know how you are. It would be good if you could come to the ship and talk to them. They worry about you. I told them they are wimps but they made me call you anyway."

Daniel did not grin, but he knew Ulaman was hiding his own concern. Had the crew been there, he'd have heard it. "I will come to the harbour tomorrow, okay? A friend comes over today to pick me up and visit his family. Mr. Barker, I told you about him?"

"Yes, I remember. Well, I am glad that... the crew will be glad if you can come over tomorrow. There is nothing like smelling the water to get you back on your feet, Daniel. And let me know if you cannot come after all."

"Certainly, skipper. I'll let you know. But I am rather certain I can show up."

"Good, Daniel. Now get up, man!" The big face grinned before the screen went grey.

Daniel laughed, winced as there was a sting from his belly, and dropped the hydger on the bed. "Ouch. Still no laughing today, Mr. Zacharias." He got up and showered. He worshipped the shower since the surgery: it made his new skin soft and supple and chased the little pains away for a long time.

He got dressed and waited for his friend to show up, spending the time reading.

"Daniel? Are you in there?" The question was followed by a careful tap on the door. Tomlin grinned as Daniel let him in. "You look less bad today," he stated. "Ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. I am curious to see where you are living, Tomlin."

The trip to Tomlin's house did not take very long. It was located in one of the better neighbourhoods of Skarak.

Tomlin pointed out several places of interest and historical fame as they came past them. The carriage took them up into the mountainous area, where almost every residence had a magnificent outlook over the town, the harbour and the sea. Daniel had never been up there, so he was astounded by the view.

"We're here, Daniel," Tomlin said as the carriage slowed down. "Prepare yourself to be invaded by my offspring."

After exiting the carriage, they stood in front of what in this area was an average sized house. Remarkable was the small building in front of it that Tomlin walked up to. He used his ring to open the door and let Daniel in. "Welcome to my humble home."

It turned out to be far from humble. The small building turned out to be a sort of reception area and it had a wardrobe. From there, they walked through a short transparent tunnel that brought them into the actual house. Tomlin's wife was a very friendly woman, and the offspring-based invasion Tomlin had warned Daniel for did not happen. Clearly the children, two boys and a girl, had been instructed very well about Daniel's condition. They were very careful and, Daniel found, polite beyond limits.

He had a really nice day out with the Barker family, and when Tomlin took him back home in the evening, Daniel was yawning.

"My friend," Tomlin grinned, "I think you have lost the ability to stay sober while drinking."

It certainly felt so, Daniel had to admit. "Thank you for today, Tomlin. I really appreciate it. It was great to see where you live. You did the right thing, staying here. You have a lovely family."

"I know. And thank you for the compliments. I'll carry them on. Stay well, and in touch." After shaking hands, Tomlin ordered the carriage to take him home again.

Daniel dragged himself to his apartment, could barely be bothered to hang up his suit and crashed into bed. He was out before his head had actually touched down on the pillow.

-=-=-

The next morning, Daniel was awake quite early, compared to the days before. After the relieving shower, which seemed less needed today, he dressed and went out for breakfast. It felt good, and he was pleased about that. It told him he was definitely on the mend.

As he left the restaurant, he called Ulaman. "I am on my way to the harbour now, Ulaman, but I come walking. The exercise is good for me, so it will take a while before I am there. I'm on my way, already."

Ulaman clearly was happy with that news.

The walk was a nice one. The weather was glorious. His coat held away the teasing sea wind. His thoughts revolved around Tomlin, families, and Rhonda. But he felt so good that this time nothing seemed able to destroy his mood. Not even the thought of Malcolm that floated by.

When Daniel approached the harbour he smiled. There is nothing like smelling the water, Ulaman had said, and bugger it all, there was truth in his words. Soon the large super-clipper came into view and he started the climb up the long gangway. It cost him more effort than before, but he had already prepared for that. Slowing down was the solution.

Daniel stepped onto the deck. The men were working various chores and did not even seem to notice him, at first. He casually sauntered towards the staircase that led up to the bridge, when Darigyn caught sight of the man in the suit.

"DANIEL!!" The man's voice thundered over the deck, and soon he was engulfed in sailors who all wanted to shake Daniel's hand, something he appreciated but was not ready for yet, he knew. That made for a rather awkward greeting, but it all came out well.

He answered to a number of the question they fired at him, until Ulaman and Lidrin came down from the bridge and liberated him from all the attention.

Xandree had gone down to the galley and brought Draiky along to greet Daniel. He bent down to carefully hug her. He saw how happy she was to see him back on board.

Draiky would have loved to drag Daniel along for some tea, but had to postpone that urge, as Ulaman had some things he wanted to talk about with Daniel. She therefore did the next best thing: she went to get tea and told them she'd take it up to the bridge.

Once tea and a few biscuits were on the table, and the people were around all that, Ulaman started to talk. "The workmen discovered and fixed a few more problems with the ship, Daniel. We won't be taking her out for cargo in the coming days, it is merely tests after fixes. Nothing serious, but I am sure you want to know this."

Daniel nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that. It worries me that such a small pirate ship can cause so much damage."

Ulaman nodded. "I have never heard of this kind of attack before. The Seigner is looking into having the hull strengthened, but that could mean it makes the ship behave differently. It was designed to be the way it is."

That, of course, was a serious thing to consider. There was little reason in making the ship less reliable.

"There is something else, Daniel. Something you should feel honoured about." Ulaman got up, went to a drawer and took an envelope from it. He handed it to Daniel.

It was dark brown, carried a blue seal and it was written in a beautiful hand. 'To the attention of Mr. Daniel Zacharias', it read. The seal was the symbol of Seigner Dandra ko Galem, Daniel recognised it as he had seen it on his hydger a few times.

"What's this?"

"Open it," was Xandree's simple solution.

He did so and pulled out a letter, written in the same way as the envelope.

'Mr. Daniel Zacharias,

The family of Seigner Clelem Dandra ko Galem cordially invites you to attend a soirée at their house.

The soiree will be held on the eighteenth day of this month, you are welcome to arrive at any time after the sun starts setting.

Appropriate attire will be appreciated.'

The invitation ended with a series of numbers, which made up the carriage address for the house.

Daniel read the invitation twice, then stared at the people at the table. "They are inviting me for a party?"

"Yes. And rather you than me, Daniel," Ulaman said. "You will be able to fit in there. The Seigner sometimes has such a thing, and the mouse, who gave me this, told me you were invited as you have been so crucial in saving the cargo and the Pricosine."