Tuning William - Fuzzy Bones

Chapter 40

The charge nurse punched a series of numbers into her console and scrutinized the readout on the screen. "I'm sorry," she said. "Miss Ramsey is not having visitors at this time." She looked crisply at Christiana. "She's in protective police custody until such time as the Attorney General can take her statement."

Christiana frowned and squinted at this most efficient lady in immaculate white. "I have an authorization," she said; "in writing," and pushed the sheet of paper across the desk.

The nurse held up her hand, still looking crisp. She was a floor charge nurse and was not accustomed to anything contrary to her own orders-except from a physician. "I'm very sorry, Miss Stone," she said, "but the orders are quite specific."

Christiana pierced her with an irritated look. It felt good. Slowly, she tapped her finger on the piece of paper. "The authorization which I have," she said in measured tones, "is from the man who issued the original orders."

The nurse raised one eyebrow and dropped her gaze to the paper. "Oh," she said, "you're from Mr. Grego's personal staff. You should have said that to begin with."

"I 've been trying my best to do just that," Christiana said. "Now will you please find out if the patient is awake, and inform the police guards?"

Christiana was not prepared, even though she intellectually knew what to expect. A tiny white form lay very still in a white bed. Her skin was almost the same color as the sheets. The elementary sensors of a robomedic were still attached to her body, the multicolored wires and tubes making a crazy pattern on the white sheets.

Christiana stepped forward hesitantly. "Gwennie?" she said softly. "Are you awake?"

Gwen said something unintelligible and tried to lift her head. Blonde hair cascaded across the pillow.

Quickly, Christiana stepped to the bedside. "Don't try to move, Gwennie," she said anxiously. "They've still got part of the machine plugged into you."

Gwen smiled thinly. "Chris? Chris-is that you?"

Christiana took one of Owen's hands in both of hers. "Yes, Gwen, yes," she said. "I'm right here. How do you feel?"

Gwen opened her eyes, blinking for a moment. "Rotten," she said, "but I'm going to beat the house on this one." She smiled, again. "All I've got to do is whip two bulletholes in me. It'll be a snap."

Christiana began to cry.

Gwen smiled again, showing just the edges of her upper teeth. "Chris," she said, "it's not your fault. I was helping to find out what had to be found out because I wanted to. It's not your fault. I just made a mistake."

Christiana dried her eyes on a comer of the sheet.

Gwen coughed hoarsely. A monitor light on the robomedic flickered briefly, then went out as the nasal cannula made adjustments of air pressure in her lungs and their rate of respiration.

"They're going to get Ingermann," Christiana said. "They have an eyewitness to the shooting."

Gwen blinked again. "Of course," she whispered. "The old man on the bench. He was right there."

"Victor has put up a reward on Ingermann," Christiana said. "They've got it fixed so he can't get out of Mallorys-port. They're going to get him-for sure."

Gwen moved her body and head into a more comfortable position, so she could look straight at Christiana. "Victor, is it, now?" she asked. "Something has happened, hasn't it?"

Christiana tried to say something, but couldn't. She nodded her head and sniffed. "He forgave me," she said. "He forgave me everything. No one has ever done that before . . ."

Gwen reached up and touched her shoulder.

Christiana nodded her head again. "I've never been so happy-except that you're here-all shot up-and it took that for me to get my guts together."

"I'm going to make it," Gwen said. "I'm so happy for you, Chris. I'm so happy for you." She coughed again, and the monitor light on the robomedic flickered briefly.

Christiana leaned down and touched her cheek to Owen's cheek. "Get well, Gwen," she said. "Just get well; and don't worry about anything else. We'll find some way to get you where you '11 be safe as soon as they let you out of here."

Gwen looked at her questioningly. "How?" she asked. "Where is safe, now?"

"Well, Great Ghu!" Christiana said. "You can't go back to Junktown. Ingermann surely has friends left down there. Just don't worry about it, Gwennie. We'11

figure something out. I feel strong, now. Ghu, it's the first time in my life that I've felt strong, and I'm still getting used to it. Now, you get strong again, while Victor and I find someplace for you to be safe."

Gwen smiled, again. "Why, Chris? Why?"

Christiana pursed her lips. "Because you're my friend, that'swhy. You stuck your neck out for me. "She paused. "I stuck my neck out last night when I went to Victor. It feels good, because now I know I can do anything I want."

"Were you scared?" Gwen asked.

"Scared?" Christiana said. "I was afraid my legs were going to go out from under me every step of the way. Part of the time I would try to say something and I couldn't get any noise to come out of my mouth."

"I know what you mean," Gwen said. "It does feel good, doesn't it?"

"I never felt better," Christiana said, "except that you 're hurt. Why did you

have to get hurt? It's not fair-it's just not fair."

"Don't worry about that," Gwen said. "I told you; I can do this standing on my head. This isn't the first time some guy's tried to take me out. What's important is that you've found a wonderful man-one who's good to you. That's all there is to life, really."

Christiana started to cry, again.

With an effort, Gwen reached up and, with the other corner of the sheet, wiped Christiana's eyes. "Don't cry, Chris. Please don't cry. You've found what everyone is looking for-sometimes for their whole life-someone who's good to you that you can make a life with. That's what you have to look at, now. I'll be fine; really I will."

Christiana nodded. "Yes," she said, "yes. Oh, my God, Gwennie, I love him so much ..."

"I know you do," Gwen said. Her head rolled slightly on the pillow and her eyelids fluttered.

Christiana quickly grasped Gwen's hand, again, in both of hers. "Gwen?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

Gwen nodded, almost imperceptibly. "I'm fine," she whispered. "I'm just fine."

' "This must be tiring you," Christiana said. "I'm going to go, now, so you can get some rest."

Gwen nodded, again, very slightly. "I wear out pretty fast," she whispered,

"but I'm going to be just fine."

Christiana bent down over the bed and brushed her cheek against Gwen's. "Get some rest, now. I'll be back as soon as I get them to let me back in."

Hugo Ingermann had not shaved.

His clothes were rumpled from spending the night on a cot in the storeroom of his "charity" mission. He couldn't go home. He couldn't go to his office. The police were watching, it seemed, everywhere. Thank Ghu he had some money rucked away in blind-account deposit boxes at various banks.

He had risked much to come skulking in the back door of The Bitter End-like a common criminal-and have to beg entry to Raul Laporte's office.

Presently, Laporte entered. He was not pleased. "Whatin Nifflheim are you doing here?" he demanded. "Don't you know they 're turning over every damp rock in town trying to find you?"

Ingermann's eyes were wild. "I've got to have some help, Raul, until this blows over. You've got to find me a place to hide."

Laporte sat down behind his desk. There was no trace of emotion or reaction on his swarthy face."Why don't you just get out of town?" he asked.

Ingermann was astonished. "They've got the place veiled up tight, Raul. You must know that. I've got to get out of sight, and you've got to help me."

Laporte leaned back in his desk chair, pulled out his pocket knife and started cleaning his fingernails. He did not look at Ingermann. "I don't have to do a