The Color of Distance (59 page)

Captain Edison was on the radio immediately, calling for assistance.

“What is it?” Anitonen asked.

“Something’s wrong with his heart,” Juna told her. “We’re calling for medical assistance.”

“He’s unconscious!” Patricia exclaimed.

Anitonen pushed past the humans and squatted beside Wu. “Help me get his suit off,” she told Juna. “He needs help now!”

“Let the Tendu help,” Juna told the others as she began removing Wu’s helmet.

“No!” Patricia said, pushing Juna’s hands away. “It’ll kill him!”

“The Tendu can stabilize him,” Juna told her. “By the time we get him to a medical team it will be too late.”

“But it will kill him!”

“No it won’t!” Juna insisted. “The Tendu saved my life. They can save his.” She took Dr. Tanguay’s hands in hers. “Patricia, I care about Paul too. Let me help Anitonen save his life. Please!”

“They can’t get a medical team to us for at least fifteen minutes,” Captain Edison informed them. “Let the Tendu do what they can for him.” The captain slid an arm around Patricia’s shoulders. “Dr. Tanguay, I need you to come with me to help guide the medical team in.”

“Thank you,” Juna said as the captain turned to go. She nodded at Anitonen. “All right.”

Anitonen got Dr. Wu’s gloves off, and sank a spur into the palm of his hand. Wu’s breathing eased immediately and color returned to his face.

“You know your own people better than I do. Monitor me,” Anitonen told Juna.

Juna flickered yes. Aloud she said, “I’m going to help Anitonen with Dr. Wu. Please, don’t disturb us. It might kill Dr. Wu, and could harm Anitonen or me.”

She helped Anitonen remove Wu’s helmet and open his suit. Juna clasped one of his arms, Anitonen took the other, and then they linked.

Juna could feel Wu’s heart laboring. His oxygen-starved blood tasted flat and rusty. Anitonen dilated the blood vessels supplying the heart, increasing the blood supply. They fed all the oxygen their bodies could spare into Wu’s bloodstream. Then Anitonen set about repairing the damaged tissues of his heart. It began to beat more strongly as oxygen-rich blood began reaching the starved muscle, and Anitonen continued restoring the damaged heart.

Wu regained consciousness. Juna felt him tense and begin to panic. She shielded him from the intrusion of their presences, as Moki had shielded her so long ago. Wu’s panic changed to curiosity as he felt Anito-nen’s presence exploring his clogged arteries. The Tendu began clearing the arteries around his heart, filtering the greasy cholesterol out through her allu. It was a long job. Juna could feel Anitonen tiring, so she fed her some energy.

Wu’s presence reached out tentatively, full of wonder and excitement at this strange new contact. Juna enfolded him in reassurance and calmness. Anitonen finished clearing the arteries in Wu’s chest and lungs and began work on the rest of his body, but she was getting too tired to continue. Juna gently eased the link apart.

She opened her eyes. Dr. Wu was smiling, tranquil. His eyes opened, he looked at her, and his smile widened. “Thank you,” he said. He sat up and reached for Anitonen, grasping her hand. “That was amazing.” He stood. Juna reached to steady him, but he shook her off. “I feel better than I have for years.” He took a deep breath of the alien air. “It smells green,” he said. “Very green, and alive.” There were tears in his eyes.

“Anitonen gave you something to help your body fight off an allergic reaction, but it won’t last very long,” Juna told him. “You should go before you start to react.”

“There’s a flyer on the beach,” Bremen said. “We need to get you to the infirmary.”

Wu nodded. He looked as if he were in a dream. He touched Juna on the arm, and Juna realized that she was finally touching another human being skin to skin. She took his hand.

“Please thank Anitonen for me,” Wu said. “Not just for saving my life. But for the other. The allu-a—” He paused. “It was what I have wanted all my life. To touch the alien.” He shook his head, wonderingly. “It was—” He spread his hands wide, his face suffused with joy. “I don’t have words for it, but please, thank her for it.”

“I understand,” Juna told him.

“So do I, now. Thank you, Juna.” He clasped her hands in his for a moment.

Juna translated Dr. Wu’s thanks. Anitonen rippled amusement.

“Tell him that he has a good presence, and that it was an honor to link with him.”

Juna translated, and Dr. Wu smiled in response. He clasped Anito-nen’s hands and turned to go.

“How did he get like that?” Anitonen asked. “So full of things wrong with him?”

“It happens to humans as they get older,” Juna replied. “I should go and make sure the doctors don’t do anything to reverse what you’ve done.”

“I’ll come with you,” Anitonen offered. “If they have any questions, I can answer them.”

The two of them caught up with Wu, and got on the flyer with him. Once they were in the air, Anitonen looked out the window, utterly fascinated as they skimmed over the ocean toward the ship. Brilliant hot pink ripples of excitement flowed over her skin. The medical techs watched her, mouths agape.

When the flyer landed, Dr. Wu was placed on a gurney and rushed to the ship’s medical wing. He was put into a second, hastily set up quarantine room. Juna and Anitonen donned suits for the trip from the airlock to quarantine.

Dr. Baker came in a few minutes after they arrived. “Why isn’t this man on oxygen and a drug drip?” he demanded.

“Because I don’t need it, Doctor,” Wu told him calmly. “Anitonen has healed me. I feel better than I have in years. No more shortness of breath, no angina.”

“But—” the doctor began.

“Do I look like a man suffering from a heart problem?” Wu asked.

Dr. Baker shook his head. “Let me examine you,” he said, taking out his stethoscope.

Anitonen watched alertly as the doctor examined Wu.

“Amazing,” he announced. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that your heart was that of a twenty-year-old. Your pulse is strong, your blood pressure is low, your color and breathing are excellent. Are you sure it was a heart attack?”

Juna stepped forward. “Dr. Baker, I helped monitor Anitonen when she healed Dr. Wu. It was definitely a heart attack. I felt it. I tasted it.”

As soon as he was sure that Wu really was stabilized, Dr. Baker questioned Juna and Anitonen minutely about what they had done. Finally Anitonen put her hand on Juna’s leg.

“I’m tired and hungry. Could we talk again later?”

Juna realized that she, too, was lightheaded from hunger.

“I’m sorry, Doctor, but we need to take Anitonen back. She’s tired, and she needs food and rest. So do I. Healing is very draining work.”

Dr. Baker nodded. “I’d like to talk further with Anitonen about this some other time. She’s already suggested several interesting ideas worth researching. Perhaps you could bring her back tomorrow?”

Juna translated his question.

“I’d be glad to,” Anitonen replied. “I’ve learned a great deal today. Tell Dr. Wu to sleep as much as he can, and to eat a lot of protein. His body is not done repairing itself. He will need to rest and eat well for another three or four days. We can resume the negotiations when he’s fully recovered. Also, please thank Dr. Wu. I learned a great deal from him today.”

“I should be thanking Anitonen,” Wu replied with an ironic smile, when Juna translated Anitonen’s words. He reached out and touched Anitonen on the shoulder, imitating the Tendu’s gesture, and said, “I owe you my life, and more. Thank you.”

Juna escorted Anitonen back to shore, returned to her quarters, ate a huge meal, and fell asleep.

She woke the next morning feeling better than she had in days. She lay in bed, looking up at the impersonal white ceiling of her room. The negotiations were called off until Wu was better. She should spend that time getting more of a handle on the politics aboard ship.

She called for her security escort. Laurie was subdued and awed as she let Juna out of quarantine.

“I hear you saved Dr. Wu’s life,” she said.

Juna shook her head. “Anitonen did that. I merely helped.”

They reached Dr. Wu’s room. He was lying in bed, attached to several monitors.

“Juna!” he called out as she came in. He held up a wire-festooned arm. “It’s good to see you. They’re still running tests on me.”

She took his hand. His grip was strong and firm.

“How are you?” she asked.

“I feel better than I’ve felt for years,” he told her. “The doctors are amazed. I’m amazed, and I was there. It feels like a miracle. Thank you for helping save my life.”

Juna looked away, feeling distanced by his awe.

One of the nurses came in. She looked at Juna as though she expected her to walk on water at any moment.

Juna looked down, even more embarrassed. “I need to go, but I’m glad you’re feeling well. You haven’t had any allergic reactions?”

Wu shook his head.

“Good. I’ll be bringing Anitonen over around noon to give you a checkup.”

“I’ll see you then,” Wu said.

Juna patted his hand and left. The medical techs were clustered at the door, watching her. They parted to let her through, like the sea parting for Moses.

As she was leaving the medical wing, she ran into Patricia Tanguay. “How is he?” she asked Juna.

“He’s fine. The doctors are busy running tests on him, and Anitonen will be coming in around noon to check on his progress and answer the doctors’ questions.”

“I’m glad to hear it. The whole ship is abuzz about your saving Dr. Wu’s life.”

“I’ve noticed,” Juna said. “Anitonen is the one who saved Dr. Wu. I only watched.”

“Juna, I heard about what happened. You and an alien clasped the arms of a dying man, closed your eyes, and sat still for perhaps twenty minutes. When you were through, Dr. Wu was healthier than he had been for years. The doctors are amazed. You helped perform a miracle.”

“It wasn’t a miracle,” Juna insisted. “Anitonen and the other Tendu do this sort of thing every day. It’s a little harder to work on a human because we’re new and strange to them, but it’s a skill that every single adult Tendu possesses.”

“It’s still a miraculous skill.”

Juna spent the rest of the morning visiting labs, answering questions, and making suggestions to various researchers. It was nice to be able to take part once again in the work that she loved. It also reminded the researchers of how valuable a resource she was. The morning passed quickly, and Juna was sorry to have to leave the labs to go pick up Anitonen.

She entered the airlock, climbing out of her uncomfortable e-suit and into some light cotton clothing. Temporarily freed from the restrictions of quarantine, she opened the heavy outer door, and ran down the gangplank to the floating dock. Bruce was waiting for her in the boat. She smiled, and her step lightened. For once she was going to get to visit the forest without a gaggle of noisy humans trailing behind her.

“Hey there, miracle worker!” he said as he helped her into the boat. “Oh please!” Juna said. “I’ve heard that all morning long!”

“It’s all over the ship. The boat crew yesterday got an earful from the people they took back. So what really happened?”

Juna shrugged. “Anitonen and I performed some Tendu first aid on Dr. Wu. We saved his life, but it was not a miracle. Anitonen just did what any Tendu does. All I did was monitor Anitonen in case anything went wrong.”

“Can you do what Anitonen did?”

Juna shook her head. “I’m not that good. I can only heal easy things like flesh wounds and simple fractures. I might have been able to stabilize Dr. Wu until the medics came, but I couldn’t have cleared his arteries or repaired his damaged heart.”

“Anitonen did all that?” Bruce asked incredulously.

“The doctors say that Dr. Wu has the heart of a twenty-year-old now,” she replied.

“Well, tell him to give it back!” Bruce said with a grin.

Juna laughed, relieved that he wasn’t treating her like some kind of saint. Bruce was one of the few who saw through her alien skin to her human self.

“You’ve got a nice laugh,” he told her.

Juna turned a deep brown and looked away. “Thank you.”

The boat nosed onto the beach, and Juna leaped out to help pull it ashore.

Anitonen was nowhere in sight.

“Where is she?” Bruce asked.

“I don’t know,” Juna said. “The Tendu have a very flexible concept of time. Why don’t we go up and see if we can find her?”

“That would be wonderful,” Bruce agreed. “I’ve never seen the jungle.”

“Then let’s go.”

Somewhere near the top of the cliff path, Juna took Bruce’s hand to help him over a rough spot. They remained hand in hand as they strolled through the cathedral-like forest. Bruce moved quietly, Juna noted with approval. They paused in a sun break created by a recently fallen tree. The upper branches of the downed tree were covered with bromeliads. The tree’s fall had carried the doomed bromeliads down into a zone that was too dark and moist for them to survive; they bloomed in a last brilliant rush to procreate before they died.

Juna leaned against the tree’s massive flank. The noises of the jungle seemed very loud in the silence that hung between them. Bruce settled himself beside her, sliding one arm around her shoulder.

“It’s beautiful,” he said, breaking the heavy silence.

Juna nodded and looked up. “It’s even more beautiful up there. It’s like a whole separate world.”

He followed her gaze into the canopy. “What’s it like?”

“It’s a lot cooler, there’s more wind. Even the big branches sway in the wind.” She shook her head, remembering. “I was too scared at first to notice much, but now there’s so much up there to look at, I don’t have time to be scared. I’ll miss it when I go.”