Bolden's Pets, Page 3

said Bolden. "Nothingmore on this one, though. It's a personal gift."

  "You're sure it's personal?"

  "The native said it was."

  The doctor sighed. "I'll tell them. They won't like it, but we can'targue with the natives if we want their cooperation."

  Bolden smiled. The animal was safe for at least six months. He couldunderstand the biologists' curiosity, but there was enough to keep themcurious for a long time on a new planet. And it was his. In a remarkablyshort time, he had become attached to it. It was one of those rarethings that Man happened across occasionally--about once in every fiveplanets. Useless, completely useless, the creature had one virtue. Itliked Man and Man liked it. It was a pet. "Okay," he said. "But youdidn't tell me where it is."

  The doctor shrugged, but the gesture was lost in the shapelessdecontagion suit. "Do you think we're letting it run in the streets?It's in the next room, under observation."

  The doctor was more concerned than he was letting on. The hospital wassmall and animals were never kept in it. "It's not the carrier. I wassick before it was given to me."

  "You had something, we know that much, but was it this? Even grantingthat you're right, it was in contact with you and may now be infected."

  "I think life on this planet isn't bothered by the disease. The nativeshave been every place I went and none of them seemed to have it."

  "Didn't they?" said the doctor, going to the door. "Maybe. It's tooearly to say." He reeled a cord out of the wall and plugged it into thedecontagion suit. He spread his legs and held his arms away from hissides. In an instant, the suit glowed white hot. Only for an instant,and it was insulated inside. Even so it must be uncomfortable--and theprocess would be repeated outside. The doctor wasn't taking any chances."Try to sleep," he said. "Ring if there's a change in yourcondition--even if you think it's insignificant."

  "I'll ring," said Bolden. In a short time he fell asleep. It was easy tosleep.

  * * * * *

  The nurse entered as quietly as she could in the decontagion outfit. Itawakened Bolden. It was evening. He had slept most of the day. "Whichone are you?" he asked. "The pretty one?"

  "All nurses are pretty if you get well. Here. Swallow this."

  It was Peggy. He looked doubtfully at what she held out. "All of it?"

  "Certainly. You get it down and I'll see that it comes back up. Thestring won't hurt you."

  She passed a small instrument over his body, reading the dial she heldin the other hand. The information, he knew, was being recordedelsewhere on a master chart. Apparently the instrument measured neuralcurrents and hence indirectly the progress of the disease. Already theyhad evolved new diagnostic techniques. He wished they'd made the sameadvance in treatment.

  After expertly reeling out the instrument he had swallowed, the nurseread it and deposited it in a receptacle in the wall. She brought a trayand told him to eat. He wanted to question her, but she was insistentabout it so he ate. Allowance had been made for his partial paralysis.The food was liquid. It was probably nutritious, but he didn't care forthe taste.

  She took the tray away and came back and sat beside him. "Now we cantalk," she said.

  "What's going on?" he said bluntly. "When do I start getting shots?Nothing's been done for me so far."

  "I don't know what the doctor's working out for you. I'm just thenurse."

  "Don't try to tell me that," he said. "You're a doctor yourself. In apinch you could take Kessler's place."

  "And I get my share of pinches," she said brightly. "Okay, so I'm adoctor, but only on Earth. Until I complete my off-planet internshiphere, I'm not allowed to practice."

  "You know as much about Van Daamas as anyone does."

  "That may be," she said. "Now don't be alarmed, but the truth ought tobe obvious. None of our anti or neobiotics or combinations of them havea positive effect. We're looking for something new."

  It should have been obvious; he had been hoping against that, though. Helooked at the shapeless figure sitting beside him and remembered Peggyas she usually looked. He wondered if they were any longer concernedwith him as an individual. They must be working mainly to keep thedisease from spreading. "What are my chances?"

  "Better than you think. We're looking for an additive that will make thebiotics effective."

  * * * * *

  He hadn't thought of that, though it was often used, particularly onnewly settled planets. He had heard of a virus infection common toCentaurus that could be completely controlled by a shot of neobioticsplus aspirin, though separately neither was of any value. But thediscovery of what substance should be added to what antibiotic waslargely one of trial and error. That took time and there wasn't muchtime. "What else?" he said.

  "That's about it. We're not trying to make you believe this isn'tserious. But don't forget we're working ten times as fast as the diseasecan multiply. We expect a break any moment." She got up. "Want asedative for the night?"

  "I've got a sedative inside me. Looks like it will be permanent."

  "That's what I like about you, you're so cheerful," she said, leaningover and clipping something around his throat. "In case you'rewondering, we're going to be busy tonight checking the microbe. We canput someone in with you, but we thought you'd rather have all of usworking on it."

  "Sure," he said.

  "This is a body monitor. If you want anything just call and we'll behere within minutes."

  "Thanks," he said. "I won't panic tonight."

  She plugged in the decontagion uniform, flashed it on and then left theroom. After she was gone, the body monitor no longer seemed reassuring.It was going to take something positive to pull him through.

  They were going to work through the night, but did they actually hopefor success. What had Peggy said? None of the anti or neobiotics had apositive reaction. Unknowingly she had let it slip. The reaction wasnegative; the bubble microbes actually grew faster in the medium thatwas supposed to stop them. It happened occasionally on strange planets.It was his bad luck that it was happening to him.

  He pushed the thoughts out of his mind and tried to sleep. He did for atime. When he awakened he thought, at first, it was his arms that hadaroused him. They seemed to be on fire, deep inside. To a limitedextent, he still had control. He could move them though there was nosurface sensation. Interior nerves had not been greatly affected untilnow. But outside the infection had crept up. It was no longer just abovethe wrists. It had reached his elbows and passed beyond. A few inchesbelow his shoulder he could feel nothing. The illness was accelerating.If they had ever thought of amputation, it was too late, now.

  * * * * *

  He resisted an impulse to cry out. A nurse would come and sit besidehim, but he would be taking her from work that might save his life. Theinfection would reach his shoulders and move across his chest and back.It would travel up his throat and he wouldn't be able to move his lips.It would paralyze his eyelids so that he couldn't blink. Maybe it wouldblind him, too. And then it would find ingress to his brain.

  The result would be a metabolic explosion. Swiftly each bodily functionwould stop altogether or race wildly as the central nervous system wasinvaded, one regulatory center after the other blanking out. His bodywould be aflame or it would smolder and flicker out. Death might bespectacular or it could come very quietly.

  That was one reason he didn't call the nurse.

  The other was the noise.

  It was a low sound, half purr, half a coaxing growl. It was the animalthe native had given him, confined in the next room. Bolden was not surewhy he did what he did next. Instinct or reason may have governed hisactions. But instinct and reason are divisive concepts that cannot applyto the human mind, which is actually indivisible.

  He got out of bed. Unable to stand, he rolled to the floor. He couldn'tcrawl very well because his hands wouldn't support his weight so hecrept along on his knees and elbows. It didn
't hurt. Nothing hurt exceptthe fire in his bones. He reached the door and straightened up on hisknees. He raised his hand to the handle, but couldn't grasp it. Afterseveral trials, he abandoned the attempt and hooked his chin on thehandle, pulling it down. The door opened and he was in the next room.The animal was whining louder now that he was near. Yellow eyes glowedat him from the corner. He crept to the cage.

  It was latched. The animal shivered eagerly, pressing against the side,striving to reach him. His hands were numb