Star Trek - TOS 38 Idic Epidemic (34 page)

“Of course if you’d like t’ hold—” Deaver began,
but then, inexplicably, broke off what he was about to
say.

She saw something in those dark blue eyes that disturbed her already precarious equilibrium; but at her glance the eyes suddenly were shadowed. He hid
his feelings as effectively as any Vulcan. “Almost went
too far, didn’t I? Me worst habit. Always have to push
the limits.”

Even more confused by the apology she didn’t
understand, T’Pina took the opportunity to withdraw
her hand from Deaver’s. He didn’t move his hand, leaving it on the edge of her bed. It made her feel inexplicably as if
she
now ought to apologize … but she didn’t know for what.

Instead she took up what she did understand.
“Pushing the limits makes great scientists. Or mathe
maticians,” she added, remembering his profession. “If you confine it to your work—”

“I’ll solve the Universal Equation, but get no fun outta life,” he told her.

“I thought mathematics was ‘fun’ to you.”

“You
were
listening!” he said, eyes shining in de
light, a reaction T’Pina recognized even in her drugged state as inappropriately enthusiastic for its
cause.

“Certainly,” she replied. “I always listen.”

“Ah, but you
remembered,”
he said, refusing the
rebuff. “Now—”

He was interrupted by a voice over the intercom.

“This is an emergency alert. The hospital is being
evacuated because of the possibility of a flash flood.
Patients please remain in your rooms until hospital
personnel come to help you. Personnel, this is Emer
gency Procedure Three, repeat, Emergency Procedure
Three.

“Ambulatory patients, follow hospital personnel to
the designated areas of safety. Immobilized patients,
do not attempt to disconnect equipment. Hospital
personnel will move you.”

The message began to repeat.

Deaver said, “A flash flood? There’s been no rain to
speak of.”

T’Pina, who had lived on Nisus most of her life,
remembered. “It’s the spring melt-off. Sometimes the
ice blocks the canyons up in the mountains, and if it
lets go all at once, it can overflow the dam. Twice we
were evacuated when I was in school here, but there was no serious flooding either time.”

“That’s a relief,” said Deaver. “Still—”

A Rigellian technician entered the room, pushing a
gurney. “Ah, Mr. Deaver,” he said. “You’re ambulatory. Take the corridor outside to the left. Follow the
blue lines to—”

“I’ll help you with T’Pina,” said Deaver.

“You are a patient yourself—” the man began.

“Ya wanna fight about it?” Deaver suggested as if he wouldn’t mind a bit. “Or ya wanna get this lady
with the precious blood to safety?”

T’Pina tried to sit up, but dizziness swept over her.
“Lie still!” Deaver ordered. “Come on, you can bloody well disconnect her faster’n that! ‘Ere!” he gasped as bright green blood flowed when the tube was disconnected from the needle in T’Pina’s arm. “You gonna let ‘er bleed t’ death?!”

“The blood stimulant is still in her system,” the
technician replied. “She is producing blood at a very rapid rate.” Swiftly, he connected another tube, lead
ing to a container on the gurney, to the needle left in
T’Pina’s arm.

He then changed the container of fluid leading to
her other arm, saying, “This is just hydrating solution,
no more drug in it. But T’Pina will become dehy
drated if her fluid loss is not replaced.”

Deaver moved into position as the Rigellian prepared to move T’Pina to the gurney, and she recog
nized that he had done this before. So did the technician; he stopped protesting and accepted the
help in transferring her.

Being wheeled through the halls was dizzying. Then
they were in a lift, and then more corridors. Finally
they reached the emergency-room doors to the outside, where other patients on gurneys and in wheel-
chairs waited for ambulances.

Two ground vehicles departed with their loads, and
a hoverer landed on the nearby pad. It was loaded
quickly and took off, and T’Pina was moved forward
in the line. More patients were being brought out
behind her. T’Pina could hear an argument going on about the hopelessness of trying to segregate contagious plague victims from the other patients, but she
couldn’t see who was talking.

Another hoverer carried off two more patients, but
then a ground vehicle pulled up and T’Pina was taken
to it, along with a Vulcan male who appeared to be
unconscious.

The attendants were two Human males, one tall
and blond, the other short with curly black hair and
eyes almost as blue as Beau Deaver’s.

What a strange thought,
T’Pina recognized. The tall
one checked the ID bracelet on her wrist and said,
“Gotta be extra careful with this one on board, Dave:
she’s the one whose blood can stop the plague.”

“I’m always careful,” replied the other man.
“Why’re you always criticizin’ my driving?”

“ ‘Cause it’s nice to get the patients there in one
piece!” his colleague replied as they lifted the Vulcan
male into the ambulance and fastened him safely. He
studied the patient and said seriously, “This one’s supposed to be recovering, but he doesn’t look good
to me.”

“Let’s just get them to the medcamp and let the
healers take him over,” said the one called Dave.

They turned to lift T’Pina and found Beau Deaver
ready to help. “Sorry, sir,” said Dave, “these vehicles
are for nonambulatory patients only. If you’ll go
around to the front of the hospital, there are buses—”

“I’ve got medic training,” said Deaver. “Done
ambulance duty before.” He turned to the Rigellian technician. “I c’n take care of her.”

There was only a moment’s hesitation. Then the man said, “Switch blood containers as they fill and
fluid containers as they empty. In about five hours her
blood production will start tapering off, but maybe by
then we’ll have everyone back in the hospital.” He
smiled. “Thanks—there are other patients who really
need me more, but you all know how important this one is.” His glance included the attendants.

With everyone aboard and the doors shut, the
ambulance started off, Dave driving, his blond col
league turned in his seat to watch the two patients. Deaver sat on a pull-out seat between them. He watched T’Pina until the ambulance surged sharply
around a corner, fishtailing wildly.

“What the bleedin’—?” Deaver began furiously,
but the moment he looked forward he paled. “Oh, my
God!”

The ambulance lurched and turned, changing direc
tion.

“It’s coming down this street too!” exclaimed Dave,
spinning and skidding the ambulance as if it were a
racing vehicle. The siren began to wail.

“The dam’s burst!” said the other attendant. “We
can’t outrun it! Hope we all know how to swim!”

Deaver turned and shook the Vulcan. “Wake up,
dammit!” The man remained unconscious.

T’Pina eased up on her elbows as the ambulance
sped back toward the hospital. She could just see out
the back window.

A wall of water higher than she could see pursued
them!

It was overtaking them!

The ambulance was lifted like a toy, spun and
swirled, tossed high—

Deaver hung on, one hand on either gurney.

They were smashed against a wall.

The opposite side of the ambulance caved in to
ward T’Pina. The other patient was thrust against
Deaver and the two men toppled onto her.

Water poured in through the burst roof.

They were sinking!

“I can’t get loose!” T’Pina heard the blond ambu
lance attendant exclaim.

“Hold still!” Dave responded. “I’ll cut through the
belt!”

Then both attendants were trying to squirm into
the crowded back of the ambulance.

The water was up to the level of T’Pina’s bed and pouring over them as they fought to escape. She
tugged at the fastenings holding her in place.

Trapped under the still-unconscious Vulcan, who
now hung from his safety straps, Beau Deaver tried to
turn to her, but there was not enough room for his wide shoulders. “Wait!” he said, and began working
the Vulcan man’s straps loose. “Can you blokes take
him?” he asked.

“If we can get out,” the blond attendant replied.
“Watch yourselves! It’s jagged metal.”

He took a deep breath of what little air was left, and
struggled over them, leaning back in to grasp the Vulcan under the arms as Dave maneuvered him
upright. The lurch as the ambulance hit bottom thrust
the Vulcan and the two attendants out and away.

Deaver reached for T’Pina. He took a scalpel from
the equipment on board and slashed through the
straps holding her.

By this time the water had covered her. She broke
free, gasping, and hung for a moment in the last bubble of air trapped under the roof.

“Can you swim?” Deaver asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Then hang on to me, and kick—don’t try to go on
your own,” said Deaver. “Take a deep breath—”

T’Pina drew air into her lungs. Deaver went first,
pulling her out after him. She felt the needles pull
from her arms. That did not bother her as much as the
thought of losing hold of Deaver’s hand as she
emerged into swirling black water.

She couldn’t see. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t
tell up from down.

The only reality was the freezing water, tumbling
her at will.

Remembering Deaver’s instruction, she kicked,
wondering if they were floating upward or caught in
some current carrying them into an airless trap. It was
cold—so cold.

Why was it so black?

Her limbs were numb. Something hit them—tree branches trying to drive them apart.