and stood up. My hand was trembling again, but Elaine didn’t seem to notice so I supposed the shaking didn’t matter.
The tubes—catheters?—were attached now. The girl lay still, her face blue against the white of the sheet. The blood on her skin was darkening, gaining shades of brown and purple.
Elaine pressed the metal cylinder onto the plasticuff just as Neil came in. He set his load down by the door and came over to us. ‘Will I set up the stand?’ he asked.
Elaine nodded without taking her eyes off the girl.
Neil bent down behind us. I heard half a dozen clicks, then his large hand took the container of blood from mine. He dangled it professionally from the metal framework, then sat down beside Elaine.
I sat down too. I don’t think I could have kept standing much longer.
‘Is she going to be all right?’ I asked after a while.
Elaine shrugged. Neil said nothing.
‘You mean she might die?’ My voice was so high it was hard to recognise it as my own.
‘Yes,’ said Elaine.
‘But…but isn’t there anything else you can do? Can’t you Link her up to the City doctors? Surely they could do something more?’
‘There’s no point,’ said Elaine tiredly. ‘No matter what else they suggest there’s nothing else I can do. I’m just MediTech, my dear, not a doctor. I don’t even have any oxygen, much less biostasis.’
‘But isn’t there more they can do in the City?’
‘Yes,’ said Elaine shortly.
‘Can’t you take her there then? You could go in the floater with her and monitor her…’
‘It doesn’t work like that,’ said Neil gently. ‘Remember? You have to have residency or at least a temp to enter the City.’
‘But for an emergency…?’
‘The City doesn’t recognise emergencies in the Outlands,’ said Elaine. ‘Didn’t you know that?’
‘No,’ I said. ‘I just assumed that…’
‘I suppose most people in the City just do assume,’ said Elaine wearily. ‘How do you think I got my training?’
‘Well, on the Web.’
‘You can only get to MediTech level D on the Open Web,’ said Elaine. ‘For anything more you have to do prac work in the City. I didn’t get a permit. Thank goodness Nancy did. Shush for a moment. I want to check her pulse again.’
I watched silently. Was it my imagination, or did she have a more normal colour?
‘Stronger pulse,’ said Elaine softly.
The girl opened her eyes. For a moment they were unfocussed and then she seemed to see us. She glanced down at her arm on the bed, and the tubing snaking out. ‘Am I going to die?’ she whispered.
‘No,’ said Elaine gently. She laid her hand on the girl’s. ‘It’s all right. Danielle found you in time.’
‘He…he kept on drinking…’ The girl’s eyes were wide with horror now. ‘I told him to stop! He wouldn’t, so I tried to run. I tried to…’
‘Hush,’ said Elaine firmly. ‘Hush now. Try to rest. You can tell us later. Just be quiet now.’ She laid her hand on the girl’s forehead.
It may have been the touch, or the tone of voice, but the girl did relax. Her eyes flickered shut, then opened again. ‘I’m thirsty,’ she said childishly.
‘It’s all right. You don’t need to drink,’ said Elaine soothingly. She patted the tube. ‘This is doing it all for you.’
‘I’m thirsty,’ complained the girl again.
Elaine hesitated. ‘She can sip something,’ she said at last. ‘I don’t think there are any other injuries.’ The words‘or if there are, I can’t do anything about them’ seemed to hang in the air, but she didn’t say them aloud. ‘Some tea might help to warm her up.’
‘I should reheat the heatpacs too,’ I said.
Elaine nodded. She glanced down at the girl. She seemed to be sleeping again. Was I imagining it or did her skin look warmer? The damp cold look had faded. ‘Poor child,’ Elaine whispered. ‘I wonder who she is? I think we’d better wait until tomorrow to ask her any questions though.’
‘What
The tubes—catheters?—were attached now. The girl lay still, her face blue against the white of the sheet. The blood on her skin was darkening, gaining shades of brown and purple.
Elaine pressed the metal cylinder onto the plasticuff just as Neil came in. He set his load down by the door and came over to us. ‘Will I set up the stand?’ he asked.
Elaine nodded without taking her eyes off the girl.
Neil bent down behind us. I heard half a dozen clicks, then his large hand took the container of blood from mine. He dangled it professionally from the metal framework, then sat down beside Elaine.
I sat down too. I don’t think I could have kept standing much longer.
‘Is she going to be all right?’ I asked after a while.
Elaine shrugged. Neil said nothing.
‘You mean she might die?’ My voice was so high it was hard to recognise it as my own.
‘Yes,’ said Elaine.
‘But…but isn’t there anything else you can do? Can’t you Link her up to the City doctors? Surely they could do something more?’
‘There’s no point,’ said Elaine tiredly. ‘No matter what else they suggest there’s nothing else I can do. I’m just MediTech, my dear, not a doctor. I don’t even have any oxygen, much less biostasis.’
‘But isn’t there more they can do in the City?’
‘Yes,’ said Elaine shortly.
‘Can’t you take her there then? You could go in the floater with her and monitor her…’
‘It doesn’t work like that,’ said Neil gently. ‘Remember? You have to have residency or at least a temp to enter the City.’
‘But for an emergency…?’
‘The City doesn’t recognise emergencies in the Outlands,’ said Elaine. ‘Didn’t you know that?’
‘No,’ I said. ‘I just assumed that…’
‘I suppose most people in the City just do assume,’ said Elaine wearily. ‘How do you think I got my training?’
‘Well, on the Web.’
‘You can only get to MediTech level D on the Open Web,’ said Elaine. ‘For anything more you have to do prac work in the City. I didn’t get a permit. Thank goodness Nancy did. Shush for a moment. I want to check her pulse again.’
I watched silently. Was it my imagination, or did she have a more normal colour?
‘Stronger pulse,’ said Elaine softly.
The girl opened her eyes. For a moment they were unfocussed and then she seemed to see us. She glanced down at her arm on the bed, and the tubing snaking out. ‘Am I going to die?’ she whispered.
‘No,’ said Elaine gently. She laid her hand on the girl’s. ‘It’s all right. Danielle found you in time.’
‘He…he kept on drinking…’ The girl’s eyes were wide with horror now. ‘I told him to stop! He wouldn’t, so I tried to run. I tried to…’
‘Hush,’ said Elaine firmly. ‘Hush now. Try to rest. You can tell us later. Just be quiet now.’ She laid her hand on the girl’s forehead.
It may have been the touch, or the tone of voice, but the girl did relax. Her eyes flickered shut, then opened again. ‘I’m thirsty,’ she said childishly.
‘It’s all right. You don’t need to drink,’ said Elaine soothingly. She patted the tube. ‘This is doing it all for you.’
‘I’m thirsty,’ complained the girl again.
Elaine hesitated. ‘She can sip something,’ she said at last. ‘I don’t think there are any other injuries.’ The words‘or if there are, I can’t do anything about them’ seemed to hang in the air, but she didn’t say them aloud. ‘Some tea might help to warm her up.’
‘I should reheat the heatpacs too,’ I said.
Elaine nodded. She glanced down at the girl. She seemed to be sleeping again. Was I imagining it or did her skin look warmer? The damp cold look had faded. ‘Poor child,’ Elaine whispered. ‘I wonder who she is? I think we’d better wait until tomorrow to ask her any questions though.’
‘What
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