Gill's Treatment (Late Afternoon)

“Mistah Gill,” Doc greeted his patient as he entered the room, followed by Sister Lyen and the bubbly Yeva. “Time fah yah next treatment. How’s tha leg feelin’ tahday? Any pain...itchin’? He stood at the foot of the bed as the Sister and medic in training set to work. *Good to see them back on an even keel,* he thought of the ease in their expressions and body language.

Yeva prepped supplies as Lyen laid a mat beneath the boy’s suspended leg. “Meester Geel,” she offered a broad, friendly grin, “later today, I am bring you present from Solstice!”

“I’m fine.” Gill replied, his pained grimace giving the lie to the kids bravado. “Where’s Hadde?”

Adler shook his head. “Haven’t seen her,” he replied as the nun set to removing the dressing from the boy’s leg. “Then again, Ah was fairly busy right up til we broke atmo. Look at that,” he exclaimed as the surgical site was exposed. The muscle tissue was regenerating quickly. It had bulged through the gaps in the biomesh, puffing outward to the point of growing together in some spots. “Notice that regrowth rate. Sistah, kindly take a few still captures fah VCM.” As she snapped off the shots, Dorian gave the teenager a smile. “Yah muscle is growin’ fast, Mistah Gill.”

Gill glanced down and his face became a little pale at the sight of the regenerating tissue. He removed his eyes as quick as he was able and took a few moment to gather his nerves before speaking.

“Thank you.” he smiled weakly, “When will I be able to get back to work?” It had been a rough ride for the kids so far on the Veil, mostly down to trouble of their own making and he was clearly concerned about presenting a further burden on the crew that might test their patience to breaking point.

“Anothah couple days,” Adler said as he appreciated the tissue growth. “We’ll get yah on yah feet. Yah won’t be able tah haul an’ lift, but Mistah Vas might find somethin’ tah occupy yah hands. Still,” he withdrew as Yeva brushed the site with today’s rheumone treatment, “this is very encouragin’. Ah’m excited tah see the growth.” As Lyen and Yeva continued their careful work, the medic settled into a chair. “So, Mistah Gill,” he asked, “Ah’m very curious. Ah saw evidence of two men and violence at yah snowman, and of course, tha four who Vas an’ Marisol fought tah get yah both back. What is it that makes six adults want tah pursue two children tah point of gunblast?”

Gill glanced nervously between the adults present, it was clear an outright lie would not do but honestly he wasn't sure how to explain the whole truth.

“We were just messing around in the field in town. We were throwing snowballs and stuff. Haddie wanted to build a snowman. We haven’t done that since…” he swallowed what he was about to say. Since their parents had been alive. Since they had lost their family and the whole verse had turned into a never ending nightmare determined to swallow them whole.
“The men, two of them. They attacked us and tried to take us away. Haddie… we managed to get away! We ran into the forest and got lost. I think the other people were angry because we hurt their friends.We hid in the cabin when the wolves attacked and then they found us.”

Dorian listened, his head turned as he ingested the boy’s tale. “So, let me sum up tha facts, if Ah might. Yah playin’ in tha snow...throwin’ snowballs. Yah built a snowman. Along come two men. Out of tha blue, they attack. With a shotgun,” the medic’s eyes fixed on Gill’s as he landed that detail. “Tha snowman was tha first casualty...blown clean in half by what Ah saw. Next came a tussle. Second shot took half a man’s foot. Tha othah? Ah’m not sure how, but he was also injured. They limped off tha field, each leavin’ their own blood trails...and y’all’s tracks ran off toward tha woods.”

He paused to drape one leg over the other. “Along come four more adults on horseback. Marisol tells me Haddie was hog tied and yah had yah hands tied behind yah back. They were takin’ yah somewhere,” he offered. “Where?”

Gill sat and listened to the summary of his account, silently cringing at each barn door sized gap in the narrative. He was determined not to lie, sensing an outright lie might earn a long vacation on New Kashmir for himself and Haddie. Still, there was only so much he could honestly say.

“I don’t know where they were taking us… I think,” he hesitated not wanting to elaborate further but knowing that more was required. “They said their boss wanted to speak to us about what happened at the Skyplex… with the Reavers.”

“Ah see,” Dorian nodded, trading glances with Yeva and Lyen. “So... a boss in a tiny town on New Kasmir wants tah ask two children about a Reavah attack on a Skyplex that’s twenty-two days’ flight time away? That boss must have a powahful need tah know,” the doc observed, “sendin’ two attackers with shotguns, and then four more tah hunt yah down in the high timber. Whatever could yah know that would invite such a lethal amount of interest?”

“We… we were the last ones to speak to.” Gill shook his head in frustration. It was no good he would have to go further back to explain. Time for a deep breath.

“Some people picked us up at the Skyplex. They said that there is an Alliance bounty out on Haddie and myself on account of us being runaways and… other stuff. They said it would be a waste to cash it in when we could be useful in other ways. So we made a deal and they let us go, but then the Reavers attacked and I guess they got killed. They have contacts all over… It’s called the roost. I don’t know I guess they thought we knew what happened or had something to do with it. They were saying all sorts of weird stuff and we just wanted to get away.”

Dorian twined the fingers of both hands together upon his knee. “Allow me tah explain tha arithmetic,” he said. “This “Roost” sent two gunmen aftah children...an’ they came home bleedin’. Then, they sent four...an’ they were turned intah wolf fodder. In tha process,” he continued, “every person yah see in this room was out on horseback, searchin’...fah you. Yeva here rode up in tha middle of a gunfight...one that Vas an’ Marisol wound up takin’ on twice their numbah….fah you.”

He shifted in his chair, then took a breath. “Ah don’t know this ‘Roost,’ he shrugged, “but Ah can do tha arithmetic. Two...four….plus a network yah say that has lots ‘o’ contacts, and now carries a healthy grudge. So, Mistah Gill, how many guns are gonna face us next time? Tha math says eight...but since yah won’t tell us about what “othah stuff’ yah involved in, tha nature of tha deal yah welched on with tha Roost, or, fah that mattah, tha ‘weird stuff’ they said tah yah, evahbody on this boat is flyin’ right intah an ambush...blind.”

Lyen looked up from her work to watch Adler’s face. This methodical approach was building to something the nun was fearful to hear from the teenager’s mouth. She traded places with Yeva, pretending she wasn’t engrossed in the recounting.

Dorian narrowed his eyes as he leaned forward. “Alot of good folk here have braved bullets an’ worse on behalf of yah little sistah an’ yahself. Yet yah still want to feed me lies an’ half truths? You would let us fly right intah their gunsights? It’s time fah tha whole truth, son.”

Gill bridled at that and tried to sit up only to be downed by a sharp pain in his leg, “I told you no lies and we are both damned grateful for our home here and everything you folk have done for us.” he felt tears sting his eyes in the rush to deflect the worst of Dorians accusation.

“It’s not fair. This is the closest Haddie and I have to family and we… we would be lost without you all. Vas and the others know all about the trouble back on Santos. A man was fixing on handing us in, same as at the plex and we had to hurt him bad to get away, and the other stuff… well we do what we need to do to get by just like you all do and for the most part we’re good at it. That’s why they didn’t turn us in on account of us being good at getting by and having a way of getting about. Back on the plex it was a simple offer of work and then the Reavers came and the goons they sent to fetch us here in town were rough not like back on the Plex and we got scared. Back on the Plex it seemed like a good way of keeping us away from the feds with our options open, but we never would have brought harm to our people here. This is our home and we know what that means. What it's worth.”

The tears came now and he turned his head away cheeks flushing, “I’m sorry Doc. I’m sorry.”

Ly was at the boy’s side, a comforting hand on his shoulder. Looking down at him she believed he’d been just as truthful as he said. Whether the inquirer felt the same was difficult to tell. The nun regarded Adler with concern.

Dorian stroked his mustache as he contemplated Gill’s words. After a moment’s reflection, he fixed his eye upon the tearful boy. “Family,” he said. “A word Ah’ve caught mahself usin’ of late. A good word,” he nodded agreement. “We are yah family...an’ we’ve proven it. Now, yah gonna prove it back.” He glanced toward his assistants, seeing wary curiosity in Yeva’s eyes, and a prottective sort of caution in Lyen’s. “Ah want tah know everythin’ yah know about tha Roost...in particulah, names...their business interests...and where we can expect tah see ‘em.”

He rose to his feet. “And Ah want a meetin’. You, me, an’ Vas Jat….with whoevah they send. No Haddie,” Dorian said flatly. “Now, get some rest..it’s good fah yah healin’. We’ll talk again tomorrah...and Ah expect tah hear much, much more. Mistah Gill,” the medic nodded, before turning to the door. As he made exit to the corridor, he overheard Yeva.

“Meester Geel, ees time for sponge bath.”