Chapter 12

Awkward expressions of anguish and wretched glares for unshared misery donned the faces as the twelve passed in and out of the relief facilities, making their muted feelings known to Deuce and Molly. The waste-purging prescriptions had been dispensed six hours ago.

Davidette growled as she emerged from the facility, “I swear, if Miriam sings, ‘I surrender all’ one more time, I’m going to hurt her,”

All Molly could do was sympathize and comfort. “Just a few more hours and then you will sleep.”

Molly forced a pleasant smile. To be honest, she looked forward to the next six hours being over and the twelve placed in their hibernation pods. They were not the best of patients. But then again, she was not the best of nurses. Deuce, on the other hand, was in his element. He was passing out cool, wet towels and speaking encouraging words to everybody. He was—a saint.

What was she thinking? Molly jerked her gaze back to Davidette who ran back into the facility.

The current topic of conversation was disgusting. Why couldn’t they get through this phase without discussing it at such length? Bowel cleansing. Lovely! But, this was all they talked about at the moment, and she had to stay engaged with the other twelve pilgrims.

So, poop talk it was.

Julie smiled apologetically and pushed past Molly to dash inside the facilities. Thank whoever built this ship, the facilities were accommodating, and no one had to wait in line. That would be a whole other repulsive task if there were a limited number of stalls.

Slowly, the time and the bowel contents ran out. It was the hour for everyone to be suspended. Molly hugged and kissed each of them goodbye. She waved vigorously as she walked backward away from the hibernation pods and ducked into her quarters.

She sat on her bed as she reclined back on her pillow. Her stomach knotted fiercely. What was it about those pods that made her feel so—afraid? Other than the fact that her own twin sister might have had all her eggs stolen while she was suspended. But how? Was that even possible?

Molly sat straight up. She needed to witness the suspension process. Maybe the thievery happened before the stasis was fully activated. But that didn’t make sense either. As much as she feared the process, she had to oversee it. She hurried to the pods.

Deuce was checking vitals and reassuring Pam. Faces were obscured by breathing masks. Worrisome eyes caught sight of Molly. She fought the urge to bite her lip. Hayden’s breathing seemed erratic. His face was covered in sweat. Molly sensed pain, or was it fear? She walked over to his pod and touched his shoulder. She pushed calm, peace, and rest into his senses and felt him respond. He waned a smile and closed his eyes. His breathing slowed. Warm breath fogged his mask as a sincere, “Thank you,” escaped his lips. Molly tilted her head. A satisfactory smile settled on her face.

She was needed here after all.

Deuce nodded toward the attendants. Anesthetizing medication released at once into the twelve intravenous tubes.

Molly watched the effects wash over her teammates. Worried faces melted into sleepy, eye-batting yawns. Alyce jumped from one of those falling dreams and settled back into a pre-slumber state. She smacked her lips as her face softened. Robotic personnel darted from pod to pod checking iComm charts above the patients’ heads and touching their own hand-held devices, confirming, status normal.

Everyone drifted to sleep just like they were about to go into surgery. Phase one was complete. Molly stared at the catatonic forms. Anything could happen at this point. Who would know ... Just then, Hayden’s eyes popped open.

Deuce stepped up to his monitor. He gestured for an attendant to confirm the readings. It began leveling Hayden’s pod to horizontal.

Deuce turned to Molly, alarm filled his eyes. “His appendix just ruptured!”

He yelled at the mechanical attendants, “I need a sterile field over here, stat!”

An anti-bacterial laser washed over Deuce’s upper torso while another attendant pushed surgical scrubs over his hands and onto his shoulders. He let his crutches fall to the ground. Molly stepped forward to retrieve the crutches, but Deuce hollered, “No! Molly, this is a sterile field now.”

A third attendant altered the fluids entering Hayden’s IV. His eyes closed, and his face relaxed.

A vacuum of air pushed past Molly, lifting her bangs and hair. The room had been sterilized. She stood stunned, clutching the frame of Pam’s pod.

The assistant wrapped a mask around Deuce’s nose and mouth as a tray lowered from the ceiling next to Hayden’s now horizontal pod. Deuce’s back was turned toward Molly, but his arms moved quickly. Two mechanical attendants assisted.

Molly stared at his back, frozen by fear.

At last, Deuce pulled the sterile garb, letting it fall, hopped back, and picked up his crutches. A red line marked the incision on Hayden’s abdomen. No stitches, the wound had been glued. The assistant ran another laser light over the wound and sprayed a sealant. No bandages.

The attendants confirmed everyone was ready for the next phase and began removing breathing masks, taping eyelids closed, and sealing other facial orifices with pathologically compatible gel and tape. Breathing machines were activated immediately upon the insertion of tubes.

“Wh—What happened?” Molly found her voice.

“I don’t know. His appendix suddenly ruptured. Thank God he was on the monitors, or we wouldn’t have known.” Deuce glanced at her, his attempt to conceal a smile failed.

He’d enjoyed his last bout of hero healer. The satisfaction on his face stirred Molly’s anger. “You mean to tell me, he could have died?”

“Well, yeah, if we hadn’t caught that in time.”

Molly stared at him. This sudden, impromptu surgery seared to her core. Her knees went weak. She leaned against Pam’s pod. Was this how they stole Kita’s ovum after she was anesthetized and before the hibernation suspension? Who would have done it? Could the attendants perform such a delicate procedure? They were programmed to do no harm, but what if ... Still, that didn’t make sense. Kita had been pregnant. She bore a child. But, if the insemination was in-vitro...

“It’s all right, now.” Concern filled his face.

She was too stunned to respond. Her body trembled with fear and rage.

He touched her shoulder.

She jerked away as if his hand were fire. “I—I need to lie down,” she muttered.

The attendants continued to prepare the twelve for hibernation. The emotional interchange went unnoticed. Focused on their devices, transparent covers slowly moved into place, sealing the travelers inside. A clear green gel filled the pod as their bodies began to float. The attendants checked and confirmed the bodies were fully suspended, all vitals were normal, and then pressed another icon on their devices. The pods instantly frosted over.

“The cryogenic process takes six seconds, Dr. Abraham,” an attendant reported to Deuce.

“Good, then, we’ll leave them to sleep.”

It ducked its head as if saluting him and returned to monitoring.

Molly’s eyebrows pressed together. “They answer to you?”

“Well, I am a healer.” He looked past her to the overhead monitors. Leaning on his crutches, he walked the length of the pods. Apparently satisfied with the individual readings, he turned. “What?”

Molly frowned. “Hayden won’t heal until we get there and he is ... thawed out?”

“Essentially.” Deuce looked into her eyes. “Right.”

“But ... he’ll be all right.”

“Yes.” He donned a reassuring, practiced smile.

“Were—were there healers present when the other pilgrims...”

“I have no idea.” Deuce stared at her.

Could he possibly know what her mind was churning? Her mouth drew up on one side, and she walked away. She needed to think about this, alone, behind a locked door. Nausea plagued her again. Would she ever hold down a meal?

A few days had passed. The indistinguishable passing of time left daytime barely different from night. Without the Zulu clock and the ship’s scheduled artificial lighting, Molly would be completely disoriented.

“What are you doing?” Deuce gingerly made his way to stand behind Molly. The large observation deck quickly became a common gathering place for them both.

“It’s beautiful out there, you know,” Molly stated without looking around.

“Yes it is, but...”

Molly looked at him for the first time since he’d entered the observatory. “But...” She frowned. How’d he know there was a but? “I miss the sunrise. I miss waking up to morning light. I miss seeing the sunlight fade and knowing it’ll be time to go to bed. I miss my family. I miss my—normal life.”

“There’s a certain amount of depression that has to be dealt with when one is off-planet, especially during the travel time. That’s the main reason for the cryogenic stasis, not only does it prevent the space depression, it also suspends aging and other physical changes so that when you arri—”

“Deuce,” Molly heard the sharpness of her voice and cringed. “I know all that. Okay? You asked, I told. I wasn’t looking for a diagnosis.”