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Louella fell into step behind it and looked around with interest at the many species of beings she passed and who passed her. The spider stopped and a door slid open.
“You have arrived at your destination.”
As the spider announced their arrival, a tall—were there any other kind?—Ahn’hudi male presented himself in the doorway.
“Custody of human Louella Cordelia Jefferson transferred to Healer Esillon mek Uskand’Kihn,” the male announced.
“Custody?” Louella echoed in a whisper.
The physician looked at her and frowned. His tail lashed and his short crest flattened, a sure sign of displeasure. “The ship’s intelligence informed me you were ill, human Louella Cordelia Jefferson, yet you do not appear to be ailing or injured.”
Louella peered past him into the busy medical bay. She looked at the physician, decided honesty was the best policy, and confessed, “I lied. I wanted to leave the general’s quarters and this was the only way I could think to do it.”
“That was dishonorable.”
Louella wanted to shuffle her bare feet and avert her gaze, but she forced herself to be brave. “Look, I know it wasn’t a nice thing to do, but after being captured by those bugs and … and …” she shuddered “... I need todosomething, to take my mind off …that.”
The tall physician’s expression darkened further. “And what did you hope to accomplish, human Louella—”
“Look, doc, could you not call me ‘human’ every time?” she blurted.
“But you are human.”
“I don’t call you ‘Ahn’hudi Uskand’Kihn.”
“Esillon.”
“Huh?”
“Esillon mek Uskand’Kihn,” the physician corrected her. “And my title is healer, not doc.” He exhaled a short blast of air through his nose. “And, as you can see, we are extremely busy—too busy to serve as your entertainment.”
Louella grinned with a newfound sense of confidence. She knew how to handle starchy doctors. “Well,HealerEsillon mek Uskand’Kihn, it just so happens I’m a medical professional, too—a nurse. I can help you take care of your patients.”
The healer’s crest rose, indicating his interest. “A nurse?” He frowned again as his implanted translator conveyed the definition of the term to him. “But I doubt you know the physiology of more than the human species.”
“No, but I’m a fast learner,” she said with a broad smile that she hoped would convey both a willingness to learn and work as well as a friendly demeanor.
“Why do you bare your teeth at me?”
She closed her lips, paused, then said, “I apologize. I won’t smile at you anymore. I was just trying to be friendly.”
The healer tilted his head to one side. “Does not the baring of teeth indicate hostility among humans?”
“No, we call it a smile. It’s supposed to be friendly, a sign just the opposite of hostility,” she answered, careful to keep from displaying her teeth.
“Ah,” the healer said with a nod. “Are all human females as bold as you?”
“Nope.” She repressed a grin.
“You must be a warrior among your kind or—” he looked at the bony human female “—descended from warriors.”
“No, just determined.”
The healer paused a moment to think, then his lips stretched in a close-mouthed smile that didn’t display any teeth whatsoever. The expression did not look natural on him. It was as though he were trying to meld a human expression with Ahn’hudi body language. “I can use the help. Welcome to medical bay, hu—no—NurseLouella Cordelia Jefferson.”
“Just call me Lou.”
He shook his head and said loudly, “Procure a tablet for Nurse Louella Cordelia Jefferson. She will be assisting in the medical bay for the duration of her passage aboard this ship.”
