Absolute Maybe

Zhea~ Year 7839

Nicole has a friend who won't get serious. He has dangerous enemies. 40 pp. Novelette. Healing of Sexual Abuse. Healing of Drug Abuse.

ASIN: B002IKKMDK File Size: 85 KB (Kindle Edition - July 21, 2009)

Absolute Maybe - Novelette Kindle Edition

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

I kept running into him on the bus, but not counting the fifteen mins or so I usually waited for the 10 on Peachtree, it only took ten to get to Howell House. Every time, I repeated my invitation. And, every time, he had a social function. I felt dumb and just talked about something else. As weeks passed, he looked more gray than yellow. Sweated more.

On Saturdays, I walked up to 10^th Street where there was a branch of Brothers, a small slave rescue outfit, to volunteer. At first, I just wanted to learn about Zheien. I got assigned to Healer Asha. There were five with that name, so I worked with a diff Asha every week ‘cause I got ‘em mixed up. But, I learned things I didn’t want to know. Elshar Zheien, or KhaZha Zheien, the yellow-skinned ones, are always sick. They’re the only Zheien whose eyes change, because they’re mixed with Elshar. A sweating Zheien’s dying. Another absolute maybe.

“But, Ret sweats, and he’s not—“

Asha’s eyes turned very dark. “Earth poisons ‘em. A healthy one lasts about two years if he leaves for a few weeks every so often. An Elshar Zheien or KhaZha may last six months, if that long. Is he yellow?”

I mumbled. “Gray.”

“Does he shake? Do his eyes stay dark? Do they stare? Does he breathe hard?” I had to admit, all of it was true.

He pressed a red pyramid into my hand. “Carry this with you, and listen carefully.” He taught me about the herbs in there. A lot of them were herbs a diplomat normally carries. But, some were special, and that’s why it was red. “The yellow leaves are whetsei. If he shakes and doesn’t answer you, start with three and wait. Give it until the shaking stops. If nine leaves of whetsei doesn’t stop it, give one of the green cubes. He’ll sleep. But, if even two of the green—that’s sirce~—doesn’t stop it, he’ll get brain damage. Diplomats carry their own herbs, so first check his pocket and see if he’s got a pyramid. But, whetsei and sirce~ aren’t grown for a person like nesfa and ses and certain others are. That’s how any diplomat knows to give a man with a head injury five leaves of nesfa, for example, if he isn’t able to tell him how many he needs. A man with seizures might not be able to know how much to take, if he’s had injuries or poisonings that left brain damage. Nitrogen poisoning or water poisoning from living on Earth can make ‘em confused. Watch him on a humid or rainy day, and you can see how just that slows a Zheien down. Slavers can train them to come back for more slaver herbs, and they won’t remember being abused. If he’s having a lot of night meetings….”

I thought a lot about that. When I stopped inviting him home, he looked at me more. Slavers can train them to get a bad headache if they try to tell somebody they need help. He might be okay, or he might not. A dangerous absolute maybe. But, I needed to try to find out. Asha warned me not to bring him to Brothers. The shock of seeing an Elshar healer might kill him.

Tuesday he stood at the bus shelter, and it poured rain. He looked dark gray. Had I been so stupid? His eyes, dark, stared at me when I took his arm. Cold. He shook all over despite a winter coat that came below his knees, and galoshes. “Ret, how are you?”

Both his hands held my arm. He looked down. “Nicole. May I come with you?” When he asked, he flinched. His light curls dripped, and green mixed with the rain.

I hugged him. “Eae, honey. I’d like that.”

He hugged me back, and I rubbed his head. With a sigh, he put it on my shoulder.

“Does he feel good, Raisa?”

Ret gasped and stood straight. Opened his mouth as he looked at the man, then closed it.

“You had a meeting with me tonight, didn’t you, Diplomat Ret?”

He sighed. “Eae.”

I yelled. “911!”

Half the bus shelter vanished in blue dimportals! I didn’t expect that! Atlanta Police has a no-nonsense porting policy, and green is local—just beyond the city limits. Blue is for repeat offenders, all the way to Elshar Mashai! I hugged Ret.

He clung to me.

The bus came, and Ret had trouble on the steps. Our friendly driver came to help. “If I knew you had leg problems, I’d put the ramp down for you. Do you want the ramp, or should I just carry you?”

Ret didn’t look up.

“Would you carry him? He’s not feeling good today.”

Carefully, the driver grabbed Ret around the waist. Ret clung to my arm. I stayed close. An elderly lady moved off the front seat so we could sit there. I felt bad, but she smiled.

With a shudder, Ret moved close to me.

He didn’t say anything, though I chattered. “It sure is rainy. It’ll clear up tomorrow. Driving sure is interesting when the rain’s heavy.” I felt stupid.

At my stop, the driver helped Ret down the ramp, and his feet curled up at the sidewalk. “Y’all be careful.”

“We will!” I looked down, and orange blood mixed with the muddy water. “Oh, Ret, your feet!”

He didn’t look. Stared past me with his head against my shoulder. Crouched.

We had to get a half-block down to the light, across the busy street, and in the glass doors. I cringed. Ret’s hands let go of me and curled up tightly. He’s getting too stiff in this cold! “Walk with me, Ret. I’m sorry! It’s just a short walk to my place. I’ll get you warm.”

I moved, and his legs stiffly moved. Couldn’t go fast. People shoved past and I nearly lost hold on him! Finally, I turned him towards me. Pulled up on him so his feet rested on my tennis shoes. Then, I shuffled along a lot faster. It killed my ankles, but I rested while we waited for the WALK signal. I nearly fell in the crosswalk. Finally, we got to the glass doors. Carefully, I tried to shove the door and couldn’t walk him in on my feet. I just dragged him.

We sat down in the lobby on a red sofa. From my pocket, I took the red pyramid, and pulled his foot into my lap. Rubbed the bottom of the herb terminal. The point gave me white ea fae. I put lots of it on the foot, skint to the white bone. As I pulled on his twin, rectangular toes to warm them, the skint areas and blood vanished to reveal fresh yellow skin. I repeated the miracle on his other foot. Ret stared at me. Don’t think he felt it. Then, I pulled his galoshes back on. His thin white boots were shredded, so I put them in the trash near me. I gathered my friend up like a rag doll. “C’mon, Ret. You’re too cold. Let’s go get warm.” I dreaded what Asha suggested, but to save his life, I had to move on.

Ret pressed his face into my shoulder. Slowly, like an old man, he got up with my help. Stumbled. A man laughed at him on the elevator. But, he got off on the 3^rd floor. We went up to the 14^th.

A long walk to 1407, but we stumbled over there. Brown and white checkerboard tile, white walls, brown doors. I got the key from my pocket. Didn’t carry a purse to work. It’s all handy in the pockets.

A man whistled as we walked by, and Ret shuddered. I barely kept him from a fall as I unlocked the door and swung it open. Shuffled us in. I shut it and flipped on the light.

“Nae!” Ret put a hand over his eyes, so I turned the light back off. Shrugged out of my coat. Got his to fall, too.

“My friend, I don’t want to hurt you, but you’re cold. You need to warm up.”

“Coffee.”

I cried. “You don’t need that stuff! What’d they do to you, that you’re asking me to poison you?”

“Is it nae why you take me? My mind is open. Take my secret.”

I held his head against my chest. Green sweat dripped onto the floor and made powder stars in light from under the door. I sobbed. “You’re not here to give me the Emperor’s secrets. You’re my friend. I don’t even drink coffee. Come in here with me.” Gently, I dragged him into the bathroom. My back ached already. He’s not big, but I don’t have help to lift an unconscious man. I pulled at his sash and took it off at the shoulder seam.

“Nae dishonor.”

“I would never, never dishonor you, Ret. You’re so cold you stopped shaking. You’re stiff. I want to make you warm. You’re my friend. I don’t want you to die. It’s time for rest.” Carefully, I sat him on the toilet seat with the fuzzy lid down, put a hand towel over his eyes. Turned on the light and started the shower. Held his head gently against my shoulder. I pulled off his diplomat’s coat. Under it, he wore a light blue, long-sleeved shirt. Later. Then, I undid his white suit pants. He cried. “I won’t touch you there! You need a shower, to get warm. Stand up, and you’ll feel warm.” Under the suit pants, he had light blue pants that were just as long, but loose. Soft stuff. All of him was wet with sparkly green sweat.