7
NORA
“I’m sorry, Nora , but there’s not a lot that we can do.” The doctor, who turned out to be a human woman named Dr . Olivia who had trained with the Kindred , shook her head regretfully.
“What? You can’t mean that! You have to do something for her—you have to save her!”
Nora felt sick. She’d hung all her hopes on this appointment—she’d been so sure that the Kindred could cure Anna . And now, to hear that there was nothing they could do…it felt like a nightmare.
“This is a nightmare,” she whispered, slumping in the chair she’d been provided. She and Dr . Olivia were sitting in one of the medical consultation rooms while Anna was in the exam room next door with a helpful nurse who was keeping her entertained. Xarex was in the waiting area at the front of the Med Center . He had courteously offered to stay there so they could have privacy during the consultation and Nora had taken him up on it.
“I’m so, so sorry.” Dr . Olivia looked like she might cry. “ But Pulmonary Crystalosis is a new disease that we haven’t had much time to study yet. I’m afraid we don’t know much more about it than the doctors down on Earth .”
“But I was so sure you could cure her!” Nora said pleadingly. “ Please , if she dies, I don’t know what I’ll do! I can’t go on if I lose her— I just can’t.”
“Oh honey, I’m so sorry! I wish I could tell you something different.”
Dr. Olivia came out from behind the desk and put an arm around Nora’s shoulders.
Nora felt sick.
“You don’t understand,” she whispered. “ Anna is my life! I don’t think I can go on without her. I don’t?—”
There was a brisk knock at the door and then a male Kindred with spiky blond hair and pale blue eyes put his head in.
“Excuse me, I hate to interrupt but is this the Pulmonary Crystalosis consultation?”
“Yes, Sylvan —come on in.” Dr . Olivia gestured to him. “ This is Commander Sylvan —he basically runs the whole Mother Ship but he’s also an excellent doctor,” she told Nora .
“Hello, I wish we were meeting under happier circumstances.” Commander Sylvan offered his hand and Nora shook it.
“Hi,” she said listlessly. “ Nice to meet you.”
“I’ll get right to the point,” he said briskly. “ I know we don’t have any treatments available for PC at this time, but I have something I think might work. It’s a long shot, as you humans say, but it’s something to consider.”
“Really?” Nora looked at him eagerly. “ Please tell me—whatever it is, I’ll try it!”
“Well, it might be dangerous,” Sylvan warned. “ But as you say, it might be worth trying. I’ve been doing some research into the Healing Flower of Primus Nine . The locals call it ‘ Syrilla’s Bloom .’”
“The what?” Dr . Olivia asked, frowning. “ I’ve never heard of that.”
“That’s because the people of Primus Nine have a very insular society,” Commander Sylvan explained. “ Their world is supposed to be a kind of tropical paradise and they’re careful to keep visitors to a minimum. However , they will allow people in great need to visit if they meet the criteria.”
“What criteria? And what is the Healing Flower ?” Nora asked anxiously.
“It’s a plant that is said to be able to cure almost any physical ailment,” Sylvan said. “ I’ve been studying the case studies of those who have obtained the flower and it seems to have a near-perfect success rate. I’m not one hundred percent positive, but I think it has a good chance to cure your daughter’s PC .”
“That’s wonderful!” Nora clasped her hands to her heart. “ Tell me how to get it—please!”
“Well, that’s the thing,” Sylvan said, frowning. “ The Healing Flower has to be plucked by someone with the same DNA as the ailing patient it’s meant to cure. Otherwise it won’t work.”
“Anna is my niece but her mother and I were twins,” Nora said quickly. “ I adopted her after my sister died. Is that close enough?”
“Yes, that should be fine.” Commander Sylvan nodded. “ But the other criteria might be harder to meet. You see, the person who comes to pluck the Flower of Healing must have a significant other with them so that the two of them can offer a sacrifice in return for the healing they will receive.”
“A sacrifice?” Nora frowned. “ What kind of sacrifice?”
“A true moment of emotion and desire—a sexual act filled with love and devotion,” Sylvan said gravely. “ The flower will wilt if it is plucked in any other circumstances.”
“Oh…” Nora was at a loss. This last part of the criteria seemed impossible.
“But that shouldn’t be a problem, should it?” Dr . Olivia asked, raising her eyebrows. “ After all, didn’t you tell me you just got married today? Surely you and your new husband can perform this, uh, ‘sacrifice,’ right?”
Nora shook her head.
“You don’t understand,” she said bleakly. “ My new husband is actually my boss from the HKR building I work at on the weekends down on Earth . He agreed to marry me so that I could come up here and get Anna seen by a Kindred doctor.” She knew she was admitting to fraud but she didn’t care anymore.
“Well, I’m sure he wouldn’t have agreed to marry you if he didn’t care for you,” Commander Sylvan protested.
Nora shook her head again.
“He’s a Dark Kindred —they don’t have emotions.”
“Oh, dear…” Dr . Olivia’s shoulders slumped. “ Well , do you have anyone else in your life? Any other man who could, you know, help out?”
“My fiancé left me when I adopted Anna ,” Nora explained dully. “ He said he wasn’t about to raise somebody else’s kid and besides, we’d promised we would be child-free so he wasn’t hanging around as long as I had her.”
“What a worthless male!” Commander Sylvan said, frowning. “ I’m so sorry— I shouldn’t have gotten your hopes up.”
“It’s all right.” Nora sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to push back the tears that were threatening. “ It was kind of you to try.”
“We won’t give up!” Dr . Olivia promised, squeezing her arm. “ I’m going to be researching Pulmonary Crystalosis non-stop—we’ll find a way to help your daughter, I promise we will.”
“Thank you.” Nora tried to smile at her gratefully but her mouth didn’t want to work that way. “ But Anna doesn’t have very long to live, I’m afraid. Unless you can find a cure immediately…” She trailed off, unable to continue. “ I’m sorry,” she said at last. “ I should go.”
“I’ll see you back to the front of the Med Center ,” Commander Sylvan offered.
Nora shook her head.
“It’s all right— I know the way. Let me just get Anna and we’ll head out. Thank you again for trying.”
She nodded at them both and rose from her chair. Her heart felt like it had been shattered into a million pieces. Her last hope to save Anna was gone but she still had to go through with everything she’d promised in the contract.
She had no idea how she was going to get through her honeymoon night.