Curiosity got the best of her. Old Sooty caught the doctor as she stepped outside for a smoke. Doctor Kay leaned against the side of the building, her long curly hair blew in the wind, making a tunnel around her face as the match flared within her cupped hands. Her face glowed briefly in the darkness of the nuclear dusk, then a flick extinguished her face, leaving the ember floating against her silhouette.
"Kerry, you look tired," said Sooty. "How's our jogging friend doing?"
"He's getting all the sleep that I haven't been using."
"Still out? Its been four days!"
"Hey, he's still alive, which is just about more than you can say for when you dropped him off here." Kerry looked at Sooty oddly. "I'm surprised you didn't come earlier."
"He gives me the creeps. Actually I just don't really care. I don't know him from Adam. And I didn't come by here to check him out; I was just passing by when you came out."
"Oh." Kerry took a deep drag and watched the giant sun give up its fight against the dust. "He woke up once, yesterday, for a couple minutes. He was delirious."
There was silence. Finally Old Sooty gave up.
"Did he say anything?"
"You really are interested."
"Yeah."
"Why didn't you come by earlier," Kerry asked. "Real reason." Sooty could see her smile in the cigarette's glow.
"Guilt. I should have done something to help him out before his heart attack. I knew it would happen. But I didn't do anything."
"You can't force someone to stop something that's bad for them. In the end its their choice."
"Sure you can," Sooty grinned. She licked her thumb and forefinger, reached out and snuffed out Kerry's cigarette. "Just like that. You just have to be willing to try."
Kerry looked woefully at her Camel. "At least I'm using filters nowadays."
"So did he say anything?"
"Yes."
Sooty took a deep breath. "What did he say?"
"He said 'Where are the hippos?'" Kerry laughed.
"Hippos?"
"That's what I said. Then he said 'Shayome's flying hippos.' As if I would know. I asked him what flying hippos, and he said 'You know, the purple ones.' Then he was out."
Brian looked around him. He was in a room. His feet hurt. His head hurt. Most of all, he was hungry.
So he must be alive.
I guess Cheom didn't want me to die after all. Cheom had the prerogative to change It's mind, though. And Brian wasn't complaining this time. He stood up, gasped, sat down quickly. Blood had started to ooze from the bandages on his feet.
When Kerry and Sooty came in to check on him, they found him crawling across the floor, naked.
"Don't try to move!" yelled Kerry. "Sooty, get him lying on his back." She ran for her medical kit.
"Unhand me, woman," Brian roared. Sooty had flipped him over and expertly pinned him by resting her knees on both arms. She began checking his pulse. Kerry pressed a stethoscope against his chest.
"Try to relax," she said. "We're here to help you. Is it your heart again?" The stethoscope pressed coldly against his neck.
"No. I was jutht tying to ge a wobe!" A tongue depressor entered his mouth as he spoke.
"Open wide. Goood. So that's when you fell?" She pried open his eyelids and checked his pupils.
"I didn't fall. I was crawling because my feet hurt."
"Oh."
Sooty looked down at him. "So you're not dying again?"
"Not right now, no." Brian looked at her angrily. "Unless I catch my death of cold from not having my robe on."
The two women started laughing. Sooty sat back and weleased Bwian. Kerry threw him the robe.