Chapter 423

423 323 – Return to Sender

They wasted no time asserting their authority. They took me directly to the cracking chair, stripped me of my clothing, and strapped me into the device, a giant spoon on either side of my head.

“Why is there a mirror on the ceiling?” I asked.

“Ask someone sane.” Nurse de Rollo replied. “My answer is because the doctor wants one there.”

It wasn’t comforting, to see the apparatus, to that heads literally as hard as rocks had been broken open by the slow turning of levers.

My head was not shaped like those of the dwarves; the device pinched the sides of my snout. It pinched the gums and pressed upon teeth. I could taste blood, even if I could not feel it.

“Dame Doctor?” Nurse Shondru called from the doorway. “The patient is secure, doctor.”

She took less than a minute, but I knew this because of a system clock warning me about damages I would take if I remained in the position I was.

“I was told that before.” she complained, coming into the room. “Nurse de Rollo?”

“Doctor?”

.....

“I see blood spattered on my machine. Fetch the mop and sponges.”

“Of course, doctor.” he replied, making haste to do so.

She tched, such as dwarves can make that noise. She then actually loosened to spoons by two turns.

[Warning: You have saved versus emotional manipulation.]

“Is that better?” she asked.

“I can move my jaw enough to speak now, doctor.” I said.

“I don’t need you to speak, except to answer questions.”

“Ask me your questions, I literally cannot lie to you.”

“Whom did you attempt to tell about what was happening to you?”

“It is currently between me and the divine spirits. Nobody you care about is any the wiser about what you are doing here.”

She scoffed. “And how do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“Because,” I said, “you know someone who has three social classes. You can have them look at me and reveal that I am still a Truthspeaker.”

She tightened the spoons by half a turn. “How. Do. I. Know? Without asking others?”

“Oo cahnt.” I said. I considered speaking directly to her mind, but I didn’t want to risk that the Madness could cross such a connection.

“You don’t really expect me to believe you went out only for food, do you?” she asked.

“I duh cothol wha yoo tink.” I responded.

“That is true. I suspect you control far less than you believe. What do you think?”

“I tink yoo backed me intu ha cohneh.” I said. “Gabe me no choiz.”

“Oh?” she tightened the screws a turn. “So you think this is my fault? You blame me for the natural consequences of your own actions?

I made what I hoped were assenting noises; I did blame her for the consequences of my recent actions. Either I had done badly, or she didn’t truly care; the screws loosened half a turn.

“Can you speak now?” she asked.

I made a bunch of noises that vaguely sounded like “I think so.”

“Ugh.” she said, turning them looser. “What about now?”

“I should be able to speak freely now, doctor. Might I have some water?”

“Why would I give you ANYTHING you wanted? Do you understand the distress you’ve put me through?”

“I do not.” I said.

“What?” she asked.

“How could I understand what you are going through, unless you tell me?” I asked. “Do you believe I possess psychic powers?”

“Don’t get snippy with ME.” she said, tightening the spoons again. “I am your earth above and earth below, and I control your very destiny. And you WILL obey me, or I WILL crack open your head and pour Madness directly in, do you understand me?”

“Uh-huh.” I said.

“And you will OBEY. Yes?”

I tried to say no, and the word caught in my throat. Damn it!

But it was too late, because she had thought I was trying to say yes.

The tightening spoons muffled her words, even though she was screaming. I heard the bones of my nose as they broke, shifting into places they shouldn’t. I remember screaming and thrashing, and the sickening noise when the [Parietal-Occipital Skull Fracture] happened.

And then, the spoons were loosened, loosened, loosened.

The dame doctor was panting, possibly from the effort she had just applied. Her eyes seemed shiny, and she swallowed twice, before her jaw hung slack. “Nurse Shondru.” she said.

“Doctor?”

“Return the patient to general population.” she ordered.

“Of course, doctor. And the... there’s a lot more blood than usual, doctor.”

“Then get some orderlies to help you nurses clean it up! Do your jobs, or you’ll WISH I’d put you through the cracker after him.”

“Yes, doctor. Of course.”

[Ossuary nutrients found. Amino acids found. Nutrients and Vitamins found.] There was a total, but I didn’t read it before confirming the full priority heal.

“By the Earth.” Nurse Shondru said, as she opened the spoons enough for me to start whimpering. “This patient is still conscious.”

“Good.” Nurse de Rollo replied. “Then he knows to behave. If he doesn’t die from his injuries.”

I heard the mop splat on the floor under the chair. How much blood WAS there?

[Severe injury – Anemia. Severe Injury – Anemic Shock. Ongoing condition – tachycardia.] The list went on, but I’d seen longer.

“Ugwhahl.” I said, or something like that. When I moved my head to the side, the rest of my snout crunched and pivoted before following.

#

I woke two days later, based on my biomass level. Someone had lashed my bedding leathers around my head, my neck, my torso with my arms at my sides.

“Uh.” I said, “uh, uh.” And finally, “Water.”

“Earth swallow it!” swore an orderly, slamming a nearby desk.

“Haha, Dornan, that’s five silver you owe me.”

“Earth swallow you, too!” Dornan replied.

The unknown orderly broke out laughing.

“Water. Please.” I repeated, when I thought I could be heard.

“Oh, this?” Dornan asked, pouring a ladle of water over the top of my head. “Is THIS the water you want, PATIENT?”

“Yes, please, more.” I said, and repeated myself for three more ladles. Then I rolled my head slightly sideways, and began lapping up the coppery scented water with my tongue.

“Look at him.” nameless orderly said, “Barely more than an animal.”

“Could I get some of the food I purchased as well?” I asked.

“That? Nurse de Rollo took it home with him shortly after cleaning up after you.”

“Hasn’t been seen since. Must be some good food.” Dornan said.

Or some bad food. With the right mineral salts, de Rollo was probably just now purging the last of it, in liquid form, out his back end. No stranger to gastric distress myself, I’d chosen one that would terrorize the bioculture of his intestines.

“Did the good dame doctor say anything about my food?”

“Not to us.” unknown said. “We’re just orderlies, after all.”

“Come to think of it,” Dornan said, “She hasn’t explicitly said this is your water, did she?”

“Drink some, if you want.” I said.

Instead, there was a sound of urination into that bucket.

“What are you doing?” Dornan hissed. “You’ll end up a patient if anyone catches you.”

“And who would catch me?” asked the orderly.

“Catch you doing what?” Nurse Shondru asked. “What is going on in here?”

The stream of urine stopped immediately.

“You.” Nurse Shondru ordered. “Whip. Now.”

.....

“I was just...” the orderly began.

“Now.” she said. “You are no longer an orderly here.”

“You don’t have the authority!” he shouted. “Only the doctor can fire staff.”

“Well, then, explain this to the doctor if you must. Orderly Dornan, if you would.”

“You know my name?” Dornan asked.

“I know all your names.” she said. “Now, are you part of the problem, or part of the solution?”

“What are you doing?” the not-orderly shouted. “Get your filthy paws OFF me.”

“Nurse Shondru.” the dame doctor asked from the doorway.

“Doctor.” she said, stepping aside.

“What,” the dame doctor continued, “is all this ruckus? What is that foul smell?” There was a pause. “Orderly, why are your pants down?”

“I can explain.” he said.

“I think he should explain from the therapy room, doctor.” Nurse Shondru said. “With your permission, doctor?”

“Yes.” she crooned. “Let’s not do anything unpleasant in front of the patients.”

And they just left me there, alone. I had options; I could have just stayed there. Three guesses why that wasn’t going to happen. I didn’t get far.

“Here, now, patient. Where do you think you’re going?” there was another orderly, Thonar, I think, but he and his brother sounded alike.

“I need food.” I said.

His hand locked around my arm, just above my elbow. “This way.” he said.

Dwarven reproduction being what it is, male dwarves have much the same groin as the females. All waste products come out the anus, so it should have been obvious from his position and the noise, if not the tar-like smell, what had been going on.