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Authors: Thadd Evans

Tags: #Science Fiction, #Dark Fantasy

Faasp Hospital (2 page)

BOOK: Faasp Hospital
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I entered my car, thinking about her comment, the one about changing my mind. However, if we went out again, both of us would discuss the weather, a boring topic.

Down the street, Val strolled toward a car, the jeans accentuating this siren’s great ass.

A man whistled at her. “Hey, baby.”

I blinked, wondering if rejecting her offer was a good idea. In my imagination, she kissed me while fondling my hairy chest.

 

Chapter Three

 

 

Monday morning, after spending the entire night in my office, updating code, only sleeping a few hours, I sat next to Dr. Sanchez.

Near the middle of a video, corneas enlarged.

He glowered. “Pages of accompanying text are missing.”

I swallowed, flabbergasted. “When does it need to be ready?”

“The sooner the better. We’re joining Gaen Hospital.”

I nodded, teeth clenched. This lecture was on a huge server. Changing syntax would be complicated.

“By the way, there are sixty-two other videos with the same issue.”

I cringed. This assignment would take three days, probably longer. “Okay.” I texted Ray and Wenda, telling them about this. My phone rang.

Wenda blurted, “This is going to be tough.”

“Okay.” I told Dr. Sanchez the call was important and I wanted to speak with fellow workers in private.

He said that was fine.

I stepped into the corridor, jaw muscles tight. “I know. Very
tough
.”

“We need to hire more people.”

I grimaced, knowing our client’s needs were expanding faster than we imagined. “I’ll talk to Donald.”

“Good idea.” She hung up.

I called, adrenaline pumping. Voicemail switched on. I left a message, telling my boss about the recent conversation with Wenda. However, I wasn’t in management, so I might be overstepping my role. Would he think of this as an act of aggression, a desire to take his job?

Also, there was a small chance he would fire me, the messenger, someone who had delivered bad news.

My phone rang.

Donald cleared his throat. “You’re telling me that you, Wenda, and Ray can’t handle this?”

I hesitated, not wanting to make him angry. “It’s a labor intensive project.”

“This is horrible.” He lapsed into silence.

I gritted my teeth.

“I’ll have to talk to Dr. Haar about their budget before hiring anybody else.”

I flinched. “Okay.”

Donald slammed the phone down.

I cringed, feeling there must have been a more diplomatic way to answer his question.

Nothing came to mind.

A horrible idea popped into my head. I never talked to Haar about this. If he thought we were being overpaid, every Ahantech employee would have to work harder. If any of us made a mistake, a patient might remain blind, a tragic event that would give us nightmares.

In a worst-case scenario, a patient’s family would sue. I didn’t want to think about this anymore.

I entered the room and sat next to Dr. Sanchez.

He pointed at a video. “This won’t focus.”

I nodded, blinking.

“It’s probably our fault. We need better cameras.”

I raised an eyebrow, amazed. This man was trying to be reasonable, not act like a jerk.

“Let me know if they should be replaced.”

“Okay.”

My phone rang.

Ray said, “A lot of object methods will have to be changed. That’s just one item.”

“I know. Let’s meet in your office in about ten minutes.”

“Definitely.”

I told Sanchez about my plans.

He said it wasn’t a problem.

I left.

 

Chapter Four

 

 

Ray scowled. “We’ll have to work morning, noon, and night, for months.”

“Okay.” I told him about my recent discussion with Donald.

He crossed both arms over his chest. “We need help. According this email, a recent message from another Opthamologist, most of their videos of pupils are useless. He didn’t say why.

“Voicemail, a call from another doctor, says that hundreds of videos stop several minutes into lectures. It will take a while to repair this.”

I exhaled, my jaw muscles tensed, struggling to come up with a solution.

“You look miserable. Sorry I had to be so blunt.”

I ran fingers through my hair, worried. “These are huge projects. “ I offered more details.

He rubbed his chin. “If I can help, let me know.”

I paused, trying to focus on all our goals, but couldn’t. There were too many. “Thanks.”

“It’s time to get back to work.” He stared at a screen.

I left. My phone rang. Chills ran down my spine.

Wenda blurted, “This video of a nanobot repairing an optic nerve was filmed at the wrong angle. I’ll tell you more soon.”

“Okay.” I bit my lip, frustrated.

 

Later that week, on Thursday’s afternoon, Linda Patel, an experienced programmer that Donald hired hours ago, entered my office. We shook hands and sat down. I told her about my recent conversation with Ray.

“Understood. Donald told me to speak with Dr. Sanchez after I talked to you.”

“Sounds good.”

She left.

A recent email from Donald appeared. According to it, Linda, a woman with undergraduate and graduate degrees in Physiology along with a Bachelors in Computer Science, had created, repaired, and updated over six hundred databases, using Javway, Opop and four other object coding languages. She, a fastidious programmer with six years of work experience at INTF, Information and Technology Fellows Inc., might end up being our CTO, Chief Technical Officer.

 

That evening, I lay on the cot. In my mind’s eye, a worst-case scenario, Nancy was blind, the operation had failed. I broke into a cold sweat.

 

Chapter Five

 

 

Ten mornings later, I went down a hall.

In a wheelchair, one being pushed by a male orderly, a female stranger with sunglasses, her cheeks and empty arm sockets covered by bandages, groaned.

I flinched. “Tammy?”

She winced. “Yeah.” The sunglasses slid down, revealing her blood shot eyes and swollen eyelids, a gut wrenching sight.

“How are you?”

“So so. My vision is blurred.

“You sound like Justin.”

I smiled, my stomach muscles tensed. “It’s me.”

She choked up. “I miss my arms.”

I blinked. “Sorry to hear it.”

Tammy nodded. “By the way, in a week, I have to move. Do you know a good place to live?”

“There’s a vacancy in my apartment building.”

“Awesome.”

“Should I call the manager, tell him to contact you?”

“Yeah.” She gave me her cell phone number.

 

At the end of the week, I entered a hospital room.

Tammy was in bed, her back against the wall, both cheeks and jaw covered by bandages. Sunglasses, protective eyewear, slid down her nose. She pushed them up with a shaky robotic hand, a silver prosthetic. “Ouch.”

I recoiled and sat down. “What hurts?”

“My arm sockets.”

“The spot where they put in the robotic arms?”

“Yeah.” She bent two fingers. The others, along with her thumb, didn’t move. “I’m trying to make a fist. It’s hard.”

“How do your eyes feel?”

“My eye sockets sting.”

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“Yeah.”

My neck muscles tightened, a nervous reaction. “I’ll observe your body movements and update code. Dr. Haar will use some of that information to speed up the healing.”

Tammy offered a weak smile. “I hope it works.”

I nodded.

She moved a finger, trembling.

“That looks painful.”

“It hurts like hell.”

I cringed and typed.

She grimaced, then flexed her trembling hand slowly.

I swallowed, concerned.

Tammy stuck out a thumb, lips contorted in agony.

In my mind’s eyes, a nightmarish possibility, she tripped and fell, breaking her leg.

She reached out, fingers twitching, grabbed a pencil, and dropped it. “This is hard. I hate it.”

“This will take time.”

“Fuck. I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Keep at it.” I shifted in the chair, feeling pessimistic. Yesterday, Dr. Haar told me that if the code were correct, Tammy’s arms, hands and fingers would function normally in a month. Was he too optimistic?

 

Chapter Six

 

 

The following evening, Tammy and I sat in the hospital cafeteria, coffee in hand.

She grimaced. “I wish my vision would improve.”

I smiled, worried. “In a few days, it will.”

She frowned, raised the cup, hand shaking, and drank. Coffee dribbled down her chin.

I scowled, grabbed a napkin, and wiped the liquid off.

“Thanks.”

I took a deep breath, concerned. “No problem.”

Her hand jerked, out of control. The cup dropped.

I grabbed the plummeting object, placed it on the table, and pushed the drink toward her.

She glowered. “What happened?”

“It’s no big deal.”

“I’m clumsy.”

“You’re doing fine.”

“Thanks for being nice.”

“You’re welcome.”

 

At sunrise, the next day, I entered an exercise room, a place designed for recovering patients.

A physical therapist, a handsome man, touched Tammy’s wrist, comforting her. “Move your fingers again. Practice.”

I frowned, jealous of him.

He glared at me. “Who are you?”

I answered, blinking, put off by his rude tone.

He scowled. “Why are you here?”

I told him.

He gave me a dirty look.

Tammy smiled. “Justin, that sounds like you.”

“It is.” I offered a halfhearted grin, disappointed that this charming woman’s vision hadn’t improved.

Tammy flexed her arm. “Ouch.

“By the way, Justin, this is Roger.”

His brow tightened.

I rolled my eyes. “Glad to meet you.” Would he respond to my attempt to create polite conversation?

Roger examined her elbow, ignoring my remark.

Tammy paused, a curious expression on her face. “Roger, what are you thinking?”

“About your rehabilitation. I want it to go smoothly.”

She glowered. “Why didn’t you answer Justin after he said he was glad to meet you?”

He recoiled. “I nodded. Isn’t that good enough?”

I gritted my teeth, upset by his lie.

Tammy sighed. “I guess so.”

Roger shook his head and grumbled to himself.

She hesitated, a baffled expression on her face. “What did you say? Please, talk louder.”

He gave me the finger. “It wasn’t important.”

I typed, not responding to the rude gesture.

Roger said, “Extend both arms. You need to improve your coordination.”

“I’ll do that.” She moved each one, quivering.

I flinched, worried that her recovery would take months.

 

The following Thursday, Tammy made a fist.

Roger grinned. “Excellent.”

An event came to mind. Three days ago, this sexy woman left a message on my voicemail, told me she had moved into an apartment.

She frowned. “Justin, you look upset. What’s wrong?”

I smiled. “You can see me?”

“Yeah.”

“Great.”

She smiled.

“Anyway, sorry about not returning your call. I wanted to help you move, but couldn’t because of my busy schedule.”

“Don’t worry. Roger
helped
.”

I nodded, feeling guilty.

His face lit up. “Tammy, let’s go out tonight.”

“I’ll think about it. Call me
tonight
.”

He scowled. “All right.”

I blenched because he asked her out for a date so soon and left the room, irritated. I had waited too long, didn’t have a chance with this alluring goddess.

 

On Tuesday, I entered the exercise room. “Hi, how are you?”

Tammy smiled. “Fine. It’s good to see
you
.”

“You’re getting better.”

“Yeah.”

Roger entered. “Justin, you’re interrupting.”

My adrenaline pumped, a nervous response. “I’m just visiting.”

He glared at me. “Come back in a few hours. Otherwise, her recovery will take longer.”

Tammy frowned. “Roger, I like seeing him.”

“Don’t argue with me.”

I flinched.

Tammy blurted, “Roger, let him stay a couple of minutes.”

“No. Other patients have to use this small room.”

She blinked.

I left, teeth clenched. This space was big enough for several people. This man didn’t want me to speak with a woman he might be dating. Was he courting her? I, a busy employee, someone without much spare time, didn’t know. Should I ask her if she was going out with him? Yes. When? I wasn’t sure. In my mind’s eyes, a horrible possibility, she told me she loved Roger with all her heart. I cringed, not wanting to have that conversation with her.

 

Near the end of the week, I pushed a button. My voicemail switched on. “
It’s Tammy. I’m going home in a couple of hours. Please, visit me before I leave
.”

I cringed. Her message, a call I didn’t notice until now because there were so many, was from yesterday. This job had taken over my life. She was probably dating Roger. I was only a friend, an acquaintance she would forget about soon.

 

Chapter Seven

 

 

Saturday morning, a couple of days later, after walking past buildings, bound for my mailbox, I did a double take, amazed.

Tammy opened an apartment window. “Justin, come inside, say hello.”

I entered, feeling odd because we hadn’t spoken to each other since she moved. Where was Roger?

Tammy beamed. “I have to change clothes. Wait here.”

I nodded as the sweet smell of incense, sandalwood, grew stronger.

She returned, dressed in a sexy black outfit, sunglasses, a cat suit, thigh-high boots, footwear with four-inch heels and a strap on dildo. “How do I look?”

“Wonderful.” My dick rose.

To my right, a gorgeous blonde in a red miniskirt and knee-high boots came out of a room, and kissed Tammy on the mouth.

The dildo went inside the blonde’s vagina.

BOOK: Faasp Hospital
8.95Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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