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Three grunts— "A...............—" Joha
"‘R'?" Dr. Bre
The message read: "Right ear."
"Do you want the plug removed from your right ear?"
One grunt— Carefully the Doctor removed it. "Testing," he said.
"Cinci
One grunt, followed by three grunts— "Okay, spelled message. A......—"
Shortly the Doctor said, "‘Nobody'? Is that the first word of your message?"
Double grunt— "All right, I'll try again. A...—" He was interrupted by a series of grunts, and stopped. "You don't want me to spell again... yet ‘Nobody' is not the first word of your message. But I would have sworn that I got it right. ‘Nobody—' Uh... hey! ‘No. .. body'—two words?"
One emphatic grunt— "Are you trying to tell me that you feel as if you had no body? Can't feel it?"
Grunt— "Oh! Of course you can't feel it; you haven't finished healing. But honestly," the Doctor went on, lying with the skill of long practice, "your progress has been amazingly fast. Both speech and hearing so soon, that's wonderfully encouraging. In fact you've just won a bet for me. Five hundred," he went on, still lying, "and at that I demanded more than twice the recovery time you've shown. And now I'm going to double my wi
Triple grunt— Then the spelled message was: "How long?"
"How long since your operation? Or how long until you get the use of your whole body?"
Dr. Bre
Outside the door Dr. Bre
"Certainly. Awake-normal, apparently."
"And rational, in my opinion. I have removed the central stopples from both ear pads and we have been talking, spell-and-grunt, killing time until you—"
"I heard you on monitor, assumed you must have opened the ears. You take a lot on yourself, Doctor." Dr. Bre
"Don't be so damned touchy, young man. Now let's go in and see the patient. Our patient."
"Yes, sir."
They went inside. Dr. Hedrick said, "I'm Dr. Hedrick, Mr. Smith, physician in charge of your case.
Congratulations! Welcome back to our weary world. This is a triumph for everyone—and vindication for a great man, Dr. Boyle."
Three grunts—
"You wish to spell a message?"
One grunt—
"If you will wait a moment, we will remove some items from your mouth and you can talk instead." (With great good luck, Hedrick amended to himself—but I never expected the case to progress even this far. That arrogant butcher really is a great man. To my surprise.) "Would that suit you?"
An emphatic grunt—
"Good. Hand aspiration, Dr. Bre
Joha
"Aye-gah-aye-hay-dih!"
"Slowly, slowly. You're having to learn to talk all over again, like a baby. That same remark now—but slowly and carefully."
"By...God…I...made...it!"
"You surely did. The first man in history to have his brain moved into a new body—and lived through it. And you will go on living. This is a fine body. Healthy."
"But . can't. peal—feel—a damn...thing . from . chin. down."
"Lucky you," said the Doctor. "Because we've got you restrained all over against the day—soon, I hope"—but never, more likely, he added to himself—"when you will start feeling your entire new body. When that day comes, you may jerk uncontrollably—if we didn't have you restrained. Then you'll have to go to work and learn to control your body. Like a new baby. Practice. Possibly long and tedious practice."
"How... long?" —
"I don't know. Dr. Boyle's chimps made it rather quickly, I understand. But it might take you as long as it takes a baby to learn to walk. But why worry about that now? You're got a new body, good for many, many years—why, you might be the first human being to live two hundred years. So don't be in a hurry. Now rest, please—I've got to examine you. Chin screen, Nurse."
"The patient's eyes are covered, Doctor."
"Ah, yes, so they are. Mr. Smith, when Dr. Feinstein arrives, we will see if he wants to expose your eyes to light today. In the meantime—uncover the patient, Nurse."
Uncovered, the new body was still mostly covered. A plastic corset "iron lung" encased the torso from chin to pubis; arms and legs were strapped and the straps cushioned; urethral and anal catheters were in place and secured; two blood vessels were in use, one for nourishment, the other for monitoring; four others were prepared for use but currently stopped off. Wires were here and there. The body inside this dismal mess could have been one that Michelangelo would have treasured but the assemblage of artifact and protoplasm could seem beautiful only to a medical specialist.
Dr. Hedrick seemed pleased. He took a stylus from his pocket, suddenly scratched the sole of the right foot—got the reflex he expected, got no response from Joha
"Dr. Hedrick?" came a voice from the bed console.
"Yes."
"Dr. Feinstein is operating."
"Very well." He indicated to a nurse that he wanted the body covered. "Did you hear that, Mr. Smith? Your ophthalmologist is in surgery, can't see you today. Just as well, as you have had enough for one day. It's time for you to sleep."
"No. You...o...t. My...yes."
"No. We wait for Dr. Feinstein."
"No! You. are, in . charge."
"So I am and your eyes won't be touched until your specialist is present."
"Damn. .you. Get...ake...al . o . mon!"
"Mr. Salomon is in Europe, will be notified that you are awake, and he may possibly be here tomorrow. I couldn't say. In the meantime I want you to rest. Sleep."
"Won't!"
"Ah, but you will." Dr. Hedrick pointed to Dr. Bre
"Damn…your...ins—insuffera—" Joha
Once he half roused. "Eunice?" (Right here, Boss. Go back to sleep.) He slept on.