Outside In
Page 2
Since it had only been twelve weeks since the rebellion, I still slept in the extra room in the infirmary in Sector B3. It had been designated for the Doctor’s intern, but, so far, no one could handle the job. I wouldn’t mind—a place of my own was a luxury I’ve never had—except I shared the suite’s washroom and kitchen with Doctor Lamont. Also known as Kiana Garrard. Or as I liked to call her, the Traitor.
Unfortunately, I remained in the minority. The Committee had reviewed her actions during the rebellion. They decided she had been duped by Lieutenant Commander Karla Trava and her betrayal had minor consequences. Of course, the two infirmaries full of wounded from the revolt had nothing to do with their ruling. And the limited number of doctors hadn’t been a consideration, either. Yeah, right and I was Queen of Inside.
The Traitor tended to a few patients in the main room of the infirmary. Which consisted of two rows of beds lined up along each side. Curtains hung from U-shaped tracks in the ceiling for privacy and a narrow path cut through the middle. A high counter full of medical supplies covered half the back wall. Next to the counter was another door that led to the Traitor’s office, the exam room and the surgery. Beyond them was the apartment.
Without looking at her, I hurried past the beds, aiming for the far door.
“Trella,” she called.
I paused, but kept my back to her.
“I have a surgery scheduled for hour sixty. I’ll need your assistance.”
“What happened to Catie?”
“She passed out when one of the construction crew came in with a bloody gash on his forehead that exposed the bone.”
Closing my eyes, I suppressed the accusation that she purposely tried to gross out the people I found to help her. Yet another item for my long to-do list—find the Traitor an intern. “I’m busy. You’ll have to find someone else to help.” I glanced at the clock. Hour fifty-five.
“I can’t train them in five hours, Trella. You have experience and an iron stomach. Plus…”
I waited.
In a softer voice she said, “Plus you’re good. You have a natural talent that shouldn’t be wasted. You must have inherited that from me.”
Whirling around, I confronted her. “Now you decide Karla wasn’t lying. Does thinking I’m your daughter help you with the guilt over betraying us? Am I supposed to feel special that you risked all we had worked for and died for because of motherly love?”
She stepped back in surprise, clutching a tray to her chest as if it were a shield. Her long hair—the same color as mine—had been braided into a single plait that hung to her waist.
I hadn’t meant to be so nasty, but since the rebellion, she had never once acknowledged the possibility of our relationship, insisting it had been another one of Karla’s twisted tricks. I agreed. Riley, though, had speculated that if she believed I was her offspring, then the enormity of what she had done would have overwhelmed her. He had tried to explain it, to help me see it from her point of view.
But a traitor was a traitor in my mind. No need to waste time justifying her actions. I had enough to do.
Despite my personal feelings, we did need her doctoring skills. “What about Doctor Sanchia?”
“Busy with his own patients and the scrub…the caretakers in the lower levels…” She hesitated.
A ripple of unease lapped against my stomach. “They refused?”
She met my gaze. “Not in so many words. They just won’t answer my requests, and when I go down there, they ignore me or give me the runaround until I give up and leave.”
Dark circles, new wrinkles and streaks of white hair aged her. She appeared older—closer to fifty centiweeks than forty.
“How critical is the surgery at hour sixty? Can it be delayed?” I asked.
“It’s Emek’s appendix. If I don’t remove it soon, it will burst and kill him.”
“All right, I’ll help you. For Emek’s sake.” I headed to my room. My thoughts returned to the Committee. They would need to investigate why the lower care workers were ignoring requests for help.
My palms stung as I washed up. I had forgotten about the rope burns. Grabbing a tube of antiseptic, I rubbed it on the abrasions. Abrasions? I needed to find another place to sleep before I started spouting medical lingo like a pro.
Riley’s father had offered to move from their apartment, but it was too soon for us to go that next step. Since the rebellion, Riley and I had little to no time to get to know each other better. I touched my silver sheep pendant—a gift from Riley. Perhaps I could live in our storeroom and spend more alone time with Riley. Only a few members of the Force of Sheep knew of its existence. Which made staying there even more appealing.
The Committee met in the large conference room next to Inside’s main Control Room, both within Quadrant G4. I had argued for the new levels to be built in a different configuration than the existing levels without success.
With so many changes happening so fast, the Committee thought a new design would just confuse everyone. So level five resembled levels one through four—a three by three grid, like a Tic Tac Toe board. The four corners were labeled Quadrants and the middle sections were Sectors. Starting from the top row on the left, the first Quadrant was A, then Sector B and Quadrant C. The middle was Sectors D, E and F and the last row had Quadrant G, Sector H and Quadrant I. Just add the level number and any idiot could find a location.
I arrived at the meeting two hours late. Slipping into an empty seat beside Jacy, I glanced around the long oval table. The Committee had been comprised of one representative from each of the nine upper families and one leader from each scrub area like hydroponics and waste-water. Eighteen in all. Since an even number could cause problems when members voted, a nineteenth spokesperson had been added.
Unfortunately, I remained in the minority. The Committee had reviewed her actions during the rebellion. They decided she had been duped by Lieutenant Commander Karla Trava and her betrayal had minor consequences. Of course, the two infirmaries full of wounded from the revolt had nothing to do with their ruling. And the limited number of doctors hadn’t been a consideration, either. Yeah, right and I was Queen of Inside.
The Traitor tended to a few patients in the main room of the infirmary. Which consisted of two rows of beds lined up along each side. Curtains hung from U-shaped tracks in the ceiling for privacy and a narrow path cut through the middle. A high counter full of medical supplies covered half the back wall. Next to the counter was another door that led to the Traitor’s office, the exam room and the surgery. Beyond them was the apartment.
Without looking at her, I hurried past the beds, aiming for the far door.
“Trella,” she called.
I paused, but kept my back to her.
“I have a surgery scheduled for hour sixty. I’ll need your assistance.”
“What happened to Catie?”
“She passed out when one of the construction crew came in with a bloody gash on his forehead that exposed the bone.”
Closing my eyes, I suppressed the accusation that she purposely tried to gross out the people I found to help her. Yet another item for my long to-do list—find the Traitor an intern. “I’m busy. You’ll have to find someone else to help.” I glanced at the clock. Hour fifty-five.
“I can’t train them in five hours, Trella. You have experience and an iron stomach. Plus…”
I waited.
In a softer voice she said, “Plus you’re good. You have a natural talent that shouldn’t be wasted. You must have inherited that from me.”
Whirling around, I confronted her. “Now you decide Karla wasn’t lying. Does thinking I’m your daughter help you with the guilt over betraying us? Am I supposed to feel special that you risked all we had worked for and died for because of motherly love?”
She stepped back in surprise, clutching a tray to her chest as if it were a shield. Her long hair—the same color as mine—had been braided into a single plait that hung to her waist.
I hadn’t meant to be so nasty, but since the rebellion, she had never once acknowledged the possibility of our relationship, insisting it had been another one of Karla’s twisted tricks. I agreed. Riley, though, had speculated that if she believed I was her offspring, then the enormity of what she had done would have overwhelmed her. He had tried to explain it, to help me see it from her point of view.
But a traitor was a traitor in my mind. No need to waste time justifying her actions. I had enough to do.
Despite my personal feelings, we did need her doctoring skills. “What about Doctor Sanchia?”
“Busy with his own patients and the scrub…the caretakers in the lower levels…” She hesitated.
A ripple of unease lapped against my stomach. “They refused?”
She met my gaze. “Not in so many words. They just won’t answer my requests, and when I go down there, they ignore me or give me the runaround until I give up and leave.”
Dark circles, new wrinkles and streaks of white hair aged her. She appeared older—closer to fifty centiweeks than forty.
“How critical is the surgery at hour sixty? Can it be delayed?” I asked.
“It’s Emek’s appendix. If I don’t remove it soon, it will burst and kill him.”
“All right, I’ll help you. For Emek’s sake.” I headed to my room. My thoughts returned to the Committee. They would need to investigate why the lower care workers were ignoring requests for help.
My palms stung as I washed up. I had forgotten about the rope burns. Grabbing a tube of antiseptic, I rubbed it on the abrasions. Abrasions? I needed to find another place to sleep before I started spouting medical lingo like a pro.
Riley’s father had offered to move from their apartment, but it was too soon for us to go that next step. Since the rebellion, Riley and I had little to no time to get to know each other better. I touched my silver sheep pendant—a gift from Riley. Perhaps I could live in our storeroom and spend more alone time with Riley. Only a few members of the Force of Sheep knew of its existence. Which made staying there even more appealing.
The Committee met in the large conference room next to Inside’s main Control Room, both within Quadrant G4. I had argued for the new levels to be built in a different configuration than the existing levels without success.
With so many changes happening so fast, the Committee thought a new design would just confuse everyone. So level five resembled levels one through four—a three by three grid, like a Tic Tac Toe board. The four corners were labeled Quadrants and the middle sections were Sectors. Starting from the top row on the left, the first Quadrant was A, then Sector B and Quadrant C. The middle was Sectors D, E and F and the last row had Quadrant G, Sector H and Quadrant I. Just add the level number and any idiot could find a location.
I arrived at the meeting two hours late. Slipping into an empty seat beside Jacy, I glanced around the long oval table. The Committee had been comprised of one representative from each of the nine upper families and one leader from each scrub area like hydroponics and waste-water. Eighteen in all. Since an even number could cause problems when members voted, a nineteenth spokesperson had been added.
