MEDICAL WING
Enok stood behind the glass wall and watched as the medical personnel wheeled Jeanip into the medical room, still encased in the transportation capsule. All hoped that, once he was at the Complex, he would be able to transform into his true self and begin the healing process. “Was he able to transfer into his true form?” Enok asked a young medical assistant who walked up to Enok.
“Yes, Your Highness,” the medical assistant replied. “Just as Runbee suggested, once we were able to place Jeanip into an unconscious state and stop his mind from continuing his transformation, Jeanip automatically reverted back to his true form. I am impressed and surprised Runbee knew to advise us to do that. Has Runbee had medical training?”
“No, just a lot of life training,” Enok replied, smiling at the young assistant, almost envious of his naiveness, his innocence. Enok surmised this young assistant had been but a youngling when they fought the Terrian wars, so he had no knowledge of life’s harsh realities and soul-destroying tragedies. He hoped his ending of JeffRa’s life prevented a future war and would thus allow this young man to keep his innocence.
The young assistant looked into his monarch’s face and saw the anguish and worry clearly written there. “Without that transformation, I doubt we would have had a chance to save him.”
“Does he have a chance?” Enok very softly asked, afraid to hear the young medical assistant’s reply.
“Yes, Your Majesty, he has a chance, but I won’t lie to you. His injuries are very serious and he has lost a lot of blood. To tell you the truth, I don’t know how he even managed to remain alive for the transport down here. All of my life I have heard stories of the great Jeanip and his death-defying deeds, but this is unbelievable, even for him, Sire. It is almost as if something kept him alive until we could get to him.”
“It was the amulet,” Enok stated, again almost in a whisper, as if to speak it aloud would make it not so.
“The amulet, Sire?”
“He wears Queen Medaron’s amulet,” Enok answered. “She always told me it had magical healing powers that could be invoked whenever they were needed. I knew Jeanip was dying, that he had only a short time to live. After all that had happened, I could not lose my dearest friend too, especially not after he saved my children. So, in honor and gratitude for his deeds, I made him a member of the royal family and placed Medaron’s amulet around his neck.” Enok turned and looked into the young assistant’s lilac eyes. “Was that wrong of me?”
The young assistant stared back at his Ruling Monarch, slightly confused and unsure of what to say. He was a medical assistant, not a quintot, a spirit healer that you tell your secrets to, yet here was his king telling him what he had done and asking him, HIM, if he did the right thing. As he continued to look into Enok’s eyes, he understood just a little of what it was like to be Enok: the responsibilities, the weight upon his shoulders, the life and death decisions he had to make for all of them every day. And with that understanding came a deeper love, a deeper respect for this sovereign and for his Chief Commander that was fighting for his life. He reached up and placed his hand on Enok’s top shoulder wing and stated, “No, Sire, I do not believe it was wrong.”
A smile spread across Enok’s lips and it appeared that just a bit of the weight he bore lessened. “Might I ask your name?”
“My name is Gardawyn, Your Majesty,” the young medical assistant responded. “My parents are Tiibee and Seeniff from the Star Clan. Both came with you on the ship from Europa.”
“I know your parents well, Gardawyn,” Enok replied, surprised their young son was now the handsome male floating before him. “Both are well respected in the medical fields. I see you are following in their footsteps.”
“Yes, Sire. There were so few medicals left after the war, I felt my place was to fill one of those vacant positions when I grew up. I think Mother was hoping I would become a soldier like my brother, perhaps even join the jumpers’ squad and see the world, but I felt I was needed more in medical.”
“And I am glad you did,” Enok replied, turning his attention back to the motionless being now lying on the table in the working room. “For now you have the task of saving not only my Chief Commander, but my dearest friend, my brother and Europa’s second father.” Enok turned and looked directly in Gardawyn’s lilac eyes. “Can you do that for me, Gardawyn? Can you save Jeanip?”
“I swear upon my life’s water I will do everything in my power to save him, Your Majesty. I will take my leave of you so I can begin that process.” Gardawyn raised his hand to his forehead then proceeded toward the room where Jeanip awaited.
“Gardawyn,” Enok called, stopping the assistant from entering the working room.
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Thank you for listening.”
“Any time, Your Majesty.”
“And Gardawyn, tell your colleagues under no circumstance is that amulet to be removed. Tell them I will personally execute anyone who tries to remove it.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will personally see to it that it remains on Jeanip. I remember the legends my parents told me regarding the ancient healing Orbs and amulets, and we need all the help we can get to save him.” Gardawyn turned and hurried into the working room to fulfill his promise to his monarch. He didn’t know exactly what had just happened, but he knew it made him determined not to fail.
“Sire, how is he doing?” Enok heard a voice next to him say. He turned to see Gassop floating next to him. He had been so intent on watching Jeanip he had not noticed Gassop enter the room.
“They still do not know if he will make it or not,” Enok replied. “We should know more in the next few hours.” He turned away from the window and looked directly at the commander before him. “Gassop, I have a very important land assignment that needs immediate attention. Now that we know without a doubt Jeffrey Landers and JeffRa were the same person, it is imperative that we search his dwelling in Michigan for anything relating to us, Europa and the Terrians. Although unlikely, there is the possibility he may have kept a journal, advanced Oonock technology or even some bendicor at his home or office. We cannot take the chance of such items falling into the hands of the humans.”
“Or any remaining Terrians,” Gassop added.
“Or Terrians.”
“I agree, Your Majesty,” Gassop replied, suddenly realizing the danger they could still be in. “I can leave right away.”
“Thank you for volunteering, Gassop, but I need you here with me. I need someone young, someone who has spent a great deal of time amongst humans and is able to handle an overland trip. In fact, I need two, possibly three such Oonocks. If Jeanip could speak, who would he tell me were the ideal Oonocks from the security squad to send on this assignment?”
“Jeanip would tell you to send Kiijon and Teerdomay,” Gassop responded without hesitation. “They are the two Runbee sent to Australia to collect information to construct Mr. Terrance’s bedroom. They would have no problems carrying out this assignment.”
“Then make it so,” Enok replied. “Ask Kiijon and Teerdomay to report to me right away so I can give them their assignment.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Gassop responded. “Right away.” Gassop turned to leave then stopped for a moment.
“Yes?” Enok asked, turning his attention to Gassop. “Was there something else?”
“Sire, I know Runbee will be remaining on Saint’s Isle to protect our young monarchs for the time being. But I also know he is needed to protect its borders and the waters surrounding the island. If you need someone to fill in for Jeanip as Security Commander, you might want to consider Kiijon,” Gassop stated. “Jeanip has mentioned to me several times over the years that when, and if, he ever retired, he thought Kiijon would be a good replacement. He is well versed in all the security rules and protocols, is an excellent combat soldier and has lived amongst humans for extended pe
riods of time. He is at home on land as much as he is in the ocean. And Teerdomay would make an excellent replacement for Birea as Europa’s bodyguard. She will need one whenever she resettles on the mainland.”
“I will take your suggestion under advisement. But if they come with your recommendation there is no need to doubt their ability.” Enok turned back to watch the medical team working on Jeanip.
“I will take my leave, Your Majesty,” Gassop said, as he turned to leave. “Oh, by the way, I ordered several helpers to bring you something to eat,” he announced as he swam away. “It should be arriving in the next few minutes.” Food – Enok had forgotten all about eating. He couldn’t remember the last time he ate and realized it had to have been several days ago. Thank goodness he had such loyal subjects as Gassop who always kept an eye out for his well-being.
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“Sire,” Enok heard a soft voice say. “Sire, it is I, Gardawyn. I came to give you an update on Jeanip.”
Enok opened his eyes and stretched, feeling somewhat rested. He was surprised to see young Gardawyn floating next to him. He must have fallen asleep, but for how long? Was Jeanip still alive?
“Is he okay?” Enok asked as he stood, the sound of anxiety in his voice. He quickly directed his vision to the room where the medical team had worked on Jeanip all night only to see an empty bed, an empty room. “Where is he, Gardawyn? Have I lost him too?”
“No, Sire, we moved him to another room where he can recover from his surgeries. If you like I can take you to him.”
Enok shook his head to clear the sleepiness away. He now remembered the events of the evening. The medical teams had worked on Jeanip all night doing everything in their power to save him. His injuries had been worse than Enok had feared, and twice emergency operations were performed to correct a failing organ. Three times Gardawyn had informed him there was no hope, his injuries beyond their advanced medicine. Each time Enok had gone into the room, placed his hands on both his and Jeanip’s amulets, then said the three words hoping to once again invoke the healing powers of Medaron’s amulet. To his dismay and relief, the amulets awoke and sent strands of light into Jeanip’s body, giving him just enough energy to remain alive, allowing the Oonock medicine and medical procedures time to heal his body. Each time Enok wished there was a way to bring Europa to his bedside to completely heal his old friend like she did at the Hunting Lodge, but he knew that was impossible. He hoped Medaron’s amulet would continue to bring life to Jeanip if needed again.
“Yes, please take me to his room,” Enok replied. He followed Gardawyn down a small corridor to a recovery room. Inside he saw Jeanip lying upon a table with tubes and wires connected to him everywhere. He quickly looked to assure himself the amulet still remained around Jeanip’s neck, which it did. He scanned the numerous dials and indicators and saw many were just barely in the green, many still in the red, indicating Jeanip was not out of danger yet.
“How is he?” Enok asked.
“It’s still anyone’s guess if he will survive or not, Your Majesty,” Gardawyn stated. “He has a long way to go, but he’s a fighter and his body is slowly healing, thanks to the amulet.”
“Do not sell yourself or your team short, Young Gardawyn. I am sure your medical talents contributed greatly to his recovery so far.”
“That may be, Sire, but without the amulets’ healing powers all the expertise in the world would not have saved our Chief Commander,” Gardawyn stated. “It will be several hours before we know anything more, Your Highness. Might I suggest you try and get some more rest? There is a room down the hall where you can be comfortable and rest for a while. And I might suggest something to eat again.”
“Please have a resting bed brought in here for me to use,” Enok commanded. “I do not want to be too far from him in case the amulets’ powers are needed again. And perhaps someone from the royal kitchen could bring me some breakfast.”
“As you wish, Sire,” Gardawyn answered. “I will have someone bring you a resting bed immediately and inform the kitchen to bring you something to eat.”
While Enok waited he floated over to Jeanip and looked down upon his dearest friend. “Jeanip, you must get better. She needs you and is waiting for you to return to her.”
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“I am glad to see you got some rest, Your Majesty,” Gardawyn said, as he entered Jeanip’s room several hours later when he saw Enok beginning to wake. He looked over at the empty dishes sitting on the table. “I am also glad to see you took my advice and ate a little something.”
“I guess I did not realize how tired I really was. How is our patient doing?” Enok asked, looking down at the still Jeanip.
“Surprisingly well,” Gardawyn responded. “His vitals are growing stronger by the minute and we’ve been able to take him off of several supports already.”
Enok looked down and thought how terribly fragile he looked, how battle-worn from his service to Enok. His left arm and the attached wing were encased in an electric tube which was sending energy impulses into his arm to encourage the flesh to regrow. He had lost a great deal of the flesh from his arm when he was hit by the pulse of JeffRa’s blaster. When he transformed back into his true form, the damage carried over to his top left wing.
“And what of the damage to his left wing and arm?”
“Both are mending well and the tissue is starting to mend,” Gardawyn replied. “We were able to graft new flesh onto his arm. We won’t know what permanent damage there is, if any, until both have totally reformed and mended.”
Enok floated closer to get a better view of the arm and the wing. He could see the bones had already set themselves in his arm and the grafted flesh was adhering to both appendages. But he worried the damage to the wing was so severe it might impede Jeanip’s ability to swim. He realized Jeanip’s recovery would be long and difficult. He knew Jeanip would not mind the difficultness, but the length was definitely going to cause a problem. Jeanip would insist on joining the young monarchs as soon as he was able to swim to see to their safety and teachings. Enok admitted he wanted Jeanip at Saint’s Isle sooner rather than later also. Enok watched as several small regenerating lights moved, crisscross over his left leg and thigh, filling in the wounds with new tissue.
“And his left leg?” he asked.
“Also doing well,” Gardawyn replied, running his medical scanner over Jeanip’s body to determine the progression of his recovery. “According to my scanner, he is beginning to finally heal. If you have no further need of me, Sire, I will take my leave.” Enok nodded his head in approval and Gardawyn left giving Enok time alone with Jeanip.
“Forgive me, Dear Friend, for asking so much of you,” Enok thought, placing his hand on Jeanip’s forehead while once again surveying the extent of Jeanip’s broken body. “Perhaps this time I asked too much of you.”
“Do I look as bad as I feel?” Enok heard a faint, weak voice say telepathically.
“Actually, I think you probably feel worse than you look,” Enok replied, smiling, floating over to Jeanip’s right side, which was free of instruments. Jeanip opened his eyes and look at his monarch’s face. “You gave me a pretty good scare, Old Friend. I did not think you would make it through the night.”
“Sorry, Your Majesty,” Jeanip stated. “I didn’t think I would ever see another day either.” A serious look crossed his face. “What of my sovereigns and Terrance? Are they okay?”
“Yes, they are secure on Saint’s Isle, thanks to you. Runbee and Graybin are with them, so you do not need to worry. You just concentrate on getting well. All three ask me to tell you to get better and return to them soon – they love and miss you.”
Jeanip missed them too, but such sentiment was not part of a soldier’s character. “And JeffRa?” he asked. He had very little recollection of what had happened after he was hit by the side blast of JeffRa’s weapon.
“He is gone forever,” Enok said, a sound of relief in his voice. “I finally did what I should have done that day back on Europa. He has been sentenced and executed, put somewhere where he can never return or harm anyone again.”
“So you were able to prevent him from flowing out into the waters?” Jeanip asked.
“Yes,” Enok answered. “The wrist band held him in human form. And the container you helped me design kept any part of him from coming in contact with the ocean’s water. This time we can be assured he will not return.”
“And what of his army?”
“Chancee’s soldiers were able to eliminate most of them when they tried to attack the Hunter’s Lodge. Plus, your blast on Minnos destroyed all the Terrians who had been foolish enough to venture onto the premises. Hopefully, that does not leave a lot left, but we will track down those who did manage to escape. But without JeffRa to lead them, I do not think they will be much of a threat.”
“And what of Chancee? Were they able to find him?” Jeanip somberly asked.
“They not only found him, they found him alive!” Enok related, seeing the tiniest spark of a smile on Jeanip’s face. “That old coot is as stubborn as you are when it comes to dying. He managed to turn himself into a massive grizzly before the rock ceiling caved in on him. The bear’s massive muscular frame enabled him to survive the weight of all that rock. He is still in serious condition in the room next to this one, but the medical personnel say he will recover.”
“I should have known no Terrian would be able to bring him down,” Jeanip stated.
“Just as one could not bring you down,” Enok added.
“Ah, but we both know that is not true. I would be dead if it were not for Europa. She has twice brought me back from the jaws of death. If it were not for her this bed would be empty.” Remembering the events of the voyage, a serious look came across Jeanip’s face. “Enok, Europa summoned the power of the Orb to heal me of my injuries when we arrived at the Hunting Lodge. And on Saint’s Isle, she created that protection shield that saved me. How did she do those things? Only a handful of Oonocks have ever been able to use the Orb’s healing powers, and the last one flowed out a hundred and fifty thousand years ago. And I have NEVER heard of one creating a protective barrier using an Orb. Plus, she is a human and therefore incapable of doing any of those things.”
“Yet she did them. A human summoned a Europian’s Orb’s powers,” Enok said. “I too have been trying to determine how she was capable of these feats and the only explanation I find is that, when Medaron transferred her powers to her, something extraordinary happened to our little princess. Medaron’s powers must have joined with human powers that were dormant in Europa and mutated her into a form of Oonock we have never seen before.”
“Do you think Europa will be able to transform?” Jeanip asked, wondering what else his queen was capable of.
“Only time will reveal that secret,” Enok replied. “That is why it is important for you to rest and get better so you can help her with these new powers and any others that might appear. The medical personnel have been able to make some improvements in my lung problem, but I still am unable to stay above for very long. So, I must continue to rely on you, My Old Friend.”
One of the medical personnel floated into the room to administer medication to Jeanip. “Good morning, Your Majesty,” he said, giving the customary salute. “It is important for Jeanip to rest, so I must ask that you keep your visit brief.”
“I was just ready to leave,” Enok said. “I promised Europa I would return today to visit with them and I still have to pay Chancee a visit.” Enok looked at the medical personnel. “If he gets worse or you need me for anything, contact me immediately.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the young medical personnel replied.
Enok reached down and touched Jeanip’s uninjured shoulder. “And Jeanip, leave that amulet on around your neck. That is a direct order. Be assured I will court-martial you if you take it off even if you ARE a member of the royal family now.”
Jeanip said nothing but did manage a weak smile. Before Enok was out of the room Jeanip was fast asleep, the medical machines working over his body to heal him.
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Enok floated down the hallway to Chancee’s room. As he entered he thought how the scene before him was almost identical to the one he had just left. Chancee was lying on a bed in his true form connected to numerous machines with tubes emanating from his body. Several doctors were currently working on him.
“Is this a bad time?” Enok asked the medical personnel.
“Not at all, Your Majesty. We were just checking to see how his recovery was coming.”
Enok could see Chancee was still not conscious. “How is it coming?” Enok asked.
“He is pretty bruised and has numerous broken and shattered bones, but thankfully no injury to any of his organs,” relayed one of the medical personnel. “He’s lucky he thought fast enough to transform into the grizzly, who was able to take a lot more abuse. Had he remained human, he would have been crushed to death for sure. From what I was told, he had half of the mountain piled on top of him. It took the rescue team hours to dig him out even with our advanced machinery.”
“That is one of many things I am thankful for today,” Enok replied. “Please tell him I stopped by to see him when he awakens and I will be back in a few days to check on his progress.” Enok turned to leave, then stopped and added, “A word of warning: Chancee is known to be pretty cantankerous and will not be happy to learn he is at the Complex. He is going to yell and scream that he immediately be returned to the land above. When he does, please tell him I order him to remain here in the infirmary until I personally tell him he can leave.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, we will be glad to pass that order along,” the medical assistant said, a big smile on his face. He knew Enok had just made taking care of this patient a lot easier.
“And if he becomes totally unbearable before I return and can be moved, you have my permission and suggestion to move him in the same room with Jeanip,” Enok added. “Both are cantankerous old soldiers who hate medical units, so they should be good company for each other. And each will keep the other in line. But, if for some reason Chancee should take a turn for the worse, be sure someone notifies me immediately.” Enok turned and left the room not waiting for a response.
From the infirmary Enok floated to the home of Zeeroff, a senior smithy and jeweler. Zeeroff was the only Oonock Enok knew who would be able to make him a copy of the amulet worn by the royal family that he needed. He had sent a messenger to his home yesterday while with Jeanip, requisitioning Zeeroff to make him a copy. He had advised him he would stop by to pick it up before he returned above.
“Good day, Your Majesty,” Zeeroff greeted, bowing slightly and raising his hand to his forehead. “I was able to comply with your request.” He lifted out of a box a round amulet filled with their home’s lilac waters. “But I must tell you, it has no power like the real amulets do. It is just a copy, as you asked.”
Enok reached out and took the amulet. He turned it over several times as he examined it, pleased with its construction. “This is perfect, Zeeroff. It is exactly what I need. You have done an excellent job and I thank you.”
“No thanks is needed, Your Majesty,” Zeeroff said, a little embarrassed at his monarch’s gratitude.
Seeing that Zeeroff was uneasy about his creation, Enok stated, “Do not worry about it being just a copy. I only need it to look like a real one and to contain our home water plus a tiny piece of bendicor.” Holding the amulet in his hand, Enok left leaving a puzzled Zeeroff to wonder what the purpose was of a fake amulet.
THE LIBRARY