If You Asked Me To (UWOC)

Nine

Thorn got sick that night, vomiting and fever. Sebia was on the comm nonstop except when she was helping him to and from the bed. She had already given him antibiotics, but his body had to fight the virus off, and he had to suffer through that.

She was scared he would be the first to die from this.

I was trying to stay out of her mind, but her emotions were overwhelming me, even with my walls up. The Kymari were typically in total control of their feelings, but when they were distraught, they lost that ability.

"Sebia. He is sleeping. Please lie down and get some rest. The symptoms will last for several days, and you must take care of yourself. You will be of no help to him if you collapse."

"I know," she whispered. She lay down next to him on the bed.

"I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner," I told her. "It never occurred to me until he was bitten. The Kymari's reaction to the virus is much worse than ours."

"If we are correct, our medical teams should have a cure within days," she said softly. "I hope we are so I can give the cure to him."

"I hope we are, too."

I stayed with them over the next few days, just in case we were wrong. Since Thorn got sick, though, I was sure it was West Nile Virus. Within hours of being bitten, he developed a fever, body aches, and stiff neck, typical of West Nile Fever. 

----

The Kymari tested the birds and mosquitoes in the areas where most of the outbreaks occurred, and they confirmed it was the virus. They believed they would have a cure within another day or two.

"Thank you both for letting me stay with you, but I think it's time for me to go home," I said to my hosts.

"If you don't mind," Thorn said, "could you stay a few more days? I want to get some information in an archive about humans. It's horrible that they have no history. The Votaks even destroyed their space stations and such."

"It would keep Thorn busy, since he should be bedridden for another few days," Sebia added. "I also have someone coming over later today to show me how to give you that cleaning I promised."

"Well," I chuckled, "I guess I can't pass that up. I can stay for another few days."

"Thank you, Basil. For everything."

"You're welcome, Sebia."

Cleaning my scales, and the massage that came with it, was the most enjoyable experience I'd ever had. I could not believe how good it felt for Sebia to scrub each of my scales, wipe away the grime, and then coat my skin in oil. Every itch I had went away, and the part of my back I could not reach had never felt better.

Tasha's handler was the one who came over to show Sebia how to do it. Tasha laughed at me when she saw my reaction to this new experience. She was quick, though, and got out of the way before I could hit her with my wing.

The Kymari laughed at us as I shared my feelings towards Tasha. I couldn't wait for the next time I grabbed her at the park. She was getting dunked!

After she and her handler left and my hosts went to bed for the night, I couldn't sleep, though. I hadn't felt the high I used to get when I realized it was WNV. Instead, I felt the satisfaction of knowing I may have saved lives. My love for science finally did something good. I felt happy about myself and what I did.

But some of me was not looking forward to returning to the park. I'd gotten used to being warm and not having to look for food. I enjoyed having someone to talk science with, and that cleaning was something that I would dream about for years. I was very tempted to become a bonded animal, but only to Sebia and Thorn. They were scientists, not guards, so I doubted they would be allowed to do that.

I hoped they would visit me often at the park. I would miss them. It was weird, but I would stay with them if they asked me to.

At least if I died tomorrow, I would be thrilled with what I accomplished. I may have only helped identify a virus, but no one died, and I used my science in the way it was meant to be used.

With that thought, I went to sleep.

-----

"So, what did you want to start with, Thorn?"

Sebia had a tablet in her hands, but suddenly turned it off and laid it to the side. She stared at me like she was trying to figure out what to say. When I looked closer at her expression, I got scared.

Oh, no.

"During your time with us, Basil, you've slipped a few times. You've used pronouns like 'we' instead of 'they,'" she said. "I noticed it when it happened, but my mind was on other things, so I didn't let it distract me from the task at hand."

I didn't answer her. I curled up on the edge of Thorn's bed. Sebia's mind was calm, and she seemed more concerned about my actions and state of mind than she was about the discussion. I turned to Thorn, and his mind was the same.

"Your knowledge of the medical field is at the molecular level. The only way you could have that kind of knowledge is if you were once a human who worked in this field. You were a doctor or a researcher at some point."

Sebia's voice was soft and caring, as if she wanted to calm me, like a parent calming a child.

It didn't matter, though. I was in full panic mode.

I just killed the flock.