Pay Me, Bug!

Chapter 23

WHEREIN Our Hero Talks Too Much

Grif opened his eyes to see a hauntingly familiar white ceiling.

"Dream?"

He tried to sit up and was stopped, once again, by something gripping his left side. He looked to his left and saw a machine completely covering his left arm and side.

"Deja vu, Captain Vindh?"

Grif looked up to see a very familiar doctor standing in a disturbingly familiar doorway.

"What the hell?" Grif croaked, and struggled to free himself.

"No!" The doctor hurried forward in alarm and gently pushed Grif back down on the bed. "It's all right, Captain. Just let the machine work. This time we won't be interrupted."

"What the hell?" Grif repeated, grabbing the doctor by his coat.

"Yes, I can imagine it's a little confusing." The doctor looked down at Grif's hand and sighed. "But everything is all right. You're no longer wanted by Station Authority. The Baron herself pardoned you and your friends. All very unfortunate... it seems you were caught in the middle of some kind of coup."

Grif's eyes widened in alarm.

"Which failed. And hopefully this time I'll be able to fix you up without any interruptions."

Grif released the doctor and looked around the room. "Amys," he said. Once again, his throat felt very dry.

"Your lady-friend? Very resilient woman. I think she's waiting in the lobby, if you'll hold on a moment." The doctor studied the monitor at the foot of Grif's bed, checking his vital signs for anything out of the ordinary.

Grif waited in silence, trying to be patient. Then a very distressing notion occurred to him.

"Please," he said, looking around apprehensively, "tell me... this isn't the... same room, is it?"

"What?" The doctor looked up, distracted. "What? Oh. Oh, no... no, this is a different room. Yes, that would be disturbing..."

The doctor turned and left the room. Grif lay on his back and stared at the ceiling, trying to relax. The door opened again, and Grif looked up to see Amys, face slightly swollen and bruised, arm in a sling.

"Amys!"

Amys smiled. "You don't look as bad as I thought. Feel like you've been here before?"

Grif chuckled nervously. "I'm not sure how paranoid I should be right now."

"Only your standard level. They dropped all the charges. We were apparently caught in the middle of something."

"As usual."

"A bit above standard, actually," Amys said. "We chose the wrong week to visit."

"What about Bennet?" Grif asked. "Is he--"

"He's fine, recovering back on the Fool's Errand. He said to tell you he thought he'd sit this visit out, and hoped you wouldn't take it the wrong way."

Grif laughed weakly.

"He also said," Amys added, "that he would sit on your 'confession' for a while."

"Oh yes," Grif said. "That's... uhhh... good. Very good."

"I told him what you told me," Amys said. "That you found a way in. Remember?"

Grif nodded.

"Well he wants to hear your plan, and if he likes it he'll play ball."

Grif sighed in relief. "Better than I expected."