Beyond Varallan by S. L. Viehl Page B

pharmaceutical logs. The diuretics Tonetka used were standard. I accessed his medical history and found he had been prescribed the very same medication only a year before.
    It was true that certain allergies could manifest themselves in the body at any time. True or not, I was suspicious. Protocol demanded our entire supply of the drug be removed for contamination analysis, so I pulled the stores to be tested and had a fresh batch synthesized.
    That was when I noticed my smallest patient’s agitation. Darea had disappeared, probably off to get a meal tray from the galley.
    “Fasala?” I went to her berth and gazed down at her. She’d been restlessly tossing and turning. “Is something bothering you?”
    The white eyes widened. “Oh, no. I feel very well, Healer Cherijo. All my injuries have healed. There is no pain.”
    I smiled. “I forget my phrasing is never as precise and correct as yours. What I meant was, are you troubled about something?” She nodded. “Is it about your accident?” Another nod. I sat down on the edge of the berth and took her hand in mine. “Want to talk about it?”
    She bit her lip, and glanced over at an empty berth near hers. “Healer, my ClanMother told me that Roelm Torin embraced the stars.”
    “Yes.” I wondered just how much Darea had told her child.
    She finally blurted it out. “Was it my fault his path was diverted?”
    “Of course not, Fasala. Roelm was…” How did I explain this? I knew all about guilt, but not how to get rid of it. I considered signaling her ClanParents, then plunged on. “Fasala, someone else diverted Roelm's path. Whoever did this will be punished. But it's not your fault.”
    “I was in the restricted area,” she said. Her lips trembled. “It was wrong to be there. When I saw the ring of light, I should have run away. Roelm spoke to me about it, then he became angry and left his berth.”
    What was that all about? “Fasala, you aren’t responsible for what happened.” The ring of light—wasn't that what she had been muttering in her sleep? “Tell me what you told Roelm.”
    “He wanted to know what it looked like. It was so pretty, like a rainbow. I told him there was a terrible sound…” Tears filled her eyes. “And then it hurt me.”
    “I know, sweetheart. It’s okay.” I put my arms around her as she wept. I thought of the little girl I'd been unable to save back on NessNevat. Closed my eyes and rocked Fasala gently. This one was alive. I had to hold on to that.
    One of the nurses came up and quietly offered to signal Darea. I nodded my approval over the small dark head.
    At last the child’s sobs slowed. I blinked away my tears, then lifted her face and wiped hers away with my thumbs. “There now. I always have a good cry when I feel bad. Your ClanMother will be here soon, honey.”
    Fasala sniffed as she looked up at me. “What is ’honey'?”
    “A sweet, delicious floral extract on Terra,” I explained. “And what Terrans call very brave, very honest little girls.”
    “I am HouseClan Torin,” she said with pride, her tears forgotten. “We are the bravest of all Houses.”
    “We sure are.” I tucked her sheet in around her small body, and saw Darea hurry in the Bay. “Here’s your Clan-Mother. Try to rest now.” I pressed a kiss against her brow. “I'll be back to check on you soon.”
    Adaola Torin, the senior nurse on duty, asked to speak with me in Tonetka’s office soon after that. We left the ward and once inside, she closed the door panel.
    “This must be serious,” I said, hoping it wasn’t. My emotions were on the shaky side already.
    The tall, perpetually cheerful woman wasn’t smiling now. “Healer Cherijo, I—I would know if I am responsible for diverting Roelm's path.”
    She wanted to know if she’d killed him, too? What was going around, some kind of guilt virus? “Why do you think you're responsible?”
    “I myself administered the diuretic just before Roelm left Medical. It was