fortuneswheel by Lisanne Norman Page B

long?"

"Since yesterday evening."

"What I expected. Same with Carrie. I'll give you something for it before you leave."

"Anything on the scan?" he asked.

"You've got a basic knowledge of medicine as it applies to telepaths, haven't you?" she asked.

"Fair," he admitted. "I studied with the medics in the guild. It's not my calling, though."

"Well, there's increased activity in the thalamus region," she said. "Which is what I expected as that's the area concerned with memory. Again, I found the same with Carrie. I presume it's due to the mental exchange you experienced when you bonded to each other. The chemical levels are out of synch— in fact, yours are worse than Carrie's, but that may well be due to the species difference rather than anything else. You actually exchanged memories, didn't you?"

He made a sound of assent as he heard her moving around again.

"You're also showing a small weight loss since your last physical, but considering what we've all been through in the last couple of months, I'm not surprised," she said, a hint of humor in her voice. "Everything else is normal. I'd like to do regular checks on you both, so I can monitor your vital signs. If there are any changes at all, I want to be able to identify them as soon as possible."

"Are you expecting any problems?" he asked, picking up her concern despite the lightness of her voice.

"Not expecting, I just want to be prepared. I need to have established base-line readings I can trust."

He heard her footsteps come toward him, then the scanner was swung back. "Kusac," she said, looking down at him. "Do you know anything about the Leska Links that wouldn't be in the medical files? Any Telepath Guild information we might not have?"

"I presume our guilds have always shared relevant information," he said, swaying slightly as he sat up. The dizzy spells were coming more often now. This was the third time it had happened today.

Vanna steadied him, helping him swing his legs over the side of the couch. "That's some headache you've got!" she said sympathetically. "The Telepath Guild Medics occasionally treat Leskas themselves, presumably because there are certain conditions they don't want us in Medical to know about." She went over to a cupboard and, selecting a medicine container, began dispensing some pills into a small bottle.

"If you are aware of anything, I'd appreciate it if you told me because, the Gods help you, I'm literally the only expert we have on Terran telepath physiology, and what affects Carrie affects you. I need cross-guild knowledge which your guild won't even admit it has! This is too new and too important to be bound up by the restrictions of our separate guilds."

"You probably know more about it than I do, Vanna," he said, trying not to sound evasive as held out his hand for the bottle.

Her eyes flicked across his face, assessing his answer. "Fair enough. Don't take these on an empty stomach. I've put my personal contact number on the label. If you need me, page me anytime. I'll see you again in four days. I'd like it to be sooner, but your guild hearing is tomorrow and we all have the court-martial the following day. I don't envisage any substantial differences will show up sooner than that."

"I'll get in touch if there's a problem," he said, pocketing the bottle and pushing himself off the couch.

Vanna watched him leave. As he reached the door, she called out to him.

"Kusac!"

He stopped and turned round.

"You and Carrie take it easy, hear me? This Link is a tremendous upheaval for both of you. It'll take a lot of adjustment. Remember, I'm here as your friend, not just as a medic."

"Thank you, Vanna," he said, touched by her concern even though it posed a problem for him. "We'll take it easy, don't worry."

     
    * * *
     
    The walk back from the medical section tired him out, and it was with relief that he sealed his door behind him. He'd slept badly the night before, partly because of working late on his reports for