Jethro Goes to War (Wandering Engineer Jethro's tale) by Chris Hechtl Page A

the
cat. He brought it to his mouth and then his tongue came out and
lapped the water from the cup ignoring the straw.
    “ Here let me
get that,” she said, dabbing at his mouth with a washcloth.
“First time you've been ill?”
    “ No, I had the
flu a few times, and feline mumps when I was eight.”
    “ Mumps?”
Thornby asked.
    “ Yes ma'am. I
got the injection at your clinic,” he answered, eyes still
slitted.
    “ You did?
Hmmm,” she said looking at him again. She cocked her head. “I
don't remember you, but okay.” She shrugged.
    “ Is he going
to be okay commander?” the gunny asked.
    “ Sensory
overload due to tissue inflammation and over stimulation. We're
treating it. We thought it would be licked when he was in the regen
tank but no such luck. It's more pronounced in him because of his
augmentation,” she replied looking at the noncom. She shook her
head.
    “ Inbreeding,”
Hurranna said with a sniff. “I knew it'd come back and bite us
in the ass sometime. Hopefully you are not rejecting the implants.”
Jethro felt a pang of fear over that.
    “ Inbreeding?”
The doctor asked giving her a look. “It's not tissue rejection
I checked for that.”
    “ Yeah, we, ah,
the clan that is tried to keep good records, but with our limited
numbers we know things got mixed up a time or two,” Hurranna
explained.
    “ I'm not sure
that has anything to do with this actually. Genetics are a
possibility, but I think it is unique physical adaptation that is the
root cause. We'll get it sorted out.”
    “ Hopefully
soon,” Jethro ground out. He hated feeling like crap. Helpless.
It just wasn't his style. She patted his sheet covered foot and then
walked to the center of the bay. She looked around, noting the others
were awake and watching her.
    “ Okay, by now,
you've all noticed you’re not feeling any different yet right?”
she said turning around to look at them. They nodded. “And no
special sight, or anything. That's because for now your implants are
locked down as they integrate with your body and your body adjusts to
them. That way the swelling will go down before we start
rehabilitation.”
    “ Which will be
fun,” the gunny snarled. “At least for me.”
    “ Most
definitely for you. And you better not be a cantankerous patient. I
can have an enema nurse come by every couple hours if you try my
patience gunny,” she said giving him a reproving look.
    “ Wouldn't
dream of it doc,” he said and then sat back as the recruits
stared and then chuckled softly. “Not in a million years while
I'm under your thumb.”
    “ Boo hoo,”
she said smiling. “I think nurse Joy was looking forward to
it.” She smirked at him. He gave an involuntary shiver and then
glared. “Well, if you change your mind, let me know,” she
said as he opened his mouth. He closed it with a clop firmly. She
smiled sweetly at him. She turned back to the group who were trying
hard not to snicker. “Tonight you'll get your first sleep
session. It'll be basic and brief, but repeat a few times. Each night
you'll get more info that will build off the first. The faster you
process and absorb the information, the faster you'll get out of
here. So sleep. That's an order,” she said. She looked around
smiling.
    “ Can't you
just induce us? With a somatic neuralizer or something?”
Valenko asked.
    “ No, that
would interfere with your sleep teaching. Besides, no doctor likes to
over medicate when they don't have to. And right now, I don't have
to. You are soldiers. By now you've learned to sleep whenever you
can, however you can right?” she asked, eyebrow raised.
    “ Yes ma'am,”
the gunny said one arm behind his head. He closed his good eye.
    “ Then get to
work. Or in this case sleep,” she smiled as she walked out and
the lights dimmed.
    ...*...*...*...*...
    “ How is the
eye doing?” Thornby asked the gunny as she came into his bay
area.
    “ Better
Commander,” he answered looking over to her.
    She sighed and