be murdered or maimed while would-be evildoers are laughing."
Claggett said brusquely to knock off the nonsense. He was confident that the nurse would work out fine. If he'd had any serious doubts about her, he'd've acted upon them.
"I'll have to go now, Britt. Have a good night, and I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Wait!" I said. "What if I'm murdered in my sleep?"
"Then I won't talk to you," he said, irritably. And he left the room before I could say anything else. I got up and went to the bathroom. The constant dryness of my mouth had caused me to drink an overabundance of water.
I came out of the bathroom, and climbed back into bed.
The hall door opened silently, and the reddish-haired nurse came in.
17
She was wheeling a medicine cart in front of her, a cart covered with a chaos of bottles and vials and hypodermic needles. Having gotten the job as my regular full-time nurse seemed to have given her self-confidence. And she smiled at me brilliantly, and introduced herself.
"I'm Miss Nolton, Mr. Rainstar. Full name, Kate Nolton, but I prefer to be called Kay."
"Well, all right, Kay," I said, smiling stiffly (and doubtless foolishly). "It seems like a logical preference."
"What?" she frowned curiously. "I don't understand."
"I mean, it's reasonable to call you Kay since your name is Kate. But it wouldn't seem right to call you Kate if your name was Kay. I mean- Oh, forget it," I groaned. "My God! Do you play tennis, Kay?"
"I love tennis! How about you?"
"Yeah, how about me?" I said.
"Well?"
"Not very," I said.
"I mean, do you play tennis?"
"No," I said.
She sort of smile-frowned at me. She picked up my wrist, and tested my pulse. "Very fast. I thought so," she said. "Turn over on your side, please."
She took a hypodermic needle from the sterilizer, and began to draw liquid into it from a vial. Then she glanced at me, and gestured with light impatience.
"I said to turn on your side, Mr. Rainstar."
"I am on my side."
"I mean, the other side! Turn your back to me."
"But that wouldn't be polite."
"Mr. Rainstar!" She almost stamped her foot. "If you don't turn your back to me, right this minute-!"
I turned, as requested. She jerked the string on my pajamas, and started to lower them.
"Wait a minute!" I said. "What are you doing, anyway?"
She told me what she was doing, adding that I was the silliest man she had ever seen in her life. I told her I couldn't allow it. It was the complete reversal of the normal order of things.
"A girl doesn't take a man's pants down," I said. "Everyone knows that. The correct procedure is for the man to take the girl's - Ooowtch! WHAT THE GODDAM HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO DO, WOMAN?"
"Shh, hush! The very idea making all that fuss over a teensy little hypo! Sergeant Claggett told me you were just a big old baby."
"That's why he's only a sergeant," I said. "An upper echelon officer would have instructed you in the proper treatment of wounds, namely to kiss them and make them well."
That got her. Her face turned as red as her hair. "Why, you-you-! Are you suggesting that I kiss your a double s ?"
I yawned prodigiously. "That's exactly what I'm suggesting," I said, and yawned again. "I might add that it's probably the best o double f offer you'll ever get in your career as an assassin."
"All right," she said. "I think I'll just take you up on it. Just push it up here where I can get at it good, and-"
"Get away from me, goddammit!" I said. "Go scrub out a bedpan or something."
"Let's see now. Ahh, there it is! Kitchy-coo! "
"Get! Go away, you crazy broad!"
" Kitchy-kitchy-coo …"
"Dammit, if you don't get away from me, I'm going to… going to… going-"
My eyes snapped shut. I drifted into sleep. Or, rather, half-sleep.
I was asleep, but aware that she had dropped into a chair. That she was shaking silently, hugging herself; then rocking back and forth helplessly and shrieking with laughter. I was aware when other people came into the room to investigate. Other nurses,
Claggett said brusquely to knock off the nonsense. He was confident that the nurse would work out fine. If he'd had any serious doubts about her, he'd've acted upon them.
"I'll have to go now, Britt. Have a good night, and I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Wait!" I said. "What if I'm murdered in my sleep?"
"Then I won't talk to you," he said, irritably. And he left the room before I could say anything else. I got up and went to the bathroom. The constant dryness of my mouth had caused me to drink an overabundance of water.
I came out of the bathroom, and climbed back into bed.
The hall door opened silently, and the reddish-haired nurse came in.
17
She was wheeling a medicine cart in front of her, a cart covered with a chaos of bottles and vials and hypodermic needles. Having gotten the job as my regular full-time nurse seemed to have given her self-confidence. And she smiled at me brilliantly, and introduced herself.
"I'm Miss Nolton, Mr. Rainstar. Full name, Kate Nolton, but I prefer to be called Kay."
"Well, all right, Kay," I said, smiling stiffly (and doubtless foolishly). "It seems like a logical preference."
"What?" she frowned curiously. "I don't understand."
"I mean, it's reasonable to call you Kay since your name is Kate. But it wouldn't seem right to call you Kate if your name was Kay. I mean- Oh, forget it," I groaned. "My God! Do you play tennis, Kay?"
"I love tennis! How about you?"
"Yeah, how about me?" I said.
"Well?"
"Not very," I said.
"I mean, do you play tennis?"
"No," I said.
She sort of smile-frowned at me. She picked up my wrist, and tested my pulse. "Very fast. I thought so," she said. "Turn over on your side, please."
She took a hypodermic needle from the sterilizer, and began to draw liquid into it from a vial. Then she glanced at me, and gestured with light impatience.
"I said to turn on your side, Mr. Rainstar."
"I am on my side."
"I mean, the other side! Turn your back to me."
"But that wouldn't be polite."
"Mr. Rainstar!" She almost stamped her foot. "If you don't turn your back to me, right this minute-!"
I turned, as requested. She jerked the string on my pajamas, and started to lower them.
"Wait a minute!" I said. "What are you doing, anyway?"
She told me what she was doing, adding that I was the silliest man she had ever seen in her life. I told her I couldn't allow it. It was the complete reversal of the normal order of things.
"A girl doesn't take a man's pants down," I said. "Everyone knows that. The correct procedure is for the man to take the girl's - Ooowtch! WHAT THE GODDAM HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO DO, WOMAN?"
"Shh, hush! The very idea making all that fuss over a teensy little hypo! Sergeant Claggett told me you were just a big old baby."
"That's why he's only a sergeant," I said. "An upper echelon officer would have instructed you in the proper treatment of wounds, namely to kiss them and make them well."
That got her. Her face turned as red as her hair. "Why, you-you-! Are you suggesting that I kiss your a double s ?"
I yawned prodigiously. "That's exactly what I'm suggesting," I said, and yawned again. "I might add that it's probably the best o double f offer you'll ever get in your career as an assassin."
"All right," she said. "I think I'll just take you up on it. Just push it up here where I can get at it good, and-"
"Get away from me, goddammit!" I said. "Go scrub out a bedpan or something."
"Let's see now. Ahh, there it is! Kitchy-coo! "
"Get! Go away, you crazy broad!"
" Kitchy-kitchy-coo …"
"Dammit, if you don't get away from me, I'm going to… going to… going-"
My eyes snapped shut. I drifted into sleep. Or, rather, half-sleep.
I was asleep, but aware that she had dropped into a chair. That she was shaking silently, hugging herself; then rocking back and forth helplessly and shrieking with laughter. I was aware when other people came into the room to investigate. Other nurses,
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