?All righ?, ya ready fer this, Mrs. Austin?? Johnny grinned confidently at Sarah, now in her role as the very pregnant and very ill Mrs. Jonah Austin. Her russet hair had been temporarily darkened, and careful makeup gave her fair skin a sallow appearance. She was sitting limply in a wheelchair, and she managed to smother her laugh before she nodded weakly.
Mrs. Jonah Austin, a secret rebel sympathizer, had applied for and been granted medevac, along with one servant from her ranch as an assistant. She had promptly turned over the medevac documents and passes to Jason and Johnny. Two pictures replaced, some makeup and hair dye for both Johnny and Sarah, and ?Mrs. Jonah Austin? and ?Mr. Franklin Herbert? were ready for the monthly medevac ship.
Johnny moved to take the handles of the wheelchair, moving a bit stiffly, as if the rest of his body matched the artificial wrinkles on his face and hands, and the gray dyed into his short-cut hair. They were allowed one small bag each, weighing less than fifteen kilos. It had nearly broken his heart to watch Sarah crying while she sorted out what she could bring from what had to be left. He had given her space in his pack, bringing just one change of clothes and the (somewhat deformed) teddy bears he had painstakingly sewn for his children. Now both bags hung on the back of the wheelchair, looking strangely pitiful.
Pushing forward the wheelchair, they fell into the short line of others allowed medical evacuation. A tow-headed little girl stared at Johnny, then covered her face with her hands. It was the child he had played peek-a-boo with almost three months before. He stifled a moment of panic that she recognized him, and smiled at her when she showed her face again. The child giggled, and her mother looked down, then back at Johnny with a sigh of exasperation. ?I?m sorry, I?ll keep her from bothering ya.? No recognition from the mother.
A polite little smile was all Johnny allowed himself in return. ?No worries, ma?am. I think yer up, though.? He nodded to where the line had shifted forward, and at the officer impatiently holding out his hand for their paperwork. The woman made a frustrated noise and then scurried forward, trying to keep hold of the child and both of their bags, and hand over the papers.
Sarah reached up without thinking when the little girl fell to her knees. The officer helped the child carefully to her feet, even smiled at her, and Sarah turned the motion, placed her hand back in her lap, over the massive swell of her ?stomach? ? a very realistic but still artificial addition beneath her dress. Her voice breathed out in a whisper. ?I don?t know if?n I can do this, Jo- Franklin.?
?It?ll be all righ?, Mrs. Austin, don? ya worry abou? it. These fine gen?lemen are goin? ta get us on th? shuttle ta th? station, an? onta th? med ship from there, aren? ya?? He was speaking normally, and directed the last at the officer while he handed over their documents and passes.
The man glanced up without really looking at Johnny?s face, studying the paperwork much more intently. ?Yes, yes. You?re the last ones, so you?ll be at the station shortly. Now hurry up, get strapped in.? He shoved the papers back at Johnny and waited impatiently for Johnny to push the wheelchair up the ramp. As soon as it was onto level decking, the officer slapped the button to close the door.
The stench of illness saturated the air. Sarah gagged, almost vomited while Johnny fastened the buckles that would hold the wheelchair in place and Sarah on the wheelchair. ?Oh now, don? ya star? tha? again. I though? ya go? it out?a yer system a month ago.? Johnny grinned up at Sarah with a quick wink of one emerald eye, trying to distract her. It worked, and she chuckled weakly. He finished strapping himself in while the shuttle engines roared.
The vessel was small, cramped to begin with, and now it was crowded with too many bodies and most of them ill; all of them needed more serious medical attention than existed on the planet below. All of them but Johnny and Sarah. He felt a pang of sharp regret for the true Mrs. Jonah Austin. She truly could have used the medical evacuation, but she had volunteered to give up her spot, to get Sarah off-world. He hadn?t asked her motives, just gratefully taken the sacrifice.
Mrs. Jonah Austin, a secret rebel sympathizer, had applied for and been granted medevac, along with one servant from her ranch as an assistant. She had promptly turned over the medevac documents and passes to Jason and Johnny. Two pictures replaced, some makeup and hair dye for both Johnny and Sarah, and ?Mrs. Jonah Austin? and ?Mr. Franklin Herbert? were ready for the monthly medevac ship.
Johnny moved to take the handles of the wheelchair, moving a bit stiffly, as if the rest of his body matched the artificial wrinkles on his face and hands, and the gray dyed into his short-cut hair. They were allowed one small bag each, weighing less than fifteen kilos. It had nearly broken his heart to watch Sarah crying while she sorted out what she could bring from what had to be left. He had given her space in his pack, bringing just one change of clothes and the (somewhat deformed) teddy bears he had painstakingly sewn for his children. Now both bags hung on the back of the wheelchair, looking strangely pitiful.
Pushing forward the wheelchair, they fell into the short line of others allowed medical evacuation. A tow-headed little girl stared at Johnny, then covered her face with her hands. It was the child he had played peek-a-boo with almost three months before. He stifled a moment of panic that she recognized him, and smiled at her when she showed her face again. The child giggled, and her mother looked down, then back at Johnny with a sigh of exasperation. ?I?m sorry, I?ll keep her from bothering ya.? No recognition from the mother.
A polite little smile was all Johnny allowed himself in return. ?No worries, ma?am. I think yer up, though.? He nodded to where the line had shifted forward, and at the officer impatiently holding out his hand for their paperwork. The woman made a frustrated noise and then scurried forward, trying to keep hold of the child and both of their bags, and hand over the papers.
Sarah reached up without thinking when the little girl fell to her knees. The officer helped the child carefully to her feet, even smiled at her, and Sarah turned the motion, placed her hand back in her lap, over the massive swell of her ?stomach? ? a very realistic but still artificial addition beneath her dress. Her voice breathed out in a whisper. ?I don?t know if?n I can do this, Jo- Franklin.?
?It?ll be all righ?, Mrs. Austin, don? ya worry abou? it. These fine gen?lemen are goin? ta get us on th? shuttle ta th? station, an? onta th? med ship from there, aren? ya?? He was speaking normally, and directed the last at the officer while he handed over their documents and passes.
The man glanced up without really looking at Johnny?s face, studying the paperwork much more intently. ?Yes, yes. You?re the last ones, so you?ll be at the station shortly. Now hurry up, get strapped in.? He shoved the papers back at Johnny and waited impatiently for Johnny to push the wheelchair up the ramp. As soon as it was onto level decking, the officer slapped the button to close the door.
The stench of illness saturated the air. Sarah gagged, almost vomited while Johnny fastened the buckles that would hold the wheelchair in place and Sarah on the wheelchair. ?Oh now, don? ya star? tha? again. I though? ya go? it out?a yer system a month ago.? Johnny grinned up at Sarah with a quick wink of one emerald eye, trying to distract her. It worked, and she chuckled weakly. He finished strapping himself in while the shuttle engines roared.
The vessel was small, cramped to begin with, and now it was crowded with too many bodies and most of them ill; all of them needed more serious medical attention than existed on the planet below. All of them but Johnny and Sarah. He felt a pang of sharp regret for the true Mrs. Jonah Austin. She truly could have used the medical evacuation, but she had volunteered to give up her spot, to get Sarah off-world. He hadn?t asked her motives, just gratefully taken the sacrifice.