Evees on Cascatone

Evees on Cascatone

“I am so, so sorry, Medina. I did not know the Evees were allergic to anything. They acted like they were starved. I am so, so sorry. I know you will never let me look after them again, but I understand.”

My Torean friend Merilee meN rubbed her slightly blue cheeks and appeared ready to burst into tears. Apparently her hair reflected her emotions. Currently, the strands were limp and covered her ears.

I suspected Merilee wanted to have an outburst but was reluctant to do so in front of the handsome Torean male doctor treating my triplets. Mer's reaction confirmed my thought.

“Not a good decision for a doctor to make, Merilee,” commented Dr. Barian esT, helping the last of my Evellian pets into a sitting position. I could never get over the fact Torean males had blue, curly short hair as opposed to their females’ long, straight blue hair.

Merilee didn’t know where to look. As a first year Emergency Room doctor-in-training, she should have been more careful. I had to decide how upset to be with her.

Barian’s call had made me run frantically to sickbay, although he had indicated no emergency.

“Med, your triplets will be fine. They reacted perfectly to the allergy shots, and you can see they are already looking for mischief. I do not know how you can manage three of them but you are definitely doing a great job. I have heard no complaints.”

“They obey me pretty well. And you guys are the best, aren’t you?” I grinned at them, so they started hopping up and down.

“Make sure they get lots of rest tonight. These shots can be quite tiring.” Barian gave them a concerned glance.

“Say thank you to Dr. esT, guys,” I suggested, pointing at Barian.

My Evees—Speak, See, Hear—mumbled two sounds that were remarkably close to thank you, and Barian, Merilee, and I burst into laughter.

The Evees were my pets from the planet Evel. I had named my triplets, See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and Speak No Evil. I originally called them my Evils, but I quickly changed to using Evees after they had received numerous speculative glances.

“Before I, hopefully, close down the ER for the night, I need to ask, Merilee, what did you learn tonight?”

Barian was one of our instructors for our first year ER doctor training, and loved to ask this question.

So Barian and I turned to Merilee.

“Ah, to learn more about each race, animals included. The animals, Evees and others, are so much a part of their world, and should not be forgotten.”

“Anything else?” asked Barian.

“Learning is never ending. I will never know a race completely, and must always continue to learn.”

“Excellent, Merilee meN. You have taken the first steps toward becoming an excellent multispecies ER doctor.”

Merilee beamed.

“Okay, guys, time to get some kibble and apple juice, what do you think?” After I mouthed thank you to Barian, Speak, See, and Hear scrambled up the front of my vest—my vest that had been modified to have three large open-topped pockets on the front, and also three on the back. Each pocket was a snug fit, but the large squirrel-like critters always appeared comfortable, and they had the choice to look forwards or backwards, depending on the pocket they chose. Our ship seamstress had found material for the vest that matched their green diamond speckled black fur.

I had actually contracted the seamstress for three vests, which had turned out to be a good decision. My fastidious Evees let me know, in no uncertain terms, when I hadn’t changed their vest, in a timely manner.

I started to walk away, but a hand touched my arm. “May I help you tonight looking after your little guys? It is the least I can do after I made that terrible mistake.”

Starting to reply no, I changed my mind. She needed to feel better about her mistake, and I needed a friend. Doctors were normally too ambitious to make long-term friends, but I thought Merilee and I could form a lasting relationship despite our different species and where we ended up in the universe.

“You’ll have to bunk on the couch. I do have bunk beds, but I use the lower bunk, and these guys have the upper. I have extra blankets and such, though, so you should be comfortable.”

“Let us settle the Evees, and then I will pop back to my room and get some overnight necessities,” replied a relieved Merilee.

Normally, ER interns shared rooms but, because of my appendages, I was allowed one of my own. Although, with three semi-sentient beings clamoring for my attention on a daily basis, I think my life, and personal space, was more crowded than any of the other interns.

However, nothing should change over the course of my five-year internship, so I needed to happily think of our room as our home. Our meaning the Evees and me.

ER doctors had become the premium doctors, and much in demand. Doctors on most planets dealt only with their own citizens. However, with commerce exploding between new and existing solar systems, hospitals everywhere needed the capacity and knowledge to treat any species.

As a result, ER doctors received additional training arranged by the Medical Council. All currently known species had members on this council. Different species had different internships for their on-planet doctors, but the Medical Council had decreed ER doctors needed five years of additional off-planet training. So we got dumped on a special UCU spaceship, the United Commonwealth Union, and traveled to various planets during our five year post-doctoral training. I couldn’t complain—ER doctors were the cream of the crop, much in demand, and the competition to be accepted into the program was fierce. I had to smile—I loved challenges.

After we returned to our quarters, my Evees hopped down from my vest and skittered to their facilities. I appreciated the fact they had their own miniature sink and litter box in an unoccupied corner, and that they were quite fastidious about hand washing and other activities. Returning to our main room, the Evees made it clear the time to eat had arrived.

Merilee watched our rituals.

“I’m glad you’re here, Mer. I may ask you to look after them on a rare occasion, if that’s okay?”

“Of course. I am happy to learn their habits, regardless of the situation. What about food?”

Food would be an uncomfortable subject with her for a while, I suspected. “Their normal meals consist of special kibble and juice—apple juice being favorite. You can always ask Barian. I know the Evees are not from his and your world, but he has a vast array of knowledge about species, but I’ll show you what they normally have.”

“He is cute,” commented Merilee.

“Yes, he is.” For a Torean, I was sure he was. And I did consider Barian attractive, from my own perspective. However, that may have been as a result of his caring, educational demeanor. I had so much to learn during my time on the spaceship Perseverance.

“So you know where to go for information,” I said, as I winked. “But he’s not really my type.”

“No. You are not Torean,” pronounced Merilee.

I stifled my laugh. Would Merilee ever run into a non-Torean that tickled her fancy?

Evellians had evolved on a planet with slightly less gravity than Earth. Very slightly less, Barian had assured me, which was why my Evees did not have any problems with Earth normal gravity, which was also our ship’s gravity. We were to soon arrive at Earth, and I hoped for a few days’ reunion and rest with my immediate family.

I had already known the Evees would be comfortable on the ship as my triplets had started their lives in the home next to my childhood one on Earth.

“Merilee, come over here, please.” I walked over to the corner between the bunk beds and the couch. I had moved the couch so there was a comfortable open area in the corner. And at the end of the bunk beds, close to the corner, I had stored my small fridge.

“Here’s what you do. The Evees appreciate rituals.” I took three paper cups from the top of the fridge and handed them to Speak. She, in turn, passed them out to Hear and See. They stood in line and waited for me to fill their juice cups and then they took them to their small table situated under my taller one.

After organizing their table to their precise requirements, Speak had detoured to the bathroom to retrieve their clean bowls and then the Evees jumped up and returned to my position. I was generous with their kibble quantities tonight since I suspected their allergic reactions had taken quite a toll.

“After the Evees are finished, they’ll probably clean themselves and retire. They seem to require more sleep than I do.” I sighed. “I don’t know about you, but I could use some food.”

“Yes, I require food,” replied Merilee.

“Why don’t you go to the kitchen and …?”

My com interrupted our conversation. “Dr. Karra, are you free?” asked Major Teera arB, the Torean in charge of all five years of ER residents on our ship.

“Of course, Major arB. What’s the problem?” Had the incident with my Evees reached her ears?

“No issues. I have an urgent project to discuss, though.”

Gulp. What could that be? “Shall I come to your office?”

“Most appropriate. As soon as possible, please.”

The conversation terminated, and my mind whirled. I turned to my friend, “Merilee, would you mind looking after the triplets? Major arB wants to see me for some urgent reason. And why don’t you go get food for both of us? The Evils can be left alone for short times. I don’t imagine my meeting with Major arB will take too long. Do I look clean enough?” I recognized I’d started to babble.

“You are fine. Go. Keep the major happy.”

So that’s what I did, after giving the almost asleep Evees instructions on listening and obeying Merilee. If nothing else, the instructions would be good for the future.

****

“Dr. Karra, have a seat,” said Major arB.

So I sat in one of the two chairs in front of her working desk. By the amount of paper and tablets piled on the Major’s desk, I didn’t imagine she had an easy time corralling five years’ worth of students—arrogant, advanced, medical students.

“Medina, I will get to the point. I received an unusual request today. The government of Evel has specifically requested your presence, accompanied by your Evees, immediately. Along with an additional two of our doctors.”

“What’s going on?” Not the words I’d expected to hear from Major arB.

“The Evellians gave me little information but only said you should have the required expertise.” Major arB shook her head. “As for the two other doctors, I think they should be Torean. I suggest Dr. Barian esT, so you have someone with more experience than you have, and then a second Torean to acquire experience from your adventure. Who do you think would be appropriate?”

She obviously expected me to go along with the Evellians’ request, and I had no real reason to refuse. “How about Merilee? My Evees are getting used to her.”

“I did hear about the incident.” Major arB and I both laughed. “You can explain the situation to both Barian and Merilee. Bear in mind, I have already given Barian a heads up that there was an upcoming project involving him.”

“Sure, I’ll explain the details to my team, but why have the Evellians specifically asked for me?”

Major arB smiled. “Good question, and I have no idea. The Evellians asked for you and your Evees, with no reasons given. Again, they request your immediate presence. We are fairly close to Evel, so I am giving you a shuttle and pilot for the duration. Get a good sleep tonight. Spend the morning packing the shuttle with medical supplies, and do not ask me which ones. I have no idea. Take off mid-day, and you will be on Evel for dinner. Any questions?”

“How long will we be gone?” The only question that popped out of my frozen mind.

“I expect two weeks should be enough time to analyze the problem, and suggest a solution. Your team will then rejoin our training ship. You will not have missed any significant training time. In fact, the situation will be excellent experience for all of you. We will be on Earth while you are gone.”

What about missing time with my family? Aargh.

“I have full confidence in the abilities of your team, Dr. Karra, and in your leadership.”

My leadership?

Major arB had all the right words—with which to scare me.

****

Dr. Barian esT had the room across the hall from mine, and since he was a full time staff member on our medical ship, he lived alone. The three of us reconvened in Barian’s room, and left our two doors open to keep an eye out for wandering Evees.

“I have no idea what this is about since Major arB admitted the Evellian government hadn’t given a reason for their request. Barian, have you heard anything on the Great Medical Grapevine?”

“No. In fact, the gossip right now is pretty slim. Merilee?”

“I know what you mean. Even my parents, who are the greatest of gossipers, report nothing and they usually tell me about anything that might be the least little bit relevant to a medical student.”

My concern grew. “Okay, so what do we need to do to prepare for our visit? Barian, you’re our experienced medic, having passed the internship program, help me out here.”

“I am going to assume this disease or problem is new and exotic because the Evellians are asking for our help, rather than dealing with the situation on their own. What we need to do is put on our sleuth caps and be detectives after we arrive at Evel. Pretty much what ER doctors always do. I am going to make a list of diagnostic equipment, small tools, and such-like we can each carry in our rolling medical packs. Med, I know you are in charge of this expedition, but I will try and think of all possibilities. Feel free to add to my list. I will send you both a copy later this evening.”

“You’re our expert, Barian, and I appreciate your help.” I turned to Merilee. “And you’re my other expert, Mer. From an Evellian societal point of view, is there anything we need to bring? You have more species experience than I do.”

“Good question. Let me think about your question tonight. This going into the unknown is quite exciting, do you not think?”

“I wish they would’ve let Major arB know why they wanted me and the Evees. Just a little hint. Seems peculiar.” I couldn’t think of any reason.

“Governments are all peculiar,” remarked Barian.

Before we dispersed, I commented, “Guys, we should also think about we need to bring for my Evees. Barian?”

“I will bring allergy shots, just in case. Nothing else comes to mind. After all, we are going to Evel. You will be able to acquire anything they need there, since it’s their home planet.”

Merilee glanced at me. “Do they have favorite toys? Maybe bring a small one for each. I really do not know what makes your Evees comfortable. You seem to have their care under control, though,” she added.

I sighed. “Okay, let’s meet in Sickbay early in the morning to finish our packing. The sooner we can leave the better. Merilee, we need to settle the Evees down for the night. And we all need to pack clothes and essentials for two weeks. Any questions?”

With no response, I said, “I look forward to being on Evel, having never been there, and I hope we can solve their problems. No, I know we can solve whatever problem they have.”

Barian and Merilee laughed and then Mer and I returned to my room.

The Evees snoozed on their upper bunk bed, so Merilee and I proceeded quietly.

“I am going to return to my room to pack for tonight and the next two weeks,” said Merilee. “No point in doing it twice.”

I smiled and agreed with her assessment by giving her a thumbs-up.

Mer’s face had a confused look, so I said, “Thumbs-up means perfect agreement with your statement.”

She laughed and left.

For my part, I needed to first work on my priority list, and then not being uncomfortable with the Toreans nonuse of contractions. Not a big deal, really.

Barian had the medical issues covered, so I needed to cover essentials for myself and the Evees.

The Evees didn’t need clothes, but I certainly did. However, I didn’t take long to assemble enough clothes and cleanliness essentials.

As Merilee had pointed out, for the Evees, toys were probably their most important item to pack. Since we were going to their home planet, I would be able to acquire any necessary food and treats there.

Mer returned with her personal pack and her medical pack, and she had also picked up dinner.

Thank goodness. “Mer, you’re the best. I’d forgotten about dinner in all the kafuffle. Let’s eat.” I grinned.

We sat at my big table and devoured food. Mer had made good choices. “Excellent, sweetie. I really needed that break for dinner, and I couldn’t have picked better items.” The Evees poked up their heads but didn’t seem interested in our meals.

“Are we ready for tomorrow?” I asked.

“Med, you have everything under control. Why do you question your decisions?” quizzed Merilee.

“I don’t know. However, the situation seems pretty important. Why would the Evees’ government ask for us?”

“We cannot answer that question. However, we should wait to worry until after we arrive and understand the environment. There are too many unknowns,” commented Merilee.

I sighed. Merilee had all the right words. “Time for bed?”

“I believe so. Do your Evees need further attention?” Mer asked.

“No. If they did, they’d let us know. Let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day. Have a good night, Mer.”

Mer settled on my couch, and I snuggled onto my bunk bed. I was tired beyond belief.

After I got up to take a trip to the bathroom, I was amused to find two of my Evees snuggled up with Mer, and one with me. Merilee had become family.

What would our family encounter tomorrow?

****