"What's the news?" Tyler's voice cut across Julie's thoughts and she looked up from Cal's report with a frown. The former government agent was standing in the doorway, eating what looked suspiciously like a brownie.
"Where the hell did you get a brownie?" She said crossly, not having seen chocolate of any sort for weeks.
Ham looked surprised. "Ruby made them up. I guess she figured it was a way to spread the chocolate around." He looked at her thoughtfully then grinned suddenly. "You didn't go over for supper, did you?"
"Supper?" She looked at her watch and groaned. It was almost ten to seven.
Ham chuckled. "Run over fast. I think there are some brownies left." He saw her waver and guessed at the reason. "No one's going to care if you eat during the meeting."
Julie dropped the report on the table and hurried from the building. When she returned a few minutes later, plate in one hand and a glass of milk in the other, it was to find Ham sitting at the table, intently reading the report she had left behind.
"Making any sense of that?' She asked, setting her plate and glass down. Ham glanced up then shoved the report toward her.
"Let's see if I'm reading this correctly." He said. "This salve contains an antiseptic as well as an anesthetizing agent and antibiotics."
"Right. Well, that's what we can recognize. There's a whole bunch of stuff we can't identify." She picked up her fork and poked it at the noodles. "There are just too many unknowns in that damn salve. How's your finger?"
"Still numb. Whatever it is, it's strong."
"Maybe too strong. If we put it on open wounds …" She shrugged. "It's all right for the big lady but she's a lot bigger than we are. She probably needs it stronger."
Ham grunted and nodded, running an eye over the report then shook his head. "I'd hate to use it blind but we don't have anything that will work well on those kinds of wounds." He closed the report and shoved it aside, abruptly changing the subject. "Chris made it out to the compound." He didn't bother explaining what or where the compound was. "Abandoned. No bodies and there doesn't look like there was any fighting." Ham frowned, obviously puzzled by this.
Julie looked confused. "So the Visitors never even went out to check it out?"
Ham shook his head. "From what little I got from Pop, they didn't even ask him about it. Which means …" He paused, frowning then continued slowly. "Pop had fake ID. They didn't know who he really was."
"So why did they have him?" Julie asked. "And how did they get him? Could he have been captured while scouting the place or something?"
Ham frowned. "No." He said firmly. "My father would be the last person they'd send out on a scouting mission." He fell silent for a moment then returned to the original subject. "Chris is going to try and track them down. May take a few days."
Julie nodded thoughtfully. "When's he checking in?"
"Six and six, unless he has something important to pass on." Ham glanced over as Donovan, Robert, Father Andrew, Sancho, and Caleb entered the building. "Did you see the big lady on your way over?" He asked.
Caleb shook his head. "No sign of her yet."
Ham nodded absently. "Is this everyone?" He asked Julie.
"For this meeting, yes." She didn't feel so bad about eating during the meeting after seeing that both Father Andrew and Robert had brought plates over as well. "We'll have an open meeting in a day or two."
Ham nodded, leaning back in his chair. "So, situation of the week. One big lady of unknown origins but apparently friendly and maybe a potential ally." He shot a look at Julie. "That sum it up?"
"Pretty much." Julie agreed. She pulled a legal pad closer and grabbed a pencil, thankful to see she'd done it with her right hand. Of course she was eating with her left … shoving that thought away, she looked at her notes. "First question, in chronological order, why is she here?"
"That has to have something to do with your father, Ham." Caleb said without hesitation.
"No argument there." Ham grunted. "But what?"
"Previous contact?" Donovan suggested.
"Don't be an ass, Gooder." Ham said without heat. "I think even Pop would have remembered meeting a kylin."
"A what?" Donovan said sharply and Ham looked at him in surprise before reviewing what he'd just said. He almost smiled.
"A Chinese dragon-horse. You gotta admit it fits her."
Julie looked thoughtful. "You're right, it does."
"Provided the other three Lings don't show up." Robert said between bites.
"There is that, yeah. And no, they have never met before. Why is she interested in my father? I have no idea. In fact, I'm not even sure she is interested in him."
"You think it's the necklace." Julie guessed.
Ham shrugged. "It's possible, I guess." Then, before anyone could ask, he continued. "My father wears an old ivory amulet he found decades ago. No, I don't know where he got it or exactly when but I suspect that it's made out of the same kind of ivory the big lady has growing on her. Maybe that's why she's here. Why now and not some time over the last three, maybe four decades? No idea. But it's the only link I can think of."
"It's a starting point. Now, the Visitors didn't like her?" Julie asked.
"Not one bit." Sancho spoke up. "Most of them took one look at her and took off to hide!" He grinned at the memory. "It was kinda funny."
"And then, when it became obvious she wasn't going to leave, they took off as fast as they could." Ham added.
"Then she helped you with your father?" Julie asked.
"Yeah. She got him off that damn cross then found water and towels to get him cleaned up with. And sheets to use as bandages." Ham described their interaction, cleaning up his father and tending his wounds as best they could, her following actions with the cross and her bringing out the mattress for the truck.
"She was obviously trying to help." Robert said.
"And she knew how to help." Father Andrew added.
"And when not to help." Ham pointed out. "She knew she'd end up hurting him worse if she actually tried to help clean him up or pop his shoulders back in." He went on to tell what happened next; getting his father into the truck and then finding the big lady in the offices and what happened there, leaving out finding his father's belongings in the desk drawer.
"Where's that stuff now?" Donovan asked.
"In the stable." Ham said. "I saw the box there." He didn't mention that where he saw it was stashed up in the rafters where undoubtedly only the big lady could reach it.
"We'll have to get it …" Donovan started.
"Why? We can't do anything with them, at least not yet. None of us know how to use that computer so the wafers won't do us any good."
"Big lady knows how to use it. Maybe she can teach one of us." Caleb suggested.
Ham shook his head. "That computer doesn't look anything like one of our computers. As soon as possible, I'll see if I can take a look at those papers and the envelopes but for now I think they should stay where they are."
"If we can get those papers to Martin, he could translate them." Donovan said.
"No." Ham's curt tone left no room for discussion. "The less the Visitors, any Visitor, knows about what we have, the better."
Stung, Donovan opened his mouth to give a hot retort only to be cut off by Julie.
"Ham's right. Right now, no one knows we have this stuff. Besides, if this is all top secret stuff than having Martin know about it could be dangerous, not only to us but also to him. So we deal with it." Her expression suggested she wasn't happy with that thought.
Ham threw her a surprising sly look. "Don't worry about it too much. We'll have a translator soon enough. Once my father's well enough." He didn't look at all surprised when Robert choked on his drink. In fact he grinned a little.
"Ben Tyler." Robert finally managed to say. "Dr. Ben Tyler. The linguist."
Ham nodded.
"What?" Julie asked, confused.
"My father is an anthropologist." Ham explained. "Specializing in anthropological linguistics. And just a plain old linguist as well."
"He's one of the leading linguists in the world." Robert said and Ham shrugged.
"When the ships first arrived, Pop was one of the people called to form a team to deal with alien contact. Only it turned out they weren't needed. The team was disbanded. Officially. Unofficially, the team was still working. At least until the members started disappearing."
"And your father?" Julie asked.
"Well, my mother is inherently paranoid … yes, Donovan. That's undoubtedly where I get it from." He said dryly before Donovan could even finish opening his mouth. The other man flushed at the laughter that went around the table. "My father may not be the stereotypical absent-minded professor but he can be remarkably single-minded. Mother had a plan in place. They went to ground maybe three hours before the cops came to arrest them."
"So you think he can translate this stuff?" Julie said excitedly.
"If anyone can, it'll be him. I think I can safely say he's the best man for the job." Ham said and Robert nodded confirmation.
Julie leaned back in her chair. "Good enough. It'll be weeks before he can do anything though so for right now, we need to figure out how to communicate with the big lady."
After a moment of silence, Robert looked up. "And all eyes come to me. I am not a linguist."
"But you are an anthropologist." Julie responded.
"Different field." Robert said weakly, suspecting he had already lost this battle. Despite his negative experiences with the alien Visitors, he could feel that strong sense of curiosity that fueled his work kicking in. And the big lady was an entirely different species. "Oh, all right. I'll see what I can do. Provided she stands still long enough for me to do it." He added crossly.
"Once everything was said and done … at the camp … the big lady followed us back here." Ham finished.
"With one side trip." Caleb amended, outlining their brief stop.
"Interesting." Donovan said, eyeing Ham thoughtfully. "If she's here because of your dad, why is she taking such an interest in you?"
Ham shrugged. "Because he's my father. I think she knows that. Somehow."
"I guess that would depend on whether she's working on sight or scent." Robert gave Ham a sidelong look. After seeing Ham and his father, there could be no doubt that they were father and son.
"Sounds like we need a horse expert." Donovan said only half in jest.
"The big lady is not a horse." Ham said with such curtness that the others looked at him in surprise. "And my guess is she'd be insulted by the implication that she is."
"We'll find out more once we establish communication with the big lady." Julie said, smoothly interrupting whatever it was Donovan was about to say. She hesitated, not show how to phrase what she had to ask. "Ham, what about your father? I mean, could he have been …"
"Could he have been converted?" Ham shook his head firmly. "He couldn't have been in their hands more then four days, if that."
"How do you know that?" Donovan interrupted sharply. "How long they had him?"
Ham's face tightened in irritation. "Because I spoke to someone from the compound the day before we left for the raid on the camp and my father was still there."
"Are you sure they'd tell you …" Donovan persisted.
"Don't be stupid, Donovan." Ham cut him off coldly before turning to Julie. "If you want to know for certain, wait until Chris brings back my mother. She'll know if he's changed at all."
"By anything other than his experiences." Julie conceded, relieved that Ham wasn't hostile to the question. "Considering what he's been through, it would be surprising if he didn't act differently, if only a little. Even if he was converted, there's no way he could do anything for a few weeks, which will give us time to make absolutely certain. Now …"
She paused as the door swung open and Elias stuck his head in, looking apologetic. "Sorry, folks. Tyler, your big lady's back and I think she might want you."
"She is not my big lady! If anything, she's my father's big lady! Which ought to thrill him to pieces when he wakes up." Ham shook his head in exasperation as he pushed himself to his feet and stalked out the door. Behind him, Julie hid a grin as she rose and followed him, the others behind her.
Tyler walked out onto the street to see the big lady crouched down, rubbing a finger delicately over a purring cat's back. Another cat had somehow managed to climb up onto her shoulder and was perched there with an expression that suggested she was queen of all she surveyed. This, once the creature stood up, would be considerable.
But she didn't stand up. Instead she sat down, crossing her legs. Even sitting, she managed to tower over everyone in the camp. She made a gesture with both hands that puzzled Tyler. She made it again and Julie made a sound in her throat. "The jar." Turning, she ran over to the research trailer, returning with the jar in both hands. The creature took another, much smaller white jar from under her armor and made a series of gestures. It was Julie who figured it out.
"Mix what's in the little jar with what's in the big jar." She caught the look on Tyler's face and shrugged in embarrassment. "I've always been good with charades." She looked over at the young man who'd followed her out. "Cal?"
"Could be a diluting agent." He took the offered jar, looking thoughtful. "Which means that she probably went and asked someone if that …" He nodded at the jar Julie still held. "Was safe for humans."
"How?" Donovan asked sharply.
"How should I know?" Cal shot back, his short dark hair seeming to bristle. "She can teleport, right? So maybe she popped off to some multi-species hospital space station and asked someone."
"You've been reading James White again." Blade said crossly. "But he has a point. Just because the big lady doesn't wear clothes and uses an axe doesn't mean she's primitive. I mean, she obviously knows what a shuttle is, what a car is … or at least what a car does. She can use a computer. I think it's totally possible that she did go and ask someone if this medicine would work on a human. And someone told her it's too strong."
"Weirder things have happened." Julie agreed, watching as the big lady stood and strolled toward the stable, the cat still perched on her shoulder. "We'll test it, see what happens."
"We done meeting?" Ham asked.
Julie thought for a moment. "Yeah, I think so. For now. We'll meet again in a couple days, once we have some more observations about the big lady." She glanced at Robert. "I think we should meet to work out how we're going to communicate with her."
"Tomorrow will be soon enough. Ham, you wanna be in on that?"
"Not unless I need to be. Just send someone for me if you think I can help."
"Gotcha. See all of you in the morning." Robert disappeared into the trailer-dorms.
"You gonna check Pop out before curfew?" Ham asked and Julie nodded. "Good. I'll get my gear and be over in about twenty minutes."
Julie nodded again, running her hands through her hair before turning to walk into the infirmary and to the back room. She eased the door open, smiling at the sight of Ruby gently replacing a compress on the man's badly bruised cheek. Not broken, as Ham had feared. She took a moment to stand in the doorway, watching the old woman who had come to mean so much to her, so much to everyone, even to Tyler.
Ruby had barely managed to survive Julie's rescue. Only her quick wits and glib tongue had gotten her back out of the Embassy and the group had been unanimous about her not going back. Her cover had been effectively blown anyway so now she worked in the infirmary and helped in the kitchen, only occasionally going out as a bag lady to scout areas and get supplies.
"What's going on out there?" Ruby asked when she noticed Julie standing there.
Julie outlined the evening's events, finishing with, "Ham will be over soon. He'll stay here at night, at least until his mother arrives." She paused, shaking her head. "Well, at least I know now how it is he speaks Yiddish and French." She said dryly.
"Among other languages." Ruby smiled. "He said he had to learn them out of self-defense. Apparently his parents would use different languages in order to have private conversations."
Julie chuckled at that thought before turning her attention to Ben. Her amusement faded. They hadn't re-bandaged his back and the wounds there were ugly. Julie eyed the lash marks warily, wondering if they were becoming infected. They did look more red and swollen then before.
"I'm wondering if we should try that salve. Maybe just on the ones that look infected." Ruby said quietly, looking up at Julie. "He's starting to run a fever."
"Damn." Julie felt the man's forehead. He did feel warmer than before. "We'll check again in the morning and decide then. That'll give us a chance to check the medicine with the diluting agent. Has he woken up at all?"
Ruby started to shake her head then paused as the man in question moaned thickly, desperately calling out a name. Ruby hastily replaced the compress that had slipped off, murmuring soothing words and Ben calmed down, slipping into a deeper sleep.
"Vicki?" Julie asked, having barely caught the name he's spoken. "His wife? Ham's mother?"
Ruby's lips quirked and Julie remembered that she and Ham got along remarkably well. "Yes. Chris will bring her here, once he finds them."
Julie studied her thoughtfully, wondering about that secretive smile. "Will you stay until Ham comes?"
"Of course." Ruby eyed her for a long moment. "You should get some more sleep." She advised. "It's likely to be busy tomorrow."
Julie grimaced. Every day was busy these days.
Later that night, Maggie slipped into the infirmary, heading for the cabinet where medicines for public use were kept. She opened it and searched until she found a familiar pink bottle. As she reached for it, her stomach lurched uncomfortably, reminding her why she was here. At least she wasn't bedridden, like some of the current sufferers of this bout of flu were.
She closed the cabinet then hesitated, seeing that the door to the back room was open. Curious, she wavered for a long moment before walking quietly over to look in. Before she reached the doorway, she heard Ham say sharply, "Oh, no you don't!"
Maggie froze then bit her lip to hide her grin. There was no way Ham could be talking to her! She eased forward to look into the room, just in time to see Ham flick his fingers at the big lady's muzzle. She had apparently just discovered the window into the little room and had stuck her muzzle inside. Now she jerked it back with a surprised snort and Ham started to push the window closed.
The big lady made a sound of protest and shoved her muzzle against the window, her big eyes sorrowful. As the window closed, she followed it down until she was looking up at Ham from the bottom of the window with her remarkably expressive eyes.
"That abused look would work a lot better if you didn't stand some ten feet tall and weigh maybe a ton." Ham said sternly, reaching for the curtains and yanking them closed. "Pop does not need to see you right now." He growled as he turned back to the man on the bed. "He'll think he's losing it."
Maggie, still looking at the curtain, was unable to control her giggles at the sight there. Ham jerked around, surprise on his face at seeing her and she wordlessly pointed at the window. Ham turned to see a reproachful equine eye peering in through an opening in the curtain.
Ham frowned before carefully adjusting the curtain so there was no opening of any kind. After a moment, they both heard a rattling sound as the big lady snorted against the window pane and then the sound of hooves stomping away.
Maggie managed to get herself under control. "Y'know, that's takes a lot of gall, doing something like that to something like that."
Ham threw her a surprised look then shrugged. "Maybe. But I don't think so. Whatcha doing?"
Maggie held up the bottle. "This damn flu. Do me a favor and let Julie know I'm just going to …" She cut off her words at a moan from the man on the bed then a sharp cry of fear. Ham motioned her to stay where she was and she obeyed, watching as Ham dropped next to his father's side.
"Easy, Pop." Ham said on a surprisingly soothing voice. "Easy. You're safe."
Ben jerked at Ham's touch, eyes darting around the room in fear.
"No Visitors, Pop. No enemies." Ham rested his hand lightly on his father's cheek. This time Ben didn't flinch, just stared at his son intently, as if he was trying to recognize him. "I've never lied to you, Pop. I swear. You are somewhere safe."
Maggie stood perfectly still, hoping she was out of Ben's line of sight. The sight of an unfamiliar face would only frighten him more. Even now, listening to his son's soothing words, he was starting to relax. After a moment he looked away from Ham's face, down at his bandaged hand. He blinked, alarm on his face.
"Ring. M'ring. I's gone …" There was stark panic in his voice.
"It's here, Pop." Ham cupped his father's right hand in his own hands. "In your other hand. See? Open your hand."
With obvious effort, Ben unclenched his fingers, looking with almost palpable relief at the silver and gold ring in his hand, held so tightly there were indentions in his skin.
"Your ring finger's badly sprained, too swollen to get the ring back on." Ham closed his father's fingers over the ring. "Just hang on to it. Mom'll be here as soon as Chris finds them."
"Soon?"
"As soon as possible. Go back to sleep. Come on, old man." Ham said with a half-smile, once it became obvious Ben was fighting sleep. "You know what mama will do; she gets here and finds out you aren't getting any better."
Ben blinked at him then grinned. "She'll smack you."
"Yeah. And you know how embarrassing it is to get smacked around by your mama at my age?"
Ben's smiled broadened and then, almost involuntarily, his eyes closed. Ham almost sagged with relief as his father slipped back into sleep. He stayed crouched next to him for a moment then stood, slipping out into the main room.
"Thanks." He murmured.
Maggie threw him a surprised look. "For what … oh." She glanced at the man sleeping on the bed. "Will he be all right?" She quietly asked.
"I hope so." He eyed her for a moment. "You better get to bed. You look pale."
Maggie smiled wanly, feeling another churning in her stomach. "This damn bug that's going around …" She glanced at the man in the bed. "Good night."
"Night."
Ham woke up to sunlight streaming into the window and he frowned until he remembered that he had opened the curtains and then the window in the middle of the night to let in some fresh air. Throwing open his sleeping bag, he stretched until he could hear his joints cracking then rose. He glanced toward the window, blinked then looked again, finally realizing that the oddness he was seeing was some of the big lady's ivory sticking up just enough to be seen. Which meant she was probably asleep under the window.
Well, that would explain why the building was shaking and there was the sound of loud snoring coming from just outside the window.
For a moment, he debated dumping a pitcher of water on her but then remembered her size and reconsidered. Besides, having her out there guaranteed no one would try to sneak in through the window.
Still in his stocking feet … he'd only bothered to take off his boots and shirt to sleep … Ham moved over to his father's side, frowning at the sight of clear fluids oozing from some of the lash marks. Hesitantly he rested his hand on his father's forehead, swallowing an angry curse at the heat radiating there. He reached for his shirt, pulling it hastily over his head then tugged his boots on, not bothering to tie them before flinging the door open. Only Harmony was there and she jumped in surprise.
"Go get Parrish." He barked, worry making his tone harsher than needed. Harmony didn't protest, she just hurried out the door.
A snort turned his attention back to the window in time to see a remarkably sleepy-eyed big lady now sitting up. By some clever maneuvering, she had managed to get her head through the window and she was looking around, blinking. After a moment she spotted Ben and rumbled, leaning in almost far enough to reach him.
"Oh no. You'll scare him." Ham said sharply, reaching out to grab her horn firmly. The next second, he jerked it back with a hiss of surprise, staring at his bleeding hand. After a stunned moment, he looked up to see the big lady looking at him as if she was wondering how intelligent he really was.
"All right. I deserve that." He finally said. Reaching out more cautiously, he lightly touched the inside of the big lady's curved horn. It was razor sharp and Ham found himself thankful she hadn't jerked her head back. She would have taken the major part of his hand off.
"What is it?" Julie said sharply from the doorway behind him. "What happened?" He turned to see her staring at his hand, now dripping blood. He looked down at it and grimaced.
"I made the mistake of grabbing the big lady's horn. The inner edge of it is sharp."
"So I see. Here." Julie took a thick wad of absorbent cotton that Harmony offered her and pressed it against the wound then removed it up to examine the gash more intently. "Just split the skin and some muscle, it looks like." She looked sharply at the big lady's horn, seeing the blood on the inner side. "You're lucky she didn't take your hand off."
"Yeah, I realize that." Harmony reappeared next to them, wrapping Ham's hand in a thick towel she brought. "My fault." He said firmly, before Julie could get the wrong idea. "I didn't think her horn would be sharpened."
"Well, I'll need to stitch it up …"
"Later." Ham said curtly. He nodded toward the man on the bed. "He's burning up."
"Damn!" Julie moved to Ben's side, reaching out to touch his face. He was warmer then the night before. There was an inquiring rumble from behind her and the big lady stretched out her neck in their direction.
"No." Ham said firmly, stepping between her and the bed. "The state he's in, you'll scare him to death." He made a fist of his uninjured hand and pressed it against the big lady's muzzle, pushing her back. To Julie's surprise, the big lady didn't resisted, just gave him a remarkably abused look as she maneuvered back out the window then toppled over with a crash that echoed in the still morning air.
Ham looked out the window at the sprawled figure with something very close to amusement. "Big lady has a sense of humor." He said to Julie.
"Anyone else try that, she'd probably take their hand off." Julie pointed out and Ham shrugged, watching as the big lady climbed back to her feet and stomped off. Once she was away, he turned toward his father.
"Harmony, take Ham out and get his hand cleaned up." Julie said. "I'll be out to stitch it up once I've checked Ben over."
Ham hesitated then reluctantly followed the other woman out of the room.
"Not deep, just long." Harmony was saying as Julie stepped back out into the main room. She pressed a thick wad of gauze on the wound, looking up as Julie approached. Ham looked up as well, his face tight with worry and pain.
"Could you get some lidocaine ready, so I can stitch that up, Harmony?"
"Sure." Harmony disappeared into the storeroom and Julie took her place, lifting the gauze to look the wound over.
"It looks like the big lady keeps her horn clean. That's a plus."
"Parrish …"
"Several of the lash wounds have become infected and he does have a fever. The question is." She looked up at Ham. "Do we use the salve?"
Ham glanced out the window, where the big lady could be seen. She seemed to be drawing on the side of the barn, with what he couldn't tell.
"She didn't save him just to kill him another way." He finally said. "Try it."
Julie nodded. "I'll get the salve and put it on the worst of the infected injuries. After I get this local working."
"I'll get the salve." Harmony volunteered, handing her the syringe and heading for the door. Julie called a 'thank you' after her and administered the shot, noting with some amusement that Ham looked away though he didn't flinch. "You realize, of course, that this means you're off the roster?"
Ham jerked his head around. "Now wait a minute!"
"Your rules." She reminded him and he scowled darkly. He had insisted that anyone who was less than hundred percent not be included in raiding parties and it was his right hand that was injured. If had been his left, he would have argued about it.
"Fine." He said grudgingly. "But the food processing plant raid is in two days."
Julie set the syringe aside to be sterilized. "Who do you recommend to led it?"
Ham paused then sighed. "Caleb. He knows what he's doing."
Julie nodded in agreement, looking up as Harmony returned with what looked like a cold cream jar. She grinned at their expressions. "Well, it works." She pointed out. "Cal sent these over." She pulled a handful of sterile-wrapped dabbers.
"Good thinking. We don't all need numb fingers."
Ham scowled at her, though not as fiercely as before. He knew he'd been stupid, touching an unknown substance with his bare skin. Under normal circumstances … "Are you going to put it on now?"
"It's going to be twenty minutes before that takes full effort so yes. Keep pressure on that gauze. I'll be back in a few minutes." Julie reached for a pair of surgical gloves before taking the dabbers and jar from Harmony and retreating to the back room.
"I'll get the tray set up." Harmony turned away.
Julie moved to Ben's side, settling gently on the bed next to him. She wasn't surprised to see that Ham had followed her. "Wanna help?"
"No, you're doing fine." Ham grinned, watching as she carefully spread the salve thinly over the worst of the lash marks. He kept his injured hand up, keeping pressure on the gauze. He could feel it going thankfully numb, the pain finally fading.
"We'll keep an eye on him." Julie closed the jar tightly, setting it and the unused dabbers on a nearby table. "Hopefully his fever will break soon." She glanced back at Ham's hand. "How's it feeling?"
"Not numb enough yet." Ham grunted.
"So we give it a few more minutes."
Forty-five minutes later, Julie finished stitching up the gash. Not a bad job, if she did say so herself. Ham had watched her with no expression, looking away occasionally toward the back room, where Harmony was sitting with his father. The older man seemed to be resting comfortably now, without the twitches and moans that had haunted his sleep through the night.
The door opened. "What happened?" Donovan asked, eying the stitches in Ham's hand. Julie was just taping a light covering of protective gauze over it.
"Grabbed the big lady's horn." Ham said, turning his hand so Julie could wrap it more securely with an ACE bandage. "It's sharp on the inner surface."
"Why?"
"Why'd I grab her horn or why is it sharp?" Ham looked amused for some reason. "I didn't want her disturbing Pop."
Donovan watched as Julie secured the wrap. "Speaking of the big lady, she's doing something … weird."
"Weird?" Ham slipped down from the table, moving to look out the window. "Looks like she's drawing."
"It's what she's drawing that's a little strange."
"What do you expect?" Ham reached for his windbreaker and slipped it on, speaking dryly. ""Flowers and puppy dogs? She's alien. She draws alien things. What's she using anyway?"
Donovan gave him a nasty look. "Sidewalk chalk. I don't know where she found it."
"Kids probably left it out." There was a glint of amusement in Ham's dark eyes. He looked into the back room. Satisfied his father was still fast asleep, he turned toward the exit. "How about we go see what she's doing?"
Some people were watching her from a safe distance and Ham walked past them, moving so he could look around the big lady's large body. His first thought was that she was no artist. He had no time for a second thought before Julie's surprised gasp registered and the chalk marks suddenly made sense. He stepped closer, almost into the big lady's shadow, to examine the drawing more closely.
Julie was right next to him. After a moment, she murmured. "Ham, that's …"
"Yes, it is." He said quietly, shifting to look up at the big lady. She was still drawing, rather laboriously with the too-small pieces of chalk and concentrating so hard she didn't seem to notice them.
"You know what that is?" Donovan demanded and Ham threw him a glare.
"No, I don't know what it is." He said curtly.
"But we have seen it before." Julie added, shifting to see the other side of the drawing better.
"Where?"
Julie glanced at Ham, whose lips were compressed thinly. "Ben's amulet. The ivory amulet he wears." She turned back to the drawing.
The big lady was only doing the outlines; even so they were recognizable. There was the first figure, humanoid in shape with an odd blocky head, then the second figure, more human in shape. But this drawing, unlike the amulet, had a third figure and that figure was no where near human. It appeared to have four arms and four legs and a head similar to that of an insect's. The sight of it made Julie shiver.
"Ham …" She started but when she turned to where he had been, he was gone, heading back toward the infirmary. Hastily she followed him, aware of Donovan right behind her.
Ham walked directly to his father's side, ignoring a startled Harmony. Julie motioned her to leave, watching as Ham dropped to a knee next to his father. He reached out to gently work the amulet around until they could see it and Julie leaned over his shoulder. As worn as the amulet was, all they could really see were the outlines of the figures. And, as near as she could tell, those outlines were pretty close to the same as the ones the big lady was currently sketching. She heard Donovan, who had followed them in and was leaning over Ham's other shoulder, swear under his breath.
"Ham?" She asked slowly. "Where is the rest of the amulet?"
Ham stared at the amulet in his hand and for a moment she thought he wasn't going to answer.
"I think that my mother has it." He said finally. "I don't know. Not for certain. But I think she has it. No!" He said curtly, closing his hand over the piece of ivory before Donovan can touch it.
"We need to have that examined." Donovan protested and Ham gave him a scornful look.
"And how do you propose to do that, Gooder? With what and by whom? You got an expert stuck in your back pocket or something? No. It's my father's amulet and it stays where it is. Take pictures of it if you like. Or send someone over to sketch it. But the amulet stays where it is." Ham said fiercely.
"Get your camera, Mike." Julie cut in quickly. "We can take some close-up pictures of the amulet and work from them." Donovan threw her a sharp look. Before he could say a thing, she continued. "Dr. Tyler's already been traumatized enough. We don't need him waking up to find what's obviously a prized possession gone. Once he's well enough to handle it then we'll see about getting it for examination.
Donovan hesitated. "Fine." He finally said. "I'll get my camera." He walked from the room.
Ham released the amulet, letting it fall onto the pillow and reached for his duffel nearby, pulling out a black t-shirt. Catching Julie's look, he grinned humorlessly. "He'll need something dark to offset the ivory."
"Ham, about that necklace … I noticed something …"
"Oh?" Ham's tone was uninviting.
"That necklace doesn't have a clasp. Or an opening anywhere. It doesn't come off, does it?"
"I don't know." Ham sank into the chair next to his father. "I've never seen him without it. Ever. And I've looked as well. I don't think it can come off." He paused and Julie could see the strains of worry on his face then they were gone, hidden under the layers of indifference Ham surrounded himself with. "The chain is made out of the same material the amulet is, did you notice? Ivory."
No, she hadn't noticed but she wasn't surprised.
"My father must know how to take it off. My mother as well. But you're right. It wouldn't be a good idea to remove it without him understanding we're doing it. And why." He glanced out the window then did a double-take before shaking his head. "Think I should go out and explain to her she can't hide behind a sapling?"
"I doubt she could hide behind a redwood." Julie stepped over to look out the window, grinning at the sight of the big lady positioned behind a sapling. Granted, it was a tall sapling but it also very slender. Maybe, she thought, she was pretending to be a tree.
"What's up?" Donovan asked, standing in the doorway.
Julie shook her head. "The big lady's being silly." She took the black t-shirt from Ham, giving him a keen look. "Stay there. I think the pain killer's kicking in."
Despite the sharpness of the look Ham gave her, she could see the slightly disoriented look pain killers sometimes induced. He didn't seem prepared to argue with her though. Instead he pushed the chair back out of the way, watching as they set up to take close-ups of both sides of the amulet. One or twice, he tensed as his father moved restlessly, disturbed by the activity but Ben didn't wake up, just shifted deeper into sleep.
Once done, Julie draped the shirt over Ham's duffle and straightened, laughing suddenly at the sight outside the window. "I think she wants her picture taken!"
Curious Ham leaned forward and looked out the window. The big lady, he saw, was positioned perfectly so that her head was framed by the window sill. Her eyes were opened wide, her ears pricked forward. She was, he realized, posing and he arched an eyebrow.
"You think she knows what this is?" Donovan asked, looking at his camera.
"I think that lady is smarter than any of us." Ham said. "I think she may be smarter than any of them." He gestured in the general direction of the LA Mothership. Feeling woozier than he cared to admit, he leaned back carefully, shifting so he could see out the window but not be in the picture. "Take her picture. Let's see what she does."
Donovan shrugged and raised the camera. Just as he snapped the shutter, with perfect timing and an obvious air of mischief, the big lady flipped her tongue out in a very loud … and very wet … raspberry. Julie jumped and then burst out laughing as Donovan jumped back, cursing. He glowered at her and turned to stomp from the room. Julie tried to stifle her giggles, only partially succeeding. She quickly checked to make sure Ben was undisturbed then looked up to see the big lady looking at Ham with an air of great satisfaction. It took a moment for Julie to realize that Ham was laughing as hard she had been.
She shifted her gaze back to the big lady, studying her thoughtfully. "Ham, are you going to stay here?"
"Hmmmm?" Ham's laughter faded and he looked at her with eyes that were a little unfocused. When he finally spoke, he did so carefully. "I'd better. What was in that shit you gave me?" He looked at her as sharply as he could manage.
Julie bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Nothing you can't handle. But I did just put several stitches in your hand. And you haven't been sleeping much the last couple days. For that matter, when was the last time you ate?"
"Last night."
"Sure about that?"
Ham opened his mouth then paused, realizing he wasn't sure. Julie shook her head.
"I'll ask Harmony to bring you over some breakfast and I'll tell Caleb he's leading the raid. If he has any questions, he can come ask you."
Ham scowled darkly at her but nodded. As much he hated to admit it, he did need the rest. Lack of sleep and food could lead to disastrous mistakes. So could distractions and worry. He'd already done a couple of stupid things that had hurt only him. The last thing he needed was to do something seriously stupid that could hurt someone else. He moved the chair closer to his father and settled back into it.
Julie closed the door behind her as she stepped into the main room of the infirmary. Donovan was at one of the tables, scowling as he wiped off his camera. He gave her an angry look and Julie stifled a giggle.
"Harmony." She said to the woman writing out reports. "Would you mind going over to the kitchen and getting some eggs and bacon for Ham? I don't think he ate last night."
"Wait a minute." Donovan watched Harmony walk from the building. "Why can't Tyler get his own food?"
"Because he's groggy from the drugs." Julie responded tartly. "And I'd prefer that he stay with his father. It frees up the others do their duties. And since he's off the roster due to his injury, he can take care of Ben for awhile."
Donovan looked surprised. "Oh, right. Hadn't thought of that." He looked at his camera and grimaced. "She made a mess of this." He grumbled.
"But she accomplished what she wanted to do." Julie smiled at his surprised look. "She made Ham laugh."
"Why …"
"I don't know why she wanted to make him laugh but it's obvious that's what she was trying to do. When can we get the pictures?"
"I'll drop them off to be developed." He caught the look on her face. "I have to go meet with Martin. I'll tell them to bring over the photos once they're developed."
"Right. I forgot about that. When should you be back?"
"Not too long. Just a few hours. And I better go. I can finish cleaning this up later." Donavon walked from the infirmary, holding the camera gingerly by the strap.