Chapter twenty: The Criminal Doctor
The big dipper was in the sky. But Natasha and Mike didn't care. All that mattered was fresh air. Natasha was sitting on the lawn in the backyard of her home. Mike sat next to her.
"How do you feel right now?" Mike asked.
"Shut up, and let me sit here." Natasha said quiet.
"What do you want then?"
"I want to throw up. But I can't. Because my belly is empty."
"I know how this is."
Natasha laid down on the lawn. She closed her eyes.
"I calculated the whole time. But its way to hard to think properly." Natasha said.
"What do you mean?"
"I got a less high dose then you. Not even the half you got. In one week, in the back."
"You wouldn't be in this condition if you didn't touch that damn core."
"I know. But im not Louis Slotin."
"But now you know better what happened with him."
"Yes. Now I almost know how He felt."
"At least you didn't tickle the dragon's tail."
Natasha knew the meaning of this phrase. The Dragon. Or the demon core.
Lori woke up. She reached under her bed, and felt the butt of her Karabiner 31. Lori pulled up her covers, closing her eyes.
"Full loaded. Safety on. Only pulling it Back, Turn it, and let it go. Then its hot."
Lori got up and went to the bathroom to do her morning routine. She thought of the words "Drop and Run!". Lori went back to her room and put on her clothes. She heard the door creak and saw Lily crawling through the door. Lori stepped up to her, picked her up and whispered to her.
"Don't wake Leni."
Lily nodded. Lori walked her into the kitchen and sat her in her chair. Lori began to boil eggs and served the finished dish to Lily. Lori sat down across from her.
"Lily, could you keep a secret?" Lily nodded.
"Me and Natasha stole a... Silver ball. Something pretty Dangerous."
Lily looked confused at Lori.
"We took it so nothing can happen." Lily got more confused.
"Now see, this silver ball can do something nobody could think of. And its nothing good."
Lily gasped softly.
"Yes. I know. I mean, even touching it is bad. But I think its safe in the basement."
The sun shone on the horizon. Natasha noticed the warm light coming from the center of the solar system.
"I can't believe this was one night."
"It's morning." Mike said.
"God this night was terrible."
"I went through more horrible stuff then you."
"I know."
"Then you also know that my skin got black spots."
"I saw how you looked."
Natasha gently ran a hand through her hair and looked down at her hand. She held a tuft of hair.
"I already loose hair."
"Lets hope you don't loose all your hair."
Mike got up and helped Natasha up.
"Come on. You need to eat something."
Mike took Natasha into the kitchen and handed her pancakes that were in the fridge. But Natasha hardly ate.
"What's wrong?" Mike asked.
"You know what's wrong."
"You don't need to eat if you don't want."
"That's good. I don't want to."
Natasha got up and went to her room. Natasha picked up her phone and wrote a message to Lori.
"That night was terrible."
"You don't feel better?" Lori texted.
"No." Natasha texted.
"Still your radiation sickness?"
"Of course!" Natasha texted.
"Should I come over?" Lori texted.
"Yes please." Natasha texted.
"I'll be right there." Lori texted.
Lori wanted to leave, but before that, she noticed Lily looking confused at her.
"What's wrong Lily?" Lori asked.
"Back?" Lily asked.
"Yes I will be back soon."
Lori picked Lily up and went to her room where Leni was still sleeping. Lori put her next to Leni, leaned forward and hugged her.
"I'll be right Back. Annoy Leni a bit."
Lori walked out and left the house. Natasha opened her window. She needed fresh air. Behind her, the door opened and Lori stepped in.
"Hi Tasha. You don't look good..." Lori said.
"I know."
"Come on sit on your bed."
Lori took Natasha's hand and led Natasha to her bed. They both sat down.
"I should have listen to you."
"You mean..."
"Not to Touch this core."
"You need to listen to your friends."
"Yes."
"I'll try everything that makes you feel better."
"That wont work."
"Why?"
"Because that's something different. Very different."
"Okay.. Just tell me if you need something."
"I want to sleep. And you stay here."
"Okay. That's okay."
"Fine."
Natasha collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep within seconds. While Natasha slept, Lori looked at her. Natasha looked like some life had left her body.
"This whole Mission was a mistake." Lori thought.
She took her Phone and typed in on Google, "Treatment of Acute radiation sickness" Then she found something useful.
"Acute radiation sickness cannot be cured, it can only be treated. Due to the loss of white blood cells, the immune system becomes weakened. Blood transfusions are needed to support the immune system. Cancer is more likely, and the offspring are more likely to have birth defects. The first step is prevention "The smaller the radiation dose, the higher the chances of survival. Good treatment is only possible by medical personnel."
Lori layed her Phone aside.
"Oh god."
Rita sat sadly at the kitchen table. She thought about what happened to her and Lori. But her quiet moment was disturbed. Lynn Senior stepped into the kitchen.
"Good morning honey. Why so sad?"
"Still think about what happened with Lori."
"We should discuss that with Lori. But I think right now isn't the right time."
"I don't know if that's the right choice."
"Now listen. We both know that she changed somehow the Last Time. Something isnt right with her."
"Yes. Her mind is lately pretty... Closed."
Rita got up and went up the stairs. Lynn Senior stayed in the kitchen without a word. Rita opened Lori and Leni's room and saw Leni and Lily sleeping next to each other. Rita closed the door and went back into the kitchen.
"What did you do right now?" Lynn Senior asked.
"I looked where Lori and Lily are." Rita said.
"Ah yes. Lily. Your medicine to get Happy."
"Yes. You are right. I'll take a bath. I need one."
"Okay. Relax."
Rita went up the stairs to the bathroom. She let warm water into the bathtub, undressed and lay down in it.
Natasha was still asleep on her bed. Lori was sitting next to her when Mike entered.
"Hey, how is she doing?" Mike whispered.
"I don't know. I don't think she is doing Well." Lori whispered.
"Did you try to warn her that the core is pretty active?"
"Yes. Actually, i noticed it to late. On the core stood drop and Run."
"Uhh. Oh."
"Yes. I know."
"It can't go on like this."
"We should take her to a doctor."
"Are you crazy. Any doctor will call the authorities as soon as they find out what Tasha has."
"Shit. Isn't there a doctor who won't ask questions and won't call the authorities?"
"There is. That would be a criminal doctor."
When Mike said that, Lori had an idea. Jim Clarkson had contacts with document forgers, a gang of right-wing extremist neo-Nazis, and certainly had contact with a doctor who didn't ask any questions.
"I know where there is one." said Lori.
"Where?"
"Clarkson."
"He's a lawyer."
"But surely he knows a doctor."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Wake up Natasha."
Lori shook Natasha's shoulder. Natasha woke up and looked around confused.
"What's going on?"
"We take you to a doctor." Lori said.
"No. That's not possible."
"Yes. We just had an Idea." Mike said.
"What's the idea?"
"A doctor who doesn't care about the law." Lori said.
"Where do you want to find someone like this?"
"Clarkson."
Natasha got up.
"I Want to Go."
"Good." Lori said, and helped Natasha Walking out of the room.
The three got into Mike's VW Golf and drove into a dirty part of Royal Woods. Clarkson's office was in a run-down building. Lori, Natasha with Lori's help, and Mike entered the building. Clarkson lay under his desk and slept. Lori banged the table loudly, and Clarkson was so startled he hit his head on the desk. He cursed and sat down in his chair.
"Whats so important and that its worth to disturb my nap?"
"Its about her health! We want a doctor who doesn't ask questions!" Lori said.
"Such a doctor won't be cheap."
"That doesn't matter!"
Clarkson took a piece of paper and wrote an address on it, which he gave to Mike. Mike looked at the address.
"This is the address of a massage parlor."
"That's right. Go there, and say, you need to get fresh." Clarkson said.
"Okay. If you say so." said Lori.
Lori, Natasha with Lori's help, and Mike left the office and went to Mike's VW Golf. The three left Clarkson's Office, to reach the doctor. But Lori also had something else in mind.
"Clarkson really has an impossible demeanor. What's the matter with him? He's a lawyer. He should know how to behave." said Lori.
"He's a greasy lawyer." said Natasha.
"Exactly. Even I noticed that immediately." said Mike.
They got in and drove to the massage parlor. As they entered, a Thai woman with long wavy hair wearing a yellow t-shirt and long green pants greeted them.
"Welcome to angels hands. Massage, manicure?" The woman asked.
"No. Thanks. We need to get fresh." Lori said.
The smile of the woman disappeared.
"Oh. Yes. I know. You have an appointment."
The woman moved her hand, and showed them to follow her. She led them to the backrooms of the massage parlor, and opened a a door. They saw a long stair that led in the basement. But they didn't see a basement door. Only a place were the stair continued.
"What's that?" Natasha asked.
"Thats the way to the Special "massage rooms". The woman said.
"What kind of Massage?" Mike asked.
"To get you fresh. I think the blonde haired girl needs that."
"Who? Me or her?" Lori asked.
"The plus-sized one. She looks like a Zombie."
Natasha looked at the woman with her tired eyes. The woman realized that she said something offending.
"Be happy that im so weak now. I hate this body. Nobody likes to be obesse. So be careful what you say!"
"I'm sorry. Go down please. He is waiting for you."
Mike led the way downstairs. Lori and Natasha followed. Lori held Natasha's arm.
"What are you doing?" Natasha asked.
"I hold your arm." Lori said.
"Why?"
"So I can hold you back if you fall down."
The three reached a door that led into a brightly lit room that was painted white and contained several hospital beds.
"Wow." Lori said surprised.
"That's a proper hospital here." Mike said.
"Unbelieveble. Thats what you can do when you are criminal? Building a Hospital?" Natasha asked surprised.
"Nothing is impossible when you are a criminal." Mike said.
"Is there any limit?" Lori asked.
"No. With enough money, and sellers who don't ask questions, you get everything."
"Wait!? That works like this?" Lori asked.
"Lori, you litteraly saw that jack had a machine gun. You still wondering about that?" Natasha said.
"Yes. Its still unbelieveble."
A man came out of another room. He was Thai. Wearing a white hair net, and a blue surgical gown that was bloodstained. He took off his coat and threw it in a laundry basket.
"Clarkson?"
"Yes..." Lori said.
"Good. He called me. What do you need?"
"We need treatment for her." Lori said, and pushed Natasha to the doctor.
"What does she have? Or what do you believe she has?"
"She has radiation sickness. And we are sure about that."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yes! I saw how she touched a radiation source!"
The doctor went to a cabinet and took out a needle and a test tube. Then he went back to Natasha.
"Index finger please." said the doctor.
"Why?" asked Natasha.
The doctor didn't answer and pricked Natasha's index finger with the needle. Natasha screamed in pain. She backed up to Mike and Lori. The two comforted Natasha. Blood ran down her finger. The doctor took her finger again and collected Natasha's blood with the test tube. Then he disappeared into another room.
"That's already getting scary." Natasha said.
"Do you want to go home?" Mike asked confused.
"No. I want to get through that."
After a few minutes the doctor came back.
"Blood group A. White blood cell counts are low. But thats the main problem with ARS."
The doctor Said. He went to a refrigerator and took out a bag of blood transfusions. Then he took out an IV needle. Natasha got even more nervous.
"You want that to shove through my skin?"
"Yes. Otherwise it won't work."
Natasha sighted.
"Okay. Let's do it."
"Perfect. Lay on the bed there and we start."
Natasha sat down on the hospital bed and the doctor inserted the IV needle into the vein of her left arm. She made a pained tone. Lori became tense. Mike noticed and took her arm.
"That's normal. They did the same with me." Mike said.
The doctor took out a syringe with antibiotics and injected it into Natasha's right arm. Natasha made another Tortured sound.
"Stay calm please." Lori said calmly.
"You should listen to your sister." The doctor said kindly.
"I am not her sister." Natasha said.
"Oh. Im sorry. You look like you are both related, so I thought you are sisters."
"Is that because we both have blonde hair?" Lori asked.
"For sure yes. But also the face from you both have small similarities."
"I don't think we look similar."
The doctor didn't respond, and went to a closet and took out several boxes of medicine. With that he went to Natasha.
"You need to take one of all those four pills in the morning and in the evening. For two weeks." The doctor said.
"Four pills in the morning?"
"Yes. All four."
Natasha felt uncomfortable about this. She gave Lori and Mike an uneasy look.
"I can't stand pills."
"That's for your own good." Mike said.
"Then there is something different we need to talk about." the doctor said.
"What exactly?" Mike asked.
"I want her to stay overnight. So my colleague can watch her."
"Oh no. No! I don't want to stay here." Natasha said.
"I insist. I need to watch that your condition doesn't get worse."
"Is it okay if I stay with her?" Mike asked.
"Yes. As long as you don't disturb the work of my colleague."
"Okay. I'll stay here."
"Can I... Can I Go Home?" Lori asked.
"You don't want to stay here?" Mike whispered.
"No. This place is creepy."
"I don't mind. Go Home."
Lori walked up the stairs and bumped into the doctor's wife.
"Everything went right?" The doctors wife asked.
"Yes. Everything is right."
"That's perfect. Do you want a tea?"
Lori considered.
"Well... no. But thanks for the offer."
Lori left the massage salon, which was more than just a massage salon.
End of Chapter