
#39: It never went well when he mentioned voices in his head.
“Wow! For an old fart you are really good!” MSgt. Mallory said “How do you do that?”
Shelby was at least fifteen years older than the MSgt. But he was outranked by the younger man. Shelby hadn’t been promoted much while he was in the catatonic ward.
“I dunno son. “ he said “ I guess it just comes natural.”
The MSgt. blinked for a moment while deciding whether to take offense at being called ‘son’. He out ranked Shelby. Then he decided what the hell. They would all be civilians soon.
“I can’t understand it” the MSgt. persisted. “Your legs are amputated above the knee and yet you sling them prosthetics around better than I do with my below the knee cut offs. You used them better than some folks use their own legs.”
“Inherent balance perhaps?” Shelby grinned. He really didn’t want to talk much about his use of prosthetics or how the Daemon was helping. It never went well when he mentioned voices in his head.
(ahem) Both men turned to notice Nurse Scruf standing behind them. “If I might interrupt you two gentlemen Shelby your two o'clock is in ten minutes.)
“(Oh yeah).” Shelby said. Another interview. One would think that after all the years that he had been here that the bureaucracy and the paperwork would let up. One would be wrong. He had originally been listed as KIA along with all of his unit in the earlier battle. The powers that be didn’t quite know what to do with him when he’d turned up in a tunnel, in the aftermath of operation Cedar Falls, miles away and months later...with no legs.
He should have been dead. If he’d died it would match the paperwork. He was alive. Very confusing. That was an unending source of ....red tape.
The added complication of him being an above the knee double amputee and catatonic for years made it even worse. It had confused them horribly. Shelby wondered if they would ever determine which pigeon hole to put him in.
He didn’t care. He had his voice back. They’d decided on the name Elvira. The appellation “voice” was taken. They spoke for hours every night. Oddly enough he seemed to need very little sleep...thus...she was the mistress of darkness. He never thought too much about why she was female. It had to do with programming he remembered her saying once?
Hours later he propelled his wheelchair back to the ward. He didn’t wear the fancy prosthetics much. He was too good with them. That caused talk and speculation. He didn’t need that.
Today the book lady would arrive. That was good. He’d already gone through the stack that she had left the last time she was here. Shelby read fast and went through a big pile of books faster than anyone the book lady had ever seen.
Shelby didn’t know it but the other guys were in awe of his strength. Shelby casually displayed feats of power that no one else could comprehend. He had the shoulder, back and arm strength to effortlessly manage a very heavy stack of books, one handed. With no apparent effort. That scared some people.
His habit of hand walking spooked them too. Since he had no legs he could hold himself off the floor with his hands. He could walk that way. He could run. He could move faster hand walking than many of the orderlies could walk on their own two feet. He was definitely faster than anyone who had prosthetics. He displayed no apparent effort. Other double amputee patients had tried to emulate his hand-walking. They could do it but it was HARD. Shelby made it look easy.
The book lady arrived pushing two carts. One of the carts was Shelby’s. That worked out better. “The books you ordered inter-library loan came in” she said.
“Wonderful. The Larry Niven books?” he asked.
“Yes.” she said “I have RingWorld, The Mote in God’s Eye, Protector, Lucifer’s Hammer and Neutron Star.”
“That’s great that’ll last me today. What will I read tomorrow? You ARE coming back soon?” he grinned at her.
She smiled back. He could read fast but no one could read that fast...could they?
And so it went. SNAFU...Shelby stayed in Building 19 for months...more. He had no idea why. Typical bureaucratic foul up. He’d been there longer than any else and he didn’t care. In the meantime he read everything that he could beg borrow or steal.
Eventually the silliness ended and he was transferred to the tender loving care of the VA...
...in River City.
The Next Episode will be
#40 : Treed Kitten
The Previous Episode was
#38: I need some food please…
the First episode was
#1 : Prologue
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@everittdmickey
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I write
SPECULATIVE FICTION
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Sometimes it's hard to tell fiction from the news.