SCENE TWO
There would be no returning to their suite, which by now was surely under surveillance. Thankfully, they had travelled light. There was nothing to leave behind. There would be no running, with the condition Serina was in. They would have to find a safe haven before her injuries worsened.
Eldon located an abandoned apartment building and clambered up the fire escape. Kicking out the window, he entered the building. Two minutes later, he had opened outer door from the inside. Kellan and Justan carried Serina into the building and they locked the door behind them.
"She's going to be out of it for a couple of days," Kellan warned. "She can't travel without surgery, but we can't go to a med center. Someone might have seen us, and this Rowri might be looking for us too."
"I'll see if I can find a ship that will take us to Avastan," Eldon said. "Justan, are you coming with me?"
"No, Skipper," Justan replied. "I think I know a way to help her." Justan took out his tablet and began typing. Eldon nodded and left the apartment.
Hours later, he returned. "The best I could manage was a Scout ship," he told the others. "The captain is not too particular, but we'll have to double bunk. It's not going to be a comfortable week, and we'll be down 20k for passage."
"I've got good news too, Skipper," Justan said to Eldon. "Rowri's men might be watching the hospitals, but there's a round-the-clock clinic nearby. I've managed to get into their system and give Kellan credentials to practice there."
* * *
They brought Serina to the ambulance entrance of the clinic, and Kellan walked directly to the main desk as Eldon and Justan helped Serina into one of the treatment rooms. Moments later, a nurse entered the room. She asked for ID, which they declined to provide. Eldon stated that he and Justan were her brothers.
The nurse insisted that she was required by law to report gunshot injuries to the police. Eldon had served on a merchant ship for over 20 years, and he knew a loophole. "Unless she intends to press charges," Eldon explained, "you require her consent to report confidential medical information."
The nurse was clearly not happy with Eldon's explanation, but there was little she could do. Turning to Serina, she asked, "Do I have your consent to report these injuries to the authorities, as required by law?"
Serina was clearly hurting, but the heavy painkillers Kellan had administered were taking effect. She shook her head and said no.
"And you don't even want to press charges?," the nurse asked.
"No," she slurred, "The police have never helped me in the past, anyway."
"Fine," the nurse harumphed, "The doctor should be with you shortly." She stomped back toward the nurse's station.
Kellan entered the room a few minutes later, and set down a clipboard. "These places love their paperwork," he said. "Ironically, all this red tape makes it easier to take care of things discreetly, if you know what to do."
He lay Serina back on the med table and administered a powerful sedative. He then activated the auto-med systems and set up a tray of surgical tools. Eldon and Justan watched from across the room as he deftly removed the two bullets, stopped her bleeding and applied pressure dressings to the wounds. "She'll be in no condition for strenuous activity for a while, but by the time we reach Avastan, she should be fine. I'll bunk in her cabin, so I can keep an eye on her condition. I've advised the front desk that she will need a few hours to recover, so we'll be safe her until the morning."
"I'll go arrange for discreet transportation to take us to the starport at first light," Eldon said, as he stood to go. Justan rose as well.
"I'll need to return Arlor's sidearm," he said. "We won't be able to maintain a low profile if we go around shooting people with it, and I'm sure we can't smuggle it aboard. Do you still have your pistol, Skipper?"
"Yes," Eldon said gravely. "But the bad news is, it's out of ammo. It won't do us much good, except maybe to bluff." Justan nodded and both men left the building by the back entrance.
* * *
Justan proceeded carefully down back streets toward his destination. Barnett had kept a mailbox at the local Express Office station, which would not be staffed at this hour. But he had the access code to the box. He tapped the code into the door panel, and slipped inside. Finding the right box, he punched in the code once more and opened the mailbox. There was a small package within, about the half the dimensions of a shoebox. It was addressed to Justan, in care of Arlor. Justan took the package, and slipped Arlor's empty handgun into the empty mailbox.
He returned to the clinic, and Eldon let him in through the back door. Justan joined the others in the treatment room, and opened the box. Within, they found a pair of body pistols, and four extra magazines of ammunition.
"This should solve your problem, Skipper," Justan said, handing two magazines to Eldon. "That will give each of us one spare magazine." Kellan shook his head as Justan offered him the third pistol. As a doctor, he avoided lethal weaponry as much as possible.
"Serina's in no condition to use it right now," Justan insisted. "You don't have to use it, just hold onto it for her for now." Kellan frowned, but tucked the pistol into his medical bag.
"Try and get some rest, everyone," Eldon said, leaning back in his chair. "We leave for Avastan at dawn."
* * *