Again, Dr. Claireborne found himself at a loss for words. He could only stare dumbfounded at what lay before him. With slow steps he walked forward. “How did it happen?”
“Ms. Patterson awoke again in the night,” Ms. Hallie said, taking another deep breath. “Once again, she babbled nonsensically. But this time, instead of entering cardiac arrest, she began to become this.”
“That’s it?” the doctor asked as he turned to look back at her. “She just ‘became’ this?”
“I don’t know of any other way to describe it, sir,” Ms. Hallie said. “I was here with Mr. Valentine. We both watched it happen.”
“How long did this ‘becoming’ take?” Dr. Claireborne asked, looking back at the patient.
“Thirty minutes.”
Dr. Claireborne turned back to Ms. Hallie. “Let me get this straight. You say that Ms. Patterson went from a recovering hypothermia victim to this ungodly thing in thirty minutes?”
Ms. Hallie nodded.
“It’s true,” Maxwell said, trying to sound strong in the midst of appearing as though he would fall apart at any moment. “We watched it happen. It was slow at first, then sped up. It was horrible. You’ve heard bones crack, you’re a doctor. All her bones seemed to be cracking and reshaping. It sounded ghastly.”
Dr. Claireborne shook his head. “I can almost believe it,” he said. “But at the same time, it can’t be doubted. How could you make a joke like this? But it still shouldn’t be possible.”
He walked forward and put his fingers on Ms. Patterson’s arm. It was solid, still there and not some trick of his mind. It felt rather like rubber, but not enough like rubber to be some kind of suit or doll. Whatever this was, it was real, and it was really what Maxwell and Ms. Hallie claimed it was.
Dr. Claireborne shook his head and looked up at the wall, not really looking at one thing in particular, but looking inward. Science rebelled against this occurrence. According to everything he had learned, this was not possible, not by any laws or even theories. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair before looking back down at Ms. Patterson.
“Has the patient awoken?” he asked.
Maxwell nodded. “She’s not taken it well.”
“I had to sedate her,” Ms. Hallie interjected. “She won’t come out for about another hour, according to the dosage that I gave her.”
The doctor nodded and sat down on a nearby rolling chair. His head rested in his hands. “I have taken your advice for secrecy under advisement, Ms. Hallie,” he said slowly. “And I agree with it. Until we three understand what has happened, no one else can know about this. I can only imagine the pandemonium that would ensue if word of what has happened to Ms. Patterson spread across the station.”
Ms. Hallie and Maxwell nodded.
“Now, Mr. Valentine,” Dr. Claireborne said to Maxwell. “Perhaps you can shed some light on Ms. Patterson’s condition. What happened when she fell overboard?”
“There was a group of orcas in the area,” the activist said. “They follow the whaling ships, hoping to pick off a whale that isn’t killed outright. That isn’t often, the modern technology they use doesn’t allow for many errors, but it does happen occasionally. They were nearby when Denise fell into the water. We had to circle around to pick her up. The seas were rough, so it took a minute longer than it should have. By the time we got to her, she was resting on an orca’s head. It was spooky.”
“The animal was buoying her up?” Dr. Claireborne asked, one eyebrow raised.
Maxwell nodded. “We picked her up off of its nose. Then we got her back to the boat and made her comfortable. That’s it, until your chopper arrived to pick her up.”
There was a connection there. To miss it was only possible if one was blind. And while Dr. Claireborne did wear glasses, he was by no means blind. He saw the link between the orcas and Ms. Patterson. Something had happened there. But just what had happened, what that something was, that was the mystery.
“There’s no scientific principle for how a woman could be mutated due to contact with an animal,” he finally said. “Yet, that is what has happened.”
“Maybe it wasn’t science then,” Maxwell said.
Dr. Claireborne shook his head and chuckled. “What do you suggest then, Mr. Valentine? Some mystical connection? Are orcas Ms. Patterson’s spirit animal? Perhaps they have given her gifts to wage a war against us dirty humans for raping the ocean.” Mockery dripped from his words, contempt was evident on his face as he spoke.
“But what else is left?” Maxwell asked.
“A scientific discovery that has remained hidden until now,” the doctor said.
“Is science really the end all?” Maxwell asked. “Can’t there be just the tiniest bit of magic in the world?”
“Of course there can be magic in the world. In fairy tales and the minds of artists, where it belongs. The real world needs the structure that science provides.”
Maxwell opened his mouth to say something more, but someone knocked on the door. The three in the room froze in place for a moment. Ms. Hallie gulped as she walked forward and unlocked the door. She opened it just a tiny crack.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“Hallie, you’ve got to see it,” the voice of a nurse said from outside, obviously excited. “Look outside, it’s amazing.”
“What is it?”
“Penguins! Big white penguins!”
A perplexed look crossed Ms. Hallie’s face. “Big white penguins?” she asked, pausing between each word.
“Yes yes,” came the reply. “Come have a look.”
Maxwell looked at Dr. Claireborne. “The last time I checked, there’s no such thing as big white penguins,” he whispered.
Dr. Claireborne returned his look. “What are you suggesting?”
“Two strange occurrences within the space of a few hours? I don’t think that’s coincidence, no matter how unrelated they are.”
“The idea has merit,” Dr. Claireborne conceded after a moment. He sighed. “Very well. Let us go and see this great sight.”
“Is that Dr. Claireborne?” the nurse from outside asked.
“Yes it is,” the doctor replied. He turned to Maxwell. “You’re coming with me. If you remain in this room with Ms. Hallie, there will be talk of a romance and draw unwanted attention to your friend’s condition.”
Maxwell thought for a moment and nodded his head.
Dr. Claireborne walked up to Ms. Hallie. He shut the door and looked at her. “Remain in here. Lock the door. No one but myself may come in or out. Mr. Valentine may only come in if he is accompanied by me. Do you understand?”
Ms. Hallie nodded. “Big birds aren’t really that exciting anyway.”
Maxwell walked up to Dr. Claireborne. The doctor opened the door and stepped out with the activist. It shut behind him and the key turned in the lock.
“What’s the matter with Ms. Patterson?” asked the nurse.
“She has requested some privacy while she recuperates,” Dr. Claireborne cut in.
“She requires limited human contact while she recharges her chi,” Maxwell cut in.
The nurse paused for a moment, then shrugged it off. “Oh well. Come on and hurry. They’re coming right through the base.”
The nurse hurried off down the hall. Dr. Claireborne turned to Maxwell and gave him a questioning look.
“What? It’s what she expected,” Maxwell said. The doctor shrugged and followed after the nurse, Maxwell at his side.
