"Harry Harrison - 50 in 50 - Fifty Stories in Fifty Years" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harrison Harry)

"We can't possibly understand himтАФnot yet," he said, handing the stethoscope back to the doctor
who took it automatically. "We had better try to get the suit off."
There were no seams or fastenings visible, nor could Joze find anything when he ran his fingers over
the smooth surface. The alien must have understood what they were doing because it jerkingly raised one
hand and fumbled at the metal sealing ring about the collar. With a liquid motion the suit split open down
the front, the opening bifurcated and ran down each leg. There was a sudden welling of blue liquid from
the injured leg. Joze had a quick glimpse of green flesh, strange organs, then he spun about. "Quick,
DoctorтАФyour bag. The creature is hurt, that fluid might be blood, we have to help it. ;/
"What can I do?" Dr. Bratos said, unmoving. "Drugs, antisepticsтАФI might kill itтАФwe know nothing
of its body chemistry."
"Then don't use any of those. This is a traumatic injury, you can bind it up, stop the bleeding, can't
you?"
"Of course, of course," the old man said and at last his hands had familiar things to do, extracting
bandages and sterile gauze from his bag, tape and scissors.
Joze reached into the warm and now murky water and forced himself to reach under the green leg
and grasp the hot, green flesh. It was strangeтАФbut not terrible. He lifted the limb free of the water and
they saw a crushed gap oozing a thick blue fluid. Petar turned away, but the doctor put on a pad of gauze
and tightened the bandages about it. The alien was fumbling at the discarded suit beside it in the tub,
twisting its leg in Joze's grip. He looked down and saw it take something from the sporran container. Its
mouth was moving again, he could hear the dim buzz of its voice.
"What is it? What do you want?" Joze asked.
It was holding the object across its chest now with both hands: it appeared to be a book of some
kind. It might be a book, it might be anything.
Yet it was covered in a shiny substance with dark markings on it, and at the edge seemed to be made
of many sheets bound together. It could be a book. The leg was twisting now in Joze's grasp and the
alien's mouth was open wider, as if it were shouting.
"The bandage will get wet if we put it back into the water," the doctor said.
"Can't you wrap adhesive tape over it, seal it in?"
"In my bagтАФI'll need some more."
While they talked the alien began to rock back and forth, splashing water from the tub, pulling its leg
from Joze's grasp. It still held the book in one thin, multifingered hand, but with the other one it began to
tear at the bandages on its leg.
"It's hurting itself, stop it. This is terrible.тАЭ the doctor said, recoiling from the tub.
Joze snatched a piece of wrapping paper from the floor.
"You fool! You incredible fool!" he shouted. "These compresses you usedтАФthey're impregnated with
sulfanilamide."
"I always use them, they're the best, American, they prevent wound infection."
Joze pushed him aside and plunged his arms into the tub to tear the bandages free, but the alien
reared up out of his grasp, sitting up above the water, its mouth gaping wide. Its eyes were open and
staring and Joze recoiled as a stream of water shot from its mouth. There was a gargling sound as the
water died to a trickle, and then, as the first air touched the vocal cords, a rising howling scream of pain.
It echoed from the plaster ceiling in inhuman agony as the creature threw its arms wide, then fell face
forward into the water. It did not move again and, without examining it, Joze knew it was dead.
One arm was twisted back, out of the tub, still grasping the book. Slowly the fingers loosened, and
while Joze looked on numbly, unable to move, the book thudded to the floor.
"Help me," Petar said, and Joze turned to see that the doctor had fallen and Petar was kneeling over
him. "He fainted, or a heart attack. What can we do?"
His anger was forgotten as Joze kneeled. The doctor seemed to be breathing regularly and his face
wasn't flushed, so perhaps it was only a fainting spell. The eyelids fluttered. The priest brushed by and
looked down over Joze's shoulder.