"Kristine Kathryn Rusch - The Room of Lost Souls" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rusch Kristine Kathryn)

involuntary, as if he were speaking to himself instead of her.

тАЬYour units? The people under your command?тАЭ

He kept shaking his head.

тАЬYour injured?тАЭ

тАЬThe dead,тАЭ he said softly.

She was silent for a long time, hoping he would elaborate. But he
didnтАЩt. So she struggled to understand.

тАЬWe canтАЩt help them,тАЭ she said. тАЬEven now with the technology that
we have, the knowledge that we have, we canтАЩt help them. We just try to
prevent death.тАЭ

тАЬAnd how do you do that?тАЭ he asked, raising his head. тАЬHow do you
know whoтАЩs worthy?тАЭ

She frowned. She was a doctor. She had been one all of her adult
life. тАЬI donтАЩt choose the worthy ones. ThatтАЩs not my decision.тАЭ

тАЬIтАЩve seen triage,тАЭ he said. тАЬYou pick. You always pick.тАЭ

Her breath caught.

тАЬI donтАЩt choose by worthiness,тАЭ she said softly. тАЬI choose by my skill
level. I choose by time. Who will survive the intervention? Who will take the
least amount of time so that I can get to other injured? Who will be the least
amount of work?тАЭ

That last made her face flush. SheтАЩd never admitted it to someone
else beforeтАФat least not to someone who wasnтАЩt a doctor, someone who
wasnтАЩt really faced with those decisions.

тАЬThatтАЩs how you pick whoтАЩs worthy,тАЭ he said.

His words made her flush deepen.

тАЬDoesnтАЩt that bother you? DonтАЩt you look at the ones you didnтАЩt even
try to save, the ones you sacrificed for the others, and wonder about them?
DonтАЩt you sometimes think you made the wrong choice?тАЭ
 Her face was so warm now that it actually hurt.

тАЬNo.тАЭ She wanted to say that with confidence, but her voice was small,
smaller than sheтАЩd ever heard it around him. тАЬIf I thought I always made the
wrong choice, I couldnтАЩt do my job.тАЭ

тАЬBut in the wee hours, when youтАЩre alone...?тАЭ