"E. E. Doc Smith - Subspace 2 - Subspace Encounter" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

far enough to see that the whole left side of his shirt was soggy with blood-blood that
was already plastering her thin nylon jersey to every fine contour of her right breast.
"Death of Eagles! I thought I felt something! All-Powers damn me for a fool! . . .тАЭ

"Think nothing of it, Starr!" he protested. "Just a little leak, is all, and it's strictly my own
fault-I should've known enough not to use that arm. . . .тАЭ

"Lie down here!" she snapped, paying no attention to his protests and practically forcing
him down onto her office couch. "Lemme look . . . oh, good. . . ." She sighed deeply in
relief. "It isn't spurting, so it'll be all right to get your doctor-he's mine, too, you know-or
did you?-in here instead of rushing you to the hospital.тАЭ

"Doctor? Nuts to that. Maybe we'd better take a rain check on these doings until that
slash heals a little more, but it won't take long to transact our bit of official business.
Then I'll go see Doc.тАЭ

"Nuts to that right back at you, Rod." She flipped the switch to her com, punched a
number, and waited until a handsome, forty-year-old face appeared upon her screen.
"I'm awfully sorry to have to bother you, Doom" she said then, "but I wonder if you could
dash over here to my office right away and sew Rod up again.тАЭ

"What? How in . . . T' The pictured eyes looked searchingly at the patient, then glanced
once at the girl. "Cancel. I see how. What a brain! Rod, if your brain was solid U-235 and
it all fissioned at once it wouldn't crack your skull. . . ." he paused, grinning at them both,
and emitted a chuckle that turned into a belly laugh. "But I can't say I blame you-either of
you-at that; I might even do the same thing myself. Don't worry, Starr; he's perfectly all
right and I'll be right over.тАЭ

The doctor punched off. Starrlah, without changing the adjustment of her set, said "Lanjy"
and a top-half view of the usherette, seated now, appeared on the screen.


-19-
"Yes, Your Ability?" the picture asked.

"I just had an accident, Lanjy-please skip down to Brazzoin's, will you, and get me a
zero-gauge white See-Mor jersey, Sec-Style, size thirty-eight.тАЭ

"Right away, Your Ability; thank you!" the girl caroled, and took off on the run.

Starrlah cut com, sat down on the edge of the couch, licked her lips, and gulped twice. "I
feel better, darling," she said then. "The way that hyena of a doctor howled, you can't be
in any real danger . . . but I thought I'd killed you . . . and what could I have . . . it simply
petrifies me, to think. . . .

"Nothing like that, sweetheart. " Their hands met and clung. "In fact, I'm pretty sure we
could. . . ...

"But I'm absolutely sure we won't," she declared. "Not without permission in writing.
Being scared to death once is enough." She bent over and kissed him, gently but with