"Kate Wilhelm - Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wilhelm Kate)

all this work, all this planning, go up in one irrational act! You think I wonтАЩt kill anyone who
tries to stop it now!тАЭ Walt had jumped up with his outburst, and he swung David around and yelled
into his face. тАЬYou think IтАЩm going to let you sit up here and die? Not today, David. Not yet.
What you decide to do next week, I donтАЩt give a damn, but today I need you, and you, by God, are
going to be there!тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt care,тАЭ David said quietly.
тАЬYouтАЩre going to care! Because those babies are going to come busting out of those sacs, and
those babies are the only hope we have, and you know it. Our genes, yours, mine, CeliaтАЩs, those
genes are the only thing that stand between us and oblivion. And I wonтАЩt allow it, David! I refuse
it!тАЭ
David felt only a great weariness. тАЬWeтАЩre all dead. Today or tomorrow. Why prolong it? The
price is too high for adding a year or two.тАЭ
тАЬNo price is too high!тАЭ
Slowly WaltтАЩs face seemed to come into focus. He was white, his lips were pale, his eyes
sunken. There was a tic in his cheek that David never had seen before. тАЬWhy now?тАЭ he asked. тАЬWhy
change the plan and tell them now, so far ahead of time?тАЭ
тАЬBecause it isnтАЩt that far ahead of time.тАЭ Walt rubbed his eyes hard. тАЬSomethingтАЩs going
wrong, David. I donтАЩt know what it is. SomethingтАЩs not working. I think weтАЩre going to have our
hands full with prematures.тАЭ
In spite of himself David made rapid calculations. тАЬItтАЩs twenty-six weeks,тАЭ he said. тАЬWe
canтАЩt handle that many premature babies.тАЭ
тАЬI know that.тАЭ Walt sat down once more, and this time put his head back and closed his eyes.
тАЬWe donтАЩt have much choice,тАЭ he said. тАЬWe lost one yesterday. Three today. We have to bring them
out and treat them like preemies.тАЭ
Slowly David nodded. тАЬWhich ones?тАЭ he asked, but he knew. Walt told him the names, and again
he nodded. He had known that they were not his, not WaltтАЩs, not CeliaтАЩs. тАЬWhat are you planning?тАЭ
he asked then, and sat down on the side of his bed.
тАЬI have to sleep,тАЭ Walt said. тАЬThen a meeting, posted for seven. After that we prepare the
nursery for a hell of a lot of preemies. As soon as weтАЩre ready we begin getting them out. ThatтАЩll
be morning. We need nurses, half a dozen, more if we can get them. Sarah says Margaret would be
good. I donтАЩt know.тАЭ
David didnтАЩt know either. MargaretтАЩs four-year-old son had been one of the first to die of
the plague, and she had lost a baby in stillbirth. He trusted SarahтАЩs judgment, however. тАЬThink
between them they can get enough others, tell them what to do, see that they do it properly?тАЭ
Walt mumbled something, and one of his hands fell off the chair arm. He jerked upright.
тАЬOkay, Walt, you get in my bed,тАЭ David said, almost resentfully. тАЬIтАЩll go down to the lab,
get things rolling there. IтАЩll come up for you at six thirty.тАЭ Walt didnтАЩt protest, but fell onto
the bed without bothering to take off his shoes. David pulled them off. WaltтАЩs socks were more
holes than not, but probably they kept his ankles warm. David left them on, pulled the blanket
over him, and went to the lab.
At seven the hospital cafeteria was crowded when Walt stood up to make his announcement.



file:///F|/rah/Kate%20Wilhelm/Wilhelm,%20K.%20...0Where%20Late%20the%20Sweet%20Birds%20Sang.txt (15 of 91) [7/1/03 1:52:59 AM]
 file:///F|/rah/Kate%20Wilhelm/Wilhelm,%20K.%20-%20Where%20Late%20the%20Sweet%20Birds%20Sang.txt

First he had Avery Handley run down his log of diminishing shortwave contacts, with the
accompanying grim stories of plague, famine, disease, spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, and
sterility. It was the same story worldwide. They listened apathetically; they could not care any