His Better Half

6

On the fifth day, Dr Chadwick brought a tall black woman in with her. She was wearing the same flowing toga they had seen others wearing, but hers was brightly colored with bold patterns. "T.D. and Annie, I'd like you to meet Abeba Furaha. She's going to be helping with rehabilitation – for both of you. She will help Annie recover, and she's going to tone you up, as well, T.D. Since you have been here, T.D., we've noticed you aren't getting nearly enough exercise, and she's going to turn that around."

Abeba was about as dark skinned as anyone T.D. had met, and was easily as tall as he was. She was also ripped – he figured she could put him down, though he probably outweighed her by half. With an accent he couldn't place, she said, "Hello, T.D. and Annie, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm going to make you both more healthy." T.D. noticed her "th" sounds were clipped at the end, so she said a cross between "both" and "boat".

T.D. said, "That's a neat name."

Abeba smiled, "Thank you, my given name means 'flower', and my surname, 'delight'. When I was small, my father used to call me that, just to make me smile. I hear you are twins, how wonderful was it growing up with a twin? I always wish I'd had one."

Annie whispered, "It's great, Abeba. Growing with T.D. was the best. If things were good, we always had our best friend with us to share the joy, and if somethin' went south for one, the other was always there to help pick up the pieces. T.D. is why I am here now – if he hadn't been plannin' this, and workin' with our doctor back in Illinois ..." She stopped at this point and blanched.

Abeba knelt by her, caught her other hand and said, "Calm down, my dear, we don't need you worked up over 'maybes'. You are here, and he is with you, sweetie. Please, we are beyond the past, and we're gonna make you better. While you have barely the strength to whisper today, we will make you strong in the coming months. And T.D., we will get you up, as you say, 'off your butt', and get you back in shape, too.

"You both are farm people, so you know good hard work – well, T.D., you will soon find work you love. And Annie, I'll work you until you are comfy-tired to start, but later on, you will be working as hard as T.D. does. Now, are you both with me? Will you do what I say?"

After wide-eyed nods from both teens, Abeba said, "OK, then, Annie, you will have to let your brother go for a while, and T.D., she will be OK without you while you're gone. So, come with me, and we'll do some exploring."

– o O o –

The doctors kept Annie in a bed for the first three weeks, and in the clinic for the first six. But over those weeks, Abeba worked T.D. and Annie. It was mostly fun work, though. While he wasn't being worked or worked on, T.D. started learning more about Heinlein Island, and Annie got on track to recovering the mass she had lost due to her illness. They both worked hard, primarily because they were dedicated to it.

After she'd gotten past the danger period, Annie and T.D. moved into the apartment that had been set up for them. In the apartment, they found clothing that matched what the Atlanteans wore, and while T.D. felt a bit silly in his tunic (he said it felt like a dress), they both found how comfortable they were in the equatorial heat. When they weren't working on her health or his new role in Heinlein, they were living, talking, eating and playing together, just as they always had.

And time marched forward as Annie regained her health.

– o O o –

A week after moving to the apartment, Abeba decided Annie was ready for an outing. They'd been working up to this for a while, taking a few steps at a time, but Abeba finally decided Annie was strong enough. So that morning, the three went out to the Heinlein "beach" – actually a small artificial island offshore that had sand and warm waters they could float in.

"So, my friends, this island is just like five others that give power to our little community. They also keep us safe, and in more ways than you can imagine. But today, this one is just a sandy beach. So Annie, we are going to first take you for a walk, then we're going to play in the sand and the water."

And for the next few hours, that's what they did. After a picnic, they returned to the clinic for a quick status checkup, then they returned to the apartment.

– o O o –

While on Heinlein, the twins also learned more about Atlantis and her islands – they learned that dates were handled differently, since Atlantis' ruling group, called simply "the Foundation", had decided that the "common era" date system was archaic and wasn't needed.

One day, Abeba decided to quiz them on the new date system. She asked them, "What is today's date? Both your date and Atlantis'."

T.D. was cautious in his reply. "Our old one is June 29, 2163. Here on Heinlein, it's still June 29, but isn't it the 6th year? So it's 6 dash 29 dash 6?"

Before Abeba could say anything, Annie said, "No, T.D., it's biggest to smallest, so the year goes first, then the month, then the day. And here, the month is the twelfth since July is the first. So Abeba, is it 6 dash 12 dash 29?"

"You're right, Annie. Perfect score there. Now, T.D., you want to tell Annie about the 'ponics you're working with now?"

T.D. grinned, "I'm a step ahead of you there, 'Beba. Annie can tell us both, since I always tell her what I'm workin' with and how it's goin'."