How to Date an Android

Chapter 6, revised and improved

Chapter 6

"Dammit."

"Jack? Did you need me?" Nurse Edna appeared again. It startled me when she poked her head in with her sadistic looking grin.

"Oh, it's you. Are you here to make fun of me again?" I asked.

"I would never make fun of a patient," she looked horrified, but somehow she had a mocking facial expression. She then briefly looked over her shoulder to make sure no other humans or androids caught her acting that way. She was interesting too because she looked very innocent, but wasn't once people weren't looking.

She was a bit subtle though and sassy. But not cold or cruel.

"So when do I go home? And when can I move again without screwing up my back?" I asked.

"Well I'd give it a few more days. Right now you are pretty well off though. You appear to be healing nicely and your swelling has gone down a lot," she noted seriously. She was still working and going around the room at the same time. She was pretty good at keeping the room clean and checking everything more than once. I did like that she was thorough and didn't just take my temperature once, and then my blood pressure.

It's also funny how despite technological breakthroughs that a lot of nurses still checked blood pressure manually. Is that because it's the culture of making someone feel treated? Your human tissue looks young for your age Jack. It pleases me that you don't show signs of drug abuse or gang trauma, or other vices."

"Oh."

She smiled wickedly again.

"Well I was thinking. What gives with the whole bit on some crime fund? I think the doc mentioned it," I said.

She paused for a sec, looking off into space after letting my arm slip down back on the bed. "I am unaware of such a thing. Please standby while I link in. Processing. Processing...yes. I was able to link in and tell what that means. There is a violent crime fund for victims that may qualify through the government. Your case appears to qualify. However your government is notorious for false promises so I'm uncertain as to how much the written text differs from the lawyer mongering, and openly broken promises and long lines. And corruption. Typically minorities seem to be let down the most according to historical data, until about fifty years ago, then they seemed to be the only ones represented in some things. If they can work. Also in regards to the crime fund; it also will help cover your mortgage payment for the time period that you are in the hospital but not to exceed a month after your stay here ends and a minimum of one month, unless you qualify for special circumstances."

"Oh." I yawned. I itched all over my back, but I couldn't get to it. It was torture. And at the same time I was super sleepy. I still wasn't able to move.

"So how do I get that taken care of when I can't even move?" I pleaded.

"I would be happy to help you," she said in monotone, but approaching me. She stopped about three feet away from me, but remained standing up facing the window. She has that Cheshire grin again.

Is she...some kind of punk attitude... maybe made subtle?

"Really?"

"No, but I have to say that as a standard response. I do believe it would help my job efficiency to be able to do an online application for you. The humans in the next couple of rooms are also more degraded and less pleasing on my eye circuits than you are Jack. Does that please you to know that the other humans have more symptoms of no discipline? Would you like that Jack?" she flashed a nicer small than she usually does. She's moved over to stand near me, after going over her other tasks and making notes in the hospital bed datapad, which contains my patient charts.