Growing Heart

Ch 21 - A Middle Ground

Sid blinked. "Test results?"

"Your blood work," Law said and then he stifled a scowl when his answer wasn't clearing away the confusion on his new hire's face, "Your check-up from your orientation? Clione gave you a medical exam, correct?"

"Oh yeah," Sid said. She folded her arms over her chest and tilted her head to the side, "What were you able to find?"

"You have about 10 times the normal red blood cell count as an average woman of your age and size," Law said.

"Red blood cell count?" Sid asked.

Law could not stop his scowl this time. "I thought you said you were a healer for your people."

"Healer, yes," Sid said and then picked up an oddly shaped pair of scissors from the shelf that tapered to thin, tweezer-like ends, "Contraption-finagling, blood testing whatever it is you call yourself, no."

"Surgeon," Law said and then pinched the bridge of his nose, "Right. There's a lot for you to familiarize yourself with outside of plants. I'll put some basic biology classes on your schedule."

"Ugh. The schedule," Sid sighed.

Law glanced at him over the top of his hand, which was still relieving the pressure that could build into a very, aggravating and unwelcomed migraine. "Is there a problem with your schedule?"

"Yes."

"What part?"

"All of it," Sid said, "Having my every hour planned is not what I signed up for. This lifestyle is as foreign to me as living in this metal box."

"Everything is foreign to you," Law pointed out and then tapped the folder with his free hand to bring the conversation back to where he wanted it to be, "Not only mentally but physically too."

Sid threw her hands out in exasperation, tossing Law's medical forceps back onto the shelf with a loud clang. Sid waved her hand in its direction and then towards the stacks of books around it. "Would any of these help me interpret what you're talking about?"

"I'll speak plainly," Law said and he took a deep breath, "You are from the sky."

"It took you a week to figure that out with your test?" Sid asked incredulously and Law shot her a pointed look that reminded her of when Wyper was close to being at his wit's end.

Pick your battles, Sid...Pick your battles..., she mentally reminded herself and she leaned back at the balls of her feet. "Continue," she muttered to the surgeon.

"You've mentioned that your people originally were from this sea, yes?"

Sid nodded. "The Blue Sea. Centuries ago."

"Yes...and since then...over the span of hundreds of years, your people have adapted and adjusted their bodies to fit the environment up in the sky...Like your wings, for instance...Your...chicken wings," Law said with a dry smile.

Sid bit her tongue to ask a question that might derail the conversation again. She wanted so badly to ask Law why was it that he often found the need to compare her to that type of Blue Sea bird. Verner had shown her a picture of a chicken and she didn't see anything odd about it. From what Verner had said, it was a bird that is very important to their dietary needs. Not just their meat but their eggs as well. For something so purposeful, why would Law say it as if it was some sort of insult...Or was it even an insult? Life on the Blue Sea was so very different. Maybe their humor was too.

"Go on," Sid prompted.

"Internally, your body is slightly different as well. You have the same components as any one of us here. Heart. Lungs. All of that...However, since living so long in high altitude, your body has a few key differences from what is considered normal and healthy for us down here."