The Variant Effect: PAINKILLER by G. Wells Taylor Read Free Book Online

over Borland and
tucked it tight, immobilizing him. She pulled his left arm out and
positioned it, held it in place with a Velcro strap and wrapped a
blood pressure cuff around the bicep. Then she dug for a vein in
his left hand and slid an IV needle into place.
    “Penicillin,” she said, tapping the clear IV
bag before setting up a small curtain across Borland’s chest.
    “I’d prefer a martini,” Borland drawled, his
mouth starting to feel gummy.
    Gravity fastened him securely to the table.
His mind was spinning but clear as he watched one doctor leave and
the other with the Scottish accent remain.
    “We have rather traditional methods here, Mr.
Borland,” the doctor said. “But not that traditional.”
    “I got you, I got you.” Borland tried to make
a shushing sound but it came out like a wet raspberry.
“Mum’s the word.”
    The doctor was already at work. Borland felt
a minor pressure on his gut and then the nurse asked him...
    “How are you feeling, Mr. Borland?” She read
from a list on an e-reader. They’d quizzed him during admission and
he told them lies he couldn’t now remember.
    “Pretty damn good, blue eyes,” he growled,
then burst out laughing. “Where’s my martini?”
    “They’re a favorite of mine too, Mr.
Borland,” the doctor said, glancing over at him as he worked.
“Gin.”
    “It’s Captain ,” Borland corrected.
“And once we made martinis out of photocopier fluid down at the
stationhouse. But, we couldn’t drink it.”
    “ Captain ?” the nurse said. “Are you in
the military.”
    “Variant Squad back in the day,” Borland
explained, and then shifted a furtive look between his doctor and
nurse. “Can you keep a secret? Because Variant’s coming back...but
it’s a secret.”
    He tried to make the shushing sound
again, but the deep breath required to do it caused him to brown
out.
    Hello .
    Zombie .
    Centipede .
    What?
    His vision returned and his mouth was alive
with taste. The nurse was dabbing his lips with a cotton swab
soaked in lemon juice.
    “That’s good,” he said, smiling lasciviously
and then gestured with his head toward the doctor. “But won’t he
get jealous?”
    The doctor laughed and said: “We received a
bulletin about the Variant Effect from Metro Law Enforcement.”
    “What did I tell you? It’s coming back...”
Borland said, suddenly aware of a hard pressure in his gut and a
growing point of heat. He felt a tug, then heard a mechanical click . “It’s still in the water and so here—PRESTO!” He
tried to clap but his arms were restrained. The table shook. The IV
drip pulled at the back of his hand.
    “You know,” he said, catching the doctor’s
eye. “I feel fantastic.”
    “It’s the morphine,” the doctor drawled. “A
favorite of mine too.” He let Borland hang for a second. “But never
on duty.”
    “Oh.” Borland laughed. “That’s the perfect
place for it.”
    “ Captain Borland?” the nursed mused,
“I think I’ve heard that name.”
    “Probably lady, I mean, well I don’t like to
say but...” Borland mumbled, his lips tangling, and then: “I was
pretty well-known back in the day.”
    “What for?” The nurse looked puzzled.
    “Oh, well.” Borland shifted his eyes away.
“Good stuff too .”
    Borland shrugged and then apologized. “Tell
me if I’m distracting you doctor.” He made a fist, and then
chortled, his mind rolling away from the big lights overhead. Then
he said: “You know, we nailed Variant in Parkerville about a month
ago.” He pursed his lips. “But it’s a new one.”
    The doctor paused, his eyes thoughtful.
    “Nurse, how are Captain Borland’s
vitals?”
    The nurse answered: “Pulse and respiration
are fine. Blood pressure is high but close enough to pre-op to be
considered normal.”
    “What’s wrong?” Borland asked.
    The doctor smiled with his eyes as he leaned
over the cloth curtain.
    “No worries,” he said. “It’s just that you
seem very aware, Captain Borland.