Donna took the casserole out of the oven and set it on the counter. She set the table and then went into the lounge. Richard put his Kindle on the coffee table and stood. He took her hand, pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Ready to go see Grandma?”
Donna sighed. “OK, but I don’t want to stay too long. I’d like to go to the genetics lab and work a while.”
“No, today was our wedding day. We’re not going back to work, until in the morning.”
Donna pushed away from him. “Look, if you’re going to start trying to tell me what I can and can’t do, I will move into my own quarters. We’re married. You and your grandmother got what you wanted. The baby will be born a Triplet now, whether we’re together or not, so stop ordering me around. If I want to work, I will work.”
Richard frowned. “OK, pet – geez. I was kidding.”
Donna sighed deeply and pressed her forehead against his chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s just that I’ve been waiting for so long, and we’re this close to success,” she indicated with her fingers. “I guess I’m anxious.”
Richard held her and rested his cheek on the top of Donna’s head. “Let’s go see Grandma, and then we’ll come back here and eat our tea. When we’re done, we’ll go to the lab, and you can work, until your heart’s desire. VICi, connect me with Sir Richard Triplet.”
An image of Sir Richard appeared on the wallscreen. He was sitting in his office. “Afternoon Ricky.”
“Dad, we’re on our way to the infirmary to talk to Grandma. Have you been in to see her, yet?”
“No Ricky. I got tied up when we got back to the complex. I’ll meet you there.”
------------
Donna, Richard, Sir Richard, Sam and Sheila gathered around Lady Triplet’s bed. “Mum, Sam and Donna need to ask you some questions, but first I need to know if you approve of them treating you?”
Lady Triplet glanced from Sam to Donna and then back to Sir Richard. “Now that you’ve finally decided to come and see if I was still alive, maybe you can tell me where I am.”
“You’re in one of our special medical facilities.”
“And I suppose the wedding took place without me?”
“Yes, Mum, it did. I know you wanted to be there, but we couldn’t risk your health.”
“Do you know why you’re here, Lady Triplet?” Sam asked. “What’s the last thing you remember, before you woke up?”
Lady Triplet slowly lifted her eyes to meet Sam’s. She furrowed her brow. “Do I know you?”
Richard’s eyes widened. Grandma, what are you doing?
Donna glanced at Richard out the corner of her eye as she fought to maintain her composure. You lying bitch! She shared a quick look with Sam.
Sam softly cleared his throat. “I’m Sam Kaliea. I’m over the medical department, here. As far as I’m aware, unless you refuse, I’m your doctor. Well, Donna and I are.”
“I have my own GP, thank you, and I want to be taken back to my castle.”
Sir Richard’s mouth gaped. “Mum, you can’t go back to the castle. You’re extremely ill.”
“Lady Triplet, if you don’t let us fix your heart, you could die,” Donna spoke up. “You need to be fitted with a pacemaker to correct your irregular heartbeat. How long has your doctor had you on vepramil?”
Lady Triplet’s eyebrows shot up. “About a year now, but I don’t have an irregular heartbeat. I have arthritis in my knees. What is all this nonsense about a pacemaker?”
Donna shared a look with Sam. “Did your doctor give you nitroglycerine – some little white pills in a small brown bottle to put under your tongue for pains in your chest?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Donna. The only kind of chest pains I have is from indigestion, and I take antacids for that. I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, but I do not have a heart problem!”
Donna arched an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, Lady Triplet, but I’m a cardiac specialist, and you do have a heart problem. With a pacemaker, proper diet and exercise, I believe you could live out the rest of your life with little change to your daily activities. However, if we don’t correct this problem, eventually you will find walking from your bed to your bathroom a major task. Having said that, I will not treat you without your permission.” Donna stood. “Think about that. When you decide, let me know. Dad, if you need me, I’ll be in the lab. Sam… could I speak to you in your office, please?”
Sam glanced at Richard. “Right behind you, sweetheart.” He leaned close to Richard’s ear. “Try to talk some sense into her, before you’re standing over her grave,” he whispered and left.
------------
Donna was pacing the floor when Sam stepped into his office. “VICi, secure office door, no entry mode.”
“Can VICi block out our voices, too?”
“Yeah,” Sam responded. “VICi, soundproof room.”
“VICi, connect me with Gary Browne,” Donna snapped. “I can’t believe she’s doing this! Why is she lying?”
“Hi D,” Gary smiled.
“Where are you, and can you talk?”
Gary’s smile faded. “I’m in my quarters. I was about to have a sandwich. What’s wrong?”
“Quite frankly, Richard’s grandmother is a lying bitch and I don’t trust her.”
“What do you mean, D? What’s happened?”
“Lady Triplet will not accept that she has a heart problem. She said she was taking vepramil for arthritis in her knees. Vepramil is an unconventional treatment for arthritis, but I’d bet my bottom dollar that’s not why she’s taking it. I asked her if her doctor gave her nitroglycerine pills for angina and she denied that too. The killer lie - despite the conversation she had with Richard – Lady Triplet denied even knowing Sam.”
“Calm down D, or someone is going to overhear you.”
“No, they won’t! Sam sound proofed the room.”
“Good,” Gary said with a sigh of relief. “Now, stop and remember. Lady Triplet and Richard don’t know that you overheard their conversation. How did Richard react?”
“He just stood there and didn’t open his mouth. Sir Richard didn’t have a lot to say either.”
Gary paused. “Is it possible she’s demented? Maybe she doesn’t remember.”
Sam chuckled. “Oh, she’s demented, alright. I don’t think she’s going to let us treat her.”
“Legally, without her consent,” Donna groaned, “…we can’t! I know Richard said his father has a separate set of laws for the people in the complex, Gary, but I won’t treat his mother against her wishes! There are just some standards that I’m not willing to break!”
“Have you tried asking her about her GP?”
“She’s not going to tell us anything. She doesn’t even trust her own son!”
“Have you thought about talking to Richard about this?”
“She can’t,” Sam interjected. “If she does, he’ll know she overheard their conversation.”
Gary winced and blew air between his lips. “Damn. That’s right. I guess you’ll just have to wait and see whether or not Richard says anything about it. What about talking to Sir Richard?”
“Same problem,” Donna said. “Sir Richard has already said he doesn’t know anything about Lady Triplet’s doctor, or her, for that fact.”
“Can I say something here?”
Donna turned to face Sam. “Please do.”
“You already have trust issues with Richard. I think Gary is right. You should wait and see if he comes clean. If he doesn’t, then I would say our suspicions are well-founded.”
“I agree,” Gary said.
Donna turned to Sam and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek tightly to his chest. Sam held her and kissed the top of her head. Donna inhaled and pulled his scent deeply into her lungs. Despite their problems, she felt safe in his arms. Sam’s door panel chirped. Donna jerked away and sat in the chair in front of his desk. “VICi, display Lady Triplet’s body scan. Focus on sinus node and magnify by 150%.” She turned her chair, so she was facing the wallscreen.
Gary grinned. “Clever, D. I’ll talk to you later.” The screen went blank.
Sam sat behind his desk. “VICi, stop previous command and unlock door panel. It doesn’t make sense to me either, sweetheart. I don’t understand why she would – come in Richard,” he said. “We were just discussing your grandmother’s case.”
Richard studied Sam’s eyes. “Well, it will have to wait. Donna has our tea on the counter, and I’m hungry. We’ll be in the genetics lab after we’re done eating.”
Donna frowned. “Richard, aren’t you the least bit concerned about your grandmother?”
Richard sighed. “Of course I’m concerned about her, but it’s her life.”
“What do you mean?” She paused. “What happened after I left the room?”
“We’ll talk about it over our meal.” Richard took her hand and started leading her to the door.
Donna stopped and turned. “We’ll talk later, Sam.” She followed Richard out the door.
------------
Donna put the casserole on the table and started making the salad. “Can I help?” Richard asked.
“Do you know how to make garlic toast?”
“Of course. How hard can that be?”
“It depends on how you like yours made. Most people butter the French bread after they take it out of the oven. I prefer mine done beforehand. You don’t cook a lot. Do you Richard?”
“No. With Alice and Alan around, there’s no need. In fact, I was thinking of hiring someone like that for us.”
“Don’t! If you don’t want to cook, I’ll do it myself.”
Richard frowned. “With servants, you would have more time to devote to me.”
Donna sighed. That’s what I’m trying to avoid. “I like doing things myself.”
Richard grinned. “Don’t I know it!”
Donna blushed. “That wasn’t what I was talking about. It’s just the way I was brought up.”
“Well, pet, not everyone was brought up that way. I had servants who used to clean my room for me. I kind of grew out of that, when I went to Cambridge.”
“Did you live in the dorm?”
“Hell no! I had my own flat. In fact, I owned the building. Students leased flats from me,” he laughed.
“Was that so you could pick and choose who lived around you?”
Richard softly chuckled. “Something like that. Are you going to tell me how to do this, since you like it prepared a specific way?”
“It’s simple. Pull off a piece of tin foil, big enough to wrap the bread. Do you have garlic butter?”
“I have garlic, and I have butter. Won’t that do?”
“It will for this time. I’ll make some up after our meal. I’ll use garlic granules, this time, but I prefer fresh. How do you grow vegetables, in the complex?”
Richard laughed. “The same way you would anywhere else. What Jim and Nancy can’t grow on the farm, we grow in tunnels. Instead of sunlight, we have special lights that simulate the full solar spectrum. VICi, of course, regulates, or better yet, simulates weather and other environmental conditions.”
“So, VICi is technically the brain of the complex. If something went wrong with her….”
“…It would be disastrous,” Richard finished her sentence.
“Seems to me that it would be unwise to put so much trust in a computer.”
“Oh – yes – but you see, VICi has multiple redundancy and error correction.”
Donna frowned and started mixing the garlic granules with the margarine. “You’re not talking to Gary here, Richard. Talk DNA, and I’ll talk circles around you. What do you mean by multiple redundancy?”
“VICi is self-diagnostic. She constantly checks for errors, both in herself and the complex. If she detects a problem, she stores information in one of her many memory banks and then re-routes her operations to a different area.”
Donna arched an eyebrow. “Sounds complicated.”
“It can be, but that’s what we’ve got Gary and the rest of our computer techs for. Gary knows VICi inside and out because he helped program her. So does Jeff Wein.”
Donna finished mixing the garlic butter. “There, that should do. Now use the serrated knife and cut slants along the bread, about an inch apart but don’t cut all the way through. Pry the slants apart a little and then using either your fingers – which I like to do – or a butter knife, spread garlic butter on both sides of the cut. When you’re done, push the bread back together and wrap it in foil. That’s it,” she said and licked the garlic butter off her finger. “Now, you can put it in the oven.”
“Seems to me it would be faster just to buy the bread already made.”
“You’re spoilt, Richard.”
Richard grabbed her around the waist and kissed her neck. “Yes, I am. Why have a dog and bark yourself? Being wealthy has its advantages, pet.”
Donna narrowed her eyes. “So does being able to do something yourself,” she snorted. “That’s what self-sufficiency means. Isn’t that what this biosphere project is all about? Being self-sufficient.”
“The complex will eventually be self-sufficient, but we’re not yet ready to isolate it from the outside world.”
“I assume we can still go outside.”
“Sure we can. We’re not prisoners down here, pet. We just need to wait, until…” he broke off.
Donna sighed and looked down at her plate. “Until your Dad gets rid of Forrest?”
Richard reached across the table and held her hand. “Try to understand, pet. This really is for the best.”
Donna locked her eyes on his. “Maybe from your point of view, but not mine. Now, are you going to tell me what went on with your grandmother, after I left the room?”
Richard sighed and hesitated. “She doesn’t want the pacemaker, and she doesn’t want you, or Sam, or anyone else from the complex to treat her.”
“I see….”
“I’m sorry, Donna.”
“No – it’s fine.” She stood and pushed her chair under the table. “Your grandmother is entitled to her opinion and so am I.” The stubborn bitch!
“Where are you going?”
“To find a way to save stupid people like your grandmother. I’ll be in the genetics lab.”
“What about your meal?”
Donna studied his eyes for a few seconds. “I’m not hungry anymore.” She left.
------------
“Joyce, where’s Sam?” Donna asked as she stepped out of his office.
“He went to the genetics lab.”
“Is anyone with Lady Triplet?”
“No, Donna, but she’s asked not to be disturbed.”
The corners of Donna’s mouth twitched. “That’s too bad because I’m about to disturb her,” she pushed through her teeth.
“VICi,” Joyce said. “Connect me with Sam Kaliea.”
“What is it Joyce,” Sam answered.
“I think you’d better get in here. Donna just came back, and she’s going to see Lady Triplet.”
“I’m on my way!”
Gary looked up. “What’s going on?”
“I’ll handle this. Donna is going to talk to Lady Triplet.”
Gary’s eyes widened. “Oh shit! Call me if you need me.”
“Will do!”