Gaele!

Part 17: Affliction

"What can I say, I too am easily bored," Don said lightly, as he leaned back in the recliner and stared at the wood paneled ceiling. "Not that I mind routine, as long as it's a learning experience."
Gaele turned sideways in her chair to look at him from a more comfortable position. "Yet you aren't stuck in one place, you don't have to stay here all the time and study, study, study."
"That is called, 'paying your dues', my dear. I have paid my dues, and soon yours will pay off, once you graduate, you will have more freedom."
"I'll probably be going right in for post graduate work, though."
"Post graduate work can put you in the field," Don replied. "Depending on what you want to do."
"I want to work with you."
Don smiled. "I'm flattered. And now, how long before graduation, two years and four months?"
"Such a long time," Gaele sighed.
"Not if you keep busy. Now, lets get back to your reviewing. Question number two. What is one of the most significant practical application of genetic engineering in agriculture?"
"Producing disease resistant strains," she said in a bored tone.
"Are you sure?"
She pretended to glare at him. "What better reason is there?"
"Can’t you elaborate a bit?"
"Elaborate? I don’t HAVE to elaborate, the test doesn’t call for that."
He waved it off. "Forget what the test calls for. I’d like to see you give this a lot of thought. If you are going to do effective research, you have to be driven. By your own curiosity. To find specifics. If you want to break the mold, and make new discoveries, you can never be satisfied with the results. You aren’t there to just fulfill obligations."
"Doesn’t that take up a lot of energy?"
He leaned over the arm of his chair to look more closely at her. "If you DO... what you truly love... your work will give you an energy of its own."

Midterms were a nightmare. In spite of Don's reassurances, Gaele was scared to death of getting set up again. Just before the professor came in with the papers, Gaele gave the blonde a few furtive glances, making sure she was sitting as far away from her as possible. The blonde gave her a long, sneering look, and Gaele mouthed "witch", and then drew her finger across her throat just under her chin. The blonde's brow furrowed, and then Gaele felt a burst of shame. She shouldn't do anything to aggravate the situation...
When the exam was over, she went to leave the building, but was confronted by the blonde, and several of her friends.
"So, Miss Angelo... how was your test?" The blonde asked in a lilting voice. The others laughed.
"It went rather well, as it always does," Gaele said calmly.
"Hmmm..." The blonde's arched eyebrow twitched. "How is it, Miss Angelo, that you always manage to do so well, and finish so soon? Amazing, isn't it?"
"Oh, yes, quite amazing," someone said.
"A little too amazing, if you ask me," said the blonde's friend, the sleek brunette. "Tell me, my dear, how DO you do it?"
Gaele snorted. "It's called studying. Maybe you should try it some time, if it isn't too much for your feeble little human brains."
"Who are you calling feeble, you little FREAK?" The blonde bared her teeth. "Why don't you just go back to whatever grimy test tube you were hatched out of?"
"Yes, and do take care of that skin of yours, it's looking a bit... green," The brunette added, and everyone laughed.
Gaele's stomach churned with suppressed fury, but she made a show of rolling her eyes and then shouldered her way through the growing knot of people.
"Hey, watch who you're pushing, crocodile girl," said the brunette, who then turned to the blonde. "Paula, dear, isn't that technically considered to be assault?"
"I believe it is, Jennifer, darling." The blonde stood in Gaele's path. "And I think you ought to watch yourself, you slimy little newt. I happen to have three black belts."
Gaele snorted. "Gee, I'm happy for you. I assume you have shoes to match?"
"Oh my, was that an attept at humor?" She turned and winked at her friend. "You know, I'd like to have you work with me some day... as the lab experiment."
Gaele nearly chipped a tooth, from the effort of holding in her anger. "You know, out of morbid curiosity, I'd like to study your DNA some day to find out from whom you inherited your Queen of the Jackass gene?"
The blonde threw down her satchel, and went after Gaele, who neatly sidestepped her clawing rush. Someone grabbed a hold of Gaele's arms, and she turned them in such a way that her attackers lost their grip. She turned to face them, in a half crouch, relaxed but vigilant, as her hands went into a defense position, as she planted her feet, slightly apart. Her tail lashed like a cat's.
"Wow," someone whispered. "What kind of moves are those?"
When she realized no one else was threatening to attack her, Gaele slowly lowered her hands. She flexed her shoulders, and looked askance at Paula, who was looking her up and down in a mixture of surprise and disbelief.
"You are so incredibly WIERD," Paula said haughtily. "In fact, your whole family is wierd. In fact, I hear you are dating your own UNCLE."
Everything seemed to slow down for Gaele, she felt as though she were underwater. Even the raucous laughter sounded distorted, and dim.
"Listen... flatface," she said tonelessly. "I've taken about as much as I can deal with from you. In FACT, I'm not sure if I can be held responsible for what happens next, if you continue to insult and dishonor my family, or make allegations of incest. In FACT, he is about as closely related to me as you are to common decency. If you stupidly continue to HARASS me-" She moved forward, making the blonde go back a step. "I happen to know exactly where you live, and if I decided that wanted to GET at you, NO one would be able to stop me. Kapische?" Gaele ended in a whisper, her narrowed eyes locked onto the blonde's, whose green eyes grew wider and more alarmed with each passing second.
When Gaele noticed the way was clear, she calmly picked up her backpack, and made her way down the path, toward the other end of the campus, and her dorm. She suddenly wasn't feeling all that well. A long string of unsavory words aimed at her lack of self control  were battering her weary brain. Oh, gods, and I promised Don I wouldn't use that knowledge... he was right, a little was more dangerous than none at all. Even if nothing at all came of the incident, she was filled with remorse for solving the problem by instilling fear in others... she knew better, because Don-- and Daddy for that matter-- had reminded her that it was fear that instigated the prejudices they had to face.

Christmas vacation had begun, and Gaele was now quite sick.
"Low grade, Gay... one hundred-two," Fahtim said, expertly flicking the protective cap back on the digital thermometer she kept in her bag of equipment. "Might be better to let the fever ride, it will help kill off the virus."
"You think it's a virus?" Gaele rolled her head into her pillow. "Ohho, I feel like complete crap."
"You know, I think you should see a real doctor," Fahtim said, her dark face turning serious. "Not a veterinary surgeon wanna-be like me."
"I'm all right. You should go home, or you'll miss Passover," Gaele said groggily.
Fahtim giggled. "You mean Chanukah... I don't live very far from here... only a half hour's drive. The festivities won't even begin until after sundown, so I have plenty of time. I already called my mother, and let her know I was a bit delayed, so she won't worry."
Gaele was quiet for a moment. "I guess I should call my parents, too, and cancel my flight for another day. I am definitely not up to flying first thing tomorrow morning."
"I don't blame you a bit," Fahtim said, closing up her bag. "But I'd feel a lot better going home knowing that someone was on their way to look after you." She looked intently at Gaele.
Gaele laughed a little. "You mean Don, right? Nah, he's off somewhere in Europe, and has to work right through the New Year."
"Aw, bummer," Fahtim said with a sympathetic frown. "Well, I'm not leaving, until you've at least made that phone call to your parents."
"Oh all right, hand it over... " Gaele grumbled.

Gaele heard her mother sigh on the other end of the line. "Maybe we should come out there, or at least send for a-"
"Mom, I'm okay, really. I just need a couple more days, that's all. I guess I just stayed up too many nights, studying, or caught a chill or something."
Gaele heard her mother talking to someone else, and then come back to the receiver. "Honey, your father said he would fly out to meet you, okay? He'll be on his way in a little while."
"Mom, I'm okay, really," Gaele said automatically, knowing that her mother knew she wasn't. But she hated for her to worry, as if she didn't have enough on her mind already... and Don wasn't here. Gaele had tried to call him, but he didn't return her voice mail. Something must be going on with him, to not return her calls, like this.

By the time Mike arrived at the campus, Gaele was all the more miserable.
"How're you doing, babe," Mike asked brightly, as she opened her room door for him.
"I'm fine," Gaele said absently, as she hugged him.
Mike stood back and looked her over a moment, and shook his head a little. "I dunno, Gaele, maybe you should take next semester off. You look kinda grey."
"Probably a little flu bug, Daddy. I'm feeling much better, and it's nothing a couple of weeks vacation at home won't fix."
"Hope so," Mike said, and smiled at her. "You ready? Time to go thumb a ride to the airport."
Gaele grinned weakly at his joke. "I'm as ready as I can be."
She tried to sleep on the flight home, but she couldn't, her body was aching so bad. Mike kept coming over to where she was reclining to look at her, an expression of worry on his face when he thought she was asleep. When he noticed she wasn't, he masked his concern with a grin, and gave her toe a playful tweak, before he went back to his seat.

"You ought to go right up to bed, "Rahab said after giving her an embrace, when she arrived home.
"Come on, I'm not a baby," Gaele weakly protested as Mike lifted her in his arms and carried her up to her room.
"No kiddin'," Mike made a show of gasping as he climbed the stairs.
She was glad to drop her clothes on the floor and climb into her bed, and sigh into stillness. Her body ached, and it took a long time to relax.
A sharp pain in her abdomen woke her, and she twisted and turned to relieve it. It subsided a little, but came back with greater intensity. The pain came and went, each time becoming more pronounced, She finally got up and stumbled into the bathroom, and then her legs buckled from the knifelike stabbing pressure in her gut. She bent double, and sank to the floor, laying her cheek against the cool tiles.
She heard someone moving around in her room. "Gaele?" Her mother's voice.
"I'm in here, Mom," Gaele managed to say, when the pain let go of her.
"Are you okay in there?"
"Yeah, it's nothing much, it's no biggie-"
"Oh." Rahab sounded doubtful, from the other side of the door.
"I think this flu thing is giving me bad cramps, though." She winced, holding her middle. "Ouch..." she grunted.
"That didn't sound too good, Gaele. Maybe I should call the doctor."
Gaele felt lightheaded. "Mom?" She closed her eyes.
"I'm coming in, Gaele," Rahab said. Gaele heard her suck in her breath, and then run out into the hallway, and yell frantically for Mike.
Gaele held on to consciousness, as she felt her mother's firm hand on her forehead. She heard Mike far away, calling her name.

When she came back, she heard a low hum, and everything was moving. She writhed, but something was holding her down. She moaned as pain racked her innards, and she felt a warm hand gripping hers.
Unfamiliar voices talked over her head.
"How's she doing," A female voice asked from the other room.
"She's okay," a man's voice answered in an offhand tone.
She cracked open her eyes, and saw a low, curving roof, and narrow walls, covered with panels of lights and equipment. Daylight was coming through some sort of large window up front. She was strapped down on a narrow recliner, and a man in a blue jacket was gently taping a tube to her wrist. The room swayed, and heaved, and her stomach felt like it had detached itself from her.
She craned her neck to see a woman sitting in a seat in front of her, through a doorway, wearing headphones, and looking intently out the window ahead. "Whatizzis?"
"Helicopter," the man said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Daddy?"
"You're on your way to the hospital to see the doctor. Your dad is going to meet you there, and everything's going to be just fine. Try to relax, we'll get you there in good shape. "

Later, as she lay recovering in a hospital room, she tried to assimilate all the events of the past few hours. Mike had gone on some errand, and left her alone to rest, but her mind was buzzing.
"Appendicitis," the doctor had said. "She should be fine now that she has recovered from the surgery, but we want to keep her a while longer, make sure she responds properly to the medication."
Gaele looked up at the window by her bed, but the blinds were closed. She listened to the bird calls, and smelled the scent of pines, through the partially opened window.
Mike came in, and she stared at him.
"Hey, babe! Got you something to brighten up the room." He set down a small, generously flowering African violet.
"Thanks, Daddy." Gaele laid her head back into the pillows and swallowed against the knot forming in her throat. His face blurred as tears filled her vision. She felt Mike envelop her with his arms, and lift her into his embrace.
"Hey," he said in her ear. "Gonna be fine. Everything’s okay."
"It's too much, Daddy... I can't deal with it... people hate me..."
"Who hates you?"
"Everybody! They all think I'm a freak!"
"Kaa-mon, you’ve had a rough week,  that’s all, and sometimes things get blown out of proportion. What about Fahtim? She seemed like she was genuinely concerned about you. Surely she's not the only friend you have."
"Well, there are others who are nice..." Gaele turned to reach for a tissue on her nightstand, and winced at the soreness in her side.
Mike grabbed the box and set it carefully  next to her on the bed. "Take it easy, will ya? You want that to heal properly. Bet it feels kinda like that busted rib, huh?"
Gaele sighed. "Yeah... poor Don, he just couldn't stop apologizing, he felt so bad."
"Apologizing?" Mike looked at her curiously.
"Well, he certainly didn't mean to do it, I know..." Gaele's voice trailed off at Mike's expression, and the realization that she'd said too much.
"Do...what?"
"It was an accident, Daddy."
"What did he do?"
"He.. kind of swung at me, I guess. It happened so fast. I had startled him, and-"
"He hit you?"
"Well...yeah. But it was an accident. It's not like he meant to hit me, or anything."
Mike chewed on his lower lip in thought. "Hm," he said at length. "It's not like Don to be THAT uncoordinated. What, was he drunk or something?"
"No, of course not! He was in bed, asleep. He asked me to wake him, and when I did, he jumped in reflex and accidentally knocked me down. I just startled him, that's all."
"Then why did you lie to us, Gaele? You said you fell on the ice!"
"I didn't want mom to worry, you know how she gets. And... I didn't want you guys giving Don a hard time about it, when he felt bad enough as it was. He was already in the doghouse over Seth, anyway."
Mike gave her a long look, then got up and paced slowly around. "Well, okay... okay. I see your reasoning behind this. I just kinda wished..." He looked up at her suddenly. "Never mind. Let's forget we had this conversation, okay?"

The next morning, she was deemed well enough to go home.
"Well, babe, this is good timing, considering that tonight is Christmas Eve," Mike said in an attempt to sound cheerful, as he drove along the Cabrillo highway.
Gaele stared out through the sloping windshield at the rain-drenched road winding ahead of her. "That's nice," she said.
Mike was quiet a moment. "Thought you might like a ride home in the Testarossa..."
"Yes, I do. Thank you."
She looked to see him grinning at her, but she could tell it was forced. "What eating at you?"
"Nothing," she said, to the window.
"You seem upset."
"I'm not upset."
"Gaele..."
"Just tired, that's all, I feel groggy from the medication, or something."
"You want to go back and get it checked out?"
"No, I'm fine."
"You sure?"
"YES, Daddy, I'm SURE. Will you quit fussing at me?"
"Sorry."
They drove in silence a while.
Mike sighed. "I dunno, I kinda feel responsible for this."
"Responsible for what?"
"You letting yourself get run down like this. Not getting enough sleep, working too hard, overstressed..."
"It's college."
"Doesn't have to be like that, does it? It isn't supposed to kill you."
Gaele suddenly felt annoyed. "I WISH you would stop SMOTHERING me! What is it, some residual guilt for not being there when I was born or something?"
"It isn't that, Gaele, and you know it."
"But you WEREN'T there when I was born, though, WERE you?"
The car braked suddenly, and pulled over to a deserted lookout point. Knowing she had struck a raw nerve, she kept her eyes on the rain speckled windshield.
"What 's going on, Gaele?"
Gaele finally turned to look at him. His eyes were filled with anger and hurt, and she looked away again, her throat too tight to speak properly. "I'm sorry, Daddy," she managed to whisper. "It isn't your fault, it isn't- it's just... I don't know..." she said, and she burst into tears.

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