Hilarity Ensues Episode 8, part 6

   The first half hour seemed to last ages.  Patrick and the others sat in the room that once, back on earth, had been somewhere to laugh and sing, and now seemed so sad and dingy.  None of them seemed able to talk, but they didn't want to leave until it was over.  Even Patrick, who was still weak and felt tired, wouldn't leave or sleep until that hour was over.

   After half an hour Grothorne came back in to check on Ruth.  "She seems calmer," he said.  

   "Is that- good?" Tom asked.  Patrick and the others looked up, hope reawakening.  

Grothorne bent down to watch her breathing, and took her pulse.  "She is weak," he said.  "I cannot be certain, but it is likely she is slipping into the fourth stage of the disease.  I am sorry.  It seems that your choice may not be necessary any more."

   He left the room.  Patrick, Tom, Agnes and Adam were left alone with Ruth.  They looked at each other, and at her, not knowing what to say.

   "At least she won't be in any more pain," Adam said awkwardly.  Patrick didn't reply.  He felt that he had failed by not making the choice to give her the extra sedative.  He had been afraid of taking the responsibility of her death.  

   As he watched, he saw out of the corner of his eye a movement. Quickly he looked again.  There it was!  Her eyelids were flickering.  He turned to point it out to the others but at that moment it seemed that they noticed it too.

   "I...I think she's waking up," Patrick said.

   "I'll get the Empyreans," Tom said, leaving the room.

   Patrick lifted Ruth's hand and held it, watching her.  He hardly heard the others talking behind him.  "If she's waking up, will she still be able to feel the pain?" Adam asked.  Agnes shrugged.  "I don't know."  

   "Ruth?" he whispered quietly.  She made a soft moan.  He didn't know whether it was in reply or because of returning pain, as consciousness returned.  He didn't think she could understand him.  "I'm sorry," he whispered wretchedly.  "It's not fair I got through this more easily than you."

   "You were always lucky," Ruth said softly.  Her eyes opened and she smiled.  He started in surprise.  

   "You...are you ok?" he said.  "Is the pain..." 

   "It's gone," she said.  "I can move, and it doesn't hurt."  She squeezed his hand which was still holding hers.

   Tom came back with Angphir, Janella and Grothorne, who hurried over to the bed.  "It's a miracle!" Janella exclaimed.  "Praised be Brassica Rapa!"  

   The travellers looked at each other in joyful uncertainty.  Grothorne spoke gently to Ruth, "You have passed close to death, but now it seems you have recovered, beyond hope.  Sleep now, and gain strength."  He turned to Patrick.  "You too should rest."  The other travellers left the room to spread the good news throughout the ship.  The Empyreans began to clear up their equipment.  Patrick lay down and looked across at Ruth again, and exchanged a smile.  Now he was glad he hadn't made the decision earlier.  Perhaps indecisiveness could be useful, in the right circumstances.

   

   Downstairs a debate was going on.  Although everyone was genuinely glad to know that both the invalids were on the way to recovery, Zoe was beginning to get impatient again, and some of the other travellers had caught her mood.  The Hilarity was fully stocked and ready to leave, and Zoe wanted to be on their way as soon as possible.  

   "We don't know what we're going to find at home," she said, "But the longer we stay here the more likely it is that we'll be too late, or that the astroninjas will find us.  If Ruth and Patrick aren't well enough to come with us, we can leave them here and come back later, once we've sorted everything out."

   But the other earth-dwellers weren't happy with that idea.  

   "You've got no idea how long it might be before we could come back for them," Nick said.  "What are they supposed to do in the meantime?  What if something happens to the rest of us and we can't come back?  We're staying together."

   "Then why don't you all stay here?"  Zoe said.  "Will and I will go."

   "We can't just leave them, Zoe," Will protested.

   "If you two disappear, how are we supposed to get back to earth?" Ernest said.  "How do we know you'll come back?" 

   "I think we stay with you," Nick said.  "You're right about the astroninjas though.  We should leave as soon as Ruth and Patrick are fit to go."

   "It's really weird," said Emma.  "I mean, out of all of us, I wouldn't have thought that either of them would be the ones to do something like that- to be heroic."  

   "Nor would I," said Ernest.  "I suppose you just never know."

   After speaking to the Empyreans it was decided that, so long as Ruth and Patrick were still improving the following morning, the Hilarity and her crew would leave the next day.  There was general agreement that it was time to leave.  "It's about time, really," Agnes said as they went to see the invalids the next morning.  "I mean, turnip in moderation is a capital thing, but to live on turnip- turnip for breakfast, turnip for dinner, turnip for tea- to have it supposed that you care for nothing but turnip and..."

   "Thank you," said Adam.  Tom smiled.  "I can quite see that under those circumstances even turnips could become monotonous."

   They went into the dressing room.  Ruth and Patrick had woken up and were both looking much better.  The Empyreans were leaving, after much thanks.  "All you need now is rest," Grothorne said.  "You will soon be back to normal."

   "Then we are alright to leave?"" Tom asked .  Grothorne nodded.  

   "Go, and the peace of Brassica Rapa be with you," he said.  "A swift journey, and a safe arrival."  The Empyreans left the room.  The others stayed with the invalids, talking to them.  It wasn't long before they felt the ship move out of orbit around the planet and start to accelerate out into space.  The darkness closed in around them once again, and Della Crusca became just a blue and green blob gradually fading into the distance.  Ruth felt suddenly homesick, remembering how she had watched another blue-green planet recede like that.  

   Suddenly Zoe's voice came over the ship's intercom, hurried and urgent.  "Strange ships spotted coming straight for us, one on each side.  It looks like astroninjas again.  We're trapped!"

The story continues...