Page 17 of Codi
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“I’m Denise Cartwright. I’m a friend of Becca Curtis’s—sorry, Schroeder’s. She sent me. Maybe you know her. She and Oliver—”
“Of course I know Becca!” Kyrone smiles. “And Oliver. You don’t forget a bot like him. Welcome. Got some damage to repair?”
“Yes.” I look at Codi. He remains standing next to me, peering inquisitively back at Kyrone. “This is Codi. He was tossed into a dumpster and has a few dents. Could you repair them?”
Kyrone shrugs as he comes around the counter to inspect him. Codi doesn’t step away and simply watches. “Doesn’t look like anything too devastating. Sure. We should be able to take care of that.”
“He probably needs his memory banks checked too. His previous owners wiped it.”
“Not much I can do there unless his memory was uploaded to a cloud,” Kryone says. Lucas waves at him, and his smile broadens as he waves. “I’m a little backed up today, so it’ll be a few hours. Can I call you when he’s ready?”
“Sure.” I turn to Codi. A brief shadow of uncertainty crosses his face as he regards Kyrone warily. I reach out and touch his arm, giving him a reassuring smile. “I’m going to drop Lucas off at Becca and Oliver’s and head to work, okay? I’ll be back in just a little while.”
Codi nods. “Okay.”
I glance at Kyrone. “Oh, one other thing—can you remove his chip thing?”
Codi looks confused, whereas Kyrone chuckles. “His... chip thing? You’re going to have to be a little more specific. Technically they have several of those.”
I don’t pay any attention to technical terms, not unless I’m in the hospital. A lot of what Oliver talks about when he discusses android terminology goes in one ear and out the other. “The one that prevents him from saying no.”
“Oh! The inhibitor. Sure, we’ll take care of that.” Kyrone seems pleased, flashing pearly white teeth in a broad smile.
Codi, taken off guard at my request, opens his mouth. “Denise, I—”
“Don’t worry.” I guide Lucas back to the door. “It’s going to be all right. We’ll pick you up in a few hours.”
Lucas glances over his shoulder and calls. “Bye-bye!” He looks up at me, inquisitive. “Is he going to the doctor, Mommy?”
“Sort of,” I explain as I help him into the car and fasten him into his car seat. “These are bionic engineers, so I guess they’re kinda like android doctors. They’re gonna make sure Codi’s all better.”
A small part of me wonders if I’m being wise, but I push my doubts away. I’ve never been one to fret or worry too much if I can help it. If Codi’s here to stay, it’s because he wants to be here, and nothing else.
* * *
After dropping off Lucas with Oliver and Becca at their apartment, I make my way to Carnegie General. Wearing my floral scrubs and jacket, I quickly head inside and get to work. The shift I’m covering, thankfully, isn’t a difficult one, and I head to the geriatric office.
There are two groups of people that I love working with the most: children in pediatrics, and the elderly in geriatrics. Working with kids, well, that goes without saying. Kids are adorable, mostly, when they aren’t a hot screaming mess of terror and snot.
Seniors can be pretty cute too, and they’re also fucking hilarious. They say what they think without any concern for retaliation, and they give no fucks. I might see a little old lady for one appointment, sweet as sugar and kindly as can be, and then the next appointment is an old lady just as small, but with an attitude as tall as a skyscraper.
Those kinds of gals are my life goals. Why be sweet when you can be sassy?
My last appointment for the day is a man on the relatively young end of the geriatric age range, having just turned sixty-five late last year. He’s clean-shaven with silvery hair and confined to a wheelchair.
Most wheelchairs these days are smooth, black metal, graceful and sleek, responding to small touches or shifts in weight, and provide their users with some form of independence and mobility, but not this one. Behind him, a pretty young woman with mousy brown hair and hazel eyes pushes his wheelchair into the waiting room corridor. I greet them both with a smile after calling the name “James.”
I go through the usual procedure of weight and blood pressure with James, who seems altogether unimpressed with this entire affair. “What brings you in today?” I ask as I check his vitals.
The young woman in the room with us speaks up. “We just moved here from Manhattan. We have to get a referral from a primary care giver for a new neurologist.”
“I can answer her question myself, Madison,” James grumbles. “I’m not senile just yet.” He looks at me and grunts. “She’s my daughter. Always fussing over me.”
“Yeah?” I take his temperature. “Well, New Carnegie’s a bit rough in certain places, but I don’t think it’s a bad place to live.”
Madison smiles at me. “The last doctor recommended a change in scenery. And an android too.”
