I saw a medium once make a table rise. I wonder if Mike can do anything like that?"
Mike laughed. "Next thing," he said, "she'll be expecting me to fly, like you-know-who!"
"No, who?" said both Cooper and Jeanie in unison, and everyone began to laugh. Just then Horton and Larry emerged from the exam room.
"No, I'd really prefer you take it easy for a couple of days. Go back to your apartment...catch up on reading, and relax. I'll let you know when you can go back to work, " Horton was saying to Larry.
"O.k., sir," said the reluctant technician, "but I feel kind of foolish doing nothing with the lab such a mess!"
"Don't worry about it," Cooper told him, "we'll be weeks just tearing the components apart, and your assistants can do that! I won't need you 'til we start the microscopic examination of the chips to see what damage has been done. I bet there's a lot of it! But take a couple of days to rest. You're not going to get much when we start the re-build!"
"O.k.," Larry shrugged. "I need a brush-up on that matter dispersal theory, anyway! Four gray walls, here I come!"
"At least yours are gray!" Mike soothed. "Mine are chartreuse pink! And you know, it's impossible to get any paint!"
"Well, you can bear with it a few more weeks!" Horton encouraged. "I want you to take it easy, too. You can stay in your own quarters, but I want you in here daily for an afternoon progress report.
Now, how about everybody clearing out? I've got some research to do!"
Cooper looked at Horton in disbelief. "You're sending Mike home?" he half shouted. "It's too soon! You should keep him here, watch over him!"
"I don't think," said Horton, "Mike needs any watching over. He's perfectly fine now. He can take care of himself and I can't spare a nurse to go with him. I'm sure Jeanie and you will check on him from time to time. Now come on, everybody to their appointed places! There's things to be done!"
"Where are my things?" asked Mike.
"Locker A," Horton explained, "right in there. I got you a clean set of underclothes earlier and sent the others to the laundry. Your shirt and pants seem clean enough, so I suggest you get dressed and get out of my clinic! Everybody out!"
Reluctantly everybody headed for their assigned places. Mike dressed, went by the lab just to peek inside, and headed for the stairs. He could take the underground tunnel to his apartment, but he hadn't seen the sun for ages, and somebody'd said it was a clear day. So he climbed the stairs and stepped out into the sunshine. One moment he was fine, the next he was dizzy and weak. He staggered a couple of steps before he regained his senses.