"Impossible? You won't even try?"
"My dear patient, the wrecked ship is hundreds of millions of miles
behind us. The expedition has its appointed task. It cannot retrace its
steps. It cannot waste time searching the emptiness of space for a
stereo which may not even exist any longer."
"Yes, you're right ... I'm sorry I asked, Doctor."
He read either her mind or the hopelessness in her voice. He said, "Do
not make any rash plans. You cannot carry them out, you know."
"I'll find a way. Sooner or later I'll find a way to do something to
myself."
"You are being very foolish. I cannot cease to marvel at how foolish you
are. Are many human beings like you, psychologically?"
"I don't know, Doctor. I don't care. I know only what's important to
me!"
"But to make such a fuss about the merest trifle! The difference in
appearance between one human being and another of the same sex, so far
as we can see, is insignificant. You must learn to regard it in its true
light."
"You think it's insignificant because you don't know anything about men
and women. To Fred and me, it's the difference between life and death."
He said in exasperation, "You are a race of children. But sometimes even
a child must be humored. I shall see what I can do."
But what could he do? she asked herself. The ship was a derelict in
space, and in it, floating between the stars, was the stereo he wouldn't
make an attempt to find. Would he try to get a description from Fred?
Even the best human artist couldn't produce much of a likeness from a
mere verbal description. What could someone like the Doctor do--someone
to whom all men looked alike, and all women?
* * * * *
As she lay there, thinking and wondering, she had only the vaguest idea
of the passage of time. But slowly, as what must have been day followed
day, she became aware of strange tingling sensations all over her body.
The pains she had felt at first had slowly diminished and then vanished
altogether. What she felt now was not pain at all. It was even mildly
pleasant, as if some one were gently massaging her body, stretching her
muscles, tugging at her--
Suddenly she realized what it was: New limbs were growing. Her internal
organs must have developed properly, and now the Doctor had gone ahead
with the rest of his treatment.
With the realization, tears began to roll down her cheeks. _Tears_, she
thought, _real tears--I can feel them. I'm getting arms and legs, and I
can shed tears. But I still have no eyes._
_But maybe they're growing in.... From time to time I seem to see
flashes of light. Maybe he's making them develop slowly, and he put the
tear ducts in order first. I'll have to tell him that my eyes must be
blue. Maybe I never was beautiful, but I always had pretty eyes. I don't
want any different color. They wouldn't go with my face._
The next time the Doctor spoke to her, she told him.
"You may have your way," he said good-naturedly, as if humoring a child.
"And, Doctor, about finding the ship again--"
"Out of the question, as I told you. However, it will not be necessary."
He paused, as if savoring what he had to tell her. "I checked with our
records department. As might have been expected, they searched your
shattered ship thoroughly, in the hope of finding information that might
contribute to our understanding of your race. They have the stereos,
about a dozen of them."
"A _dozen_ stereos? But I thought--"
"In your excitement, you may have forgotten that there were more than
one. All of them seem to be of yourself and your husband. However, they
were obviously taken under a wide variety of conditions, and with a wide
variety of equipment, for there are certain minor differences between
them which even I, with my non-human vision, can detect. Perhaps you can
tell us which one you prefer us to use as a model."
She said slowly, "I had better talk about that with my husband. Can you
have him brought in here, Doctor?"
"Of course."
* * * * *
She lay there, thinking. A dozen stereos. And there was still only one
that she remembered. Only a single one. They had posed for others,
during the honeymoon and shortly after, but those had been left at home
on Mars before they started on their trip.