Savanna moved Maricia from Medical to her suite in quarters. One of the med-bots could watch over her there as needed. Maricia was mobile, although a bit clumsy at times and no longer needed all the medical support facilities. They slowly walked down the stairs and into her room. Raul’s dulled clothing hung in the closet. There was a picture frame on the bed stand that was splintered. The space inside was blank, faded completely by time. Maricia walked over to it and looked at it from a couple of angles before tryingto pick it up. It fell apart.
“Where is the family?” she asked.
“Do you remember that picture, Maricia?”
“It was family. It was… It was… Raul.”
“Yes, it was Raul and his parents.”
“Raul.” Maricia turned, her blue eyes brimming with tears. “Where is Raul?”
“What did Raul look like?”
“Dark”—she lifted a hand and rubbed a few strands of hair together—“hair.” She made small circles with her index finger, searching again for the word.
“Curly?”
“Curly, dark hair.”
Savanna walked to a screen. She powered it up, but it would not work. It was the first time it had been turned on since the room had last been occupied. “Come with me, Maricia.” They walked to Savanna’s room. She tapped the keyboard a few times then spoke, “Raul Trujillo, photos.”
On screen was his individual portrait. “Next.” A picture of them together appeared, a beautiful blonde Dane and a handsome, dark Spaniard.
“Where is Raul?” Maricia looked twenty years older now but remained a beautiful woman. The tears had stopped. The look on her face was happy, as if anticipating a joyous reunion.
“He has gone.” She stopped and reached for her communicator, vibrating with a message.
The happy look on Maricia’s face was replaced by disappointment. Ivanna was at the door. The message was from her. She entered and whispered to Savanna. Maricia’s short-term memory was still impaired. If she told Maricia that Raul was dead, she might forget and have to relive the trauma over again each time she was told. Savanna nodded in acknowledgment.
“We’ll talk about him in a few days. Let’s go back to your room.”
Before leaving, she closed the photo record and spoke, “Computer, maintenance request: repair the display screen in Maricia’s room.”