The Hospital has been busier than usual, though. Bruises and cuts from fights. Injuries from farm equipment when the operators were distracted from their jobs by senseless daydreaming that never would have happened had they still been on Phydus. A few people just doing stupid things to show how much chutz they had. And some . . . some pretty strange cases. Where people hurt themselves or each other, just because they suddenly had the capacity to feel, and they didn’t care what they felt as long as it was something.

Amy said that she could mark how quickly the effects of Phydus wore off the Feeders by how many more people would come to the Hospital each day.

My gut twists at the thought of Amy. She’s just down the hall, probably sitting in her room, hating me.

“My report,” Doc says, sliding a floppy across the desk as he sits down.

Before I look at it, I say, “Will Evie be okay?”

Doc nods. “The Phydus patch is just like any other med patch—it’s just that the meds inside it are a variation of Phydus. It’s strong enough to act quickly, but I’ve also developed an antidote patch, just in case.”

I’m still hesitant about using Phydus in any form, but at least there’s an antidote. I let the subject drop.

For a moment, I consider telling Doc what I now know about the ship, how we’re stopped. If Eldest had known, he would have told Doc. But I’m not Eldest, and Doc’s not my friend. Instead of speaking, I examine the report Doc handed me.

SHIP HEALTH EVALUATION REPORT

Previous ship population: 2,298

Current ship population: 2,296

Fluctuations in population: -2

Jordy, Rancher: suicide

Ellemae, Greenhouse Keeper: complications in external injuries

Disease and injuries:

+3 infection due to previous wounds

+18 gastroenteritis due to improper food preparation

+6 workplace injuries

+9 self-inflicted injuries and violence

+43 alcohol-related problems (poisoning, injuries, etc.)

+24 malnourishment

+63 overfeeding

Psychological and health issues

-1 depression

+8 hoarding

+6 hypochondria

+2 deviant sexual behavior

Medical notes:

+2 pregnancies

I click on the deaths and read the names carefully, memorizing them. Because here’s the simple truth—if I hadn’t taken the ship off Phydus, people like Jordy and Ellemae would still be alive. And while I could say that a shorter life with feelings is better than a longer life without, the dead can’t tell me their side.

I pause at the malnourished and overfed. Some of this is linked with the hoarding, I’m sure. People are afraid they won’t have enough food later, so they’re saving it now rather than eating it. Or they’re eating as much as they can before supplies run out.

I can’t help but think of Bartie’s warning. The way to a revolution is through people’s stomachs.

When I get to the end of the report, I ask, “Two new pregnancies?”

Doc takes the floppy back and reads over it, even though he must know what’s on it. “Oh, yes,” he says. “Both had lived in the Ward and chosen not to participate in the Season. They have, however, since decided to procreate.”