The radiology lab had struck out.  "They brought a nucleonics officer over from a sub tender, and he scanned the clothes.  There was a possible twenty-rad contamination, not enough for frank physiological effects.  I think what it might have been was that the nurse took the sample from the back of his hand.  The extremities might still have been suffering from the vascular shutdown.  That could explain the depleted white count.  Maybe."

"How is he otherwise?"

"Better.  Not much, but better.  I think maybe the keflin's taking hold."  The doctor flipped open the chart.  "White count is coming back.  I put a unit of whole blood into him two hours ago.  The blood chemistry is approaching normal limits.  Blood pressure is one hundred over sixty-five, heart rate is ninety-four.  Temperature ten minutes ago was 100.8—it's been fluctuating for several hours.

"His heart looks pretty good.  In fact, I think he's going to make it, unless something unexpected crops up."  Jameson reminded himself that in extreme hypothermia cases the unexpected can take a month or more to appear.

Tait examined the chart, remembering what he had been like years ago.  A bright young doc, just like Jamie, certain that he could cure the world.  It was a good feeling.  A pity that experience—in his case, two years at Danang—beat that out of you.  Jamie was right, though; there was enough improvement here to make the patient's chances appear measurably better.

"What are the Russians doing?" Tait asked.

"Petchkin has the watch at the moment.  When it came his turn, and he changed into scrubs—you know he has that Captain Smirnov holding onto his clothes, like he expected us to steal them or something?"

Tait explained that Petchkin was a KGB agent.

"No kidding?  Maybe he has a gun tucked away."  Jameson chuckled.  "If he does, he'd better watch it.  We got three marines up here with us."

"Marines.  What for?"

"Forgot to tell you.  Some reporter found out we had a Russkie up here and tried to bluff his way onto the floor.  A nurse stopped him.  Admiral Blackburn found out and went ape.  The whole floor's sealed off.  What's the big secret, anyway?"

"Beats me, but that's the way it is.  What do you think of this Petchkin guy?"

"I don't know.  I've never met any Russians before.  They don't smile a whole lot.  The way they're taking turns watching the patient, you'd think they expect us to make off with him."

"Or maybe that he'll say something they don't want us to hear?"  Tait wondered.  "Did you get the feeling that they might not want him to make it?  I mean, when they didn't want to tell us about what his sub was?"

Jameson thought about that.  "No.  The Russians are supposed to make a secret of everything, aren't they?  Anyway, Smirnov did come through with it."

"Get some sleep, Jamie."

"Aye, Cap'n." Jameson walked off toward the lounge.