Chapter Twenty-one

Jonathan was touched. In all his life he had never met this man, had not even heard him referred to. His
identity was no secret, it was just that Mother tended to be quite private about female matters. "I'm glad to
meet you, Doctor. And I'm awfully glad you're here." He had never said truer words. He was feeling a
rush of gratitude toward the physi­cian.
"I want to tell you right now that Patricia will be able to bear children normally. And there will be no loss
of sexual function. There will be a vertical scar about eight inches long, but plastic surgery can deal with
that if the patient wishes." Jonathan remembered kissing her perfect skin just above the belly button, how
sweet it had tasted. "Our major worry is that scarring to the vagina will impair sexual enjoyment for the
patient and her partners. But we tried hard to limit that."
"How badly was she hurt, Doctor?" Jonathan had to ask. He found that it was very, very important to
him.
"She had extensive vaginal injuries. She has hairline fractures in her pelvis, and one hip was dislocated.
She was as severely injured genitally as any young woman I've seen. We can count ourselves lucky that
she's going to make a good recovery."
"You make it sound like there might be something else."
"Well, I was getting to that. We don't know for certain yet, but the indications so far are that both of her
legs are paralyzed."
Jonathan was stunned. "She can't walk?"
"Not just at the moment, no. But we haven't been able to detect any injury that would cause this, so we
don't think that it's likely to be a permanent condition."
"What does that mean? Days? Years?"
"We have no way of telling, I'm sorry to say. It would be premature to take a completely pessimistic
view, though."
Jonathan left the barren little conference room and went back to Patricia. He found the priest kneeling
beside the bed with his face on his clasped hands, obviously praying. He didn't blame Father Goodwin. In
fact he envied him his faith.
When Jonathan came into her view she smiled a vague sort of a smile. Her fingers moved slightly.
He twined his own in them. They stayed like that, the two of them, silent in one another's company. After
a time the priest finished whatever prayer he had been saying, and left them alone.
18 JULY 1983
MOST PRIVATE
To: The Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Defense of the Faith
From: The Chancellor for the Inquiry in North Amer­ica
Your Eminence:
This is to inform you that Brother Alexander Thomas Parker (b. 12 Oct. 1942, + 17 Oct. 1942, ord.
22 June 1964, Judist, Soldier of Christ, Inquisitor-Captain) has been martyred in the line of duty.
Be­cause he was tortured we must assume his cell to have been compromised.
As a result I have withdrawn the cell from the Night Church Congregation Holy Spirit and am now
in the process of regrouping around a new cell leader.
This will result in a period during which we will be intelligence-blind.
The following personnel shifts have occurred:
1. Brother Alexander Thomas Parker, deceased by reason of fire applied to the body by hostile
persons. Martyr.
2. Brother Julius Timothy, transferred to Prefec­turate of the West, service in California.
3. Brother George Robert Yates, transferred as above.
4. Sister Marie-Louise D'Aubusson, invested as Captain-Inquisitor, ordered to form a new cell for
penetration of the Night Church Congregation Holy Spirit.
Under separate cover please find a request for $2,114.28 to cover travel expenses involved in these
changes.
A layperson (Terence Quist, b. 22 Nov. 1933, + 25 Dec. 1933, conf. 5 April 1945, single, K. of C,
CCD) in the process of being recruited by Brother Alexander has been abandoned. Recruitment had
not proceeded far enough to justify shifting to another operative, and I prefer to let the new
Captain-Inquisitor bring in her own people.