Unity inAfferify Thealarm goesoff at quarter to five. Istretch, then bury my head in my pillow, bur realize I don’t even have time for a nine-minute snooze reprieve. Dian is still asleep. She'd come in early this morning after a sept meeting, and she was never much of a morning person anyway. When I kiss her cheek, she grimaces sleepily and pulls her pillow over her head. Grinning tiredly, I swing my feer out of bed and onto the cool wood of the floor. I shower quickly, pull on my serubs, and grab few hardboiled eggs for breakfast on my way. The whole pot of coffee goes in a thermos — I've got more than a hundred miles to drive this morning before the clinic opensat takeafew moments to start fresh pot — something tells me Dian will need it too —and hop behind the wheel of the truck. ‘When I wake up in the moming, the sun is up, the birds are chirping their merty’ little heads off, and Helena is long gone. I'm not even sure when she got up —herside of the bed is cool, and the day is starting to warm up already. It's 9:43. Almost six hours of sleep. Not too bad. probably should have gotten up earlier, though. I've got business at the sept. The pot of coffee Helena so thoughtfully left for me has cooked itself down toabout five cups. That'll be a good kick in the pants. I splash cold water on my face fromthe kitchen sink —no sense taking a shower, 'm just yoing to get filehy again today. Grabbing my rucksack from the closet, 1 start packing. My “first aid kit” goes in thete threaded with silk to hold the worst messes together, and several yards of bleached muslin to bind up the rest, My nine-volt utility flashlight, after I check the battery —eversince Helena woke up the spirit in it, it draws twice as much power as it used to. Helena says it tums itself on because it doesn’ like the dark, and if didn't leave it in the closet it would be happier. Lunch, Finally, I go back to the bedroom and open the chest at the foot of the bed, reverently lifting out my labrys in its leather and wool wrappings. I ask the forgiveness of the labrys’ spirit for the indignity of being carried about upside-down in pack, promising that it will see use today — and hopefully battle. Ishoulder the pack then, and hike off down the road. needles I's been a typical day at the clinic so far. I'm only here for three days every two months. Offi cially, I'm simply here to keep an eye on the general health of the population, to provide the very basics of care and advice; serious ot urgent cases are to be referred to the doctors at the county hospital in 2 Black Furies