"Brian Lumley - Psychomech 01 - Psychomech" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lumley Brian)

‘Why, yes,’ she answered, plainly indignant. ‘Did you think you were the only one in the world who was-’
The truth struck him like a thunderclap. ‘Blind!’ he finished it for her.
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘I’m blind.’
He reached over the edge of the bed, found his sheets and covered himself. Then he laughed again, and much
louder.
‘Oh?’ she said, her voice stiff. ‘And is something funny?’
‘Look,’ he said, ‘I’m sorry. When I thought you could see me I pretended not to mind,’ he chuckled again. ‘And
when I learned you were blind I covered myself up!’
‘I don’t understand,’ she said.
‘Neither do I!’ he laughed again, then quickly sobered. ‘Will you sit down? What’s your name?’
‘I’m Vicki,’ she told him, perching herself on the edge of his bed again. He sat up and took her face in his hands. It
was a slim face, elfin. Her ears were small, her hair brushed back and falling over her shoulders. Her eyes had a slight
tilt. Smooth skin. High cheekbones. A small nose. A pert little mouth.
‘You have a sexy face,’ he said. ‘Vicki.’
‘Oh?’ She took his hands and held them. ‘Is that supposed to flatter me? Am I supposed to be pleased?’
‘It pleases me,’ he told her frankly.
She let go his hands and stood up. ‘You are to get dressed,’ she said, ’and come and have breakfast.’
‘OK,’ he answered, ’help me dress.’ He swung his legs out of bed.
‘I will not! Your pyjamas are on the chair by the bed, and there is a robe hanging behind the door. Why should I
help you? Can’t you dress yourself?’
‘Well, I seem to remember it was you undressed me!’
There was a moment of silence, then she giggled. ‘I did not. But I do begin to understand. So, you thought I was
your own little nymph, eh?’
Garrison began to feel foolish. He should have known it was too good to be true. ‘Er, look, I—’
‘I brought your drink,’ she told him. ‘I spoke to you and fluffed out your pillow a little. But Nurse undressed you,
not I.’
‘Jesus!’ said Garrison.
‘Willy Koenig warned me about you,’ she said, her voice dry. ‘He said you must be one of the least handicapped
blind men he’s ever seen. In fact he’s not quite sure you even know you’re blind yet!’
‘Jesus!’ Garrison said again. ‘Listen, I—’
‘Sit still,’ she laughed, bending over him. ‘My turn.’ Her fingers were warm on his face. ‘You’re a handsome boy,’
she finally said, ’but only a boy.’
‘Oh? And you’re a woman of the world, I suppose? Listen, I’m my own man, twenty-one, an ex-soldier - or soon to
be - and if you knew me better you wouldn’t call me a boy.’
‘I am five years older than you,’ she told him. ‘I’ve been blind since I was fifteen and I’m probably far more
experienced - in just about everything.’
On impulse he kissed her fingers where they touched his lips. They tasted sweet. ‘Your breasts are throwing body
heat in my face,’ he told her, and at once heard her breathing quicken.
‘You are much too forward for my liking, Richard Garrison,’ she told him. She stepped away from him and tossed him
his pyjamas, which wrapped around his head. ‘Now hurry up and I’ll show you the bathroom, and when you’ve
washed we’ll go down. You can shave and dress later. Life is slow and very pleasant here, as you’ll discover. But
since staff are few, schedules are important. And you are late for breakfast.’
‘One thing,’ he said; disentangling himself and pulling on his pyjama trousers. ‘Why did you gasp when you woke
me up? You said good morning, and then you gasped. That’s why I thought you could see. I thought perhaps you
had seen my eyes - or perhaps my nakedness.’
She led him to a door and pushed him gently through into a bathroom whose surfaces were soft and rounded,
closing the door after him.
‘Well?’ he called through the door.
‘Oh, that,’ she said, offhandedly. ‘It was just that I tripped over your bedclothes where you had thrown them. I
almost fell.’