“I’ll need your details.Please swipe your wrist across the phone, ma’am.”Tiny waited for the information to reach her, read out in a robotic voice that often appeared in her dreams.“Mrs.Holden, you’ve had this model for twenty-two years and have, on numerous occasions, declined an upgrade.”
“Why would I accept another ankle when the old one doesn’t work?”
Tiny plastered on a fake smile through gritted teeth while she fought the frustration welling up inside her.“Because they’ve redesigned the functionality.Technology evolves based on the feedback from valued customers such as yourself.Why shouldn’t you benefit from the process?”
Mrs.Holden huffed.“I’ll give it some thought.”
Typing away, Tiny beamed, sensing the end of the call.“Excellent.I’ve notified your closest fitment center to expect a possible visit.We truly appreciate your input, Mrs.Holden.Please feel free to inform the technician about any improvements you would find helpful.Is there anything else I can assist you with?”she added with saccharine sweetness.
“No…thank you.I think I’m good.”
“Excellent.Please take a minute to rate my service.And have a lovely day.”Tiny pressed and held the disconnect button.Doing so bought her a few precious moments of silence.
“I don’t know how you stay so calm,” Elsa said from the right.
Tiny shrugged, understanding what drove people crazy when it came to their health.“Some complaints are valid.Others just want someone to vent to.”She gestured to the screaming person on Elsa’s line.
“…Lost his new eyeball.He bent to buckle a boot, and his eye fell out.It rolled across a street where an autodrive ran over it.That’s his sixth implant in as many months.Tokens don’t grow on trees, you know.”
Tiny squeezed her eyes shut in gratitude.Sure, she couldn’t see anything but blurred shapes, but she still had her own ‘eyeballs.’She whistled.“Different caller than yesterday’s?”
“It’s the third complaint this week alone.”
Tiny frowned at Elsa’s words.Not once did she get those kinds of clients.Hers were always for limbs far from the face.It was sweet of switchboard to screen the calls, but she didn’t need them to.
Her line chimed.She tapped the answer button and forced a cheerful, “C.C.A.complaints, how may I assist?”
“Hi,” a man whispered.“I didn’t know whether to call you or emergency services.”
She stiffened and wheeled her chair closer.“Sir, are you injured?”
“My…new appendage won’t…um…soften.”
She cupped the headset, pressing it to her ears in the hopes she’d understand him better.“For how long have you been suffering?”
“Four days.At first, my girlfriend loved it being so…readyfor her, but now… It started to ache about a day ago.”
Tiny jerked back.“Please swipe your wrist.”She listened while the system read out his details.The reality flushed her cheeks until she gave off so much heat, her eyes watered.Her fingers flew across the keyboard while she set things into action.“Mr.Adams, please head to the nearest fitment center.I’ve notified them of your situation and requested emergency services to be on standby.”
“Thank you,” he said with a long exhale.“I love my new… Well, um, I just need help calming it.”
“I understand and suggest you do not delay.”When he ended the call, she relaxed and let out a chuckle.Moments like this were what made her days—a chance to help someone.“That poor man.”She noted the limb on their shared notepad.Anything unusual—no names—was recorded for a giggle at Friday’s afternoon socials.
Elsa’s perfume drew closer.“Appendage?”She laughed.“That’s one name for it.I can’t believe you’re a doctor and you’re doing this horrible job.”She cleared her throat.“Yes, ma’am, I’ll need your details…”
Tiny zoned the call operators out and flicked to her search tab.Elsa was right.She needed something else that didn’t drain her soul.The accessibility settings helped her navigate to a career site.Her attempts to complete her residency had been met with disaster.Every hospital she’d worked at had eventually let her go, citing their facilities weren’t geared toward her disability, or they couldn’t afford malpractice lawsuits.She’d figured there had to be colonies desperate for a doctor, even a blind one.
“Medical positions…in space,” she whispered into her mic.
“Zero available,” the search engine droned.“Notification is activated for Tinika Bryant.”
She slumped.“Anything else I can do with my hands?”
She wiggled her fingers, the brush of air across her implants flashing details across her mind, such as the temperature and the carbon dioxide levels, even though her nose twitched from the stench of body sweat and someone’s reheated fish.The sensors in her hands had to be petitioned with permission granted only to emergency or blind doctors.Lucky her.It also cost her parents a fortune.If the government had known she’d never hold down a medical position, she doubted they’d have allowed the procedure.
“A masseuse position on Lunar Base,” came the engine’s unexpected response.
“Tiny, your father’s here to fetch you,” the new floor manager called.
