Text excerpt from a video-taped interview with Doctor Amelia Kirkpatrick, personal Healer to Lady Joanna Lathomier
Dateline 18 Deccim, 2138
Jones: Doctor, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! I’m sure you are a very busy woman, so I will try to be as brief as I can. There are many questions our readers have that you are just the woman to answer.
For example, we here at Shadow Valley Reader — and of course at KSVY/VSHV Channel 9 — have received many queries as to the health of Lady di Lathomier’s chronicler, Miss Aurora Lynne Skye, who—as you know—collapsed during an interview with me a few days ago, and we were hoping that you would be willing to discuss her condition… (looks at her guest hopefully) But if that is something you would rather not discuss…
Kirkpatrick: You’re welcome, of course, Selby. And I can assure you that Miss Skye is recovering well. But, as for speaking about Miss Skye’s case, well, I only have a little information that I can give to anyone. But I will tell you what I can, of course, within the limitations of Healer-patient confidentiality.
Jones: (Nods) Of course. Any information you can share would be more than many of us have had, Doctor.
Kirkpatrick: Normally, my schedule is so tight that I might not have been able to give this interview, but as you pointed out, this is a special case. Miss Skye is very important to Lady di Lathomier and all the family. After all, she has been working for Lady di Lathomier so long that she is practically a member of the family by now. And as a result, of course, she is receiving the very best care.
It is my opinion– and that of the rest of the healers on staff at Mercy General– that her collapse was brought about by stress and shock.
Jones: I can believe that! She seemed… exhausted when she was here last. But she said she was okay to do the interview…
Kirkpatrick: (Sighs) She was trying to do too much… for far too long, and the shock of finding out about Lady di Lathomier’s recent loss was simply too much for her to handle. Of course, that is one of the hazards of being an over-achiever, working for an over-achiever, I guess. But she has been answering her fan mail, so many of your readers who have been kind enough to ask after her have been apprised of her condition by her directly.
I think I have convinced her not to work so hard, and I have asked Lady di Lathomier not to load her down with so much work that she feels pushed to work harder than Miss Skye can actually handle in any given day.
Jones: Well, do you think she will listen to such sage advice? I mean… she was just… so still before the EMT’s arrived. I’m not even sure that she was breathing for at least a minute before the doctor on staff here at the paper arrived and began mouth-to-mouth. I’m not ashamed to admit that I have been worried about her myself, and so were many of the staff here.
Kirkpatrick: Don’t worry, Selby. She will listen if she wants to get better. (laughs) But so far, she has been a model patient, only asking for a few sheets of paper and her pencils. I’m sure she will be back at work soon, though with a much reduced work load, to prevent this situation from happening again. After all, its one thing when it is the Queen fainting again, but it is entirely another when it is a human woman like Miss Skye.
Jones: Okay, how about we change topics for a minute?
Kirkpatrick: That would depend on the topic, but okay…
Jones: What can you tell us about the persistent rumors of the attacks that happened again this year at Summer Competition, Doctor? Was there any damage to the College of Saint Olwen while they were on site this time? Is there any word on who the perpetrator could be? I mean, with you having the Queen’s ear on this… I would think that you would know every possible thing about this situation…
Kirkpatrick: I can’t deny the existence of the attacks; they were all over the news for the entire run of the event. But this time, I don’t know that much about them. And I don’t know ‘everything there is to know about them’, either. (raised fingers hooking ‘air quotes’, then her hands drop to her lap once again)
Most of the time, I am not privy to what goes on at the Council Meetings—unless the Queen deigns to tell me about it—and so, therefore, I know almost nothing about how the cases are progressing, except to know that if they are vampiric in nature, that makes them the purview of the King to mete out justice.
Jones: So how many were actually vampiric in nature? (breathy question)
Kirkpatrick: Most of them were found to be vampire attacks this time, as far as I know. And though I have dealt with my fair share of cleaning up the aftermath of vampire attacks in my time, that doesn’t mean that I know who was attacked.
And even if I did, it wouldn’t be very professional of me to mention them if I did. Not to mention the fact that I would be among the last to know who had done it, having to find out about it on the news like any other person in the Valley.
And no, none of our group were among the attacked. But the details are something you should consult with the Shadow Valley Police Department or the Shadow Guards about. It is an ongoing investigation though the event was a bit less than nine months ago… so you might not get that much from them yet.
Oh, I see. You want to know if we were involved in any of them. That much I can give you. No, we weren’t even onsite when they happened. And though there might have been a few members of our household onsite this time, most of our group stayed home to show our solidarity with the King and Queen as they prepare to welcome their most recent child.
Jones: Why didn’t you go to the event this time? I thought it was an annual thing for your group.
Kirkpatrick: It usually is. This year, we had just found out that the Queen was pregnant again, and I didn’t think that it was in her best interest to be exposed to such stress as getting ready for an event would be for her at that point in her gestation. After all, she had lost two babies before the beginning of this pregnancy, to that exact situation, as you know. Of course, that doesn’t keep her from attending to Council business, or performing her duties as Queen, though I have begged her to slow down with them too, at least until the baby arrives.
Jones: When is her Majesty due, if you don’t mind me asking? Any hints on the gender of the child?
Kirkpatrick: Any day now. But they would prefer to be surprised on the topic of gender. (Pauses, looking thoughtful, eyes drifting out of focus) Oh. (eyes refocus) I hate to have to cut this short, but I should really be getting back to my rounds, Selby. I’ll make sure Marcelyn has the birth announcement when the baby arrives, shall I? (rises to her feet)
Jones: Of course, Doctor. I presume that her Majesty will be delivering at home, as always?
Kirkpatrick: Unless there are complications with this one, which I don’t foresee there being any. We’ll make sure that the paper and the station gets the announcement when the time comes. But I really should get going.
Jones: I’ll walk you out, if I may…
–Tape Ends–
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