"I never seen a back quite like this, Doctor Smith," Doctor Paris said.

"And you never will," Smith said. "Please repair the other injuries."

"I find it hard to do so when they all look the same," Paris said. "I've been told that there are wounds I can't repair on you."

"The big blobs are the ones you can get rid of," Smith replied, his chest resting against the bed.

"All of them are blobs," Paris replied

"You can't remove the long, line like blob on the right shoulder," Smith elaborated. "It's a permanent decoration of my body."

"Oooh," Their eyes lit up. "then I can fix those other injuries."

"Do as much as you can, Doctor," Smith replied.

Don saw Smith's strange back.

Half of it looked human while the other half did not look human at all.

The physician applied the device onto his bruised, swollen back.

The swelling with the blobs went down making them appear removable with a simple pinch.

Another device was taken out then applied above the injury. Fresh green-gray skin covered the exposed long blue vein. Smith was visibly trembling on the bed like a scared cat taken in for medical care. Don's eyes went over to Smith's shoulders where there was obvious scarring like he had been through worse. The scars were in tatters, aged, and harmless as though undergoing some form of torture that damaged his skin.

The scarring was sagging, perhaps worse than any other war scar that Don had seen. He hadn't seen that kind of scarring from the other Smith when the doctor had his back to him donning a well earned bad tan. Smith's eyes glared in the direction of the Major with his facial features not displaying fear. The surgeon removed the blue jelly-like blobs onto a rounded bowl. Paris sealed the wound up using two medical tools to sew it up.

"What are you looking at, Major?" Smith asked.

"Those scars," Don said. "I never seen anything like it."

"'It was a long time ago," he amusingly laughed. "Well, to me it was."

"Was it from the Millennial war?" Don asked.

"Wars," Smith corrected. Smith then nodded back. "Spies don't get caught in war."

"Except you did," Don said.

"Once," Smith said, as he seated himself up on the edge of the bed. Smith raised a brow. "Your Smith didn't get caught?"

"Not at all," Don said.

"How kind," Smith said. Smith put on his shirt then smoothed it out and faced the major with a look of sympathy. "I admire your strength keeping yourself together with that grief on your shoulders."

"Is it that obvious?" Don asked.

"Yes," Smith nodded. "To a professional psychologist."

"Oh Smith," Don said, with a laugh as he had his hands on his hips shaking his head. "It's good to see you."

"As if," Smith said, in disbelief. "I find it hard to believe that the crew of the Jupiter 2 would be happy to see me."

"Right, right," Don said, nodding his head, "You are from the gritty, dark universe."

"Yes," Smith said. "we don't really like each other. Your 'earthling' family can't stand you."

"My family on Earth is better than my counterparts version," Don said. "Only thing they can't stand are my bad, dirty jokes."

"Dead on arrival, I presume," Smith said.

"Uh huh," Don said, earning a laugh from Smith.

"That is funny," Smith said. "and you were trying to 'dethaw Judy' last I had seen."

"Did I hear you right?" Smith nodded in return. "That is not how I do my romance. That is not how anyone courts a woman. That's just. . ." he shook his head, grimacing. "That is not right. If she is not interested then she is not interested in me. Just how was I dethawing her?"

"Spare me the unnecessary questions, Major," Smith replied. "you wouldn't like it. It's insulting enough to you."

"Dethawing isn't giving me a good idea of what our relationship is like," Don said.

"It's like you and Judy are the couple created for comical relief," Smith said.

"You're right," Don said. "I hate it."

"I hope when we meet again that your grieving will be over," Smith said.

Don did not seem to be so certain raising a eyebrow back in return.

"Given your tendency to be making trouble, it'll be less than a month," Don said.

"I left to protect the children," Smith said. "I am certainly not going back."

"The professor would like to offer finding a inhospitable planet to leave you on," Don said."We don't have a good map but we find danger and resources."

"More like adventure," Smith added, earning a nod from Don.

"You want a to die on a planet that has no wildlife. Nothing to get infected from your death and spread all over. You want a planet that is like hell. One that you can walk in with your dignity. Is that what you want?" Don asked. Smith nodded in return. "We are not asking you to become part of our family, we are offering to help you find that planet. The Intergalactic police won't admit they have a planet and likely will stall in every way they could from helping a man of your skills commit suicide."

"You are not just making this up as you go along because you need a doctor familiar to the equipment William has," Smith said, eying the major suspiciously.

"Not making it up," Don said, holding his hands up defenselessly. "John approved and so did Maureen."

"I will consider it," Smith said, with a nod.

"You have starting from now to ten to decide," Don said. "That is how long the offer lasts." Don walked away from Smith.