He eases himself into one of the chairs, frustrated with the limitations of his body just now, trying to keep those same frustrations out of his expression and voice. "Sveta — Dr. Nazarova — told me she'd seen to you, too."

Fraser settles back, breathes carefully against his damaged ribs. "I'd brought those back from Lakeside, but I thought, since you were recuperating, you might be looking for ways to pass the time."

He smiles, slight. "If I could have brought a chessboard, I would have. Maybe next time. But for the time being, I thought you might enjoy these... they're largely meditations on nature and man's relationship to the world and his fellow men."