Niua Simoa Clinic's first patient

While Princess Sima is working very hard to improve conditions on Simoa, her husband is hatching new schemes to trap... eh... attract more tourists.

Of course this involves many late-night consultations with the only photographer on the island, Muriel Potpourri.

Very close consultation, as it turns out...

So it's no wonder that Sima couldn't reach her husband when it was time to go to the new hospital to give birth... (I suspect the phone was in his coat pocket, and his coat was in the living room, while he was occupied elsewhere.)

So Sima called Doctor Tumeke, and went to the hospital alone.

It's only fitting that the first person to be born in the new (as yet not even officially opened) clinic was Henry III Tapuwhai.

Sima stayed overnight, just in case there were complications. But other than then fact that the §150 beds aren't very comfortable, everything was fine, so Doctor Daniel Tumeke was please to let her go the following morning.

Of course Henry II had some bitter regrets about not being there for the birth. (Not that he would have done much good, but he regrets the loss of all the possible publicity photographs of him anxiously waiting in the waiting room, and handing out cigars after the birth...)

As it is, he can't even claim the honour of introducing his son to the press, since that little sneak Dylan Potpourri already sold a picture to the local paper!

Dylan didn't even get all the much money for the picture - for one, the royal family of Niua Simoa is not interesting for anyone except the royal family of Niua Simoa... And for another, he only took the picture to annoy Henry II, so he didn't really drive a very hard bargain. :)

* * *

At the end of the week, the clinic is officially opened. Dr. Tumeke opened it himself, and was presented with a wonderful picture of the building - made by LAS/ATS Studios in France - which now has the place of honour right opposite the front door:

In fact, along with the new photograph came a LOT of wonderful medical posters and some specially designed eye charts in Simlish. So now every one of the four exam rooms has its own poster:

In fact, there are posters throughout the building now.

Dr. Tumeke managed to get his hands on an old autopsy table. It's not quite ideal as an operating table, but it's better to work on than a kitchen table painted over... It is only meant for emergency surgery anyway, for any major operation he will have to refer his patients to one of the larger islands.

This room will also be used as a delivery room, if necessary. The hospital does have a good supply of bassinets, but that's about all.

So this is what the hospital looks like now. The garden in the back is where Hakopi Palefau does his plant experiments and fiddles around with robot fish - until he gets his own place set up again.

Well, I think this will have to do for the time being. At least until Daniel Tumeke comes up with a good supplier of medical equipment...