FORGIVENESS
TEN
"John? John? Wake up, John."
John Hart opened his eyes, blinked a few times, and focused on the face floating above him. It was the red-haired woman with the amazing eyes. What was her name? Right… Wil. Wil Beinert. She was a friend of Jack's. More than a friend…
"Welcome back, John. How are you feeling?"
"I don't know. Am I drooling?" His voice cracked hoarsely.
"No."
"Do I still have all my hair?"
"Yes."
He smiled weakly. "Then I'm okay. I've got a bit of a headache, though."
"That's to be expected. It will pass. Do you want to sit up?"
John nodded and the medical crèche slowly became a recliner again.
"Was the procedure successful?" he asked after taking a sip of water from the cup she'd offered him.
"Yes."
"Are you certain?"
Wil smiled, "What did I tell you about lying?"
"That you wouldn't."
"Correct. So that was an unnecessary question."
"Humor me."
"Yes, it was successful. Do you wish to examine the nano-cortical fibers that were removed from your brain? I've got a few of them set up in the 'scope." Wil motioned toward what looked like a very large and extremely advanced piece of scientific equipment.
"Ew, no. Why would I want to do that?"
"If you need proof. Besides, they are quite fascinating."
"You and I have very different definitions of the word fascinating. And, no, I don't need proof. What I need is some bedside manner, a little comfort. You know, maybe you could hold my hand? Kiss my forehead? Take off your clothes and lay down here next to me?"
He smiled at her and she smiled back.
"You're fine, John. And honestly, you're even more of a satyromaniac than Jack, aren't you?"
"The student never surpassed the master in that regard…"
Wil groaned.
"Is it all right if I get up?" he asked her.
"Yes, if you feel ready?"
"I do… there's just the matter of…" John glanced down at the straps which still secured him to the crèche and then looked back up at her.
"Oh, right. Sorry," Wil released the bindings and John vigorously rubbed his wrists as he stood.
"So were they necessary?"
Wil looked at him for a long time before she responded with a slow, deliberate nod.
"That bad, huh?"
"Yes it was. Do you remember anything, John?"
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose, filling his lungs. "Ah… I don't think so." He shook his head but then narrowed his eyes. "There's nothing except… well… maybe… This might sound strange. Singing? Was someone singing?"
"That would be me."
"What were you singing?"
"Mozart."
"It was beautiful. And that's no pickup line."
"Mozart gets all the credit. I'm just the instrument."
He smiled at her, almost shyly. Wil felt a small tug at her heartstrings. She could see why Jack had been so smitten by this man. He was… she did not even know how to describe him. Profoundly and intensely attractive wouldn't even come close…
"What next?" he asked her, breaking the spell.
"While you were recovering I moved The Doctor and Jack to the next room. They're ready assuming you're not feeling any detrimental affects?"
"I feel fine. But wait, you say you moved them? When? How long was I out?"
"About eight hours."
"WHAT?!"
"We thought it would be best to let you rest."
"We…? We…? Oh, right, you mean the ship and you?"
"Yes, we: Grasshopper and I. She seemed to think you were exhausted and advised allowing you to sleep. In retrospect it was, I believe, very good advice. You are likely feeling far better than you were when we arrived, no?"
"Well, considering you'd just made me lug The Doctor's comatose body ten kilometers over rough terrain, I'd say that is a safe assumption."
"No, it wasn't that. Wait…" Wil's eyes went unfocused for a few moments before she continued. "Grasshopper suspects you were pulled out of stasis – out of hibernation – improperly. Is that the case?"
John nodded silently in response.
"Normally that isn't wise. But in this case it might've just saved you from the fate that has befallen Jack and The Doctor. The physical ramifications of being yanked too abruptly out of stasis are extremely well documented, and it seems likely the chemical imbalances it produced in your brain left you less susceptible to the effects of the nanotech." She studied him closely. "On the other hand, it must've been incredibly difficult for you to, uh, hit the ground running after being so brusquely roused from hibernation."
He thought he heard an implied question in her last sentence. "You mean function properly? No, not really. I found myself in the middle of a tense situation. That was all that mattered."
Wil nodded but then went quiet. After John waited for what seemed like a reasonable amount of time he asked her, "What is it?"
She swallowed hard before answering him. "It's time to move ahead. But…"
"But what?"
"This is going to be hard for me. Assuming the procedures are successful, it will be difficult seeing Jack and The Doctor again under the current set of circumstances."
He raised an eyebrow, not so much in surprise at what she said but rather at how forthright she was. Her genuineness continued to catch him off-guard – she was acting like she'd known him for years. And for some reason he didn't quite understand, at least not yet, it was easy for him to reciprocate. "Not all difficult things are bad, Wil."
John was unprepared for her reaction – the huge smile that broke out across her face. "Funny," she said, "that's exactly what I told someone else not all that long ago."
"Well, then… there you have it. Since you don't lie we know it is the truth."