Manitou Springs, a resort town just outside of Colorado Springs, had the most charming downtown Carla had ever seen. "This was a wonderful idea, Jason. I haven't been outside the OSI facility since I arrived!"

Jason flashed a smile at her. "I thought you might like this place."

They walked at a leisurely pace down the sidewalk, past quaint shops and restaurants. It was early Saturday evening and the street was filled with both locals and vacationers. Occasionally they would get the odd glance.

"I'm afraid we're a bit overdressed," Carla observed as she looked at their attire. Jason was wearing a dark blue suit with a tie and she was dressed in a grey spaghetti-strapped dress that matched her eyes and skimmed her curves. Sparkly dangling earrings and strappy high-heeled sandals completed her attire. Her long sandy brown hair was up, showing off her long creamy neck. Everybody else was dressed casually.

Jason laughed. "Not for where I'm taking you next."

She smiled. They had only been dating for three weeks but so far it was going well. She really liked Jason and was curious to see where this relationship would go.

Jason pointed off into the distance. "Look at the view of Pike's Peak from here. Isn't it beautiful?"

"Wow!" Carla exclaimed.

Just then a small store caught the corner of her eye. The sign on it read Theo's Toys. "Look, Jason, a toy store! Let's go take a look!" She took his hand and pulled him across the street.

Jason gave her an odd look. "Umm, is there something you haven't told me?"

Carla laughed. "No, I don't have any children hidden away anywhere. I promise."

They went inside the store.

"Then why are we in a toy store?"

"It's for a patient."

"How old is this patient?" Jason had never heard of children being hospitalized at the OSI facility.

Carla just smiled since she wasn't allowed to divulge that information. "I'm looking for games…something to help pass the time."

When they got to the game aisle, Carla began rummaging through the games.

"How about this one?" Jason held up Chutes and Ladders.

Carla giggled and shook her head. The thought of Steve playing Chutes and Ladders struck her as funny.

"Oh, this might work." She spotted a Scrabble game.

"Oh, okay, so we're talking about an older kid," Jason said, fishing for more information, which Carla wasn't giving.

Jason noticed a deck of cards. "How about cards? Can't go wrong with cards and you can play a lot of different games with them."

Carla frowned, thinking about how Steve wouldn't be able to play cards with only one hand.

Jason noticed the frown. "I guess cards are out."

Carla shook her head sadly. "Yeah, that won't work."

Jason pulled out another game. "Okay, it sounds like you have a brainy kid who may have some physical challenges. How about this?" He held up a chessboard.

Carla's face brightened. "Yes, I think that will work!"

As Carla was paying for the games at the checkout counter, Jason noticed a Bigfoot action figure nearby. He picked it up and laughed. "You know, when I was a kid I actually believed he existed."

The drive from downtown to the restaurant was short. Jason pulled his sports car in front of a stately old manor.

Carla's jaw dropped when she saw it.

"Welcome to Briarhurst Manor Estate, milady."

"Who lives here?" Carla asked.

"Nobody anymore. But it was built in 1876 by the founder of Manitou Springs, Dr. William Bell. Now, it's a restaurant and on the list of the top fifty most romantic restaurants in the US."

"Well, it is beautiful," Carla said, awed.

Jason got out of the car and walked over to the other side, opening the door for Carla.

Once inside they were quickly seated. Jason couldn't help notice the approving glances of other men in the restaurant when they saw Carla. He was proud to have such a beautiful woman on his arm.

During dinner they chatted about hobbies, sports, and politics, being careful not to discuss their jobs.

Carla's curiosity finally got the best of her. "I know we're not supposed to talk about our jobs, but I'm curious what made you decide to work for the OSI."

"I guess that's a safe subject," Jason replied. He thought for a moment. "I think it has to do with the projects. The OSI is on the cutting edge of technology and science and to be involved in that was and is very exciting to me. What about you?"

"Well, I love nursing. That's all I've ever wanted to do. I've never thought about cutting edge science and those sorts of things but when a doctor I greatly admire asked me to be head nurse on a project that, frankly, blew my mind, I had to say yes."

Jason thought for a moment. "So you're not on the regular nursing staff of the hospital?"

"No, and I've probably already said too much," Carla replied nervously.

"No, most of us work on projects here. You're not giving anything away," Jason assured her. Jason looked troubled though.

"What is it?" Carla asked.

"Well, I know I'm jumping to conclusions here but I'm having a problem reconciling a nurse who obviously cares enough for her patients to buy them toys with someone who is okay with experimenting on children."

"It's not what you are thinking," Carla replied. "Trust me on that, okay?"

Jason smiled at her. "Okay."

It was close to midnight when Jason dropped off Carla at the hospital. She told him that she wanted to drop off the games so she wouldn't have to bring them back in the morning and that she would walk home. He wanted to wait for her but she insisted that he go so he gave her a quick kiss and then left.

Carla entered Steve's room. The room was dimly lit but she could make out Steve's still form on the bed. Walking quietly over to a nearby cabinet, she opened it.

"Wow."

Carla spun around in surprise to see Steve appreciatively looking her up and down.

"What are you doing awake?"

"Couldn't sleep. Apparently, since there isn't that much of me left, I don't need as much sleep." Steve couldn't take his eyes off Carla. "Hot date?"

Carla smiled. "You could say that."

"Oh."

Finally, Steve noticed the bag Carla was holding. "What's in the bag?"

"A couple of games for us to play. Do you like Scrabble and chess?"

"I've played chess but I've never played Scrabble. How about we play it right now?"

"Now?"

"Yeah, well, I'm bored. I've been staring at the ceiling for hours."

Carla put the games in the cabinet and shut the door before walking over to Steve. "You need to get some sleep. We'll play a game tomorrow."

"Just one game?"

"No. Now go to sleep," Carla replied firmly. "Goodnight." Then she walked out the door.

Steve was disappointed that Carla didn't stay. He wanted her company more than he wanted to play a game. After his escape attempt last week he noticed that she had been spending more time with him. He didn't mind. The company was welcome even though he suspected they were trying to keep him occupied. But seeing Carla all dressed up made him look at her in a new way. She wasn't just his nurse. She was a beautiful woman. With a pang, he realized just how much he missed women. He usually always had a date or two lined up. He couldn't remember ever having a dry spell this long.

He thought about all the women he ever had in his life. He remembered his first crush in the third grade, Jaime Sommers. He had thought she was the cutest little blonde he had ever seen. Their families became good friends so he got to spend a lot of time with Jaime. They grew up together. He remembers spending hours batting tennis balls to her. She got really good and was always beating him. He remembers how they dated during his senior year of high school. Boy did he ever get teased by his friends for dating a freshman. But then he left for college and they lost touch. Jaime went on to become a tennis pro and was doing quite well last he heard.

Then he met Karen in college. He was the college football hero and she was a pretty cheerleader. They dated, fell in love, and got married shortly after graduation. Life was good and Karen had been so excited when the Kansas City Chiefs came calling, wanting to recruit Steve to the pros. But Steve had his sights set on the moon and he turned the offer down. Karen had been furious with him for that decision. She couldn't understand why he would turn down such a lucrative opportunity for some crazy dream of going to the moon. But Steve had a plan and he knew he needed to become the best pilot he could be. He wanted to learn to fly a helicopter so he signed up with the Army and flew a helicopter gunship for a year in Vietnam. It was during that year that he received the divorce papers from Karen's lawyer. He was shocked and devastated. He thought that she would eventually come to understand how important his dream was to him but she didn't and she wanted out. The day after he received the divorce papers he had to fly a mission. He tried to put the divorce out of his mind and concentrate on the mission but his mind wasn't where it should have been that day and his helicopter was shot down. He was lucky. Nobody died and he only broke a few ribs. It was during his stay at a military hospital that his body and spirit recovered. He had lost Karen but he was determined to go on with his plans to become an astronaut, so after his recovery, he transferred to the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base.

After test pilot school, Steve met Barbara at a friend's party. They hit it off, started dating, and before long were making plans to marry. It was during this time that Steve was rising through the Air Force ranks and NASA took notice. When NASA offered him the chance to go through astronaut training, he jumped at the chance. His dreams were starting to come true. Unfortunately, the rigors of NASA training left very little time for their relationship, and Barbara, feeling abandoned, broke off the engagement.

For the past few years, he hadn't been in a serious relationship, although he had dated regularly. He loved women and wanted to find the "one" and have a permanent relationship but he hadn't found a woman who could handle his demanding schedule.

Now, as he looked down at his broken body, he realized that he may never find the "one." Even if he looked whole after surgery, how would a woman feel about making love to a man who was as much machine as human? Letting out a sigh, he berated himself for feeling sorry for himself.