Cool.
That was the first thing Jonathan felt when he slowly came out of the deep blackness surrounding him.
Well, cooler at least, but he still felt warm. And he could breathe easier.
He raised his hand to wipe his face, only to find he couldn't move it up far. Something pulled it down. Jonathan opened his eyes and saw a thickly padded leather strip wrapped around his wrist. The strip was tied to the bed he was in. His other hand was restrained in a similar way.
So they did catch him after all. But he'd be damned if he stayed captive. The bands fixing the cuffs didn't look too strong, so he started pulling. The fabric didn't give, making him just pull harder and harder.
Until he heard somebody call out to him.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy, tiger, easy," a female voice said, and once more, a blurry shape appeared in his view. Something pressed down on his shoulders.
"Shhh, it's alright. You're safe. Just relax, okay, Jon-Boy?"
The blur's voice was familiar, as was the nickname. Jonathan blinked a few times to make his eyes focus. Slowly the blur's features became sharper until he could clearly recognize the face and a pair of dark blue eyes streaked with brown.
"Ella?"
The woman smiled. "You remember me. That's good. Or not, depending on what else you can remember. Quick test: what are our middle names and how long have known each other?"
"Leo and Charlotte. Almost thirty years."
"Not too bad." She leaned forward and held a small scanning device to his forehead while looking at a tablet. Apparently pleased with what she read, Ella laid the devices down on a small table and put her hands on the rails of his bed.
"So, if you promise to be a good little captain, I'll loosen the restraints and explain everything, okay?"
"Okay," he agreed hesitantly. Ella's presence could mean two things. Either was in the Passages' infirmary or somewhere in Volcania under the influence of Dread's interrogation drugs and hallucinating. He needed to find out more.
As promised, Ella loosened the bonds giving him a little more freedom of movement. Then she pulled the chair next to the bed a little closer and sat down.
"Now, what is the last thing you remember before waking up here?"
"Didn't you say you were going to explain things?"
"I will, but first I need to know how much you remember of the past few days. Please just trust me on this, Jon."
He hesitated for a moment, trying to sort his thoughts. If he really was captured, it had happened at the base. So no reason to keep that secret. As for the why… well, they couldn't hurt Jennifer anymore, just himself.
And he deserved it
"I went back to the base. I… wanted to find Jennifer. She…"
His throat was suddenly so dry, he had to cough. Ella handed him a glass of water. But instead of drinking, Jon just started at it, then at the woman in front of him.
"Oh, for fuck's sake."
She rolled her eyes, took the glass and drank from it before handing it back.
"You drug someone once, and they'll hold against you forever. Even if the drugging was necessary."
"You drugged me?"
"Yes, and it was for your own good. This water is clean. I wouldn't have drunk it otherwise."
Jon studied her for a moment. Ella was one of his oldest and closest friends. It wasn't a secret to Dread, but there were a few things he didn't know. For example, her being a terrible liar. There were none of her usual tells, so he decided to take a chance and drank.
"Thanks," he said and handed Ella the glass which she sat on the table.
"Let's get back to topic. You said you went back to the base looking for Jennifer."
He nodded and stared at the ceiling. No way back now.
"I went back because… she deserves better. She shouldn't be buried next to Blastarr."
"I see." Ella grabbed her tablet and made a note. "Jon, what date do we have?"
"Date? Why… how long was I out?"
"Quite a bit, so what's the last date on your mind?"
He thought for a moment. Why would Dread be interested in that?
"December... 26? Can't have been too long after Christmas. It was so hot in there. Hard to breathe."
"And you still went through, trying to find her?"
"Yes," he nodded. "I had to. I sent her back alone. She had to face that monster all by herself."
Tears were stinging at his eyes.
"Right before she blew up the base, she told me that… that she loved me. And I couldn't tell her that I loved her too."
Ella made a few more notes before reaching for his hand.
"Don't worry, Jon. She's not buried in your old base."
"No? The guys… did they…?"
"All of you, together. You all went back in and got her out. Remember? I know it's hard, but I need you to try, okay? Go back to the moment you last spoke to her that day."
She gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
"Take you time."
Jon leaned back into his pillow. He didn't have to try. Jennifer's words, the tone of her voice were seared into his brain.
"I love you, Jon. So much."
The memories started to flow back. Like her tearful request.
"You think of me sometimes."
Blastarr blowing down the door.
"Go to hell!"
For a second, he expected an explosion, but instead…
"And give the devil our best!"
Tank! Tank's voice followed by laser fire and static.
"Tank went back on a skybike," Jon blurted out. "The jumpship was damaged."
"Good. Go on," Ella encouraged him.
The fog lifted a little more.
Arriving in their landing bay. Matt going off to find Tank and Jennifer. He and Scout rigging up a failsafe alternative for the self-destruct. Matt rushing past them to the jumpship. Tank following with Jennifer in his arms. The long hours of waiting. The long days of waiting.
"We… we got her out," he whispered. "We brought her to you. And I punched Andy."
More images came back.
"I sat at her bed."
"For three days. Didn't sleep or eat. Fortunately, you still drank."
"That's how you drugged me. With that tea."
"My Special-tea, yes." Ella grinned, while Jon groaned at the pun. "Not sorry I couldn't resist."
"You're never sorry for your puns. Even if you should be."
He took a deep breath. More and more puzzle pieces clicked into place, slowly revealing a complete picture. Most of those pieces involved a pair of icy blue eyes.
"She's alive," he finally whispered.
Ella nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't start with that, but I needed to see if your brain could realign info on its own or if it was cooked a little too well."
"Cooked?"
"Yep. Remember when you said you felt hot? That was because you had a really high fever for a few days. It shot up to 105 and caused you to hallucinate."
"Hallucinate? Is that why…?" He raised his still bound hands.
"Yes," Ella replied as she stood up and fully unbuckled the restraints. "First you punched one of the nurses because you thought he was a clicker. We sedated you after this episode, but when it wore off, you decided to have a little adventure. Which, by the way, is the reason you're now a little unpopular with several husbands and partners, as you not just raised the bar on romance, you blew it into outer space, possibly straight to the Delta Quadrant. Because even if it was on its way to become a piece of charcoal, all your brain could think of was getting to Jennifer. You didn't even let a damn rock stop you. Thank you for that, by the way. The look on Rob's face when you lifted him out of the way was hilarious. And that squeak when you hit his ticklish spots… high quality blackmail material."
"Against him or me?"
"Both. Expect Jen and me to use it. A lot. And we have proof."
"What kind of proof?"
"You're a high-profile patient. There are cameras in the hallways. And Jen persuaded the security guys to hand her the data chip. She made sure there is no other copy than the one she gave me for safekeeping."
"Why did I ever think it was a good idea to let you two become friends?"
"Oh, it wasn't a good idea." She leaned onto the rail. "It was a brilliant one."
"I'm inclined to disagree," Jon grumbled. "So, what's caused the fever?"
"The culprit was a tick. You must have picked it up during the construction supply run to Greendale. They have an outbreak of tularemia which the tick infected you with. You're one of the lucky ones. Mortality is up to 35%."
There was a tremble in her voice at the last sentence. He'd heard that tone way too often from her. Ella had been scared. There was also something glistening in her mismatched eyes. She had been born with heterochromia, causing one eye to be half blue and half brown and the other blue with two thin brown streaks. The tears made the difference stand out more.
Without thinking, Jon raised his right index finger.
"Hey," he said, "still here."
With a watery smile, Ella pressed her own against his. "Never left."
They had developed this little ritual during the Metal Wars when they were still children needing an anchor in a world gone haywire. One thing to reassure them that not all was lost.
"Thanks," Ella whispered and wiped her eyes.
"Thank you too. For everything, including being annoying."
"Let's put a lid on the mushiness for now," Ella said and looked at her watch. "Jen will be here soon and if she sees us like this…"
"No need to worry her." Jon reached for the glass again. But instead of drinking, he just stared at it. "She's okay, right? She didn't catch it from me?"
During the attack on their first base, Jennifer had suffered severed internal injuries. Her spleen had been so badly damaged that it had to be removed. Consequently, her immune system had become compromised leading to any infection putting her at risk. Jon didn't want to imagine what this virus would do to her if it brought him down like this.
"Don't worry. Tularemia can't be transmitted from person to person. But, just to be sure, I'm still checking her temperature every day, the entire team got a preventive dose of antibiotics, and they have to report their temperature to me every morning. To make sure this happens, I roped in Vi for Matt, played the "Protect Jennifer" card with Rob and as for Mike, not even he can take a stand against the combined power of Damien and my mom."
Jon winced. "So you went straight for the big guns."
"You guys aren't exactly compliant patients," Ella shrugged. "At least Jen has some common sense in this. Though I think we could have done without the reason for that."
More memories flooded in; of that horrid year it took until Jennifer was – quite literally – back on her feet. Several setbacks had taught her to listen the hard way.
"I agree. Did she go home?"
"Vi picked her and Matt up last night. She won't let them come back until 10 AM sharp, which is about…"
A knock on the door interrupted her.
"…now. Come in!"
Jon raised his head slightly and saw a visibly nervous Jennifer walk in. He couldn't help but smile. When she saw him awake and alert, she let out a small gasp and was at his side in an instant.
"Hey," she said softly as tears welled up in her eyes. One of her hands gently touched his cheek. It felt warm, in a pleasant way.
And alive.
He reached up to cover it with his own.
"Hey yourself."
"How do you feel?"
"Much better now."
"You're still quite warm," Jennifer said and turned to Ella.
"True. His temperature is not where I'd like it to be yet, but the worst is over. He's gonna be okay," the young doctor replied.
"Thank God," Jennifer sighed. Jon could feel the muscles in her hand relax as the tension left her body.
"I also tested his cognitive skills. He doesn't seem to have any further brain damage than the one he already had."
"El, I think you know what you can do with yourself. Starts with f," Jon replied and yelped when Jennifer slapped his shoulder.
"No need. Ryan does a very good job in that department."
"T.M.I."
"Speaking of information. I didn't test his motor skills. There was no need after last night's display. That throw required some hand-eye-coordination."
"Throw? Wait. I did throw something."
"Oh yes." Jennifer chuckled. "Didn't you tell him?"
"Everything but that." A beep from her tablet caught Ella's attention. She quickly scanned over the message before turning back to Jennifer. "Can you do that? I need to go and calm down Matt before Vi knocks him into the bed next to yours."
"Will do. Good luck."
"Thanks. I'll need it. I'll bring you more cool packs later."
With that she left the room and the young couple. Jonathan gently pried Jennifer's hand from his cheek so he could kiss her palm.
"Looks like I caused quite the commotion."
"Oooh, you have no idea. It would have been quite funny if the reason hadn't been so serious."
"I'm sorry I had you worried."
"Wasn't your fault." She laced her fingers with his. "Besides, I think we're even now, for that Christmas."
"Please don't remind me of that. My brain did one hell of a job with it."
"That would explain why you were so desperately looking for me."
Tears were shining in her eyes again as she sat down.
"I thought we had come too late. That you blew core. That you were gone. Buried next to that thing."
Smiling, Jennifer gently pulled up his hand and placed it on her chest, right above her heart. It was their little routine at night, when he woke up from nightmares. Feeling the warmth of her skin, her heartbeat, every breath she took helped him relax.
It also reminded him of how lucky they had been.
"Blastarr's gone. I'm not. You aren't gonna get rid of me that easy. And I hope you plan on sticking around for a while too."
"As long as you want me."
"How does forever sound?"
"Good. Very good," he sighed. "So… tell me the rest of my adventure."
Jennifer laughed as she lowered their joined hands again.
"Well, when Matt and Mike were coming your way, you tried to hide behind a car carrying bedpans."
"Oh no… don't tell me…"
"You grabbed one and threw it into another room. But don't worry, it was clean and empty."
"Please tell me you're talking about the bedpan."
For a tiny moment he saw a mischievous glint in Jennifer's eyes, but that disappeared quickly.
"Don't worry, I was."
"Oh thank God. The staff was probably … annoyed enough at me for the excursion."
"I wouldn't say that."
That glint was back, this time accompanied by a matching grin. Normally Jon loved that combination as it meant pleasurable things were about to happen, but under the given circumstances it gave him the feeling of impending doom.
"What did I do?"
"You walked past the nurses' station in your hospital gown. You kept tugging at the collar saying this damn suit is too hot. And your tugging somehow loosened the ties in the back, so…"
"They could see my…"
"Yep. And even got a better view when you lifted Rob."
Jon groaned. "Shoot me, please."
"Can't. Left my blaster at Northstar."
Once they'd finally defeated Dread and decided to leave Northstar, Michael and Jennifer had decided to leave all their weapons behind in storage. They had seen too much death and violence during the war, they didn't want the constant reminder in their new lives.
"Besides," she said and leaned in closer. "I made sure a quick peek was all the got. After all, your ass is mine, and I don't share."
He had to smile at that. Jennifer could be pretty territorial about the things she loved. And very protective. There had been an incident with a mechanic at the Passages who had used the wrong setting on a diagnosis tool while working on the jumpship. The others later claimed they had no idea where she'd learned some of the words she'd used, but Michael had looked a little too guilty. It had ended with Jennifer being put on cleaning duty for a while and the mechanic asking for a transfer.
"How many of them have you scared off this time?"
Jennifer rolled her eyes.
"You chase off one inept mechanic once, and they'll hold it against you forever," she sighed theatrically.
"You were quite rough with him."
"He was messing around with my ship."
"You really love that ship."
"There's something I love more." She leaned over the rail, fully intending to kiss him. But Jon stopped her.
"No," he said. "I don't want you to catch it."
"Don't worry. Ella said it's unlikely. Besides, she's pumped me so full with antibiotics, I'd be surprised if I ever get sick again."
"Unlikely is not impossible. Let's not take chances."
"You kissed my palm."
"Which can be disinfected."
"Jon…"
"Please, Jennifer. I feel like shit, and those hallucinations... I don't want you to go through this."
"Okay," she relented after a moment. "No kissing your lips."
That glint again. Quickly and before he could object, she kissed his knuckles and gave him that cheeky smirk.
"You didn't say I couldn't kiss other parts of your body. So you can't complain I didn't follow your order."
"Smartass."
"It's why you love me."
"'s not the only reason," he yawned. "Got a thousand more."
One was the smile she gave him for his answer.
His eyelids were getting heavier, but he didn't want to go to sleep. He couldn't.
"I've been wearing you out," Jennifer said softly. "Why don't you rest a little?"
"Can't."
"Why not?"
Jon hesitated a moment. Then he said what had been steadily at the back of his mind since he woke up.
"What if this, you being here, is still part of the hallucination? What if I wake up and you're…"
"I won't be gone. I'll be right here, in this chair. I'm not leaving."
She reached up and ran her hand through his hair, her short nails lightly scratching his scalp. Another thing she did to make him fall asleep.
"Just relax, Jon. Go to sleep."
He kept his eyes trained on her face, wanting to burn this sight into his memory, just in case his brain was playing another trick on him. Slowly his worn-out body won out over his will to stay awake. The last thing he saw was Jennifer smiling at him.
It was also the first thing he saw when he woke up again hours later.