Summary: What happens when Asha and Logan talk about what happened the
night before.
Chapter Eight
When Asha awoke the next morning, she wasn't sure if she had been dreaming about what had happened. She opened her eyes slowly, not wanting to spoil the dream. But the bed was empty; Logan was nowhere to be seen and his wheelchair was no longer beside the bed. She heard water running in the bathroom, so she surmised that he was in the shower. For a minute, she wondered if she dared join him, then decided that she should take it slow and not spook him. The previous night had been a good start.
She lay back in the bed, unwilling to relinquish Logan's scent on the sheets. Lying on her back, she knitted her fingers beneath her head and stared at the ceiling. She smiled.
She may have dozed off; she wasn't sure. But she fully awoke when she heard the bathroom door open. Logan rolled into the room, clad only in a tee shirt and black silk shorts. Asha eyed him admiringly.
"I see you still like silk shorts. Some things never change," she commented.
"I always liked the feel of silk," Logan replied. "I guess now it's just from habit, since I can't feel the fabric against my skin any more."
"It's still very sexy." She had to admit that Logan was still very sexy too, sitting there in the wheelchair, barefoot. Although his legs were lifeless, they had shape and definition; it was obvious that he'd been working out a lot.
"You always did have nice legs, you know. You still do, even if they don't work."
His response was an embarrassed laugh. He wheeled over to the dresser and pulled out cargo pants and a pair of socks. As Asha watched, he shinnied into the pants, balancing on one hand while he lifted his hips. Then he pulled the socks over his limp feet and put on sneakers. Asha noted, with a lump in her throat, that the soles of the sneakers were pristine. She swallowed hard.
"I guess I should get up," she said.
"No hurry. I'm just going to go over more of the files we got. I've still got a couple of boxes to rat through. Wanna help?"
"Maybe later. I've got some errands to run. If we're gonna stay in Seattle, we need to set up a command base. That means equipment - radios, phones, a computer, stuff like that. So we should start to acquire it."
"Great. Well, let me know what I can do. I have a lot of contacts who have ah, high tech stuff they'd like to unload for a good price."
"I'll bet you do." Asha laughed as Logan rolled out into the hallway. A few minutes later, he was in the kitchen, whistling to himself. Neither of them had mentioned the precious night.
*****
After a hearty breakfast, Logan went back to the boxes of records, while Asha perused real estate ads in the paper, looking for a new base of operations for the S1W.
"You know," Logan said, after Asha complained about the rental prices of houses for the third time, "you are all welcome to stay in that safe house as long as you like. Eyes Only has a couple more scattered around. He probably wouldn't miss it."
"Thanks, Logan. I'll let the guys know." She dialed a number on her cell phone.
"Hey," she said a minute later. "Logan said it's OK with Eyes Only if you stay there for a while. Yeah, it is, isn't it? I'll be down in a little while. See you then." She hung up.
"Logan, I've got to go meet with the guys. Lee is going to buy a car today so we'll have permanent wheels. Things are beginning to line up."
"Terrific. Just let me know what I can do to get the S1W set up here."
"I sure will. Thanks for all your help." Asha got up from the couch and grabbed her backpack.
"Back at ya. Couldn't have pulled off that raid without your help."
"Well, I've gotta go. Catch ya later." She kissed Logan on the cheek and left.
Logan went back to looking through the boxes for Manticore files. Everything that he thought referred to that covert operation went into one pile; everything else went into a box for storage or possibly shredding. He pored over the records all morning and had only a small pile of files to show for it. It was slow-going and frustrating. The data on Manticore had to be somewhere, if only he could find a clue as to where.
He wished he could find Donald Lydecker. The Colonel would know where the main facility was located, but every effort Logan had made to contact him had ended in failure. None of the telephone numbers he'd had worked anymore. If Lydecker had gone to ground, he had done an excellent job of it, and based on his military records that Logan had hacked into the year before, the older man was indeed capable of disappearing and defying all efforts to locate him.
So Logan went through every piece of paper in each box, searching for clues; a well-funded "VA hospital" in Gillette, Wyoming whose funding dropped off after February of 2009 and facilities whose funding was transferred to other locations. And with each scrap of paper he examined, his desire to avenge Max's death grew. He would find Manticore's main facility and destroy it if that was the last thing he did.
*****
Asha ran her errands thinking about the events of the previous night. While she had enjoyed Logan making love to her, she also was disturbed by it. In the past, lovemaking had never been one-sided with him; he had always taken his time and they had both enjoyed exploring each other's body. Last night had felt desperate. She decided that they needed to talk.
Once the paperwork had been completed for the old but sturdy van for the group, Asha borrowed it to visit the market Logan had told her about. She went to his favorite vendors and purchased his favorite foods; she was especially pleased with the strawberries she found. If she was going to bring up things that Logan didn't want to talk about, the least she could do was soften him up with dinner.
Hah, she thought. Breaking into Manticore would probably be easier than getting Logan to open up about anything that was bugging him. She knew him too well. But she was counting on a good dinner and some wine to loosen him up a bit. Well, she could only try.
*****
Late that afternoon, Asha returned to the penthouse. She struggled with the bags of fruit, vegetables, cheese, and poultry she had purchased, wishing she had a cart to haul it all in. Laden down, she exited the elevator at Logan's floor and realized she couldn't get to the key he had given her. So she rang his bell with her elbow, trying to balance all the bags and not drop them. There was no answer, so she rang again. She knew he was home: the Aztek was parked in his space in the garage.
There was still no answer, so she put down the bags and fumbled in her pocket for the key. She pushed open the door, picked up the bags, and entered the penthouse. Kicking the door shut behind her, Asha looked around. At first, the place seemed to be empty, but as she got further down the hall, she realized that it wasn't. Logan was asleep at the dining room table where she had left him that morning, his elbows resting on a small pile of papers, his head resting on his elbows. No wonder he hadn't heard the bell.
Asha tiptoed into the kitchen, hoping not to wake him. She put the bags on the counter and carefully opened the refrigerator. As quietly as she could, she put away her purchases, glancing over at Logan every now and then. Deciding on chicken, rice, and steamed broccoli for dinner, she turned on the oven to preheat it. Then she bent over to look for pots in the cabinet next to the stove. As she selected a couple for the rice and broccoli, she heard a noise in the dining room and looked up to see Logan stretching and yawning.
"Hello, sleepyhead," she said cheerfully.
"Oh God, what time is it? How long have I been out?"
"It's nearly five-thirty. And I have no idea how long you've been asleep. I just got in."
"What are you doing?" He didn't seem to be quite awake.
"Getting ready to fix dinner. I do know how to cook, you know."
"Damn! I needed to go to the market today. I must have really been out of it." He shook his head as if to clear it.
"No problem. I've got it covered. I went to the market and stocked up. It was the least I could do."
Logan unlocked his brakes and wheeled himself into the kitchen. "What've you got planned for dinner then?"
Asha opened the fridge and showed him what she had bought, then brought out the chicken. He nodded in approval. "Want any help?"
"Heaven forbid I should intrude in your domain, sir," she replied playfully, "but I was here first. You just relax and enjoy the break."
But instead of relaxing, Logan grabbed a handful of papers off the table, rolled over to the computer, and turned it on. Maybe he could match up some of what he had found in the paper files with the sketchy Department of Defense online records. Maybe that would lead him to Manticore's location.
An hour later, however, he gave up in defeat. There seemed to be no correlation between the papers and the computerized records. Once again, he had a hit a wall in his efforts to find Manticore. He next tried to track down Donald Lydecker, but as he had suspected, the man had covered his tracks well.
"Damn!" he exclaimed, pounding his fist on the desk. He shut down the system and rolled out of the office.
"Dead end?" Asha asked.
"As usual. Damn, I'm getting tired of this," Logan replied in frustration.
"Well, come have dinner. You probably haven't eaten all day, if I know you."
Asha had cleared the dining room table. Now she brought out the chicken, perfectly roasted with fresh herbs, followed by rice and lightly steamed broccoli. Logan pulled up to the table and set his brakes.
"Yes, mother. Smells wonderful." He grinned at her.
"Want some wine?"
"Sure. There's an open bottle of Riesling in the fridge. That should do." Asha got the wine and a couple of glasses. "You can carve the chicken."
Logan did so while she served the rest of the food. They ate in relative contentment, savoring the meal.
"This is so good," Logan commented.
"Especially since you didn't have to cook it," Asha teased. "Just a thank- you for all you've done for the group. We're getting things set up. We've got a car. Looks like the S1W is here for the long haul. I'm here for the long haul." She watched his face for a reaction. There was a little, enigmatic smile. As usual, she couldn't read him.
After dinner, Logan wheeled into the kitchen. "OK, my turn to make dessert," he said. "as long as we're celebrating."
"God, I couldn't eat another bite! Maybe you can do it tomorrow night?"
"Sure." He sounded disappointed, but didn't argue. Instead, he cleaned up the dishes and the kitchen. Asha moved to one of the kitchen stools and told him about her day. She asked about his progress with the VA files, but he was noncommittal on the subject. She knew Logan well enough to realize that when he answered questions with grunts she shouldn't pursue it. So she left him alone and went into the living room with her glass of wine.
*****
After a while, Logan joined her. She had been stretched out on the couch, but at his approach, she swiveled around to sit up. He transferred from the chair to the couch to sit beside her.
"We need to talk. About last night," he said, looking at her sadly.
"Last night? What about it? I enjoyed last night very much, Logan." Asha dreaded what he was going to say next and stared at him.
"Asha, I'm sorry about last night. I think I exhausted my new repertoire." Logan said in reply to her unspoken question.
"I don't understand what you're saying, Logan." Asha searched his face for a sign.
"Um, you know what I was like - as a lover - back in the day - when I could walk. I can't be like that anymore."
"I know that, Logan. I wasn't expecting you to be."
" I can't feel anything below my ribcage. Until last night, I hadn't had - any sexual contact in more than a year." He looked down in embarrassment.
Asha smiled. "Well, Logan, that certainly explains your mood swings. It's about time you did something about that."
"I don't even know if - "
"I guess we'll find out together then, won't we?" Asha said gently. "You know I won't diss you if you can't. And wouldn't you rather find out what works and what doesn't with some one you've known for a while rather than some one you'd like to get to know?"
Logan smiled sadly. "I guess so," he admitted.
"And at least you know what I like and I know what you like. We'll work it out together somehow. I promise."
"Yeah, I guess so. It was so - strange last night, not to be able to feel anything, but to still know what was going on."
"Logan, you're a writer. Use your imagination. You know what something is supposed to feel like. You've experienced it before. Remember what it felt like before."
Asha leaned over and stroked his thigh. Logan recalled the number of times he'd done the same thing, hoping for a response that he never got. He shut his eyes tightly. When he opened them, he realized that she was now stroking the inside of his thigh, which used to drive him crazy back in the day - when he could feel it. Maybe if he concentrated, he could remember what it felt like to be touched by a woman in that way.
"I'm not sure my imagination is that good," he said in defeat.
"Here, let me try this." She took his hand in hers. Using two fingers, she stroked the inside of his wrist with a circular motion. Then she gently ran her fingers up to his elbow and back, barely touching him. Logan closed his eyes and moaned softly.
"Ah, that works," Asha said in a satisfied tone of voice. "Now, pretend I'm doing that to your thigh."
Logan's brows knit in concentration. Then he smiled. "It's working."
"Great. That's a good start. Now I hate to break the mood, but maybe we should continue this experiment somewhere more comfortable. OK?"
"OK," he agreed. "I never was one for fooling around on the couch." Logan looked down the hall toward his bedroom and sighed.
Chapter Eight
When Asha awoke the next morning, she wasn't sure if she had been dreaming about what had happened. She opened her eyes slowly, not wanting to spoil the dream. But the bed was empty; Logan was nowhere to be seen and his wheelchair was no longer beside the bed. She heard water running in the bathroom, so she surmised that he was in the shower. For a minute, she wondered if she dared join him, then decided that she should take it slow and not spook him. The previous night had been a good start.
She lay back in the bed, unwilling to relinquish Logan's scent on the sheets. Lying on her back, she knitted her fingers beneath her head and stared at the ceiling. She smiled.
She may have dozed off; she wasn't sure. But she fully awoke when she heard the bathroom door open. Logan rolled into the room, clad only in a tee shirt and black silk shorts. Asha eyed him admiringly.
"I see you still like silk shorts. Some things never change," she commented.
"I always liked the feel of silk," Logan replied. "I guess now it's just from habit, since I can't feel the fabric against my skin any more."
"It's still very sexy." She had to admit that Logan was still very sexy too, sitting there in the wheelchair, barefoot. Although his legs were lifeless, they had shape and definition; it was obvious that he'd been working out a lot.
"You always did have nice legs, you know. You still do, even if they don't work."
His response was an embarrassed laugh. He wheeled over to the dresser and pulled out cargo pants and a pair of socks. As Asha watched, he shinnied into the pants, balancing on one hand while he lifted his hips. Then he pulled the socks over his limp feet and put on sneakers. Asha noted, with a lump in her throat, that the soles of the sneakers were pristine. She swallowed hard.
"I guess I should get up," she said.
"No hurry. I'm just going to go over more of the files we got. I've still got a couple of boxes to rat through. Wanna help?"
"Maybe later. I've got some errands to run. If we're gonna stay in Seattle, we need to set up a command base. That means equipment - radios, phones, a computer, stuff like that. So we should start to acquire it."
"Great. Well, let me know what I can do. I have a lot of contacts who have ah, high tech stuff they'd like to unload for a good price."
"I'll bet you do." Asha laughed as Logan rolled out into the hallway. A few minutes later, he was in the kitchen, whistling to himself. Neither of them had mentioned the precious night.
*****
After a hearty breakfast, Logan went back to the boxes of records, while Asha perused real estate ads in the paper, looking for a new base of operations for the S1W.
"You know," Logan said, after Asha complained about the rental prices of houses for the third time, "you are all welcome to stay in that safe house as long as you like. Eyes Only has a couple more scattered around. He probably wouldn't miss it."
"Thanks, Logan. I'll let the guys know." She dialed a number on her cell phone.
"Hey," she said a minute later. "Logan said it's OK with Eyes Only if you stay there for a while. Yeah, it is, isn't it? I'll be down in a little while. See you then." She hung up.
"Logan, I've got to go meet with the guys. Lee is going to buy a car today so we'll have permanent wheels. Things are beginning to line up."
"Terrific. Just let me know what I can do to get the S1W set up here."
"I sure will. Thanks for all your help." Asha got up from the couch and grabbed her backpack.
"Back at ya. Couldn't have pulled off that raid without your help."
"Well, I've gotta go. Catch ya later." She kissed Logan on the cheek and left.
Logan went back to looking through the boxes for Manticore files. Everything that he thought referred to that covert operation went into one pile; everything else went into a box for storage or possibly shredding. He pored over the records all morning and had only a small pile of files to show for it. It was slow-going and frustrating. The data on Manticore had to be somewhere, if only he could find a clue as to where.
He wished he could find Donald Lydecker. The Colonel would know where the main facility was located, but every effort Logan had made to contact him had ended in failure. None of the telephone numbers he'd had worked anymore. If Lydecker had gone to ground, he had done an excellent job of it, and based on his military records that Logan had hacked into the year before, the older man was indeed capable of disappearing and defying all efforts to locate him.
So Logan went through every piece of paper in each box, searching for clues; a well-funded "VA hospital" in Gillette, Wyoming whose funding dropped off after February of 2009 and facilities whose funding was transferred to other locations. And with each scrap of paper he examined, his desire to avenge Max's death grew. He would find Manticore's main facility and destroy it if that was the last thing he did.
*****
Asha ran her errands thinking about the events of the previous night. While she had enjoyed Logan making love to her, she also was disturbed by it. In the past, lovemaking had never been one-sided with him; he had always taken his time and they had both enjoyed exploring each other's body. Last night had felt desperate. She decided that they needed to talk.
Once the paperwork had been completed for the old but sturdy van for the group, Asha borrowed it to visit the market Logan had told her about. She went to his favorite vendors and purchased his favorite foods; she was especially pleased with the strawberries she found. If she was going to bring up things that Logan didn't want to talk about, the least she could do was soften him up with dinner.
Hah, she thought. Breaking into Manticore would probably be easier than getting Logan to open up about anything that was bugging him. She knew him too well. But she was counting on a good dinner and some wine to loosen him up a bit. Well, she could only try.
*****
Late that afternoon, Asha returned to the penthouse. She struggled with the bags of fruit, vegetables, cheese, and poultry she had purchased, wishing she had a cart to haul it all in. Laden down, she exited the elevator at Logan's floor and realized she couldn't get to the key he had given her. So she rang his bell with her elbow, trying to balance all the bags and not drop them. There was no answer, so she rang again. She knew he was home: the Aztek was parked in his space in the garage.
There was still no answer, so she put down the bags and fumbled in her pocket for the key. She pushed open the door, picked up the bags, and entered the penthouse. Kicking the door shut behind her, Asha looked around. At first, the place seemed to be empty, but as she got further down the hall, she realized that it wasn't. Logan was asleep at the dining room table where she had left him that morning, his elbows resting on a small pile of papers, his head resting on his elbows. No wonder he hadn't heard the bell.
Asha tiptoed into the kitchen, hoping not to wake him. She put the bags on the counter and carefully opened the refrigerator. As quietly as she could, she put away her purchases, glancing over at Logan every now and then. Deciding on chicken, rice, and steamed broccoli for dinner, she turned on the oven to preheat it. Then she bent over to look for pots in the cabinet next to the stove. As she selected a couple for the rice and broccoli, she heard a noise in the dining room and looked up to see Logan stretching and yawning.
"Hello, sleepyhead," she said cheerfully.
"Oh God, what time is it? How long have I been out?"
"It's nearly five-thirty. And I have no idea how long you've been asleep. I just got in."
"What are you doing?" He didn't seem to be quite awake.
"Getting ready to fix dinner. I do know how to cook, you know."
"Damn! I needed to go to the market today. I must have really been out of it." He shook his head as if to clear it.
"No problem. I've got it covered. I went to the market and stocked up. It was the least I could do."
Logan unlocked his brakes and wheeled himself into the kitchen. "What've you got planned for dinner then?"
Asha opened the fridge and showed him what she had bought, then brought out the chicken. He nodded in approval. "Want any help?"
"Heaven forbid I should intrude in your domain, sir," she replied playfully, "but I was here first. You just relax and enjoy the break."
But instead of relaxing, Logan grabbed a handful of papers off the table, rolled over to the computer, and turned it on. Maybe he could match up some of what he had found in the paper files with the sketchy Department of Defense online records. Maybe that would lead him to Manticore's location.
An hour later, however, he gave up in defeat. There seemed to be no correlation between the papers and the computerized records. Once again, he had a hit a wall in his efforts to find Manticore. He next tried to track down Donald Lydecker, but as he had suspected, the man had covered his tracks well.
"Damn!" he exclaimed, pounding his fist on the desk. He shut down the system and rolled out of the office.
"Dead end?" Asha asked.
"As usual. Damn, I'm getting tired of this," Logan replied in frustration.
"Well, come have dinner. You probably haven't eaten all day, if I know you."
Asha had cleared the dining room table. Now she brought out the chicken, perfectly roasted with fresh herbs, followed by rice and lightly steamed broccoli. Logan pulled up to the table and set his brakes.
"Yes, mother. Smells wonderful." He grinned at her.
"Want some wine?"
"Sure. There's an open bottle of Riesling in the fridge. That should do." Asha got the wine and a couple of glasses. "You can carve the chicken."
Logan did so while she served the rest of the food. They ate in relative contentment, savoring the meal.
"This is so good," Logan commented.
"Especially since you didn't have to cook it," Asha teased. "Just a thank- you for all you've done for the group. We're getting things set up. We've got a car. Looks like the S1W is here for the long haul. I'm here for the long haul." She watched his face for a reaction. There was a little, enigmatic smile. As usual, she couldn't read him.
After dinner, Logan wheeled into the kitchen. "OK, my turn to make dessert," he said. "as long as we're celebrating."
"God, I couldn't eat another bite! Maybe you can do it tomorrow night?"
"Sure." He sounded disappointed, but didn't argue. Instead, he cleaned up the dishes and the kitchen. Asha moved to one of the kitchen stools and told him about her day. She asked about his progress with the VA files, but he was noncommittal on the subject. She knew Logan well enough to realize that when he answered questions with grunts she shouldn't pursue it. So she left him alone and went into the living room with her glass of wine.
*****
After a while, Logan joined her. She had been stretched out on the couch, but at his approach, she swiveled around to sit up. He transferred from the chair to the couch to sit beside her.
"We need to talk. About last night," he said, looking at her sadly.
"Last night? What about it? I enjoyed last night very much, Logan." Asha dreaded what he was going to say next and stared at him.
"Asha, I'm sorry about last night. I think I exhausted my new repertoire." Logan said in reply to her unspoken question.
"I don't understand what you're saying, Logan." Asha searched his face for a sign.
"Um, you know what I was like - as a lover - back in the day - when I could walk. I can't be like that anymore."
"I know that, Logan. I wasn't expecting you to be."
" I can't feel anything below my ribcage. Until last night, I hadn't had - any sexual contact in more than a year." He looked down in embarrassment.
Asha smiled. "Well, Logan, that certainly explains your mood swings. It's about time you did something about that."
"I don't even know if - "
"I guess we'll find out together then, won't we?" Asha said gently. "You know I won't diss you if you can't. And wouldn't you rather find out what works and what doesn't with some one you've known for a while rather than some one you'd like to get to know?"
Logan smiled sadly. "I guess so," he admitted.
"And at least you know what I like and I know what you like. We'll work it out together somehow. I promise."
"Yeah, I guess so. It was so - strange last night, not to be able to feel anything, but to still know what was going on."
"Logan, you're a writer. Use your imagination. You know what something is supposed to feel like. You've experienced it before. Remember what it felt like before."
Asha leaned over and stroked his thigh. Logan recalled the number of times he'd done the same thing, hoping for a response that he never got. He shut his eyes tightly. When he opened them, he realized that she was now stroking the inside of his thigh, which used to drive him crazy back in the day - when he could feel it. Maybe if he concentrated, he could remember what it felt like to be touched by a woman in that way.
"I'm not sure my imagination is that good," he said in defeat.
"Here, let me try this." She took his hand in hers. Using two fingers, she stroked the inside of his wrist with a circular motion. Then she gently ran her fingers up to his elbow and back, barely touching him. Logan closed his eyes and moaned softly.
"Ah, that works," Asha said in a satisfied tone of voice. "Now, pretend I'm doing that to your thigh."
Logan's brows knit in concentration. Then he smiled. "It's working."
"Great. That's a good start. Now I hate to break the mood, but maybe we should continue this experiment somewhere more comfortable. OK?"
"OK," he agreed. "I never was one for fooling around on the couch." Logan looked down the hall toward his bedroom and sighed.