Chapter 9
January 26th, 2015
Kim bade Sammie and Vanessa goodnight and headed
back to her hotel. After a 5 minute taxi ride she entered the hotel
lobby and walked to the elevator. The elevator came and she patiently
let it carry up to her floor. The doors opened and she walked out
into the empty corridor. When she was about 30 feet from her room
the lights went out and she was left in complete darkness. "Great,
I thought this was suppose to be a five-star hotel and they can't even
pay the fricken light bill," Kim grumbled. She reached into her bag,
trying to find her pen light when she heard the sound of rushing water.
"Kim...Kim..." said a raspy, whispery voice.
Kim quickly stopped looking for her penlight and
stood completely still, a blast of fear running from her head to her feet.
Her heart beat rapidly as she asked, "Wh-who's th-there?"
"Kim...Kim...KIM!" said the eerie voice again.
Suddenly Kim the flashbacks came to her again, Gloval,
Lisa, SDF1, Edwards, Costa Rica, the many of faces she saw wiped out before
her eyes those countless times she was on duty aboard the SDF1. She
started heaving but no sobs would come out. The rush of the water
seemed to grow louder. She looked around one more time and managed
to make out the green glow of the exit sign that was directly opposite
her's and Lisa's room. She made a mad dash to the door, laptop case
and attache' case still in tow. She dropped both cases as she fumbled
in her pockets for her key and realized she didn't have it with her so
she started pounding against the door.
"What the...?" said Rick as he heard the noise at
the door.
Lisa looked at the clock and said, "It must be Kim,
you have her key right?"
Rick slapped his pockets and said, "That's right,
I still have it. But does she have to make so much noise?"
Lisa stood up and went over to the door, a little
bit worried.
Kim heard Lisa say, "Just a minute," and then the
lights came back on and shortly after that, Lisa opened the door.
Lisa was shocked by the expression she saw on Kim's
face. Kim's eyes were tearful and wide with fear but also had a wildness
in them. She was perspiring and was as pale as a ghost.
Kim pushed past Lisa and made her way into the living
room. Lisa, momently at a loss as what to do, say, or feel, was about
to close the door when she realized Kim had left the laptop and attache'
cases on the floor. She pulled both cases inside the foyer and then
closed the door and rushed to the living room.
Kim was standing in the middle of the room with
her hands covering her ears. Rick was a few feet away from her staring
at her and Lisa went to stand next to him as he gave her a frightened and
confused look.
"Kim, what's going on, what's wrong? Why are
you so scared?" asked Lisa as if trying to calm a child.
Kim, still wide-eyed, said in a scared tone, "Didn't
you hear them?? They're waiting for me, I don't belong here..."
"Kim, who's waiting for you, what are you talking
about," asked Rick.
Kim laughed nervously and the sound of it sent a
chill through both Rick and Lisa.
"I have to report for duty, they're waiting for
me," Kim said suddenly business-like.
"Who's waiting for you Kim?" asked Lisa, trying
to figure out what Kim was referring to.
"I have to report for my shift, on the SDF-1," said
Kim eagerly.
Rick and Lisa looked at each other both realizing
that Kim was in serious mental distress.
Lisa didn't know what to say and made sure that
she thought carefully before speaking. Finally she said, "Kim, you
don't have to report for duty now-"
"Yes, I do. Yes, you see, they're waiting
for me, right out there. Captain Gloval wants me to assist him with
the tests they are going to run on the engines because Khyron is going
to attack us. And after the tests are done, I'm suppose to try and
repair the leak, or else we'll sink," said Kim matter-of-factly.
Lisa choked down a sob and looked at Rick and said,
"I'm going to call the paramedics."
Rick shook his head and moved towards Kim when she
suddenly hurried after Lisa and beat her to the phone, then yanked the
cord out of the wall and threw the phone across the room.
Kim flashed an angry look at them and tried to keep
calm as she said slowly, "No. No you aren't going to call the paramedics,
you aren't going to call Jean. You aren't going to call Sammie or
Vanessa. I have to report for duty and repair the leak. Don't
you hear the water right now?? We're being flooded. If I don't fix
this thing, we're going to sink and Admiral Gloval will be really upset
at me."
Rick looked around for his cellphone but Kim followed
his eyes and saw it on the table and ran over and grabbed it then spied
Lisa's phone and grabbed it too.
"Kim, come on now, let us help you, you're not feeling
well. Remember, you promised me. It's me Rick, you're 'little
brother', you promised me that if you weren't feeling well you'd let us
help you," said Rick as he slowly tried to approach her again.
"I'm fine Rick. I think it's you and Lisa
who are not feeling well. In fact, I think it sounds to me as if you two
are trying to avoid duty. We must go out and fix the leak or else
everyone will drown," said Kim authoritatively.
"Kim, there is no leak...we...we fixed it already...what
you're hearing is just the water draining out," said Lisa, hoping Kim would
believe her.
Lisa and Rick moved closer to Kim as she stood there
trying to analyze what Lisa had just told her. She was still preoccupied
when Rick gave a quick nod to Lisa and they both rushed Kim and tried to
subdue her.
"NO! YOU ARE IN DIRECT DERELICTION OF DUTY!!
THIS IS MUTINY! YOU MUST NOT ABANDON SHIP YOU MUST GO DOWN WITH THE
SHIP, IT IS YOUR DUTY!!" shouted Kim as she wrestled in their grip.
As she still tried to squirm her way free, Kim's
attention became transfixed on the ceiling light and she stared at the
lit bulb.
"Rick, do you see a phone anywhere? We've got to
get her to the hospital now!" shouted Lisa.
All of a sudden Kim stopped wrestling and said,
"No, no please Lisa, Admiral. I...look...look at the light, we've
been rescued. We're ok now...what? Hospital? Wait, no! Damn,
what happened? Did I freak out again? No no, don't send me
to the hospital, no please, I beg you Lisa, don't tell anyone what happened!"
Rick and Lisa gave each other a shocked look and
then looked back at Kim as they relaxed their hold on her. They helped
her sit up and she wiped away her tears and buried her face in her hands.
"Oh god, don't tell me I freaked out," said Kim
regretfully.
"I'm afraid you did, big time," said Rick.
"Kim, we need to-" started Lisa, but she was cut
off by Kim.
"No! PLEASE! PLEASE! DON'T! Do you know
what would happen if I go back to the hospital?? They're lock me up in
the psych ward! Everyone will think I'm a psychopath! DON'T!
PLEASE DONT!" pleaded Kim.
"Kim, you NEED help," emphasized Lisa.
"I...you! You and Rick can help me!!
But...but I promise, it won't happen again. I'll be alright, it won't
happen again! Please, please, don't send me away, they'll lock me
up!! They'll never let me out! Please Lisa! Look look,
see, I can calm down. I just need a drink, a shower, and a good night's
rest, I...I am just tired that's all, see. Please Lisa!," begged
Kim.
Kim got up slowly and stood there trying to look
normal, "See, I...uh...the lights went out in the hallway out there and
it just freaked me out for a bit, you know post-traumatic stress disorder,
you've all had it too. Please, just give me some time. I'm
NOT CRAZY!" said Kim desperately.
Kim started to head towards her room and Rick and
Lisa followed her. She turned to them and tried to sound cheerful
as she said, "Hey, what do you think you're doing, you can't follow me
to the shower, shame on you Rick!"
Rick and Lisa stopped and Kim smiled them and motioned
towards the bathroom, "I'm...uh...I'm going to take a shower and then afterwards
we can all have some nice hot tea and you guys can tell me how you spent
the evening."
"Wait, Kim. Are you sure you'll be ok right
now?" asked Lisa.
"I'll be ok, I just need a nice hot shower to get
relaxed."
"Make sure you leave the door unlocked, just incase."
called out Rick.
Kim came back over to them and then she looked at
Rick suspiciously, "Sure, you just wanna go peek at me while I'm in the
shower, Mr. Lingerie!" Kim laughed then turned to Lisa and said,
"Make sure your flyboy doesn't come peeking in on me or else I'll have
to kick him where it hurts."
Kim headed back to the bathroom and soon after they
heard the sound of the shower.
Lisa followed Rick back to the living room and Rick
picked up his phone then had it snatched away by Lisa. "Wait.
Let's give her some time," she said quickly.
Rick gaped at her, "Are you out of your mind?!
She needs to see a doctor, right NOW."
Lisa said nothing then Rick realized what her intentions
were.
"You're insane! How can you let her talk you
into covering this up?! It's clear that she needs some major psychiatric
help, right away!" said Rick loudly.
"Don't give me that bulls--t Rick! Don't you
remember how much trouble we had getting back to normal after we escaped
from Dolza's ship? I don't know how many times I had flashbacks of
Dolza nearly sqeezing me to death! But they let me remain on active
duty and I got through it because Captain Gloval had enough faith in me
to let me slowly work my way through it," argued Lisa.
"But you weren't going around having freakouts like
Kim," said Rick.
"What are you talking about, it isn't like she's
been freaking out everyday or something," returned Lisa.
"The other day she came out of the bathroom with
that same wild and scared look on her face," reported Rick.
"And what happened then?" asked Lisa.
"Well...she said she just had a little flashback
I guess and got scared," answered Rick.
"And? Did you call the doctor?"
"No. She said she would be ok," said Rick,
now trying to predict what Lisa's reply would be.
"Then why are you-"
"That wasn't the same as this," said Rick, cutting
Lisa off. "This panic attack or whatever you want to call it...that
other day was nothing compared to this. You heard her yourself, she
was talking nonesense!"
"I want to give her one more chance..." said Lisa
tiredly, as she remembered back to the promise she had made to Claudia
about keeping an eye on Kim.
Rick rubbed his forhead, frustrated, and said, "You're
making a big mistake, she belongs in a hospital right now."
"What do you know and who are you to say whether
she's suppose to be in the hospital or not?!" exploded Lisa. "She's
my aide! She's my FRIEND. And she's begged me to give her one
more chance. How is she ever going to trust me again or forgive me
if I send her to the hospital and it turns out they have her locked up
in some padded cell!"
Rick, still too worked up, replied without thinking
and said sarcastically, "Since when did YOU start listening to the wishes
of other people instead of going by the book of logical reasoning and duty?"
Rick closed his eyes, not wanting to see Lisa's
reaction. "Oh my god," he breathed, realizing what he had just said.
Lisa didn't react. She knew that his words
would be coming back to haunt her in due time and so she headed towards
the kitchen to fix some tea.
Rick followed her to the kitchen and then came up
behind her and put his arms around her waist and rested his head on her
shoulder and said softly, "I'm sorry I said that. I wasn't thinking,
I shouldn't have-"
"It's alright Rick. Let's just forget about it and
concentrate on Kim for now," said Lisa quietly.
Rick was about to protest but he decided not to
say anything and just stood there holding onto Lisa. A few minutes
later he became aware that the sound of the shower had stopped and looked
towards the direction of Kim's room. Lisa picked up on it too and
said, "I'll go check on her," then slipped out of his arms and left.
Lisa walked slowly towards Kim's room and when she
didn't hear any noise she made her way towards Kim's bathroom. "Kim?"
she called out.
There was no reply so Lisa walked more quickly to
the bathroom and peered through the door to find Kim, in her bathrobe,
standing in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection.
"What's happened to me Lisa? I HATE being
like this," Kim said with a shaky voice and tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I hate being out of control and being such a...such a wimp!"
Lisa pulled Kim by the sleeve and sat her down on
her bed and looked her square in the eyes and said, "You are not a wimp!
You will get better and we will help you."
Rick, having not heard anything for a few moments,
had turned off the teapot then walked towards Kim's room and was now standing
out of sight, listening to the conversation.
"I am!" Kim sobbed. "I'm just some big freak
now, afraid of the dark like a little child. Rick was right, maybe
I should be in the hospital now. Just let them lock me up and throw
away the key before I freak out again."
"No!" said Lisa angrily. "I will not lock
you away! I believe in you Kim. I believe you will recover from this,
it will just take some time that's all. I'm not giving up on you,
and you shouldn't give up on yourself either."
"Lisa, it's no use-" Kim started to say.
"BULLS--T!" spat Lisa. "Don't give me that!
Tell me, if our roles reversed... Tell me you wouldn't say the exact
same things to me that I'm telling you now. Tell me that you wouldn't
stand up for me and stick by me and give me another chance to prove myself."
Kim didn't say anything and just looked at her hands.
"You would, wouldn't you? You would tell me
the exact same thing I'm telling you now. You'd be loyal to me.
So now, let me be loyal to you," said Lisa sincerely.
Kim hugged her and said, "I'm sorry, for everything.
Before I got in the shower I overheard you and Rick arguing over me, I
didn't mean to cause any trouble between you two."
Lisa laughed lightly, trying to lighten the mood,
and said, "You didn't cause any trouble Kim. Besides, you know the
reputation Rick and I have, we argue over everything, it's just a bad habit
of ours."
"I know but I was starting to get used to the new
habit you guys were forming; the habit of always being suctioned to each
others faces," returned Kim, reminiscent of her old self.
Suddenly Rick entered the room and headed straight
for Lisa and said to Kim, "You mean like this?" then he clasped Lisa's
face and kissed her for several seconds. When he released her she
tried to catch her breath to speak.
Kim smiled and said, "Hey, don't stop on my account!"
Lisa faked a smile and told Kim, "Go and get dressed,
the tea is getting cold."
Rick and Lisa left the room and headed back to the
kitchen. As Lisa was setting the teacups down at the table Rick came
over and said in her ear, "I didn't kiss you just for Kim's sake."
"I know," Lisa said quietly.
Lisa sat down at the table and looked up at Rick,
waiting for him to sit down as well. They said nothing, knowing Kim
would be joining them any moment.
Kim came to the table and picked up her teacup and
said, "I...uh...think I'll take my tea to my room then turn in."
She sensed the awkward silence between Rick and Lisa and thought it would
be better to leave them alone.
Lisa got halfway out of her chair to try and stop
her but Kim had already walked briskly back to her room. Lisa instinctively
looked at the clock, as did Rick.
Rick got out of his chair and said, "It's...uh...getting
late, I better go."
Rick walked to the door and Lisa followed him in
silence. Rick looked as if he was about to say something, but it
seemed like he changed his mind. He looked at Lisa one more time
then walked through the door.
Lisa waited for a few seconds then closed the door
quietly and sighed. She walked back to the kitchen and opened the
refrigerator and stared at the wine bottle Montgomery had given her.
Lisa closed her eyes tightly and said "No," firmly
to herself then closed the refrigerator door and turned around to head
to her room when she saw Kim standing in the doorway.
A surprised Lisa remained rooted to her place but
Kim pointed towards Lisa's room, like a mother ordering her child to go
to her room for being bad. Kim waited until Lisa was in her room
then headed back to her own room for a much needed night of sleep, hoping
that nightmares would not disturb her slumber.
* * * * * * *
Claudia was pleased that she had talked the doctors,
including her own sister-in-law, into letting her leave her room and walk
around the hospital as part of her rehab. Claudia made her way to
the cafeteria and selected pancakes for breakfast, along with a cup of
jello, tea, and a donut, and carried her tray back to a small table near
a window.
After a few minutes, Claudia had finished her pancakes
and was holding up her cup of jello when she heard the chair next to her
slide a bit across the floor, she looked to her left and saw a little boy
climb up into the chair.
The little boy looked to be about 4 or 5 years old.
He had curly medium brown hair and a complexion that was difficult to describe.
He looked at Claudia then then at the jello, then at Claudia again.
She smiled at him then he pointed to the jello.
"Well, I guess it seems like you want this cup of
jello," said Claudia warmly as she held it out to the boy.
The boy looked at her, not sure whether he should
take it or not, but then as he looked at Claudia's friendly face awhile
longer, he took the jello from her.
"James. What are you doing there? That
belongs to the lady, we can get you some jello back at your room," said
a voice that wasn't too scolding.
A woman in nurses scrubs walked up to the table
and said, "I'm sorry Captain Grant. James doesn't usually take people's
food, he doesn't even approach people at all."
The boy, with a worried look in his eyes, looked
up at the nurse then at Claudia.
Claudia smiled at James and said, "Don't worry.
It's alright, he can have the jello. I'm not too fond of orange,
I prefer cherry."
"Come now James, we better get back to our unit,
it's almost storytime," said the nurse calmly.
James, with the jello in one hand, climbed off the
chair and stood there staring at Claudia.
"I'm afraid he doesn't talk much. Come on
James, thank Captain Grant for the jello so we can go get ready for storytime."
James didn't say anything but instead stuffed his
small, chubby hand in the pocket of his shirt and pulled out a pack of
two saltine crackers. He held the package out towards Claudia and
continued to stare at her with his big, hazel eyes.
"Are those your crackers?" asked Claudia in a friendly
tone.
"He wants you to have them," explained the nurse
with a smile.
Claudia grinned and lowered her head a bit so that
she was more eye-level with James and said, "Thank you very much James."
She then took the pack of crackers from him then shook his small hand and
afterwards he followed the nurse, casting one more glance back at Claudia
before exiting out of view.
Claudia smiled to herself and then finished her
donut and headed back up to her room. She decided to take the long
way around and pass by the children's ward. As she was walking
down the hall, the nurse that was with James called out to her from the
nurses station.
"Captain Grant. It's a nice coincedence that
you showed up when you did, can I speak to you for a moment?"
"Yes, what can I do for you," said Claudia cheerfully
as she watched a little girl walk down the hall with her mother.
"The volunteer that usually comes to read to the
children during their morning storytime break has called in sick today,
and as it is we are short-staffed right now, I was wondering...if you wouldn't
mind reading to the children for about half an hour."
"I wouldn't mind at all, let me just call the nurses'
station to let them know I'm here, before my nurse sends a posse
out to look for me. I've been threatening to sneak out and go back
to work, so she's really worked up," said Claudia with a chuckle.
"Great, thank you Captain! You can use the
phone right there at that desk," said the grateful nurse.
Claudia read to the children for almost 45 minutes
and by the time she was done, several of the kids were trying to hold her
hand or sit next to her.
"Well, Captain, you were a big hit. The kids
love you," said a surprised doctor who had come to escort one child to
x-ray.
Claudia got up to leave and a few small voices asked
the same question, "Can you come back and
read to us tommorrow?"
Claudia smiled down at the cherub faces and said,
"But what about Lindsay? She won't like it that I stole her job now
would she?"
One child said, "Well, then can you come by and
play with us later?"
"Captain Grant is still not feeling well, we shouldn't
tire her out because she has important work to get back to and they want
her to recover quickly," said a nurse.
The children groaned and Claudia came up with an
idea, "I can come by after dinner and visit with the children for a little
while."
The nurse gave her approval and a couple of the
kids cheered. As Claudia was leaving the room she saw James near
the door, staring at her. Claudia walked up to James and looked down
at him and said, "Hello there James. I hope you enjoyed the story
today."
James looked up at her then held out a cookie.
After Claudia took the cookie, James hurried off even before Claudia could
thank him. A nurse looked after him making sure he had gone to his
room then turned to Claudia and told her, "I think he likes you Captain.
James is a difficult one to get any response from."
Claudia was suddenly concerned and asked, "What
do you mean?"
The nurse told Claudia the boy's story,"Everyone's
tried, but no one can get a peep out of him. The doctors can't find
anything really wrong with him and the psychologists have no clue either.
But they think he's suffered from some type of shellshock. They don't
know since when though, because he's been in an orphanage for the
past two years and couldn't, obviously, tell us anything about his
background. The orphanage just found him wandering the street
one day after a Zentraedi Malcontent raid here in Monument. No one
knew what his true name was so they just decided to name him James and
that's the name he's had for the past two years. He's here right now for
a removed appendix but should be released back to the orphanage by
next week."
"The poor little guy," said Claudia sadly.
Claudia told the nurse she'd be back again that
evening and then headed off down the hall towards the elevator. Before
exiting the ward completely, Claudia looked back and saw a small head of
curly hair peeking at her from one of the rooms. She strained her
eyes to see who it was and it was James. She smiled and waved
to him but all he did was stare at her. She smiled at him again then
turned down the hallway out of sight. After she was gone he peered
from the doorway for a few seconds more then waved his small hand twice.
* * * * * * *
Lisa and Kim had been in their office for over an
hour without much conversation taking place. Finally, Kim got up
from her desk and walked into Lisa's office and closed the door behind
her. Lisa looked up at her with a concerned look.
"Lisa, please don't tell Sammie and Vanessa what
happened yesterday," said Kim calmly.
Lisa looked at her and sighed, "Kim, they're your
best friends."
"Exactly. Exactly why I don't want them to
know," said Kim firmly.
"But Kim, let them help you-"
"You don't understand Lisa. The first thing
they will do is drag me to the hospital. I know they mean well, but
they go overboard sometimes. Please, if I go back to the hospital
then I think I really WILL lose it."
Lisa got up slowly from her desk and went over to
the window and looked out, remaining silent for a few seconds, then said
in a resigned tone, "Alright. I won't say anything. But if
this happens again, I won't have any choice..."
"I understand. Thanks, I owe you one Lisa."
said Kim.
Lisa waived her hand, "Forget about it, I'm not
counting, so neither should you."
Kim turned around to leave but then turned quickly
back and said quietly, "I...uh...I guess I f----d things up up between
you and Rick, didn't I? I heard him leave last night. He left right
away, so I doubt that you two had time to make up."
Lisa shook her head, "Look, Kim. You know
the track record Rick and I have. I doubt things will just fall into
place and be smooth sailing this quickly. We've got a lot of wrinkles
to iron out. If it wasn't what happened yesterday, it is bound to
be something else. And...you know what's coming up, I doubt if he'll
be happy about it. In fact, I can pretty much predict what his reaction
will be, so you better make sure you're nowhere near us when the s--t hits
the fan."
Kim sighed loudly, "You know, we all need a vacation,
you and Rick especially. Damn that Khyron!"
Lisa gave her a weary look and said in an equally
weary voice, "That would be like a dream come true, a vacation alone with
Rick...but now, with these four stars on my uniform, I highly doubt if
that dream will come true anytime soon."
Kim shook her head and said with a bit of disbelief,
"Wow...I don't envy you your job but I really must say, we sure do admire
you, Sammie, V, and me. We knew the first day we served with you,
that you'd be an admiral someday. Not just because it's in your blood,
but also 'cause anyone could tell just by listening to you that you knew
what you were doing."
Lisa smiled sadly and looked at the the two pictures
on her desk. Kim walked back over to Lisa's desk to peek at the pictures.
"That's a good picture of Admiral Gloval.
You know he'd be proud of you right now, Lisa."
Kim looked at the other picture as Lisa stared at
the picture of Admiral Gloval.
"Who's this Lisa? He's cute...wait, this looks
like..."
"My father," finished Lisa. "It was taken
a very long time ago, before I was born, when he and my mother were engaged."
"He's very handsome Lisa."
"Yes, yes he was," said Lisa with a nostalgic smile.
"He'd be very proud of you right now too Lisa."
Lisa stared at the picture of her father and mused,
"Yes...yes I think he would be."
Lisa put the picture back down and cleared her throat,
"Well now, I guess we better start getting ready to go to that meeting
with Reinhardt."
Kim saluted and went back to her office as Lisa
looked at the picture of Gloval and silently asked him to give her strength
and wisdom. Then she looked at the picture of her father and reflected
on Kim's words, and realized the significance of being the last of the
line of a military dynasty, 8 generations preceeding her. Right then
and there she made a silent pledge to her father to uphold the reputation,
respect, and pride of the family name.
* * * * * * *
Rick had been staring out the window for a good fifteen
minutes and Miriya was nearly done with her report and in need of more
work to do. She looked over at Rick and decided to raid Claudia's
cabinet and fix a drink for the both of them. Miriya poured both
herself and Rick a glass of apple cider and then walked over to the window
and handed Rick his glass.
Rick shook out of his daydream suddenly and mumbled
a 'thank you.'
Miriya took a sip then asked, "Are you and Lisa
having difficulties?"
Rick, although he should have been used to Miriya's
frankness by now, still found himself surprised by her straightforwardness.
Before Rick could say anything, Miriya pressed on.
"I still completely do not comprehend the relationship
you two have. How come everyone says that you two are in love with
each other when all you two do is fight all the time. I do not understand,
even though Max has explained it to me so many times, I still do not understand.
I suppose it has to be some strange quirk of micronian culture, but that
doesn't explain Khyron and Azonia. In fact, you and Lisa remind me
of Khyron and Azonia."
Rick stared at Miriya in disbelief, but she continued,
seemingly unaware of the shock her comments caused. "Azonia and Khyron
fought ALL the time. Everytime there was a transmission between them,
they were fighting with each other. But then, after Dolza's attack
and they disappeared into the Amazon, they reappeared again as if they
had gotten married, they even enjoyed touching lips! It is illogical,
I just do not understand."
Rick said nothing, and could only wish that Max
had been there to hush Miriya up. But as he thought about it, he
knew she was right; he and Lisa did remind him of Khyron and Azonia, only
Khyron and Azonia finally managed to stop fighting while he and Lisa seemed
to be nowhere near seeing an end to their sparring.
Rick gave Miriya some more reports to work on and
sat down for a minute, only to be so fidgety that he stood up and quickly
said, "We don't ALWAYS fight."
Miriya stared blankly at him and said, "But you
do. I always see you fight. I've never seen you touch lips
or hug each other, and I won't believe it until I see it with my own eyes."
Rick tapped his pen rapidly, "Well...well, you'll
see."
Miriya looked at him, unconvinced. She looked
like such a Doubting Thomas that it was actually almost humorous and Rick
nearly started to laugh.
Rick put a stack of folders on the desk in front
of Miriya and said, "Here, you work on these while I'm gone."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to find Lisa," answered Rick.
"To fight?" asked Miriya innocently.
Rick stared at her in disbelief, the conversation
they were having at the moment was so unbelievable that he burst out laughing,
and as Miriya looked at him blankly he only laughed harder and gafawed
as he closed the door.
"Did I say something humorous?" wondered Miriya
aloud.
Rick walked down the hall, still laughing and said
out loud, "Max, if this is a setup or joke of yours, you're going to be
in biiiiig trouble."
After over an hour of searching and not finding
Lisa at the places where she was suppose to be, Rick decided to use the
last resort of calling her, but he had an armload of reports that had been
dumped on him as he had passed through the Intelligence building and decided
to stop by the office first and drop
them off and make the call from there.
In the hallway he saw Kim heading towards him and
he rushed up to her and asked, "Is Lisa with you?"
"Yea, she's in Claudia's office. Miriya had
asked us to pickup Dana for her and bring her to the office since Max wouldn't
be able to pick her up until late tonight and the Grants had to make a
trip over to pick out their new housing unit and also Miriya wanted to
take Dana to lunch at that new taco stand."
Rick was about to enter the office when he heard
Lisa talking to Dana, so he decided to wait outside and observe for awhile.
Peeking from the doorway, Rick saw Lisa over at the window holding Dana.
"Look over there Dana. Look at the birdie,
wave to the birdie Dana," said Lisa in a playful voice.
Dana waved at the bird as did Lisa and the sight
brought a smile to Rick's face. Dana caught sight of something else
and started to wave and shout 'hi.' Lisa looked around to see what
it was that Dana was waving at and then she also started to wave and say
'hi' along with Dana. The toddler squealed with delight and then
hugged Lisa around the neck with a choke hold. "Help help, Dana monster's
got me," Lisa said with a laugh. Dana laughed wildly, still clinging
to Lisa's neck and Lisa hugged the child back and swiveled her from side
to side a bit. Dana sat back a bit in Lisa's arms and it seemed like
she was getting ready to sneeze.
Dana sneezed twice, and when Lisa looked down at
her uniform she groaned loudly, "Ohhhhhhhh, Dana, yuuuuuuck," and the child
went into another fit of laughter as she looked at her number she had done
on Lisa's uniform.
Rick was still peeking from the doorway, chuckling
quietly when Kim and Miriya came up behind him. Miriya and Kim peeked
through the door and watched as Dana giggled loudly as Lisa was telling
her, "I'm going to have to send your mommy and daddy my cleaning bill for
this little souvenier of yours."
Kim laughed too loudly and Lisa became aware that
she was being watched. Miriya and Kim filed through the door with
Rick lingering in the doorway. Miriya took Dana from Lisa and gave
her a guilty look as she saw Lisa's uniform, "Sorry about that Admiral,"
she said with a shrug.
"Oh hey, someone better take a picture of this,
it's not everyday you see a four-star admiral with baby snot all over their
uniform," said Kim teasingly.
Rick pulled out his handkerchief and walked over
to Lisa and said quietly, "Here, why don't I help you," then began dabbing
at her uniform only to find that the dabbing was making things worse.
Lisa looked at her uniform again and made a sour
face and then said, "I'll just have to go without a jacket for now.
This thing is not salvagable at the moment." She carefully tried
to undo the top fastening, hoping that she would succeed without getting
baby snot on her hands. Rick, realizing she needed help, instinctively
started to undo the fastening underneath the one Lisa was working on.
After he undid the third fastening he realized that Lisa was staring at
him.
Kim shook out of her stupor and covered Dana's eyes,
"Shhh. Dana don't watch, this is for adults."
"Huh? Wha-? I'm so sorry!" apologized Rick
in a hurry.
Dana laughed, her eyes still covered by Kim.
Dana held out her arms towards Rick's direction and Lisa motioned to him
with her hand. He took Dana from Miriya's arms and looked around
nervously. Dana started lightly slapping Rick
on the cheek and forehead,
laughing all the while then she suddenly stopped and had a quick intake
of breath then unleashed another sneeze, this time all over Rick's uniform.
Rick looked at his uniform and let out a loud groan,
"Eeeeeewwwww gross!!"
Lisa couldn't help but laugh and laughed even more
when Kim turned to Miriya and exclaimed, "My god woman! What do you
feed this kid?? She's some kind of booger blasting machine."
Rick made a disgusted noise and Miriya just smiled
and shrugged as she said, "She must have a cold."
Rick, Kim, and Lisa just looked at each other.
A cold? Yes, apparently.
Rick said that he was going to wash his hands and
Lisa followed him to the small bathroom that adjoined the office.
Rick let Lisa wash her hands first and then he washed his as she dried
her hands with the handtowel. When she was done she handed him the towel
and Rick took it and quickly said, "Lisa, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean-"
"It's ok Rick, you don't need to explain," Lisa
said soothingly.
"I'm sorry about last night," he said even more
quickly.
Lisa touched his cheek and said quietly, "I'm sorry
too."
"How's she doing today," Rick asked with concern.
"Well, as you saw, she seems to be back to her old
self again," said Lisa, looking at the door.
Rick looked at the door and Lisa read his mind,
saying, "I know. I'm so worried about her too, but please, let's
just give her one more chance."
Rick shook his head and looked in her eyes, their
emerald color seemingly more illuminated by the reflective bright green
color of her turtleneck.
"Are we still on for tonight?" asked Rick, transfixed
on Lisa's eyes.
Lisa shook her head, barely noticeably, as she leaned
towards Rick.
Miriya told Kim she was going to clean Dana's face
and headed towards the bathroom. Kim tried to stop her but was too
slow and Miriya walked through the door to find Rick and Lisa lip-locked.
Rick and Lisa instantly separated from each other and Miriya stared at
them and mumbled something in Zentraedi in a tone of disbelief.
"Well can you believe it Dana?" asked Miriya as
she looked at her daughter. Dana answered with a laugh and Miriya
returned, "Yes, I am shocked too," then she mumbled something in Zentraedi
again and Lisa replied in Zentraedi. Miriya's eyes widened with surprise
and then she said in English, "Will you be having children now?"
The shock of Miriya's question made Lisa brace herself
against the sink and Rick pulled at his turtleneck collar nervously.
Rick and Lisa were trying to think of an answer as Miriya stood there with
a look on her face that told them she was waiting for one when they saw
Kim poke her head through
the door. "Hey, so are we like having a party here or something?
How come I wasn't invited?" said Kim loudly.
Rick took Lisa's hand and led her out of the bathroom
and Miriya followed them, telling Dana, "Wait till your father hear's about
this."
Rick and Lisa looked at each other and smiled nervously.
* * * * * * *
After dinner, Claudia walked towards the children's
ward, making good on her promise to the kids. She spent about ten
minutes with each child that had been at the storytime break and then came
to the last room, James' room. Before she could reach out her hand
to open the door, someone tapped her
on the shoulder. She looked behind her and saw a doctor
and a woman. The doctor motioned for Claudia to follow them and when
they got to the nurses station the doctor introduced himself.
"Captain Grant, I am Doctor Gibbs, James' physician
and this is Miss Fisher, James' case worker. I wonder if it would
be alright with you if we observe your visit with James via vidcam.
We have been told by the staff that James seems more responsive since his
first encounter with you this morning and we'd like to make more observations."
Claudia was surprised that she had been the cause
of some improvement and willingly agreed to the doctor's request then headed
back to James' room. Claudia opened the door and found James standing
there, apparently waiting for her.
"Good evening James, how are you doing?" greeted
Claudia.
James looked at her shyly then took her by the hand
and pointed to the chair that was near his bed.
"Do you want me to sit down?" asked Claudia.
James nodded yes and then climbed back onto his
bed. He looked at her for a few moments then he picked up a book
that was the the foot of his bed and held it out to her. Claudia
smiled and took the book and then started to read from it as James sat
there listening intently. After Claudia finished
reading, James got down from his bed and ran out of his room.
Claudia shrugged at the vidcam and wondered if she should get up and follow
after James but a few moments later she heard the patter of feet heading
back towards the room.
A few seconds after that, James came through the
door and had a small plastic bowl of jello in his chubby hands. He
held it out to Claudia and when she looked down at it she noticed it seemed
to be cherry jello. Claudia smiled, heartwarmed, as James carefully
set the bowl and a spoon down on the arm of her chair then climbed back
into his bed.
When Claudia was finished eating her jello, Doctor
Gibbs came into the room and informed James that it was time for him to
rest and that Captain Grant had to get back to her own room and rest too.
Claudia got up to leave and turned to James and
said, "Goodnight James, thank you for the jello."
James looked at the doctor and the case worker and
then back at Claudia and pulled the covers over himself, leaving only his
eyes and the top of his head in view, then he poked out one hand and waved
to Claudia.
Claudia tried not to grow misty-eyed and smiled
and waved to James as she left the room. As she was nearly out of
the ward the doctor hurried after her and asked her if she would come back
to visit James again.
"You're one of the very few people who he's responded
to since he's been under my care. I really do think, you can help
him substantially Captain," said the doctor eagerly.
Claudia agreed and headed back to her room, determined
to help James in any way she could.
* * * * * * *
Rick was sitting in the living room of Lisa's suite
waiting for she and Kim to return. After dinner the two had been
called into town to sit in on a city council meeting and had not yet arrived
home yet. Rick looked at his watch and it read 11:50 and he realized
that the stores were most likely closed and that the shopping date was
going to have to wait until another day.
He decided to fix himself a glass of cold water
but when he looked in the freezer he saw that there were no icecubes available.
He remembered seeing an ice machine on one of the floors below so he took
his glass and headed out in search of some ice.
At midnight Kim and Lisa entered the lobby of the
hotel, dead tired. They trudged over to the elevator and Kim slapped
the button. Both of them dragged their feet as they entered the elevator
and Lisa didn't even notice that Kim had accidently hit the button for
a wrong floor.
"When I get home I'm just going to drop. I
don't even think I have any energy left to change my clothes," said Kim
with a loud yawn.
"Me too," said Lisa tiredly.
Suddenly they heard a grinding noise and then the
elevator jolted and came to a stop.
"What the hell..." said Kim, greatly annoyed, then
the lights in the elevator went out, leaving them in pitch darkness.
Rick found the ice machine and headed to the elevator
with his glass full of icecubes. He punched the button and had been
standing there waiting for several minutes when he decided he would just
take the stairs instead of go the elevator at the other end of the hall.
He turned away from the elevator and took one step and saw Minmei right
in front of him.
"Rick..."
"Minmei..."
=================
Author's notes:
You can find my notes here: http://www.geocities.com/sphersian/chapnotes3.html
:)