Chapter 28

During her break, on the main deck but away from the bridge, Kitty saw Delbert heading his way, undoubtedly up from his cabin. Kitty smiled and moved to intercept the Doctor. "Ah, all finished packing then, Doctor?" she asked.

Delbert nodded his affirmation.

"Good," Kitty replied, "We're going to make starport in about an hour's time."

"So, Ms. Petro---er, Kitty, how is the Captain this morning?" Delbert asked, trying not to sound overly worried... which he was anyway.

"Oh, she's better, Doctor," Kitty assured him. "I bandaged her wounds last night, and gave her a light dose of painkillers, so she's still sound asleep. I´m sure she will wake up in, oh, about... forty-five minutes or so."

"So precise. Why do you say that?" Delbert asked.

Kitty smiled her roguish smile. "Because somebody has to dock this bloody ship, Doctor, and I've never done anything like that before by myself," Kitty told him.

Delbert, having grown used to Kitty a bit, only smiled.

"Delbert, if I may call you that, there is one thing I'd like to ask you, if you're willing," Kitty said.

"Yes... to both questions," Delbert said cleverly, patiently letting her continue.

"When we arrive at port, I´m fairly certain that Amelia's going to be told that it's strict bedrest for her until she's a bit more healed. So, that being the case and all, I was wondering if we---the Captain and I, that is---might impose upon you to borrow a room at your home?"

Delbert smiled, then clapped his big hands softly together in happiness. "Of course you may," Delbert declared rather happily. "I´m sure it will be fine with Sarah---that's Jim´s mother, you know. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to have some new women to talk with. Just don´t get her started playing matchmaker... I beg of you. She wants me to find a woman that I can settle down with, you understand..."

"Well, what about Amelia, then?" Kitty proclaimed cleverly. "You two seem to of developed a certain fondness for one another."

"The Captain? And myself? Married?" Delbert sputtered in amazement.

"Yes. You two. Definitely. Come now, Doctor. Amelia has never, and I do mean never, let anyone tell her what to do... period. So, imagine my surprise when you put your arm around her---you rascal you!---and she just smiles! Let me tell you... had it been any other fellow doing that, she'd of flensed the very skin off of him!"

"My word! I had no idea," Delbert gasped softly.

"Yep! And that, my good Doctor, is all because she loves you," Kitty informed him.

"Loves me? The Captain?" Delbert replied, stunned by the very idea. "Why she's far to fine a woman for the likes of---"

"Don´t you dare tell me that you don't love her...because I know you do, Doctor Delbert Doppler," Kitty stated, thumping her finger gently against Delbert's chest to emphasize her point.

Delbert shook his head and smiled. "No, I won't. You're quite the clever young woman, Ms. Petro. You are quite right, of course," he said. "I do love her...more than any one I've ever known."

"Well that's great. Then maybe our rooming arrangements might evenutally prove to be, er, well, a bit more permament then, hmm?" Kitty teased.

Delbert blushed, then grinned at her. "One can hope, my friend. That is, if the two of you really want to live in my house. I'm afraid I've been a bachelor for quite some time... and, I'm not much of a housekeeper, I'm afraid..."

Kitty smiled. "Trust me, Doc, we will," she told him, causing Delbert to blush once more. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get back to my duties."

"Of course," Delbert answered, bowing his head politely. "Good day to you, Ms. Petro."

Later, it was time for Kitty to go and wake up Amelia, so that she could supervise the docking of the Legacy. Amelia grunted, a bit muzzy still, but she got into her uniform---though a bit painfully---and followed Kitty out on deck. She assumed her position on the bridge, and promptly smiled when she saw Delbert. Kitty smiled at that... Amelia really did have a rather lovely smile.

"Oh, Amelia... the Doctor told me that we´re both welcome to stay with him just as long as we both should want to," Kitty told her quietly.

Amelia turned a fond gaze on the unsuspecting Doctor. "That's very sweet of him, don't you think?" Amelia said with that same smile. Delbert chose that moment to look up, and saw both of the ladies. He excused himself from Jim Hawkins, and hurried over to join to them.

"How are you feeling, Captain?" the smiling yet concerned Delbert asked.

"Weird," Kitty muttered, mostly to herself, but was obviously overhead.

"What is weird, Kitty?" Amelia asked.

"I've got the oddest sense of deja vu is all," Kitty said. "This is precisely what happened just yesterday morning... you know, after Arrow's death."

Both Delbert and Amelia blinked in surprise, but both had to smile when they realized she was right.

"All right then. One mor thing, you two," Kitty requested, pretending to be stern.

"Yes, dear? And that would be?" Amelia asked, smiling indulgently at Kitty.

Kitty threw up her hands in mock despair. "Gah, you two! Give each other a kiss already! What are you waiting for... the wedding?" Kitty growled in frustration.

Both Amelia and Delbert blushed simultaneously at that, then proceeded to give one another a series of shy, embarrassed looks.

"Oh, did I fail to mention that if you don´t do so willingly, I can---and will---force you," Kitty said. "So you might as well face the music, folks, and do it properly..."

Amelia's pale cheeks flushed even pinker as she cast a nervous, yet somewhat hopeful look Delbert's way. The poor Doctor's face was beet red, but he chuckled nervously and leaned over to chastely kiss the lovely Amelia on her cheek. Amelia smiled fondly at him, and Delbert relaxed. Well, at least he did before he deduced that Amelia had another type of kiss in mind. Amelia's green eyes smoldered, and she took his face gently in her hands and kissed the startled canid soundly on the mouth. Delbert made strangled sounds at first, and tried desperately to pull away...but his struggles lessened almost immediately, and he grinned rather foolishly when Amelia released him. Kitty giggled as Delbert didn't say a single word, just standing there gaping like a fish out of water.

"Good," Kitty said with a nod and a smile. "Now, I´ll leave you two lovebirds alone, as some of us have got work to do..." And, with a smug and satisfied smile on her face, Kitty headed down on deck, leaving the soon to be Doppler couple alone. Down on deck, she spotted Jim staring out over the rail. "Hello there, Jim," she said by way of greeting.

Jim turned and smiled at her. "Hey there, Kitty," he replied.

"Um, listen, Jim... I've got something for you," Kitty said, the faintest hint of pink on her own fair cheeks, and removed a leather pouch from inside her jacket. She pressed the pouch into Jim's hand, and continued. "Inside there are ten gold dubloons. Use them for whatever you want. A new surfer, new clothes, maybe even an education. It´s entirely up to you." She then turned around to go, but stopped. "Ah yes, one more thing, Jim."

"Yeah?" he responded, putting away the gold from sight.

"Be glad that I'm of the same opinion of Silver as you are, else I´d of tossed your sorry butt in our brig for letting that rascal get away," Kitty told him.

Jim just gaped at her, stunned that she knew.

"Of course," she continued along blithely, pretending to not even notice Jim's stunned expression. "Silver showed his true colors. He's a good man, who's learned the error of his ways, right? That´s why he gave you Morph now, isn't it?" And having said her piece, she turned briskly on her heel and headed back up on the bridge, feeling Jim´s look of disbelief follow her...

Once the Legacy made spacedock, Kitty went ashore to summon the authorities to come and cart off the pirates to the local hoosegow. After that was accomplished, she summoned medical help for Amelia. As Crescentia was a fairly modern and bustling starport, the emergency teams came quickly, and with Kitty and Delbert's assistance, helped Amelia into the hospital carriage that woud take her to treated. Kitty climbed in, followed by Delbert, both of them taking seat beside Amelia.

"Excuse me, but are you friends or family?" the female human medtech asked, while helping Amelia get comfortable.

"I´m her sister," Kitty informed the woman. "And that´s her gentleman friend," Kitty added, pointed first to herself, and then to Delbert.

The medical technician looked toward Amelia to confirm that this was correct. She nodded, though the effort caused her to groan softly in pain. The pain killers Kitty had given her the night before seemd to of finally run their course. The technician nodded to the carriage driver and they were off.

"Oh, Kitty... I told Jim that I would be going with you and the Captain," Delbert said, smiling. "Sarah will be okay, she can wait for a while...after all, she has Jim..."

Kitty smiled toward the already blushing Amelia, who smiled gamely in return. Kitty noticed, and smothered a grin, when Delbert unknowingly took Amelia's hand in his own for the duration of their trip.

Finally they arrived at the hospital, and the two medtechs helped Amelia inside to an examining room. The tech told Kitty she could follow, but asked Delbert to wait outside in the waiting room.

The doctor on call arrived, and with Kitty's assistance, helped Amelia to disrobe completely. The lady then gently removed the bandages Kitty had wound about her ribcage. She grimazed at the sight of the nasty bruise and its swelling. "What in the name of the Etherium, Miss, happend to you?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing much really, Doctor. Typical injuries sustained by one when they are grazed by a well-aimed laserball, I suspect," Amelia replied, grunting as the Doctor gently probed the injury.

"You don't say? Well, I need to take some X-rays, and that´s for certain. So I can ascertain the extent of your injuries, Miss," the Doctor said. Kitty and the Doctor helped Amelia to lie down on the flat metal table of the machine, as she got the instrument out from the side and placed it over Amelia's wounds.

Moments later, after the x-rays were done, the Doctor return whit the films, and placed them against a lighted device on the wall. "Not too bad, fortunately. But, you still have three broken ribs," she informed Amelia. "You're going to experience some not so pleasant pain, but there's really not that much I can do about that. The best I can do is to wrap your chest, which will keep the ribs in place while they heal. Be sure to change your bandages every day after you shower."

"I shall, Doctor," Amelia promised, pleased that she wasn't as badly injured as she had thought she might be.

"Oh, and one more thing, Miss... I'm afraid you won't be running of on any adventures any time soon. Light exercise and bedrest until further notice. Do you hear?"

Amelia, who had a list of things to do, looked up at the Doctor, shocked. "What? Bedrest? Why, I---" she protested.

But before she coud say a word more, the Doctor raised her voice, stating, "You have three broken ribs, my dear Captain. And that being the case, you need rest and relaxation... not stress. You are not to do anything stressful for the next six months, am I clear?"

Amelia just gaped but the stare she got from Kitty was enough for her to close her eyes and sigh, understanding she didn't stand a chance. "You'll enforce her silly rules even when I'm out of the hospital, won't you?" Amelia asked suspiciously.

"You better believe it, missy," Kitty warned, crossing her arms before her chest.

Amelia could only sigh, and close her eyes.

After a while the lady doctor re-bandaged Amelias wounded ribs and gave her a prescription for painkillers. Amelia redressed---with Kitty's help, obviously---and the pair left the room, and headed out into the waiting area. Delbert, upon spotting the two felinids, got to his feet like a shot, and hurried over to them, his concern written all over his face.

"Well?" he questioned tentatively, his brown eyes troubled as he looked at Amelia, as if he could somehow tell her condition just by looking at her.

"Don't look so forlorn, Doc... she'll be fine. She got three broken ribs is all," Kitty said. "Her doctor told her that she need to rest for the next six months."

"Oh, Captain, you poor dear," Delbert replied, reaching out to carefully touch Amelia's free arm in a comforting gesture. Amelia had to suppress a shiver that touch caused, but she did smile kindly at him.

"Well then," Delbert began, smiling confidently... or at least that was what he hoped he did. "Since our lovely Captain needs her rest, it's high time for me to get you ladies to your new home."

And as he nodded, turned, and headed out to arrange everything, Amelia smiled.

Kitty grinned. "I hope you noticed that he said, 'our lovely Captain', Amelia."

Amelia's eyes followed the gangly Doctor's progress out the door, a small fond smile on her lips. She then turned to Kitty. "Yes, I did rather. He's a charming fellow, don't you think?"

"Yes, rather," Kitty replied in a fairly good imitation of her friend's diction, which caused Amelia to chuckle.

"Come along, you insufferable rogue," Amelia replied, looping her good arm through Kitty's own. The two militarily clad ladies, arm in arm, began the short walk out of the hospital. "Let's go see our new home, shall we?"

"Yes, let's," Kitty replied in her typical teasing fashion, which made Amelia grin and shake her head. Kitty was beaming inside though, as the look in her friend's lovely green eyes told her all she needed to know... the once lonely astrophyscist and this outwarly confident, yet inwardly lonely Captain would be lonely no more. They---whether they knew it or not---were a couple, one destined for great things... among them, somthing they both had been missing so long in their lives---each other! Kitty put her hand over Amelia's and squeezed it fondly, glancing over to smile happily at Amelia. Amelia, not understanding precisely, but tickled by Kitty's happiness, grinned in reply.