Chapter Eight

Jaime listened quietly as Steve explained the concept of bionics, how they worked and how she came to receive them. She seemed to be taking it all in stride.

"Is it just my hand?" she asked when he'd finished.

"Your whole arm, one ear -"

"My ear? Yuck!"

"And both legs." Steve watched her carefully, but she didn't seem to be panicked and she didn't cry.

"Oh." She took a few moments to silently absorb this. "So...without this...stuff, I'd be in a wheelchair?"

"Without the bionic surgery, Sweetheart, Rudy and the other doctors wouldn't have been able to save you," he answered, as gently as he could.

"Rudy? He...did this?"

"He's primarily a scientist, but a damn good doctor, too. The 'thank you's would go to him, but if you're looking for someone to blame, I guess that'd be me."

"What do you mean?" Jaime asked, frowning slightly.

"When you had your accident, there was no other way to keep you alive. Back then you told me I should've let you die, and maybe I was being selfish, but - I didn't wanna lose you. So I asked them to make you bionic, to save your life."

"Them?"

"The government." Steve paused, and thought to himself that he may as well tell her the rest of it. "The person I actually talked to, who gave it the green light, was Oscar."

"Did you know him through NASA?"

"Not exactly. I first met him when I was testing some top secret aircraft for the government. The last test flight I took, the one that caused me to retire, was a crash; a really bad crash. Rudy had been looking for a test subject and Oscar was familiar with my work, so somehow I became the guinea pig."

"You're...bionic, too?"

"That's right. You don't think I'm a robot or a machine, do you?"

"No-o-o."

"Here, let me show you something." Steve very tenderly cupped her face in both of his hands, stroking her cheeks with his fingertips. When he was done, he looked directly into her eyes. "Now, which one of those hands is bionic?"

"I...don't...know," she said, very slowly.

"I rest my case."

------

Two days later, they were ready to try the picnic idea again, although, at Jaime's insistence, they had cookies instead of cake. For the first time in over a month, Jaime's appetite had returned, and she and Steve had made short work of everything the staff had packed and were now sitting back, enjoying nature - and each other.

"It's so beautiful here," Jaime sighed happily. "But I'd really like to go home, now that I remember where home is."

"Rudy said it won't be much longer. Maybe a week or so. Possibly less, if you have someone to keep an eye on you." He grinned. "And I've got the perfect person in mind."

"Oh? Who would that be?"

"Well, how would you feel about coming home with me? My house has a guest room, and you could stay there as long as you want, or as long as Rudy thinks it's necessary."

"Live with you, huh?"

"In a manner of speaking, but you'd have your own room."

"Damn." She smiled wickedly, then leaned over to kiss him. "You'd really do that for me?"

"There's nothing in the world that I wouldn't do for you - you should know that by now." Steve's arms circled around her and he pulled her in for a longer, deeper kiss. "So, what do you think?" he asked when they surfaced for air. "Sound like a plan?"

"The guest room part; might it be negotiable somewhere down the line?"

"It's possible," Steve told her. "But I don't want you to feel that's why I'm asking you to come with me."

"Steve? Shut up and kiss me." With her eyes holding him prisoner, there was really nothing else he could do. Later, as they walked back to the hospital, Jaime reflected on the day. "You know, today was almost perfect."

"Almost?"

Jaime laughed. She still hadn't gotten revenge for the photo. "There's never a bird around when I really need one."

END