Once Betty, the two policemen and Carl had left Jeff sat down heavily. He needed to think hard about where he went from here.

If Carl knew then Jeff would bet a year's wages that mission control would be inbound, and Carter not long afterwards to gloat.

He was under no illusions as to what would happen now, and Jeff needed to plan his defence, try and find some way of getting out of this mess. It wouldn't be easy – NASA was a stickler for the rules.

Sure enough, ten minutes after his unwelcome visitors had left there was a smart knock and Betty opened the door, letting in George and Alison, the mission directors. Jeff waited for them to sit, and there was an uneasy silence for a couple of seconds before Alison came straight to the point.

'Jeff? What's this we hear about a child?'

'It's a mistake, that's what it is.'

He growled the answer, and as he did so he realised he'd been too hasty in his defense from the frowns of the two directors. It was not the answer they had been looking for and Jeff sighed. He didn't have time for this.

'I mean, there is no way that the child is mine.'

'Are you sure, Jeff?'

'As sure as any man who has been on the planet for a year and never been told they have a child.'

Jeff inwardly winced as they frowned again. What did they want him to say? And then George told him what they were looking for.

'You need to make sure, Jeff.'

'Yes, I agree. Take the rest of the day off, go and see the child and his mom. At the very least you will get some answers.'

'I don't want to go within a million miles of that woman and boy' was what he wanted to say. Instead he nodded.

They both stood, satisfied with this outcome. Jeff got the message. No hope of a trip to Mars without this being sorted, and he knew, he just knew that until he could prove the child wasn't his that goal would forever be out of his reach now.

And he knew in his heart the boy was his. 'I'd bet our bottom dollar on it' his Ma would say.

He packed his case and grabbed his jacket to leave, and right outside his office he practically ran into Carter. The man's grin told Jeff everything, and he ground his teeth. He didn't have time for this so he barged past, not even saying goodbye to Betty. He could feel Carter's triumphal gaze on him the whole way.

It was a three-hour drive from Houston to San Antonio but only one hour by plane, and Jeff always made sure his was fuelled and ready to go. Add on drive time and flight prep he'd arrive at the hospital in a little over 90 minutes.

Ninety minutes to work out what he was going to say, to do.

Ninety minutes for his future to change irrevocably.

As he drove he filed the required flight plan, thinking back to that fateful night, to the party.

The tradition of throwing a party on the last free weekend had been his undoing. He couldn't remember why she was there, but he'd noticed her bright auburn hair as she danced with some of the other crew and workers.

He hadn't meant to watch her, but Jeff found he couldn't tear his eyes off her. She was a small thing, only around five foot five compared to his six-one, but she had an energy he could feel across the room.

And then she threw back her head and laughed and he knew he needed to meet her.

Winding his way through the dancing throngs his eyes darkened momentarily when he saw that her dance partner, the one who had made her laugh, was none other than Aston Carter, but the revelation made his lip curl with satisfaction as he thought about cutting in and wiping that grin off the man's face.

She chose that moment to look up and he found himself looking into sea-green eyes, alight with mirth. Her eyes opened as they looked into his, and Jeff tapped Carter on the shoulder to take over. The man growled but gave way, getting into a fight now was a guaranteed way to be taken off this and any other future mission.

They had danced the rest of the party away, sat together and talked. Then she'd taken him by the hand and led him away to another place where he'd woken in the small hours to find her still in his arms.

Lucille Evans.

Lucy.

He'd not thought about her since he'd slipped from her bed to go into quarantine for Mars all those years ago.

Fortunately he was an extremely competent pilot and could fly his plane with his eyes shut, which gave him time to plan what he was going to say and do. By the time he'd landed, picked up the rental and made it to the hospital Jeff knew exactly what he was going to do to get his life back on tract.

Thankfully he wouldn't have to deal with the boy, the police had said Texas Child Protective Services would find a placement and he prayed fervently that the child was already gone.

The woman on the desk at the hospital had viewed him with suspicion until she had found out who he was, and he was led to the room. He thanked the man who had brought him here and waited for him to disappear.

Jeff took a deep breath and entered the room.

Seeing her laying there brought back the memories in force, and as he looked at her auburn hair framing her face and listened to the machines, he felt his resolve falter as a familiar stirring made itself known.