~A year later…

I sat in the girl's hospital room beside the bed reading the last chapter of one of my favorite books out loud to her. It had been a year since I had found her in the rubble and there was still no indication of her waking up. But I kept hoping that she would give me a sign… I kept hoping that finding her was for a reason and she would somehow wake up. The doctors assured me that they would keep trying to revive her but to no avail. Now they were telling me that they would probably just let her go. I had even paid some of the bills in advance to insure that they wouldn't unhook her from anything. It was heartbreaking to watch but I didn't want to give up.

Craig kept to his word and kept me busy. There were some days that I didn't even bother going home. I would rest up at Gilford then go on another job after a short nap. He understood the situation and made sure I was getting the highest paying jobs. This included having some quality time with my brother while he escorted me everywhere to make sure I got to my destination safely. He and I got together for lunch every now and again so I could give him any update on the little girl that I could. He even came to visit her with me when he had a chance.

Hara had also come with me once in a while to see her. She was surprisingly supportive of the whole situation and had even gone as far as to say that she could come live with us when she woke up. She had requested more hours at work like I did in order to help me with the hospital bills as well as get some things for the girl when she woke up. It was times like this that I was really thankful to have her as my best friend.

As for Falco… I hadn't heard from him at all. It was shocking actually. I figured Fox had something to do with it since my brother was convinced that Falco was interested in me. I wouldn't go as far as saying that I was disappointed that I didn't see Falco around but, I was kind of curious about how he was doing.

I finished up the chapter I was reading then set the book on the end table. I told the girl my goodbyes then headed for home. As I walked the city streets, I saw a familiar face that I hadn't seen in a while.

Falco stood in front of a shop window staring absently at something. He had his hands in his pockets and still exuded his bad-boy aura. I walked up to him slowly so I wouldn't startle him.

"Hello, stranger," I said.

He did a double-take then smiled at me. "Yo."

"How have you been? I haven't seen you around for a while."

He turned to me. "Well, I was kind of warned away by your brother. I didn't want to upset him any more than I had to."

"I see… I'm sorry that he put restrictions on you."

"Oh baby, nobody restricts me," he winked. "But, he is my friend and I do what I can for him. How is that little girl that you rescued a while back? Did she ever wake up?"

I instantly felt that burden weigh heavy on my heart. Falco noticed and actually looked sincerely worried.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head. "Not really."

"Too bad. I want to help. Let me take you to lunch and we can talk."

He didn't give me a choice in the matter. He took my arm and led me to the same café that Fox and I sat at when we finally talked for the first time. Falco ordered us coffees and we sat down at a high-table by the large windows overlooking the street. After a few sips of coffee, Falco spoke up.

"So, tell me what's going on. Why do you look so down?"

I took a sip from my cup and sighed. "The doctors are talking about pulling the plug…"

He arched a brow. "Excuse me? They're getting paid right? You're not behind on any of the bills?"

"What do you think I've been doing this whole year? Craig has me running around like a chicken with my head cut off. In his defense, I asked him to but, still. I'm making plenty of money. In the end, she hasn't made any progress. She's not brain-dead or anything. She's just not responsive. I don't know what to do…"

"I'm sorry, Skye. I don't know what to tell you."
As soon as he said that, my phone rang. I groaned when I saw who it was on the caller ID.

"Kell," I answered.

"Hello again, Skye," Craig answered with his usual cheerfulness. "Care to make another run to Fichina?"

"Again? Didn't I just make a run to them?"

"It's hard work controlling a whole planet's climate, Skye. That center needs constant care. And constant parts apparently."

I looked to Falco for a moment.

"How soon do you need me?"

"As soon as you can get here."

"Done. I'll be there."

When I clicked the end button, Falco's phone went off.

"That's uncanny…" He murmured. He looked at the caller ID and chuckled. "Imagine that. It's your boss's wife."

He answered the phone. "Hello?"

A pause.

"I can't complain. Yourself?"

There was another pause. I tried to listen to their conversation but still couldn't hear what Melissa was saying on the other end.

After a few moments, he cast a glance at me then grinned. "Count me in. I'm on my way now." He ended the call then turned his attention to me. "It looks like I'm going with you this time."

"Seriously? You're going to be my escort? What happened to Fox and Slippy?"

"She said they've been running them ragged with your constant missions," he explained as he got his things together. "And General Pepper told them that he didn't have anyone to spare. Don't worry, I'm only last resort."

I followed his lead. "I can't say I'm disappointed. I would be lying if I did."

We went to the port to get our fighters then made our way to Gilford. Craig was over-seeing the packing of my ship as usual. He saw us coming up beside him and grinned.

"Hello, you two," he greeted. "Ready to get to work?"

"Always," I winked.

Craig offered a hand to Falco. The bird took it without hesitation.

"You have no idea how much we appreciate you being here, Falco. Thanks for filling in."

"Not a problem. Fox needs a break just like anybody else. Where are we headed?"

"Fichina," Craig told him. "The Climate Control Center needs parts to keep it up and running. This shipment is top priority. Think you can handle it?"

Falco grimaced. "I can handle it just fine. But, man, I hate the cold." He looked to me. "It would have been nice for you to tell me."

"Quit your belly aching," I said. "I have an extra coat in my carrier. Besides, your job isn't to question. It's to get me to my destination safely. End of story."

He crossed his arms. "Alright then. Let me know when you're ready." He walked away at that.

Craig lifted an eyebrow at me.

"What?" I asked him.

"Oh nothing," he shrugged. "I just understand why Fox is so worried."

"What do you mean?"

"The way he looks at you. He treats you one way but looks at you in another. It's… Interesting…."

"It's not like that for me," I assured him.

"I understand that. Take it from someone who sees it from his wife every day." He grinned. "For Falco, it's different though. The constant banter is a way of getting to know you. His look is one of respect and kindness. It'll change once he gets to know you more."

I didn't believe him for a second.

"Whatever you say, Craig. If you'll excuse me, I've got a control center to get parts to."

I went straight to the cockpit of my ship and connected the com to Falco's arwing.

"Ready?" I asked.

"When you are."

Falco and I made our way to Fichina with the usual banter all the way there. We got to Fichina and I pulled into the control center with ease. A whole team was waiting for the drop off. Falco also landed and rushed to my carrier to pick up a coat from me. I smirked as he shrugged himself into the coat.

"My goodness, I think I may have found your weakness, Bird," I teased.

"Yes, the cold is the bane of my existence," he agreed drolly, not giving in to my wit.

We were greeted by some of the workers as they got to work on unloading my ship. As I kept an eye on my ship, Falco came over to chat with me.

"So… this is glamorous," he said. "You get to stand and watch as they manhandle the goods. Seems kind of boring."

"This way they can't blame me for any damages. And if I keep an eye out means no sabotage. I become my own watchdog."

"Well, when you're the only person you can trust…"

The way he said that made me pause. I looked up at him. He was giving me a sideways glance that made me uncomfortable so I turned away quickly. I felt the heat rush to my cheeks.

"Trusting people isn't an issue for me," I argued.

"Then what's the issue?"

He was asking honestly. It caught me off guard. It seemed as if he really wanted to know something about me. Should I answer him or brush him off?

Before I could reply, I was pulled aside to do the paperwork after my ship was done being unloaded. Some of these people working today weren't familiar to me. I brushed it off not really putting a second thought to it then went on my way. Falco and I loaded up and went on our way back to Gilford.

Before long, my ship began to act up. I tried to contact Falco only to find that my com had been disconnected. Just as my ship shut down, one of the engines exploded and sent me into Falco's arwing then sent us both careening toward a planet. Within moments, we touched down and my ship tumbled onto the ground, knocking me for a loop. I remember looking over to Falco's arwing seeing him unconscious before everything went black.