CHAPTER 19 - SLIPPERS
"It is not Abigail. Don't be silly."
"I know she's your friend, but I have to consider it," Jack argued.
He and Elizabeth were sitting at a corner table in the Cafeteria eating breakfast the next day and discussing possible saboteurs on the transporter when Jack had offered up Abigail's name.
"She's a sweetheart. Anyone that can make croissants this delicious, cannot be devious."
"Are you eating a chocolate filled one?" Jack asked as he peered at the pastry in Elizabeth's hands.
Elizabeth pulled off a piece and handed it to Jack, who promptly popped it into his mouth.
He looked around to make sure that no one was in earshot of their conversation but most of the diners had already finished and left the room.
"Look, you don't know everything about her. You've only known her three months. Just because you like to get together and gossip with her doesn't mean you know her that well."
"I've only known you three months and I'd say I know you pretty well. So, I think we both agree that time is relative."
"Point taken. But you know me pretty well because in addition to talking, we've been spending a lot of time doing something else - kissing. And as far as I know, you haven't been making out with Abigail."
Elizabeth ignored his jab and licked a dollop of chocolate off her fingers. "And Abigail and I don't gossip."
We talk about how absolutely delicious you are, she thought to herself.
"Think about it. Abigail's got to harbor some type of anger about the accident that killed her husband. If she can find a way to stop transporters from going to Coal Valley, it will shut down the colony."
"She wouldn't do anything devious," Elizabeth said adamantly.
"Revenge can be a pretty strong motivator. Don't you think it's a bit strange that she took a transporter home to Earth to bury her husband but then immediately turned around and got on this transporter to go back to Coal Valley. With no family there. No reason to be there."
"She told me once that Coal Valley has strong memories for her. Not just of her husband's death but of their life together. She said it was good life."
"A life on a barren desolate inhospitable outpost without any natural flora or fauna?" Jack said with a dubious look.
Elizabeth smirked. "You do realize that you basically said the same thing over and over again using different words, don't you?"
"The point is no one on this ship is above suspicion."
"Does that include me?" she teased.
"Not anymore," Jack answered seriously as he picked up his coffee and took a sip.
"Wait a minute. I was joking. Did you really consider me a suspect?"
Jack set down his cup, pushed back his chair, and gave her a smile. "I've got to talk to some more people," he said without answering her question. "I'll see you later."
Four hours later, Elizabeth sat on the edge of the infirmary's long metal examination table. Her right index fingertip rested on a sensor which almost instantaneously monitored her heart rate, pulse, and oxygen levels, while a sensor on her left wrist measured her blood pressure and skin hydration.
"Your skin looks good. Your hair's a little dry. That's to be expected on this transporter with the dry air. When you get to Coal Valley, it will be the opposite. Lots of moisture. Lots of rain in the bio-dome."
Darn, that will make my hair frizzy, Elizabeth thought to herself. I've traveled millions of miles to a place with no hair-dresser.What was I thinking?
"How's teaching going?" the doctor asked, just as he did at every visit. His own haircut had been growing out during the months on the transporter, revealing patches of grey which made him look ever more serious than he had on Elizabeth's prior required periodic check-ups.
"Good. My four students are great and I've been doing lessons to those in Coal Valley. I'm still sending a hologram almost every day. I've learned all their names and I'm anxious to meet them in person."
"Have you been keeping active enough?" he questioned as he removed the sensors from her body, and began wrapping several pulsating belts around her forearms, biceps, thighs, and lower legs.
"I think so," Elizabeth answered somewhat hesitantly. Darn. I haven't been on the treadmill in ages.
"Aerobic activity?"
"Aerobic?"
"Any activity that you sustain for more than just a few minutes to allow your heart, lungs, and muscles to work overtime."
Elizabeth thought about her recent make-out session with Jack. Does kissing count? Yes, it must.
"Yes, I've been very active. Definitely. Lots of aerobic activity", she said as she nodded her head.
"Getting your heart rate up?"
"Yep. Definitely." Most most definitely! I'm probably in excellent shape!
"Well, your weight is fine but you're lost five percent muscle tone", the doctor noted as he compared Elizabeth's statistics since she had arrived onboard. "It happens due to the lack of full gravity on the transporter."
Drat. I should have been attending those fitness classes. They were just so . . . .so . . . sweaty.
"You should be lifting weights." the doctor ordered as he removed the monitoring belts and deposited them in a box on his desk. "Keep it up when you get to Coal Valley. Otherwise, you'll get back to Earth in two years and you'll be a flabby mess."
"Okay", Elizabeth readily agreed. The last thing Elizabeth wanted to be when she returned to Earth was a flabby mess. She cringed at the idea.
"You're good friends with Abigail Stanton, aren't you?" the doctor asked as he gave Elizabeth an assessing look.
"Yes. I am." Ooh, maybe he's single and interested in her; that's why he's asking if I'm her friend. "She's very nice," Elizabeth added enthusiastically.
"You might want to lay off her croissants and other pastries. They're allowed in the menu because they remind people of indulgences back on Earth, but they provide little nutritional value", the man said critically.
Before Elizabeth could think of a response, the ship's doctor motioned for her to lie down on the table. The white sterile paper crinkled under her as she frowned and stretched out to allow the tactless man to run his biometer scanner across her left hip.
"Any side effects from your birth control implantation?" he asked as the device in his hand registered that Elizabeth still had twenty-one months of pregnancy prevention left in her body. Elizabeth watched as the numbers lit up on the small device.
"Nope."
The implantation had been mandatory for all females - although it was obvious to Elizabeth that the male passengers were oblivious to this given Seth's comments about the need for protection and alien babies, just as the freezing of embryos, the extensive physical and mental testing, and the inoculations had been mandatory prior to Elizabeth's approval for the two-year assignment to Coal Valley. The fact that she hadn't needed birth control was beside the point. The people going to Coal Valley were expected to maintain their physical fitness and to not waste the money that the government and private companies had invested in them by getting sick, or pregnant. Every precaution had been taken.
"Good. Any more cabin-fever?"
"No. Thankfully that only lasted the one day. A trip to the horticulture room cured me."
A trip with Jack. . . . I wonder what he's doing right now. Maybe we should have a picnic dinner among the trees tonight. I can grab a few things and surprise him. Of course, we'd probably end up kissing more than eating our food. Elizabeth tried to suppress a smile at the thought.
"Any urinary problems? Vision problems? Auditory problems? Tinnitus?" the doctor asked, bringing Elizabeth's attention back to her examination. He spoke in a bored professional voice as he looked at the computer screen in front of him and began typing in information.
"No, no, no, and no."
"Any joint problems?
"No."
"Any lightheadedness?"
"Just when Jack kisses me."
"Excuse me?" the doctor turned from his screen and gave Elizabeth a quizzical look.
Damn! Did I say that aloud?!
When Elizabeth entered her living quarters after her doctor's appointment, she said hello to Carl and his friend, whose name Elizabeth could never remember, who were both sitting on Carl's berth, and then took off her shoes in a disgruntled manner.
Lay off the croissants! Who is he to tell me to lay of the pastries? Okay, so maybe he's the doctor, but still, what does he know? French people eat croissants all the time and I've never seen a fat French person. The owner of Mode Salon back home in Hamilton is as skinny as a rail.
Look at Lori from Horticulture. With her tiny waist. Although,. . . . now that I think about it, she may not actually be French. I never have quite figured out that accent of hers.
Even French poodles aren't fat. Once you shave away their fur in that cute little style, they've got those skinny legs. Why, I've never even seen a –
"Elizabeth?"
"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Elizabeth turned to look at the woman in the tee-shirt staring at her.
"I said that we're going to meet up with Ensign Andrews. She's going to teach us how to salsa. And tango. And swing dance," Carl's friend said as she swayed her hips sideways in an exaggerated dance move. "You and Jack want to join us?"
"He's working."
"You want us to wait? See if he shows up soon?"
"He'll be a while. You have fun", Elizabeth replied.
She watched Carl sway his hips with his companion as they started for the door.
"Wait up a minute," Elizabeth called out as she stood up from her berth. "I changed my mind. I'll go with you. I don't need a partner, do I?" More aerobic activity here I come. Weight lifting tomorrow.
"Course not. They'll be plenty of single people there. We'll find you a partner."
Four days later, Elizabeth sat on her berth in the late afternoon and tried to think of what to do. She had already sent a hologram lesson to her students in Coal Valley on division, helped her sole female student on the transporter write a book report - and was rewarded with a huge hug, sent a hologram to her family – being careful to avoid any mention of Jack or his investigation, gone for a short swim in the transporter's jet pool, and lifted weights in the fitness center.
There were still two hours until dinner and she was debating whether to take a nap- even though she really wasn't tired, or visiting Abigail.
The last four days had been wonderful. The closer they got to Coal Valley, the more excited Elizabeth was about her upcoming school work and living in a primitive colony. More importantly for her good mood was the fact that there had not been any more malfunctions on the transporter. It was beginning to look like all the prior incidents had just been bad luck.
Last night, she and Jack had visited the Propagation/Horticulture Plant nursery and Elizabeth had decided on the small tree which she eventually planned to decorate for Christmas. Jack had laughed and argued that the tree was so small it wouldn't be able to hold up a single ornament, but he had finally agreed that they would decorate it when the time came – if it survived transplanting in Coal Valley.
All was right in the galaxy.
Except her toes.
Elizabeth's dancing partners had turned out to be seven-year old Albert who kept mistaking Elizabeth's feet for the floor, and an overweight clumsy dentist who had wonderful teeth but no rhythm or ability to keep from stepping on Elizabeth's toes.
Elizabeth looked at the shoes in her hand and then dropped them to the floor, deciding instead to wear the slippers she and Jack had won when they had earned fourth place in the talent show when they had sung "Annie's Song."
As she slipped her feet into the soft woolen slippers, Elizabeth realized that in two weeks, she and Jack would no longer be sharing a room and wouldn't be able to share the footwear. Not that she had ever seen Jack wear them, but after all, they had won them together. It didn't seem fair that only she got to enjoy them.
I should get him his own pair!
"The kind that the crew gets. We won a pair at the talent show. I'd like to keep them and get Jack a pair for himself," Elizabeth explained ten minutes later to the supply clerk. She was standing in the large inventory room on one of the lower levels of the transporter. "Probably a size medium."
"Sure. It seems only fair that you each get a pair. Unless Jack wants to wait and try to win another fourth place again on the return flight," the young clerk said with a friendly grin.
"I don't think he wants to wait two years", Elizabeth laughed.
"Two years? You mean two weeks. And two days." The clerk began walking down the aisle, scanning the shelves until he found the drawer labeled 'footwear'. He pulled out a pair of slippers, checked the size, and walked back to Elizabeth.
"Excuse me?" Elizabeth questioned as she took the pair from him. I must not have heard right. "What did you say?"
"Two more weeks of flight time and then two days. That's all it takes to change out the fuel capacitors, check the inventory, and turn it around after we land. We'll have a talent show on the flight back, too. Maybe he'll get lucky and win another a pair."
"What are you talking about? Jack's not going back to Earth on the return flight. He's staying in Coal Valley."
"He's on the manifest. I just got an updated list two days ago. He was added to it." The man moved over to his computer and pushed a few buttons until an image with several dozen numbers appeared on the screen. "DL-1041981. That's his EC number isn't it?" the man asked.
A speechless Elizabeth stood there stunned as the man clicked some more buttons and a new image appeared on his screen. "Yep. That's him. Jack Thornton. Temporarily assigned to the Security Office. He's still on it."
"Does he know?" was all Elizabeth managed to say as she felt her pulse quicken.
"Sure. He gets a notification. And he was in here yesterday asking me questions about supplies onboard. I'm surprised he didn't tell you. Must have slipped his mind."
Ten minutes later, Elizabeth sat dejectedly on a berth in Abigail's living quarters.
"What are you going to do?" Abigail asked after Elizabeth had tearfully explained that Jack wasn't staying on Coal Valley but was taking the transporter back to Earth.
"I'm going to act normal. Pretend that I don't know, and when he tells me, I'll be casual. I'll tell him that it was great getting to know him and I wish him all the best. I'll tell him that I didn't expect it to last. It was just a summer fling. A flight romance."
"We both know that's a lie, and you are not one to lie. Elizabeth, he loves you."
"I don't know."
"What do you mean? Hasn't he said it?" Abigail asked in surprise.
"Not in so many words", Elizabeth replied with a sad shrug.
"It's only three words", Abigail pointed out.
"We've never said it," Elizabeth admitted as she wiped away a tear. "I thought he was just taking his time because I thought we had plenty of time, but now I think it was because he knew that he might be leaving. That what we have won't go any further."
"What about you? Why haven't you told him that you love him? You do, don't you?"
Elizabeth nodded. She knew she loved him. She was old enough, and had had enough relationships, to know the difference between infatuation and love. This was love. There was no doubt about it. She had known it from the moment she heard he was on the space-walk. "I was waiting for him to tell me first."
"I have to believe that he cares very deeply for you."
"It doesn't matter now." Elizabeth took a deep breath and resolved to be strong. "He'll be leaving in two weeks, and that will be the end of it. I'm just going to hold my head up high and be mature about it. I'll thank him for a great trip and we'll hug and promise to always remember our good times."
"Hi everyone. Hi gorgeous," Jack said with a smile. He directed his second comment to Elizabeth as he sat down in the empty seat next to her at Cafeteria table.
Elizabeth gave him a friendly hello and then turned her attention back to the conversation she had been having with her table companions. At least she tried to pay attention to it but she missed half the discussion as she thought about was how Jack hadn't told her about his travel plans. He had known about them for two days. Two days during which they had held hands, kissed, laughed. We talked about decorating a tree at Christmas in Coal Valley! she remembered in bewilderment. He never said a word about leaving me.
When her dinner companions broke out in laughter over a joke Bud had told, Elizabeth didn't notice.
When Jack reached under the table and put his hand on her thigh, she didn't even acknowledge it with a smile or a glance. After a few seconds, he removed his hand.
"Everything okay?" Jack asked under his breath as he frowned and looked at her sideways.
"Everything's fine," she said with a weak smile, and then turned her attention to the broccoli on her plate.
"Are you sure?"
Elizabeth ignored his gaze and set down her fork. "I've got to get going."
"Hold on", Jack said as he quickly put down his boxed drink, wiped his mouth with his napkin, and stood up when she did. "I'll walk you."
"It's okay. You're probably busy. And. . . you've barely eaten. It's turkey and gravy. Your favorite," she responded as she waved him off.
"What's wrong?" Jack demanded as he raced after her as she walked out of the Cafeteria.
"Who says anything's wrong?"
"You're upset about something. I can tell. Is it something that happened with one of your students? Did you get a hologram from home?"
"Everything's fine. I thought I'd hit the gym and do some weight-lifting."
"You hate weight-lifting. You said it makes your arms feel like jello. Weak jello."
Out of nowhere the tears started. Elizabeth wiped the wetness from her cheeks and continued to walk. Refusing to look at him as she spoke. "You're leaving. You're taking the flight home. You didn't tell me."
"Hey, hey, hold up." Jack gently stopped her with his hand on her arm. "I don't know yet what's going on."
"You're on the manifest," she sobbed as the tears continued to fall despite her declaration that she would be strong.
"I know. I know. But I'm trying to get it changed."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Elizabeth wiped her face on her sleeve and tried to control herself but she couldn't keep the wetness from spilling down her cheeks.
"I still have time to change it. And I didn't want you to get upset."
"It's too late. I am."
"Please don't cry." Jack realized that he still was holding his napkin. He grimaced when he saw the gravy on it, but handed it to her anyway.
Elizabeth gratefully took the offered piece of paper, folded it to a clean part, and wiped her nose. "Why shouldn't I?" she asked.
"Because I hate it."
"Then you shouldn't have made me cry by getting on the manifest", Elizabeth said bitterly.
"I'm sorry. But stop it."
When she glared at him between tears, Jack tried again. "Please. There's no reason to cry. Not yet."
"If you get on the return flight, it's over between us. We won't see each other for two years." Elizabeth wiped her face again in an unsuccessful effort to regain her composure but the tears continued to spill out her eyes. She mumbled something which sounded to Jack like she said she'd be a flabby mess in two years, but he decided that he must have heard wrong.
"It's not over between us. I am trying to -"
Jack paused and looked around the corridor. He scanned his bracelet, which as a security bracelet was supposed to allow him access to every room on the transporter, across the nearest door buzzer, but the door remained shut. Holding onto Elizabeth with one hand, he moved to another door and tried the scanner. "Damn ship", he cursed when it too refused to open. Finally, he pushed open a door to the stairwell, pulled Elizabeth into the area, and pushed the door closed behind them.
"I'm trying to stay. I've got two weeks to solve this crazy stuff that's been going on. If I do, then there's no reason for me to take the return transporter to investigate. I'll be able to stay in Coal Valley. I'm trying. I'm really trying to stay in Coal Valley. With you."
Elizabeth sniffled and looked at him questioningly. "Really?"
"God, yes! Of course, I want to stay with you."
"Even on a barren desolate inhospitable outpost without any natural flora or fauna, and even if I eat too many croissants?" she asked as she began to hiccup from her crying. The tears had stopped when she heard his declaration.
Jack gave her a puzzled look. "Okay, I have no idea what croissants have to do with anything. But yes, I still want to be with you even in a crappy place like Coal Valley."
"It won't be crappy. There'll be new trees and dandelions. Lori says she thinks she can get things to grow pretty well. Of the sixty trees, she thinks she'll have a seventy-five percent success rate," Elizabeth said encouragingly. "It will be really nice. And I promise I'll lift weights and be hydrated even if my hair gets frizzy. And I got you a pair of slippers."
"I think we're getting off point here, and you are really confusing me," Jack said with a small smile. He ran his hands along Elizabeth's face, wiping away remaining tears, and then pulled her close for a hug.
"I am trying my darndest to solve this and not leave you", he said into her hair as he held her. "I have a new lead, I just don't want to think it's right."
"What is it?"
"Carl."
"Carl?" Elizabeth pulled back in confusion.
Jack looked up and down the stairwell to make sure it was empty. "I found his spiral gadgetor near one of the damaged small engines. It had fallen down between some pipes."
"Jack, it wouldn't be Carl," Elizabeth said with a shake of her head. "He's our roommate."
"Think about it. He had to borrow my gadgetor a few weeks back. He said his went missing. I think he may have accidentally dropped it when he was causing trouble and couldn't retrieve it."
"Maybe someone stole his. What's so important about it?"
"It allows access to certain fuse boxes, electrical compartments, equipment. He can open pipes that are normally locked. Open vents. He has one to check for microbes and bacteria on the ship. "
"Why do you have one?"
"It's just something I have for my job. In case I need to get into certain areas to look for clues, DNA, fingerprints."
"But Carl?" Elizabeth asked in disbelief. She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that one of the men she had been living with for three months was responsible for murder and causing damage to the ship. A man who had been sleeping just feet away from her night after night.
"There's something else. There are cameras throughout the ship, and even though they aren't recording properly, I can still see what is happening in real time when I'm in the office. And yet, I've never seen anything. The culprit is either very lucky or he knows my whereabouts. He knows when I'm in the living quarters and not on duty. Who has better knowledge of when I'm in my living quarters than my roommates?"
"I can't believe Carl would do anything. And I wouldn't and . Wait, you do know it wasn't me? Right?"
"Yes, you goose. I know it wasn't you," Jack said with a chuckle.
"Okay. Good. And Seth wouldn't. He's got a wife and daughter who are on the next transporter behind us; he wouldn't risk his safety or theirs. And Carl -"
"What?" Jack asked when Elizabeth paused.
Elizabeth frowned. "Well, it's not like he has a family. Let's go talk to him."
"We can't just go talk to him," Jack explained. "If he's responsible, he's not just going to admit it if you ask him nicely."
"Forget talk, I will beat it out of him if I have to", Elizabeth said with a determined look on her face.
"You don't like violence", Jack reminded her.
"Right," she admitted with a frown. "What do you suggest?"
"I suggest you stay out of it and I handle it."
"Not going to happen."
"Elizabeth, you are not going anywhere, and I can't rush into this."
"We only have two weeks. I am not going to lose you to the return flight!"
"You are not in law enforcement."
"I'm a school teacher. Close enough."
"It's not close at all!" Jack exclaimed. "They are nothing alike. Stay out of it. I don't want you getting hurt."
"I am fine! I can handle this."
"Elizabeth" Jack said in a tone which Elizabeth knew was a frustrated warning.
"Maybe I can help. Now stop stalling, Jack. We don't have much time. Let's go." Elizabeth ordered as she pulled open the door and started off down the corridor without waiting for Jack.
Jack sighed in exasperation but hurried after her.
Hubris, he thought with a perturbed shake of his head.
We're probably going to name our first-born 'Hubris'.
UP NEXT: CHAPTER 20