Part Two

At the ARC

Becker was having a bad day. He strode as fast as could out of the lift, but it wasn't fast enough.

"Becker! We need to talk!" yelled Matt.

"Job's done isn't it?"

"Yeah, but you didn't have to fight it. One shot with an EMD would have brought the pristichampsus down. You didn't have to go all..."

"Caveman," suggested Abby.

"Keep out of this Abigail."

"Oh, no," she said. "Matt's right. One shot, no mess. That creature needs surgery now."

Becker laughed bitterly. "Sure, nurse a gigantic croc that could have killed everyone on that beach."

"It didn't," she said. She looked at the others, and they backed off. She walked up close to Becker, and said softly, "I know you don't want to hear this and that you'll probably deny it, especially to yourself, but you miss her, Becker. She's not here and you're taking it out on everybody."

"She's on holiday, Abby. She'll be back."

"Then maybe you should remind yourself that, and take a chill pill, hmm?" asked Abby.

Becker looked at her. He sighed. "I didn't intend to...'go caveman' on the croc. It just happened. I'm sorry, Abby."

Abby looked shocked.

Becker chuckled. "I can apologize, you know."

"I always assumed you could," said Abby, "but I've never seen you do it."

Becker shook his head. "I guess I've...loosened up some."

"Yeah," she said. "Someone's been a good influence on you."

Becker blushed, but didn't deny it.

Abby smiled. "I wish she'd hurry and get back."

"So do I," said Becker. "So do I."

On the Ship

Jess laughed as she and Wallace strolled back from the disco.

"I'm so glad you talked me into dancing. That was so fun!"

"You're a very good dancer, Jess," said Wallace.

"Thank you. You're more than acceptable yourself," she said with a grin.

"So, you had a pleasant evening?" he asked.

"Oh, very," she said. "Thank you." She leaned up and kissed his cheek.

Wallace accepted the kiss and held her hand.

"You are a very sweet and special lady," he said, as she blushed. "May I?"

"May you what? Oh, a goodnight kiss. Yes, all right."

Wallace leaned forward and gently kissed her lips. She kept her eyes closed after the kiss. When she opened them, she gasped. She had seen Becker's face for a split second.

She fell against the wall, crying.

"What? Jess, I'm so sorry..."

"No, no. It isn't you. You have nothing to apologize for. You are kind, and sweet, not to mention handsome, funny, intelligent, and wonderful. You've made it clear from the beginning that you're interested in me. I…I'm so sorry. I wish I felt…" she babbled, mixed with sobs before falling completely silent, except for soft crying. She managed to blubber "I'm sorry" again.

Wallace stared at her. "Let's go sit somewhere and talk."

"No, honestly. We should just call it an evening. Please forgive me. I'm so sorry. You couldn't have been nicer or more gentlemanly. I'm just pathetic."

"Jess," he said gently. "As you just pointed out, I'm a gentleman. You're obviously upset. I can't leave you without offering to help. Let's talk."

She smiled and agreed. Wallace led her to a couple of deck chairs close by.

"Now, what is going on inside that lovely head?"

"It's got an image stuck inside it," she said, sniffling.

"I see. You're trying to get over an ex?"

She snickered. "I wish! That's how pathetic I am. We've never been together. Probably never will be together. He's a friend, a very good friend."

"I see. Does he know how you feel?"

"He should! I dress in tiny skirts and heels, and get flustered around him, and tell him how brilliant he is, and sit by his bedside when he's hurt, and order food with prawns 'cause he loves them, and...and..." she stopped blabbering and looked into Wallace's calm eyes. "It's probably not enough, is it?"

Wallace chuckled. "Probably not. This friend, is he a good guy? Is he worth all these tears?"

Jess smiled. "Oh, yes. He's worth many more."

Wallace sighed. "Lucky bloke. Honestly, I envy him."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," said Wallace. "You can't tell your heart who to love. I wish you could," he said with a sad smile.

"You are beyond belief," she said.

"I have my own baggage, Jess. I have a habit of falling in love at the wink of an eye. There are just too many wonderful women in the world. It seems like I'm always saying goodbye."

"I'm sorry."

"Again, don't be. You accepted an invitation to dinner, that's all. I had a lovely dinner and a wonderful evening, so thank you."

Jess smiled. "Thank you, very much, for everything."

"Will you do something for me, Jess? Will you tell this friend how you feel? I want you to use actual words, Jess."

Jess laughed. "I can promise that I will try."

"Good," said Wallace. "Now, how about we go back to the disco and you help me find the next young lady to lose my heart to."

"Wallace! Five minutes ago you kissed me! You want to move on to the next girl, now? Shame on you!" She smiled. "Let's go."

At the ARC

Becker had given Abby a heart attack. He appeared, in scrubs, to assist her in the pristichampsus surgery. He wasn't bad. He followed her orders and did exactly as she said.

"You want to help me again, sometime?" she asked, after it was over.

"No, thanks. I like my guns too much. I owed you and that thing. I just wanted to help."

"Very cool," said Abby.

She invited him to the canteen for some post-operation coffee.

"This is a new look for you, Captain," said Bernie.

Becker grinned. "Soldiering just wasn't working out," he said, smirking.

"I'll get yours, Becker. Since you won't get paid for helping me," she said with a smirk.

Becker sat down. Unfortunately, he sat by some female techs who were friends with Jess.

"I told her to go for it. Sure, Becker's cute, but the guy has the emotions of a kumquat. She's too young to grow old waiting for him," said one of the women. Becker had his back to them so he couldn't see which one was speaking.

Becker realized that in his scrubs, they hadn't recognized him.

A different voice said, "I can't see Jess in a ship-board romance. She's too romantic, too young. She thinks if she waits long enough, her prince will come. She won't give up on Becker yet."

"I didn't say anything about a long-lasting romance, just a fling. What can it hurt?"

Becker really wanted to turn around and see who this speaker was. He really didn't like her.

"Jess wouldn't do a fling. Yes, she's young," said a third voice, "But she's ready for a boyfriend. That's why she went on this singles cruise. She's looking for a man."

Becker felt his heart break. A singles cruise? She wouldn't. Would she? Didn't she know how he felt? He brought her chocolate, let her talk him in to things no one else could, he spent more time with her then anyone. It had to be clear.

Abby finally neared the table. Becker jumped up and grabbed her, almost spilling the coffee.

"Becker, what the hell?" she asked as he led her to a far off table.

"Jess went on a singles cruise?"

"How did you know?" she asked. "Wow, all the color just drained out of your face."

"She's looking for a man," he said, with a whimper. Then he slumped onto the table, letting his head lightly smack it.

Abby chuckled. "Becker, when you act like this, all your pretending that Jess is nothing more than a friend is kind of a waste."

His head was now covered by his arms and hands. She heard a muffled groan.

Abby chuckled again. Poor guy. She leaned next to his ear and whispered, "Jess is not looking for a guy. She only went on the singles cruise because if she booked at the last minute she got a heck of a deal."

"Really?" he asked, lifting his head.

"Yes, Becker."

Becker sighed, and chuckled.

Abby shook her head. "For heaven's sake, Becker. Look at you! This is not how someone acts when a friend goes away. She's a lot more to you."

Becker sat still, staring at his coffee.

"You know, if you actually told her how you really felt, it wouldn't actually hurt you. You wouldn't drop dead."

He laughed. "I might."

"You're an idiot."

"I am."

On the Ship

Jess spent the next few days with Wallace and his new lady friend Isabel, a lovely French woman. Jess was a regular in the shops looking for souvenirs for her friends. She also spent a lot of time in the pool. She liked swimming, if some man tried to pick her up she just swam away.

She did find some nice men, like Wallace who understood that she was not looking for any kind of relationship, other than friendship. She'd met two brothers from Canada, the Kirks, who were wildlife photographers. They spent hours just telling her about their adventures: running from lions, getting iguanas to smile, playing with penguins.

She learned shuffleboard and still didn't understand it. She took a class in chocolate sculpture making, but got kicked out for eating all the chocolate before anyone could melt it and make sculptures.

She met a charming retired Las Vegas couple, the Sands. Mr. Sands was a splendid painter. Whenever they pulled into a port he'd sit on deck painting the new landscape. Jess sat with him several mornings, silently sipping cappuccino while she watched him paint. It was awe-inspiring.

Mrs. Sands was a bit of a card sharp. She and Jess played bridge, but when Jess couldn't get the hang of it, she taught Jess poker. They played for chocolate bars, and by the end of the cruise Mrs. Sands had won 30 from her, but being a sweetheart, she shared many of them with Jess over afternoon tea.

The evenings she spent dining with one of the many friends she had made. After dinner, she'd go dancing with the Kirk brothers or Wallace and his girl; or she might hit the casino with Mrs. Sands, or maybe keep Mr. Sands company at a movie while Mrs. Sands was still in the casino; or she would simply sit on deck watching the ocean while enjoying the night air.

No matter what she did and how much fun she had one thought always lingered in her mind: Becker, what he was doing, if he was OK, and if he missed her, even just a little.

End of Part Two