Chapter Twenty Five

"Did you tell your mother that I was not coming?" Linka asked as they walked hand in hand towards her cabin.

Breakfast was something of a blur to her, she knew she'd managed to eat something but mostly she'd been aware of Wheeler next to her, his arm around the back of her chair and his leg touching hers under the table.

Their friends had chatted cheerfully, teasing them, and finally offering to accompany them to America to help with the house move.

"Nah," He grinned at her, "I kept hoping you'd come with me anyway."

"I wanted to." She opened her door and led him inside, and as she turned back to him found herself enveloped in a strong embrace.

"You're ok with this right? I mean I know I kinda put you on the spot back there…" The worry in his voice was plain as he searched her eyes for the truth.

Linka reached her arms up around his neck and kissed him, "This is what I have wanted for so long, and then this week I have been very unhappy, it does not seem quite real to me yet."

"I'm sorry, really sorry for what I said… and what I was thinking." He added quickly, "Not that I really think that you would, I mean… it was jealousy not… it had nothing to do with my opinion of you, you know that right?"

She chucked softly and laid her head against his shoulder, "I know. I should not have given you reason to be jealous, we are both at fault but we can have lots of fun making up, da?"

Wheeler kissed her head, "Yeah, I just wish we'd done this yesterday so we could stay here and make up."

"I had not finished my painting yesterday," she looked up and gestured to her canvas. "What do you think? I thought Kathy might like to see where her son lives?"

Wheeler turned slightly to look and stared in amazement, "How did you get so good so quick? …I mean, you were obviously good, but this is something else!"

She blushed and glanced away, "I have had a lot of time to get it right… besides it had to be perfect for your parents, especially if it is going to hang beside one of Trish's."

"You aren't in competition with Trish, Babe," He leant down to kiss her lips, "Not even a little bit."

The Russian shrugged, "I know, but I cannot help it, she has a history with you and your family that I will never be a part of."

He picked her up in his arms, earning a reproof that they didn't have time. He laughed and sat on the bed with her in his lap, "Tell me what you need to know to never worry about Trish or anyone ever again?"

Linka cuddled into him "I do not think there is a cure for that, what do you need to know to not be jealous every time a guy speaks to me?"

"That you love me," He kissed her temple.

"I told you, I love you," she replied simply, "Does that mean you will never get jealous again?"

"You might have to keep reminding me," He admitted and laughed with her.

After a few more moments of peace in each other's arms, Linka kissed him briefly and got up to start packing for their trip. Wheeler watched her in silence and it wasn't until she'd carefully wrapped her now dry painting that he spoke again, "You know, I don't know if it helps but, Trish was a part of my past… you are the whole of my future. No one else could ever mean to me what you do… I don't know a good way to prove that to you, but it's true."

Linka walked over and held out her hand to pull him up, though he did no more than hold it as he stood, before putting his arms around her again. "You do not need to prove anything to me, I believe you, and now I know that you do not just want something casual it will be easier."

He smiled and said nothing so she gave him a saucy look and added, "Can I have my picture back now please?"

"Your painting?" He frowned, "You said I could keep it…"

"Not my painting, my picture. The one you drew."

Understanding dawning he gave her a quick peck on the lips and told her to wait there while he darted off to his cabin. A few minutes later he was back, carrying both the sketch he'd drawn and the reusable shopping bag she'd left in his room earlier that week. "Don't worry I've taken the washing out."

He handed her the drawing and put the bag on her bed after retrieving his sketch book from it, "You can have this too if you want it?"

Linka carefully placed the artwork on her desk and took the pad, gasping as she opened it. Every page was covered with images of her, each better than the last.

"I've had a lot of time this week too," he shrugged, embarrassed now that she'd seen them, "I couldn't think of anything but you and they just sort of… happened."

Linka was biting her bottom lip in an attempt not to cry and when she spoke her voice was a little unsteady, "I think you found a way to show me how you feel Yankee."

He pulled her to him while she calmed down and then teased and kissed her back to smiles. It was easier now, they knew each other so well, all that had been missing was the commitment they both now gave freely.

"Are you two ready?" Gi asked from the open doorway, grinning at them as they broke apart looking guilty and then laughing, "It's ok, you're allowed, but if we're going to help Wheeler's parents settle into their new home we should really go soon."

Kathy and Joe greeted them all with delight, not having expected Wheeler to bring all of the Planeteers with him and meeting most of them for the first time.

They'd already started boxing things up so Kwame and Ma-Ti began carrying the full ones up to the roof where they'd landed, while the girls helped Kathy continue to clear the kitchen of everything but what Joe was using to make them drinks. Wheeler headed straight for his bedroom to start sorting that out.

"What are you going to do about your furniture?" Linka asked, kneeling down and beginning to unload a particularly full cupboard for Kathy to sort through. "I do not think we will get the larger pieces in the 'cruiser…"

"Oh no, we are leaving it here." Wheeler's mother told them, "Most of the furniture in the house was in much better condition than anything we have, so aside from ordering new mattresses, we'll just use that."

Joe grunted in agreement from the region of the kettle but added, "The stuff here isn't in so bad a condition that someone won't be grateful for it when they take on the apartment."

The girls quickly agreed, calling it recycling and leaving it to Kathy to change the subject.

"How is the bull fighting going?" She smiled as she matched another saucepan with its lid and placed it in a box.

Gi, who was boxing up cans from the larder, and having reached the back of one shelf was setting aside some whose sell by date boasted another decade, replied, "It's terrible, but we aren't directly involved in any campaigns against it right now?"

"But… I thought you were taking part?" the older woman asked, confused.

Linka blushed as she fell in, but gave a gurgle of laughter, "You mean the mechanical bull riding? That was a one off because Jason wanted to try it… we stayed over on our way here last time."

The Asian girl looked amused. "Oh right, one of those trips."

"What does she mean?" Joe asked, sounding harsher than he meant as usual and making Gi worry that she'd said the wrong thing. Fortunately Linka had already begun to know him well enough not to be bothered by it.

"We made a list of things we wanted to try, new experiences." Linka told him, continuing with her work, "It has given us a chance to get closer too." Gi snorted with amusement and her friend gave her a dirty look over her shoulder, adding, "You can probably tell why we need time alone sometimes."

Wheeler's parents laughed and after leaving most of the drinks on the table, Joe picked up Wheeler's and his own and started for the door.

"Oh Joe," Kathy called after him, "Don't forget what I left in the bedroom?"

"I know, I know," He grumbled, disappearing out of the room.

Linka got up to take her drink, giving her knees a rest and shot a warning look at Gi as her boyfriend's mother asked, "So what other exciting things have you and my son been up to?"

"It started with a balloon ride…" she replied, launching into a carefully edited account of the last few months.

"Are you packing up or spreading it around?" Joe asked as he surveyed the mess in Wheeler's room. There were clothes in heaps on the bed and more on the chair.

The American Planeteer tensed, unable to help reacting to his father's tone even though he now knew that there was nothing behind it. "I'll start packing soon, but most of this stuff is too small for me. I'm sorting it out to take to the charity shop."

Joe grunted, handing him a mug and then pushed some of the clothes aside so he could sit on the bed. Wheeler moved the pile from the chair to his desk and sat down. "How have you been?"

His father shrugged, "Better than I've a right to be, I imagine. You?"

"I'm good." Wheeler shrugged too, hating how uncomfortable he felt making small talk with his Dad.

"How are things with Linka?"

Normally that irritated Wheeler further but since their conversation, and reunion, that morning he was too happy to mind. He grinned, "Really good."

Joe smiled back and produced a small box from his pocket, throwing it to his son who caught it easily. "Your Ma wanted to give you this, I think she already told you about it?"

Wheeler nodded and put his drink on the side so he could look at the ring it contained. His mother had been right, it was beautiful and would suit Linka perfectly. "Are you sure you're ok with me having it?"

"Don't see why not…" That was all he said but Wheeler caught the pause.

"But?"

Joe shook his head, "You're still young, I know your Mom is obsessed with setting you up with your Ruskie but I don't want her pushing you into it."

The Fire Planeteer had winced during that speech and couldn't help asking, "Do you have to call her that?" He had of course said it himself before then, but he knew that he meant it affectionately whereas with his father it just sounded like an insult. "And no, Ma is not pushing me into anything. I love Linka."

"She's a great girl, and I can see you love her. That's just not always enough." Joe looked at the floor, "If it's what you want, I'll be happy for you but don't marry her because you think you should."

"Is that what you did?" Wheeler's voice was colourless, which he supposed was better than being angry if he wanted an answer.

His father looked up and met his eyes for once, "It was. She was pregnant and it was my responsibility to step up, so I did. We were both too young."

Wheeler shook his head, "You were married for years before you had me…"

The older man nodded slowly, "We lost her… your older sister she would have been. Seven months in, Kathy was working too hard, she should have quit but we couldn't afford… I couldn't get a decent job even then."

"Did you have counselling?" Shocked, he felt he already knew the answer.

"Couldn't afford that either." Joe snorted, "We just kept going, the way people do. Kathy was pining for a baby so I took on a second job so she could quit, then a weekend job… I couldn't keep up and eventually it all came crashing down around me."

Wheeler swallowed and remained silent, he'd never expected his father to open up to him and he didn't know what to say.

"Thing is, you're a lot like me," Joe continued, holding up his hand to forestall his son's objections, "You'd kill yourself trying to give the ones you love everything they need, and sometimes, you just can't. Maybe it won't be a problem for you, I don't know. You're stronger than I was, I know that, and you have your Planeteers. I just don't want to see you rush into something you're not ready for."

"Linka would never put up with everything Mom did."

"Kathy felt guilty, for making me marry her and then losing the baby, for wanting another one… and I blamed her." He sighed, "If you'd known us when we first got together you'd have sworn neither of us would act the way we did, you just don't know how you'll deal with things until it happens to you."

Nodding, Wheeler asked, "If you'd waited would you… do you think you would still have married Mom?"

"Yes." Joe told him without hesitation. "But if I could go back, I'd make sure I was prepared first, then maybe things would have been different for all of us. If we'd waited just a couple more years, we might have been a real family. Instead…" he shook his head, lapsing into reverie.

"What was her name?" Jason asked quietly, and seeing his father's confusion, "My sister."

The older man took a swig of his drink and swallowed hard, "Karen. We called her Karen, but we never even got to hold her."

There didn't seem to be anything else to say. A part of Wheeler wanted desperately to tell his father it was ok, but the truth was it wasn't and it never really would be. He understood him better now, could forgive a little more, but they would never have the relationship he'd wanted and he was finally beginning to accept that.

I'll do better. Jason promised himself. When it's my turn, my children will never doubt that their father loves them…

After few minutes silence Joe got up and left and it was a while before Wheeler could make himself go back to work.

Sometime later he was disturbed again.

"Lunch is ready." Linka leant against the door frame and watched her boyfriend for a moment, and then as he stood up, walked into his arms. "What is wrong?"

"What makes you think something is wrong?" He asked, not denying it.

She reached up and stroked his hair back from his face, "The pain in your eyes… is it your Papa? He went to lay down after he made the drinks, did you argue?"

Wheeler shook his head, but his voice was gruff, "We talked… he told me some stuff."

Linka kissed his cheek and snuggled closer, hoping her proximity would help, "It is ok to tell me."

He did, leaving out the advice about marriage, and held on tightly to her as she cried silently for him and his family. "It's ok Babe, it's never good opening old wounds but… I think I'd rather know. At least I understand some of it now."

"Da, sorry." She dried her eyes and he smiled at her.

"Never apologise for caring." He kissed her and then, "We'd better go wash up for lunch huh?"

Linka nodded, "Do you need some help in here after? We might need to keep these boxes for last, after we take the rest to your parent's new house. I think there will need to be more than one trip as there is."

"Nah there's not much I want to keep really," he shrugged, "A couple of photo albums, a few t-shirts that still fit. I took the stuff that mattered to Hope Island years ago."

"Is it difficult… giving up your childhood home?" she had not had to do it yet, although she suspected it would not be long before she had to. Mishka would want a nursery sooner or later. "I mean I know not all of your memories were happy but…"

Wheeler kissed her softly, "But it was still my home… it's weird, knowing I'll never come back here… I'm not that sorry though." Their lips met again, "I'm glad you came with me."

"Me too." She smiled and seeing that his eyes had cleared, kissed him one last time before taking his hand and leading him out.

To be continued…