After the clinic visit, Alicia hurried back to the Command Center relieved to have found someone to stand with her. It was bad timing, Reilly being absent from the colony and she knew her closest female friend not being at the wedding was courting hurt feelings.
Nathaniel and Jim were both in the office going over reports, "Shannon, you're invited for supper tonight, six thirty, don't dawdle, either of you," she spun on her heels and left just as fast to rush home and prepare the main course and a desert. It was almost five thirty when she put a lasagna dish in the oven and got bread sticks made with ancient wheat from the freezer department built in the cabinetry. Wheat was something she enjoyed as it was forbidden to be grown in the future due to genetically engineered strains a hundred years before she was born causing many diseases to mankind and was outlawed. This wheat was indigenous to this time and untainted. Nathaniel allowed the farmers to cultivate a field in the center of the colony and so far it produced enough for all the colony's needs. If it tasted anything like the wheat of the future, she wouldn't know.
She looked at the clock and went to shower and change her clothes and entered the bedroom for the first time since rushing home and stopped abruptly inside the door. Her bed had been replaced with the one she designed. It was beautiful with knotted twisted wood for the four posts with the head posts being taller. Embedded in the headboard was half of the massive multi-colored abalone shell centered in boards of rich grained wood. In the footboard was a smaller shell, the second largest she'd found. Also two of the smallest shells were inserted in the tops of the foot posts as bowls for holding anything coming from the pockets of clothing. The mattress was in place and the bed made up. A brief thought as to where the other half of the largest shell went flashed through her mind and evaporated when her gaze shifted to a vanity. It was a complete surprise and sported a matching cushioned stool of ironwood. She opened the drawer and it slid silently on metal rails and the smell of fresh cut lumber secreted its aromatic scent into the room. She looked at the other half of the massive shell with an inset mirror. Her reflection told her to get into the shower.
Nathaniel parked and entered without knocking. He smelled food cooking and headed to the bedroom. "How do you like Eric's work?" he saw her brushing her hair in front of the new mirror, fresh from her shower. Like her, he showered and changed into casual clothes.
She put the brush down and turned, "Thank you, it's beautiful."
He crossed the room and took her in his arms, "You're the most beautiful thing on Terra Nova," and sealed his declaration with an intimate kiss, which she returned eagerly.
It was the first time she met with Elizabeth in a social setting and they found much in common and a friendship was forming, especially with the men growing closer to each other. Nathaniel and Jim told stories of their past to each other in the living room while Zoe played quietly in the corner with her homemade dinosaurs dolls. Both Mom and Dad had admonished her to be on her best behavior or they wouldn't bring her back. She liked the Commander and Lieutenant so strived to be good.
Nathaniel left shortly after the Shannon's, telling her he could wait until they were wed to christen the new bed.
Friday was a blur for both of them with a rehearsal on the steps with the chaplain right after lunch while customers were few and Elizabeth could get away from the Infirmary.
"It's going to rain tomorrow," Nathaniel had been keeping an eye on the sky all morning and clouds were building."
"Nathaniel, that's not part of your vows." Franklin was walking them through the process when Nathaniel interjected his observation.
"No, but it's messing with my honeymoon plans," he carped at nobody specifically.
Standing in their respective spots one step below the Commander and Washington, the Shannon's exchanged smiles. Last night at Wash's place, Nathaniel was trying to convince her to build a cabin with him in the mountains so they could escape the duties of running a colony once in a while. He mentioned they could do it on their honeymoon. They thought he was joking, but now weren't so sure.
"There's not going to be an OTG honeymoon if the rains come," Alicia put her foot down. "We'll just stay home. Besides this many weeks after being cut off, supplies are running low and I need to be working."
"We are goin…"
"Let's get back to your roles before you continue your discussion," the chaplain interrupted effectively shutting them up as they turned back to him.
He finished walking them through the process when Nathaniel had another question. "How long will the ceremony take?"
"Have someplace to be tomorrow night?" Franklin teased him drawing laughs from all the eavesdroppers.
"No, but I reserve the right to be the most garrulous person in the colony and don't want to stand here listening to you ramble on with food getting cold."
"I'm not preaching a sermon if that's what you're afraid of. Do we have to go over this again? You weren't paying attention, were you?"
"I have memorized everything you've said. Right now, we need to clear the steps so Boylan can go back to receiving customers."
"Oh no, Commander, I'm quite enjoying hearing you rehearse," Boylan was standing nearby.
"I don't have to let all the guys kiss me do I?" Alicia didn't want to be pawed.
"I'm the only person kissing you," Nathaniel hadn't thought of that part of the celebration and his instinctive reaction was to revert to Wash's idea of just them and two witnesses. "We will not have a greeting line, just mingle after we get married. Nobody is putting their lips anywhere near you."
"If I have to be your best man, I get to be rewarded by kissing Wash," Jim was enjoying this as much as Boylan, if the wide grin adorning his face was anything to go by.
"I'm hosting the event, I get to kiss the bride," Boylan was openly chuckling and threw Wash a kiss, drawing the ire of the Commander. He could tell from the quick scowl that was thrown in his direction, his main goal achieved.
"No and maybe," Nathaniel pointed first to Boylan and Jim last.
Alicia looked at Elizabeth and they both burst out laughing at Nathaniel's possessive nature.
"If everyone knows their roles, I'll see you here tomorrow for the wedding," Franklin looked expectantly at everyone. Nobody brought anything else up so he turned and walked up the steps followed by the others.
"Wallace to Taylor," chirped Nathaniel's radio before Nathaniel could ask Wash her plans for the rest of the afternoon.
"What do you have, Malcolm?" he noticed his entourage at the top of the steps had stopped to listen.
"I've figured out what we're dealing with on the Pterosaurs, Commander."
Nathaniel shared looks with the others, "We're on our way." He clicked his radio off.
"Malcolm better not be long winded or I'll walk out on him. I have to get to the boutique and then check on the cake and food, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something." Wash talked as they walked.
"I can order you to stay, Lieutenant," Nathaniel used his authoritative tone.
"Up yours, Taylor," she easily responded.
He laughed, happy she was comfortable enough to tell him where to go.
Malcolm started the moment his guests stopped before the biotable he had on, "These poor saurs are the victims of our modern technology. The residue that has poisoned them was traced to a chemical called Stronurarium, the active explosive agent in modern cluster bombs, stable enough to hold together until the missile guidance separates and the smaller bombs drop and explode, like the ones that rained down on you two," Malcolm looked at Nathaniel and Jim. "These dinos must have been in the area and got coated from the force of the blasts. I analyzed the skin and there is a residue that has penetrated into the bloodstream and tissue, completely infecting the creatures inside and out."
"Is it contagious?" Jim asked.
"No. I figure when the bombs exploded a fallout area was polluted, but rain will dilute the area to a safe level. We may be dealing with other species that are dying like these infected guys. I went to the nest that Washington discovered and the babies starved to death. The mother was unable to catch fish in her gummed up beak and feed them. She would have starved to death if Wash hadn't done a mercy killing. The young that are caged are starting to show symptoms of thick saliva forming in their beaks. So far they can eat, but are biting things not in their diet. They know something is wrong with them and instinct is directing them to search for a cure."
"Can you cure them, Malcolm?" Elizabeth was looking at the technical readouts and listening to him talk.
Malcolm shook his head sadly, "No, if it had been a natural occurrence, maybe."
"How did this poisoning result in me becoming infected?" Alicia hadn't heard the connection yet.
"I was just getting to that, Lieutenant," Malcolm switched the image on the bioscreen and more technical jargon scrolled until the screen until it was filled. "What all this says is this; the natural parasites and bacteria that live in the Pterosaurs mutated into a deadly bug killing them slowly and affecting people who came in contact with the mutated bacteria. Normally if you were to be exposed to say a bite from a Pterosaur, a small infection might occur and antibacterial soap would kill the problem, or ingesting their saliva would have no effect on us. But with the mutations to the bacteria, consuming it caused it to attack the human host and mutate by consuming the minerals in the bodies it inhabited. What we don't know is if eating the dead carcasses causes the same reaction in carrion eaters. If we find an infected Nycoraptor or Carnosaur we'll have our answer."
Elizabeth was studying the data, whereas to the others it had no meaning, just formulas and scientific terms not in their vocabulary. "Malcolm, I see how the mutations on a cellular level take place. The bacteria mutates by destroying the protein in the cells and replace it with mineral deficient cells. The cells without enough…." She trailed off and absorbed herself in the statistics.
"Why did they pick that particular fruit to chew on, Malcolm?" Nathaniel added his question and saw Wash look at her watch. She warned him she was busy. "Hold on, Malcolm. Wash if you need to go, you can." With a grateful smile to him she hurried off without so much of a glance at the other two. "I'm surprised you kept her attention that long, Malcolm. Women, weddings and work are like oil and water," Nathaniel joked and grew serious again.
Malcolm smiled, "I got my invite and was hoping to have this wrapped up by tomorrow night." He switched gears back to the issue at hand, "They could smell the minerals in the mineral rich fruit, but their systems don't consume plant matter, only flesh, mainly in the form of fish. When they actually bit into the fruit, their natural instincts took over and they stopped eating."
"Would it have helped them?" Jim asked.
"No, once the fallout from the missile contaminated that part of the forest their fate was sealed. The good news is, it took a massive amount of Stronurarium to cause this amount of damage. If the missile detonated in an open plain without animals around, nothing would have been hurt. This is direct radioactive contact. I'm sending a team to the area for a complete survey from the soil to trees and insects and any dinosaurs that may be eating in the area."
"Has the market found any other fruit from their spraying that's been in the Pterosaur's mouths?" Nathaniel supplied this question.
Malcolm shook his head, "No, but this is the highest mineral content yield in all the forest."
Nathaniel looked at Jim, "Can you think of anything we've overlooked?"
Jim pondered the information, "Is there another area this fruit can be found outside the flight path of the Pterosaur?"
"I only know of this area for that particular fruit. I'm sure Fickett has an idea of more locations, but he didn't mark them in his reports. In fact his reports are inadequate on details where to find anything, but plenteous on what he found."
Nathaniel nodded, "We're bringing him back to answer some of your concerns."
"You're not going to let him loose in the colony are you?" The concern tightened the vocal cords to a noticeable pitch.
"Whenever he's in the colony, he'll have a guard and nights will be spent in the jail," Nathaniel assured him.
The last thing on Alicia's list was her final trip to the clinic for a final exam combined with the manditory one for the wedding.
"The Commander came for his physical, procedure I take it?" Elizabeth ended in a question and was still learning the peculiar colonial laws and needed to take time and read them all.
"We want everyone to produce healthy babies and fix leftover complications in health from living in the contaminated future. How did Nathaniel do?"
"As well as you. It seems every year you're here in this pristine environment, your systems repair and flush the contaminants out. I'm doing research on the few pilgrims we got from the eleventh. I'm going to track them with their permission, which they all gave, for many years to chart physical changes."
"It would be interesting to see people improve just by living here. Keep us informed of their progress," Alicia stood up from her sitting position on the biobed.
"Getting pre-wedding jitters?" Elizabeth walked to the door with her.
"No, that'll come tomorrow, I'm sure. Today I was too busy. Boylan is closing the bar at two in the afternoon tomorrow and I have a few volunteer soldiers rearranging the tables. I am overseeing the food delivery and the cake. Then I have to get ready." They were standing in front of the doors outside and both looked at the darkening skies. "I hope Nathaniel doesn't insist we go OTG. I have spent enough time camping out in the rain."
"What are you doing for your wedding night?" Elizabeth lowered her voice so only Alicia could hear.
"We're staying at my place as it would be too late to leave."
They parted and Alicia looked at her pocket plexpad for messages. A note from Nathaniel made her smile and read as she walked. 'Meet me in the market for supper at six. I love you and thanks for acquiescing to be my wife. You're beautiful, regal and a perfect complement for me. I was allowed a wife for my life in the future, but the powers above knew I needed different one here, one who adapted perfectly to this rough land. Ayani would not have been happy away from her friends and shopping. I believe forces beyond our knowledge placed events in motion to bring us to this point. Fate almost permanently separated us and left me without a mate because of Lucas. He lost and I won. In case I didn't mention it in the last few seconds, I love you.'
"What has put that look on your face?" Jim angled into her location.
"Oh nothing," she quickly hit save and pocketed her tiny plexpad.
"Are you getting back to the person you were before the attack?" He hadn't been able to get her alone for more than one minute at a time and wanted to make sure this wedding was as much wanted by her as the Commander and she wasn't being coerced.
Alicia thought about what he said, "I'm not sure what you're asking, Shannon."
"How much of your memory returned?" he lowered his voice so just she picked it up.
"All of it," she gazed levelly at him.
"You're the closest I have to a little sister here, Wash, and I want to make sure you really want to be married to him. I do care for you," he placed his hands on each shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze and smile.
"What makes you think I don't want to marry him?" she wondered if he knew something she didn't. "He does want to get married, doesn't he? What has he told you?" she felt panic growing and her hands started shaking. Her overstressed mind conjured up Nathaniel telling Shannon he was marrying her out of pity, especially since it was his son who shot her. His vows of love were false. Jim saw her face fall, "He doesn't want to marry me and sent you to feel out how I'd take it," her voice rose with each word.
Jim started to protest when Nathaniel pushed in, "What's going on here?"
Alicia slipped her diamond off and slapped it in Nathaniel's palm, "You didn't have to send Shannon to call the wedding off. You're not forced to marry me," and she stormed off in the direction of her rover. Nathaniel watched open mouthed as she drove by him and Jim without so much as a glance. He spun back to an equally stunned Shannon, "What the hell did you say to her?"
"Uhh….I….uh, don't have a clue. All I did was ask her if she really wanted to marry you and she went off on a tangent that you didn't want to marry her. She totally inverted what I was asking," Jim was getting scared that he inadvertently ended a wedding.
"What exactly did you say?" Nathaniel wanted to hit something as a burst of rage coursed through his veins and Shannon was way too close.
Jim thought, "I asked her if she really wanted to marry you and she took that to mean you didn't want to marry her, and then you showed up."
Nathaniel looked at the ring in his hand, "She's still insecure and now isn't the best time to have a heart to heart with her. We're having a closed wedding to all but invited guests because she can't face certain people, like that Powers woman. Anything you would have said had an above average chance of being taken wrong. Don't worry about it," he slapped Jim on the shoulder.
"Easy for you to say. I feel awful and need to repair what I said that I didn't mean."
Nathaniel sighed, "She functions on the surface and can do her job, but psychologically she's still messed up. I take my share of responsibility," he headed to his rover to follow her.
Alicia stood in front of her kitchen sink not knowing why, arms wrapped around herself in a protective gesture as if holding herself was a shield against the pain that threatened to rip her apart. She felt a pair of arms cover hers and held even tighter as Nathaniel squeezed her.
"You don't have to marry me, Nathaniel." Her voice was thick with unshed tears and talking was a strain.
"Can I marry you if I want to," his voice was soft in her ear.
"Why would you want to marry a screw-up like me," not a question, just observation.
"Did you get my message?"
"Yes, but you might be making it up, but I don't know why."
He turned her so they could look each other in the eye, "I meant every word. Now," he took her left hand, "I don't want to have to keep putting this back on. You're stressed with wedding plans and I haven't been much help. Tonight I want you to relax and do nothing, and I'm going to make sure you follow my orders by starting with taking you to the market for a special supper I had Chad make us. I told him we would be there at six and we need to go," he lifted her chin and kissed her softly.
She couldn't help but respond and her arms released her midsection and enveloped his waist. He allowed his mouth to reaffirm his love.
"I'm having hormonal issues from the bacteria and my body healing yet from being shot. Elizabeth told me it might happen, but I guess I overdid my reaction," she was sure that had to be the cause of her emotional spike.
"That and the fact that you're totally stressed," he led her to his rover.
Nathaniel secured a small table under a tree for two so nobody would intrude. He seated Alicia and waved to Chad before he sat. Soon Chad hurried up with a bottle of wine on a tray. Pouring a dollop into the glass, he handed it to Nathaniel who smelled it and gave it a taste. "Boylan's finest batch from year four. I thought this was all gone."
"He had a few bottles sequestered away and when I went to the bar and told him what I was doing, he parted with this and one more for your honeymoon, a gift from him. I'll bring it to you if you want."
"I want," he sat his glass down for Chad to fill.
With a smile, Chad filled Alicia's, "Ms. Washington it's a pleasure to serve you tonight. After tomorrow, it'll be a pleasure to serve Mrs. Taylor."
"Thank you, Chad," she took her glass.
Nathaniel snuggled close beside her and they sat with their backs to the bole of the tree, partially hidden from half of the market's dining area. He took her free hand, "A toast to us and our future together," they touched rims and sipped the excellent vintage.
Alicia let the deceptively smooth berry wine slip down her throat and start its slow burn in her stomach, "This will go a long way to help me relax. I'm sorry for doubting you."'
His free hand massaged her back, "Shannon feels bad for what he said."
"He didn't say anything wrong. I interpreted it totally in reverse. He wanted to make sure I wanted to really marry you and I took it as you said something to him to the effect you didn't want to marry me," she came clean with her outburst and storming off.
"Wedding jitters. Just don't leave me standing at the altar," he leaned over for a kiss.
The food was wonderful and Alicia was full and the wine making her slightly drowsy.
"Before we leave, Chad has one more thing. Chad brought the second bottle Boylan provided and took their plates. Soon he returned with two bowls and sat them before the Command team and stood quietly waiting for their response.
Alicia looked at the rounded scoop of something she'd never seen before.
Nathaniel had been in on the procurement of the equipment from the future that had to be scrounged from junk yards and sent through the portal.
"What is it?" she took her spoon and to her amazement, the round ball was fairly hard. Prying a spoonful off, she put it in her mouth. "Ohh, it's cold and delicious."
"It's something I had once when I was a small kid," Nathaniel took his own bite and looked at Chad with an appreciative nod and smile. "Chad, this is like I remember ice cream tasting. When you said you could make some, I wasn't sure without cows. What did you use for the milk?"
"I experimented with three different monocots and found the ones growing near the ocean produce the finest quality of milk and the most abundant. We use those for infant formula and replacement milk. Its dairy qualities mimic animal the closest. We have sugar cane growing all over the lower hills near the monocots and a few strawberries or whatever the forerunner to them are and got those old machines you provided cranked up and we have ice cream and you two are getting the first servings from the first batch. If you think I can sell it, I'll start to pay the bank back for what it cost me to bribe you to get the equipment."
Nathaniel laughed, "It didn't quite work like that. You were buying space on the trucks for a private enterprise and had to pay for that yourself. I'd buy this from you. Go sell your treat and I want to thank you for the effort you employed making our night one to remember."
With a smile of gratitude, Chad hurried off and soon had a group of people around his booth. Word spread quickly and soon the market filled with children, dragging parents to the market for this strange, new treat. Zoe was among the children and had her father in tow. They each got a bowl and looked for a place to sit.
"Over here, Shannon," Nathaniel called and waved them over.
Zoe rushed up, "I'm getting ice cream. Did you have some?"
Alicia smiled at her, "I did and it was good."
Jim followed a little more apprehensively and looked at Alicia, "I want to apologize for what I said that upset you," he started.
She motioned with her hand for him not to continue, "It was my fault. I over reacted. The closer the wedding, the more I'm liable to take anything said to me wrong. You'll find its normal among brides. Wait until Maddy is getting close to her wedding day. She'll change her mind at least three times that she wants to get married."
"I hope her final change of mind lands on no," Jim sat in the vacated chair.
"I thought Zoe was grounded?" Nathaniel was surprised to see her having a treat with Daddy.
Jim looked around, "She is, so don't tell Mom."
A smile was the Commander's answer and without a word he took the bottle in one hand and his fiancés hand in the other and they left, conscious of eyes following them leave together on the eve of their wedding.
Nathaniel put the bottle on the table, "What are you doing in the morning? We could have breakfast."
"It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding," she reminded him.
"How are you getting to Boylan's?" he just thought of it.
"Franklin is bringing me and I'm changing in Boylan's back room. I guess we didn't go over that part with you," she looped her arms around his neck and they kissed.
He pulled away, "I don't know what your dress looks like, but I have a gift from me to my bride." He pulled a velvet scrap of cloth from his pocket and placed it on the table. Pulling the satin tie apart, he unrolled the material to reveal the necklace and earrings, and heard her gasp. Taking the necklace, he placed the largest diamond in the colony in her hand.
"I saw this in the pile and knew it would never be mine. How did you manage?" she turned so he could fasten it.
"You bought our home and left my money to spoil you." He watched her take the earrings to the bedroom as he followed.
At her vanity, she added the earrings, "This will make me the envy of all the women in the colony and I approve," she smiled at him standing behind her and their eyes met in the reflection. "I have something for you, but not near this expensive or opulent." She went to the closet and pulled out a new uniform jacket. It was almost identical to the one he used for formal occasions, but this one was new and didn't have marks where holes and rips had been repaired. He slipped his leather jacket off and tried the new formal attire on. It fit perfectly as he looked in the mirror.
"This makes my other one look like a rag, thank you."
"Cami finished my dress yesterday and I had her take your old jacket and use as a model. I planned on slipping it into your unit in the morning, but now I don't have to use stealth." She changed the subject as he took the uniform jacket off. "We are spending tomorrow night here?"
He put the jacket back on the hanger and set it on the knob of the closet. "We are, and if it's raining we'll hole up so make sure we have enough food and wine for at least a week."
"I'm taking care of that in the morning," she let him lead her by the hand to the living room where he pulled her down next to him on the couch.
"Are we good?" He wanted to cover any issues now before it was too late.
"You're marrying someone who's been shot in the head and has no self-confidence. If you can live with her, she'll be happy to marry you."
"After tomorrow, it'll be too late to change your mind. Wash...Alicia, I want you to make sure I'm not rushing you and for the record, I never told Shannon I didn't want to marry you."
"That's what he said. It was all me. I'm overreacting to everything," she snuggled down into his arms, leaning against his chest, letting the warmth absorb the chill she tried hard not to let him see.
He saw her shiver slightly, "Cold?"
"A little."
"Want me to turn the heat up?"
"No, you would have to move and I'm comfortable. I turn it down to sleep and forgot to adjust it back up when I came in earlier."
"You weren't exactly in the frame of mind to remember something so mundane," he kissed the top of her head.