Chapter Thirty Eight – Day Twenty Eight Continued

The Mediterranean biome actually has simulated environments from South Africa and California as well as the Mediterranean. It is warmer than outside, but after the tropical heat of the rainforest it feels almost cold to me and I tuck myself under Wheeler's arm.

There is so much information here, I find it fascinating and cannot help pointing out some of the key points to my companion. "Look, it says here that this landscape is mainly man-made. It has been cleared for crops over thousands of years."

"Mmm hmm." He nods, I do not think he is very interested.

"It is important Yankee," I persist. "They are studying what has happened to our planet to try to balance what we really need with what can be sustained."

He sighs. "I know Babe."

I give up, at least he is not complaining.

"Oh look Jason, a Robin!" I exclaim.

Wheeler looks around blankly. "Where?"

"The little brown bird with the red breast." I point it out.

"That's not a Robin, I do know something about birds." He asserts. "Robins are bigger with black heads and their bellies are more orange."

I shake my head affectionately, "I am impressed Yankee, but you are describing the kind of birds you have in America. These are English Robins."

He shrugs. "It's singing to you."

I laugh. "It is just singing Yankee, it is not singing to me."

We move on around the exhibit and I see another of the little birds. Wheeler sees him too. "I think he's following us, Babe."

As if he understood what my Yankee said, he flies down close to us and regards me with his head tilted to the side. "Well hello little one. It is nice to meet you."

He chirrups in response and continues to watch us as we admire the flowers.

When we get back to the entrance we walk out into the outside gardens. Wheeler still has his arm around me, which I am grateful for because it is much colder out here. The day is bright and sunny but England at this time of year is rarely warm, I am just glad that it is not raining.

"That thing's creepy." Wheeler says as we walk past the WEEEman.

"The giant statue is made from 3.3 tonnes of electrical waste." I explain. "The amount an average person in this country throws away in their lifetime."

Wheeler rolls his eyes. "It's still creepy."

We continue to walk around but the sky is becoming overcast and I can feel myself begin to shiver. I guess Wheeler can too. "You want to go back indoors?"

"It is too far in the other direction and it is already starting to rain." I point to a small building. "Perhaps we can take shelter over there."

He grabs my hand and we run the short distance to the building's porch, trying to avoid the downpour.

"It is a mechanical theatre!" I say excitedly as I read the information from the wall outside. "The next show is in five minutes…?"

I want to see the show but it is about conservation and I am not sure how Wheeler will feel about it. He grins at me and pulls me into his arms. "Too bad we can't wait inside, I'll just have to keep you warm."

Snuggling against him as he wraps his coat about me and holds it in place with his arms, I chuckle and lay my head on his shoulder. I am glad there is no one else here to see the show yet, maybe we will get our own private viewing.

"Your friend's back." Wheeler says after a while and when I turn my head to look I see Robin sitting on the wall watching us.

"It cannot be the same one…" But I am not sure of that so I wave at him.

When the doors to the theatre open, a few people come out but we are still the only ones waiting to see the next show. It is not very big and has only large steps for seats.

It is not much warmer in here so I let Wheeler make himself comfortable on the top step before sitting down on the same step between his legs. He wastes no time in wrapping his arms back around me, holding me close and resting his chin on my shoulder… this is very cosy.

The lights go down and I am captivated by the story that unfolds, I love watching the marionettes.

I exit the mechanical theatre as excited as I went in, exclaiming over the puppets as well as the information they imparted. Wheeler seems a little uncomfortable though so I change the subject mid flow to ask. "Is everything okay Yankee?"

"Yeah, 'course." He does not sound it.

I step in front of him, blocking his path and he automatically rests his hands on my waist. His hands feel hot even through the two t-shirts I have on. "You did not like the show?"

"It's not that… not exactly." He looks very uncomfortable now. "I'm just not big on talking puppets okay?"

"They were not really talking Yankee…" I begin, but he rolls his eyes and I try another tack, leaning forward so that our lips are nearly touching. "You watch too many horror movies."

My attempt at distracting him is successful because he grins down at me, but he answers in the same teasing tone that I used. "Who needs horror movies after that! I'm gonna have nightmares tonight!"

I rest my arms around his neck as if it is the most natural thing in the world. "Then it is a good thing I will be there to protect you and make all the nightmares go away."

He is surprised! "Really? I thought… I mean we're staying in some hotel, I just..."

"What?" I am confused, we have been sharing a room for so long now it feels normal, why would he think anything had changed here? When he hesitates again my jealous nature rears its ugly head and I pull away. "Were you hoping for some other company tonight? I do not want to get in the way…"

The look on his face is so shocked that it brings me back to reality and I cover my mouth with my hands and my eyes widen in horror. "I did not mean that Jason, I promise you I did not… I know that you were not thinking that… I mean you would not… I am just so... I am sorry."

My eyes are filling with tears and my legs feel weak, I am glad there is no one around. For a moment I am sure Wheeler is going to shout at me, then I see the anger die away and he holds his arms out, something I am greatly relieved by and take immediate advantage of.

"Forget it." He says softly, resting his head against mine.

I look nervously up into his eyes. "You do not have to stay with me if you do not want to, whatever the reason."

I want to tell him that I trust him, but that would be unfair, we are not a couple.

"You don't want me to?" His eyes are searching mine, looking for… what?

"Of course I do!" I reply earnestly. "I just do not want you to feel that you have to."

"I don't want to be anywhere else." The look in his eyes sends a shiver of warmth through my body and I have no control over the smile that creeps across my face.

A blush rises up my neck onto my cheeks and I pull away, "Then why are we discussing it, come on Yankee, we have lots more to see."

I take his arm and link my hand with his, pulling him towards the gardens, thankfully it has stopped raining. He laughs and follows without objection.

I wonder briefly what he thinks of my mood swings but then I push the thought away. He knows better than anyone what is wrong with me, he has stuck by me through everything, and I would be lost without him.

There is a large outdoor stage but it is empty at the moment. "There is a concert scheduled for this evening."

"You wanna go Babe?" Wheeler asks conversationally enough, but I can see he is concerned.

I shake my head, I am too exhausted though I do not intend to tell him that and worry him further. But then, my outburst earlier probably gave it away, the more tired I get, the less emotional control I have. "Nyet, it is not anything to do with conservation, it is just to create attention for the launch."

He looks relieved. "So what's left to see?"

"The Core. The education centre of the Eden Project." I dig him in the ribs as he groans, and tease him. "Bad Planeteer! It is a functional work of art, a testimony to sustainable construction!"

"Spare me, please Babe?" He gives me that puppy dog look. "I'll go with you, just don't try to teach me anything."

I laugh and shrug. "So long as you are with me."

I was not joking about the Core's construction, a lot of effort has been put into getting it right and creating a symbol for what Eden stands for. But I will spare Wheeler the details, he deserves at least that, after being so patient with me.

The ground floor of the Core is perfect for schools, but it would take hours to properly take in all the information here, though they have done their best to make it fun, and I even have hopes that the carefully constructed machinery will amuse my Yankee, if only for a while.

The first floor contains an art gallery, some more exhibits and some instructional videos that I would like to watch. By the time we have seen the first short film though, Wheeler is fidgeting very badly and I suggest we stop in the coffee lounge instead of going on.

The relief on his face is so comical I have to smother my laughter.

I order a hot chocolate and Wheeler gets a milkshake and a cream cake. He offers me some but I do not want to push my stomach too far.

Feeding my Yankee always makes him more tractable and so he does not even complain when I begin to expound on some of the things I have learnt… I cannot help it, my natural enthusiasm needs an outlet. He is listening now though and even asks some questions, though I would be lying if I said he did not look a little relieved a few minutes later, when the other Planeteers come to join us.

They are all eager to discuss what they have seen and I am happy to oblige them. This is the first time since my illness that I truly feel a part of the team, and yet I find myself worrying that we are leaving Wheeler behind. A quick glance in his direction however, gets me a huge grin and a wink, so I do not think he is feeling too left out.

Ma-Ti and Gi have taken an incredible amount of photographs, which we will no doubt have to sit through when we get home, but they are not done yet. After we agree that we have seen enough for one day, and that it is time to seek out our hotel, our two friends insist that they want one more picture.

The bridge from the Core back to the entrance stands high over the valley, with the biomes in the backdrop, and they quickly find someone to take a group shot of us. I am not very happy about having my picture taken in my present condition but they seem to have forgotten about it for once and for that reason alone, I cannot refuse them.

Wheeler stands behind me and pulls me close. "Too bad your Robin isn't around Babe."

I chuckle in response and lean back against him. While the others are getting themselves ready, I press a kiss to his cheek and whisper. "Thank you for doing this with me Jason, it has been a wonderful day."

"You're welcome Linka." He replies. "I'm really glad you've enjoyed yourself. You deserved it. Thank you for letting me share this special occasion with you." He kisses my cheek in return.

To be continued…

A/N: And don't forget, to get the full affect of the story, you HAVE TO read Wheeler's side of the story in Becks7's Co-dependents Chapter 38! Let us know what you think!