CHAPTER FIVE
Tony pointed his commlock at his door, allowing entry to his guests. Then, he placed it back down and smiled at Dr. Russell and the Commander as they came through his door.
"Come on in," he greeted them.
Upon entering Tony's quarters, both Helena and John were pleasantly surprised at what they found.
Maya and Tony were sitting side by side on the couch, obviously engrossed in an unknown book. Maya's hair now hung loosely, revealing just how long it was now that she wasn't wearing it up in the previous intricate style that she had worn when on Psychon. It was still slightly damp from an obvious shower that she must have taken since arriving at Tony's. More importantly, there was a happy expression on her face.
It even looked as though she might actually have been laughing – a welcome sight given the current circumstances.
"We came by to see how Maya was doing," John began, but then he suddenly stopped speaking as he became aware of the black shirt that the young Psychon was wearing.
He shook his head slightly as he did a double-take and then looked at Tony with an inquisitive raised eyebrow.
"Tony, what did you give her to wear?"
"Oh," Maya interjected with a shy smile. "It is the Rolling Stones," she said rather proudly, looking at Tony to make sure that she had gotten it correct.
"Oh, I know what it is, Maya," John said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Tony, please don't tell me you're trying to corrupt this young lady already."
"Aw, come on, John, not everyone listens to classical music, especially not us young folks," Tony grinned mischievously, clearly savoring the chance to be a bit more laid-back in this moment.
"Tony's going to introduce me to all kinds of Earth music," Maya said with enthusiasm as she began listing them off. "Classical, rock, smooth jazz, opera and…" she paused, struggling to remember the rest.
"Everything but country," Tony interjected with a playful grin. "Now that really would be corrupting her."
"Well, music is a good way to learn about our culture. Even country music Tony," Helena reminded him, her tone both approving and concerned. Given the shirt, she was now very curious about the book that they had obviously been looking at.
"What literature are you showing her now?" she asked, her expression revealing both her curiosity and her professional interest for Maya's emotional well-being.
"We've been looking at his family photo album," Maya said. She glanced at Tony, then back at the Commander and Doctor Russell before giving a little giggle.
"He really was a very skinny little child."
"Hey," Tony mockingly grumbled, pretending to be offended.
John and Helena couldn't help but laugh at the younger people. It was good to see Maya looking refreshed and much happier than she had been just a few hours earlier. Both felt an overwhelming sense of relief at seeing Maya actually interacting with Tony. It was a beginning step for her in navigating the grief journey, a small step forward. Witnessing her smile and hearing her laugh, even if only for a moment, gave them hope that, in time, she would begin to heal from the nightmare that had been Psychon's death song.
Helena's eyes met John's, and they shared a silent understanding. They both knew the road ahead for all of them would still be challenging, especially Maya, but moments like this were light and enjoyable.
John turned to Tony, realizing it was time to talk about the most important reason for their visit.
"I spoke with Jameson a little bit ago. Some interior technical work still needs to be completed before Maya can have her quarters. Probably be ready tomorrow afternoon."
Tony surprised them all with his response.
"I've got a couch," he said, patting the empty space to his side. "If Maya doesn't mind, she can have the bed tonight," he turned to look at her, curious at how she would respond to this change of plans.
"But Tony, I don't want to take your bed from you," she said in a low voice, clearly worried about imposing upon this man who had already demonstrated so much kindness in such a short amount of time.
"Hey, I'm a professional at sleeping on couches," he grinned. "One night isn't going to break me."
Maya looked at him with concern, scraping her teeth over her bottom lip as she considered the dilemma.
"I don't want to be a bother to anybody," she murmured regretfully.
Tony quickly took one of her hands in his. "You are no bother, believe me," he told her firmly and honestly.
Maya turned her eyes from Tony and looked at Helena and the Commander, both for guidance and approval that this was something she could do. Helena stepped forward; her eyes soft with empathy. "Well, you will be with someone for the rest of the night and remember, I'm not that far away if you need me," she stated reassuringly.
"Then it's settled," Tony declared with finality. "Now, it's late and she's in good hands, so off to sleep, you two," he said like a concerned parent as he waved his hand towards his door. "We could all use the rest."
John looked at Helena, then back at the two younger people sitting on the couch.
"You're the boss, Tony," John said. He was relieved that Verdeschi seemed to be taking charge of Maya's arrival on Alpha and managing it far better than he had expected, given those earlier conversations onboard the Eagle and in Medical Center.
As Helena and John prepared to leave, they shared yet another private glance.
It seemed that Maya would, indeed, be in good hands, and for tonight, that was enough.
Helena and John had finally settled into bed. The light panels had been dimmed to just the slightest hint of blue so that the room was not completely dark. Snuggled against him, Helena had already drifted off to sleep. But, despite the fact that he was exhausted, John couldn't seem to turn his mind off.
They had lost three more good people. Alpha had sustained more damage and they had totally lost three more Eagles. After nearly a year, the hope of ever returning to Earth had nearly vanished, becoming little more than a dying ember.
Koenig found himself wondering why they just couldn't find a nice planet to call home instead of wandering the universe. It seemed that most aliens they encountered did little more than chip away at any hope and perseverance they had left. Was it any wonder that they had crew members beginning to display emotional health issues?
Which brought him round to the matter of indoctrinating Maya into the Alphan community. While he had chosen to keep the information about their return to Alpha from Psychon limited to just a few trusted staff, the start of the new day would bring new issues.
There would need to be the disclosure of losing Picard and Torens, something that he had not chosen to do given the late hour of their arrival back on Alpha. Picard had been both outgoing and charming and called everyone friend. Torens had recently begun dating a young technician who would need to be informed of the loss.
And then there was Maya. Tony was right when he referred to some of the Alphans as hotheads. These were people who had just about reached their capacity on how much more they could take and handle as professionals. They were angry, they were tired of living on the moon with no ability to plan their futures and they were itching to unleash all of their frustrations on anything, or anyone, that gave them cause, justifiable or not.
As a fellow human, Koenig couldn't blame them.
After all, hadn't he done the same when he had stormed into Mentor's grove of Psyche and started blindly smashing at just about everything?
As the commander, he had to ensure that everyone maintained control which meant Helena and her well-trained team had to deal with the complexities of the growing effects on their overall mental health.
For what it was worth, John was extremely thankful for Verdeschi's surprising acceptance of the young Psychon tonight. She was far safer with him than she would have been in Medical Center and remarkably, it seemed like the two of them had formed a rather quick and friendly bond. While Verdeschi could be brash, skeptical and even a hothead himself, he had unexpectedly revealed a softer, more patient side with Maya.
John felt Helena's hand move atop his chest and he smiled. The one thing that being cast astray from Earth had gifted him was his relationship with this beautiful and remarkable woman. Content that she was with him, he closed his eyes and hoped sleep would soon come.
In the morning, he would continue to play the role of the commander and continue taking care of Moonbase Alpha and all of her inhabitants.