Chapter Sixteen
When she heard the Geocruiser coming in to land, Linka went out to meet her two favourite people, expecting Nat to be overexcited and bracing herself for the onslaught. As soon as Wheeler opened the door of the craft, the young girl jumped down and ran to her, throwing her arms around her waist. She was crying.
"What is wrong?" she looked from her child to Wheeler who was following at a slower pace. He didn't look happy.
"He's yelling at me!" Natalya sobbed, keeping her face buried in Linka's torso.
Looking at her boyfriend questioningly, she asked, "What happened?" Before he could answer however, Nat responded, this time raising her voice before pulling free and running for her cabin and slamming the door. "He yelled!"
"Damn right I yelled!" Wheeler growled, "I was flying a damn plane, what the hell was I supposed to do? The little Brat unbuckled her seat belt and ran around. She refused to sit down… what if there'd been trouble?! If she's ever in the 'cruiser with me again I'm tying her to the damn seat!" He held his hand up when Linka tried to speak, "No, I get it, I yelled, I'm the monster. I don't want to hear it."
He stalked off to his cabin and slammed the door.
Linka sighed.
Having heard the shouting, Gi had come to see what was going on. She gave Linka a sympathetic look and asked, "Are you sure he's not her father?"
That made the Russian laugh, "I think I am done for the day in the lab. I had better sort this out or they will both be sulking for hours."
"Good luck with that." The Water Planeteer laughed.
Linka left her friend and headed for her cabin, deciding to leave Wheeler to calm down. His language hadn't been as bad as it could get so she figured he still had his temper somewhat under control, whereas Nat was understandably having trouble with her emotions.
The little girl was sitting on her bed, her knees drawn up to her chest and face buried in her arms. Linka sat beside her and pulled her into her arms, waiting for her to uncurl from the ball she'd made, and letting her cry it out.
When the sobs became sniffles she asked, in their native language, "Do you want to tell me what happened now?"
Nat shook her head.
"Wheeler said you would not sit down in the Geocruiser, is that true?" Linka kept her voice gentle and sympathetic, knowing scolding her wouldn't help.
Nat shrugged.
"Did Wheeler tell you to sit down?"
"He yelled." Nat said, half defiant, half afraid.
Linka smoothed her hair, "What did he say?"
"I only wanted to look out of the window." She replied, ignoring the question.
"I asked you to do everything Wheeler told you to, did you do that?"
Nat shrugged.
Linka tried another tack, "I know this is not the first time you have been yelled at." She didn't want to mention the girl's late parents knowing that she wasn't ready for that, so she picked on something that had happened a few years back. "Mishka shouted very loudly when you drew pictures on the wall behind the sofa, do you remember that?"
"That's different."
"How is it different?"
Nat looked up at her relative and her voice came out in a whisper, "Wheeler does not shout. He never gets mad at me, even when he's not in a good mood. And I did not mean to be bad, I just wanted to look out of the other window. He was telling me to come back and sit down, and I didn't because I was only going to be a minute. He got really mad and yelled so loud! And then I did what he said, but he kept growling at me, I… I don't think he loves me anymore." Her eyes filled with tears.
"Oh honey," She pulled her close, but though her heart ached for Nat, knowing Wheeler as she did a part of her also wanted to laugh. "Wheeler gets angry, just like everyone else. He and I yell at each other all the time, and it has never stopped him caring. It has just been different since you have been here because we were worried about you."
"Why was he so angry with me now, then?" Nat asked, still sounding watery.
Linka sighed, "You frightened him. The Geocruiser is very safe, but it is still a vehicle. He could not leave the controls and if there had been any turbulence, or any reason why he had to move sharply, you could have been hurt. We have safety belts for a reason, like in a car, we do everything we can to be safe but sometimes there are accidents."
Nat looked up, her face pale, "Sometimes belts don't help."
Wanting to kick herself as she realised what she'd said, Linka still nodded, "That is true, but most of the time they do. Do you know how Wheeler would have felt if anything had happened to you?"
"I'm sorry." Her tears were flowing again and she buried herself back against Linka, "I won't do it again, I promise."
The Wind Planeteer hugged her tightly, "Will you tell Wheeler that?"
Nat nodded, but she was crying too hard just then.
Wheeler was laying on his bed staring up at the ceiling when the door opened. He figured it was Linka and waited to see what she would say, but at Natalya's voice he sat up and swung his legs off the bed.
Nat was standing just inside the room staring at the floor with Linka behind her. "I am sorry for not doing what you told me to. I did not mean to make you mad and I promise I will be good from now on."
"It's ok Angel," he held his arms out to her. Looking up, she ran into them and he lifted her to sit on his leg, holding her close. "I'm sorry I yelled, but you can't run around in the 'cruiser, it's dangerous."
She nodded, "Linka told me, I really am sorry."
"I know honey, it's ok." He kissed her head, "I am going to tie you to the seat next time though."
Nat gave a watery giggle.
Linka walked over to sit on the bed close beside them, "Do you still love her?"
"What sort of question is that?" Wheeler looked at her, slightly disgusted, "Of course I do!"
"It was not my question." Linka told him quietly, smiling at his response. "Nat is not used to hearing you shout."
His eyes opened wider and he hugged the little girl closer, "Nat, I promise, there is nothing you could ever do that would stop me loving you, you're stuck with me. Okay?"
"Okay." Her head was still buried in his shoulder but she'd relaxed a little.
"Do you still love me, even if I do yell sometimes?" he teased, and she finally looked up and gave him a smile, nodding.
Linka watched them affectionately, but at last said, "I told Gi that Nat and I would help make dinner, but if you want to go and play computer games or something you can?"
Nat shook her head, "I want to help." She looked at Wheeler, "Will you come too?"
"Sure." He steadied her as she jumped down, and stood to follow her and Linka to the kitchen.
Ma-Ti and Gi had already started getting ingredients out and were happy to set Nat up with something to stir. Linka seemed to know without asking where to pitch in, but Wheeler stayed just inside the door, leaning against the wall.
After a couple of minutes he said, "You guys have this covered, I'm gonna go and watch the game. The Giants are playing."
Linka's eyes followed him, a troubled expression on her face.
"You should go watch the game too Linka," Gi suggested, "Nat, Ma-Ti and I will be fine."
The Russian, dragged from her own thoughts, frowned in confusion, "I do not like American football?"
"I know that." Gi told her, rolling her eyes.
Catching on, Linka laughed, "Are you sure?" When her friend nodded, she looked at her daughter, "Will you be ok here Nat? You will do what Gi tells you to, da?"
She nodded, "I will be good. You can go cuddle with Wheeler."
They couldn't help laughing, and though Linka blushed, she didn't try to correct her either.
Linka dropped down next to her boyfriend as he lounged on the sofa in the main cabin, snuggling close as he wrapped an arm around her.
"Everything ok?" he asked.
She slipped her arms around his waist. "I was going to ask you that? And do not brush me off, I know you too well." That made him smile and he leant down to kiss her. She kissed him back but when they parted she added, "I will not be distracted either."
He sighed and tipped his head back against the back of the seat. "I'm a bit rattled I guess. I wasn't expecting her to ignore me like that, she could have been hurt… but I still shouldn't have lost my temper. I always told myself I wouldn't do that with my kids."
"I do not think that is very realistic." Linka told him, "She is going to do things that annoy us, and if what she is doing is dangerous, I do not think shouting at her is unreasonable."
"Yeah maybe, but…" he couldn't meet her eyes, "It can be a slippery slope, I don't want to go there. I don't want to go anywhere near there."
Linka sighed, "You are not anything like your father Jason. Do you think if I had any doubt of that that I would ever have let you take care of her?"
"No." He finally looked at her. "And you're right, I wouldn't ever hurt her. She didn't know that though, I frightened her, and even though I was trying to protect her it feels really shitty."
Pulling him back into her arms, letting him bury his face in her neck, Linka said, "She was not frightened of you Lyubov moy' she was frightened of losing you, there is a huge difference. Do not be so hard on yourself." She swallowed hard, "But if you are having second thoughts about taking on the responsibility, I would understand…"
"Stop," he pulled away just enough to see her face, "Don't do that. Don't offer me an easy out every time we hit a bump in the road, I'm not looking to escape just because I don't have it all figured out. Dammit Babe, I'm freaking out enough about screwing up with her, without worrying that you're going to start trying to…"
She silenced him with a kiss, and though she met with no resistance, felt his surprise before he finally relaxed into the embrace.
To be continued…