Chasing Mercury

by Kimberly Cooper Griffin

  “Please,” moaned Nora, as she spread her legs over 4B and pulled the sheet down to expose 4B’s breasts. 4B’s fingers were deep inside of her, and Nora rocked above 4B, trying not to come immediately. But when she looked at 4B naked beneath her, any hope of holding back was lost and a sudden orgasm rolled through her, obliterating any ability for control. She was still shuddering from the unexpected release as she slid down 4B’s body and skimmed her tongue through the silken heat between 4B’s legs. When she took 4B’s swollen clit between her lips, 4B came instantly with a loud cry and Nora buried her face in the pulsing wet until the waves of 4B’s orgasm subsided. Afterward, Nora lingered with a sated stillness, her lips cupping 4B’s center, kissing the swollen flesh. Only when 4B signaled she wanted Nora to move back up, did she crawl up to lie against 4B’s languid body.

  “I’m sorry it was so fast. Let me take my time with you in the shower,” smiled Nora.

  4B lifted her hand to stroke Nora’s face and then let it fall with a thump back to the bed.

  “Okay, but I won’t be able to walk today.”

  “That’s my goal.”

  “I have to get back to my aunt,” said Nora when they were alone again later that day. It was early afternoon. Another day of interviews had left her tired and cranky, and she longed to crawl back into bed and curl around 4B’s wonderful, soft body. But she had talked to her aunt again that morning, and she sounded worse than the night before. “She’s not doing very well and they don’t need me here anymore. I’ve considered sending the medicine ahead, but it will get to her faster if I take it to her myself. Besides, I just need to see her. Make sure she’s okay.”

  “When are you leaving?” asked 4B, picking at the salad she had ordered from the airport restaurant. The meetings today had been with the FAA as well as North Star Airlines, so they’d gone to the airport. Now, they sat at a table in the food court and watched passengers move like busy ants from place to place. The airline had given them cards allowing them to purchase almost anything they wanted from any of the vendors at the airport. They also had unlimited access to the VIP lounges in any airport North Star flew out of across the world. It appeared that surviving an airplane crash came with a lot of perks.

  “I’m leaving for Juneau this afternoon. Tack is flying in to pick me up.”

  Nora wanted to ask 4B to come with her. But 4B still hadn’t heard anything about her family, and Nora didn’t want to further complicate her already complex situation by asking her to come home with her. On the other hand, when Nora left, 4B would be on her own, not only in a strange place, but also in a strange world. With no memory, she had no one, no place to go to, and it had to be scary. All of that, and there was the very selfish fear Nora had that there was someone waiting for 4B at home. What if 4B went back home and Nora never got to say goodbye? Nora’s heart was in her stomach, but she had to leave. She had to get the medicine to Aunt Mace.

  “So soon?” 4B set her fork down and pushed her mostly uneaten salad away. Nora’s heart constricted at the sheen of tears she saw in 4B’s eyes.

  “I have to. I don’t want to leave you, but I need to get back to her.”

  “I understand. I absolutely hate it, but I understand.”

  “What are your plans?”

  “I don’t have any. The airline still hasn’t located my family so I guess I’m stuck here. They promised to put me up at the hotel until they find someone to claim me, or at least tell me where I live.”

  “It can’t be much longer. What about the address on your ID?”

  “There’s something weird going on regarding that. They called and the address on it belongs to a house of studio apartments rented to students at the nearby university. The people who run it said no one by my name is or has ever stayed there.”

  “Really? That’s weird. What school is nearby? Did they check there?”

  “Yes, and they found the same results. Also, the state of Massachusetts doesn’t have a record of the license they issued to me. They’re still investigating the information on it, though. I get the feeling they have some other avenues to explore, too, but they haven’t told me what those are yet. They did ask me if my ID was a forgery, though, if it was possible I was traveling under an assumed name.”

  “Are you on the lam?” Nora asked, trying to lighten the mood.

  “What?”

  “On the lam? You know, an escaped criminal or something?” explained Nora, feeling a little stupid for kidding about it, especially since 4B didn’t laugh.

  “Anything is possible, I guess,” 4B replied. She actually seemed to consider it. “But I don’t feel like a criminal.”

  Nora couldn’t feel more stupid. It wasn’t nice to tease someone with amnesia.

  “I’m an idiot. I was just joking. There’s no way you’re running from the law,” said Nora. And then, without thinking, she added: “Why don’t you come home with me?”

  4B looked at her for a moment without responding. Nora, who had surprised herself with the invitation, realized she could feel more stupid.

  “I don’t know…”

  Nora had already said it, though, there was no taking it back. Besides, once she had thought about it, there was no way she could leave 4B alone, not when she had no one. Part of Nora was still in protector mode and part of her really didn’t want to leave 4B without knowing when she’d see her again. If she would see her again.

  “Is there any reason why you can’t leave?”

  “I don’t think so…”

  “So, give them my number. You can wait in Juneau just as easily as anywhere else.” Nora scanned 4B’s face to see if she could tell what she was thinking. “Only if you want to. No pressure.”

  4B chewed on her lower lip and Nora wanted to pull that lip between her own.

  “It’s a big imposition…”

  Nora’s heart sped up. She was thinking about it!

  “No, it’s not. I’m not ready to leave you yet, but I have to go. Please say yes. This is me being selfish.”

  4B’s eyes glinted with promise and Nora held her breath.

  “I don’t know… what about your aunt?”

  It was almost as good as a yes! Nora tried not to act too eager. She didn’t want to spook her.

  “I have my own place. It’s behind her house, in an unattached granny flat, but it’s mine. It was supposed to be temporary, but I’ve been there for almost four years. She wouldn’t even know you were there if you didn’t want her to.” Nora took 4B’s hands in hers. “Say yes.”

  “It’s tempting…”

  “What do you have to lose?”

  “That’s a good point. Okay… I’ll do it.”

  Nora let out a happy hoot, making the people near them turn to look at them before she could control herself.

  “I’m so happy. Thank you,” she said grasping 4B’s hands and smiling at her. “One other thing.”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m going to keep calling you 4B. Grace still doesn’t work for me.”

  “I’m with you. I like 4B better, too.”

  “You can’t tell anyone,” said Tack, glancing at Nora over his shoulder, shouting into his mic over the noise of the aircraft.

  After an emotional reunion between Nora and Tack at the airport, where Tack ran up to her, picked her up and spun her around until she was dizzy, Nora, 4B and Tack, were flying through the cloudless sky on the way to Juneau. They had on headsets so they could talk to one another but the noise in the cabin was still distracting.

  “Tell anyone what?” asked Nora. Nora didn’t have a clue what her best friend was talking about. They had been in the air about twenty minutes and Nora had been focused on the hand she held, the one trapping hers in a steel grip. 4B’s other hand was clasped around the arm of her seat in a similar white-knuckled grip.

  “Under the tarp,” he said, both hands on the controls, as he kept the small aircraft steady in the slight turbulence. He nodded toward the secured cargo just behind Nora’s seat. His
thick, untrimmed beard made it hard to read his lips, but the nod helped Nora to understand she should look behind her.

  Nora stroked the side of 4B’s face and placed 4B’s hand on the armrest. 4B smiled thinly and took a deep breath. Nora smiled back, loosened her seatbelt, and reached into the cargo space behind their seats. She wasn’t used to sitting in the back of Tack’s plane. Normally, she rode in the co-pilot seat, but this time she wanted to be close to 4B. Good thing she was. The plane hit a bump and 4B grabbed Nora’s wrist hard enough to leave a mark. Nora put her hand over 4B’s and sat quietly until the small burst of turbulence subsided. It had been a bumpy ride so far. Aside from the helicopter ride to the hospital, it was their first flight since the accident. For someone who didn’t remember the crash, 4B was very nervous. In contrast, Nora didn’t mind it.

  “Sorry. Instinct,” grimaced 4B with a tight little laugh.

  “You don’t have to explain to me.”

  “How come it doesn’t seem to bother you? You’re the one who has actual memories of the accident,” said 4B.

  “I guess it’s because I go up in this all the time with Tack. It’s little more than a car ride for me. I’m not sure if it’s true, but in my mind, this little thing will glide a lot farther than the great big hunk of metal we were in. Check in with me when we get on a big plane next time,” joked Nora, and she was happy to see a smile brighten 4B’s beautiful face. “Did I say when? I mean if we ever do…” Nora added.

  When 4B’s death grip loosened, Nora turned back to find out what Tack was so excited about. Knowing Tack, it could be anything. She had learned to be wary of his surprises. He had a habit of playing just outside of the rules. It wasn’t that he was a troublemaker. Most of the time his little forays into breaking the rules were harmless. Most of the time.

  She pulled the edge of the tarp back to reveal dozens of boxes filling the tight space. The small plane was packed. Tack hadn’t expected an additional passenger. But he had just shrugged when she’d asked if he had enough room for one more. He somehow always made it work, no matter what the situation.

  “I don’t see anything,” she yelled toward the front of the craft.

  “Pull the cargo net back a little more.”

  She did, and still, all she saw was the back of a stowed seat.

  “Seriously, Tack. Do I have to move shit around, or can this wait until we land and pull all this crap out?”

  Nora relaxed into the familiar, and sometimes crude, way of communicating she and Tack used with one another. Her use of the curse words, mild as they were, made her glance at 4B, who had rarely used profanity around her. But 4B didn’t look like she was even paying attention. She was pale, and she had her head held back with her eyes closed, her lips a tight line. Nora realized the flight was taking a toll on her girl and she stroked 4B’s cheek. Another bout of turbulence shook the plane.

  “Fuck!” squeaked 4B, and Nora suppressed a laugh.

  “You’re looking right at it.” Tack’s gruff voice intoned through the headset, tinny and hollow. A big hand reached behind the empty co-pilot’s seat and pointed to the stack of stowed items packed tightly into the last third of the six-seater aircraft. The last row of seats had been pulled out and left at the terminal in Anchorage to make room for provisions. No trip was wasted when it came to transporting items from the larger cities into the more remote areas of Alaska.

  Nora turned back again and scanned the stack of goods.

  “It’s just a seat… hey! That’s my seat!” she said and laughed. “How the hell did you get this?”

  “Your lady there told the rescue guys you were a little attached to it. I’d want to keep it as a souvenir, if it was me. So they pulled it up after they hauled you two up. I’m surprised you didn’t see them load it in.”

  Nora didn’t want to fight the noise of the aircraft to tell him that, at the time, in the helicopter, she had been trying to help 4B, who was on the verge of an anxiety attack—white knuckled, thin lipped, eyes open and glassy. 4B had been about to hyperventilate, and suspecting that the helicopter had triggered a flashback to the plane crash, Nora had held her and soothed her until her breathing had gone almost back to normal, which had taken most of the ride. 4B didn’t look much better at the moment. Nora tightened her seat belt and took 4B’s hand, pulling it into her lap.

  “You’re so awesome, Tack! Thank you!” she yelled into her microphone to be heard over the loud drone of the engine. She leaned closer to 4B, and covered the mic, so she could speak more privately. “You’re even more awesome. Thanks for the seat. How are you doing? You look a little tense.”

  “Just a little jittery. Sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. It’s to be expected. Your color is getting better. Maybe if we just keep talking.”

  “Yeah. That’s helping. Oh!” The airplane wings see-sawed as they hit a rough patch of air. 4B’s fingers tightened around Nora’s, and Nora rubbed circles over the back of her hand.

  “We’re almost there,” said Nora in what she hoped was a soothing voice. She remembered the words she had used with the woman beside her on the previous flight she’d taken. A wave of guilt washed over her at the memory of lying to the woman.

  “So, how long have you known Tack? You seem very close.” 4B was going for small talk, probably to distract herself, and Nora was more than happy to go along with it.

  “We grew up together. His mom died in childbirth when he was born, and his dad was a hunting and survival guide, when he wasn’t getting ripping drunk down at the local bar. They lived a couple of miles down the road from us, in a cabin outside of town, but Tack would stay at our house more than he stayed at his own. At least until my family moved to Colorado. Aunt Mace tried to take him in, but by then, he was older and didn’t think he needed anyone looking after him. He’s followed in his father’s footsteps on the wilderness guide thing. During the season, he flies groups into Juneau and then packs them out into the wild to hunt and live off the land for a week or more. The rest of the year, he works with Ship, Aunt Mace’s best friend, who also owns the main supply store in Juneau. He flies supplies out to the remote cabins. He also takes on odd jobs that require a pilot. We rely on guys like him to get things to and from Anchorage in a hurry. Commercial flights are expensive. The drive is long and hard, when the road is even open, and no one but tourists take boats.”

  As she talked, Nora noticed 4B relaxing, even though the ride was still as bumpy. She was happy when Tack shouted back to them.

  “We’re dropping in for the landing. Buckle up if you took ‘em off.”

  “Take it easy on the landing, Tack. Remember you have precious cargo,” yelled Nora, squeezing 4B’s hand.

  “What are you trying to say?” asked Tack, grinning back at her.

  “It wasn’t a challenge, if that’s what you thought! There’s a bottle of Stranahan’s whiskey in it for you if you set us down slow and steady.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about!” Tack hooted and then announced his presence to the tower.

  The landing was smoother than glass, but Nora noticed it wasn’t until their feet were back on solid ground that 4B’s color completely returned to normal.

  Nora said goodbye to Tack as he drove away after dropping them off and watched 4B’s reaction to the first view of her home. She was well aware of Juneau’s charm and that the town was radiantly beautiful in the golden light of the last days of summer. There was still a lot of green, but fall was sneaking in. Leaves danced across the native grass lawn, and golds and reds were splashed among the trees lining the river behind the houses. But, 4B was staring at the landscaping art decorating the yard.

  She watched as 4B took in the display as they walked past a hollowed-out tractor engine repurposed as a mailbox, a metal bedframe acting as a flower planter, a fountain made from a cascading line of porcelain water pitchers, wind chimes made from flattened spoons, and a variety of other landscaping decorations that adorned the front yard of her aunt’s wood-sided
A-frame. A wide porch spanned the front of the small house, and a spray of antique metal signs gave color to the front wall. The neat and tidy yard and house wore an assortment of whimsical and colorful art installations.

  “This is amazing,” said 4B and Nora smiled.

  “My place in back,” she said pointing to a miniature version of the bigger house they stood in front of. “But Aunt Mace is waiting in here.”

  Instead of walking down the side path, Nora led 4B up the worn front steps of her aunt’s cabin and opened the red-painted front door.

  “Ship? That you?” called a voice from the back of the house.

  “No, but we saw her at The Strut when we flew in. It’s me, Aunt Mace. And I have…”

  A jangle of metal burst from the back of the house, like a handful of silverware had been tossed into a stainless steel sink. Seconds later, a tiny woman in a blue work shirt with the sleeves rolled up past the elbow, padded into the living room where Nora and 4B stood. She paused with a dishtowel dangling from her hands.

  “Eleanor!”

  Nora’s throat felt tight, so she just nodded her head and opened her arms as Aunt Mace walked into them. Aunt Mace felt so fragile in the circle of her arms, but Nora couldn’t bear to comment on it, though she’d never held back anything else from her aunt, who was more like a mother to her.

  “Aunt Mace, this is 4… I mean, this is Grace Trackton,” said Nora finally, after clearing her throat. “She’s the woman I told you about.”

  “Heavens, gal! You didn’t tell me how pretty she is!” said Aunt Mace, opening her arms to 4B in greeting.

  Nora watched 4B accept Aunt Mace’s hug and swallowed back a surge of emotion. Aunt Mace looked like she had lost several more pounds in just the week and a half since she had last seen her. Weight she couldn’t afford to lose. Her hands were thin and claw-like, and the skin around her eyes seemed to have retreated, so the ever-watching orbs, which still shone with an internal light, had a sunken look to them. The scarf she wore on her chemo-denuded head just contributed to the frail appearance.