Phoenix In Chaos (Exodus)
Page 31
“I didn’t know it was him,” said Myers, almost hyperventilating. “She swore me to secrecy.”
“What?” asked Julie.
“I never expected it was him,” said Myers.
“Doctor,” said Julie, trying to calm him down.
“Alex’sis was pregnant.”
“Oh my gosh!” muttered Chris, as they all realized the implication.
Myers looked at Julie in anguish. “She never told him, Julie. John doesn’t know.”
In his quarters, John opened a bottle of chardonnay and poured himself a full glass. He bought it for the next dinner date with Alex’sis, but now…John took a sip of the wine. He made the right choice, it tasted good. Alex’sis would have liked it.
“Come in,” said John as the door chime rang. When he saw Julie enter he couldn’t help but grin. “I guess I dropped quite a bombshell back there. Sorry for running out like that.”
“John…,”started Julie. She didn’t know how he was going to react. He was already carrying so much guilt. Could he handle this?
“I know, I know. I’m a hypocrite. I said I didn’t want the crew fraternizing with each other and here I am carrying on an affair with one of my senior staff. Not a fine example for a TERRA officer to set, but then again I was never good about following the rules.”
“John, Alex’sis…”
“She wanted to tell you,” continued John. “She didn’t care if the whole ship knew about us. It was my decision to keep it quiet. I even pulled rank on her. Boy, I guess I was kind of an asshole about it.”
Julie just blurted it out. “Alex’sis was pregnant.” She watched as John showed no visible reaction to the news. He slowly placed his wine glass back on the table. He didn’t look at Julie and, as the silence continued, she began feeling heartache for him. She could only imagine what he was going through.
“I’m so sorry,” said Julie as she approached to give him a hug.
“Thank you for telling me, commander,” said John as he took a step away from her. His voice sounded dead. There was no sorrow or anger in it. “It’s going to be a long day tomorrow. I should get some sleep.”
Julie didn’t know what to do. She was genuinely scared for him. She fought back the tears, wanting to be strong for her friend. John looked at her and smiled. “Good night, commander.”
Julie slowly stepped back. She wanted to say something, but she didn’t know what to say to him. She turned and ran out of his quarters, not wanting to break down in front of him.
John was alone once again. He looked down at the table. His mind was blank of any thought. On the coffee table where the Volux gorun crystal sat, it began to glow a deep crimson color as it picked up the growing emotional tidal wave within the captain. Suddenly, as if a switch went off in him, he smashed his hands through the glass table. He yelled and screamed as he threw furniture, glasses, anything that wasn’t bolted down. He ignored the pain from the deep cuts in his hands. He cried as he realized everything he lost: his parents, his sister, Alex’sis, Drix, Donavin, Martin.
“You son of a bitch!” he yelled, thinking of the Yearden’s words. “Why couldn’t you stop it!? Why did I have to lose them!?”
As he continued to destroy everything around him, Julie was back in her quarters. She laid on the couch looking at a picture of her and Alex’sis in front of the Onixin capital building. It was the only picture she had of her friend smiling, and she cherished it. Julie remembered how much fun they had that day touring the city. Alex’sis loved the Onixin capital city so much. Julie remembered the day Alex’sis came back from her first visit to Plein. All she talked about was how vibrant the city was and all the areas she got to explore. Alex’sis talked about returning to Plein after they completed their mission. The good thoughts turned to sorrow as Julie realized that dream of Alex’sis would never happen.
In medical, Doctor Myers finished running a genetic analysis of Alex’sis’ unborn baby. Even though he already knew the answer, Myers still ran the comparison to verify that John indeed was the father. After reading the results, he deleted it from the computer. He got up and went to autopsy, going to the container where Alex’sis laid. He placed his hand on the door and closed his eyes, wanting to remember his friend during her life, and not the lifeless body in autopsy.
In Chris’ quarters, Thresha blew out the last candle and joined Chris who was looking out the window at the blue-colored energy station that surrounded the ship. Although John was on another deck, Thresha could sense the emotional turmoil now running through him. She felt his pain, but knew there was nothing she could do for him now to ease his anguish.
“Now more than ever, the captain will need us by his side,” said Thresha.
“Should we go check on him?” asked Chris.
“There is nothing we can do for him tonight,” replied Thresha. “We must wait for the storm to pass before guiding him to peace.”
CONTINUED…
The adventure continues in book four of the exodus series
FURY OF THE PHOENIX
Novels By Robert Stadnik
EXODUS SERIES
Exodus Of The Phoenix
Phoenix Among The Stars
Phoenix In Chaos
HEROES & CONSEQUENCES SERIES
Tales Of A Former Child Superhero