by J. Naomi Ay
“See!” Jerry cried jubilantly. “The ship’s going to be in dry dock for a few more days so we can all have a bit of leave here on Rozari. That'll be fun.”
“No, it won't,” Caroline replied. “This place is hot and boring. Besides, we’re probably being radiated just by standing here.”
“You’re not, it’s safe,” the nurse said and straightened the sheets beneath me. “But it is hot and boring.” Her blonde ponytail flopped down on the bed as she leaned over. “What's this?” She pulled a black ribbon out from under my pillow.
Caroline and Jerry stared at it as if it were alive. I stared at it and wondered what it was.
The nurse carefully picked at a strand of long black hair attached to the ribbon. She pursed her red lips and narrowed her eyes.
“Was he here?” she accused me.
“Who?” I mumbled, staring at the hair between her fingers.
“Who?” She repeated as if she didn’t believe me. “Last night. Did he?” Her brow furrowed. She looked at me askance. “Did you?” Now she put her hands on her hips. “Here? I can’t believe that bastard! This is a hospital you know, not his apartment!”
Caroline gasped.
“What exactly are you accusing LCDR. Golden of doing?” Jerry stood up between us and crossed his arms in front of his chest, blocking me from the wrath of the nurse.
The nurse pushed Jerry aside and leaned down into my face. “Let me tell you Miss Spaceforce,” she spat. “It's one and done with him so don't think you'll ever hear from him again and believe me, the Hospital Administrator is going to hear about this.” She scrunched up the ribbon and made a fist as if she were going to throw it at me. “So help me…”
The door opened again and this time Senya walked in.
I made a sort of screaming noise. The kind of noise you would make if your lifelong hallucination just walked in and was real flesh and blood. The blood pressure monitor over my head started to make a screaming noise too. Caroline also made some sort of noise though I wouldn’t classify it as a scream. It was probably the kind of noise you would make if the hottest guy you ever imagined just walked in wearing a lab coat that said Dr. Ron over the breast pocket. Jerry was silent and thankfully got up to turn off the sound on the blood pressure monitor.
“Is this yours, Ron?” The nurse dangled the ribbon in front of Senya.
“Yes, thank you,” he replied and took it back. I think this was the first time I had ever really heard his voice because I didn’t recognize it. I did recognize his long wavy black hair which right now was tied back with another black ribbon. I remembered climbing on his back and brushing his hair until it shone. I remembered sticking my hands in it and twining it around my fingers. I giggled nervously.
Caroline looked at me with enormous eyes and mouthed “What did you do?”
I shrugged. I had brain surgery. Who the hell knew what I did last night? In fact, who the hell knew what I was doing now? I was probably hallucinating all of this.
In the meantime, Jerry was double teaming with the nurse, ganging up on Senya and demanding to know exactly how the ribbon got under my pillow.
“Excuse me,” Senya said in English and indicated for Jerry and the nurse to move aside.
“I'm reporting you to the Director, Ron,” the nurse said a bit snippily. Senya ignored her and came right up to my bedside. He looked up at the monitor which was flashing all sorts of warnings.
“You feel okay now, yes?” he said in Rozarian, turning his gaze down on me.
I spoke Rozarian because it was the foreign language I randomly chose to study at the Academy. How he knew that, I had no idea and though I was far from perfect in it, I could tell that it was not his native language either.
“I don't know,” I replied, staring up at him. “Are you Senya?”
He put his hand on my scalp and pressed with his thumbs. He cocked his head as if he were listening to something. “You do not have a headache?”
“No.” I shook my head which actually did give me a headache. The doctor felt the back of my neck and then a spot right below my left ear.
“Very good,” he said and smiled a little. “I will sign off your release. You will get dressed and be at the entrance to the hospital in fifteen minutes, yes?”
“Why?” I tried to see inside his mouth. If he was Senya, he’d have fang-like incisors. His mouth was shut though and he was already walking away from me.
“Katie, your blood pressure is awfully high right now,” Jerry piped up, his voice cold and authoritative, which was unusual for Jerry. He made a show of adjusting the monitor. “I'm a little concerned about this. I don’t think you are ready to be released.”
“You are the ship's doctor?” Dr. Ron turned to him. He said this in accented English.
“Jerry Waldman,” Jerry replied and hesitantly held out his hand to shake. Dr. Ron didn’t move. Jerry eyes crossed and he looked confused. Then, he closed his eyes as if he was suddenly very sleepy. Dr. Ron turned back to the vid on the wall. He typed something on my chart. Jerry woke up with a start.
“Ron,” the nurse said, now all sweetness and light. “You don't really want me to have to go to the Director, do you?” She hung on to his arm. “You’re already in enough trouble, aren’t you?” Dr. Ron shrugged her off and left my room. The nurse ran after him and then the door slammed shut.
“Are they giving me Vicodin?” I said to no one in particular. “I think I’m allergic to it.”
“Holy moley,” Caroline gasped. “What the heck was that about?”
“No, no Vicodin,” Jerry replied, walking over to the vid. “He signed you out.”
“I'd want to stay in if he were my doctor,” Caroline sighed. “I think my head hurts real bad.”
“I need to get dressed,” I said and sat up, putting my feet over the side of the bed. “Could you guys please leave?”
“What did you call him, Katie?” Jerry asked, coming back to my side to stare into my face.
“I didn't call him anything.”
“I called him one smoking hot Rozarian stud muffin brain surgeon,” Caroline said.
“You called him a name,” Jerry insisted. “When he first walked in here. Senya? Do you know him, Katie?”
“I want to know him,” Caroline said. “I want to know him in every way there is to know a man.”
“Can you guys go now, please? I want to get dressed.” I pointed at the door.
“How did that ribbon get under your pillow, Katie?” Jerry demanded again, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He used a middle finger and pushed his glasses back up his nose.
“Looks to me like she ripped it out of his hair in a moment of passion and glory,” Caroline stated.
“Stop it,” I snapped, getting very annoyed at the both of them. “I don't know how that thing got there. I don't know what the heck's going on. I just had brain surgery! I want to get my clothes on and get out of here, so get out of my room!” I wagged my finger emphatically at the door.
“Ok.” Jerry sniffed and twitched his shoulders. “Come on, Caroline.”
“You go,” Caroline replied. “I'll stay here and help Katie get dressed.”
Jerry slunk out and closed the door behind him.
“Oh geez,” Caroline nearly screamed. “He makes you feel like you just ran over his dog with your speeder. Sorry honey, but I'd take Dr. Ron in a heartbeat too.” I climbed out of bed as Caroline stared at me.
“What?”
“What's that?” she giggled.
“What?”
She pointed at the bed sheets, the stain on my hospital gown.
I gasped.
“He was here,” she narrowed her eyes wickedly, “my word, Katie Golden, you are full of surprises. Don't tell me you were a virgin too?”
“Shut up!” I said.
“You were! How old are you? Twenty-seven?”
“Shut up, Caroline!” I snapped, pulling on the uniform that was in my overnight kit.
“Did it
hurt?”
I glared at her as I zipped my tunic. She stared at me waiting for an answer, a crazy smile on her face.
“A little,” I relented. “It kinda hurts now. Where's a tooth brush?”
“Oh, that'll go away,” she sighed and spun in a circle, hugging herself. “Lordy, Katie, if he ain’t the most gorgeous thing you ever laid eyes on! I wish I was a virgin again too if that's what he likes.”
I didn’t answer because my mouth was full of toothpaste.
“Golly,” she cried. “Here we assumed you were in recovery and poor Jerry was calling the nurses' station every five minutes all night long and you're busy cuddling up to your surgeon. Honey girl, did you score big time or what?”
“Where's the main entrance?” I grabbed my kit.
“Why?”
“I'm supposed to be at the front of the hospital. You want to show me where it is?”
“Why? What are you doing there?” We went out into the hallway.
“I don't know,” I replied. “He just told me to be there.”
“My oh my,” Caroline said. “You’re leaving with him? I guess he ain't one and done after all.”
“Caroline, this is really none of your business.” We walked past the nurse's station.
“Well don't worry, honey. It only hurts the first time. After that, well, I bet that man can make you sing an aria,” Caroline sighed.
“Caroline!”
“Honey, that is one hot Rozarian doctor and you better tell me everything when we get back to the ship.”
We went through the double doors at the hospital's main entrance. He was waiting there, smoking a cigarette and leaning against a black Porsche. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with a hole in it, sneakers without laces or socks.
“I hate you,” Caroline moaned in my ear. “I hate you, I do. Ask him if he has any brothers.”
We stood there staring at him. Then he turned to me and took off his dark glasses. His silver eyes sparkled in the sunlight.
“Senya?” I asked.
He nodded slightly and opened the door to the Porsche.
“Don't do anything I wouldn't do and do everything I would do a lot.” Caroline kissed my cheek.
“Ok,” I whispered and as if mesmerized, I walked over and got in the Porsche.
Immediately my cell buzzed as we took off into the hot Rozarian sky. There was a text that read, Leave extended to all personnel until 1200 Wednesday. Today was Saturday.
“Good,” he said though I hadn’t said a word. “We shall have plenty of time.”
“For what?” I asked.
“To get reacquainted.”
He took my hand. We were flying toward the coast, to a long stretch of white sandy beach and pink water bordered by forest. Immediately surrounding that area was nothing but red dust and clay. I turned around in my seat and looked back at the city. It too was rising out of the red dust.
“Why is it nice right here but dry and dusty everywhere else?” I asked as he pointed the Porsche down toward a grassy meadow. He parked the speeder and opened the doors.
“This area has been reclaimed,” he explained, tossing his shoes in the boot. I took off mine as well and tossed them in too.
It was hot here but not as hot as in the city because a breeze blew in off the ocean. I wished I had brought a bathing suit. I wished I had brought a pair of shorts. All I had was this uniform and my overnight kit which Caroline had packed. Of course, it wasn’t like I knew I was coming here. Actually, the last thing I remembered before this morning, was a fire in the engine room and the console dropping on my head.
“Can you see a house here?”
“What?” I looked around and wondered if I was missing something besides a bathing suit. There was no house here. It would be a great place to put a house especially because the lawn would slope down right from here to the beach.
“That is what I thought too,” he said.
“I didn't say anything.”
“You do not need to.” He shrugged.
“Huh?” I looked up at his face, at his dark sunglasses which hid his eyes. “Are you really Senya?”
He smiled a little. “I was. Now I am called Ron.” He said this with a bit of laugh as if the name was funny to him. “Come.” He pulled me down toward the beach. I stepped into the water. It was bathtub warm and the sand was like sugar between my toes. Damn, I wish I had a bathing suit with me!
“Go on,” he said. “You will like to swim here.”
Sure, I should take off all my clothes for him. I stood in the water getting my trouser legs wet. Of course, he had seen me naked before. How many nights had we actually spent together? A lot. Sort of. Then again, I didn’t look like I was fourteen anymore. He hadn’t seen this version of me.
“Go on,” he said again, staring at me through those dark sunglasses.
“I'm not sure,” I started to say. “What if someone comes along?”
“No one will come. This is a private beach.”
“Who does it belong to?”
“You did not read the sign back there?” he smirked. “And I thought I was the blind one.”
“What sign?”
“The sign that said 'No trespassing. Property of SdK Corporation.'”
“What's that?”
“Go swim,” he replied and retreated back to the grass. He sat down, slipped off his t-shirt and lit a cigarette.
“You're not coming in?”
“I do not like swimming.” He lay back as if he was going to take a nap.
I quickly undressed to my underwear and dove into the water. It was wonderful. It was warmer than Hawaii and less salty than the Caribbean. It was even better than a beach on Cascadia III that Caroline, Jerry and I had gone to during a shore leave last year. It was the most beautiful pink water imaginable. I paddled around and dove for shells. I floated on my back and felt the Rozarian sun burn the water droplets from my skin. I felt better than I had in a very long time. This water was the cure for months of deep space. I glanced back at Senya who was still staring at the sky with a cigarette on his lip.
After paddling around, I stood in the water and called to him. “Senya?”
He propped himself up on his elbows and looked at me.
“How do you know me?”
“That is complicated.”
“Why did you come to stay with me when we were kids?”
“That is also complicated.” He breathed a puff of grey smoke into the air.
I swam around a bit more and then got out of the water, grabbing my clothes and holding them in front of me.
“Your modesty is safe,” he remarked, drawing on his cigarette. “I cannot see you clothed or not. Come sit here with me.”
“What do you mean you can't see me?” I stood in front of him trying to see his eyes through those dark glasses.
“I can recognize your image in a mathematical way with my magic sunglasses but I cannot see you as you see me.”
“And without your magic sunglasses?”
“I can see you through your thoughts, through your sounds and scents, through the way the air moves about you.”
“Senya, are you blind?”
“Ay yah.”
“But you just did brain surgery on me yesterday!”
“That I can do,” he nodded. “Just don't ask me if I like your hair color.”
He handed me his glasses and I put them on for a moment. I couldn’t see a thing. In fact, they completely blacked out everything.
“Whoa. You drove that Porsche.”
“Autopilot.”
“You never told me this before.” I handed him back the glasses which he set aside.
“It never came up.” He shrugged and his silver eyes sparkled. I stared into them as best as I could.
"You're right. Your eyes are really strange. I don't know how you could possibly see out of them. I can't believe I never realized that before."
"I am good at fooling everyone," he said and turned his face
as if he was watching me as I sat down next to him.
"You are good," I agreed.
A hawk circled overhead and then dove into the bay, emerging a moment later with a fish. The wind blew, the trees in the forest ruffled and the pink water rippled and then crashed ashore as if a boat far out to sea had sent its wake toward us. I closed my eyes and consider that this spot on the red dusty planet of Rozari was about as close to heaven as I had ever been.
"I am pleased you think this," he said though I had never voiced a thought.
Opening my eyes, I looked him over. This was Senya. Senya, alive and real flesh and blood, lay stretched out on the lawn next to me. Caroline was right. He was totally smoking hot and I felt my face heat as I thought this, knowing he could probably read it in my mind. He was too beautiful to be sitting here with plain old me. If it wasn’t for whatever odd twist of time and space had popped him into my bedroom all those years ago, I was sure I would never have been noticed by him. He was perfect, absolutely perfect. I studied the whole length of him until I got to his feet.
“Ew,” I said. “You have really ugly toes.”
He blew out smoke like a dragon.
“I didn't know you smoked either.”
“Have you any more complaints?”
"It's not a complaint. I just didn't know you did that. It's not healthy you know."
He smirked. "Cigarettes are the least of my worries.
“What are you worries?”
He didn’t respond.
“Why were you shot so many times?” I gazed at the faint scars on chest. I remembered when these were swollen and rainbow colored.
“I was a very bad kid,” he replied and tossed his cigarette into the air where it disappeared. “Anything else?”
“I thought that was a tattoo.” I pointed at his arm. “But it doesn't look like it in real life.”
“Touch it,” he said and so I did.
I had to almost straddle him to reach it, which was maybe why he wanted me to touch it. The skin was darkened and grooved and there were ridges in the design. It was more like a branding. His skin was cool where I touched it and sent an electrical current or something like that through my body.
