The Solar Wind (18 page)

             
After a few hours, Ava’s breathing pattern changed, she turned on her side and opened her eyes. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was. She saw Wesley sitting with her, sat up in the bed and reached out for him. He moved to a sitting position on her bed with her and hugged her. He reached over to the bedside table and handed her the glass of water that was waiting for her and she drank to quench her thirst. After a few minutes and the glass drained, Ava looked down at her leg, which seemed fine. She wondered how she had gotten back to the Andromeda.

             
“Wesley, how did I get back here? I don’t remember.” She looked at him closely. Had she been worried about him? Her instincts contradicted themselves. There appeared to be no reason why she should be, he looked fine. She realized she had a slight headache.

             
“Ava you were in the hangar looking at some old junk and accidentally tripped. You twisted your leg and hit your head on the floor, but you are all right now. How do you feel?” He hated lying to her but he had no choice.

             
“I’m okay I guess. I have a mild headache. My leg aches a tiny bit. I’m so sorry, I can’t believe I was that klutzy.” She tried to think, did she fall? She remembered it now that he said it. Her head ached a little more intensely as she thought about it. The memory was real enough, but she could not help but feel like there were holes in her memories. She knew that was crazy. “Are you okay Wesley?” She noticed, for the very first time since she met him that he seemed exhausted, perhaps drained.

             
He smiled at her. “I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be?”

             
“I don’t know. Never mind. How is the ship?”

             
“She’s holding up great. The patch job didn’t take too long. Once we’re back on Orionis we’ll be docked for at least a week to make the real repairs.”

             
“Really!” A sudden wave of excitement swept over Ava. She would be able to see him every day for a week. “That’s great. I mean, not great that the Andromeda needs repairs, but great that we will be able to see each other a lot.”

             
“Yes I know, I’m happy about it too.” He kissed her a few times and then she started asking more questions.

             
“How far are we from Orionis?”

             
“We’ll be there in less than eight hours so you have some more time to rest. Is there anything you need, are you hungry?”

             
“Famished . . . and thirsty.” She looked down at herself. “I feel like I’ve been wearing these clothes forever. I need a shower. Can I take a quick one and change and then can we grab something to eat?”

             
“Sure. I’d like to stay here with you until you are ready if that’s all right, just to make sure you are okay standing up. You did hit your head pretty hard.”

             
“I’m sure I’ll be fine, but you can stay with me if you like.” She appreciated his concern for her.

             
He moved back onto the chair next to the bed and watched her as she slid to the edge of the bed and stepped onto the floor. He practically held his breath, ready to leap into action to catch her if she started to fall. He kept his eyes focused on her legs as she walked away from him to the closet to collect some new clothes. He sighed with relief as he realized she seemed to be walking just fine, with no hint of pain. She smiled at him as she stepped into the bathroom and shut the door. She had never felt so adored by anyone else before in her life. Although neither one of them had said it yet, she knew they loved each other. She smiled as she wondered what the future might bring.

Chapter 12: A New Year

             
After the holidays Ava arrived back to work rested and excited for a new year. She felt proud of her adjustment to her life and job on Orionis over the past year and was grateful for her boyfriend and her group of friends. Since the Andromeda needed repairs Ava and Wesley spent as much time as possible with each other during the week. Ava did not have much vacation time left so they would fall back into their usual pattern of being together only on the weekends. Ava couldn’t believe she had been with them during their narrow escape from Capri and their impromptu visit to an abandoned space station.  Wesley asked her not to mention it to anyone as some of their activities had technically been illegal. He told her it would be a long while before they would ever go back to Capri. Their adventure did give Ava a new appreciation for Wesley’s job, and for the frailty of life in outer space. She found herself worrying about him more now that she was aware of the space pirates and the other dangers his job involved.

             
In early January the OMC announced the addition of Dr. Grant’s son, Thomas, as an infectious disease specialist.  The infectious disease clinic, or ID clinic, was located down the hall from the general practice clinic Ava worked in, separated only by a set of sliding doors. Ava enjoyed the change of pace in her job at the beginning of the year. Their clinic had been busier than ever in December and she welcomed the slightly slower schedule. It would only be a matter of time before things picked up again. Since things were slow in the ID clinic as well, Dr. Grant brought his son around and introduced him to everyone. He quickly took on the name of “Dr. Tom” as no one wanted to confuse him with his father.

             
“And this is our newest Nurse Practitioner, Ava Amherst,” Dr. Grant announced as he brought Dr. Tom around to her station.

             
“It’s nice to meet you, welcome.” Ava smiled at him and shook his hand. She did not see much of a similarity between him and his father. He had short sandy blonde hair and blue eyes.  Not as tall and as built as Wesley, but he was a handsome man.

             
“Nice to meet you Ava. My father speaks highly of you,” he said pleasantly.

             
“Thank you, that’s nice to hear. We’re glad that you are joining the ID clinic, I’m sure that we will be referring lots of patients to you.” Ava felt flattered by the compliment. She liked Dr. Grant’s easygoing, laid back personality, and appreciated having such an amicable collaborating doctor to work alongside with. She wondered if his son would be as agreeable.

             
Despite the strict criteria of optimum health for migration to Orionis, people still managed to become sick. The OMC had specific guidelines for managing ill patients. If a general practice provider suspected anything unusual, patients were sent for a mandatory evaluation by the ID clinic. The two doctors who worked in the ID clinic also welcomed the addition of the new doctor to help lighten their load of patients. By mid January all of the OMC clinic patient loads were back to normal. Dr. Tom made it a point to greet Ava daily on his way to the ID clinic since he started later than she did. He seemed nice enough although he was not as likeable as she thought he would be; he seemed to have a bit of arrogance about him. She noticed his eyes seemed to linger on her during their brief encounters. Ava paid it no mind, she did not have any interest other than her professional relationship with him as a colleague. One evening she mentioned the new doctor and his friendliness towards her to Wesley.

             
“He says hello to you every day?” He eluded a slight hint of jealousy.

             
“He’s just being friendly, it’s not like we work together all day.”

             
“Sure. What is it with you nurses and doctors always getting together?” He joked.

             
Ava laughed. “Nurses and doctors hooking up? Hardly. Maybe that sort of thing happened a century ago but not in today’s world. I don’t get it, why does everyone think that?”

             
“You mean it’s not a soap opera?”

             
“Sorry to disappoint your beliefs. Besides, a doctor would be the last person I would want to hook up with romantically.”

             
“Why?”

             
“I don’t know. I guess I just don’t think they
feel
enough. Does that make sense?”

             
“I can see that. It’s probably easy for them to become desensitized with all they have to cope with to stay sane in order to do their jobs. It’s part of the deal I guess.”

             
“I wish I could see you every day,” she said softly.

             
“I like the sound of that.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. “Maybe someday we will see each other every day,” he continued. “Ava, promise me you’ll be careful at work. Don’t let this guy walk you home or offer you a drink okay?”

             
“Very funny.”  Actually it’s not, she thought, remembering the incident at Labyrinth. “I’ll be careful, I promise.” She mockingly held up her hand as if she were swearing in. “Maybe I should introduce him to Elaine?” She pondered out loud.

             
“How is your self defense class going?”

             
“It’s going pretty well. I have only a few weeks left, then it’s over. I’m not sure what I’ll feel like doing after that. I do think that I have more stamina, although my left leg still aches a bit when I’m practicing my kicks.”

             
Wesley looked down at the ground. He still felt bad about the whole incident Ava had no memory of now. “It’s not terribly painful is it? I can’t tell you how sorry I am about that. I mean, I should have made you stay closer to the lighted area near the ship. The floor was too unstable, I should have known better.”

             
“It’s not bad, some days are worse than others. I’m sure with time it will fade. Don’t worry about it. It isn’t your fault that I tripped and fell,” she replied with a smile.

             
Wesley changed the subject. “Ava, I’m sorry to have to tell you that the crew and I have another lengthy assignment coming up next month.”

             
“Lengthy?” Ava paused. “How long will you be gone?” A wave of sadness swept over her.

             
“It’s hard to say. Most likely three or four weeks.”

             
“I won’t see you for a whole month?” He had become something of an addiction to her, she loved him and knew she would miss him terribly.

             
“I know Ava, I’m sorry. I don’t want to leave your for so long, but I must.”

             
“When?”

             
“Just after Valentine’s day.”

             
“Well then, let’s make the most our time left together.” She smiled and reached for him.

             
The precious commodity known as time slips away so quickly. Before Ava knew it, Valentine’s Day was fast approaching. The holiday fell on a Friday and Wesley told her he had a wonderful evening planned, but wanted to surprise her. He specifically told her not to buy him anything, all he wanted was her company. Ava decided to invest in a romantic, lovely new skirt in pastel dove gray and a top in a muted pink color for the occasion. After work that day Ava rushed home and showered; eager to dress up for their evening out. She gazed in the mirror after she had finished. She looked so different from the starving woman with the sunken cheeks that had looked back at her all those months ago. Her soft chestnut brown hair fell a few inches below her shoulders in the soft curls that she had made. Her complexion seemed luminous, with healthy full pale pink rosy cheeks.  Ava wondered if it was her improved nutritional status or the fact that she was in love that made her feel and look so alive.

             
Wesley arrived on time, as usual, dressed up a little more formal than usual. He handed Ava a single long-stemmed deep red rose with a small red ribbon on it. Ava’s eyes widened. She had never been given a flower before. Flowers were considered frivolous because they were expensive to grow and maintain as they used up precious water and soil and were not a source of food. Ava had not seen any flowers on Orionis since her arrival, the last time she had seen them was on their last trip to Capri.  Ava took the flower from him gingerly and inhaled the fresh sweet scent. “It’s beautiful Wesley. Where did you get this?”

             
“I can’t give away all of my secrets,” he replied coyly as he embraced her and kissed her forehead. Ava did not have a vase, so she settled for a tall glass with a small amount of water in the bottom to place the rose in. “Shall we go?” He held out his hand to her. They walked to the nearest lift and took that to one of the upper levels of Orionis. They continued for a short distance on foot to a romantic appearing restaurant called “Paris.” Ava had heard some of her co-workers talking about this place. It had a reputation for being one of the most expensive restaurants on Orionis. Ava could hardly contain her excitement as they entered and were led to their private table. The restaurant emitted an ambience of luxury with its cushioned seats, soft music, and dim lighting. There appeared to be a dinner under the stars theme. Ava noticed hundreds of tiny lights suspended on almost invisible lines above the entire restaurant at varying lengths swaying gently with the circulating air. The remainder of the room appeared to be decorated as an outdoor area with artificial flowers, bushes, and vines, like an old fashioned outdoor patio.  Ava had never seen anything like it.