The Source: Book III of the Holding Kate Series (13 page)

“It is a good plan,” Starlythe said. “We could all go to a different site and be back in a couple of days.”

“Wait, what if years pass here before you return,” Starlythe asked.

“Now that the remote has been here and recorded the time signature, we can return back to the moment we left.”

Tara grimaced. Time travel baffled her.

“Don’t worry.” Dirk chuckled. “I’ll make it happen.”

“Okay, I will leave him to you, Brashtor, so you can plan your jumps.” Tara patted Dirk’s shoulder.

“Wait, what, how?”

Tara flashed her brows twice and moved back to Trip and Kate.

“Fork.” Kate held up the utensil and spoke in Ampelese. She had started his first lesson, evidently. “Cup.” She pointed and he repeated.

She looked up, pointed at Tara, and said, “Girlfriend.”

He repeated, ignorantly.

Tara fisted her hips, and Kate grinned wickedly at her. “Okay, that’s it,” Tara declared, wrenching Trip to her side. “You are forbidden to have lessons from Kate.”

His face registered concern and she realized that the jest could have been taken wrong. “She is teaching you the wrong words, that’s all,” Tara explained with a reassuring touch on his arm.

“Katie girl?” He seemed shocked.

“I taught you the right words. She just didn’t like my choice,” Kate said, giggling.

“Come on Trip, let’s take a walk and I will teach you how to say ‘Kate is a very bad girl.’” Tara took his hand and led him outside. Just before the door closed she caught a glimpse of Kate rolling on the sofa in a fit of giggles. She grinned. It was good to see her so happy. This jump had been good for her. She seemed to have forgotten the threat of Gregory and settled into a confidence that she had never displayed before. Tara supposed living for thirty seven years as the sole object of Corey’s desire had that effect.

Tara glanced at Trip. He watched her carefully. She smiled and he squeezed her hand. She hadn’t realized that she still had a hold of him. She looked down at their fingers laced together. It felt nice. Trip’s hand was warm and strong. She didn’t want to let go.

“Walk with me?” Trip asked, lifting his eyes to the velvet expanse above them. The stars shone in sparkling clarity.

Tara nodded and locked his hand to hers.

THE TOWN QUIETED
in slumber and the timber halls of the hospital rang hollow and vacant of the usual bustle. Candles and glow lanterns burned low in their holders. A skeletal staff remained to keep the night watch. Eunavae and Manifus had left several hours ago, but Corey stayed with Kimrin, the patient they were afraid would not make it. Najwa stayed by his side. She refused to leave, even though he practically ordered her to go home and rest.

Najwa was a godsend, just as Kate described. She worked harder than any three people and grasped new concepts quickly. She ran the primitive hospital with efficient kindness. Corey had thanked the One for her presence many times in the two years since Najwa’s arrival.

They had grown quite close over that time. He felt lucky to have her. Her personality and beauty brought back fond memories of his Darchori wife, Taylia. Though he never loved her romantically, their arranged marriage, born of friendship, had comforted him during the two century jump. Najwa’s close resemblance to Taylia fostered a feeling of closeness.

Corey tried once more. “Go home, Najwa. You need to rest. Your shift starts early.”

“No, Cianti Todura. I will stay with you.” Her large brown eyes were pools of worry and devotion as she reached over and touched his arm.

Corey gave in. She wasn’t going to leave until he did. So he ran a few more tests on Kimrin, then told her that he was going to go home for a few hours of rest and insisted she do likewise.

“Come on Najwa. I’ll walk you home.” He took her arm and pulled her away from the patient’s cot.

“Oh.” her eyes lit up. “Okay.” She grabbed her shawl as Corey held the door for her.

They strolled through the town side by side, the pathways lit with the blue glowing rocks that were mined in the Crags. A huge moon hung low in the night sky. Stars abundantly lit the expanse in sparkling radiance. He didn’t know if it was the lack of electricity and false light here in this world or what, but the stars in Ampeliagia shined so much brighter than they did back home.

He walked beside Najwa with his head lifted to the beautiful night until she spoke soft words that pierced his soul. “Corey, can I ask a question?”

They paused outside her home. Surprised, he searched her face. She rarely used his first name.

“Will Kimrin… will he…” Large tears formed in her eyes and the reflection of the moon danced there until a tear spilled down her cheek. Her chin quivered and his heart broke to see her beautiful face so forlorn.

He touched her elbow. “I don’t know, Najwa. I hope not.”

“So many lives.” She buried her face into the crook of his neck and sobbed.

He knew how she felt. They had lost so many patients in the two years since the plague, all of them. They all eventually succumbed to the sleeping death. She spoke the words that were heavily weighing on his heart. He wrapped his arms around her, and they stood together weeping and clinging to each other for support.

“How does Kate handle it so well?” she asked between sobs. “She has never shed one tear for these dear people. Is her heart made of stone?”

“No, no. She just isn’t as close to it as we are.”

“Why not, Corey? Why doesn’t she see all of the hard work you do? Can’t she see that you need a helper? Someone who will stand by you, hold you when you can’t go on any longer?”

He considered her words. He’d wondered those things many times. Kate distanced herself from the hospital two years ago. He wondered why, but never pressed her for answers. There was never any vacancy. Najwa filled the holes so completely that he didn’t really think Kate needed to be there.

“She is busy with other things,” he said weakly.

Najwa snorted, “Like Stealthlin.”

Corey stiffened and pushed Najwa back to look into her face. “What? What did you say?”

“Nothing. I am sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. Forgive me, Corey. I am distraught. I don’t know what I will do if we lose Kimrin.” She buried her face against his cheek again and her whole body shook against his as she sobbed.

Strange feelings grew in him. He felt slapped by her insinuation that something was going on between Kate and Stealthlin. He started remembering little things that would happen between them; a smile here, a nod there, unexplained meetings. He just assumed they conferred about running the town. Kate acted as mayor and Stealthlin was the security chief, so they worked closely together. It never occurred to Corey that something else might be going on.

Other sensations were growing around him. Suddenly he was very aware of Najwa’s body pressed against him. She was soft and curvaceous in all the right places. He had never really noticed before. Well, he noticed, but didn’t really think about her in that way until now when she clung to him with such need. He felt a slight vibration in the air around them as though the wind was charged with magnetic particles.

A yawning need rose up between them. Najwa tilted her head back to look into his eyes and her gaze was filled with love and passion. She focused on his lips and ever so slightly bent her head forward to kiss him.

Corey dropped his arms and stepped back suddenly, as though he’d been embracing a cobra. She staggered forward a bit at his sudden release.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, horrified. In his concern for a friend, he had crossed a line. He had inadvertently drawn Najwa into a romantic moment and encouraged her feelings to blossom. “I—I am going home to Kate now.”

“Corey.” She reached for him. “Please, don’t go. Stay with me for a while. I am just so lonely.”

“Najwa, I am not the one to help you with that. I love Kate and only Kate.”

“Corey.” Her voice was low and pleading. “I am not asking for love, just mutual comfort, between friends. Kate would never have to know.” She stepped closer and he could feel her breath on his face and her full breast brushed against his arm.

He stepped back again. “Good night, Najwa.” He turned and walked briskly down the street with his head down and hands shoved in his pockets. When he got to the corner, a creeping sensation crawled up his spine, telling him he was not alone.

He looked up and saw Trip leaning against the corner of the building in a shadow.

“Trip.” He glanced down the street to see if he could have seen them. Najwa was gone, but where they had stood was well lighted by the glow rocks and street lanterns. There was no way he could have missed it.

“Corey,” Trip said, pinning him with a glare. “Let’s talk.”

He sighed. “I can’t talk right now, Trip. I need to get home and have this conversation with my wife. I am not sure what happened back there.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” he said gruffly. “She’s trouble.”

Corey peered into the night and wondered what he meant. “Najwa? Nah, she’s just emotional about one of our dying patients, that’s all.”

“Looked like more than that to me.” He turned and walked alongside Corey as they made their way back to their street.

“Yeah, I wanted to comfort her, but I think I gave her the wrong impression.” Corey clenched his fists at his sides.

“Corey, you weren’t the one giving signals back there. That was all her.”

Corey thought about what he said and could see how he would think that. But Trip didn’t know Najwa as well as he did. Corey knew she was a good person. No. It was his fault and Corey needed to confess to Kate before it got out of hand.

They reached the gate to Corey and Kate’s cottage. He waved at Trip, who stood at the end of the walk with hands shoved in his pockets. Corey stepped inside and went to his room.

Kate was already asleep when he crawled into bed with her. It had been a big day and she needed to rest. He didn’t wake her. He gently stroked the velvety softness of her cheek.
My beautiful Kate! How I adore you!
He snuggled her into his arms. He would talk to her first thing in the morning, before they started the day the way they had for the last thirty seven years, in each other’s embrace.

The sunlight filtered through the windows the next morning, illuminating dust particles lolling in the air. Kate felt Corey’s warmth beside her and turned over to him. He was sound asleep, his soft snores the sound of bliss in her ears. She wondered what time he had finally crawled into bed. She waited for him until she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. She reached out to touch his hair and trace the worry lines on his face.