The Space Colonel's Woman (Dragonus Chronicles Book 1) (21 page)

He grinned, eyes alive with amusement, and lifted the cover from his tray.  The aroma of something that could be bacon wafted across to Julia and her stomach gurgled.  She pressed her hand down on it, flushing with embarrassment.

“Eat your breakfast.” She said and stood up, stretched her back before leaning over to kiss his forehead. “I’m going to shower and find my own sustenance.  Then I’ll be back.  Do you need anything?”

He shook his head, fingertips stroking the tender flesh on the inside of her wrist.

“Julia.” He called when she was half-way to the door.

She turned on the spot to look at him. “Yes?”

“I am glad.  Not just the pilot bit.  I’m glad for the whole of you.” Mark said as he stared into her soul with those beautiful eyes.

“I’m glad too, glad you’re here and able to tell me that.” 

Julia sighed at the warmth swelling in her chest as she walked out the door; leaving Mark to his thoughts and his breakfast.

Chapter 16

“Keep still.” Julia chastised from where she sat opposite Mark on a molded plastic chair with her legs crossed under her like a double-jointed pixie.  He was the worst artist’s model in the history of artist’s models.  The last twenty minutes had been filled with quirked eyebrows and questioning glances that made her squirm and blush in equal measure.

“Are you done yet?”

“I’ll be done when the subject of this arduous creation sits still long enough.  Relax your face.”

“This isn’t working.” She sighed for what felt like the millionth time and dropped her charcoal pencil on the sketch pad in her lap. “What do you want to do?”

His smoldering gaze travelled from her eyes down to her breasts before returning to linger on her mouth.

“Yes, that would be nice.” She panted as another wave of heat washed over her to curl low and insistent in her belly. “I doubt Doctor Peyton would agree though.  That kind of strenuous activity is likely to be labelled under
Death Defying Stunts – Please Don’t Try This At Home
, at this point in your recovery.”

Mark sighed as if he were a martyr making the kind of sacrifice he’d be remembered for centuries into the future.  His expression so pained that Julia laughed till tears spilled over and she had to wrap her arms around her middle to ease the cramps.  He drew his eyebrows down to meet over his nose in extreme disapproval.

“You’re lucky I can’t get off this bed without passing out.”

She was suffering from withdrawal too, and even the hollow threat of intimacy was enough to send her temperature through the roof and her heart thudding against her ribs.

Three weeks had passed since they had got the team home.  Three weeks of trying to keep Mark in bed.  Hayden, Anora, and Stephen visited when they could and Julia was with him when she wasn’t called away on missions.  She understood his frustration.  For Mark, being bedridden was tantamount to torture.

“Doctor Peyton said you could come back to your quarters in another day or two.”

She was secretly concerned about that.  It would be that much more difficult to get Mark to obey his doctor’s orders without the threat of her popping by unannounced.  He fidgeted with the edge of the sheet; folding, smoothing, and refolding it to within an inch of its life.

“Uh huh.”

Julia felt for him, she really did.  Swapping one set of four walls for another could hardly be cause for celebration.  She recognized the signs of cabin fever, caused by being cooped up indoors away from sunlight and fresh ocean air. “Maybe we could try a walk to one of the balconies.”

He looked at her, weighing up the cons of staying in the ward versus the pros of a slow walk in infirmary scrubs past his colleagues to the nearest ocean-view balcony.  He pushed up from the pillows and winced as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.  Julia wanted to rush to his aid, but it wasn’t the first time he’d tried this and she was reluctant to bear the brunt of his frustration again.  So she busied herself putting her art supplies away, while Mark steadied himself.  When she turned back, he was standing upright and waiting; pale and sweaty from the effort.

She walked at his side but didn’t touch him as they made their way down along the hospital building’s second level corridor toward the relocator at the end. 

“Wait, what?” Fear trickled down her spine, white hot anger chasing hard in its wake as she pivoted to block his way; hands on her hips. “You’re not putting yourself in one of those when you’re not even in one piece.”

Mark shot her a watered down version of the glare he reserved for wayward subordinates, stepped around her and up the ten inches to the platform; his hand gripping the archway for support.  Still muttering, she followed him in.  All thought cut off by the motion sickness sensation that signaled every part of her body being separated from every other part, before being jettisoned to the chosen destination and reassembled to her former state of solidity. 

No matter how many times Stephen reassured her, Julia wasn’t convinced she didn’t lose a part of herself each trip.  Maybe, that’s what had happened to the race of advanced beings who’d built Phoenix.  Gradually manipulated into extinction by their own technology.  Mark swayed as if on the deck of a ship in a storm and she grabbed his bicep to keep him upright.

“Thanks.”

He offered a soft smile of apology before stepping out of the alcove onto the calcium-white tiles of the quay level and headed for the doors.  His gait more of a shuffling limp than military stride.

“You’re welcome.” She kept her hand on him, now that he seemed happy for her to do so, and opted to stay silent about the lack of balconies. “Nearly there.”

The doors opened at their approach and the clean sweet air of the freshwater ocean greeted them on a gentle breeze that did nothing to temper the sun’s golden heat.  Mark’s posture straightened as he breathed deep and tipped his head up, eyes closed.

“Better?” She asked, already knowing the answer, because she too felt the relief of open space.

He nodded, eyes still closed and face still tilted to catch every second of vitamin D he could.  Did all suns, no matter their galaxy of origin, give off vitamin D?  A question for Stephen that would no doubt have the scientist rolling his blue eyes in the exaggerated way, she had become accustomed to.

“Do you want to sit?”

“No, let’s walk.” His hand reached out to curl a wild auburn strand around his finger. “It’s okay, I promise.  Need to start sometime, right?”

She leaned her check into his palm. “True.”

He took her hand in his and they set off towards the end of the quay.  Far enough in the distance to be hidden by heat haze seeping from its surface and the shadow of the city perched atop the soaring cliffs above.  Mark was breathing hard before they’d gone fifty feet and a fine sweat beaded across his brow.

“Let’s turn back.”

“I’m getting to the end, if it takes all fucking day.” He growled, yanking his hand free and continuing on.  Leaving Julia where she was, frozen to the spot.

She knew her desire to protect the man she loved was clouding her training.  Mild exercise
would
aid his recovery.  But anyone who knew Mark also knew his stubbornness would cause him to overdo it, landing his ass back in the infirmary.  When he noticed she wasn’t beside him, he looked back over his shoulder, huffed and continued on without a word.

“Don’t expect me to stand here and watch you kill yourself!” Julia yelled, annoyed as she watched the ramrod straight shoulders of her colonel hobble off into the distance.

“Wings, come in.” Colonel Archer called in her ear.

“Go for Wings.”

“Assemble your team and meet me in the conference room.”

“I’m on the quay with Colonel Holden.  I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She pressed her radio to disconnect, without waiting for Colonel Archer’s acknowledgement, then again to open a new transmission. “Hayden, come in.”

“Go for Hayden.” She smiled at the deep burr in her inner ear.

“Can you come to the quay now, please?”

“On my way.”

She loved that about him.  No matter what, he was there, no questions asked.  Five minutes later and Hayden was at her side; shoving his wind-driven hair from his face and muttering Thuranic invectives under his breath.

“I see you understand what I’m dealing with.” She said, her tone laced with love and exasperation in equal measure.

He grunted, crossing his muscular arms over his chest; the soft linen of his shirt pulling tight over his pecs.

“Colonel Archer wants to see me.  If you could prevent him killing himself while I’m gone, I’d appreciate it.”

Hayden squeezed her forearm, his palm as smooth and hot as it was reassuring. “I shall watch over him.”

With a final look at the determined silhouette staggering down the quay, Julia headed to her meeting, radioing Brendon, Zeb, Levi, and Kate as she went.

They were seated around the conference table when she arrived.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” She apologized, taking the chair next to Levi and crossing her ankles on the silver foot rail that ran around the base of the table.  Like the bench seats on the balconies and in the city’s parks, it looked as if it had grown seamlessly out of the floor to support the etched glass surface.

“Not at all, Julia, how is Colonel Holden doing?”

“Well, at the moment, he’s stubbornly walking his way along the quay.”

Silence met her announcement, eyes averted.  They had known Mark longer than she had.

“Hayden’s with him.” The tension in the room eased, and Julia found herself relaxing for the first time since Mark had hauled himself out of bed.

“With Colonel Holden out of action for at least another two weeks, we need another glider pilot to help bring the trainees arriving from Earth in four days’ time up to speed.”

“Sorry Colonel, but how does this affect us?” Levi asked, voicing the question that was clear on Kate, Brendan, and Zeb’s faces.

“Wings, you’ll be our replacement tutor.  Which means your team will be grounded.” Colonel Archer raised a delicate hand to ward off the expected protests that didn’t come; due to the shock they were all feeling.  “But we can solve this by making sure Senior Airman Jones gets more flight experience.  Rescue one has made themselves an invaluable part of Phoenix.  I doubt the off-world teams would take a step off base without knowing you’re there to rescue them.”

“Okay then.” Zeb swung his chair from left to right and back again in the limited space between Julia and the table edge.  Fingers clicking his tablet’s power button on and off as if it were the nib of a ballpoint pen.

Julia stilled the movement with a hand on his arm. “You’ll do great.” 

It was herself she wasn’t so sure about.  She’d never been all that good at teaching…anything.  Lack of patience was evolutionarily linked to red hair.

“Excuse me, Colonel; far be it for me to question best laid plans.” Colonel Archer entwined her fingers and tapped the heels of her palms together in a soft cupping sound; her arched brow a warning for Julia to tread with care. “But surely you’d want Major Dawson taking the lead on this one?  What with him being military.”

“As 2IC, Major Dawson has his hands full taking on Colonel Holden’s responsibilities.” A steely gaze dared her to offer further protest. 

Julia, like many before her, nodded meekly and accepted her fate.

“Right, of course.”

“You can start this afternoon, Airman.  There’s a supply run to the communications outpost on Delta Six-Nine leaving in fifteen minutes.  They’re waiting on you, so gear up.” Colonel Archer informed a wide-eyed Zeb, who pushed out of his chair and jogged from the room.  His tablet left abandoned on the table.

“I’ll also be assembling a second SAR team, using a fusion of current personnel and trainees.  I would appreciate candidate recommendations by the end of the week.”

“How many in the final team?” 

“Five, since that works so well.” Colonel Archer smiled.  All trace of her earlier annoyance gone. “Mr Ecclestone, I’ll need you and Sergeant Willis to oversee the modifications to a second glider.  Doctor Croix, I’d appreciate it if you could requisition the necessary supplies and equipment?”

There were nods of agreement and satisfaction from everyone around the table.  It felt good to be recognized as a viable part of the Phoenix City family.

“Wings, we’ll give your trainees a day to acclimatize, Doctor Peyton will supervise the medicals and find out who among them carries the X
2
, and we’ll start training by the end of the week.  Sound good?”

Despite her internal reservations about her ability to lead military-bred personnel, Julia couldn’t do nothing but nod in agreement.

“Right, that’s it.  Thanks everyone.”

They wheeled their chairs back and Julia was about to follow the others out when Colonel Archer asked her to stay behind.

“How’s he really doing?”

“You know Mark, so you know how stubborn he is.”

Sarah leaned back against the table and nodded, arms and ankles crossed as she smirked.

“But he is stronger, and the fact that he’s anxious to get back to his old self is a good sign, I’m sure?”

“Agreed, if only it was possible to convince him that slow and steady wins the race over bull-headed stubbornness.”

Sarah gathered her palmpod and a thin manila folder with US Air Force insignia on the cover before gesturing Julia out the room ahead of her. “Keep me informed of his progress, please.”

The moment Colonel Archer left her outside the closing conference room doors, Julia was tapping her radio and calling Hayden.

“Where are you?”

“Infirmary.” His voice was gruff in her ear. “You should come down when you can.”

“I’ll be there in two.” She sprinted the final few feet to the relocator and pinged the infirmary level indicator as soon as her boots hit the platform.  What the hell had he done now?

She walked through the busy triage to the observation ward in the back, and found Hayden leaning with his arms braced on the foot of Mark’s bed.  He looked up when she came in, but her fiancé was back in hospital scrubs, his head raised on a single pillow and an oxygen catheter beneath his nostrils.