Legacy
Chapter 5
– Grace
Jessica
and Wildstar walked down a narrow hallway that led from the hangar to the
underground’s emergency medical facility. The hollow echo of their footsteps
changed as the damp walls of stone transitioned to the familiar, fabricated
material of the infirmary.
Jessica
stopped at the nurses’ station. She carefully placed her backpack on the
counter and waited for the attendant to acknowledge her. “Is there any word
about my brother?”
“No,
Jessica. It’s much too soon,” the attendant replied.
Jessica
pulled two pints of blood from her pack and placed them on the counter. “Here,
Linda. A donation for Peter.”
Linda
smiled at her as she took the bags. “I think we are doing just fine in that
area, Jessica, but more is always welcome.”
Jessica’s
attention was suddenly drawn by the noise of laughter down the hall. “What’s
that?” Jessica asked Linda, but she was drawn down the hall toward the noise
before Linda could give her an answer. Jessica heard Wildstar’s footsteps
behind her.
“Those
are the other donors!” Linda called after her.
“Jessica?
What’s the matter?” Wildstar asked as she made a sharp turn to a pair of doors.
“This
is a hospital! Not a social
“Derek!” A young woman pushed her way
forward through a small crowd of people and embraced Wildstar.
“Nova!” Wildstar beamed with a surprised smile
and hugged her back.
“Wildstar?” A clean-cut, dark-haired man in
uniform came forward. “We were starting to worry that the shuttle left you two
behind.” He looked at Jessica with gentle brown eyes, beaming with an
infectious smile. He respectfully took her hand in his. “Mark Venture, Jessica.
I’m a friend of Peter’s. It’s so good to finally meet you!”
“I’m
Nova, Jessica.” The young woman touched her arm from Wildstar’s embrace.
Jessica
glanced back at Nova and attempted a reply, but an older man in uniform
approached and offered his hand. “Sandor,” he said to her. “You look just like
your brother's photographs.”
She
took his hand and nodded to him with a brief smile. Jessica looked back at
Wildstar questioningly, but Wildstar shrugged and shook his head.
Jessica
opened her mouth to say something, but a young man came forward and offered his
hand to her. He had sandy blond hair, which swept up from his forehead. He
introduced himself with a friendly smile, “I’m Homer, Jessica, the
communications officer. This is Dash, he’s our weapons officer.” He jerked his
thumb to the tall, dark-haired stranger next to him. Dash adjusted his glasses
and offered Jessica his hand. Several other crew members came forward and
introduced themselves, until Nova finally intervened.
“Okay,
everyone, let’s give them some room,” Nova said to the group. Jessica was
grateful for the break. Jessica felt Nova's arm around hers, then her gentle
guidance towards the seating area of the large waiting room. Jessica was
silently grateful for Nova’s graceful diversion. “How long has it been since
you’ve eaten?” Nova asked softly. “Some of the crew brought trays from the
banquet.”
“I’m…
I’m not hungry…” Jessica hesitated. Nova was suddenly aware of her tenseness.
She paused beside Jessica. Her soft, brown eyes exuded compassion, but they
searched Jessica's face for a response. “Why are you here?” Jessica pulled away
from Nova's grasp. Her voice was loud enough to silence the conversations
around them. “Your families!” She glanced at the
others around them, feeling the weight and the heat of their stares. “This
isn’t necessary! Cory and I…”
“The
mission isn’t over until we know Conroy is alright,” Sandor interrupted her as
he approached.
“It
wasn’t much of a party without Conroy anyway!” Homer grinned, referring to the
banquet held in their honor. Dash acknowledged the inappropriateness of the
comment with a light smack to the back of Homer’s head.
Jessica
brought her hand to her mouth to hide a stifled smile. She wanted to laugh, but
her internal, emotional barometer scolded her with guilt. Thoughts of her
brother overwhelmed her. They came in powerful waves, washing over her like
bitter sea water. Her emotions were tangled and confusing. She was uncertain
whether to be grateful for the support or angry at the interference.
'Who are these people?' she thought, looking around her. 'How am I supposed to deal with them?'
She felt the sting of fresh tears in her eyes. Soft words of gratitude, heated
words of anger, or words of any kind, escaped her.
Jessica’s
exhaustion tore at the fragile threads of her emotions. Her hand moved from her
mouth to her forehead. She desperately wanted the exquisite release of emotion
that came with a deluge of tears, but only in seclusion, not surrounded by
strangers. How was she going to manage the facade? Her strength, both physical
and emotional, failed her. If only she could find a moment's peace, a refuge of
solitude.
“Doctor
Sane is assisting in your brother’s surgery, Jessica.” Jessica felt Nova touch
her arm again.
She
met Nova's eyes, surprised. She was well aware of Doctor Sane’s prowess as a
trauma surgeon. Jessica acknowledged her with a brief nod.
Jessica
felt a strong hand on her shoulder. She turned to meet Sandor's eyes in
silence. “We’re just here for support. That’s all.” They regarded each other
for a moment. Jessica didn’t know him, but there was a calming confidence in
his words. His sincerity and his gentle smile were strangely disarming.
Jessica
considered his words for a long moment. She placed her hand over his and
diverted her eyes from him while gently removing his hand from her shoulder.
Her legs felt heavy and weak. A tear escaped and slid down her cheek, but she
quickly wiped it away and maintained her composure.
“I
appreciate what you've done,” she began, her voice low and steady, “but I want
you to go. All of you.” Sandor moved to say something, but he hesitated when
Jessica lifted her hands, making a quiet plea for his silence. “I can't do this
right now. You should be with your family, and I should be with mine.”
Jessica
turned away from Nova and Sandor and started toward the entrance. She felt
Wildstar's gaze on her as she passed him, but she didn't acknowledge him. She
feared if she met his eyes, he would say something to change her mind. She
stopped, only when confronted by a small group of men entering the room through
the double-doors. They were dressed in the signature pilot's uniform for the
Black Tigers. It was her brother's squadron. The young men circled Peter's
crash site until they were dangerously low on fuel.
“Hardy! It's about time! We thought you guys
would catch up with us eventually!” Mark Venture yelled to them from across the
room.
Hardy
was the first to move away from the entrance, walking into the room with the
reserved, yet assured gait of a soldier returning from battle. Jessica was
still and speechless. She felt the color drain slowly from her face. She
stared, carefully taking in the details of him. He was just as she remembered.
He
shook hands with some of his crew mates and acknowledged others with a friendly
nod. The other pilots filed into the room in behind him.
If
he ever possessed the brash arrogance of youth, he left it behind long before
she knew him. He carried his scars instead. They were a painful reminder of his
mortality, his undeniable vulnerability. Yet, they served him well. They
balanced his bravado with the weight of hard lessons learned. He was a better
pilot, a better teacher, and a better man because of them.
Jessica
attempted to regain meager shreds of her confidence. She straightened her body
and stiffened her shoulders. In a subtle suggestion of defiance, she lifted her
chin, silently refusing the feeling of intimidation, which threatened her in
his presence.
Hardy
met Jessica’s eyes and as he approached her, he never looked away. She wanted
to move, to walk past him, but she stood transfixed, trapped by the weight of
his gaze. He stopped before her, inches from her, much too close to be
strangers.
Jessica
didn't step back from him, but her body seemed to withdraw slightly as he drew
closer. The defiance of her demeanor faded. An apprehensive uncertainty
prevailed in the quiet strength of his presence. Her eyes broke from his as the
heat of his body overwhelmed her and she could no longer endure the intensity
in his eyes.
“Hardy,
this is Conroy’s sister,” Sandor offered, seemingly oblivious to the situation.
Her
eyes followed the wisps of light-brown hair that fell against his face to the
defined contour of his jaw line. She studied his lips, the lines of his neck,
the oscillation of his skin where his pulse reflected his heartbeat, then the
obscure creases on the collar of his uniform.
She
was lost in the exquisite detail of him, the movement of his chest as he breathed, the faint sound of his breath as his chest rose
and fell. She lifted a hesitant hand. She wanted to touch him, perhaps embrace
him, but she was afraid. ‘Is he real?’ she thought. Her fingers settled against
her lips instead.
Hardy
took her trembling hand in his steady, confident grasp. He pressed it firmly to
his chest, just over his heart.
“Um…”
Sandor paused, suddenly aware there was something more between the pair, “So…
you guys know each other?”
Jessica
closed her eyes. She felt the strength of his grasp, the heat of his hand as it
surrounded hers. Tears streamed down her face. Her breath trembled as she drew
it in. The steady rhythm of his heart was strong against her palm. She felt his
chest gently rise and fall beneath her hand with each breath he took. He had to
be real.
Hardy
gently touched Jessica’s face with his other hand and brushed strands of her
hair away from her eyes. Her eyes finally met his. “I am truly sorry about your
brother,” Hardy said softly to her. His voice had the feel of cool velvet
against the skin.
Jessica
swallowed hard, but this time her eyes never left his. The gentle sincerity in
his voice brought forth more tears. “I... I thought... I would never see you
again.”
Hardy
was raised with a unique Southern gentility that seemed to be his endearing
hallmark among his peers. It was the gentleman in him that whispered his next
words as he leaned in close to her. “I am going to kiss you now,” he said
softly, and she could feel his breath against her lips, “so you tell me if you
want me to stop.” By the end of the sentence, he had closed his eyes and gently
pressed his lips to hers.
She
never had the opportunity to object. She wouldn't have had the strength. In
that fleeting moment, in the hushed silence of the room, it was only the two of
them.
Jessica’s
fragile strength failed her. She felt her legs give way and, without effort,
she slipped into the sheltering reprieve of darkness.
“Didn’t see that coming!” Homer said to Dash as they both stared
in awe at the pair. Dash just shook his head in reply.
Hardy
caught Jessica haphazardly in his arms as she fell. He knelt as the weight of
her limp body pulled him down. His hand touched her face as he spoke her name,
urging her to open her eyes.
Dash
moved forward to assist Hardy, but Homer grasped his arm. “Hardy!”
Homer started to point.
Hardy
swept the young woman into his arms as he stood. Then he looked at Homer.
Hardy
never had a chance to see what Homer was pointing at. The youngest Conroy
launched at him from across the room. The sound of Cory’s fist connecting with
Hardy’s jaw was surprisingly loud, causing a collective wince to ripple across
the room. Hardy hit the floor, and Jessica fell in a heap across Hardy’s body.
“Now,
THAT I saw coming!” Homer said to Dash. They looked at each other and nodded
wisely.
Cory
quickly knelt down and touched his sister’s arm. Hardy started to sit up, shaking the blur from his head, but Cory raised his fist
to him again. He had every intention of getting another piece of Hardy while he
was down.
Homer
decided it was time to move in. He and Dash grabbed Cory from behind and pulled
him away. Nova rushed to Jessica, and two of the pilots from Conroy’s squadron
grabbed the red-faced cadet before he could struggle loose from Dash and Homer.
“Alright,
you guys!” Wildstar said to the pilots, “Get him outside and let him cool off!”
The pilots nodded. They had Cory by the arms and started dragging him backwards
to the swinging doors. Cory’s heels scraped the floor between defiant kicks as
they drug him away.
“Officer or NOT!” Cory screamed as he struggled to get
loose. “You touch my sister like that again, and I’ll…” The swinging doors
suddenly muffled his threat as they closed behind them.
“Don’t
hurt him!” Wildstar called after them, as if he thought the command would do
any good. “I mean it!”
Hardy
gathered the young woman into his arms. He nervously hesitated before he
touched Jessica's face. He looked up at Nova, “Is she alright?”
Wildstar
turned to Hardy, before Nova could respond. “What was THAT?” Wildstar surprised
himself with the high pitch of his words.
Hardy
glanced at Nova, then looked at Wildstar. He
hesitated. Wildstar knew he was wondering if it was a trick question. “A kiss… Suh?” The Southern lilt of his voice lent a mark of innocent
sincerity to his answer.
“So,
you KNOW her?” Wildstar made his confusion evident in his expression.
“In
a manner of speaking, Suh,” Hardy replied with hesitation.
“In what manner of speaking is that?” Wildstar shook his head in confusion.
“Not
in the… Biblical sense, Suh.”
Wildstar
balked at the reply and quickly put up his hands, “Never mind! Too much information!”
Jessica
stirred in Hardy's arms. Hardy looked down at her again and whispered her name.
She opened her eyes, and her face twisted into a confused expression. “Did...
you just... drop me?”
Hardy's
face froze into an awkward, tight-lipped smirk. “I think you were just dream'n,
baby.”
Hardy
glanced at Nova again. She was smiling at Hardy. Wildstar was convinced Nova
had a unique sense for reading people. She could see her way around a guarded
exterior without even trying. He admired that quality in her, but he often felt
vulnerable in her presence. She had the same effect on Hardy. Hardy's face
flushed red, and he responded to her with a lopsided smile.
Nova
touched his arm. “She’ll be alright, Hardy. We should get her to a bed.”
“Oh, no, Romeo!” Wildstar shook his head, “Nova and I
will find her a bed!”
“Wildstah…”
Hardy said. “It’s not like that at all!”
“You
go find yourself a cold shower… I mean... something cold for your face!” Wildstar
continued as he knelt down to retrieve the tangle of limp arms and legs, which
was now Jessica. “Homer,” Wildstar began as he lifted Jessica gently from
Hardy's arms, “check on the youngest Conroy. Make sure he’s still in one
piece.”
Nova
stood with Wildstar and gently touched Jessica’s forehead. Jessica groaned
softly.
Wildstar
glanced at Jessica skeptically. “You’re going to let me know if you feel sick,
right?”
Jessica
brought up her hand and rubbed her face. Without opening her eyes, she pressed
her face into his shoulder. “Not if you are going to drop me,” came her muffled
reply.
“Jessica?”
Hardy said.
“Hardy!” Wildstar warned. “Later.”
Sandor
took the cue and smacked Hardy on the back. “C’mon, Romeo!
I saw an ice machine over here. I want to hear all about this
‘weak-in-the-knees’ technique of yours!”
Hardy
shook his head as he rubbed the side of his face. “Oh, my Grandmotha' is gonna’
tan my hide when she finds out about this!”
“Your Grandmother?” Sandor asked.
“Oh,
yes, suh! That woman is half my size, but I swear, when she’s mad, she could
scare the Devil right out of
Sandor
laughed out loud as they walked. “Too bad we didn’t take her to Iscandar!”
“Desslok
wouldn’t have stood a chance!” Hardy replied.
To Be Continued
Chapter 6 – Fire
Jefferson
Davis Hardy recalls his baptism by fire and how it is strangely intertwined
with the most captivating moment of his life.