Dance With Me

Part Three

Story and Art by Angie Dargo

Chapter One

Sandor received orders the next morning to be Chief Engineer in inspecting all the battleships for possible mechanical problems that were headed for the Pluto Base. The poor soul who brought the orders to the door of Alex’s and Sandor’s apartment must have thought Sandor was crazy. When the knock came at the door at 0600 hours, Sandor’s heart leapt as he ran to the door thinking Miss Forrester had decided to jog by and ask him to join her again. He ran to the door and opened it, yelling, “Good morning sunshine!” in a totally un-Sandor-like fashion. The cadet went completely wide-eyed, thrust the envelope into Sandor’s hand, saluted, and actually ran away down the sidewalk.

Oh Good Lord, you stupid fool! Get a hold of yourself, he thought.

Sandor read the orders. This would put a slight cramp in his plans today. He hadn’t rested all night because of thinking about Miss Forrester and the song she sang for him. First, he wanted to get a copy of the words to that song! It was a great song, but Alex kept talking through it! He had even called the waitress over to order another beer! When Sandor had given Alex what his Russian grandmother had called “the evil eye” Alex had quieted down just in time for the song to end. Miss Forrester had started in with another tune; the next one a duet with one of the men from the band.

Sandor had waited around after the second set to see if Miss Forrester would come back out to the bar or to their table. Instead, her friend Elaine had come from backstage and said, “Good evening Lt. Sandor. I have a note for you from Nova.” Sandor invited Elaine to sit down, but she had declined and went again backstage. Then Sandor just sat at the table and looked down at the note.

“So? Aren’t you gonna read it?” asked Alex.

“The last note from a woman that I got wasn’t a good one. I don’t know if I can even bring myself to touch it,” said Sandor with a frown on his face.

“Oh, come on! I’ll read it!” Alex grabbed the note. As he read it, he clapped a hand to his mouth and he said, “Oh my goodness, what a little trollop!”

“What? Who? Her? What does it say?” asked Sandor reaching for the note.

“It says, ‘Meet me at the dance studio for a little one on one action if you know what I mean. Be sure to wear that black leopard print leotard you know I like. Me-yow!”

Alex howled with laughter.

Sandor grabbed the note and read it out loud. “Mr. Sandor, sorry I can’t come out and say goodbye. I’ve just been called to the hospital for an emergency with one of my patients. Hopefully I’ll see you at our regular appointment.”

Sandor looked at Alex and sighed. “You are such an asshole.”

“Oooo, is the ballet dancer getting upset?” asked Alex with a pout on his face.

“I’ll give you 5 seconds to get out that door before I come after you to kick your ass. One- two-…”

“I’m gone!” said Alex, jumping up and hustling out the bar’s door.

Sandor chuckled to himself remembering last night’s little drama. He wanted to go to the lab for a while, say goodbye to Michael who was leaving for Pluto, go to a music store and find a copy of the song Miss Forrester had sang, then go to see Miss Forrester.

He thought he was ready to ask her if she would be willing to try a relationship with him. He had to do something! She was on his mind all the time! He wasn’t a man who could be consumed like this! He had other priorities. But now, he had to go to look at these battleships for mechanical problems. Who knew how long that was going to take? And what was the big rush all of a sudden?

He took a shower, got dressed, and fixed himself a cup of coffee. Then he sat down and turned on the big wall TV. He was putting his shoes on when he noticed the screen. The news of the morning was enough to get Miss Forrester off his mind for the meantime. The news of the morning was enough to make him forget the lab, the song, Alex, and everything important to him for a while.

The reporter on the base channel was red-eyed and looked as though he had been weeping. The scroll at the bottom of the screen read “GAMILONS DESTROY ALL LIFE THAT HAD BEEN LEFT ON SURFACE OF EARTH OVERNIGHT. GAMILON LEADER FORMALLY DECLARES WAR ON EARTH. SOURCES SAY OFFICIAL STATEMENT READS, ‘EARTHLINGS WILL DIE, NO USE FIGHTING. EARTH WILL BE CONQUERED.’” The reporter was saying something as footage started to roll across the screen, but Sandor couldn’t process it at the moment.

Sandor watched the news footage of places all over the Earth. There were bodies of men, women, and children lying everywhere. Huge craters were burning and smoking in areas that had once been natural wonders. There was only devastation now. Utter devastation.

He ran into Alex’s bedroom to wake him up. But Alex wasn’t there. The bed was made and Alex’s suitcase that had been sitting on his desk chair was gone. Sandor went into the little kitchenette to the memo board on the refrigerator and saw a note tacked to it. “I’ve been called earlier than I thought I would be. Turn on TV. It’s pretty bad. Hope I get to see you before I go bud. Good Luck with ballerina. ~A.”

Why didn’t he wake me up? Thought Sandor. He picked up his coat and his new orders and ran out the door.

Chapter Two

The base was utter chaos as EDF soldiers ran here and there either preparing to ship off or getting others prepared to do so. Sandor was elbow deep in an engine, checking and rechecking everything on his list. Sweat was literally dripping off him as he came to a quick reality check in his mind. Had he really been thinking about himself for the past few days? While people were dying and families were being torn apart, had he really?

“Sandor, buddy; I am so glad to see you pal!” said a familiar voice on the outside of the hull where Sandor was crouched. He poked his head out and saw Alex standing there in his new red and white EDF uniform. Sandor had heard that Alex was up for a very quick promotion if things got really bad. Lt. Wildstar had proven himself on the front lines of many other battles since the planet bombings had started 6 years or so before. That was when Alex and his little brother Derek had lost their parents. Sandor and Alex met soon after that. Sandor himself had just lost many of his own relatives in the first few bombings. He and Alex were like brothers and it tore at his heart to see his friend go anywhere without him. Sandor was first and foremost, a protector, and making sure these battleships were prepared was Sandor’s only way right now to protect Alex.

Sandor jumped off the huge scaffolding and hugged his friend tight. “Be careful,” he said.

“I will,” said Alex. “When I get back, I’m buying the beer!”

Alex and Sandor shook hands and Alex walked up the ramp that would take him to his ship. And out of Sandor’s life…

Forever?

Chapter Three

Sandor watched the battleships take off with the rest of the soldiers, cadets, and others on the base. Everyone was either weeping or cheering. Some were mad, some were crying, and the rest were somewhere in a state of shock at having their friends, families, lovers, and fellow human beings called to fight this unknown enemy. He went back into the hangar and realized he never even got to say goodbye to Michael, his lab assistant. Damn! Some mentor I am…

That was when he saw Miss Forrester in the crowd. She was in her black and gold EDF uniform with a group of women. She held an envelope in her hand and glared at the cadet who had just handed it to her. Elaine stood beside her in a blue and white uniform like Sandor’s and put an arm around her shoulders. A similar envelope was in her hand as well. The cadet snapped a salute to Miss Forrester and Elaine, and they snapped one back to him.

Sandor was wary about going towards the women. As a man, he didn’t think it was in his best interest to approach angry looking females. What’s going on now? He thought. Oh hell, I’ve got to know. Whether he was going to get socked in the nose or not, he walked towards the women.

“Hello Miss Forrester,” said Sandor standing back a little ways. He noticed that one other woman that was standing there was a student of his. He really wanted to run up to Miss Forrester and push Elaine’s hand away and say,” that’s alright Miss Hayden, I’ll take it from here,” but he restrained himself.

But when Nova saw Sandor standing there all restraint was gone from her face. She fell into his arms and started to cry. “Oh Mr. Sandor, it’s awful! Just awful!”

Chapter Four

Miss Forrester and Elaine followed Sandor to his lab. On their way, another young cadet, this one a girl with a cheerleader-y type smile on her face, approached them. “Lieutenant Sandor!” she practically yelled. “I have your new orders from General Singleton sir. Do not open in front of anyone nor discuss these orders with anyone sir!” She did a crisp salute and pivoted. “Have a good night!” she sang, and then be-bopped down the hall.

“What I wouldn’t give to eat her head right now,” said Elaine as they all three just stared at the way too perky blonde.

Sandor opened the door with his keycard and turned on the lights. He pulled up two stools for the ladies and rolled his desk chair around the steel central island to talk to them. “So what’s this all about?” he asked.

“We can’t tell you,” said Elaine.

“Can’t tell me what?” asked Sandor.

“We don’t know yet,” said Elaine.

“What in the hell are you talking about?” asked Sandor.

“Well, we can’t tell you everything because we don’t know everything yet. We can’t even tell each other anything when we do know for crying out loud,” said Miss Forrester as she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

“Tell me what you can,” Sandor said. He was starting to get a headache.

Elaine started. “This morning, we got a call from Dr. Sane. Naturally, I thought that one of Nova’s patient’s was asking for her or he needed her for a surgery but that wasn’t the case at all. He said he wanted to know if we wanted him to do ‘the procedure’ or did we want a specialist to do it.”

“Okay, you’ve lost me again,” said Sandor as he leaned his chin in his hand.

“Will you please try to keep up?” snapped Elaine. “We are women on the edge!”

“Oh Elaine! You see Mr. Sandor, it’s like this…we had such a busy day the day before that we hadn’t checked our email yet,” said Miss Forrester. “And you know what a big no-no that is. Anyway, turns out, we had been emailed this, this…ugh, you tell him Elaine!”

Sandor rubbed at his temples as he pivoted his chair to look back at Elaine.

“Okay, we got an email saying that all females in the EDF had to be checked for their ‘reproductive abilities’ and be seen by a ‘reproductive psychologist’ (Elaine held her fingers up in quotation marks) before any of us could open up our new orders,” said Elaine.

“New orders as it turns out that ‘from General Singleton that we can not open in front of others and can not discuss with others’” said Miss Forrester.

“Why on earth would you ladies need to be checked for reproductive…what in God’s name does that mean?” asked Sandor with a look of confusion on his face.

“Well, we called Dr. Sane back and asked him that,” said Elaine. “He doesn’t know for sure, but he thinks that if we are healthy enough to have children and are stable enough mentally to handle wanting our own children then we might be asked to stay here on earth to repopulate the planet! We won’t be asked to go onto any frontline battles in space. What do they think we signed up for?”

“The government has gone way too far this time!” said Miss Forrester with the look of fury back.

“Okay,” said Sandor. “But I know there were women getting on those battleships today.”

“Yes, but the scuttlebutt going around is saying that all those female soldiers that went today signed letters saying they didn’t want to have children, or had a doctor’s statement saying they couldn’t have children,” said Elaine. “Of course, this is just rumor for now, but we do know for sure that over 25 female lieutenants and 12 female ensigns did not get on those ships for some ‘unknown’ reason.”

“Well, I can’t just sit here anymore,” said Miss Forrester in a huff. “I’m going over to the law library. Surely they can’t make us stay here because of our ability to be barefoot and pregnant!”

“I don’t know, Nova,” said Sandor. “Did you see those images on the news this morning? I’d say the law can be re-written on just about anything right now. And you don’t know what your orders are yet. You could be stationed here on earth anyway.”

“Excuse me?” said Elaine as she stood up and put a hand on her hip. “I have my own lab on the west side of this base working on top-secret weapons. How in the hell are they going to explain not having me on a tour in space? I designed most of the weaponry for those battleships! I’m the one who designed the specialized rotation for the gun turrets for the Paladin! And Nova…she’s a genius at radar, at science, at analysis, and she practically takes over for Dr. Sane when he gets too drunk to see straight during surgery, she can’t be stuck here on earth while we’re fighting these son of a bi-“

“Did you just call me Nova, Mr. Sandor?”

Sandor looked over at Nova. “Uh, yes, I guess I did.” He looked into her eyes. “Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

“And you can call me Stephen. Or Sandor. Whichever suits you,” he said reaching out to touch her hand.

“Um…should I leave, or are we still mad? Nova?” asked Elaine.

“Oh! Yes! We are still mad! I say we go talk to General Singleton right now!” Nova pulled her hand from Sandor’s and got up. “Thank you, Sandor, for letting us vent on you.”

Sandor’s heart fell. He had hoped she would call him by his first name.

“I’m here for you when you need me,” he said. “Say, would you two like to get a bite to eat after your talk with the General?”

“Sure,” said Nova. Elaine hesitated, looking at her friend. Did Nova want to be alone with Lt. Sandor, their Astrophysics professor? Then she said, “Sure, I’m along for the ride too if that’s okay.”

“Yeah, it’ll be fun getting out and having someone cook for us this time! We’ll call you if the General will see us!” Nova called as she and Elaine walked out Sandor’s lab door.

Chapter Five

After Nova and Elaine left, Sandor pulled the long white envelope that the “cheerleader” had given him. He tore it open and read the letter.

The BattleshipYamato? What in the world is going on?

Sandor sat down in his desk chair and rolled it over to a huge glass screen. “Computer pass code SAN-1021. Please pull up any and all information on a World War Two battleship called Yamato.”

The computer screen lit up with all kinds of data. Then a huge red rectangle appeared in the middle of the screen that read “RESTRICTED”. A female voice said,” SAN-1021 EDF Lieutenant Stephen Sandor please enter your issued password.”

Sandor typed in several letters and numbers that were printed on his new orders.

The female voice said,”SAN-1021 EDF Lieutenant Stephen Sandor, please speak your name into the microphone for voice recognition.” Sandor leaned in to the small mic next to his computer and said “This is Lieutenant Stephen Sandor.”

“What is your personal password SAN-1021?”

“Sister,” replied Sandor leaning towards the mic once more.

The female voice once again said, “Please place your fingertips on the gel pad console for print identification.”

Sandor did this and wanted for confirmation.

“SAN-1021, you have been cleared through fingerprint and voice print identification. If you are not Lieutenant Stephen Sandor of the Earth Defense Forces and you are impersonating this officer you will be punished to the full extent of military law.” There was a brief pause then the voice came back on. “SAN-1021, this is the information you requested on the Battleship Yamato. You may not save any of this information to this computer or any other device. This message and information will not be repeated.”

Sandor closed the blinds to the outside windows of his lab and sat down to listen.

Chapter Six

Sandor got a call from Nova and Elaine about 30 minutes after the computer screen went black. It startled him a bit.

The girls said that they were so worn out from arguing with General Stone that they really didn’t want to get dressed and go out anywhere. They asked him over to their place so they could order pizza. When Sandor expressed concern for how it would look for a gentleman to be with two ladies alone in their apartment, Elaine just told Nova to tell him to get over it and come on over. There were other things in the world people were more concerned about right now.

Amen, thought Sandor. “Okay, I’ll be over in a few minutes. I’ll stop and pick up a bottle of wine.”

“No, you’d better not do that. We have to pee on little sticks and have our reproductive innards checked tomorrow. No telling what Dr. Sane would say if he saw a trace of liquor in my urine after I lecture him so much on how he drinks!” said Nova.

Sandor laughed and said, “You’re right about that! I’ll be there in about 10 minutes.”

Sandor knocked on their door 8 minutes later. When Elaine opened the door and invited Sandor into the tiny apartment, he noticed the absolute squalor the two roommates lived in. They had a small couch, a tiny TV, two straight back chairs, and a round table about the diameter of a barstool. The one small bedroom door was closed at the moment. The kitchenette looked like two people would have trouble breathing in there, much less standing in there. But the place was clean and neat as a pin. In the corner of the living room stood a huge peace lily. Elaine saw Sandor look at the plant and said,” That is Little Richard. He is our man. We talk to him, water him, and feed him. He in turn gives us no lip, never moves, and listens to all we have to say.”

“And he never leaves the toilet seat up,” said Nova as she walked into the living room from the bedroom. She had changed clothes and was wearing jeans and an old ROTC sweatshirt. Her hair was up in a ponytail and Sandor thought she looked awfully cute. And really, really young. She plopped down on the couch and patted the seat next to her.

“So, I take it that you didn’t get to talk to General Singleton?” asked Sandor as he walked over to the couch.

“No, we had to talk to that jackass, Stone,” said Elaine. She pulled off her glasses and massaged the bridge of her nose. “And it is true.”

“It is?” asked Sandor as he sat down on the couch next to Nova.

“Yes,” said Nova. “We have to be checked out. If we can still have a child, which that is a big if, then we have to go to a psychologist. If she clears us as mentally stable enough to have children, then the EDF wants us to seriously consider staying here on earth. Now we’ll still be serving in the military mind you! They just want us to wait until, and I quote “all the major battles have been fought by our boys and you ladies can start doing what God intended you to do in the first place” end quote! Then he went on to say that populating the earth again should be our first priority while our men are out there on the front lines for us.”

Sandor’s mouth dropped open. “Tell me he did not say that!”

“Oh yeah. He did,” said Nova. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her legs were crossed with one sock covered foot jiggling up and down like mad. Her body language was screaming what her mouth wasn’t.

“Wait a minute; you said he wanted you to seriously consider staying on earth. That doesn’t mean you have to. And what do you mean if you can still have children. Have I missed something here?” asked Sandor.

“The ‘if’ part means that now over 65% of the earth’s women are finding themselves unable to have children, or if they get pregnant they can’t carry the children to full-term. We have so many miscarriages in the hospital right now that we can’t keep the beds open. It’s because of the radiation sickness. So many women are seemingly healthy on the outside, but their insides are just…cooked,” said Nova in a sad voice.

“And, he means that if we want to go and put ourselves selfishly in harm’s way, then we can. We just have to sign an affidavit saying we do not, at this time, want children,” said Elaine.

“Well, that’s all you have to do then,” said Sandor looking at both women. “Go and get the tests done, find out you can both have healthy babies like you know you can, and then sign the affidavit.” He knew he had just said something wrong when they both looked at him as though he had just sprouted a tail and horns.

“That’s all we have to do, huh? That’s all we have to do?” asked Nova, her voice raising an octave each time she spoke. “How would you like it if someone made you sign a paper saying you wouldn’t go to bed with the love of your life once you find her and you won’t dare have a child with her?”

I think I have found her and I can’t have a child with her, Sandor thought to himself as he looked at the floor.

“I see your point, and I’m sorry,” he said.

“Oh, I’m sorry too,” said Nova as she patted him on the shoulder. “It’s misplaced anger. I’m not mad at you at all. I think you and I need to have an appointment soon! I need to let some anger out through some fancy footwork.” She raised one eyebrow up and looked very coy at the moment.

He smiled.

Elaine cleared her throat and said, “Hello! Yeah, I’m still here! I’m going to jump in the shower before the pizza gets here. You two behave while I’m gone.”

Sandor grinned, but Nova said, “Oh goofy, we will! We’re just good buddies! Aren’t we Sandor?”

And with that, Nova might as well have taken his heart out and stomped it with her socked foot.

“Yeah,” he said in a barely audible whisper.

Elaine noticed this. She made a mental note to herself. She would need to talk to Lt. Sandor. Before tomorrow.

Chapter Seven

Sandor and Nova pulled the little round table up to the couch with the pizza on it. Sandor pulled a chair over for Elaine to sit on when she got out of the shower. She looked funny with her specs all fogged up, but she was so hungry, she stumbled over to the pizza insisting she would just “follow the smell.”

Nova told Elaine (with Sandor’s blessing) about how she had been doing dance therapy with him. Elaine was beginning to see this whole picture now, even if Nova could not.

Sandor had been let into Nova’s other world. She was not an EDF lieutenant at that dance studio and at the club. She was untouchable. And he had been allowed to touch her. No wonder this mass of bionic muscle, this man known to all as “the genius” of the EDF was sitting in their little living room going ga-ga over an 18 year old. Was Nova really that stupid about men?

“So Sandor, I was thinking, you are so good at dancing, and you are so good with your steps and your dominance in your holds, I want to teach you the tango. It’s a very passionate dance!” said Nova as she gnawed on a piece of pizza crust.

Yeah, she’s that stupid, thought Elaine.

“Whatever you think. You’re the therapist,” said Sandor.

“No, probably not anymore,” said Nova. “Of course, I won’t know until tomorrow when I can open those new orders. Only then will I know where I’m going and if I can teach you ever again. We may have to meet somewhere else and you may have to have a new therapist.”

“Oh no. I will not have to have a new therapist,” said Sandor. “It’s you or no one.”

Nova’s little phone rang and she jumped up to get it. She went off into the little kitchenette to talk.

She disconnected from the other call and ran into the bedroom. “I’m sorry you two!” she called from inside the bedroom. “I have to go right away!”

“What’s the matter?” asked Elaine jumping up. She ran to get Nova’s purse for her.

“Thanks,” said Nova grabbing the purse as she ran into the living room again about 2 minutes later. Sandor was surprised to see she had already changed into a white nurse’s uniform.

“Oh no, civilian hospital duty! Is it one of the children?” asked Elaine.

“Yes. They just brought Rachel in again. She’s crying for me. This is probably it, Elaine. Pray for her! Thanks for dinner, Sandor!” Nova called as she ran out the front door.

Elaine stood and picked up the empty pizza box. Sandor stood and picked up the empty soda cans. “Thanks,” said Elaine.

“No problem,” said Sandor as he tossed them in the recycling can. “So who is Rachel?”

He knew full well who Rachel was, but he didn’t know what was going on with the little girl.

“Nova teaches dance therapy to a group of little girls and teens who are suffering from cancer and radiation sickness,” said Elaine as she walked back to the couch. She gestured for Sandor to sit down. He was going to leave, but thought that maybe Elaine could fill him in on this aspect of Nova’s life and then he’d be gone. “Anyway, two of the little girls have died since Christmas and one of the teens committed suicide last year.”

“Oh my gosh, she didn’t mention anything,” said Sandor.

“Yeah, well the suicide was before she picked up her new patient, who happened to be you, Lt. Sandor. She was very depressed for a long time afterwards. Nova always thinks she can save everybody. Truth is, most of the time, she can. She’s good at making others feel better about themselves,” said Elaine. “But the little ones, Nova just can’t handle losing the little ones. She wants children of her own so much.”

“She does?” asked Sandor.

“Yes, she does. You know last night at the club? Rachel, the youngest child in her dance class, had to be brought in to the hospital for throwing up blood. The family and Rachel wanted Nova there. The pediatric oncologist dismissed her, but Nova doesn’t think she’ll last the day,” said Elaine as she fingered a string on her blouse.

“Oh, that is so awful,” said Sandor.

Yes it is. So tell me something; do you want children Sandor?” asked Elaine in a soft voice.

“Why do you ask?”

“Because I see a few things on the outside of Nova’s relationships with others that Nova doesn’t.”

“Like what?” Sandor asked, his brows furrowed.

Elaine looked him in the eye. “I can see every time she mentions children you look at the floor. Why is that?”

“I guess I’m just uncomfortable around hearing women talk about having babies,” he said.

“Nope. That’s not it. What is it?” she asked again.

Sandor looked at Elaine and decided that this very smart, very concerned woman had indeed cornered him. He could either turn tail and run, or answer her honestly.

“I can’t father a child. Because of a childhood accident, I’m sterile.” Sandor put his head in his hands and sighed.

“Its okay, Lieutenant. I can’t have children either,” said Elaine as she put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Sandor raised his head up and looked at her. “Then why are you fighting this with General Stone? What does it matter to you Elaine?”

“It matters to me because it matters to my best friend. I love her and I’ll fight with her. She doesn’t know I can’t have children; she would have just started trying to find some kind of miracle cure for me. I love children, but I can love other people’s children too. I love my niece and nephew and their little friends. The ones that are still alive, that is.” Tears started to fall down her cheeks. Elaine took off her glasses and said, “My husband and I tried to conceive, but couldn’t. I was tested and we found out that I’m just…destroyed on the inside. He couldn’t take it. He left me soon after we found out. He said with the earth being bombed like this, he had to be able to find someone to carry on his family name. I was almost relieved that I couldn’t bring a child into a world like this.”

“Elaine, I’m so sorry,” said Sandor.

“Sandor, what do you want from Nova?”

The question startled him. She really had a way of getting to the point.

“I don’t know, Elaine, really I don’t!” Sandor stood up and started pacing the tiny room.

“I want to protect her. I want to make sure she’s okay. I want to see her as a mother with a baby on her hip,” he paused.

“But you don’t know if it should be with you?” asked Elaine.

“No. No, I know it shouldn’t be with me and it can’t be with me. She needs a man who is as strong, young, and undefeated as she is. And a man who can protect her and give her those babies when the time comes,” he said. “I need to move on.” He felt like a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He had said it to Elaine, but he had also said it for himself. He needed to hear himself say it.

He looked visibly lighter.

“So do you feel better now?” asked Elaine.

“Yeah, I do. Thanks.”

“Good.” Elaine got up and walked into the kitchenette. “I’m going to wait up for Nova. You want some coffee?”

“Sure,” he said. “Say, did I hear you right? You’re a weapons specialist?”

“Yes. You got a problem with that?” she asked as she was spooning coffee into an ancient coffee maker.

“No ma’am,” he chuckled. “And can I ask you a personal question? One that might get me a sucker punch?” he asked as he grabbed the chair and brought it back to the kitchen.

“Oh goodie, I’m always up for a boxing match! Sure go for it,” said Elaine as she helped Sandor bring the table into the kitchen.

“How come you two have such a lousy apartment, when you and Nova hold down so many jobs?” Sandor asked as he sat down at the little table.

“Well, that won’t get you punched,” said Elaine as she sat down at the table. “I send most of my earnings home to my family. My father died and my mother is taking care of my grandmother who has cancer. My brother is sick too so he can’t help; my sister-in-law can barely make their rent and take care of him and the kids. Most of the money I make is for my family.”

Sandor laid his head on the table and moaned, “Oh Lord, I feel like such a jerk now!”

Elaine laughed as she said, “No wait, there’s more! Nova puts most of her money into the cancer center for the children that she helps in dance therapy. Most of those parents can’t afford the medicine and treatments that the kids need, so Nova either buys it for them, or calls around to find donors who will give it to them. So when the rent money comes due, we usually are scrounging up what we can as fast as we can. We’re lucky to even stay in this rat hole.”

Sandor thought about his new wall TV and moaned again. “I am so not worth the air I am breathing right now.”

“Too bad. I hate to waste a damn good cup of coffee on someone who thinks it was poor taste to ask a stupid question. Because you know, Nova and I can barely afford that coffee,” said Elaine.

“I’ll pay for it,” Sandor said, his forehead still on the tabletop.

“Just kidding,” said Elaine.

They spent the next two hours talking about their education and military training. Sandor found out that Elaine was 25 years old and had gotten through school the old-fashioned way. Working hard. She was not a super genius like people thought he was, she just studied and really knew her “stuff”. Sandor told her about his accident and even found himself showing her his bionic limbs. He also told her about Lera, and how she had left him via a note.

No wonder Nova likes her so much. She’s funny and great to talk to. She’s like a female Alex Wildstar, thought Sandor.

At 0100 hours, Sandor decided he should go home. He had stayed around as long as he felt he should and still be at his 0700 meeting aboard a newly remodeled battleship. He wanted to be as fresh and alert as he could be for that.

He told Elaine goodbye and put his coffee cup in the sink.

Now there’s a man that has been alone too long. He cleans up after himself without being told to. Elaine said goodbye and he stayed on the other side of the door until he heard the lock turn.

He walked back to his own apartment. He was glad he talked to Elaine about Nova. He was wrong for her as a mate, but he still considered her a dear friend and would protect her; he would protect both of them as long as he was able.

Chapter Eight

Elaine went to bed herself about 30 minutes after Sandor left their apartment. She didn’t hear when Nova came in an hour after that. Nova got into a hot shower and let the water run over her tired body. She cried until it seemed she had no tears left in her entire soul. Elaine thought she heard something and sat up in bed. She realized Nova had come home and was crying in the shower. Oh no, this can’t be good, Elaine thought.

Elaine got up out of bed and grabbed her glasses off their shared nightstand. She knocked on the bathroom door. No one should cry alone, not when I’m around!

“Nova, honey, are you okay?” asked Elaine.

The water turned off and Elaine opened the door a bit. Steam overwhelmed her glasses again.

Nova wrapped herself in a towel and grabbed her friend. She hugged Elaine to her.

“Oh Elaine; God took Rachel tonight. It was so beautiful and so horrible all at the same time. We’ve got to get these Gamilons! I’ve never been so angry and sad in my life!”

Elaine took her friend into their shared bedroom and got a nightgown out of Nova’s dresser. She slid it over Nova’s head and led her to her bed. Nova lay down and Elaine pulled the covers up and tucked her friend in. She knelt down beside the bed and the two friends said a prayer hand in hand for the little girl and her family. Then Elaine sat on the edge of Nova’s bed as she gently swiped Nova’s wet hair off her forehead as the younger roommate drifted off to sleep.

“Elaine?” asked Nova in a sleepy voice.

“Yes?” said Elaine going back to her own tiny bed.

“You are going to make such a great mom some day,” said Nova.

Now it was Elaine’s turn to cry. But her tears were quieter, because Elaine had gotten very good at hiding them.

Chapter Nine

Nova and Elaine sat in Dr. Sane’s office the next morning awaiting their test results. Elaine had told Dr. Sane that she knew she couldn’t have a child the minute she walked into the examination room. He nodded, didn’t ask any more embarrassing questions and did an exam anyway (she would have to have the paperwork for her new orders). He sat with her after she had gotten dressed and asked her, “So how long have you’ve known?”

“For about 4 years now,” she answered. “I just don’t know how to tell Nova that our kids aren’t going to grow up to be best friends, because I won’t be having any.”

“Well, you don’t know Nova is either,” said Dr. Sane matter -of-factly.

“Don’t say stuff like that. She’s got to have kids. She’s got to decorate the world with her offspring and all that….”

“Well, we’ll see. She’s next,” said Dr. Sane as he opened up the exam room and called for Nova to come in.

Nova and Elaine were getting bored just sitting in Dr. Sane’s office. So they decided to re-do his décor. They turned everything on this desk upside down, hung rubber exam gloves on anything that protruded, and turned all the volumes of his medical books on his stuffed bookshelves backwards; pages out.

“How long do you think it’ll take him to notice?” asked Elaine snickering.

“Till I tell him about it,” said Nova.

“Nova,” said Elaine in a serious tone, “I’ve got to tell you something…and I don’t want you to get upset. I’ve come to accept it and I want you to accept this about me as well.”

Oh Lord, please don’t let her tell me she has radiation sickness or cancer! I don’t think I can take it! thought Nova to herself.

“What is it?” asked Nova as her eyes immediately filled with tears.

“Nova, I told Dr. Sane that I wanted some time with you in here to talk. I’m not here really for the same reason you are. I’m just here to support you today. You see, I found out about 4 years ago that I can’t conceive or carry a child…and I’m okay with that. Remember me telling you that I was married before and the beast left me? Well, that’s why he left me. Please don’t make me feel bad for not telling you sooner. You have so much to deal with already. I care for you and I want what’s best for you. I’ve prayed for you to get good results, so let’s focus on you today, okay?” Elaine said all this so fast that it took Nova a second or two to process it.

“Okay Elaine,” said Nova. She got up and knelt beside her friend’s chair. She hugged her fiercely. “I want what’s best for you too.”

Elaine had to hand it to her friend. She knew when to pick her battles.

They waited a few minutes more for Dr. Sane. Elaine told Nova the whole story and Nova listened while holding Elaine’s hand. A few minutes later, they both jumped as Dr. Sane stormed through the door.

“I am so busy today and the EDF wants me to train a new robot and they’re taking you away from me and how is that stupid thing supposed to replace you may I ask?” he yelled. He pulled his short stocky body into his chair behind his desk and wiped sweat from his brow.

“What?!” asked both Elaine and Nova at the same time.

“Oh never mind, I’m not supposed to say until after you open your orders and you can’t do that until you’ve been to my office and the psychologist’s office. You, Lt. Hayden, are excused from seeing Dr. Jackson, but Nova, you will need to see her,” said Dr. Sane. He handed both women brown manila envelopes.

“So, I’m okay?” asked Nova with a visible gush of relief in her face.

“Yes, you’re okay to decorate the planet with your offspring, isn’t she Lt. Hayden?” said Dr. Sane as he got up and went to the storage cabinet in the corner of his little office. Nova gave them both a look of confusion, but Elaine just mouthed, I’ll tell you later.

“By the way, Nova before you leave, will you go to the supply closet on the third floor and get some more exam gloves for me? I’ve run out it seems,” said the little bald doctor.

Both women guffawed and left the doctor looking absolutely dumbfounded as they walked out of his office.

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To Be Continued…

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