Starcutter - 19. Chapter 19

“How is he?” asked Meg. It had been a few weeks since the attack.

Ryle shook his head. “Physically, he's almost healed. He has some scarring on his back, but nothing else. The rest...He wakes up screaming at night. We had to move our beds apart because he kept flailing and hitting me in his sleep. I don't blame him, I know what it's like, and I know he feels worse about us sleeping apart. None of this is his fault.” Ryle looked down. “Not that hearing that did much for me either,” he murmured. More clearly he said, “At least he still holds me. It seems to be the only comfort he has.”

Meg ran her hand over his crest. “At least you give him comfort. Not many people get that after they're hurt like this.” Ryle nodded. “Has his appetite come back?”

“Oh god yes. He's ravenous. Cook has been great in keeping him fed. Now if only I could get him to the mess hall. Maybe in the off times, when the men aren't there.”

“Speaking of men...has Gabe and the Captain talked yet?”

Ryle gave her an ambiguous gesture. “They've been in the same room at the same time, but not much talking has gone on. They're in the storage area next to our rooms right now. Gabe needed to keep busy, so he's organizing and cataloging the entire room.”

“That's a five man job,” she said, “but if it keeps him busy and helps him, then let him do it.”

* * *

Gabe had just finished another crate when he heard the thundering footfalls of his father. He stood up and put his back to the crate behind him. When the Captain came into view, he stopped and nodded. “Hello, Father.”

“Gabe. You seem to be coming along here.” He wished Gabe didn't sound so formal with him, but right now, his needs came before anyone else. Even Meg told the Captain to concentrate on Gabe and not worry about her.

“I have only a million more crates to go.” There was a hint of a smile lurking there.

“Good. By the time you're done, your siblings will be ready for retirement. Keep up the steady pace.” The Captain kept his distance.

“How is Meg doing? She starting to show yet?” Gabe seemed genuinely curious. Perhaps the Captain could use this.

“A little bit. She says she's fine and to stop fretting over her. You should stop by and see her. She doesn't leave the supply very much if she doesn't have to. I know Ryle does what he can to help, but she might need some muscle around soon.”

Gabe's face went a bit dark at the thought of leaving the safety of his rooms and this storage bay. “I...I'll try. It's not easy being here right now.” His eyes were downcast, but his body still looked tightly wound and ready to run at the drop of a pin.

“I understand that much. I can never know what you have been put through, Son, but I am doing my best to help any way I can.”

“And you are, Father, you are. Coming here...and staying there...it does help. Just...I'm glad I'm taller than most men now. I don't like the feeling of being loomed over.” He looked back at the Captain. “I never had that problem back home on Earth. You know Mom. Not very tall. David...not much taller than Mom was.”

The Captain nodded, glad to have some pleasant memories surface. “Do you miss Earth still?”

“Sometimes. Out here it's great, and I honestly think it was the best thing for me...all things considered. I'm learning so much, have seen so much, but every now and then...I want to feel the Mediterranean sand in my toes again.” There was a distant look in his eyes.

“You like the beach then?” Gabe nodded. “Funny, since you mother hated it.”

“I know!” Gabe exclaimed with a grin. “Seeing her run from the waves, David and I laughing at her. Why marry a man who lives ten miles from the beach if you don't like it?” He shook his head. “That was the only thing I never understood. Why travel all those miles to work for and marry a man? You know I was born out past the Plutonian Debris field, so why move seven-point-five billion kilometers to a place you hated?”

“Because of you.” Gabe looked over at his father's blunt words. “She wanted you to have the best life a child could have. Not be running poor on the streets of some ring colony, not have to stoop to thievery or prostitution like she did, to get a good start in life. So...she sold herself in the most honest way possible. One last time.” Gabe's eyes were wide, and he seemed to be on the verge of anger, but the Captain continued. “They did fall in love, but not within the first years of her employment. You should be old enough to remember some of the wedding.”

Gabe nodded. “I remember the cake and the music. Mom in her dress, looking happier than I can ever remember since.” He got that faraway look in his eyes again. “So...she went to work for a man, doing whatever he asked, in exchange for a better life for me?”

“Does that change the way you see her?”

“Yes. I never realized she gave up so much for me. What she had to do. I mean, I know what she said about you, but she never talked much about her decision to be with David. I guess,” he sighed as he looked back down, “I guess I just accepted that they had always been in love.”

“A fairy tale, but one that you should keep close to your heart.” Their eyes met. “True love exists. It may not happen overnight, or at first glance, but it happens. I found it eventually in Meg. You have it in Ryle. Your mother found it in David.”

Gabe's smile was small, but it was there. “You're right.” A small spark of the old Gabe could be seen. “When did you get to be the love expert?”

The Captain laughed. “I said the same first words to your mother when she declared she loved me.” Gabe was shocked. “I am a different man now. Older, wiser, not nearly so careless or reckless. I broke many hearts. It took me realizing my heart belonged to another to know what it breaking would do to me.” He straightened his jacket and stood taller. “Now I have you and Ryle in my heart as well. It hurts me to see you in pain, Son. So please, if there is anything I can do to help you...do not hesitate to ask.”

Gabe set down his data pad and walked over to his father. He realized that he didn't look up nearly as much as he had when he first got here. Taking a breath, Gabe put his arms around his father. The Captain could feel him trembling, it was taking a lot for him to even do this much, and he felt Gabe flinch when he put an arm gently around his shoulders. Yet Gabe stayed there and did not flee. It lasted only a moment. When Gabe pulled away, he said, “Thank you. For telling me this and for being a far better father than I could ever hope for.” With that, he turned back to his work.

The Captain turned a marched out, heading for the bridge. No one he passed could have guessed the joy he felt in his heart. He was a mask of cool on the outside, but inwardly he was happier than he had been in a very long time. On the bridge he took his seat. “Are we on course?”

“Aye, sir. We'll be at the next assignment in two days.”

“Excellent. Has the message been sent ahead?”

“Aye, sir.”

“Good.” The Captain smiled as he relaxed into his chair. He pressed the comm. “Ryle to the bridge.”

* * *

Gabe entered his rooms to see Ryle was asleep on the couch. He looked so peaceful there. As silently as he could, Gabe showered and dressed in some light sleeping pants. Looking in the mirror, he could still see some of the scars from the whipping. It made him flinch as he could still hear the cracking of the whip and the feeling of the lashing. “I have come a long way, and I still have more to go,” he said to himself.

“Gabriel?” came Ryle's voice from the other room.

“Yeah. Sorry to wake you,” he called back.

“It's fine. May I come in?” Ryle asked at the door. Gabe opened it. Seeing his crest messy and his eyes a bit watery put a bit of a smile on his face. “How are you?”

“Feeling a bit better. I gave the Captain a hug today.” Ryle grinned and stepped into Gabe's arms. “It was a bit scary, but it helped.”

“That's wonderful. I'm really glad. You look tired.”

“I am. Long day in storage. At least the only people who came in were the Captain and one of the pilots dropping off something for storage.” Gabe yawned.

“You should take a nap,” said Ryle. He was then hoisted off the ground and carried into the bedroom where Gabe reclined on the bed with him in his arms. “Or we could both take one.”

“Good idea.” Gabe could relax with Ryle. He knew that. While sex was not in the cards right now, the rest was. He just wished they could stay together and not have his nightmares interfering. They ended up hurting Ryle too. “You're sure they're dead.”

“Yes. I ripped their throats out myself.”

Gabe held him tighter. “Good. You must think I'm a nervous wreck needing all this reassurance. Still scares me to think that he somehow survived the fall.”

“Who?”

“Your former master, the one who was sent to the Canari for execution. He...was one of them.”

Ryle blinked. “Gabe...he wasn't there. You must have been hearing things.”

Gabe stiffened. “Are you sure? Because I heard him talking. I couldn't see, but my ears were just fine. It was him and Darth.”

“Darth yes, and I loved watching him cower right before I killed him, but the other guy wasn't my form – the merchant. Maybe the fall addled your brain?”

Gabe relaxed. “You're right. There were only two voices and two men. I must have been out of it. Right now, I want to sleep. I hope you don't get hurt.”

Ryle snuggled deeper. “I'll live. I want to stay here.” So they did. Gabe didn't thrash, but he did call out. It woke both of them. Still, it was progress.

* * *

“Prepare for docking,” came the First Mate's voice and the crew was more than ready. It had been too long since they had been docked for more than a day or two. This time, the Captain said they would be here for two weeks as he conducted some much needed business.

Gabe was told, under penalty of sleeping alone, that he would be getting off the ship. “Ryle...I don't feel up to it yet. I...”

“Tough. This time I'm pulling the guilt card. You will be getting off the ship for a bit, or you can sleep alone until we leave.”

“That's not fair!” Gabe cried, tugging on his boots against his will.

“Life's not fair. We both know that. I also know that getting a change of scenery is important for healing. Meg is even leaving the ship. Are you going to be outdone by a pregnant woman?”

Gabe's eyes narrowed. “Fine, but if I start to panic, you are getting the blame. I don't want to be around people.”

“It will be just family.”

The duo met up with the Captain and Meg after the rest of the crew was gone. “I'm glad to see you're coming ashore, Son. Part of this job is to get ready for the diplomatic mission you said you would go on a few months from now.”

Gabe was confused, but then he remembered the wedding. “Right. I almost forgot about that, so much has happened. Damn duty. Lead on.”

Meg smirked. “You poor martyr. Having to do what you agreed to do.” Gabe rolled his eyes. “You look good though. I'm going to need your help, too, Gabe. Lots of things to get before the drugs I put in my fiance's food wear off. Wedding stuff.” Her grin was classic.

“I guess. You will be my step-mom, so I should help. A bit.”

She smiled even broader and ruffled his hair. “Well, boys, shall we go?” Meg took the Captain's arm as Ryle took Gabe's.

They walked down the loading ramp, and Gabe's nose twitched. He knew that smell. When they reached the bottom, he heard “Ciao, Gabriel!”

Gabe's head whipped around, and his jaw dropped. Then he smiled so big and tears began to sting his eyes. “Ciao, David!”

“Welcome back to Earth.”