Page 329 of Every Almost

Charlie laughed. "No. Absolutely not."

Reyna smiled. "Then yes, ask away. Because weareapparently doing this."

"You know about Frank and Helen. Who they were to me." Charlie paused. "I never told you how theymet,though. I don't think I ever told anyone out here."

"Tell me," Reyna said, holding tighter to Charlie.

"Frank was Navy. That's one of Earth's militaries, the ones who work off ships out on the water." Charlie's voice warmed. "Helen was a Navy nurse, and Frank kept turning up at her nursing station with things that were wrong with him. A hangnail, headache, a muscle he'd pulled that he, actually, hadn't pulled." Reyna laughed softly. "And Helen would look at him and go,what is it today, Beckman.And Frank would say?—"

She stopped.

Because she heard it. Right there, in her own mouth.

"He'd say,I think it's my heart, ma'am."

The words sat in the room.

"Oh my god, Rey," Charlie whispered. "This whole time."

"This whole time... what, Charlie?" Reyna asked.

"The systems," Charlie said. "Holy shit, the number of things Ifixedon this ship that weren't broken! The... the stupid maintenance that could've waited a week!" Charlie laughed.

"You fixed things that weren't broken?" Reyna asked. "Why?"

But Charlie didn't answer.

"And of all people, I would have thoughtyouwouldn't call maintenance stup?—"

"I kept finding you," Charlie said softly, looking at Reyna with a newfound energy she didn't know she could possess. "Over and over and over again, with a wrench in my hand and a completely fake reason, and I told myself every single time it was about the ship." Charlie laughed. She pulled her hand away from Reyna's waist and lifted it to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. "It was never about the ship," Charlie whispered. "I'vebeen Frank the whole time, Rey. Coming to your station with a hangnail."

Reyna went still.

"The ready room," she said slowly.

"What?"

"You rerouted a coolant line in my ready room that did not need rerouting. You spent ages on it and explained yourself the whole time." Reyna's voice had gone quiet. "I moved a briefing to let you stay. I told myself it was?—"

She stopped.

"Efficient," Charlie offered.

"I told myself it was efficient."

They looked at each other.

"You were Helen," Charlie said. "And you didn't know it any more than I knew I was Frank."

Reyna shook her head slowly. "I didn't see it."

"Frank and Helen probably didn't see it either," Charlie said. "But that's what they told me. That's just how it works. You don't find out you're in the story until you're already most of the way through it."

Reyna reached up and put her hand against the side of Charlie's face.

For a long moment, neither of them said anything.

Then, very quietly, Reyna said, "I think it's my heart, Charlie."