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“Not yet,” I tell her, and touch the glass encasing Jamef. “I want to stay with him. Someone should.”
Her expression immediately turns to one of guilt.
“I didn’t mean you!” I tell her quickly. I move to her side, grabbing her hand. “There’s a lot going on. I can’t do a lot to help out on the ship, but I can sit with Jamef. You’ve still got to run the show, love. Go say hello to your cousin. Talk to him and see how we can fix Jamef. I’ll be here waiting.”
Bethiah nods, lifting my hand to her mouth and kissing my knuckles. “I will. Jerrok knows what it’s like to have shitty prosthetics. He’ll have some answers. If not, he’ll know who to contact and how much it should run.” She gives my hand a squeeze and then releases it. “Send Simone after me if you need anything?”
“Actually, I think you should take Simone with you,” I reply. “She might need to get away for a bit, and you don’t want to leave her alone with Rhonda. If I need you, I’ll come get you.”
“Mmm, you may be right about Simone. Rhonda’s still looking for an angle to work.”
“Of course she is. She’s Rhonda.”
Bethiah makes a face. “Fine, I’ll take Simone. You sure you’re going to be okay here?”
I nod, moving to the stool I have set up next to Jamef’s sick bed. “I’m fine. We’re fine. Just come back and let me know what you find out.”
She hesitates in the doorway, then blows a kiss at me and heads out. Dimly, I hear her and Simone talking, and then a third voice, a deep, bass male voice speaks. They fade and I turn to the window, watching as the trio head down the ramp and head into the station.
“Just you and me, Jamef,” I say to my sleeping mate. I stroke the glass as if I’m touching him, and press my cheek to the surface, closing my eyes.
Bethiah is gone for a while, so to keep myself occupied, I work on my mesakkah alphabet, trying to read the messages that scroll across the med-bay screens. I’m pleased when some of the words start piecing themselves together in my mind instead of just being random disconnected sounds. One of the screens reads subject is stable with and I’m trying to figure out the next word when there’s a knock at the door.
Oh. Jeez. Someone else is on the ship? I move toward the door to the med-bay. If it was Simone or Bethiah, they’d just come directly inside, so it can’t be them. “Hello?”
“It’s Sophie, Jerrok’s mate,” calls out a sweet voice. “May I come in?”
I open the door to the med-bay—and step back as two large, pale, opalescent creatures slink inside ahead of her. They have long bodies and multiple legs, but remind me oddly of lions. I’ve seen one of these before, I realize. Alice had one, but these two are massive and far bigger than her pet. “Um…”
“Sleipnir! Freyja! Leave her alone!” The sweet voice takes on a stern note, and the two creatures immediately move back to stand behind the woman that strides forward. “Sorry about that. They love new smells, but I promise they’re harmless as long as you don’t raise a hand to me.”
Sophie beams at me, and I can immediately see why Bethiah calls her “Softie.” She just looks so…sweet, like a Disney princess. Her hair is long and dark and sleek, pulled back behind one ear with a shiny clip, and she wears a vibrant red tunic that clings to her body and makes her look feminine and delicate. She has bright eyes with long lashes and an even brighter smile. Just looking at her makes you want to protect her and be her friend.
She holds up a tray, beaming that warm smile in my direction. “I brought sandwiches when I heard you weren’t coming on the station. Would you like company?”
One Hundred Twenty-Three
DORA
Sophie is just as sweet as Bethiah indicated. She doesn’t have a mean, aggressive bone in her body. We talk about nothing at all and nibble on the strange, paste-filled sandwiches that she’s brought.
“It’s a spread from a nut that grows on a nearby planet,” Sophie explains as we eat. “I mentioned once that it reminded me of peanut butter from home, and the next thing I knew, Jerrok had an entire case of it for me.”
“I don’t remember peanut butter,” I tell her, taking another bite of the gluey substance.
Her eyes widen. “No? It was a staple when I was growing up.”
Oh. It’s probably another one of those memories I’m supposed to have but don’t, because I’m a clone. I give her a weak smile and decide to change the subject as she feeds a bit to the fatter of the two lizard-like creatures. “Your carinoux are huge. Alice has one but I don’t remember it being nearly as large.”
