Race pulled up a chair next to Dr. Quest's bed. He planned to spend the night there and had asked Skye to stay with Jonny, Hadji and Jessie. She'd assured him she'd watch after them and had settled in on the couch. Granted she wasn't really much older than they were, but he wanted someone there.
The doc was normally a bit pale, but to Race the doc seemed more so than normal. Blood dripped into his friend and employer's arm. He hoped it would be enough.
"What really happened?" he asked Dr. Shannon when she entered.
"We're not really sure," she replied. "My husband and Commander Taylor will give you a full report as soon as they know." She checked readings, and nodded. "One of the nurses will be in a few minutes to add some fluids."
"Thank you."
Lightly her hand rested on Race's shoulder. "Don't worry. We're taking good care of Dr. Quest."
"I just want to catch whoever did this."
"Leave that to my husband." She smiled. "He's good at catching bad guys."
"So am I."
"You'll have to tell me about that." She removed her hand. "I suggest going home and getting a good night's rest."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"The cots still here." She motioned to its location. "And there are guards posted outside."
"I appreciate that, but I've taken care of Dr. Quest's security for many years."
"You're close."
"We're family."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"You need to stop letting your cat roam free," Taylor said as he approached Laura's door the next morning.
"From what I hear," she crossed her arms over her chest. She braced herself for confrontation. "Sheba saved Dr. Quest's life last night."
"That she did," he agreed, a stern expression on his craggy face. "I still need you to be careful about allowing her to roam."
"Have you ever had a cat, Commander?" Maybe an offbeat question would stop the tirade she knew was coming.
"Excuse me?"
"They are very independent creatures, prone to doing what they want."
"What does that have to do with..."
Laura took several steps toward him, standing only a few inches away. She kept her voice firm, like Taylor was a small child. "Sheba knew something was wrong and she defended her territory."
"She could have hurt someone."
"Yet she didn't." She tugged at her tie dye sundress. It needed a bit of adjustment she hadn't had time to do yet.
"You promised me," he reminded her.
"Sheba has done nothing that needs to be of concern." The cat appeared around the corner of the house, a small reptile in her mouth, settling down on the lawn to eat the creature. "Do I need to remind you she's doing a great job at keeping the orchards rodent free?"
His green-blue eyes darted to the snack the cat had just tossed into the air. "No."
"Good. Let's not have this conversation again."
He took a deep breath and nodded.
"How is Dr. Quest?" The more she heard about the man, the more curious she got.
"Dr. Shannon is taking good care of him."
"You know, the histories all say he and his family vanished without a trace and they were never found."
"So Malcolm said."
She allowed herself to a slight smile. "Then I would count us very fortunate he's here."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"We're leaving," Mira told Lucas, who huddled underneath a blanket.
"Safe trip," he mumbled, his eyes not even opening.
"You shouldn't sleep all day."
"You're not my father." He turned his back to her.
"When you're ready, you know where we are." She motioned to the others and they left. Mira couldn't wait to get back. "Take care of yourself, Lucas."
"Whatever," he replied.
She'd tried. Mira joined her party and they started off across the land. It would take two days of hard travel to reach the rest of her people and the Phoenix group. Part of her looked forward to it, part of her wanted to stay with Allen and her daughter.
Mira shook her head. She couldn't dwell on what might never be.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Where's Race?" Jonny asked his blond hair damp from his shower. He had the only outfit Skye had ever seen him wear, jeans and a black top.
"At the hospital with your dad," she told him stirring the cereal.
"Is my dad okay?" Briefly he looked like a frightened little boy.
"Far as I know." Skye added some berries Laura had shared were safe to eat while they'd been hiding from the Phoenix group and the Sixers. "Where's everyone else?"
"Jessie's in the shower." Jonny sank down into a chair and tapped on the table surface. "Hadji has been up for a couple of hours. He's meditating."
"Well, he'd better come for breakfast." She put food in four bowls and moved them to the table. "What do you want to drink?"
"I can do that." Jonny grabbed some glasses and poured juice in.
Hadji joined them, looking comfortable in his clothes. Skye wondered if he ever took the turban off his head. He sipped some juice. "This smells very good."
"Thanks."
She joined the two boys. "Dig in."
"We usually say grace first," Jonny said.
"Grace?"
"Yeah, you know, thanking God for the food."
"Okay."
Jessie bounced in, dressed in a green sundress. "Morning!" she greeted brightly, slipping into a chair.
Jonny bowed his head. "Thanks for the food and thanks for taking care of my dad. Amen."
"Amen," echoed Hadji and Jessie.
Skye squirmed a bit uncomfortable. Other than the reverend, she'd never known anyone to keep this custom in their home.
"This is really good." Jonny grinned. "Where'd you find the berries?"
"Laura goes OTG a lot. She discovered they were safe for us to eat."
"OTG?" Hadji frowned.
"Outside the gate."
"You mean beyond the protection of the fence."
"Yeah." She nodded.
Jessie sipped her juice. "I wonder if we'll ever do that."
With a shrug Skye answered, "Some have and some haven't. All depends on what work details they're on."
"We have much to learn," Hadji acknowledged. "You are Skye."
"Yeah. Mr. Bannon asked me to stay and look after you."
"He likes to be called Race," Jonny informed her. "Says Mr. Bannon is his father."
The other two laughed.
"I'll remember that." Skye smiled, enjoying their company. "After breakfast I need to go back to my place."
Jonny perked up. "You have your own place."
"Have to grow up fast here." She took a bit of cereal. The berries had been a good addition. "I'm sure you'll have apprenticeships."
Jessie bit her lip. "You're saying we won't be able to leave."
"The terminus is gone and we're cut off from 2149."
"We aren't from your time." Jonny pushed his empty dishes away.
"Look, I'm not an expert on time travel. I just know I can't every go back and from what I hear, I don't want to."
"I am sure Dr. Quest will explore all avenues." Hadji rose placing his dishes in the sink.
"What happens if you decide you can't go home?" She wanted to know what they thought of staying in Terra Nova.
With a grin, Jonny answered, "We like to explore."