Page 33 of The Final Storm
Willing the visions or not, they remain burned in my thoughts. I think of the boys and Sam, the body at my feet. I tell Sam the dream as best I can.
He takes in the information, emotionless, for my benefit. Panic won’t help us now. “Do you have a gut feeling? Is there something you think we should do with this vision?”
My instinct is to leave the Galene, but a part of me knows that Cecilia’s presence clouds my decision-making. Lori and I already talked about getting the boys and bringing them here.
Do I want to get away from her, or does this warning mean we should go back?
I shake my head and rub my face. “I don’t know yet.” A yawn escapes and Sam suggests we go back to sleep. I know why. He’s scared and wants me to see more clearly.
“No, I’m too awake for that,” I argue.
“And you don’t know more about the body you saw. Man or woman? Anything?” he pleads.
“I wish I did, Sam.” I don’t enjoy repeating myself, and I don’t want to think about this any longer. The boys are good swimmers, I tell myself. I’ve missed something. “Lori is waiting for me. I need to meet her at the medical unit.”
“I should… get back to work,” Sam says.
“Does she work with you?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Yes, and no. Our departments work together, but I’ve told her not to see me at work. There’s no need for it.”
I rub my temple, unsure of what that means, and move to the side of the bed. I’m sore between my legs, and I wince when I stand up.
“Are you okay?” Sam asks.
“Just a little sore. It’s normal I’m sure.” I step over to the dresser, rummaging for some clothes. “What are you going to do now? Just go back to work and…”
The question I fear asking hangs in the air between us, and I avoid saying the words directly. I dress and brush my hair, delaying my exit, hoping Sam will answer on his own.
“She knows I’m married to you and that I’m committed to you. Only you.” Sam’s tone reassures me, and my shoulders relax the tiniest bit. “She’s displeased about it, and she filed an adultery complaint, although the captain said it would go nowhere. Where would they jail me, anyway? What would a discharge mean at this point?” He raises his hand up to scratch his head and then slaps it down. “It’s a pointless attempt to hurt me or get me to talk to her.” A tense chortle falls flat on my shocked expression.
“What were you talking about today when I found you?”
“She told me she would drop the complaint if I moved in with her.”
I slam the dresser closed.
“Obviously that’s not happening,” Sam reassures me. “I’d rather be in jail.”
“You could go to jail? What the actual fuck?”
“Unlikely. In a normal world, she would have to prove that I couldn’t perform my job because of the affair. Which this isn’t an affair.” Sam stumbles over his words. “I should file a concern that she’s still aligned with the AOE. But… throwing threats back and forth will drag things out. I just want it to be done, so she can move on like I have.”
“So you won’t file a complaint?” I ask. “You’re not concerned about that?”
Sam shakes his head. “I’m not interested in making this worse. She claims she was always working on the right side of things. It’s my word against hers. She’s hurting. She thought I was dead when I never made it to the Galene.”
“Oh,” is all I can say. My stomach drops, and for a moment, I sympathize with her anger, her hurt. It passes when I remind myself that she tried to get Sam killed when he tried to leave the AOE. Whatever happened from the moment he left until now is a mystery, but she betrayed him.
Sam steps behind me, pulling me back against his chest. “This will blow over. It’s been almost a year, and… a lot can happen in a year. I’ve spoken with my superiors. Don’t let it bother you.”
It bothers me.
It infuriates me.
“She wants you back, then,” I mutter to myself. Sam brings his hands to my shoulders, rubbing the knots there. I sink into his touch and continue. “That’s why she did this? The opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference. She cares, cares enough to hurt you.”
Sam lets out a groan, and he drops his hands. “She’s out of gas. There’s nothing else she can do.”
