Keeping Promises (Day 6, Early Morning)

He awoke to the gentle chirrup of his cortex. “Mmmmph,” Dorian grunted softly as he reached for the little device...a delicate balancing act, given his desire to avoid disturbing the sleeping Riley. “Damn,” he whispered as he finally shut the object down.

Six o-clock. And he had to be up. He’d promised. With great pains, he attempted to glide out of the shared bunk...but this wasn’t looking to be successful at all…

Riley opened a sleepy eye, followed by its twin, her arm, draped over Adler, tightened its grip as he attempted to leave. “Morning,” she said softly. “I was planning on sleeping in. Or staying in and not sleeping, whichever suits your mood better.”

Dorian loosed a low moan at the thought of remaining here, in her arms…*She’ll be alright,* his desirous id made its’ argument. *Leo might not even be aboard….* “Gorram it,” he finally relinquished. “Ah want tah stay, but…”

“But?” She asked, kissing the side of his neck to entice him to stay just a bit longer, stopping at his earlobe.. “Lyen and Yeva can keep an eye on Gil, for just a bit, unless you have another patient, or some place you’d rather be.”

Riley’s gentle persuasion had set his passions to a low boil. “Oh……….Ah…….” he agonized over the thought of what could be. Eventually, Adler shook his head. “Not a patient,” he smoothed the hair over her forehead as he looked into her eyes. “A promise.”

“Rain check then.” the lieutenant replied, pulling the bunk’s sheet up and around herself as she sat up in the bunk. She was disappointed, but would be damned if she let the doctor know that.

“Til tahnight,” he whispered, before landing a tender kiss upon her lips. Dorian rose from the scene of such happiness to hastily slip into last night’s clothing. Once dressed in all but his boots, he cast a final, longing glance upon the woman. “An’ that’s also a promise,” he said as he crept up the hatchway ladder.

“I’ll hold you to it.” She relented and called after him curling back into bed. With or without Adler, the plan was to sleep in, and she wasn’t about to waste it.

Serena sat on the top bunk of the cargo bay, already missing her room. Her belongings were with her though, along with the rest of the crew, and she watched the minute hand of the silver wind up clock until they were both smack dab in the center pointing downward. Six-Thirty am. Her bare feet barely made a sound as she hopped down from the bunk and padded across the cargo bay to the crew shower room, checking each hallway first before crossing.

The shower jets felt good this morning. He scrubbed his hair, then worked his chest, shoulders, and back. It was about time for Serena. Any moment now, her tentative call should echo into th shower room, a final check to verify that it was, in fact safe to enter and start her own bathing. As he awaited the signal, Dorian continued his morning ritual...though in light of Riley’s sudden impact upon his life, everything...even the most mundane chore of bathing...seemed somehow to be renewed. The world was crisp and new to him...now that she was in it.

“Mistah Doctah Adluh?” Serena called tentatively before entering. By six-thirty, he was always out of the shower and shaving, but just in case, she was ‘respecting his boundries.” Plus there was that one time he wasn’t there taking a shower on account of he was stuck out on the shuttle, and she didn’t want to take any chances.

“Ah’m here,” Dorian replied above the rush of his shower. “Good mornin’ mei-mei.” Mei-mei. He had to admit...since deciding upon that course for his relationship with the child, there was a certain sense of the rightness about it...a homecoming, of sorts, he thought. “Yah alright this mornin’?”

“Ah’m all right.” she called, waiting outside the room for the sound of the water to turn off. “Are you all right? Didn’t see you last night when Ah went to check in on Gil. Ah take it things went good with tha Lieutenant?”

“Last night was very nice,” he said as he cut the water. “And Ah do thank yah fah helpin’ with Mistah Gill. That was a load off mah mind.” After towelling himself, Dorian tied the bath towel about his waist and stepped from the stall. “It’s open,” he said as he moved toward one of the sinks.

“How nice?” She asked, grinning like a cheshire cat as she entered the room.

Dorian mixed up the shave cream, then began brushing it onto his jaw. “Can yah keep a secret?” he asked, hoping the white foam might mask the wry smile that teased the corners of his mouth.

“Ah sure can!” She said, moving in closer to listen.

“Honest an’ swear?” Dorian gave her a sidelong glance as he extended the pinkie of his right hand toward the girl.

“Honest and swear!” she replied, locking pinkie’s with his, the most serious of all promise and swears.

“Alright,” he cautioned Serena. “Ah don’t want tah hear this comin’ back at me out on tha cargo deck...or from Yeva.” After putting the brush and cup down on the sink’s rim, he flipped the straight razor open. “Ah think Ah could be fallin’ fah her.”

“Well, sometimes you do have a few bourbons, and those ladder’s are pretty steep.” She offered. “But once Gil is back on his feet -- and helping out with the chores again -- an’ you have your room back, that won’t so much be a problem. Ah wouldn’t let that stop you from seein’ her if you really like ‘er.”

“Uh….” he thought to reply, lifting an index finger as he turned his head. “Ah…..yes,” the dentist faced the mirror once more. “Ah really like her.”

“Annnnd?” Serena asked, her smile broadening. “Does she like yah back?”

“Yes.” He scraped the razor across his neck. “So….Yah gettin’ a showah, or should Ah go get a book?”

“Ah’m gonna grab a showah.” She replied, going into one of the stalls and pulling the curtain closed. “Tell me about tha fair!” She called over the water.

Dorian tilted his head to redirect the razor. “Tha fair was nice,” he said as his hand guided the blade. “We walked about, looked around fah a thing or two, then decided on a carriage ride.” The razor cut the stubble at the base of his neck. “So tell me...how many passengahs we takin’ on?”

“A carriage ride?” She asked, rinsing the shampoo out of her hair. “That sounds ah-mazing! An’ Ah got us a lotta passengah’s, Full up! We got so many passengah’s me an Crew Chief had to spend most of tha night movin’ bunks into tha cargo bay for tha crew, on account of we got passengah’s gonna be stayin’ in our rooms, that’s how full up we are. And right now ah’m tha only deck we got on account of Gil bein’ hurt by tha wolf.” She peeked her head out from behind the curtain. “Ah’m hopin’ that ain’t gonna be the case for tha whole trip though?”

“He’s healin’,” the medic replied, “but it’s gonna be at least a couple weeks before yah get ‘im stackiin’ boxes…*dohn mah?* He thought aloud of consequences for such an influx. “Lotta passengahs...means influenza. Stomach bugs. Ah’ll need tah take a run inta town before we leave...more medical supplies.”

“Influenza is a stomach bug? Ah wanna bank it, on account of that’s a great word!” She called, turning off the water and shaking her head to dry it some.

“Influenza’s a head cold,” Dorian said as the razor finished its’ work. “So...we still breakin’ atmo tahday?”

“Uh huh! At 12:00 so Ah gotta make sure the cargo bay is secure an’ then make sure all tha passengah’s are squared away.” Serena wrapped the towel around herself and stepped out from behind the curtain. “Well, most of tha passengah’s.”

“Hmmmm,” he considered her words as he reached for his robe. “What about a mechanic?” Dorian asked. “We find one?”
“No, well, sorta, we had Rowan and he had a rat or no, a ferret, Ah think he said and Vas was gonna kill ‘em with a shovel, the rat, not Rowan, though he overcharged us on a lotta parts the Lieutenant said so maybe it was Rowan, but he didn’t hit no one, and Rowan said he fixed stuff, and Ah tried to recruit ‘em, only, you know, not like Ah used to but he was supposed ta come back an’ he didn’t.”

Dorian wiped his chin with a towel. “So, a man with a ferret….nevah mind.” He studied his reflection in the mirror. Just over five hours til upthrust. A record number of passengers...crew sleeping in the cargo bay...no mechanic. “This’ll bear some thought,” Adler dipped into a pocket. “Oh,” the medic withdrew his hand, and the small treasure he’d secreted there. “Serena,” he offered the earrings in his open palm, “Ah found these at tha fair last night. Thought yah might like them.”

Serena’s eyes lit up. “They’re beautiful!” She cooed. “You got these… for me?”

Her excitement inspired a smile. “Yah got me a very unique tie, with tha first credits yah evah earned. That’s very special tha me,” Adler said. “Ah wanted tah reciprocate.”

“*Reciprocate* I’m bankin’ that.” Two great words, one conversation. She took the earrings and examined them closer. “Ah love ‘em, Ah’m gonna take real good care of ‘em, thank you! Very very very much!” She hugged him carefully around the neck so as to not crush the earrings, or get his robe wet from her just washed hair. “They’re mah favorite solstice gift evah.”

“Beautifull girl like yahself,” Dorian smiled as he embraced her. “Yah’ll be collectin’ lots of earrings. Ah’m so glad yah like ‘em.”

“Ah’m gonna keep ‘em forevah! How do they stick on?” She asked, eyeing the pin backs.

“It’s very simple,” he nodded. “That pin slips inta yah…..Oh,” he lifted his chin. “Yah ears aren’t pierced. Wouldja like me ta do tha job?”

“Yes!” Serena said, hugging him tightly again. “An’ then Ah can bank the word pierced!”

“Alright….alrght,” Dorian laughed. “If we get time tahday aftah we’re in tha black, Ah’ll have Yeva an’ Lyen give yah a piercin’.” He collected his things. “Mei-mei,” Adler said as he turned for the door, “Ah’m heaadin’ inta town. Kindly don’t let ‘em lift off without me…...shiny?”

“Not even if Ah gotta go on the bridge and stop the ship myself, honest and swear.” She promised, crossing her heart. “Thank you again Mistah Doctah Dàgē Adluh. This was tha best solstice, and ah’m gonna remember it always. And you be careful. If yah fall for tha Lieutenant, yah might end up laid up next tah Gil in traction. But don’t worry, Ah promise Ah’d hold your hand too.”