Peter was following his checklist and waiting for the word that the airlock was free of his passengers so he could move the ship to its berth two spokes over.  Jane hung over his shoulder and watched him closely.  They’d been in a companionable silence since they landed and he finally felt comfortable with their new relationship.

 “So, we got here before dinner.  What do you and David have planned for this evening?”  He asked after he finished.

 She groaned and hit his arm.  “Real subtle, Peter.  Why don’t you just come out and ask if we’re dating?”

 “Okay, are you dating?”  He grinned up at her.

 “Kind of.  He’s got this hang-up about our ages.”  She grimaced.

 “Not to mention, he’s in your direct chain of command . . . in a civilian kind of way.”

 She laughed out loud and ruffled his hair.  “I’m not as worried about that as I am that he’s dragging his feet because he thinks I’m too young for him.  I’m way past taking age as anything but a statistic.  We both have one and neither of us is underage.  It’s chivalrous nonsense but . . . kind of sweet in a way.”

 “Oh-oh, sweet, the kiss of death.”  He exaggerated and ducked her mock blow.

 “You are a grownup juvenile delinquent, did you know that?”  She turned as if she heard something, just seconds before the alarm began to ring.

 “Oh no, not another one.”  Peter’s hand went for the door button but he hesitated.

 “Pete!  Go now.”  Sam’s voice was hoarse and distant but audible.  “Head for Earth.”

 “Go back and see what’s wrong, Jane.”  Peter snapped out the order and prepared to lift off.  She ran to the back while he was flipping switches to bring the engines back to full power from their idle speed.

 “Close the door and take off.  Now!”  Again, Sam’s voice came to him as if muffled but he listened to the urgency in it and obeyed.

 Backing out of the dock, he moved them off the Moon smoothly.  Flying them out into space he called back.  “Sam, what’s wrong?  Where on Earth do you need to go?”

 Silence answered him for a long moment then the intercom switched his brother’s voice to him.  “Oh God, Peter, she’s not breathing.  Just get us down.  Now!”

 “Who’s not breathing?”  Peter felt himself tighten into controlled panic while he obeyed his brother’s order.

 “Ruth.”  Jane’s voice had a sob in it.

 “Peter, radio back to the base and have Dr. Freeman check your recent passengers.  I think they’re all right . . . now.”  Sam’s voice faltered.  “Tell him to check for plague.  Jane, take a break from compressions and breathe for her.”

 Peter blocked out the sounds of CPR going on behind him and radioed back to Moon Base while coaxing the maximum speed from the converted Ikiiri cruiser.  Solantha had trained him well and he knew just what he could and couldn’t do to increase her speed.  Seth’s voice on the radio was tightly controlled and he accepted the news of Ruth’s collapse quietly.  Wishing them God-speed, he signed off.

 Releasing the safeties, he put the ship into an all out run for Earth.  The onboard computer started giving him minute by minute updates of how much stress the ship was taking but until she told him that the ship was going to blow up, he intended to keep going.  The trip normally took an hour and a half but he and Joshua had shaved that to just under an hour.  Now, he was going to see if he could set a new record.  But all the while he flew, he kept praying over and over.  “Don’t take her now.  Please don’t take her now.”

 Hitting the outer atmosphere of Earth, he dove through the increasing clouds, ignoring the warning beeps that told him he was max-stressing the ship’s skin.  They hadn’t hit the red range yet so he ignored them and searched frantically for a spot to put them down.  It had to be away from people but near the ocean.  He’d heard about Ruth’s first trip down to recharge from Solantha.  The Ikiiri pilot had enjoyed playing with the dolphins and Peter had been a little jealous at missing out on the adventure.

 At this speed and rate of descent, they were going to end up in Africa on the western coast.  The onboard ship’s computer calculated their landing and flashed a map of Senegal onto the screen.  They were going to touch down about one hundred miles north of the capitol Dakar right on the coast.  According to the computer, there was nothing there but dust, lizards, sand and yet more sand.  It was the dry season and the coast should be nice and empty of life.

 The proximity alarm went off and he slipped under a jet at twenty thousand feet.  Taking deep breaths he calmed his wildly beating heart and hoped he hadn’t given the crew a collective heart attack.  Setting the angle a little steeper, he dove for the Senegalese coast while shouting a warning to Sam and Jane to hold on.  Ahead of them and through the thick glass a brilliant flash of blue light exploded into being, acting as a beacon to show him the way.

 Taking a chance, he headed the ship straight for it.  “This had better be you, Ma’am.  Please don’t let her die.”

 Then they were down. He parked the ship, setting the engines to idle and opening the outer door for his brother.  It had never been so hard to discipline himself into finishing his post-flight checks.  But they would need the transportation . . . eventually.  He flipped the last switch and turned it over to the onboard computer to set the security before racing out the open door and into the blast furnace of sun heated air

 He didn’t have far to go.  Sam and Jane were hunched over Ruth on the beach, half in and half out of the waves that lapped the sand.  They’d removed her clothes so all of her was touching the ground and even heaped sand over her legs but they were still doing CPR.  When he got to them, he gulped hard and tried to look beyond the lumpy swelling that disfigured the body whose skin was striped with scars.

 “Sam, what happened?”  He crouched by her side.  “Janey, let me breathe for her now.”

 His brother’s face was a mask of grief but his hands kept up the compressions automatically while Janey sat back on the sand and wiped her eyes.  “She knew, damn it. She knew this was coming but she didn’t tell us.  Breathe.”

 Peter obeyed instantly, tilting her head while pinching her nose and puffing two quick breaths into her misshapen mouth.  “The swelling is plague related?”

 “Plague is caused by bacteria called Yersinia pestis and usually can only infect someone bitten by a rat or a flea who lives on a rat.  It attacks the lymph nodes.  Breathe.  It looks like it went septicemic in a heartbeat.  She must have pulled it from them and I’m betting that it was the Quentins.  Breathe.  They mentioned the shots the clinic gave all of them yesterday.  Including the baby.”  He watched Peter breathe for her again and began another set of compressions.  “This is keeping her alive but I don’t have anything for a cure.  Early stages can be treated with antibiotics but she’s gone from none to late stage in a matter of minutes.  Breathe.  Damn it, we don’t know how she heals or how to purge this from her system.  I was hoping the sand would replace the bad energy with good energy but she still doesn’t have a pulse.”

 “Guys, we have visitors.”  Jane’s voice shook and Peter looked up to see tall natives dressed in flowing white robes surround them in a half circle.

 He breathed for her again and watched the circle split to let an elderly woman through.  She looked ancient, her hair white against a chocolate skin and her eyes filmed over in sharp contrast to the youngster who led her by the hand.  The little boy had sparkling brown eyes beneath tightly curled black hair.  They both wore flowing white cotton robes that whispered against the sand as he led her to them.

 “Good day, children.  We have been waiting.  I dreamed you last night.”  Her voice was soothing with a faint British accent and Peter felt himself begin to relax.  Then his eyes caught a glimpse of the stone that hung about her neck.

 “The blue stone.”  He blurted out before he could stop himself.

 The boy led her to Ruth’s head and her hand came out and touched his hair.  She hissed something he didn’t understand and he saw the little boy move back to the circle of his elders.  “So, we dream of each other.  What will you give for her life, children?”

 Peter looked at Sam then Jane and saw they were all at a loss for words.  “What do you need?”

 Her laugh was more of a cackle than a chuckle.  “Ha, little ones.  You think to bargain?  How if I guess what is most precious to you and go from there?  Hm-m-m?”

 Peter swallowed hard and felt her blind eyes look deep within him, zeroing straight to his greatest fear.  All his life, he’d been afraid of losing his eyesight and being unable to fly.  He felt her pluck that fear from his mind and hold it.  When she turned to Sam, he knew the fear that she would find there.  His little brother had always feared losing the use of his hands.  He was a tactile person who used his hands to help in diagnosis.  He’d always feared the crippling arthritis that had killed Great-aunt Rebecca Hamilton.

 Jane gasped when it was her turn and Peter felt her grip his shoulder tightly.  The tears in her eyes told him her fear had been taken as well.  The old woman hummed to herself and with a sigh bent to touch Ruth’s forehead.  The infection had gotten worse in the last few minutes, her body swelling to twice its normal size.  It reminded him of a corpse he’d seen in Guatemala the year before.  It had washed downstream during the floods but some of the local wildlife had been nibbling on it and he’d lost his lunch when they’d pulled it from the floodwaters.

 “Precious indeed, children.  I only require one of them.  Who will pay the price for this one’s life?  Hm-m-m?”

 Sam’s voice beat Peter’s by a breath.  “Take what you need.”  “Take mine.”

 “No, I give you mine.  It was a dream and worth nothing compared to her life.”  Jane’s voice wavered slightly when she offered up herself.

 “Hm-m-m, hard to choose it is.  Hands, sight, babies, all very precious and hard to lose.  What is her wish, do you think?”

 “She wouldn’t accept any of them and she’ll be mad as hell when she comes to.”  Sam was still compressing the bloated chest beneath his hands and Peter was still breathing in two breaths for every five compressions.  “But it will be worth it.”

 The old woman touched Sam’s hair and shook her head.  Then she reached up to hold Jane’s chin in her wrinkled hand.  A moment later and she caressed his face with fingers that felt a little like claws.  He gritted his teeth and bore the examination.

 “She is starting on the last path.  We have little time.  I think I would like a pair of pretty blue eyes to go with my stone.  Are you sure, that this one is worth them?”  She spoke briskly, removing the stone from around her neck and holding it over Ruth’s body where it began to glow with an eerie blue light.

 Sam and Jane were both exclaiming but Peter paid them no heed, his gaze focused on the clouded eyes of the blind woman.  The world dropped away and he found himself held within a blazing blue sun that illuminated everything around him.  A small figure was slowly walking away from them and his heart ached at the sight of Ruth whole and unscarred, her head held high and a slight smile on her face as she faced the light.

 Was the price too high to pay for a woman he hadn’t even met four months before?  For a woman who’d given him the chance to fly among the planets for such a brief time?  For the person who had never asked for anything for herself?  Who had always put others first and waited to die so that he and his family could live?

He realized in that instant that he couldn’t let her go.  Not now, maybe not ever.  “Take them.”

 And the light blazed bluer and brighter until he had to close his eyes.  Then the light was gone and when he opened them, all he saw was darkness.

 “It is done.  Welcome back, little one.”  The crooning voice accompanied the sounds of someone coughing.

 “Don’t try to move yet, Ruth.”  Sam’s voice had tears in it and Peter tilted his head to listen more closely.

 He had to start someplace in compensating for the loss of his sight and it might as well be his hearing.  Behind him, he could hear Jane breathing and what sounded like sniffling.  She was probably crying too.  But more importantly, he could hear Ruth’s breaths.  Great shuddering breaths that were probably shaking her whole body, he guessed.

 “How?”  The gasping voice sounded congested and the cough that followed was hoarse.  A scritch of sand and the rustle of clothing told him that Sam was probably helping her to sit up so she could breathe better.

 “Why did you come back, little one?”  The old woman’s voice sounded smoother, not so quavering.

 “Someone . . . called.”

 The old woman hummed.  “Hm-m-m, yes, indeed he did.  But why do you heed such a call when Her light welcomed you home?”

 Ruth sighed.  “I will always come when he calls.”

 “Heart calls to heart.”  She cackled again.  “Always and forever will you heed that summons.”

 Suddenly, Peter wished desperately that he could see Ruth’s face.  Heart to heart – what did that mean to Ruth?  Was she looking at him in pity or gratitude?  Or just maybe something more? Something like the love he’d begun to suspect he felt?  And just what was it about the old woman’s voice that teased his memory?  The soft touch to his face brought him back to the darkness.

 “Oh, my Peter, what have you done?”  Her voice was anguished but her hand was the right size again without a trace of swelling and the skin was warm.

 “What I had to do to bring you back.”  His voice wasn’t as strong as he wished but he didn’t think clearing his throat would help.  Bringing up his own hand to cover hers, he moved just far enough to press his lips into her palm.

 “I’m not worth your dream, Peter.”

 “Dreams change.  Sometimes you grow up and find your path taking a turn you could never have imagined.  I’ll . . . need some help on this one.”  He felt as if he were on an elevator free-falling down a shaft, frightened and alone.  The dizziness grew and he could feel the trembling deep inside as if it had a life of its own.

 “You will have it, my Peter.  You are not alone and as long as I live you will never be.”  Her voice was fierce and he felt her arms slide around his shoulders while she rocked him back and forth gently, grounding him and soothing away the pain.

 She smelled of sand and salt water but underlying that scent was the faint odor of lilies of the valley that he’d smelled on her before.  He tried not to give in to his fear but he was just now realizing that he would not be flying them back to the Moon.  In fact, he wouldn’t be doing much of anything until he could get a handle on this . . . disability.

 “Hm-m-m, such pretty blue eyes, little one.  But they don’t match my stone so I suppose I must give them back.”  The voice was no longer old or wavering but strong and sure.  “My knight must be able to see what is coming, after all.”

 And the darkness gave way to light between one blink and the next.  Peter was looking straight into Ruth’s gaze when it happened so the first thing he saw was her face and the love that she hadn’t hidden from his blindness.  He ignored the others voices and focused on Ruth, his other hand coming up to cup her face.  Using his thumb, he brushed away the tears on her cheek.

 “Peter.”  Her voice trembled.

 “Sh-h-h, it’s all right.  I know we’ve got a lot of things to talk about but you should know one thing won’t change.  Whether I can see or not and whether you believe it or not, I love you.  Through good and bad, I’ll be right there with you.”

 “My Peter, you are without a doubt the blessing that I never thought to have.  And I do love you but . . .”

 He didn’t want to hear the objections right now so he leaned forward and kissed her.  Her lips were soft and he brushed his over them gently, afraid to press any harder in case the swelling had left her sore.  Her breath caught and he hesitated a moment than pressed again, her lips parting beneath his.  She tasted sweet and he wondered vaguely what kind of tea she’d been drinking.

 It had been so long since he’d kissed someone for whom he really felt something; this had a euphoric air to it.  He felt giddy and knew that he wanted more than just this but not on an unknown beach in front of his brother and former fiancée.  Not to mention the shaman/goddess who’d just scared him out of a year’s growth.

 “I really do good work, if I do say so myself.”  The soprano voice from over his shoulder sounded extremely smug.

 Peter and Ruth broke apart slowly, their eyes never leaving the other.  Ruth’s fingers stroked his cheek and the happiness in her face made her look ten years younger.  “Mother, you have a lot to answer for.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

 “You’re welcome, daughter.  And now, you have yet another reason to not go it alone.”  Her tones were mildly scolding.

 “I’ll make sure of that, Ma’am.”  Peter brushed some sand off Ruth’s throat, pausing for a moment to feel the pulse that fluttered under his fingers.  “Why the blindness?”

 “Each step forward comes at a price, my knight.  So many of my children are mentally and emotionally blind to what they think or feel.  True seeing can be absolutely terrifying.”  She sighed.  “Even for the gods.”  That statement brought both their gazes up to her.  She was still black with white hair but now she stood tall and her brown eyes sparkled down at them.

 “How very true, my lady.”  Sam was sitting on Ruth’s other side with Jane leaning on his shoulder.  “We’re still under a threat on Moon Base and we need a better way to help Ruth regain her energy.  Especially as we move further out into the solar system.”

 “Oh, she won’t be the only healer you have now that the ability has been reawakened in humanity.  And this tribe will help when they become a part of your community.  They’re Malinke of the Mandingo tribe.  There’s forty-three of them and their destiny is not here.”  She stretched forth her hand and the small boy ran up to hold it, his smile stretching from ear to ear.  “This is Mustapha and he is already capable of the same kind of healing that Ruth does.”

 He nodded vigorously and patted Ruth’s head gently, his speech a liquid stream of syllables that none of them understood.  Peter’s hand went to his throat and he realized that the translator he usually wore was missing.  For some reason, he hadn’t put it on this morning and now he was regretting it.

 “They are camped just under a mile from here and they’ll be ready for pickup in three days time.  That should give you time to prepare for them.”  The Goddess tilted her head and looked straight into Peter’s eyes.  “I think there is time for a short ceremony before we separate.  Hm-m-m?”

 He blushed and wondered if she’d read his mind.  “Ruth, I know this is rushing things a bit but I’d feel a lot better if we take our vows here and now.  I love you and I want the chance to prove it.”

 “There is no need, Peter.”  Her gaze was wistful.  “Your mother and father are going to absolutely hate this.”

 “I’m not marrying my parents.  I’m marrying you.  If you’ll have me?”  He summoned the patented Hamilton-pout that hadn’t failed him since puberty hit.  Letting his mouth droop and his chin quiver with just a hint of blinking away tears, he looked deep into her eyes and wished very, very hard for her consent.

 “Oh, my Peter, of course I’ll have you.  Are you sure?”  She bit her lip.

 “Yes.”  He beamed at her and stood up, bringing her up with him.  That took a bit of doing since she was still half buried in the sand.

 Sam was laughing at them while Jane tried to gather the clothes they’d torn off her earlier.  The Goddess smiled and gestured to one of the Malinke who brought over a white robe like they were wearing, only this one was embroidered with gold thread all around the neckline.  Ruth put it on gratefully and thanked the woman with her biggest smile.

 “Sam and Jane, you shall be our witnesses.  There is no religion on Earth who truly invokes me anymore save for the Wiccans so we’ll use a form of their hand-fasting.”  She drew forth a golden cord and gestured Peter and Ruth to bring up their clasped hands.  Wrapping the cord around their wrists, she smiled.  “Ruth, my dearest daughter, do you chose this man to love and cherish through this life and beyond?”

 Her eye looked up at him and he felt humble at the look of awe on her face.  “I do, Mother.  Through whatever comes, I will love and care for him always.”

 “Peter, my knight, will you love and cherish my daughter through this life and for whatever lives you may have together?”

 “I do, My Lady.  With all my heart and soul, I will love and care for her always.”

 “Then you both have my blessing and may the love you bear each other never fail.”  She closed her hands over and under theirs and with a flash of light, the golden cord disappeared and matching rings appeared on their fingers.  “Just a little outward token to tell the others of your commitment.  Just to be on the safe side, I’d have that darling Father Adam marry you again so all those dreary legal forms are taken care of.”

 But even though Peter heard the words, he wasn’t paying any attention because now he had the right to kiss Ruth the way he’d wanted to.  Her arms were around his neck and he gathered her as close as he could while exploring the warm depths of her mouth.  She was an addicting blend of spices and he knew that it would be a very long time before he’d become accustomed to that intoxicating taste.

 “PETER!”  Sam’s voice finally got through the glowing haze he felt surrounding them.  “Thank you.  Jane and I are going back to the ship to call Moon Base and let them know we’re all right.  Ruth is still looking a little pale and she could probably use a swim to finish off the healing.  Both of you could stand a dip.  We’ll announce ourselves before we come back.  All right?”

 Peter blushed and realized that he felt a little shy about getting naked in front of Ruth.  But she was kissing Sam’s cheek and hugging Jane while she whispered her thanks to them both.  The Goddess got her own hug and when she turned to him, he gingerly hugged her as well.

 “Go easy on the Hamilton-pout, my knight.”  She whispered in his ear.  “Only use it for the really big things.  You wouldn’t want to wear it out, hm-m-m?”

 And with a wink, she took Mustapha by the hand and led him back to the others who had waited so patiently.  Within the space of five minutes, they were alone under the bright sun on the white sandy beach.  He was at a loss for words and she seemed to understand, leaning up and kissing the dimple in his chin.

 “A swim would be wonderful, my Peter.  Join me?”  She stepped back and dropped the woven robe to the sand before reaching up and sliding his flight suit zipper slowly down.

 He helped her finish undressing him and finally stood before her naked.  The look of wonder in her eyes was a heady reminder that they were married now.  “I think we should get in the water before I pounce on you and shock Sam and Jane.”

 Her chuckle seemed to break the spell they were under and she held out her hand for his.  “A swim for now, shocking the others comes later.”

 Peter laughed out loud and pulled her into the surf, wading down the shallow underwater slope until they were deep enough to swim.  She was like a white haired seal, all sleek lines and graceful curves.  He felt clumsy next to her but she didn’t seem to mind.

 A chattering sound broke through the sound of the surf and he treaded water while he tried to see what could have made that noise.  A blunt snout popped up between Ruth and him, then another and yet another until they were surrounded by an entire pod of dolphins.  They all seemed to have something to tell Ruth and she laughed out loud while they came and went below the surface.

 “They want to know where Solantha is.”  She chortled and rubbed the nose of the one closest to her.  “I told him that he was busy but that I’d brought you instead.  Now this one wants to know if we’re going to mate each other here.”

 “Not enough time for the mating I’m planning.  When we come together, there won’t be any witnesses.  Although I have to admit that I’ve missed water more than I thought I would.”  Peter carefully slid a hand along the hide of one of the sea mammals and marveled at the satin smooth skin.

 “Oh that sounds promising, my Peter.”  She reached out a hand to him and they held hands while the dolphins danced around them.  “I too look forward to our mating.”

 Peter smiled and closed his eyes for the sheer pleasure of opening them again to see the sunlight sparkling on the drops in her hair.  “I love you, Ruth Hamilton.  Together we will move our people right out to the stars.  But later . . . right now all I want to do is be with you.  The rest of the world can wait for us.”

********************
End of chapter 36