I step in the large shower and a glass door closes behind me. Showerheads line the ceiling, walls, and floor and douse me in an ice-cold liquid that smells more like cleaning fluid than water. The pressure of the water stings my skin making me feel as though I’m in a high-powered car wash. Liquid streams into my mouth, and I gag from the horrible taste. I’m careful to keep my eyes tightly closed. When the water stops, I hear the computer-operated door slide open. I feel my way through, not daring to open my eyes to the chemicals. My outstretched hands touch glass, as the door behind me slides closed. I reach out from my sides and feel tiles and more showerheads, which turn on full force again. This time the water is hot, too hot for comfort but at least it smells and tastes like water. When the water stops, I open my eyes.
Another glass door in front of me opens and leads to a third shower which appears normal and stocked with shampoo and body wash on a small built-in shelf. I turn on the shower, adjust the water to a comfortable temperature, and take my time. As I turn off the water, the glass door in front of me slides open – the final glass door. A towel hangs on a peg next to the door, and I step out and carefully pat dry my sore skin. I see fresh, folded purple and black on a bench, so I dress before I towel dry my hair. Being back in uniform instead of a gown or scrubs is more of a comfort than I expected. Seeing no brush or comb, I pull my fingers through my hair and exit the room.
Ryan’s waiting on the other side with Dr. Brant. “Well it’s about time,” she snaps.
Both Ryan and I stare, dumbfounded by her demeanor.
Her next words are softer. “Never mind, you’re both here now and you may enter the base.”
Despite my lingering mixed feelings toward Dr. Brant and the rest of the field managers that interrogated me, I thank her, and she waves me off.
“Don’t mention it. Just take your time getting acclimated back to base life. I’ll meet with you again when you’re ready to go back out into the field.”
“What do you mean when we’re ready?” I blurt. “Just how long will we have to wait to get back to work?”
She gives me a stern look that has the feel of a threat. “That depends on you. After the trauma you’ve been through, the other field managers and I believe it’s best to give you some time. Besides, I need to be sure the two of you won’t repeat any of what happened.” She leaves the room before I can argue.
I pace and rub a hand along the back of my neck. Grounded! I can’t believe she actually grounded us, and she didn’t even have the decency to say so directly.
“Trauma? Ha!” I rant to Ryan. “Can you believe that? They’re worried about our trauma. The only trauma I’ve had is from them! Friggin’ lab rats. Heck, a rabid dog gets treated better than they treated us!”
Ryan crosses over and folds me in his arms. I bury my face in his chest and breathe in his scent, which currently has an antiseptic quality to it, but I don’t mind. He’s still Ryan, and this is the only privacy we’ve had in weeks. I reach one arm around his waist and rest the other on his neck. Ryan leans down, lightly kisses my forehead, my cheek, and finally my lips. His kiss is slow and gentle. My tongue traces his lips, and his responding kiss has an intensity that spreads warmth through my body. Footsteps approach before I completely melt in his arms.
Begrudgingly, I pull away. We’ve agreed to keep our relationship quiet until we break up with Brody and Kelly. Having them find out about us as a rumor would just be cruel. “Let’s go to the base so we can remember what it feels like to be normal.”
Ryan laughs softly. “Normal. I’m not sure what that is anymore.” He leans in, brushes his lips against mine, then lets out a soft moan. “I’d rather stay for more of this, but I did promise to thank someone profusely the minute we got back.”
The thought of Andi is enough to make me want to run back to the base. Ryan takes my hand and leads me onto the base.
I dread facing the potential crowd of well-wishers, but I’m confused and disappointed when we enter the base and no one is there to welcome us. Not a single friend. I thought someone would have at least told Jake and Molly about our return to base.
“I guess they decided to keep our release quiet.” Ryan looks around. “Let’s find Andi.”
“Come on. We’re gonna be late.” A couple of girls in party dresses run past us.
Ryan jerks his head in their direction. “Should we follow?”
“Sure. I just hope it’s not a surprise party for us.” I’d rather individually hunt down our friends than be the center of everyone’s attention.
“Me too.” He rests his hand on the small of my back. Remembering appearances, I step away, but the heat of his touch lingers.
The girls are a little far north to be so dressed up. Only labs, offices, and the base hospital are in the immediate area. Further north are the warehouses and manufacturing buildings which remain inactive for the most part.
The girls jog along the perimeter fence, past the shops and dining halls. They don’t stop at the recreation centers or dorms, but continue into married housing until they reach a large crowd all dressed in formal attire. The group has their backs toward us, as they look at something—the tree Ryan planted for me. But why?
I understand as soon as we get near. Streams of tulle and silk bows adorn a metal arch beside the tree. A narrow white carpet forms an aisle, dividing the crowd, and at the end of the aisle stands a nervous groom and his Best Man. The people around us are not brainless pod people but guests of a wedding.
“Brett? Ryan? Is it really you?” Wendy calls in her sugary-sweet voice and weaves her way through the crowd. Rising up on her toes, she throws her arms around us both. “I can’t believe it. They’d said you’d been found, but it seemed too good to be true.”
I gasp for air and pry her arm from my neck. “Well, it’s true.” Music begins and a hush spreads through the crowd. The Maid of Honor scatters rose petals along the aisle at the feet of the bride in overflowing white silk, who gazes adoringly at her groom while she moves up the aisle.
My tree is nothing more than a pretty backdrop for the event. I’m annoyed that they’ve taken my spot, but the wedding itself disturbs me. A chill runs up my spine.
That could have been me
. A couple of months ago, I never would have believed my feelings for Brody were artificial. I want to run up the aisle and scream a warning, but the couple looks head-over-heels in love, and would never believe me. I didn’t feel that kind of deep love for Brody—maybe these two are meant to be together.
To be polite we stay until the end of the ceremony. Everyone cheers when the bride and groom kiss and then the happy couple leads a procession away from my tree. From the conversations we overhear, we know they’re going to the recreation hall with the dance floor. Wendy waits for us.
A mischievous look twinkles in Ryan’s eye. “Feel like dancing?”
I shake my head. “I’m not in the mood.” I motion for Wendy to go ahead without us.
“I thought all girls loved weddings,” he teases.
“Only if it’s to the right guy.”
“You have something against the groom?” His face drops. “You’re thinking of Brody.”
“Yeah, something like that.” Actually, it’s nothing like that, but I’ve decided to talk to Andi before I share my pod theory with anyone else. “Let’s go see Andi. It’ll be more fun than any wedding reception.”
We quietly enter the lab. Andi and Jeremy are working in the large bay area of the research and development lab on what looks like two small robots. Andi’s spiked hair has grown longer and lays flat all on its own now. Jeremy looks exactly as I remember him, tall and lanky with hair several shades darker than Andi’s platinum blond. All they need are pouty expressions to look more like models than inventors. I motion for Ryan to wait while I enjoy their competitive banter.
Andi scoops something up off the ground. “And just what good will your puny pincer grasp be when you have to dig? And don’t you dare tell me this toy is going to accomplish anything.” Andi waves a small, metallic shovel in the air.
Unable to resist, I say, “What if it just wants to play in a giant sandbox?”
Andi and Jeremy turn around and stare wide-eyed. The metal shovel clanks against the ground, and briefly I worry Andi will faint, but then she remembers to breathe and her color returns. Hurdling over the second robot, she rushes to give me a strangling hug.
“Brett! I told them to keep looking. I knew if anyone could survive it was you two, but they wouldn’t listen—they wouldn’t let me go out on my own.” I hate hearing the grief in her voice.
Ryan rescues me from Andi’s death grip by pulling her into a hug of his own. “Andi, you’ve done more than enough for us already.” He steps back and holds her at arm length. “The only reason we’re still alive is because of your inventions. If you hadn’t insisted Brett carry them with her, we’d be dead. Don’t beat yourself up, and thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for saving us.”
“My inventions?” Andi hiccups. Unexpected tears stream down my face, and blur my vision. I’ve missed Andi and her quirks, including the hiccups that start whenever she’s upset.
“For starters you need to start mass producing your igloo,” I say. “Every scientific team should have at least one. It’s how we survived the flood. Plus, even after the beating it took, it still worked as a portable shelter. On the colder nights, your sleeping bag kept us warm without the need for a fire, so we could stay completely protected at night. Your jerky still needs better flavoring, but it kept us going when there was no food to forage for. So, you shouldn’t be apologizing but patting yourself on the back for saving us.”
Our overwhelming praise shocks her into a rare silence.
When she finally loses her dazed expression, I say, “I’ve missed you, Andi.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” she responds, then gives me a long, appraising look. I wonder if my color is still a little off. “Ryan, do you mind if Brett and I have a moment alone?” Andi asks.
“Sure.” Ryan moves away and joins Jeremy by the robots.
“So what are you going to tell Brody?” Andi gives me her knowing look.
“What do you mean?” I ask, but Andi’s not buying my innocence act.
“Unless you plan to date Ryan and stay engaged to Brody, you’ll need to say something to Brody,” she answers.
My face drops. “Is it that obvious?” I ask. “We were hoping to keep it quiet for now.”
Andi gives me a reassuring smile. “Probably not to everyone, but I’d tell Ryan to stop watching you so protectively. And your missing ring doesn’t help either. So why are you keeping it quiet anyway?”
“We want to give Brody and Kelly time to rebound from the break-ups before we go public.” The moment I voice the plan, I know it’s silly. Break-ups are painful, no matter how they’re handled. Hurt feelings can’t be avoided. Better to be honest and get everything out in the open immediately so the healing can begin.
“That’s considerate of you,” Andi says, but her tone and the creases in her brow contradict her words.
“So, how has Brody been doing?” I ask.
Andi’s nose wrinkles as if I’d just thrust something foul smelling under it. “He’s pretty much the same. Nothing seems to faze him that much.” Her hand suddenly flies to her mouth. When she continues her voice is softer and full of sympathy. “I’m not trying to hurt your feelings, Brett. He’s just not that deep. At first, I was mad that he wasn’t torn up about your disappearance, but finally I realized he’s not worth the energy. I’m glad you came to your senses about him and decided to dump him.”
Admittedly, I’m a little hurt by Brody’s lack of emotion for me. A part of me wants Andi to be wrong and for Brody to be heartbroken without me. Pushing my shallow vanity aside, I say, “That’s actually good news. It may be easier to break up with him than I planned.” My pain slips into my voice.
“Just forget about him. You definitely traded up.” Andi snaps her fingers. “Wait! Before I forget, I have something for you.” She disappears into her office and returns, skipping back over to me. With her hands hidden behind her back, she sways back and forth.
“Now close your eyes,” she sings.
There’s no point trying to argue with Andi. She’s more stubborn and persistent than I am, and in the end, she always gets her way. So, I close my eyes.
Her fingers brush my ear, and I automatically jerk away. “Relax,” she says before slipping what feels like earplugs into each of my ears. As soon as the music begins, I tear up. The song playing is
Hully Gully
by The Dovells.
My grandmother would always dance to
Hully Gully
, but most DJ’s didn’t stock it in their repertoire, and only a few even knew the song that inspired the once popular line dance. My grandmother invariably seemed so disappointed when no one could play her requested favorite, so I hunted down the version she liked best by The Dovells, and synched it to my MP3 player which I took everywhere. My grandmother always looked so happy when she danced.
Before she passed away, she confided in me that she met my grandfather dancing to that song. Grandpa Joe always had two left feet and stepped left when he was supposed to dip during the line dance. When my grandmother dipped, her dress brushed the ground at the exact spot where my grandfather’s foot landed. So when my grandmother turned in the correct direction, and my grandfather pivoted in the opposite one, the result was a loud rip. My grandmother’s powder blue dress tore at the seam and a large, crescent-shaped tear at her waist revealed her white slip. Luckily, my grandfather’s two left feet only extended to the dance floor. He quickly ripped off his suit jacket and wrapped it around my grandmother. No one else ever knew what happened. He saved my grandmother from embarrassment, and soon after, he won her heart.
I thought the song was lost to me forever when my MP3 player stopped working. But somehow, Andi managed to fix it.
The joy that radiates from Andi matches how I feel. “I gave up trying to fix the device itself and focused on recovering the memory,” she says. “I should have done that in the beginning. It was so much easier. There’s only one drawback to recovering the memory. I had to run it through the database, so now all of your music files are in the database’s general library. I hope you don’t mind. I just really wanted to have it fixed before you made it back.”