Paul Gillebaard: Space Hoax

Anya reached for a cup as she tilted her head, lifting an eyebrow. “Weren’t they excited this time?”

Suzy spoke in a gentle tone as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “Brian was okay with it, but Matthew was scared. Surprisingly, he seemed to grasp what his father was doing. In fact, it was so cute the last thing he communicated to Blake. Matthew signed, Don’t die, Daddy, I don’t want another daddy. I could see Blake was caught off guard by his fears, but then he knelt down and put his arm around Matthew, promising he would be back. He then pointed to Matthew’s heart and said a part of Daddy would always be right there, even when he was in space. It was such a sweet and touching moment.”

Anya turned back toward the window. Suzy’s words had touched her heart. She closed her face down like a gate slamming shut. Though she had no idea what was going on in space, she still had to make sure she didn’t give away any sign she knew anything. She prayed Blake was okay as she pretended to be watching the boys.

Suzy asked, “Is everything all right?”

Stay strong, Anya. She took a deep breath before turning back with a consoling smile. “Yes. That is a touching story.”

Suzy sprang up. “How rude of me, I should have gotten us something to snack on.”

Anya raised her hand as she emphatically shook her head. “Please don’t go to any trouble.”

Suzy marched over to the counter. “Oh, it’s no trouble. I baked some cookies last night with the boys.” When she was halfway across the kitchen, the phone rang. “Excuse me.” She did a 90-degree turn and aimed for the sound. As she answered, she looked to the floor with a slight smile.

Anya studied the young woman’s face to see if this was the call. For a few moments, there was no change in Suzy’s expression as she just listened. Soon her smile gave way as disappointment etched steadily across her face. This was the call. Finally, the mother spoke to the caller. “Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” When she hung up, she dropped her head.

Anya innocently asked. “Who was that?”

“EarthOrbit. They had to cut the mission short and asked me to hustle over to Hobby Airport. Apparently, the men are coming home today. EarthOrbit wants to fly me over to the recovery ship.”

Anya let out a big sigh, sure that this meant both men were returning.

Suzy looked outside at her children. She spoke with a hint of alarm in her voice. “It’s kind of odd they’re flying me to the recovery ship. That was never in the plans, and they asked me not to bring the kids.”

Those comments made Anya nervous. She swallowed hard as she kept her demeanor steady. “I’m sure they’re doing it just because they’re cutting the assignment short. Maybe Blake asked for you. Anyway, I’m sure everything will be fine.”

Suzy flashed a grim smile.

Anya offered, “I can watch the boys if you would like?”

Suzy gave an appreciative nod. “Thanks, but I’ll have my mother come over.” As she reached for the phone, she suddenly stopped and turned toward Anya. She bit her lower lip for a moment before asking, “Would you mind going with me? I could use the support. Besides, with Peter as part of the team, I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Anya rose from her chair. She would love to escort the young mother. Plus, being on the ship would allow her to learn if Peter was involved. “Sure, I would be more than happy to.”

MING WAS SURPRISED to see his boss’s door shut. Though it was not an uncommon sight during most days, Kuang had purposely left his door wide open lately so he could be given quick updates on what was happening in space. Ming assumed Kuang was probably on a private call. He took a moment to ponder if he should interrupt. Since his boss had insisted on being informed on the latest developments, Ming was sure the news of the Americans landing in the Pacific warranted being told immediately.

The assistant director lightly knocked on the wooden door. He listened intently for a response. Nothing. Ming tried again, this time knocking harder. Again nothing. Convinced his boss was on an important phone call, Ming cautiously opened the door. Because he had not been invited in, he bowed his head as he entered.

Looking at the floor, Ming was surprised he did not hear a sound. “Sir, I have an important update.” He stopped all movement as he waited for his boss to answer. After a long beat, Ming gradually lifted his head. His eyes widened in shock at the sight of Kuang hunched over his desk, his head turned sideways with his arms sprawled out. Ming stood stunned. He saw no movement. He approached guardedly. Kuang’s lifeless eyes were wide open with a blank stare aiming directly at him. Ming tried to process the grim sight. Soon he stood over the desk and saw the bottom side of his boss’s face soaking in a puddle of blood. Ming cautiously placed two fingers on the director’s neck to check for a pulse. As he struggled to get a reading, a handgun lying on the floor next to the desk confirmed his suspicions. After a few moments, it was obvious his mentor was dead. Ming gently closed the dead man’s eyes before softly placing a hand on Kuang’s head. He bowed to say a short prayer for the disgraced leader.

PETER’S MIND WAS floating in a big fog. Where the hell am I? He was going in and out of consciousness as he tried to focus on his surroundings. He felt like a big blob of Jell-O lying in a bed. He was having a difficult time moving any part of his body. He took a few minutes to grasp his situation. As he struggled to clear his head, he saw a man in a military uniform with a stethoscope around his neck standing over him. The man appeared to be talking, but all he heard were muffled sounds. Come on, Peter, wake up.

He looked away as he tried to recall what had happened. He closed his eyes. Bit by bit he started to remember the mission. Then it hit him—he and Jesse had crashed in the Pacific. The man standing over him must be a doctor. His first impulse was to try to find out if his friend had survived. He turned to the man and tried to ask, but nothing came out of his mouth.

The sound of the doctor’s genial voice began to break through Peter’s haze. “Don’t strain yourself, young man. You’re lucky to be alive.” The man turned away. “Nurse, get him some water.”

Hearing the word water made Peter realize his mouth was bone dry. He circled the outside of his mouth with his dry tongue, feeling the rough edges of his chapped lips. The doctor grabbed a cup with a straw from the nurse. He bent down and gently slipped the straw into Peter’s mouth. The first few sips burned flowing down his parched throat. He was starting to get his bearings. He tried again to talk, hoping his words wouldn’t come out gibberish. “How umm Jesse?”

The man looked dumbfounded for a second before he let out a big sigh. “Oh, how’s your partner? He’s fine. He’s banged up too. You two are a couple of lucky sons of guns. Someone up there likes you two. So how do you feel?”

Peter was relieved to hear that Jesse had made it. He tried to move his arms, but found he was having trouble. Obviously he was heavily drugged, yet still in a lot of pain. “I feel like I was hit by a wrecking ball.”

The man chuckled. “That’s a good description. Your body did experience something like that. You sustained some serious internal bleeding caused by the blunt force trauma your body has been through. In fact, blood had stopped flowing to your left leg due to the pressure buildup from the bleeding. I was forced to do a deep cut in your thigh to relieve the pressure before I was able to stop the internal bleeding. The good news is you should be okay; the bad news is you have a couple of tough weeks ahead of you.”