Quantum Entanglement: Howzer and Aurelia

25. Medical Practice

The next week had painstakingly crawled by as Howzer had been off-world with Cham, visiting allies in a nearby system. He had left Aurelia with a cryptic message that had been consuming her thoughts, including at the most inopportune times as she was being provided with increasingly difficult opportunities to practice her medical skills. It was all under strict supervision and guidance, of course, but it's less than ideal to have one's mind wander when re-setting a bone. 

"I want to take you somewhere special, and I have a question to ask you," he had said, refusing her attempts to wheedle any additional information out of him. 

"You can't tell me you have a question that you aren't going to ask for a week!" she'd protested.

"Just think about your life, what you want and don't want... A little time of mid-life reflection, you know," he had teased, to which she had immediately spluttered her resentment at the phrase "mid-life". His face had grown thoughtful, though, and he smothered her with a kiss that left her breathless. His growing confidence and willingness to engage physically was a continual source of rumination and distraction for her as well.

She could hardly wait for his return, and as the day drew to a close, her heart leapt when she caught sight of him standing in the foyer of the medical center. Trying to check her enthusiasm, she gave him a polite nod in greeting, beaming uncontrollably. He held out an arm for her, his signature gentlemanly move that she had so fallen in love with, and they walked toward her place. 

Immediately, she noticed he was walking rather stiffly, with a distinct limp. She stopped, turning to face him and look him up and down. 

"What's wrong? What happened?" she asked, giving him a stern eyebrow to make it clear that evasive action was not to be attempted. 

"Ah, just another day on the job," he responded, grimacing when she jabbed him in the armpit space between his armor plates. "Okay, we got in a little scuffle a few days ago. The negotiations became more physical than verbal once Gobi got involved. But it's nothing. I had my checkup, ma'am." 

Laughing at his mockingly contrite tone, Aurelia took his arm and continued walking, "Some lucky doctor..." she muttered.

"The droid was clearly enamored," Howzer bantered, grinning at her shameless jealousy. 

"Okay, so what's the plan?" she asked, trying to play it cool. 

"What plan?"

"How dare you."

"What?" his face assumed an expression of such undeniably adorable innocence that she wanted to kiss him right then and there. "Oh! Yeah, we talked about going somewhere, didn't we..."

"I nearly fused someone's femur to their hip socket because I've been thinking about it all week," she admitted, in the hopes of him giving up the facade.

"Oh boy," he chuckled, "Well, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that it has to wait for the full moon. The good news is that the moon will be full in two days."

"Interesting," she said, stifling her slight disappointment. "But also probably good, since it looks like you could use a break." She nodded at his unwieldy gate. 

"I'm fine," he insisted, as they stopped off at his barracks for him to pick up some fresh clothes. 

* * * 

A warm meal and a long, hot shower later, Howzer reclined on Aurelia's couch, gazing out the transparisteel panels. She wiped the last dish from their dinner, feeling markedly domestic and wondering at the reality of her life, then had an idea. She rummaged in the cupboard, finding a lightly-scented cooking oil, and headed for the living room.