Pandora: Liminal Space Book 2

Chapter Forty-Two

The day started with a fight.

Not the kind of fight that Garrett preferred if one was inevitable, full of angry declarations, wild claims and drama that was resolved either with brutal makeup sex or a badly needed break from each other. It wasn't the kind Robbie preferred either, which was purely physical, any interpersonal conflict resolved with fists and feet, knees and elbows, and perhaps a shock baton if you were feeling vindictive. No, this kind of fight was the kind that Jonah seemed to lean towards, which was to say that it wasn't really a fight at all, more like a mass of unresolved feelings that tainted everything you did and said but maintained deniability.

Garrett had been expecting a fight. Truth be told, he would have welcomed a fight at this point, in the way that a child welcomes the sting of a needle because it means the shot will be over soon. It was time to stop living in a fantasy world where he could stay with Jonah and Cody without having to stay here, on Pandora, forever. Yes, he'd finish out the contract here, and if things went the best way Garrett thought they possibly could, Jonah would accept his lover's decision and decide that they could still be together for the remainder of Garrett's time here. If things didn't work out, well, at least then they both would know and could move on, instead of being trapped in the limbo that was "maybe".

Garrett had had his new eyes for close to a week, and in two days Jonah and Cody were moving into their new house. Cody talked on and on about how great it was and how much Garrett was going to like it, and both of the adults had been indulging his fantasy, but the issue remained, well, an issue between them. Jonah wanted Garrett to move with them; Garrett wanted to keep his apartment on board. Garrett had suggested splitting his time in an effort to compromise, but Jonah had been pretty adamant that he wanted Cody to be able to depend on Garrett.

"We're not part-time people," Jonah had said, almost angrily as they went to bed last night. "I told you that from the start. Cody doesn't need you around some of the time, he needs you to be there for him all the time. So do I."

Garrett had rounded on that, ready to argue his side, but by then Jonah had sighed, apologized and gone to shower. By the time he came out he was mostly silent, not angry, and he clearly didn't want to talk about it. "Not my place to tell you what to do," he'd said before kissing Garrett firmly on the mouth.

It honestly wasn't surprising that Jonah was a passive-aggressive arguer. He'd been raised a Drifter, and Drifters had to be charming as hell if they were going to make berth at any place in the central system, but once they docked they had to be prepared to bargain hard for the best deals they could in the time they had. Also, most likely the last time Jonah had had a huge fight with a lover was when he'd split with Jack, and that had resulted in a tacit exile from his family. No wonder he was cautious now with Garrett.

Especially because he loves you. Garrett knew Jonah loved him. They hadn't exchanged those words but it was there in his movements, in the way he touched Garrett when they were together, the way he held him at night, the way he smiled. He hadn't said it yet because Garrett hadn't, and Garrett wasn't going to, either. It was bad enough that he'd already admitted it privately to himself.

Which means you're giving up on any possible future with the man you love, and his wonderful child, because you're a selfish bastard. Yeah,well, of course it sounded bad when he put it like that.

The day didn't improve with work. Garrett's climate modeling unit crashed during the first hour, and the technical support staff were all busy out in Pandora City doing custom power and appliance installations for new homeowners. That left Garrett with trying to repair it himself, and while he was an excellent climatologist, he was a terrible mechanical engineer.

"Fuck."

"That's the fifth fuck this hour," Lila commented from her workstation. "Don't you want to just leave this for a professional."

"I am a—fuck it—a professional. I can do this. I just don't have the right tools, I had to jury rig the right soldering tip and the welds aren't sticking."

"You can't use a soldering iron in one of those," Shekar objected. "The backing is a non-conductive alloy, it won't bond with typical solders. Let me see the module." He wiggled his fingers imperiously.

"Fine." Garrett gave the piece up reluctantly and watched sullenly as Shekar immediately discarded the soldering iron and began rummaging through his station for tools of his own.

"Someone's being Mister Grumpy," Lila said quietly.

"You've been spending too much time with your kindergarten teacher lately," Garrett replied. "And how is Mr. Hugelin-Padin?"

"He's fine, and don't change the subject. What's the problem?"

"Not one I want to share in any form or flavor, thanks."

"Is it about Jonah?" she asked. "Did you guys have a fight?"

"What part of 'not going to share' don't you comprehend?"

"Oh, you did," she cooed sympathetically. "You know, it might help to talk about it."

Garrett shut his eyes for a moment. "Lila...you are not Glinda the Good Psychiatrist. You don't get to psychoanalyze me or encourage me to talk about my feelings, not if you want to maintain a decent working relationship with me."

"I thought we were friends as well," she said with a frown. "Friends share things that are bothering them with each other."

"I have nothing to share. I'm not bothered, Lila, this isn't my bothered face."

"You shouldn't lie to yourself like this, Garrett."

It was becoming perilously easy for Garrett to picture himself bopping Lila upside the head with the soil sample she was currently analyzing. The sounding of his com saved him from too much temptation. "Yes?"

"Sir, you have a message coming through marked urgent."

"Where is it from?"

"Planet designation Paradise."

An urgent message from Paradise could only be bad. Garrett hadn't heard from anyone there since his father introduced him to Renee. "I'll take audio now."

"Connecting you, one moment please."

A second later Garrett heard Claudia, and a second after that he was glad he was sitting down.

"Gare, it's me." Her voice was nothing like he was used to hearing, husky with exhaustion and something else. It sounded like...pain. "There's been an attack—well, there were a couple really, but they all happened at the same time. Terrorists launched rockets at your father's motorcade yesterday while he was heading to the Parliament building and two of the vehicles were destroyed. Six people were killed...not Miles, thank god, but he was very badly wounded. He's in an artificial coma for the Regen work and probably will be for weeks."