Silent Dances by A. C. Crispin

Author:A. C. Crispin [Crispin, A. C. & O'Malley, Kathleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Science Fiction, General
ISBN: 9780441783304
Google: 8fJ8NwAACAAJ
Amazon: 0441783309
Publisher: Ace
Published: 1990-03-15T08:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

The Stories

"If you weren ' t so beat up , I'd be really pissed at you," Thorn signed as he checked the re adings on the null - grav couch that would protect Tesa from the worst of the shu tt le's thrust.

"You are pissed at me," she signed. The numbing cold from the ice wraps coveri ng her wounds only compounded her discomfo rt .

"Do you have any idea what I was going through 'watching you get the shit kicked out of you down the re ?" the biologist asked , then gently molded an ice wrap around her face.

"Not half what I was going through gett ing it done!" She yanked it away , smacking his hand. "Am I going to have to console you because I got

hu rt? And I am not your helpless lover, so just stop acting like a nursemaid ." She slapped the ice wrap back on her face too hard , and saw spangles.

He lifted the wrap, to be sure she could see his signs. "You're not my

lover," he reminded her, bitterly. "You're the partner of a feathered alien."

Her hands moved tire dly , " You can ' t build a relationship on jealousy , Thorn ."

"Relationship!" he signed . " What re lationship ? I've let you 144

145

know how I feel , but you tell me nothing . I'm not even su re if we' re friends!" He sat on the couch, turning away from her.

With an effort, she sat up and touched his shoulder. He gazed at her

solemnly. "Of course we're friends," she signed. "If I've been cool to you, Thorn ... it's not that I don't care about you ... but I ' m not su re how much I wan t to ca re ."

She stopped then, hesitant to say more. What was the point in worrying

about her feelings toward someone when she'd be re tu rn ing to Earth in a

year? How soon befo re she'd re sent him, resent that he'd be able to stay and work on Trinity? She thought of Mahree Burroughs and Rob Gable--

thought of how much longer their separations were than their times together.

Could any relationship be worth that?

Without answering, he touched her face gently and kissed her mouth-one of

her few unswollen places. Her eyes closed as she accepted the kiss. There

was no pressure in it, no demands-just a ple asan t , c aring touch , with a hint of passion behind it. When Thorn pulled back, Tesa surprised herself

by following him, sliding an arm around his neck an d kissing him back.

They separated and Tesa sank back down, exhausted-and more confused

than before. She couldn't help but smile. "Will you try to deal with my

situation with the Grus any better?"

He smiled weakly, looking chagrined. "I'll work on it. But Meg was worried,

too, you know."

"Meg has an excuse. She's already had one friend die."

"And now I know we are, at least, friends." He laughed good-naturedly.

"Okay. But I won't be your biggest problem aboard the Crane.

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