Marina patiently waits nearby until Sal leaves us. As they pass her, she locks eyes with them for a moment and says, “Tomorrow morning?” Sal just nods. Excellent, so that examination is indeed going to happen. Hopefully they’ll both get something out of it.
Then Marina approaches me and Cleve, looking at each of us for a beat before saying, “Stay safe, okay?”
“You as well,” Cleve says. “See you later, doc.” He throws his arms around her in a swift hug, gives her a hearty pat on the back, and steps back.
Marina looks slightly startled by the speed of that, but she recovers her composure quickly and tells him, “Yes, those people are counting on you, Cleve, and you’re going to do well for them. And I’ll be there in Data Haven to patch up whoever needs patching up. But I know with all of your leadership and all of your insight, we’re going to get through this. It’s been an honor traveling and working together.”
“This isn’t goodbye forever, I hope,” Cleve says. I can take a guess at what he’s thinking, though: but we’re probably all going to die.
I watch this exchange, standing there with my hands in my pockets, not sure what to expect. I’ve been making life hard for Marina lately, and though I think I’ve sorted through it all, it’s not like I’ve apologized to her. She looks at me now and sighs. “Mariah,” she says, her voice breaking on my name. Cleve drifts a few steps away, giving us space. “I really want you to take care of yourself,” Marina continues. “I know I’m your doctor but…” She takes a slow breath in and out through her nose, steeling herself for something. “But I care about you too, and not just as a science experiment! I know it looks that way a lot. But because you’re an important person on this planet—you’re an important person to me, Mariah. I know nothing may come of it; I know that’s how it is: it might not work out…” She chokes up a little, then continues, “But since I don’t know if I’ll see you again, I wanted you to know that.”
Poor Marina. Her body is so tense, her arms clamped down against her sides. She looks so uncomfortable and has avoided eye contact with me for most of that declaration. She hasn’t reached for her gum, though—a small blessing. “Hey,” I say gently, placing my hand on her shoulder so that she looks up at me. “I can’t be everything you want me to be,” I tell her, “but you’re important to me, too.” With a light tap of my fingers I signal that she can have a hug if she wants one.
Marina throws her arms around me, holding me tightly, and I enfold her in my own. We stand together that way silently for a while. Then suddenly the quiet of the moment is disrupted by a blast of wind, and we’re crushed closer together. “Gale!” I shout, though my words are muffled by the wings and serpentine neck wrapped around me and Marina. The xenodragon is focused on how warm this is now that there are twice as many people to encircle. Her booming hums drown out any conventional speech, but I encourage her through the resonance connections between us to get back to the ship. There’ll be plenty of time on the sea voyage for warm snuggles.
Gale finally unwraps herself, partly at my urging and partly due to Xiao’s yelling. I let go of Marina, and she wipes at her eyes. She gives me a fragile smile and a small nod. It’s not easy for her, but I think she’s gotten the correct message from me. She clears her throat and says, “I will take care of Checkerboard. I’ll ensure that she’s safe, and if Checkerboard wants to settle here or try to reintegrate with craw society or go to Data Haven, I will make that happen.”
“Thank you. I know you will take as good care of Checkerboard as you have of me,” I tell her sincerely. I haven’t always appreciated it this past week, but she’s been there for me, and I know she’ll be there for Checkerboard.
“Stay safe,” she tells me again. “And… keep adapting.”
I smile. That’s the real Stepdaughters of Chiron motto, not whatever it takes. “You too,” I tell her.