"Doctor, check again to see that nothing's lurking
around."
"Yes, Captain." Dr. Doppler peeked out the window of B.E.N.'s dwelling
for what seemed like the hundreth time. It was pointless. He had just checked
outside two seconds ago, but he would never think to disobey the captain -
especially the injured captain. He hated to imagine what pain she must be
in right now. Being struck by a laser was one experience he hoped he'd never
have to endure. And then, in addition to her injury, the captain was now also
having to endure hiding away on a strange planet while being stalked by pirates.
How tough her guts must be.
"Anything out there, Doctor?"
"No, nothing."
"Are you positively certain?"
Doppler looked back at her. "Captain, I swear there's nothing out there. Now
listen, shouting at me every other minute to check can't be good for you.
Relax. I promised you that I would stand guard, and I will. You get some rest
and recover your strengh."
Amelia broke into a weak smile. "You are quite a tender soul, Doctor."
Doppler sat on the ground beside her. He opened his mouth, perhaps with the
intention to say something, but no words came out. His head dropped down and
started staring at his feet as his mind began to wonder what Jimmy was up
to. It seemed like it had been ages since he and B.E.N. had disappeared through
B.E.N.'s back door to retrieve the map. How Doppler wished he were with Jimmy
helping him battle off pirates instead of here, growing more restless by the
moment, jumping every time Amelia winced, thinking of a thousand possibilities
without knowing the truth. Was that boy all right? Would his captain be all
right? He thought he was about to go mad with this uncertainty of waiting
in the dark.
"Doctor...." a weak voice said, piercing the silence.
Doppler looked back at Amelia. "Yes Captain," he said, "I'll check again."
"No....it wasn't that," Amelia whispered. "I-I just...wanted to thank you.
We are so fortunate to have someone so intelligent on our crew."
Doppler felt he should say "You really HAVE lost your mind!" True, he posessed
a vast education, but he was not worthy to be called intelligent...at least
not by her. She was clearly the one with all the brains on this expodition.
Were it not for her, he'd be either crushed by a black hole or captured by
pirates, or both. He silently rose from her side and made his way back to
the window to check again.
Nothing. He listened intently. No sounds that could be pirates...or Jim returning.
In fact, no sounds at all. This planet apparantly didn't support much life.
He sighed, thinking again about Jim and hoping that he was all right. He would
go off to look for that boy, were it not for something more important that
was lying injured right here.
"Captain," he whispered as he made his way back to where Amelia lay. "Nothing
again. Those pirates are either sleeping or chasing poor Jim around. I don't
know about you, but I desperately hope they're sleeping."
No answer came.
"Captain?" he asked as he stepped closer. He squinted in the dim light to
make out her face. In a second he could see that her head was nestled in his
coat and her eyes were closed. She was finally asleep.
Doppler sat down beside her again, trying hard to stifle this sudden feeling
of loneliness. He had been trying to get her to rest all day, and yet now
when she was finally resting, he felt horribly alone. Alone in the dark. With
pirates around. More restless thoughts were beginning to develop.
"Now now, come on Delbert," he said to himself. "Pull yourself together. Jim's
a capable lad: he'll get the map and he'll get us out of this mess. Yes, yes,
he will!" He spoke as loudly as he thought he would be able without waking
Amelia. "Yes Delbert, and besides, even if we are attacked, you can handle
it! After all, you're a man of science! Right?" He paused. "Somehow that didn't
come out right," he shrugged.
Talking to himself didn't seem to help much. He gazed down at what might be
another source of comfort: his sleeping captain. Though her body was surely
in great pain, the expression on her face was strangely relaxed. Doppler found
himself instinctively leaning in closer to her until his mouth was a few inches
away from her ear.
"Heal swiftly, Amelia," he whispered into her ear, thinking for a moment that
perhaps if her subconscious heard some comforting words, her healing process
might progress faster. It was an unlikely theory, but it was worth a try in
any case. It couldn't hurt, anyway. But as he sat back up, it suddenly hit
him that he had called her Amelia, not Captain.
"Amelia???" Oh, if she were awake she would surely kill him! She always insisted
that everyone on the ship address her as either Captain or Ma'm. And everyone,
even the pirates, had always obeyed that commandment. It dawned on Doppler
that he'd only heard her real name spoken once: when she had first introduced
herself. He was used to addressing her as Captain. So why had it come so naturally
for him to just call her Amelia?
Suddenly, she was more than just a higher authority to obey. She was more
than a title. Doppler couldn't understand it. This was something science couldn't
solve. He leaned back, trying to pinpoint exactly when she had become Amelia
in his head instead of Captain. He knew the feelings couldn't be mutual. She
never called him anything but "Doctor."
He gazed down at Amelia. If only he dared....would he dare? His hand slowly
moved toward her head. No, he shouldn't....if she woke up he'd be dead meat.....but
his hand wouldn't stop moving.
His hand touched Amelia's head and his fingers slowly stroked her soft hair.
How soft it was. So pleasing to the touch. She stirred slightly. For a split
second Doppler froze in fear that he was waking her, but her eyes remained
shut. Her head gently nuzzled Doppler's hand and made a soft purring sound,
as though she felt his affectionate touch.
Doppler lay back next to her, gradually becoming aware of the fatuige that
was overcoming him. He wasn't thinking about pirates, or Jim, or the map,
or anything except the softness in his fingers. Perhaps a day would come when
they wouldn't be Captain and Doctor to each other, but rather just Amelia
and Delbert.
No one was watching as Doppler drifted off to sleep, but if there were any
observers around, they would have seen a new couple, blisfully asleep embracing
each other.
(A little while later they got captured by Silver and the pirates, but that's
another story.)
