“—Right, I want answers,” Tripp stormed through the door and made for Jelly, who instantly cowered behind her arms in fright.
“Miew…”
“Jelly, look at me.”
“Tripp, what are you doing?” Wool barked at him as he loomed over the frightened young girl. The heart monitor beeped rapidly.
“Be quiet, Wool. That’s an order,” he turned to Jelly and paused for a second as he looked into her eyes, “Look at me.”
“I… I look.”
“This is quite ridiculous, you expect me to believe—”
“—Tripp, please,” Bonnie tried.
“Bonnie, you’re outta line. Stand down,” he returned to Jelly and demanded answers, “I know you understand me. I’m not playing around, anymore. Tell me what happened to you.”
Jelly stopped purring and hugged her knees against her chest, “Big… water.”
“Big water? You mean outside there in that pink place?”
She nodded and hoped Tripp was satisfied enough to leave her alone. Very ambitious, given his less than sedentary mood.
“What happened when you went in the water?”
“Swim,” she stammered, her whiskers vibrating subtly, “Down.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Hairs made me,” she pointed at her whiskers, “Go to get gift.”
“Gift?” Tripp exclaimed and threw his hands into the air, “What gift? What’s the gift?”
“Pink Symphony.”
“This is useless,” Tripp couldn’t look at her any longer. He faced the opposite wall in an attempt to calm his nerves.
“Not liking. Angry,” Jelly swung her legs over the edge of the bed in defiance, “Not liking you.”
He punched his fists together in anger, “Tell her to stop speaking. She’s a cat for Christ’s sake. Cats don’t speak.”
Wool wasn’t happy with his behavior. She walked around the bed and held her hands out at Jelly, “Tripp, can you try to exercise a bit of decorum, here? Please?”
Bonnie didn’t have anything to say.
“Here, honey,” Wool held her hands under Jelly’s opened arms, “You want to try and walk? Like we do?”
Exasperated, Tripp turned around, baffled with the girls’ refusal to question what had happened.
“She’s a cat. Look at her.”
“Tripp!” Bonnie shouted at him with disdain and pointed at the little girl, “Look, we know it’s ridiculous, but look at her. She’s real, she’s there, and she’s frightened. It’s happened, okay? This is what we have, now. Do you understand?”
He screwed his face and looked at the floor.
“Hey, Healy,” Bonnie jumped to her feet and clapped her hands together, launching into a sarcastic tirade. “Yoo-hoo. Pink Symphony-to-Healy. Can you read me?”
“Yes, I hear you.”
“What did you think we’d find when we left USARIC, huh?” Bonnie’s heart needed to release way more than just a rhetorical cliché of a question.
“I don’t know—”
“—You think we’d all sail up to Saturn and find aliens with seconds mouth? We use all the weapons and start a big, galactic fight with space ships and guns? Pfft, typical male, aren’t you?”
“No.”
Bonnie licked her mouth and pretend-spat at the floor, “Ugh, you’ve made my mouth go all dry, now, having to shout at you like that,” she thumped her chest in a pantomime fashion, “Me, Bonnie. You, captain,” she pointed to Wool as she hugged Jelly. “Her? Jelly Anderson. Star Cat. Remember that?”
“Yes,” Tripp apologized. “I remember.”
“This was your idea, you know.”
“I know.”
“Don’t I know me and act all repentant now that you’re being told off by an android. You’re feeling lonely? Tough. Hard times out in the big bad universe? Big deal, go N-Gage your wife and kid and cry about it. Start as you mean to go on, Healy. You asked USARIC to help you find the perfect candidate to join us. Now that you’ve have it you’re acting like a puss— no, actually, you’re acting like a bitch. Kind of ironic, isn’t it?”
She stormed over to the bed and scooped Jelly into her arms. She purred up a treat and rubbed the side of her face against Bonnie’s shoulder. Wool teared up and moved her face away from view.
Jelly stretched her arms out at the picture of Jamie on the wall, “Want Jamie.”
“I know, sweetie. We all have people we miss.”
“Miew,” Jelly whimpered with a smile on her face. She threw her arms around Bonnie’s neck and hugged her, purring up a treat, “Bonnie.”
Tripp took in the unusual sight. He knew deep down inside that he’d acted hastily. It was the last thing anyone on Opera Beta needed right now.
“I’m sorry.”
“You bet your sweet ass you’re sorry,” Bonnie ran her knuckle under Jelly’s chin and threw Tripp a look of contrition, “Now apologize to Jelly.”
“Uh, sorry. Jelly.”
“Pathetic. Say it like you mean it.”
Bonnie lowered Jelly to the ground. Tripp’s eyes followed her down. Her bare paw-like feet hit the tiled ground, one by one. Then, a fluffy tail lowered above it.
Jelly waded around on the spot, keeping a firm grip on Bonnie’s hand.
Tripp squatted in front of her and held out his hand, “I’m sorry, Jelly. Friends?”
She eyed his fingers and considered his offer.
“No.”
“Oh.”
For the first time in his entire life, Tripp’s attempt at reconciliation had failed him. His charm may have worked wonders with others. But with Jelly? Not so much.
“Tripp, we have work to do,” Wool said. “I need to make sure she’s mobile. I want to run a PET scan on her before I let her leave Medix. Just to be on the safe side.”
“A pet scan?” Tripp smiled.
“Yes. Problem?”
“No, no. Just appreciating the irony, that’s all.” He stood up and swallowed the rejection. He caught Jelly peering from behind Bonnie’s waist, hoping he’d just go away.
“Miew.’
“Okay, okay. I’m going,” he acknowledged his personal rejection, “I’ll go and find out what’s happening on the flight deck, shall I?”
“Yes, I think that would be best,” Bonnie ran her fingers through Jelly’s new head of hair.
Tripp exited Medix with as much affability and dignity as his current situation allowed. Which wasn’t very much, sadly.
As soon as the door shut, Wool and Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief.
“He’s such a butt hole, sometimes,” Wool turned to Jelly and smiled, “Do you know what a butt hole is?”
Jelly nodded.
“Yes, of course you do. You’ve spent enough time cleaning yours.”
“No decorum, huh?” Bonnie giggled.
Jelly stared at Bonnie’s hand and released her grip, slowly.
“What are you doing, honey?” Wool grew apprehensive about Jelly’s desire for independence, “No, no. You’re not ready for that, yet.”
“Let her try?” Bonnie kept her focus on Jelly’s hand in hers, “Go on, sweetie. Try and stand on your own.”
Jelly pursed her lips and teased her claws away from Bonnie’s palm.
Her arm moved to the side of her waist. There she was, standing upright on her own feet, covered in a damp, white blanket. She resembled a statuesque angel in her own way.
Wool held her mouth in amazement. “Unbelievable.”
Bonnie lifted her false leg and planted her right boot a few inches in front of her left, “Like that, Jelly. Like we do.”
“Like you… do,” Jelly repeated.
“Yes, try it.”