Holonovel, Chapter 4 (Part 2)

Posted on Fri Jul 12, 2019 @ 8:36am by Commander Caleb Ryan & Civilian Opal Oliver (Deceased) Dr

1,091 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Doors of Perception
Location: Holodeck 3
Timeline: MD07 2015

Carrie was supposed to be cutting bread, but she sat with the loaf in one hand and the knife in the other, just watching Shane as he walked over to the glade. The way he moved set her loins on fire. His muscular movements, his whole outline, and the now familiar way he tilted his hat. She had become very fond of him over the time, and now she realised she couldn't remember what life had been like before he came, other than it had been all in sepia, whereas now, with Shane around, the grass was green, the flowers bright, the sun seemed to shine more often, and the clouds… Did they even have clouds any more? Dreamily she just watched him, aching to touch him, afraid the day would have to come soon when he would disappear even as suddenly as he had come. That thought wrenched her heartstrings so violently she let the bread drop and stood up unexpectedly.

"No," she whispered to herself, the sound hoarse and rasping in her tightly closing throat.

"Is this what this is? Is it a goodbye? Now he's strong again?" she suddenly asked herself as if a realisation had finally hit her.

Not able to bear the thought and not sure what to do, Carrie began to stumble forward, one hand out towards him. It seemed to her that his walking away to the grove was significant and it wasn't just something inside her as Carrie White the widow, but something reflected in that of Opal the woman who loved Caleb and lived in the heaven of being his lover, but knowing all the time that at any time she might lose him to his daughter's medical needs and dangers. Carrie began to run towards Shane, and a part of Opal was also running towards Caleb. Both parts that were Opal or her holo-character felt the pain and danger of the idea they would lose their respective versions of the stud that was briefly and somewhat unbelievably theirs, presumably for a short time, since they were both too perfect to be true and both too magical to lose.

Carrie ran, tears on her cheeks as she approached Shane, not even sure what she was going to do, especially if he was still cross with her. "Shane..." she panted as she rushed to him. "Shane, I'm sorry if I upset you. I didn't mean to... I just wanted to help you get better because it was all my fault they beat you and I don't want you to go, I don't know what I'll do, and I know that isn't your problem, but... Please don't be mad!" It all spilled out in a rush as she struggled to get her breath back from running and to try to say what was determined to burst out of her.

Shane turned with an arm full of fallen branches, looking at Carrie with surprise. “I’m not mad, Mrs. White,” Shane said. “What happened wasn’t your fault. It was Mr. Jarred’s fault,” he said, his frown darker when he used the man’s name. “I should apologize to you, Mrs. White. In my delirium I took certain...liberties with you that were inexcusable. I was expecting to be dismissed,” he admitted.

Carrie's eyes widened with shock and surprise. "Liber...?" She shook her head emphatically. "What liberties? You protected me. I should have suffered Heaven alone knows what fate if you hadn't been there and willing to fight them off. I shudder to think where I might be now if you hadn't been there. It was the very least i could do to try to tend your wounds, taken whilst defending me!" She did actually shudder at the thought as it happened.

"I... " She looked up, deep into his eyes, tears misting in her own, which she blinked away as fiercely as she could manage, cross with herself for getting emotional at a time like this when she needed to be clear in her answers, and for that matter in her thoughts. He needed a straight answer; he deserved no less.

"Dismiss you? Are you crazy?" she went on, steadying her voice now. "I was only just this minute thinking how wonderful it has been for me that you came when you did, and a thought crossed my mind that it might come to time for you to leave and go on your way again, and that thought left me filled with such dread, and...and...sadness." She bit her lip as his eyes returned to meet hers again.

Shane shook his head and gathered up several more sticks before heading back to the glen. “No, ma’am,” he said. “But Ah kissed ya, and Ah shouldn’t have done that. Ah was drunk on pain an’ whiskey, and your blood was up from the fright, and Ah took advantage. That was wrong of me. It may be time for me ta move on,” he admitted.

Stoically he set about building the fire, digging a small hole and arranging it the wood, then pulling out a small waterproof pouch of matches and getting the fire going.

"Then perhaps it was me who was the one who took advantage," she replied, watching him prepare the fire. She longed to reach out and touch him.

"Because if you were drunk on whiskey and pain, it was me who did wrong to encourage your kiss by enjoying it and pulling closer to you in response. Maybe I was the one who did wrong and I must apologise. You came to help me out and you saved me from a dreadful fate, numerous times, and if this is how I repay you then I am a shamefully ungrateful wretch who doesn't deserve your protection or patiences. I have done you wrong, Mr. Black," she reasoned.

“Hardly, Mrs. White,” Shane said, looking up at her. “A man should control himself in the presence of a lady. But I suppose that is water under the bridge now.” The fire was going at a nice rate and he put the kettle on.

"And a lady should do likewise, that makes us equally to blame, Mr. Black," she replied, going back to her earlier attempts to carve slices (or lumps) out of the loaf, taking out her frustration on that whilst thinking how infuriating Shane was, but how intriguing with it, damn him.

TBC

Commander Caleb Ryan/Shane Black
Executive Officer/Ranch hand

Dr Opal Oliver/Carrie White
Civilian Doctor/Ranch owner

 

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