Page 4 of Holiday with the Aliens

“He’s going by Lee now. And you maynot. I’m not letting you get his hopes up. You remember how it was with Dad before he stopped trying. Do you really want to hurt him like that?”

The knife slid in between her ribs and Ro gasped as if she’d actually been stabbed. “I’m not Dad. I’d never be him.”

“Then you can talk to my son in a few days.” She didn’t look happy at the thought.

Would she rather Ro didn’t show up? Ro wouldn’t ask. She couldn’t stand to hear the answer. “Is there any gift he’d like? Something I can bring?”

“You can’t bribe him into remembering you, Rowan. Just bring yourself.” She disconnected and Ro was left alone in her quarters. And for the first time, the large room felt lonely.

It was early, but she didn’t have anything else to do, so she crawled into bed and let darkness wash over her.

Her sleep was a fitful mess of nightmares and memories, along with a healthy dash of fear that she wouldn’t make it backin time. She didn’t have time for fear. And when she opened her eyes and looked at the clock, she cursed. She’d meant to give her quarters a thorough cleaning before heading for the ship, but between packing and gathering a few supplies, she’d be lucky to make it before takeoff. But she wasn’t showing up at May’s house empty-handed. Oak—Lee, she corrected, deserved a gift, a million gifts. He was the best kid she’d ever met and she had a lot of lost years to make up for.

Gifts aren’t a substitute for showing up,a traitorous part of her mind whispered.Dad gave lots of gifts.

Screw May for putting those thoughts in her head. She wasn’t her father. She hadn’t abandoned the family and started a better one on another planet. She hadn’t forgotten where she came from.

“Drop it.” She had to say it out loud to push the insidious thoughts out of her mind. Thinking about her dad was sure to put her in amood. She’d already made a bad impression on Dash, and she didn’t want to scare whatever little kid he was shepherding around. So she needed to get control of her emotions and think of the positive. She was going to see her family, she was going to get an amazing gift for Lee, and she was keeping her promises. This time.

Ro spent a few minutes tidying up, just putting away dishes and making sure her clothes would be washed by the cleaning bot. She left the rest of it to fate after throwing two weeks’ worth of supplies in a bag and sending them off to the dock Dash had told her about.

She had just enough time to find the perfect gift for Lee, and she’d do it fast enough to make sure Dash didn’t leave her behind.

Dash had a routine when he had little shipmates coming onboard. Make sure all the dangerous stuff was locked away. Put the alcohol where they couldn’t find it. Make sure they couldn’t get into any of the hidden crevasses of his ship or the control rooms. Transporting sick kids could be rewarding work, but it was more stress-inducing than moving adults across the solar system. That didn’t mean he was about to stop doing it.

Once he was satisfied the ship was safe enough for Kiki, he headed for the hospital. It could take awhile to get his passengers released into his care, and he wanted to make sure they took off on time. He was certain that Rowan would lodge a complaint if they were even a minute late.

Thinking of her made him smile. She’d played a starring role in his dreams, and he hoped she’d be just as captivating in the flesh. This kind of obsession was new to him, but he wanted to chase the desire down and drown himself in it.

But he had other things to deal with first.

The hospital was as busy as always, but Kiki’s nurse had her bag packed and the girl in question was bouncing on the bed, ready to launch herself out the door the second she had the go ahead. Her eyes lit up when she saw Dash. “I’m ready!” she declared.

Good cheer lit the air up and Dash breathed deep. “That’s great. We’ve got a call scheduled with your parents. They have to give the hospital permission for me to take you. You ready?”

Kiki nodded. The call with her parents took a few minutes, and Dash could see the love shining from their eyes at their little daughter. They released her into his custody and he promised that she’d be delivered safe and sound. A few minutes andseveral bits of paperwork later, Dash and Kiki were walking out of the hospital and towards a shuttle that could take them anywhere on the compound.

“Did you get chocolate?” she asked the second they were through the door and she could be fairly certain the doctors wouldn’t hear her asking for contraband.

“I got some,” Dash promised. “But I was thinking we could swing through the shops one last time before we board, make sure there’s not anything that I missed?” Years ago, he’d taken kids straight from the hospital to the ship, but over time it had become obvious that they needed a little while to adjust. And a shopping trip made them feel special, like they were making some of the decisions about the journey to come.

Really, Dash couldn’t help spoiling his charges. They deserved it.

They stopped at the grocer’s first and took care of buying prepared meals, and when they passed a toy shop Kiki’s eyes lit up. He led her inside. “We have a few minutes,” he promised. “Why don’t you find something that you can play with until we get you home?”

Kiki looked down at the floor and frowned. “I don’t have any money.” She hadn’t worried about that when it came to food, but toys were different.

“I’ve got plenty of credits,” he promised. “So go wild. But just one toy.” He tried to sound stern, but he knew he was failing miserably. If she came back with five, he’d probably purchase them all. What was a few credits in the face of a child’s joy? But Kiki took his warning to heart and solemnly took off towards one of the aisles, looking back every few seconds to make sure he was following.

Sweet kid.

“Stupid little fu—dge bucket.” The woman’s curse cut off as Kiki entered the lane.

Dash grinned as he saw Rowan struggling with the articulating arm on one of the toys, trying to fit it back into the box. He stepped up to her. “Need a little help?”

She glared, but something in her gaze softened and heated when she saw it was him. “The box says it’s meant for kids under twelve. I’m well over twelve. It won’t defeat me.”

He laughed. How could he stop himself when she was right there? She glared for half a moment, then rolled her eyes and shoved the box at him. “Deal with it.”

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