After the Cure

by Deirdre Gould

She shifted the flimsy fabric of her dress over the jagged red scar on her shoulder. Nella hadn't worn a dress this impractical since college. Still, it felt nice, like she was floating in the warm breeze of the docks. Christine had insisted that she wear it, just for this once. The short sleeve kept slipping and exposing her old wound and Nella was self conscious. She heard Frank's quick, light step behind her and hurried to cover the scar again.

  "Don't," he said and kissed the rough raised skin. "You look beautiful."

  Nella blushed and turned around. "It's a nice boat Frank."

  He looked up at it, hung with little lanterns and flying a bright white flag. "It's more than I ever thought we'd be able to find."

  Sevita appeared at the top of the ramp and waved.

  Frank slid an arm around her waist and walked beside her. He was transformed; happy and easy and utterly beautiful. He looked down at her. "I didn't think I'd ever be standing here you know."

  "Are you sure you want to go? It could be years before we come back."

  He looked back toward the City and the black shell of the Barrier closing it in. "There's things I'll miss, but I'm sure. But if you aren't ready-"

  "No, I'm ready," Nella said, "When I walked here from the university, the City seemed so big. And so empty. You'd think it would seem the same after a month locked in a room. But it doesn't. It feels tiny and vulnerable and ancient. Like there's too much shared memory to really start over. It's time to spread out. To be explorers again."

  Christine and Sevita were waiting for them on the deck. An impossibly full table was sitting in the center, a lit lantern flickering just a little in the breeze. Sevita was busy filling glasses. "Welcome home," said Christine smiling.

  Frank turned to face Nella. "So, is my boat nicer than the other guy's?"

  "Definitely," laughed Nella.

  "Do you think I have a chance?"

  Nella looked at him, confused. "A chance at what?"

  Frank reached into his pocket. "Sevita warned me that I'd better do this properly. So, almost-Dr. Nella Rider," Frank knelt on the wooden deck and held out a glittering thing, but Nella's eyes were too blurry to see what it was, "will you marry me?"

  "Oh! Yes." And she didn't know if the ship were rocking or she was as he lifted her off her feet to kiss her. "Yes, Frank Courtlen, esquire-"

  "Esquire-as-was," he interrupted.

  "As-was," she laughed, "I'll marry you. I never want to us to be apart again."

  Ned Glist wiped his face as he left the hot parking lot and entered the cool cement prison. He walked up to the young guard slouching next to the metal detector.

  "Look," he said gruffly, "I been all over town. Someone told me that Dr. Carton was here. I've got a delivery for him."

  "Yeah, he's here, in the infirmary. Go down the hall and make a left after the door," said the guard.

  "Well, don't you want to wand me or check it or anything?"

  The guard shook his head. "No prisoners here anymore. Just waiting on orders for my next rotation. No need for security anymore. You can go."

  Ned shrugged and loped down the blue hall. He wasn't a curious man and he didn't stop to gawk at the empty cells. It only took him a few minutes to find the infirmary where a lone nurse sat at a badly lit desk.

  "Do you know where Dr. Carton is?" he asked.

  "Sure, he's in the far bed. Are you family?"

  "No, just delivering something that was commissioned for him."

  "I see. I'm sorry, but I don't think he's going to be able to accept it. He hasn't been able to speak at all since his stroke and he seems not to be very aware of what's going on around him."

  Ned puffed out his cheeks in a sigh. "Look, it's nothing big and I promised I'd deliver it. Do you think you could take it and keep it for him, just in case?"

  "I don't see the harm," said the nurse, "what is it?"

  "Just a fancy gold fountain pen. It was commissioned weeks ago by someone here actually." Ned pulled the shining pen out of his shirt pocket.

  "That's a strange coincidence," said the nurse.

  Ned shrugged and handed her the pen. "Say, do you mind signing for it? I just want to have proof that I delivered it in case someone asks."

  The nurse smiled and took the delivery scrip. "Sure." She pawed around her desk for an ink pen but only found pencils. Shrugging, she used the gold fountain pen and signed her name. "That's funny," she said, shaking it, "no ink."

  Ned squinted at the pen. "But I put the cartridge in myself, it was a special glass one instead of plastic."

  "Eh," said the nurse, picking up a pencil and signing the scrip, "You know how these special pens are, sometimes takes a while for the nib to start working." She glanced over at Dr. Carton. "Between you and me, I doubt he'll ever get to use it anyway."