A Spaceman

Chapter 5--Why someone would be hidden down in a cave

"Excellent, everything is working out fine. I can do this," I say, pouring pills onto my desk and taking them one at time with vodka. "I can handle this, everything is fine---"

"Good afternoon, sir," Tom walks in, sweaty from PT, and still in her gear.

"Where is he?" I ask, immediately suspicious.

"I don't have to babysit Titus every minute," she says, folding her arms.

"But you could and it would make our lives so much easier and safer," I point out, my hand trembling as I get the last few pills.

"He's here because he wants to be, why don't you give him the benefit of the doubt for once?" she asks, raising her eyebrows.

"I'll definitely think about that, where is he?" I ask.

"I left him running and reading a book," she sighs.

"Thank you," I say, relieved, "I'm just really on edge. You and I both bid planetside because its less stress and then like, 80% of the stress of being in space bids planetside because it has lives to ruin here or something---"

"Tess is going to OTS in the fall he understandably wants to be available for her graduation," Tom says.

"Oh my god don't remind me that there are going to be two of them," I say, closing my eyes.

"That's mean," she says, but she grinning.

"But accurate---what brings you here anyway?" I ask.

"That Cadet of Starr's that you've kidnapped to take care of you---"

"Yes and in theory that's better for the boy's psychological development than being near Starr which is being near Card," I point out.

"Yes I can't deny that but---you can't be sending him off on errands outside of the pressurization chamber. The point is he's supposed to be in here getting ready to go into space with us. Not running all over the city. Where did you send him anyway?" she asks.

"Ah---" I knock over my bottle of vodka, save it, then take a swing. "Good question??? I don't know??"

"Okay that's something personal you're not able to tell me moving on—it's not healthy for him he's got to stay inside," she says.

"Yes, yes, yes, of course, definitely, Card has no idea he left or where he went, right?" I ask, my hands shaking as I pour another drink.

"No, I wouldn't think so he's been running all afternoon," she says, with a sigh, "This is going to very hard if you don't trust him to exist in a space near you."

"But every time he is something terrible happens. I'll admit he's capable of saving all of our lives out, in the universe, but here he's a menace fucking---fuck," my hand is needless to say caught in a rat trap in the drawer where I keep my precious wonderful beautiful life saving glorious alcohol.

"Have you considered the possibility that somebody other than him does half these things?" she asks, coming around to help me with it.

"No," I say, as she frees my hand.

"Neither did I. Oh well," she says, removing the trap.

"He's really been running all afternoon?" I ask. This is so dangerous. So damn dangerous.

"Yeah," she says, nodding, "Will it make you feel better if I watch him all evening?"

"Infinitely," I say, "Thank you, Tom."