The cadets really nailed the song. Of course Austen was out there directing. JR was maestro for the girls and the beautiful song could be heard throughout the ship. Even SSSaa’s ship could hear, though it wasn’t loud there. They liked it a lot.
Half-way through the song Deana said, “You do know this song is a wedding proposal?”
Derek said in her ear, “It took me six months to write, so yeah, I think I know what this song is.”
She said good, and forced him not to be so proper and to hold her as tight as he could. You couldn’t slide a piece of paper between the two, and he asked, “Better?”
She said, “Almost.” She grabbed his hand behind her and slapped it on her butt. Then she reached over to the captain’s chair next to them and pushed "ship-wide" so the music could drown everything out. It slightly had a reverb to it.
Both dancers got cold chills as they danced. She was kissing his ear, and then she put her face practically in his with their lips almost touching. They just stared into each other’s dreamy eyes. You could tell they were very much in love.
Derek couldn’t help himself; he squeezed her backside and thought that he might just get away with it. As soon as he did it, she reached up on her toes and kissed him like it was their first kiss … again, and he kissed her back hard!
Chapter 4
SKINNIES
Technically the song was only four minutes long, but the cadets stretched it out for eleven minutes. They were singing the chorus over and over with Austen saying, “OK just the guys,” and, “OK, now just the ladies.”
One of the cadets had a voice like Austen, and JR made him zip it until he went over to stand with the ladies. It went on and on, and then JR made them all fade out for two minutes. It had been awhile since there was that much fun on a ship.
JR had worked with the band many years ago. He was the bodyguard and in charge of the road crew setting up everything for the band. He was paid well, and he also enjoyed those years for a lot of reasons.
When they were done singing, Derek came out of the longest kiss he had ever had. He was shaking and she was trembling. They both said, “WOW,” and then kissed again. She read his mind and it was saying how much he loved her.
Derek was looking in her eyes and said, “I wrote that song for you, ya know?”
She said, “I didn’t think you wrote it for your sister,” and smiled teasing him. Then she said, “I know, Honey. I still have the original track at my mother’s house." He had given it to her the night she turned him down and she still had it.
He said, “Man, that’s probably worth a lot of money. We could run away.”
She said, “We have run away; we couldn’t be further from Earth than we are right now. Anyway, that day you asked me out on a date, you handed me that music track, and you told me what it was and who you wrote it for. I listened to it all night that night and so many nights since. I still can’t believe that you took ‘No’ for an answer from me.”
Derek said, “Well I was worn out and worn down from making that song. I had a feeling that it was going to be the last song I wrote for the band, it being a masterpiece and all. I knew you were going to say no, because you were out of my league.”
She said, “Liar, you liar! You loved me - correction - you still love me even though I said no.”
He said, “Love you - I wanted to marry you, but we never went out on a real date before. I thought that bridge should be crossed and maybe ease into marriage, but you little arsonist, you burnt the hell out of that bridge and turned me down for a date.”
She knew they were just joking with each other, but she wanted him to know that she was serious so she said, “I always have and always will love you, Mr. Houston. Now shut up and kiss me.”
He said, “Yeah, before someone comes in here and catches us making out on the bridge,” and they embraced again.
She felt like she was young again and even like a newlywed - seventeen and following Derek around like she had all her adult life, like an underage puppy again. He felt like he had just overdosed on some new synthetic drug. Then he started to feel like he was going to pass out and that it was so hot that he couldn’t breathe. How could he be hot? They were in space. He pulled out of the kiss with Deana and it scared her. He tilted and turned white.
He said in a whisper, “I’m sorry, Babe. I’ve … I’ve got to sit down." His heartbeat was irregular and beating a mile a minute. He was soaked, and he missed the chair completely. She knelt down checking his pulse. He whispered to her, “I’ve waited my whole life…” It was getting hard to breathe and he started seeing black spots filling his vision. He felt his chest constrict, and his pulse hammered in his ears and reverted through his skull. The thunder of a dark wave closing commenced forward, unstoppable and consuming all he was and everything he could’ve been. This was his end brought on by something outside and unknown.
She closed her eyes and contacted Austen in his mind, Get here quick!
Derek gasped, “Marry … me." A compression wave swept over her and yielded to the darkness that called out to her love.
His heart had stopped. She had heard the last few slow heartbeats in her mind. She screamed, “Get in here now! I need some help, please!” All the women on the lower bridge just froze as Austen heard Deana screaming in his mind. Deana’s breath caught in her throat as a primal dread resided in the darkness of her mind that used to be her bond with Derek. Then nothing.
JR and Austen came in and saw their brother, whose eyes were still looking at Deana, but there was nothing behind those eyes. They both ran over, and JR pushed Deana away as Austen picked up his little brother and everybody ran to the infirmary. JR instantly got Derek’s heart going by shoving Adrenaline and Epinephrine straight into his heart while Austen was still giving him C.P.R.
The two brothers looked at each other now that they had a second, and Austen grabbed Deana’s left wrist like a cobra and held it for JR. JR took a needle, shot some of whatever was in it out and reached over towards Deana. She was hysterical, but the Houstons didn’t care. Once could’ve been a coincidence, but this was the second time he had died while with Deana.
She yelled, “Wait,” but she never got the chance to explain anything. She wanted them to know that it wasn’t her but some outside force that was attacking Derek. The instant JR gave her the shot she blacked out.
Austen swept her up in his arms and as he laid her in one of the extra beds, JR said, “We can’t keep screwing around like this, Bubba! How many times does our brother have to die? How many times has it been?”
Austen said, “Twelve. He is in the record book with his eighth. The doctor said he doesn’t need a new heart. Besides Deana said he was attacked.” He couldn’t reconcile the idea of Derek’s condition being her fault. She loved him.
JR was fuming, “And you believe her?” He couldn’t believe that.
Austen said, “You can’t believe she would hurt the man she loves?”
JR said, "Like a black widow!" His face was turning red and he said, “Something has to be done, and if you aren’t man enough, I’ll do it." JR hoped he wouldn’t have to fight his brother, but he would if he had to.
Austen said, “You can’t stop love, JR. No powers in the universe can stop this kind of love." Then he looked at Deana and said, “Except maybe a sacrifice.” There was a stern reproving silence after his exuberant claim.
JR broke the silence and said, “Now you’re talking; I’ll get the scalpel!”
Kirk and Noah entered the infirmary as JR walked their way. Will and Qworn entered next. Kirk asked what was wrong with