Chapter 2 #2
He couldn't deny that it could happen, but, in her case, he didn't believe it would.
She would just jump in there and work twice as hard until everything leveled out.
Failure was not in her vocabulary. She just needed to understand the concept of taking care of herself first. That was something he would teach her, and sometimes it didn't mean doing nothing, but it meant doing something different that wasn't as strenuous.
They headed out on their bikes, and instead of gathering in the woods as they had last time, this time they went out to a meadow and skirted the woods.
This was a good place to find a lot of rare flowers and flowering shrubs.
As was the case in most worlds, they experienced great success and discovered several types of berries.
Since the bikes were nearby, they were able to load several bags of berries and the other plants they had found.
This time, they had no luck finding ore or minerals, but each trip yielded its own worthwhile items. The berries they had found were worthwhile on their own.
Several of the plants had medicinal value.
One was useful in treating certain types of cancer.
The value in that was amazing. Many of those from Earth are at risk of developing cancer in the future.
Having treatment for it made the medical personnel happy.
Oret felt happy with the results, even if it only benefited the colony.
He looked forward to the berry pies because all were edible, except for one, which had medicinal uses.
Victoria looks much better now that she has had some time away from the job.
Tomorrow, she would go back, and he hoped she would cut back on her work just a little.
Having good people working for you could make all the difference, and as far as he could tell, everything had been going well, even though she had been gone.
Perhaps he should have worried more about his own responsibilities, but he figured he would take care of things when he got back and rectify anything that might have gone wrong.
Not that he thought anything would because he had his people well trained, and they wouldn't want to let him down. Victoria went to her tent to get ready for bed, and he went to the cafeteria to get a supper that they could share. When he got back, she was in her PJs, but she had cleared the table, and she was ready for them to share a meal. If only he could speed up the progress and mate her before the chief’s patience ran out.
“What did you bring me?” Victoria asked.
“We have grilled fish, rice pilaf, a local type of asparagus, and chocolate cake for dessert.”
“That sounds good. It also smells good.”
“Brenda says it is the best meal they have right now. I can't wait to have some,” Oret said as he slid her plate across to her.
He felt hopeful since Victoria had set the table with flowers and a candle.
Maybe she was feeling romantic. He could only hope.
She knew he wanted her, and he hoped she wanted him.
Maybe a little more work would finally get through to her.
No one else would ever do for him. He needed to move the relationship forward, but he wasn't sure how to do so.
Victoria was a strong female, and she was set in her ways.
How is he going to get around that? For now, he sat at the table with her, and they ate their food and talked.
“If ever I would mate again, you would be that kind of man.” She smiled at him. “Daniel was a good man. Capable, strong, and smart. Like you in many ways. He has been gone so long now. It seems like another life except that I have my children to remind me that it isn't.”
“Give me a chance and you'll see that I am what you really need,” Oret observed.
“Still too soon. We are friends. Can't that be enough for now?”
She had figured out what the whole problem was: time.
He didn't have forever to bring her around to his way of thinking.
At some point, the chief would make the offer, and everyone would know.
Radvar wouldn't tell anyone, but somehow these things always got out.
Once that happened, she would avoid him like the plague.
Victoria had already parted from some of her children, and she would never want to part with the rest of them.
They would be close but not close enough to have a meal with or go see a child to babysit.
That was the way that she wanted things, but not the way that it would be if she mated him.
The ship came and picked up the dragon, so their main money-making mine was once again available to work.
Victoria threw herself into her work even harder than ever before.
He tried to get her to back off just a little, but nothing worked until she collapsed.
It was just a little too much, and her exhausted body refused to continue.
He met her number two, who carried her to the healer.
That was the second section that had been completed in the mountain, and a priority for the community.
Daisy was on duty, and she immediately pumped her full of nutrients.
“It's no mystery what the problem here is. She is getting everything that she needs for now, but this is just going to happen again if she doesn't rest and get the nourishment that she needs,” Daisy explained.
The room was filled with people, including those who supported her, as well as friends and family.
There was no reason for her to overwork herself the way that she had.
She'd also been avoiding him, or at least it seemed that way.
Oret could only hope it was because she was tempted and afraid that she would give in.
Victoria had gone too far. She was lying in the healer's bed being cared for.
He knew that was something she would never want.
It would also be difficult for her to escape him, as he was here and intended to visit regularly until she was back on her feet.
With a willful woman like her, that probably wouldn't take long.
Once she woke up, everyone had a chance to talk to her, and then they left so she could rest. He didn't leave, just sat in the chair until they both fell asleep. Oret woke in the middle of the night and saw her staring at him.
“You shouldn't be here. It's time to rest so that you can make it to your job in the morning,” Victoria observed.
“My job will be fine for a while without me there. I've trained my team well, and I believe you have too. You work entirely too hard and now you're paying for it.”
“I'll be fine. Daisy said that I will fully recover, so you don't need to worry about me.”
“It’s a shame I can’t turn that off. You mean too much to me,” Oret observed.
“That needs to change. You need to look out for yourself.”
“I was hoping you would take that job.”
“You already know how I feel about that,” Victoria offered.
“Do you want me to find someone else?” A look of pain crossed her face, and that answered the question for him. “We'd be so good together. I would give you time, I've already given you time. Just try for me, that's all I ask.”
She nodded, but he knew she could change her mind in a minute. Daisy came in and checked everything out. “She could go home if she had someone to stay with her and monitor her nutrition to ensure that she is taking everything that I am prescribing for her.”
Oret looked at her. “Okay, we can do that,” Victoria agreed.
He still wasn't sure that it was a real agreement and that she wouldn't try to brush him off as soon as he got her home. “How long should she have someone with her?”
“I would say a week, but I know she won't do it, so at least three days.
That will help her get back on her feet, but I don't want her to return to work for at least a week.
I've discussed this with Fenwik and Radvar, and they both agree that she will not work for a week.
That doesn't mean she can't do other things, but they have to be more relaxing activities,” Daisy directed.
“Would those activities include gathering and, later in the week, possibly hunting and fishing?”
“They would, but if she shows any sign of tiring, she needs to rest. It's clear that she doesn't know her own stopping point, so someone else needs to let her know when she's reached it.”
“I can do that.”
“I will release her with those conditions. I don't know what happened to her clothing, so she'll need to go home wearing what she has on. They need to come back because we're short on medical clothing.”
“We will take care of it.”
He looked at Victoria, but he still saw a stubborn woman who was not ready to give in.
He would have his hands full for the week, but he still held onto hope that they could make this work.
Oret helped her up, then he took her in his arms and carried her away.
There were no shoes for her to wear, and he didn't want her walking barefoot where there were all kinds of dangers to her feet.
There was no doubt that she would want to go to her tent, so that was where he took her.
“Daisy said you need to get some rest, so we will take a nap together and see how you feel when we wake. There will be no hunting until you are much better. To start with, we will go gathering when I think you are up to it. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I think, and that might be a good thing. There is a cot on the other side of the room for you.”
“I don't think so. I don't expect sex, but we will be sleeping together in this bed. It is plenty large enough,” Oret said.
“All right.” She gave him a look that said, ‘Remember no sex.’