Chapter 28 #2
Later that night, after the kitchen had been cleaned and the dogs taken out for their last potty break, Bella locked up, set the alarm, showered quickly, and climbed into Jack's side of the bed in her pajama bottoms and his shirt.
As she reached over to turn off the light she heard Piper's voice from the doorway.
"Bella? Is it okay if I sleep in here with you tonight?"
Bella could see the events of the last few days finally catching up to her.
"You don't snore, do you?" she asked teasingly. "Of course not — this is a huge bed. Plenty of room."
Piper climbed in. A few minutes later Sloane appeared in the doorway.
"Is there room for me?"
Bella moved over to make room. She was just reaching for the light when she heard a familiar snuffling from the floor — and looked over to find both Primrose and Daisy staring up at her hopefully.
"Fine — there's room for you two as well."
She sighed, leaned down, and lifted both Corgis onto the bed, turned off the light, and for the first night in ages, slept.
With email communication now established, Bella sent Jack short daily updates even though she knew there would be delays in him receiving and that he had a short, allotted time each day to read them and reply.
And she was looking forward to the moon landing and her phone calls with her very own ‘man on the moon’ while he was on the surface.
The day of the moon landing they gathered around the television — Sloane and Piper on either side of Bella, the dogs somehow sensing the gravity of the moment and settling quietly at their feet.
They watched the landing at the Lunar South Pole, where the astronauts would explore, collect samples, conduct scientific experiments and test technology for future Mars missions.
Bella and the girls held hands so tightly their knuckles went white as they watched the Human Landing System make its way to the surface — executed flawlessly, Mike at the controls, calm and precise.
Elena would stay on the Aurora, keeping it in orbit while the others were on the moon.
The HLS — which they had named Penelope — would be the crew's home for three days on the lunar surface.
Much bigger than the old Apollo-era landers, it had individual sleeping pods, two separate decks, dual airlocks for moonwalks, advanced life support systems, and dedicated areas for science research and sample analysis.
Bella knew it would be several hours before the crew stepped outside.
They had a scheduled series of tasks to complete first — a post-landing check to ensure the spacecraft was safe and operational for eventual departure, followed by a simulated launch countdown to verify all systems were functional before committing to a stay.
That would be followed by donning their suits and running detailed pressure checks to confirm there were no leaks.
The hatch opened.
Eight hours. They had watched every moment of it — the post-landing checks, the suit preparations, the systems verifications — barely speaking, barely breathing.
The whole world held its breath.
The first figure appeared at the top of the ladder. Bella knew immediately it was Margie — and when her boot touched the surface of the moon, they heard her voice:
"I take this step for all of humanity — and to every girl who was ever told she didn't belong — you belong everywhere. Even here."
When Jack appeared at the hatch they all started crying — silently, completely, without any attempt to stop — followed moments later by Mike.
Margie collected a contingency sample of lunar soil — insurance against any sudden technical or medical emergency that might cut the moonwalk short — ensuring the mission would return with at least some lunar material regardless.
While she worked, Jack and Mike ran mobility and stability checks on Penelope, then deployed the science instruments — sensors that would monitor the moon's environment and seismic activity for years after they left.
Towards the end of the first moonwalk — planned to be approximately six hours — Bella watched Jack walk a distance from the craft and plant the flag. Her heart just about burst.
She couldn't imagine how he was feeling up there. But she was so full of pride it hurt.
The next two days were spent in front of the television, watching every minute they were awake.
They saw Jack and Margie take the lunar rover for a spin, watched them perform their experiments, and laughed out loud when Jack and Mike pretended to play football in the low gravity level, Mike pretending to score a touchdown.
Ha! The Dallas Cowboys quarterback could never! Bella texted Carrie.
FACTS! Carrie replied, with three laughing emojis.
Jack looked out at the vast darkness while he and Margie worked, gathering rocks and taking readings.
Each day during their allotted time for moonwalking he was astounded at how truly alone he felt out there.
He had trained for this for years — dreamed of it his whole life — and now that he was here all he could think was:
Complete the mission and go home.
Home to Sloane and Piper. Home to Daisy and Primrose. Home to Bella.
A technical glitch cut their next scheduled call frustratingly short — barely enough time to say hello — but seeing their faces, even briefly, was enough. The most important thing was that they could see each other.
He stopped what he was doing and looked down at his feet — heavy space boots on the lunar surface — and grinned. He took a quick photo of them.
I wonder what Bella will think of these shoes.
He laughed to himself and got back to work.
Complete the mission and go home.
The morning of the departure, Bella was up before dawn, the television already on.