A Proposal (Chap. 6)

Pururu let out a yawn as her eyes slowly opened. It took a moment for her senses to return, but when they did, she became extremely confused. She was lying on a cot in the medical bay, a thin blanket covering her. She slowly sat up, trying to remember how she’d gotten there.

“Good morning, Chief Medic.”

She jumped and sharply turned her head. Garuru was sitting with his back against the wall, his piercing eyes focused on her. The nurse felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. “Good morning, Lieutenant.”

He shifted ever so slightly. “I apologize, but could you perhaps take a look at my injuries? I will need to go to the bridge soon and I want to ensure there will be no issues.”

“Of course,” she said, standing up. “Are any of them hurting you?”

His silence was the answer she needed. She put on a smile and found some medicine and clean bandages. After he laid on his stomach, she got to work. “Were you able to rest?” she asked as she tended to his wounds.

“For a few hours, yes,” he answered.

“I’m glad to hear it,” she said. “The more rest you can get, the faster you will heal.”

“I cannot rest for long, Chief Medic. I have a great deal of work to do.”

“Don’t force me to make it a medical order, Lieutenant.”

Garuru turned his head and cast an annoyed look in her direction. Pururu simply ignored him and continued her work. He sighed. “Perhaps we can come to a compromise.”

“Perhaps,” she agreed. “You can still work, but you’ll need to take breaks to be treated. We can work some rest time into your treatments.”

He nodded. “A solid plan,” he commented. “I believe I can work with that.”

She smiled as she finished with his back. Then she noticed his leg. “Have you tried to walk?”

The lieutenant slowly nodded. Pururu sighed in exasperation. “Why did you do that?” she asked. “That’s going to make your recovery even longer.”

“I hope you will forgive me, Chief Medic,” he explained. “But I awoke in the middle of the night to see you had fallen asleep on the floor. I thought you would find a cot more comfortable, and so I moved you.”

Pururu stared at him for a long moment before her eyes trailed back to the cot where she had awoken. A moment later, she fully comprehended his words, and her face caught fire. “I...thank you, Lieutenant,” she managed.

“Of course.”

She zeroed in on his leg and tried to block out all thoughts as she worked. What he said made sense to her; after all, she had no memory of how she got to the cot last night. But if what he said was true, that would mean that he had picked up and held her in his arms.

“Chief Medic, you’re very red. Were your injuries treated properly?”

This only made her redder. “Yes, I took care of them after you went to sleep.”

“Then what makes your face so enflamed?”

“Please don’t worry about it, Lieutenant. It’s nothing,” she replied as she finished. “Now, let me find you a wheelchair, and we can go.”

*~*~*~*~*~*

A short time later, Garuru carefully guided the ship into a hangar in the Keronian military base. No one admitted it, but the entire platoon was glad to see their home planet, even if it was for a short time. The five made their way down the ramp to see quite a crowd had gathered to look at both the damage to their ship and then Garuru’s injuries. “Wow. Who did you cross paths with?” a pale blue soldier asked.

“Vipers,” Garuru said simply.

The entire crowd nodded grimly, looks of comprehension on their faces. Then most moved on to other things, leaving only a few to take care of the platoon. A dark grey frog stepped forward to greet them. “Specialist Radodo,” he said, saluting down to Garuru. “You are supposed to be doing a supply run to Pentonia, correct?”

“Those were our orders,” Garuru confirmed.

Radodo eyed the ship critically. “You’ll need a new ship for the run,” he replied. “Your current one will not hold together with the damage it has sustained. I’m honestly surprised it held up this long.”

The entire platoon winced as Garuru shut his eyes. “I don’t suppose repairs are possible today,” he inquired.

The specialist shook his head. “By the time the ship is in good enough condition to be allowed in space again, you could have been to Pentonia and back,” he replied.

“Very well. How long will it take to get a new ship?”

“There are a couple of ships on standby for emergencies like this,” Radodo replied. “We can go take a look at them, and then you can choose which one would suit you.”

The lieutenant nodded slowly, then turned to his platoon. “You all have leave to go and do as you like while I handle this,” he told them. “Check back here in precisely one hour.”

“Yes, sir!” the platoon chorused, saluting.

Garuru then rolled away with Radodo. The other platoon members exchanged a glance before Tororo and Taruru both went off to parts unknown. Zoruru then looked over at Pururu. “What are your plans for the next hour?” he asked.

Pururu frowned. “I don’t know,” she answered. “I suppose I’ll just wander around by myself and try not to get too bored.”

Zoruru nodded. “You can accompany me, if you wish,” he said. “I have no plans either.”

“I think I will, Zoruru. Thank you,” she replied.

The nurse and assassin made their way out of the hangar and into a hallway. Pururu looked around curiously. “They’ve changed things a lot since I was here last,” she commented.

Zoruru studied the hall, then nodded. “Yes, they have,” he replied. “I believe that the Arranged Marriages ward used to be that way. Odd that they made it the Finance wing.”

Pururu nodded silently, not wanting to say anything. Zoruru picked up on her discomfort. “Chief Medic, are you sure about marrying him?”

“Why is everyone asking me that?” she asked. “If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have said yes.”

“It hasn’t escaped notice that you’re uncomfortable around him,” Zoruru replied. “It’s not in your best interests to do something you don’t want to do.”

“Why do you suddenly care so much?” she asked. “You haven’t expressed an interest in my life before now.”

He cast her an annoyed look. “I try to look out for my platoon mates,” he answered. “I don’t think that’s a crime.”

Pururu opened her mouth to reply, then paused as she noticed a sign on the wall. A slight chill ran through her body. Zoruru saw her expression and looked at her with concern. “Chief Medic? Is something wrong?”

“I’m fine, Zoruru,” she said apologetically. “I just realized there’s something I actually need to do.”

He nodded slowly “Fine,” he finally replied, turning sharply. “I shall see you in an hour.”

Pururu watched as he vanished, confused and slightly stung. But she couldn’t think about that for long. She opened a door and went down a second hallway, carefully following the signs until she found the room she was looking for. She stood outside the door, her nerves returning in a flash. Swallowing hard, she gathered her courage and knocked on the door.

For a moment, there wasn’t a sound. Then the knob turned and the door swung open, revealing a pale yellow Keronian. She was slightly taller than Pururu, with dark hair wrapped in a tight bun on top of her head, a bolt of electricity across her belly, and an uninterested expression on her face. “Pururu,” she said, apparently unsurprised.

“Mother,” Pururu replied.

“What brings you to my office?” Biriri asked. “Not crawling to me to come home, I hope.”

“No, Mother,” the nurse answered quietly. “I had some news to bring you while I had some leave from my platoon.”

The older frog peered at her daughter, then pushed the door open further. “I suppose you can come in, though not for long. I have to be back in fifteen minutes.”

Pururu nodded and walked inside. Biriri went back to her desk, where a sandwich was waiting for her. The nurse anxiously sat down across from her mother, who took a large bite before eyeing her daughter. “So, what is this news you have for me?”

“I’ve...accepted a marriage offer,” Pururu explained.

The yellow Keronian froze midbite. Then she dropped her sandwich and stared at her daughter. “You mean, someone was actually interested?”

“Yes, Mother.”

Biriri fell silent for a moment. Then she shook her head. “I feel sorry for the poor fool who was desperate enough to say yes to you.”

Even though Pururu had guessed her mother’s reaction would be along those lines, her heart still sank. “My...fiance...is First Lieutenant Garuru,” she said.

Biriri thought for a moment. “The purple kid who used to watch you and your little friends occasionally?”

Surprised that her mother even remembered that, Pururu nodded. Biriri shrugged and returned to her sandwich. “Well, now the match makes more sense.”

“How so?”

“Neither of you are desirable,” Biriri commented. “This match gets two unattractive, miserable Keronians out of the way. It makes perfect sense.”

Pururu shut her eyes briefly and tried to ignore her mother’s biting words. “He’s not unattractive, Mother,” she said. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”

Biriri rose an eyebrow. “You find him appealing?”

Pururu’s pupils shrank as she tried to think of a response. “I…”

Biriri’s piercing eyes studied her daughter. “I suppose with such little standards, you’d find anyone appealing,” she decided, leaning back. “Was there anything else?”

“No...no, that’s it,” Pururu answered, looking down.

“Ok, then. I suppose I’ll hear from you next when you need money for the wedding,” Biriri said, standing and escorting Pururu to the door. “Try not to waste all of your earnings, Pururu. I’d rather not pay for anything.”

“I wasn’t planning on asking you anyway,” Pururu replied.

“Good.”

With that, Biriri shut the door. Pururu remained rooted to the spot for a moment, her mind processing everything that had just happened. Then she zipped down the hallway, searching for the ladies’ room. She found it just in time and slammed through the door. After a quick check to ensure that she was alone, Pururu slumped down against the door, tears spilling down her face.

*~*~*~*~*~*

After some time had passed, Pururu realized it was probably time to regroup with the platoon. She forced herself to her feet and carefully washed her face in the sink. She studied herself in the mirror and composed her expression until it was serene. Her eyes were red from crying, but she didn’t think anyone would be paying enough attention to notice. Then she slowly slipped through the base back to the hangar where she found the platoon already gathered by a small ship. Garuru nodded in greeting, but everyone else ignored her approach - even Taruru, who was looking unusually subdued. “That’s all of us,” Garuru commented. “Now that you’re all here, we have a problem to take care of before we board.”

Tororo groaned. “What now, pu pu?”

“It seems that none of the ships available to us at present have individual living quarters for five,” Garuru replied. “I chose this one, which is the largest with four. But that means that two of us will have to share living space for the duration of this mission.”

Taruru shrugged. “I don’t mind sharing a room with anyone,” he said, forcing an awkward smile to his face.

Tororo and Zoruru immediately stepped back and shook their heads. “No way I’m sharing a room with anyone!” the young hacker hissed. “You’ll steal my snacks!”

“I will not share quarters with anyone,” Zoruru growled, his eye a red slit.

Pururu remained quiet as Garuru tried to keep his cool. “I won’t leave anyone behind, and this is what we have to work with,” he said calmly. “Someone is going to have to concede.”

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Pururu saw Taruru’s head snap up. She met his gaze, then grew horrified as he looked from her to Garuru and back again. Before she could stop him, he said, “What about you and Pururu, Lieutenant?”

Everyone turned their heads sharply toward him. Garuru looked as if he didn’t know whether to ask why or just shoot him. “Come again, Private?”

“You guys are going to be living together in a little while anyway!” Taruru explained. “Why not just start now instead of later? It would make it easier to adjust since you’re not going crazy over the wedding, and she can keep an eye on your injuries better. It’s a win-win situation!”

Pururu decided then and there that Taruru would be getting her biggest needle on injection day. Still, as his words bounced around in her skull, she had to admit to herself that it was a decent idea. She took another deep breath, then looked at Garuru. “Lieutenant? What do you think?”

He thought about it for what seemed like a year. Finally, he looked back at her. “I have no objections if you have none, Chief Medic.”

She nodded calmly. “I have not.”

“Then that’s settled,” he declared. “Come, everything we’ll need for the journey has been moved onto the ship. We can organize it once we take flight.”

The platoon saluted, then began moving toward the ramp. Garuru waited until Pururu passed him then began rolling beside her. “Is everything all right?” he asked quietly.

She blinked. “Yes, everything’s fine. Why?”

“I noticed when you first arrived that you had been crying,” he replied. “Is there anything you wish to discuss with me?”

“Oh, no, Lieutenant. Thank you for your concern though,” Pururu replied.

Garuru frowned, clearly not believing her. “If you say so,” he said after a moment. “If you change your mind, I am willing to listen.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“...Chief Medic?”

“Yes, Lieutenant?”

“...May I request some assistance with getting up the ramp?”