Hard Line - Pamela Clare Page 0,89
was, indeed, an elliptical double-ringed galaxy.
“I’ve started a campaign to get it named after Patty rather than assigned a catalogue number. Some of our former professors at UC-Berkeley are helping. I’m also working with them to establish an endowment for women doctoral students in Patty’s name. We haven’t raised much money yet.”
“You’ve been busy. I’m certain Patty would be touched.”
“It gives me something positive to do, a way to turn my grief into something tangible that will ensure that Patty is never forgotten.”
“That makes perfect sense.”
“Remember the ladder we came down—the one that led into the ice tunnels?”
“How could I forget?”
“The guys who work down there now call it ‘Thor’s Ladder.’”
He frowned. “Why my name? Why not ‘Samantha’s Ladder’? You were the first to see the flag that marked the escape hatch, and you were the first one down.”
“Yeah, but I’m not named after a deity. ‘Thor’s Ladder’ just sounds better, doesn’t it?” But Samantha had saved the best news for last. “I haven’t had a nightmare for a couple of weeks now.”
Relief spread across his handsome face. “I’m so glad to hear that. The therapy is helping then?”
At Thor’s request, Cobra had connected Decker with a PTSD specialist who combined therapy with controlled doses of ketamine to help people process traumatic events without retraumatizing them. As a scientist, Samantha had insisted on reading the research before she’d agreed to go along with it.
“I’m loopy for a few hours after every therapy session, but it seems to be working. I’m less jumpy. I don’t think about what happened all the time like I did at first, and I’m able to concentrate on my job again.”
He smiled. “It makes me happy to see you doing so well.”
She was doing well, but this was still so hard. “I miss Patty. I miss you so much.”
“I miss you, too, min elskling.”
My love.
She loved it when he called her that. No, it wasn’t the same thing as him saying that he loved her, but it was close.
“How’s life wherever you are?” Samantha had never told Thor this, but nowadays she kept an eye on international headlines. She saw global politics from a different perspective, knowing Thor was out there somewhere, risking his life.
“We’re wrapping things up and flying out tomorrow.”
“Nothing scary or dangerous happened?”
He grinned. “Not this time—unless you count McManus hitting his head on a low stone archway and needing stitches.”
“Ouch!”
They talked for more than an hour, time slipping through Samantha’s fingers. Then Thor had to go. They said their goodbyes.
“Be safe, Thor.”
“I’ll do my best. Talk to you again soon.”
Thor watched out the window as Cobra’s jet flew over the Atlantic, carrying them home from a long assignment in Yemen. Apart from the occasional cloud, there was nothing but blue above and blue below. What he wouldn’t give right now for a few hours in the starlit darkness of Antarctica.
Long-distance relationships sucked.
Get used to it.
It would be easier when she was back in Chicago. The time difference wouldn’t be so extreme, at least when he was in the US, and Denver to Chicago wasn’t a long flight. He’d be able to visit her whenever he had leave, and she could come to Colorado when she was on break.
No, it wouldn’t be the same as living in the same space, but it would be a hell of a lot more manageable than this set-up. Given how often he was away from home, it seemed right that she should have her own home and her own life.
“¡Hijoeputa!” Dylan Cruz yelled at the TV.
He and his bride, Gabriela Marquez, were watching some Spanish-language film with Jones, who needed translations once in a while. In the row of seats behind the newlyweds, McManus talked quietly with Shields, a bandage on his forehead. Segal sat behind Thor, reading an Israeli magazine.
Then Jones stood, grabbed two beers out of the refrigerator, and came to sit beside Thor, offering him a bottle. “You talk to Samantha lately, man?”
“Yeah. We talked last night.”
“How’s she doing?”
“She’s better.” Thor opened his beer, took a drink. “It’s been a hard stretch, but the community there has pulled together to help her through it.”
“Did she mention Kristi?”
“Kristi?” Thor fought back a grin. “Oh, right. Kristi. Um… I think she said Kristi helped throw a surprise birthday party for her.”
“She didn’t say anything about Kristi missing me or…” The man was lovesick, and he didn’t know it.
“No.” Thor wouldn’t lie. “But, hey, if you want to talk to Kristi, send her an email or set