Rekindled Sparks

Chapter 2-1

CHAPTER 2

Maya stifled a yawn as she sank into the cushion on the collapsible seat, her belt securing with a satisfying click. She was exhausted. Maybe Station Office Silvers was correct, maybe she did have a gift. Why else would bringing people back from the brink of death exhaust her?

After reorganising her bag and completing the necessary requisitions form to confirm supplies used, she unzipped the side pocket, pulling out an energy bar, tearing the wrapper with her teeth as the engine roared to life. Without the lights and sirens to cheer him on Mike's driving calmed, became almost normal.

"Well, Bambi, you've done it again," he called back between the open partition door. "I know one little girl who'll be glad her daddy is sleeping at home tonight."

Medics in Mython were literally a trauma unit on wheels. Their role was to treat and stabilise a patient on-site, only transferring them to a medical facility if their condition warranted more severe or long-term intervention. They dealt with everything from stitches to emergency x-rays at the patient's home thanks to the specialist equipment that synchronised with their devices.

Fortunately, after his brush with death, Fredrick McArther passed the physical and mental assessments with ease, and the system flagged him as safe to remain at home, and so, he was able to stay with his family. A nurse would stop by on her rounds in the morning to check on him. "So, when is your affinity testing?" he pried. She knew Mike preferred it when she sat up front beside him, but his driving was far more terrifying when she could see the headlights of other vehicles racing towards her.

"In the morning, our S.O. arranged it for when I get off shift so I don't have to come back. I don't see the point though, I've already tested negative," she answered around a mouthful of her energy bar. Now the race was over she was more than happy to eat. If she didn't, it was unlikely she'd make it through the shift. She grimaced looking at the paper wrapping, realising it was one of Rick's. He brought these cheap and nasty things, then ate all of hers and thought it balanced out. She supposed she should be grateful he brought anything at all; normally he didn't bother. In fact, she was certain he'd only picked these up because she'd pulled him up on it when she'd been left with no food in the house to take to work.

"To be honest, I'm surprised he didn't do it sooner. Anyone MI gets a test on starting to work for us."

"Yeah, they assumed I'd had it done during my residency, but firstly my paperwork went missing, then whenever it was scheduled I always ended up in a long surgery, then with my father's death and... well, I ended up doing the bridge course before a date was set.

"To be honest, I think initially my father had something to do with the interference. He saw how devastated I was when I was little. Not only did I find out I wasn't in my father's clan due to some strange genetic anomaly, but I didn't even have a gift that made it worth the trade. You try telling a seven-year-old that it was nothing to be upset about."

"Want your usual?" It was only as he asked Maya realised he'd already pulled into the twenty-four-hour drive-through. Glancing at her fob watch, she nodded to herself. Their shift had only just begun. She was going to need more than a few injections of coffee if the night continued at its current pace.

"You need to ask, it's my turn, isn't it?" Mike leaned through the window, presenting his wrist to the reader to complete payment before Maya had time to unclip her belt. With a shake of her head, she walked into the cab through the partition to sit beside him.

A few moments later, they were parked, enjoying their hot drink and freshly made sandwiches.

"So, Bambi, you nervous about the testing?"

Looking towards him, she smiled, folding her empty sandwich wrappers into a small square on her lap. "Not really, as I said, I was tested at seven, there's really nothing special about me. How's Daisy and the baby?"

"They're doing well, Christian is sleeping through now, which helps. Daisy keeps telling me now he's sleeping better I can pick up some extra shifts again if I want, but to be honest, I've liked being able to do the nights so she can rest. I can straighten the place up, you know, take some of the pressure off. I don't want her burning out." As he spoke, he showed her the latest photographs on his device. Each time Maya looked at the little bundle, she couldn't help but notice how much he had grown.

"You're a softy." She smiled, cooing over the photographs.

"Only where family's concerned." He grinned. Maya smiled back before savouring a sip of her drink. Despite his aggressive driving, Mike was one of the kindest people she knew. Before she'd accidentally let it slip that his driving could put the Stig to shame, his nickname had reflected his good nature. She loved watching old shows from beyond the barrier, and since a lot of her co-workers were male, they had a good idea about what program she was referring to, and the name had stuck to him like Bambi had to her.

Her transition two years ago had been a lot smoother than she had anticipated. She hadn't been deaf to the rumours that circulated thanks to a rather vindictive nurse whose advances she had refused several times. Here, however, everyone seemed to think of her as their little sister. Even those younger than her seemed somehow protective towards her, possibly because she was the only woman on their male-dominated night-shift team. "So you seeing your fellow after work?"

"Hmm." Maya took a sip of her drink, trying to pretend the mention of Rick hadn't made the coffee taste just a little bitter.

"Trouble in paradise?"

"He wants me to change to days to fit in with his shifts." That wasn't Rick's only problem. She worked a four-on-four-off shift rota. Normally he didn't give a damn about aligning their off-days, but suddenly, since she'd agreed to cover Davey's shifts while he dealt with a family emergency, it was his new line of complaint.

She was coming close to the end of a twenty-eight-day stretch and, apparently, because she didn't want to stay awake on his days off, she was being selfish. The problem with nights was they worked on a small crew, so cover was difficult to come by. With Mike job-sharing and only having two crews in operation at night, it meant cover had to come from either day staff or the other night shift. Maya was always glad to pick up the extra hours, and not just because it gave her a break from Rick's moaning; she still hadn't given up her search. Each extra hour on shift was another chance to find him.

"And?"

"And nothing, I want to work nights, he knew that getting in. I already get up early to pick him up from work most days, but he isn't willing to compromise and stay up late when he's off. Apparently, I'm selfish, wanting to keep my body clock on night shift hours when I'm off. I don't ask him to stay up with me, but that doesn't stop him finding the energy to suddenly stay out until three to go drinking with his mates. Or complaining when I have the audacity to arrange a night out with Carley. Honestly, what do you men want?" She huffed out a sharp breath, lifting the loose strands that had escaped her ponytail away from her face.

"On behalf of the male species, I apologise." Mike held his hands up in surrender, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Honestly, Mike, I've already had to have words with him about trying to move in. Just last week I caught him bringing boxes of his things over while I was out. I don't mind him staying the odd night, but according to Carley he's been spending his nights at mine playing games with his friends while I'm working and I'm footing the utility bills." She left out the way he left the house in shambles, how he never cleaned up after himself but had the audacity to moan if she hadn't made the time to clean up. Or how he emptied her cupboards and treated her more like a waitress than a girlfriend when his friends came over.

"How long have you been together now?" Mike asked, taking the final sip from his mug, he tossed it through the window into one of the recycling units, pumping his arm playfully as he sunk it effortlessly.

"Six months."

"Do you like him?" The way he looked at her suggested he knew the truth, that he could see through the lies she told herself.

"He's nice enough when he's not blatantly taking advantage. It's just he's not—" She glanced to her hands in her lap. He's not Raiden, she finished quietly to herself. For three years, he had been missing, and no one in all that time had made her feel the way he had. Not even close. She gave a sigh, wondering what could have happened to him.

They had been happy, they had fit seamlessly into one another's lives like the missing pieces of a puzzle right until the day he'd vanished. Mike reached over, squeezing her arm, showing her she had worn her sadness a little too openly. "So, tell me more about Christian." She saw the sparkle in Mike's eyes return as he began to tell her all the new things his adorable baby boy was doing.