DISCLAIMERS: Be advised there are moments of great sadness. Hurt/comfort warning. Beware of the usual suspects as well; arrogance, intolerance, violence, sexual situations, rape, poor grammar, foul language, flawed characters, blood, and difficult agricultural choices.

RED SOX: There is only one season. There is only one game. There is only one team. There is only one nation. It is the Red Sox Nation. Thank you to our boys of summer for not making us wait 'til next year this year!

FEEDBACK: Please direct all feedback to p.phair@comcast.net. You can check out more of my writing at http://www.phair1.com

COWARD

by Phair

Part 7

"I need to get back to the berth. Would you mind waiting around for dinner again?" Rory asked.

Rabbit nodded her assent. She looked at Rory with a twinkle of hope in her eyes. She hoped Rory would finally tell her what she was working on in the far corner of the berth. Every day since Quote Day, Rory had hurried back to the berth leaving Rabbit to get their evening meal. More often than not, Rory would tell Rabbit to eat both meals. Rory said she was too busy to stop and eat during the dwindling hours of warmth. She worked in that far corner of the berth, nearest the light fixture. Her hands were tireless in their efforts to make small hills out of the rich soil stolen from broken stones. But, she never offered Rabbit any details on the project. Tonight, it seemed, would be no exception. Rabbit's shoulders sagged in defeat.

"Doncha' worry, I'll keep your woman comfortable," Web snickered and leered from the line near the cooking pot.

Rory whirled around and was on the man in two long strides, "Touch her, talk to her, look at her funny and I'll kick your ass so hard you'll have to open your mouth to take a shit!"

She cocked her arm to hit the foolish man but Rabbit grabbed her before she could deliver the blow. Rory was dragged back several steps by a frantic Rabbit.

"Don't. Please. Don't, for me," Rabbit mumbled as she struggled to subdue Rory.

"No fighting. Unless you want your bitch to pay the price of it. Five lashes," Bearses chuckled while he filled another waiting inmate's bowl without missing a beat.

"Fine, no fighting," Rory forced herself to relax and raised her hands in surrender. "But, I want an understanding. This girl's mine. Nobody touches her but me. Right?"

"Right, right, right. Web leave Rory's whippin' bitch alone," Bearses yawned on the last syllable.

"But, she never fucks the bitch anyway. My berth is right next to them. They never screw. Never. It's a shame to let good pussy waste away like that," Web rubbed himself as he spoke.

Bearses replied, "Web, shut up! Rabbit belongs to Rory. She can do what she wants with her. Even if it's nothing at all. End of conversation. End of story."

Satisfied with Bearses' pronouncement, Rory left Rabbit to get dinner and went inside the tent. She was hard at work when she heard Rabbit climb onto the berth. Rory knew Rabbit was waiting and watching from the edge of the berth.

"You eat now? Food hot. Rory eat? Please?" Rabbit's worry was evident in her voice.

"You go ahead. I'm not really hungry."

Rory heard the heavy sigh behind her. She knew Rabbit was trying to find the words and the courage to ask her what she was working on. Rabbit desperately wanted to know what Rory was doing with the dirt.

"When you finish, close the curtain and come over here, would you?" Rory instructed. A clattering of bowls quickly followed, "No Rabbit! I want you to finish up with supper first. Clean plates, kiddo. I mean it. You need every mouthful."

Another heavy sigh went up. Rory smothered her chuckle. She didn't want Rabbit to think she was making fun of her. Especially, after Web was such an jerk.

"Done?" Rabbit asked in record time.

Rory looked over her shoulder at the empty bowls. "Yep, good job. Now, close the drapes and get over here," Rory grinned as Rabbit scrambled to obey. "I know, you've been wondering what I'm doing. I'm gonna tell you but it's a secret. The guards would probably punish…us if they found out what I've got growing over here."

Rabbit eagerly nodded agreement.

Rory pushed back from the dirt mound to give Rabbit a better look, "I strung together a bunch of the old rags and made an enclosure. There was some Varicant blanket scraps in the pile which I used for the bottom and top covering. You know, to keep everything toasty warm." Rabbit smiled broadly at Rory's little joke. "Then I filled it up with dirt, you know, black dust."

Rabbit frowned as she examined the odd item, "Why?"

Rory didn't answer. She reached into the dirt and pulled out a potato. Rabbit's jaw dropped.

"How?"

"Potatoes grow underground but in very little dirt. They don't need a lot of sun so putting the spuds this close to our light worked. Keeping it warm enough was the hard part," Rory smiled as she explained. "The scraps of blankets took care of that. I'm a bit worried the buggers might be too warm. Look how big this grew."

"Grew?" Rabbit frowned.

Rory tried to think of an explanation which Rabbit could understand. "Old Earth is nothing like here. It's covered with dirt, black dust, like this," she held up a handful of the rich soil. Food like potatoes can grow in it if you have enough of the right balance of light, water, dirt, and seeds. Seeds are tiny versions of what you want to grow."

Rory watched as Rabbit tried to understand. Rabbit reached out and touched the potato. Then she leaned forward and smelled it. A big smile spread across her face.

"More?" Rabbit pointed at the dirt mound.

"Yep, about six or seven. But, we should save two to grow more again. The rest you're going to eat, young lady."

Rabbit's expression shifted from excitement to fear, "Why? Bad? Potato no good?"

"No, the potatoes are fine." Rory said with a smile and gently lifted Rabbit's shirt. "One, two, three ribs? Rabbit, you're too skinny still. I need to get you stronger."

"Why?" Rabbit looked really worried now. "You sell? Sell Rabbit to guards. Sell Rabbit to fuck. You be cruel to Rabbit too?"

Rory worked hard to keep her emotions from her face. She anticipated Rabbit's suspicion. The woman, while simple, was not stupid. Rory maintained a ready smile and soft touch to Rabbit's ribs.

"No. I promise I will never betray you again: no hitting, no yelling, no selling. Promise. You have my word. Rabbit, we have a chance to get out of here. Fred is working on my appeal…,"

"That you. Rabbit no apple. No apple for Rabbit," The woman's eyes filled with tears. "No Fred for Rabbit."

"Shh, Rabbit, easy girl. Try to listen to me," Rory wrapped her arms around Rabbit's shoulders and pulled her close. Rabbit buried her tear stained face in Rory's chest. Rory rocked the sobbing woman for a few moments as the air got steadily chillier. "We need to get to bed soon. It's getting too cold for us out here. Rabbit, I want you to understand I won't leave you behind. I'm military. Disgraced, convicted, and branded but military none the less. If my appeal gets passed to the next level then I'll be transferred to the closest military prison to here so they can try the case on it's merits. The prison would be…, Houston or maybe Knoxville back on Old Earth. I'll claim you as my dependent. The military will have to transfer you while the Judge Advocate tries to sort through my claim. Once I get you home, I'll figure out a way to keep you there. Safe."

"Safe?" Rabbit's voice was a whisper and her whole body shook with the word.

"Safe at home. Promise. Or, I won't leave. You'll either go home with me or I'll stay here with you."

"Promise?"

Rory moved them both to the blankets and began to undress Rabbit for bed, "I promise, Rabbit. I won't leave you. I won't abandon you like I did Andy. Promise."

* * *

Rory carried a white stone over to her bucket but it was already more than full. Rabbit, who most days was one step ahead of all the inmates, was nowhere to be seen. Rory knew something was wrong. She grabbed her mallet and started down the path Rabbit walked at least a hundred times a day in search of the woman.

Rounding the sharp bend in the path well worn down by Rabbit, Rory saw Web with the young woman cornered on her knees. The spot he'd picked was hidden from the plain view of the guards and inmates. However, Rory was pretty sure none of them would have cared enough about Rabbit to raise an alarm of any consequence.

"Suck it," Web hissed and dragged Rabbit's face closer to his exposed crotch by her hair.

Rory didn't think. She just moved. She swung her mallet with the force of her anger. It made a solid connection with the back of Web's head.

"What the…," he managed to utter in a gasp as he staggered from side to side.

Before he could recover, Rory grabbed the back of his shirt and tossed him to the ground. With two efficient swings of the mallet, she shattered his knee caps. His agonizing screams drew no help.

"You better get crawling now if you plan to get back to the tent before you freeze to death," Rory stated with a matter of fact tone. "Rabbit, come with me."

The two left Web howling in pain to make their way back to Rory's work site. Several inmates congratulated Rory on taking Web out. However, there was one or two tasteless remarks about Rabbit's skills on her knees tossed into the conversation. Rory stopped and glared at the group.

"Rabbit's with me. None of you are to touch her. Do you get that yet? Rabbit's off limits, is that clear? 'Cause if it's still not clear, I'd be more than happy to demonstrate my point once again," Rory announced as she hefted the mallet over her shoulder.

The inmates quieted and returned to their work without any further challenges.

"Are you hurt? Cut?" Rory sat Rabbit down and started to check for injuries. "Did he do anything? Did he have a chance to do anything more than what I saw him trying to do?"

Rabbit shook her head no.

"Thank God," Rory whispered and wiped her eyes, forcing down the threatening tears.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why…thank God? Why…off limits? Why…you care? Do you care?" Rabbit didn't know all the words she needed to ask the question which made her heart beat faster.

Rory shrugged. "We're doing okay together, don't you think? Keeping warm, eating good, staying out of trouble with the guards; I don't want a good partnership messed up by some prick. That's all there is to it."

"Oh," Rabbit looked away in a futile effort to hide her own disappointed tears.

Rory could tell her logic wasn't sitting well with the young woman. Rabbit wanted her to say something else. Rabbit wanted to hear something more but Rory wasn't ready to consider any other rationale for her actions. Rory was not going to admit to anything more than the need to survive.

"Yep, good teams are hard to find out here," Rory nodded firmly to end the young woman's questioning.

With the day's work done the inmates made their way back to the tents. They quickly came upon Web trying to claw his way home. The taunting began almost instantly. None of the inmates, including Bearses, tried to help him get closer to safety.

"You're gonna freeze your ass off, you stinking bastard," his bitch laughed.

"Get back here and help me! Right NOW!" He screamed. "I'm gonna make you pay for runnin' your mouth, girl."

"You bet, I'll give you a hand first thing tomorrow morning," she laughed and skipped past him.

Rory kept her arm firmly around Rabbit. Her eyes glanced back and forth between the man she crippled and the tents. She was certain he would never make it back in time without help.

Rory was seriously considering helping Web when he spotted her, "You fucking dyke! Wait 'til I get my shot at you. You're going down, bitch. Then I'm gonna fucked that little slut of yours until she can't walk straight. I'm coming for you, COWARD!"

"That's the spirit, Web. Stay the course," Rory said in a distant voice, "be an asshole until the bitter end."

TBC

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