51

By morning all the residents of Blue Sky Field had one goal—to orchestrate a wedding. What could possibly have them working so hard? They had no means for preparing a grand event. This would be a simple ceremony officiated by one of the ordained ministers. Nevertheless, platters filled with finger sandwiches and fruit seemed to come out of nowhere.

Some of the ladies joined together to craft a white coverlet into a gown. Chase had nothing suitable to wear. He never planned on a wedding devoid of a designer suit, a proper venue, and the best caterers.

“What am I thinking?” he prayed out loud. “I never planned on a wedding at all. Chase Sterling would not approve of any of this. Good thing he’s no longer with us.”

Then he had a wretched thought. He had to talk to the bride.

He found her in her room, struggling to rearrange the furniture.

“What are you doing?” he asked from the doorway.

She stood straight and brushed back her hair. “Oh, nothing.”

He hurried into the room and nudged the door closed behind him.

“Leave the door cracked,” she said.

“Mel, we’re getting married in an hour.”

She folded her arms. “Well, we’re not married yet.”

He pulled the door open. “I had an awful thought. Is this even legal—getting married in the underground?”

“You want to apply to the WR for a permit and wait six months?”

“I just want it to be official.”

“We have a document. We sign it. Witnesses sign it. The pastor signs it. We say our vows before God. It’s official. And it is binding. And we don’t have a process in place to dissolve what’s binding. So, you in?”

He lifted her off the floor and swung her in circles.

“I’m in,” he said. “Nothing like an impromptu wedding to make a transhuman come unglued.”

She put her hands on his chest. “Whatever happens, we’re in it together. You and me. And the Lord is with us.” She pulled away. “Now get out.”

“What?”

“Do I look like I’m ready to get married? Go get Amos a chair. He says he’s feeling better and he doesn’t want to miss this.”

“I’m going.” He pulled on the door. “I don’t think anybody’s making me a suit and tie out of an old bedspread.”

She let out a laugh. “But you are going to shave. Right?”

“Yeah, of course.” He smiled. “Don’t you want me to help you with whatever it is you’re doing? I’m super strong, you know.”

She pointed at the door. “Out.”

He left her for a trip to the bathroom, where he showered and shaved, though he hadn’t planned on shaving. Back in his room, he pulled on a clean shirt and black jeans. The best he could do. Before he had a chance to follow instructions concerning Amos, a rush of information entered the exoself. The data. Chase didn’t understand much of it. He sent it to Mel’s work station.

In Amos’s room, he asked his mom to go and tell Mel to take a look at the files.

“But she’ll be getting ready,” Mom said. “Can’t it wait until after the ceremony?”

“I’ve postponed the transport—Shorty’s not coming until two in the morning. That gives me twelve hours with my bride. We’re not going to spend our honeymoon—”

“Enough said.” Mom bounced on her toes. “Have I told you how happy I am?”

“A couple of times. Now go give Mel the message. If you want to go on a road trip, she’s got to see that data.”

“All right, son.”

She left the room and Chase devoted a few moments to Amos, who did seem a little better. The man laughed about the twelve-hour honeymoon. Chase got him up and dressed, helped him to the meeting room, and propped him in chair.

Others arrived. Switchblade—the best man—joined Chase in a circle of guys offering advice and joking about Chase’s change of heart regarding the timing of the nuptials. Mom took a seat beside Amos. Chase spoke with the pastor—an older man who’d been elected to officiate by the two younger ministers.

When he’d gotten a minute’s worth of pre-marital counseling, he joined his mom and Amos. Fifteen minutes until the wedding.

“Mom, did Mel get a chance to look over the data from Robert?”

“I think she’s still looking. She’d better hurry it up.”

“Maybe I should go check on her.” Chase rose from the chair.

“You can’t do that, Chase. I’ll go.” Mom headed away from the oddly festive meeting room. White paper flowers bloomed everywhere. A table against the back wall held an elegant display that included a little white cake.

From the platform, Switchblade called to Chase. “Charlie, get on up here. It’s almost time.”

Mom returned and took her seat. Every resident of Blue Sky Field waited. A boy pulled out a little flute and began to play a tune. Chase had never heard it. But even without lyrics, the exoself supplied the name of the old song: “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”

Young Finley entered the room. Her only mark of being the maid of honor was a bouquet of paper flowers. She stepped lightly up the aisle formed by careful placement of old white resin chairs and took her place on the other side of the pastor.

Melody stepped into the room with no one to give her away. Her make-do dress hung loose off her shoulders. A strand of pearls graced her neck. She smiled, seeming to glide toward Chase.

A power tool blared above them, but no one seemed to care. Mel took Chase’s hand as they stood before the gray-headed pastor with reading glasses perched on his nose.

He welcomed them to the sacred altar. “Friends, today we come to encourage these who’ve chosen to commit their lives to one another and to bless their union.”

The matter of reciting common vows happened too quickly. Chase wanted to slow the man down.

But the preacher rambled on. “Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish her until you are parted by death?”

Chase had more to say. And so he answered with the unexpected. “Not exactly.” He grasped both Mel’s hands and faced her.

She laughed. “Then tell me what it is you’re promising.”

He wanted to reach into her soul. “You are a blessing I don’t deserve. I regret the time I knew you and cared about you, but didn’t know you were my gift from God. He changed me and now I know. I’m so glad you’re mine. Until we are parted by death? No. I love you forever.”

She breathed in and squeezed his hands. “Forever.”

The pastor asked if they had rings to give each other.

Mel shook her head. “Maybe someday.”

Chase slipped the pouch from his pocket and opened it. He held up Mel’s hand and dropped his parents’ rings into her palm.

“Chase, where did you get these?”

“From my mother. She likes you.”

A ripple of soft laughter rose behind them as Chase placed the ring on Mel’s finger. A tear fell down her cheek as she lifted his hand and slipped the band onto his finger.

He bent close enough to feel her breath on his face, but Switchblade smacked his arm. “The man didn’t say you could kiss her yet.”

The whole assembly laughed and the pastor lifted his hands. “By all means, you may kiss your bride.”

Chase pulled his wife close and softly kissed her lips. Then her sweet smile filled him. Together, they faced the cheering residents of Blue Sky Field.

The hugging from wedding guests went on longer than the ceremony. But soon everyone had a plate of treats concocted, no doubt, from hash and old bread. Chase cut the little cake and fed a slice to Mel. She returned the gesture. Not nearly sweet enough, the cake tasted more like a big biscuit with waxy cream on top. No loss that there wasn’t enough for everyone.

Chase led Mel to a corner and kissed her. “Hello, Mrs. Redding.”

She ran her hand up his arm. “Do you know how many women wanted to marry you a year ago? I kept a file of all the proposals from your fans.”

“Thanks for not marrying me off to one of them.”

“I’m no dummy.”

He lifted the string of pearls from her neck and then dropped it back in place.

“One of the older ladies loaned them to me.”

“Mel, did you look over the data from Robert?”

She lowered her gaze. “Yeah. I think it might work.” Her eyes met his. “But I’m speaking as someone trained in A.I., not as a doctor. Something could go wrong. Not to mention it could harm you to give up too much blood.”

“Robert said a pint or two won’t matter. After that I’ll never do it again. I promise.”

She tilted her head and huffed before fixing her gaze on Amos. “He needs to rest up for later.”

“So we have your approval?”

“You have my consent.”

“I’ll get Switchblade to help him to his room. Do you think all these people will notice if you and I disappear?”

“If they do, there’s going to be a lot of giggling from Finley and company.”

Chase laughed as he motioned for Switchblade and asked him to take care of Amos. Then he put his arm around his bride and walked her to her room. The door was wide open. More paper flowers adorned the table beside a double bed.

“This is why you were moving furniture? Where’d you get the bed?”

“I’m the boss around here. I get what I want.” She kissed his lips. “This is our room now.”

He walked to the bed and glanced back at her as he rubbed his moist palms against his jeans. He thought he felt the rapid beat of a heart that never altered its rhythm.

Mel gave him a smile. “Now all the rules have changed.” She reached behind her.

And then she pushed the door shut.