WEST STOOD WITH Lia and all nonessential personnel in the lounge, lights off, before a long bank of windows showing a midnight-dark late-afternoon sky.
“I’ve got another ten minutes before my window closes, have a call at seven I need to prepare for,” the captain said, casting a dubious eye toward the windows and the sky utterly devoid of aurora.
“If they don’t come, we’ll do it tomorrow,” West said, standing behind her, his arms wrapped around her heavily insulated body. Her wedding outfit was standard-issue red, and they were planning to make a mad dash out into the howling wind to say, “I do,” and kiss, just as soon as the first shock of color arrived.
She shook her head, and argued, “They’ll come. I have a good feeling.”
Everything else had come together, from the captain agreeing to the odd wedding, to the galley cooks baking a cake, to Eileen lending her metalsmithing skills to smelt and polish some tinfoil from a ripped out, unused section of ventilation to make West a proper, non-silicone-gasket ring.
The only thing that was missing was an internet connection, so Jordan and Zeke could witness from their sunny, Southern California beach. But she was recording it to upload once the satellite passed over.
Just after the captain had given the five-minute warning, the sky began to glow ever so faintly blue.
Someone shouted it out, and a stampede of red suits made for the nearest exit, funneling through. The sky was clear—it had to be to see them—but wind was an issue today. A blast smashed her into West as she turned to face him, and with them both grinning and gripping cold, gloveless hands, the captain began talking. Not that they could hear anything. They got their cues by him slapping one of them on the arm and making gestures and mouthing, “Do you?” at each in turn, and pausing for a nod. Finally, he jabbed a gloved finger at their hands, and they hurriedly crammed rings onto stiff unruly fingers as the sky finally lit up. A wave of blue undulating to purple and pink rippled past them, and while she still had her eyes toward the heavens, West grabbed her by the cheeks and got his kiss.
Three minutes flat, probably the fastest wedding in Antarctic history, and they all ran back inside, teeth chattering but big smiles. On their way to the cake, which was probably why everyone showed up, the guests formed lines from the door to the lounge, inside, and tossed homemade construction paper confetti at them—because no one was willing to waste dry-goods staples at the start of winter, but everyone wanted cake.
Much later, after they’d adjourned to the sauna to thaw out a little, and did their best to steam up the bubble window on the cabin they now shared, Lia lay with her cheek on his chest, her favorite position, and they watched the window, which had now gone dark and starry again.
“Aurora.” She said the first name that came to her mind of all the things she wanted to plan for.
“Where?”
“If we have a daughter her name should be Aurora.”
“And if it’s a boy?”
She squeezed his waist with the arm she always draped over it, then whispered, “Charlie.”
His chest dipped in sudden and quick, bouncing her head slightly as he felt for her hand, and squeezed. He didn’t say anything—he didn’t need to. She slid up to him, and hugged his head, pressing her cheek to his for as long as he needed it, and that was progress.
Just as she was giving up to comfort and exhaustion, she heard him whisper, “Amo-te.”
And she whispered back, “Always.”
If you missed the previous story in the Doctors Under the Stars duet, look out for
His Surgeon Under the Southern Lights
by Robin Gianna
And if you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Amalie Berlin
Rescued by Her Rival
Healed Under the Mistletoe
Their Christmas to Remember
Back in Dr. Xenakis’ Arms
All available now!
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Nurse’s Christmas Temptation by Ann McIntosh.
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