White sunset

The helicopter carrying the medical team was disappearing to the north, and the snow around the base was silent once again.
Ren was sitting alone in the greenhouse, in the shadow of the water tank. It was a quiet place, one of the most private in the base. Yet Mila always knew where to find him.

“Hey,” she said softly, unsure how to continue.
“Hi,” he murmured back, keeping his head down.

She grabbed another old, dirty chair and placed it in front of him. Ren didn’t acknowledge it.

“I know how you feel,” she said after a moment’s hesitation.

Ren finally looked up, tears in his eyes, but didn’t say anything.

“I feel the same. You know it’s true, even if it doesn’t show.”

He nodded slowly. Not for the first time, she felt a stir of emotion at his vulnerability. They had been working together for years, including a two-month tour at Base Epsilon03—long enough for her to know how gentle and kind he was, and how much life could frighten him even at the best of times. And this was far from the best of times.

She sighed and went on:

“Jonathan is going to get better, they said.”

Again, he didn’t answer.

“He’s a good man, a hard worker. But he has been out here for too long.”

“How long?” he asked weakly.

“More than four months, apparently.”

He looked directly into her eyes. He didn’t need to say anything. She knew what he was thinking: it wasn’t that long, after all.

“…What was he thinking?” he finally asked.

“The doctors said he was delirious. He seemed to believe he was being held prisoner in the base.”

She shivered. For a moment, it felt cold in there.

“He said his people were waiting for him out there, in the white. We’re lucky Folser saw him leave.”

“Yeah. We’re lucky.”

With that, Ren seemed to lose interest in her company.

Mila admitted to herself that it wasn’t a bad thing. She needed time to think, to process everything that had happened that day.

They stayed there, silent, for the rest of the evening.
They were alone, even together.

She wondered if that was how the Captain had felt as well.