In which some things are explained, some questions are answered, and more questions arise, erm, therefrom.
For a long time, O’Shea wondered about his predicament. He spent most days in the same way: he worked his shift at the Edge Inn, then came back to sit on the narrow balcony just outside Jan’s room. He wished there were sunsets to enjoy, the way they were on Equar—firey oranges shifting to red, then purple, before finally fading out. But here the light was always the same, the sun always in the same position in the sky.
He had resigned himself to being stuck here, to spending the rest of his life on a primitive world with no one else who looked like him. And yet, at the back of his mind, there was a small hope. He still believed, or wanted to believe, that somehow he would find a way home. It still worried him that he and Jan didn’t belong there, despite the abundance of unusual creatures that peppered the town, and maybe the entire planet.
And what am I? he thought. Just another misfit with no one to relate to. So much for self-pity, I reckon.
He had to admit, the idea that sexual fulfillment would be forever beyond his grasp was more than a little depressing. Not that he’d fooled around so much when he was at home, on Equar, but there had been girlfriends. Human women, or whatever these were, seemed nice enough, but he couldn’t get past the anatomy. It’s like some kinda reverse bestiality, he thought, and snorted at the absurdity of it all. He sighed, a little annoyed that he had the extra time to ponder these quirks in his life. Before he rescued Jan, things had changed too quickly to worry about them overmuch. Now, despite a full-time job and another person to care for, his spare time seemed to stretch interminably.
And so much for life’s damn mysteries, he thought, and got up to go check on Jan.
Jan was a long time in recovering. He lay unconscious for most of the first day, then opened his eyes and asked for water. O’Shea worried about brain damage, but Jan was fairly lucid, most of the time. He slept fitfully, and didn’t talk much when he was awake, but bit by bit O’Shea could see his friend coming back to his old self. That is, the person he knew before they crashed on the tiny world that had become their new home.
After several days, Barlow came up to visit with Jan, bringing soup and kind words. O’Shea decided not to press Jan about his drinking, since it didn’t matter in his current state, and there was no alcohol in the house. He was content to escort visitors in and out of the room, including the girls from the inn, who all displayed a need to express their maternal instincts, as well as less altruistic desires. Jan was, after all, still a handsome young man, despite the bruises and swelling.
