Page 7 of Bite for Sore Eyes

His brown eyes flicked toward her briefly before returning to the road. "I'm listening, kiddo."

The endearment, unchanged since childhood, nearly undid her composure. Lana drew a steadying breath, her fingers absently tracing patterns on her jeans as she searched for words that could explain the fire that had ignited in her chest the moment Gerri mentioned Nova Aurora.

"For two years, I've been dying by degrees. Not just physically but emotionally and spiritually. I stopped dreaming about anything beyond next week's doctor appointment and I stopped believing in possibilities." Her voice gained strength as she continued. "Yesterday, for the first time since this whole nightmare began, I felt excited about tomorrow. About what might happen. About living instead of just surviving."

Her father's knuckles went white against the steering wheel.

"I need to do this, Dad. I need to experience everything and anything one last time. I need to feel like the woman I was before fear convinced me to stop living."

The truck slowed as he processed her words. When he finally spoke, his voice carried the rough texture of suppressed emotion. "You know what scares me most? It's not losing you to some alien planet. It's that you've already been lost to me for months, and I was too afraid to admit it."

Lana's throat tightened. "I haven't been lost. Just... misplaced."

"And you think these bear shifters might help you find yourself again?"

"I think adventure might. Romance might. Hope definitely might." She paused, then added with characteristic honesty, "And if their medical technology is as advanced as rumors suggest, maybe I'll find more than just myself."

His expression shifted toward something that looked like cautious optimism. "You really think this could work out? That you might actually stay there?"

"I don't know. But if something does work out..." She reached over to squeeze his arm. "Gerri seems like the type who could arrange visits. Maybe even permanent relocations for family members who might want to join their daughters on alien planets."

The suggestion hung between them like a bridge across an impossible chasm. His eyes widened slightly, then crinkled at the corners in the first genuine smile she'd seen from him this morning.

"Well, I suppose I should start researching what retired park rangers do on planets with purple forests."

"Is that your way of saying you support this completely insane decision?"

"It's my way of saying I'd rather watch my daughter chase impossible adventures than fade away in another hospital room." His voice broke slightly on the last words, but his tone remained steady. "Lana, I really do hope you have the best time. And if things go well, see if Gerri would bring me there later."

"I'll definitely put that request in." Warmth flooded through her chest, but some lingering doubts remained. "Although I'm not sure if it will even last more than a few days. But still, I'm really excited about it."

The power plant's imposing concrete structure appeared ahead, its utilitarian design hiding whatever mysteries lay inside, and her father pulled up to the curb near the main entrance. Lana stepped out onto the sidewalk, her hiking boots solid against the pavement as the morning air wrapped around her, carrying hints of rain and possibilities. Behind her, her father emerged from the driver's side and moved to the truck's bed, where her two large suitcases waited like patient companions. And near the power plant's entrance, a petite woman with snow-white hair stood with the confidence of someone who owned whatever space she occupied.

"That's her," Lana said, raising her hand in greeting. "That's Gerri."

Gerri waved back with enthusiastic precision, her gesture somehow conveying both welcome and mild impatience to get the adventure underway. Lana turned back to her father, who had set her suitcases on the sidewalk and was looking at her with an expression that encompassed thirty-five years of unconditional love and two years of helpless worry.

"This isn't goodbye forever," she said softly, stepping into his arms.

His embrace enveloped her completely, smelling of pine and coffee and safety. For a moment, she was eight years old again, being comforted after a nightmare. Then she was eighteen, leaving for military service. Twenty-five, celebrating her NSA recruitment. Thirty-three, crying in his arms after her first devastating diagnosis.

"I know it's not goodbye," he whispered against her hair. "But it feels like the end of something."

"Or maybe it's the beginning of something better."

When they pulled apart, tears tracked down his weathered cheeks and Lana reached up to brush them away with her thumbs. "I will call you the first chance I get and tell you all about it. Everything. The planet, the bears, whether their medical technology is as impressive as advertised."

"You better." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, the blessing he'd given her before every major milestone. "And if those bears don't treat you like the treasure you are, they'll have one very determined park ranger to answer to."

"I'll be sure to mention that tidbit during introductions," Lana said with a smile.

He climbed back into his truck before emotion could overwhelm them both, and through the windshield, he mouthed "I love you" before pulling away from the curb. Lana reached down and grabbed the suitcase handles and walked toward Gerri, who finally stepped forward to take one of the bags with surprising strength.

"How are you feeling, dear?" Gerri's voice carried warmth with an underlying crackle of energy that made the air around her seem charged.

"I'm excited," Lana admitted, surprised by how true the words felt. "And surprisingly, I haven't had too many episodes today, so I'm very eager to get to Nova Aurora and meet these two bear shifters."

Gerri's eyes flashed gold with obvious pleasure. "You won't be disappointed by either the planet or your bears, I guarantee it."