A Gardener's Touch

The man's brows wrinkled in thought as he considered how good this would look on HIS record. Then he considered Grenville. "There is still the matter of his disobeying the original destruction order."

This is when AnnaZelle sprung the trap on her mother. "Then send him to Chuuruthia with the flowers. He can ensure safe delivery and if your investigation determines he's committed a crime, banishment off planet is a suitable punishment and eliminates any further complications." She looked to the Diplomat. "If that is agreeable to you, of course."

Diplomat Chenn wasn't exactly sure what the dynamic was between these humans but he'd been around enough of them long enough to be able to recognize human emotions. He could see the big man with the gracious manners was almost incapacitated with pain and was no longer aware of the conversation going on around him and about him. Mayor Daniels was trying to look magnanimous and gracious while hiding how angry she was with the young female with the strange body markings. That female was doing her best to keep her face still though a grin was struggling to surface. The Major was looking like he'd been given a gift, his posture had straightened, and a slight smile showed at the corners of his lips.

There was no question Chenn would welcome the assistance from the expert who created these wonderful flowers! If it worked as he suspected it would the man would be a hero! "Yes, that would be very agreeable!"

The Major immediately stepped in to ensure nothing derailed this plan which nicely tied up all of the loose ends and satisfied his commander's off-the-record order to 'make-this-go-away-quickly'.

"Then it's settled. I'll have the quarantine travel containers delivered immediately. A HAZMAT team will load them and they will follow the vehicles directly back to the gates. We will see everything sent through to Churuuthia this afternoon. Grenville McKree, these soldiers will escort you to your quarters to collect any personal items you require. You may take one small duffle."

"I have nothing... to take," Grenville croaked out.

"Then Sergeant Espinoza, Corporal Davis, please take Mr. McKree to the truck and stand guard," Skelly said.

"Yes, sir." The two men led the wobbly man outside.

Kayleen opened and closed her mouth as she furiously tried to think of a way to keep her prized asset. "If your investigation doesn't find that my groundskeeper is at fault, will he be returned?" she asked.

Major Skelly considered the shit storm of political intrigue Grenville's testimony against the Allsa Komanae would stir up and knew his office would see that the banishment order was permanent. They'd let the Chuuruthian government deal with the fallout. He didn't need to say this to Mayor Daniels though. "Of course."

Annazelle watched Grenville being led from the greenhouse. She suddenly realized what she'd done. She was responsible for banishing this sweet man from Earth! Guilt slammed down followed by the strangest sensation of loneliness. She'd only known Grenville for a matter of days and had only spoken to him for a few minutes today but she felt profoundly grateful for his simple kindness. And this was how she repaid him. She also realized how much she wanted to get to know him better. Something that was not going to be possible now.

While her mother was obviously livid with her, AnnaZelle realized she just didn't care. Grenville was right. The woman just wasn't worth her time. But perhaps he was.

Epilogue

Grenville sat cross legged under the crimson leaves of the tree outside of his small cottage. The building blended almost seamlessly into the surrounding hillside. Chuuruthian architecture built to a large human's scale.

When the population of a planet wanted to show its gratitude Grenville found himself in a new home on ten acres of land in an optimal climate for growing anything his heart desired. The resulting gardens rivalled anything he'd helped create in Capital City and he gave the Chuuruthians unlimited access to it.

He built walking paths winding through the thick woods at the north end of the property. These paths eventually spilled out into meadows where families picnicked. The formal gardens began below the meadows and beyond them was an expansive pond with wetlands on the far southern edge. Grenville ordered some boats for the pond so adventurous and romantic couples could try their hand at rowing their dates around. That was a big hit!

The pond was fed by two streams. One bordered the east side of the grounds. The second stream tumbled merrily down the hilly west side of the property. Inside the western most hill, near its peak, was built his cottage. This position gave him a view of almost the entire grounds. It was a little larger than the cottage he'd had on the Daniel's estate and was equipped with all of the Chuuruthian's latest home comforts. The only one he regularly used was the data terminal as he continued to educate himself on the native plant life of Churuuthia and the worlds of the Gate Network.

The breeze coming up the hillside felt cool and refreshing in the summer heat and the shade of the tree was welcome. He ran through his breathing exercises dutifully and felt at peace as he watched the families playing in the meadow and on the pond in the distance. He felt an odd twinge of loneliness. He wasn't sure why. He had many visitors and had become good friends with Diplomat Chenn. He'd also become friends with a large number of the scientific community he'd worked with. They'd become quite close during the year they'd worked together creating the cure for the disease. It was no longer a threat to the Chuuruthians. They'd also identified from the flowers Grenville had preserved so well that the source of the disease had been the genetically altered and cultivated flowers from the Allsa Komanae's quarantined planet. The Assembly, the governing body which administered the Gate Network planets, was currently investigating the Chuuruthian's charge of attempted genocide and Grenville's testimony was particularly damning. He heard the Allsa Komanae had put a price on his head and that didn't help their case. Earth also restricted their access to the planet during the investigation. Grenville was safe from harm as long as he remained on Churuuthia.

That twinge returned and he looked inwards to analyse where it came from. But before he could begin he was interrupted from his thoughts by the sound of a vehicle pulling up to the side of his house. There was a paved lane which led up the opposite side of the ridge from the city far below on the other side but he wasn't expecting any visitors today.

Grenville walked around the house to open the gate to the lane and stopped in shock. There, in his driveway, stood AnnaZelle Daniels. Diplomat Chenn was walking around the vehicle with a smile on his face but Grenville couldn't take his eyes off the lovely woman smiling shyly at him. The outrageous tattoos were still there and the piercings he could see glinted in the sunlight. Others were hinted at through the daringly tight fabric of her dress. She was the most beautiful thing he'd seen in a year.

"Hello Grenville. Remember me?" she asked quietly.

He suddenly knew where the lonely twinge came from when the mere sight of this woman melted it away. He missed human company. A huge grin spread across his face.

"Hello AnnaZelle! Of course I remember you!" he said.

"Your speech impediment! It's gone!" she gasped in shock.

Grenville smiled self-consciously. "Yes. The Chuuruthians have the most brilliant surgeons. I still get headaches if I talk for too long but nothing like I used to get. But tell me how you got here!" he said.

"I wanted to see you again. To tell you I was sorry for getting you banished from Earth. When I put together the idea of getting you away from the Major and my mother I was really only thinking how it would punish her and I wasn't thinking about how that decision might hurt you. It was so selfish on my part and I wanted you to know... I'm sorry!" she rushed out and her face turned red.

"Regardless of how it happened the result was the best thing that could happen to me. You don't need to apologize. The Chuuruthians are the best friends I could ever ask for and the most gracious hosts. But I never expected to see a human again much less someone I knew! This is wonderful!"

AnnaZelle's smile widened and her eyes twinkled at his obvious delight in seeing her. She'd been nervous of how he'd react to his banishment.

"My good friend Grenville, with our new relations with Earth I am becoming a master at reading the faces of humans. Each time I visited you I saw the longing in your eyes for company of your own kind. When Miss Daniels contacted my office with a request to visit I immediately saw it was... now what was that word, ah yes, kismet!" Chenn walked up and patted his friend on the arm. "I hope you don't mind my impertinence in inviting her to stay with you for a visit in your home. You do have a guest room, yes?"

It was Grenville's turn to blush red at the cheeky tone his friend was using. AnnaZelle smiled up at his embarrassment and giggled.

"Yes, uh, of course. That's a wonderful idea!" he stumbled through his reply.

"Excellent! I have business back in the city so I will leave you two alone. Grenville, could you take her luggage from the vehicle?"

He grabbed the big, heavy suitcase and they waved as Chenn drove away. They walked back to the front of his house and AnnaZelle gasped at the beauty of the view below. It seemed to take her breath away.

"Oh Grenville! It's so beautiful!" she gushed.

Grenville smiled and soaked in her joy. This was what was missing from his life.

"How long can you stay?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

"How long would you like me to?" she grinned back.

The answer to her question turned out to be a lifetime.

A very long, happy, and exciting lifetime... but that's another story.