Cape Canaveral, Florida, Space Shuttle Reentry, Monday, August 12th, 2030 at 11:30 am

Lucas

The shaking of the shuttle got more and more nauseating as we approached Earth. We had done everything we could from our end to land safely. Now we had to trust our math and the hard work of everyone aboard to get us home.

"INCOMING TRANSMISSION" The words blare through our radios. "ALL SYSTEMS ENGAGED. APPROACHING EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE. PREPARE FOR REENTRY, CREW," it was Commander Freeman. His voice sounded even more gruff through the radio because of all the static.

"Our path to Earth is locked. Secure your stations!" Cooper's voice filled my ear. "Time to go home, boys!"

The shuttle began to vibrate. I could see a pale, orange glow starting to form outside the window. I glanced at the bottom right of my helmet. The photo of Rachel from the Christmas party was still taped inside. I had looked at it so many times while I'd been gone that the edges were worn and the color had faded.

She still looks beautiful.

The color outside the window turned into a dark red flame. The intensity of the vibration was increasing drastically. Then, we hit the atmosphere. The red glow turned into molten slag passing from the heat shield on the outside of the return capsule. When I entered the atmosphere, I began decelerating at such a tremendous rate that there was 4G's of force pushing me into my seat. My head was pressed against the back of my helmet. It felt like there was a car sitting on my chest.

I closed my eyes for a moment to focus. I inhaled, raising my chest up towards the edge of my suit. As the air filled my lungs, I exhaled and allowed my muscles to relax slightly. The force on my chest was so powerful that I had to manually perform the motions of breathing to avoid passing out.

Just then, the fiery glow out the window began to fade and the force was lifted abruptly from my chest as the parachute was deployed. We swung back and forth in the sky like a pendulum for what felt like hours.

The impact of hitting the water felt like a small car crash. We sat for a few minutes, feeling the capsule rock back and forth with the waves. The motion was heavenly compared to what we just felt.

Cooper gave the all clear and the door popped open. I saw the Coast Guard approaching with the rescue boat. I sighed as I watched the waves slapping against the door.

We're really back.

One by one the crew got out of the capsule. I know Rachel isn't going to be waiting for me, but there's a small part of me hoping I'll see her face when I get on land.

The past four times I returned to Earth, I was only gone for a month or two at a time. The longest mission was four months.

It was my turn to get out of the capsule. The light from the sun was almost blinding as I leaned out. I joined my crew on the boat and took my helmet off. The sun was warm on my skin, and the breeze felt almost magical. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.

It feels good to be back.

My legs felt weak and tingly from the difference in gravity; I hadn't had this much weight on my shoulders in almost eight months.

"Let's go eat some real food!" Cooper shouted across the deck of the boat.

I smiled at him while everyone around me cheered. I felt a couple of rough pats on my back before Cooper grabbed my shoulders and pulled me in for a bear hug.

"We made it home, man," he said to me as he held back tears.

"We did," I replied as I blinked back my own tears of relief. Now, it was time to get onto shore and wave to the cameras.

A feeling of dread washed over me as I thought about the reunion on land.

There's no way Rachel came today.

I closed my eyes and remembered the last time I returned from a mission. Nothing can beat the feeling of seeing Rachel smile when she found my face amongst the crew. She would always run to me and jump up, almost knocking me over.

The feeling of having her in my arms after being away for so long is otherworldly.

The boat approached the dock and everyone got off in a line. I could see the families starting to come out from the watch zone on the right. I scanned the crowd, and I found Anne amongst the group. My heart sank into my stomach.

Rachel isn't with her.

I understood why she wasn't there, and I didn't expect her to be after how I left things. I watched my crew reunite with their loved ones. Cooper ran over to Anne, picking her up and swinging her around. He kissed her all over her face. She laughed and cried into his shoulder.

I rubbed the photo inside of my helmet and headed inside.

#

Houston, Texas, in Dr. Wilson's Office, Thursday, September 12th, 2030 at 3:30 pm

Rachel

I'm holding back tears as I listen to Lucas finish. My heart feels like it's being squeezed. He really did want me to be there. I would've wrapped my entire body around his; I've missed him so much.

"Thank you for sharing, Lucas," Dr. Wilson says softly as he adjusts his glasses. The black frame rests against his dark skin. "I know that it was difficult to open up about how it made you feel when you didn't see Rachel there, but I think it was very helpful for everyone," he adds gently.

I turn my head slowly to look over at Lucas. He's leaning forward, resting his left arm on his leg and covering his mouth with his hand. His right hand is resting on the couch, almost touching my leg. I can see that his eyes are glossy, like he's about to cry. He blinks a few times before running his hands through his hair and sitting upright.

He just nods in response and looks out the window for a moment. That's when I see the light catch his cheek. A tear starts to fall. I hesitate for a moment, trying to summon the courage to comfort him. I reach out and tentatively place my hand on his knee. I can feel his muscles tense up at my touch. Just as I'm about to take my hand away I feel him place his hand on top of mine.

It's like an electric shock, waking something up inside of me. His hand is smooth but firm, and I can feel a few calluses on his palm from work.

"I'm sorry," I hear him whisper. He glances at me, his face is about a foot away from mine. "I'm sorry that I made you feel like I didn't want you there," he adds as he wipes his face with the back of his hand. I swallow hard. That was the same thing that he said to me when I saw him after he got back.

"I know, Lucas," I reply, giving his hand a small squeeze. We've already talked about this, but it's good to say it again. "I'm sorry that I didn't go," he closes his eyes and turns away from me, but doesn't let go of my hand. Dr. Wilson's expression is warm when I turn to look at him. He's smiling as he writes in his binder.

"I see that the two of you have gotten more comfortable with each other since our last session. I'm glad that I got to share this moment with you both," his smile grows as he says this, his white stubble moving out towards his ears. It's nice to hear that someone has noticed growth in us.

"I would like to hear about what happened when you two were reunited after Lucas returned, Rachel," he looks at me and his face changes from delight to compassion. I take a deep breath, and feel Lucas squeeze my hand reassuringly.

"He was waiting for me when I got home from work."