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Colt never could have imagined that he’d be famous because of his twin and not from being an action movie hero.
He’s talked to countless astronauts, scientists, politicians, you name it. Everyone wants to meet the man who looks identical to one of Earth’s sacrifices (saviors, his mind corrects. Ryland and the two astronauts will save Earth. Their deaths will not be in vain).
Ryland gets awards, statues, dedications - all of which Colt accepts on his behalf. He doesn’t want to. Standing there, being presented a thank-you gift for his brother going off to die, is torture. He knows that’s not really what it’s about, but it’s all he can focus on.
It is better than the alternative, however. While many are in awe of Ryland and praise him, the details that emerge from Eva Stratt’s trial make things complicated. Some get resentful, angry, that Ryland selfishly refused to go and was fine with condemning them all to death. It adds a whole other, impossible layer to Colt’s grief that he has to live with.
Then, the beetles return, and the people he’s met - those astronauts, scientists, and politicians - lose their minds. As does the entire world.
Headlines switch every few seconds, from ‘Earth is saved’, to ‘evidence found to support alien life’, and ‘Ryland Grace is Project Hail Mary’s sole survivor’.
Colt’s just grateful that he gets a bit of advance notice, via a phone call from the director of NASA, so that he can prepare. Jody tells him to go and drive up to where Court lives. After the whole mess with Lloyd Hansen, he’d taken Claire and left the U.S., only returning just a few years ago. Turns out, when everyone thinks that the world is gonna go to shit, it’s easier to sneak back into a country.
Colt’s reluctant to leave Jody by herself at home, with their kids - Ryan, named after Ryland, and Kayla, but she practically pushed him out the door. He calls Court to give him a heads up of his arrival, then jumps in the car. It doesn’t take that long for all the songs to stop on the radio, as they get interrupted with the breaking news about Ryland.
He actually has to pull over as he listens, because it really begins to set in that not only was Earth saved, not only were his kids going to get to live to an old age, but his baby brother gets to come home (even though they were twins, Colt had always insisted he was older because he was born a few minutes before Ryland). The tears start to flow and, after years of being in therapy, he knows he had to let them.
Eventually, he’s able to drive again. With the radio turned off, of course. Pulling into Court’s driveway, he parks and exits, going up to his door.
His brother opens the door with a stormy look on his face. “I have a plan,” he says gruffly. His hardened exterior had softened over the years, but it seems that he’s trying to put those walls back up now.
Colt cracks a smile. “I’m sure you do. Can we just be happy that he’s-he’s alive?” He says. The words don’t feel real. Nothing feels real right now.
Court nods and a second later, they’re embracing tightly. Inside the rustic house, they reminisce over memories and talk about how much disbelief they’re in. After a little while, the conversation turns to Court’s plan. He won’t visit Ryland in the hospital (which he’ll inevitably be in, since he was in space for over 20 years) because he can’t. He’s still flying under the radar, right where he has to stay if he doesn’t want to be arrested. Colt will, though, and he’ll report back while Court researches and pulls some strings to make sure that no one ever bothers Ryland again.
It takes another year until the Hail Mary returns. The year is torture, but it’s also useful, because it allows Colt and Court to prepare and learn how best to support their brother.
When he’s finally sitting in the backseat of the government-issued vehicle, being driven to the hospital where Ryland is, Colt can hardly comprehend it. He’s going to see his twin again, except he really is his little brother now that he’s 35 and Colt’s 55. A twenty year gap.
His legs are shaking as he walks, passing by armed guards stationed all around the place. It’s not exactly a hospital, he realizes, more like some secure medical facility. The elevator ride reminds Colt of childhood, teasing Ryland every time they stepped in an elevator and he had to close his eyes as he tried not to throw up.
(After processing the blinding rage he felt when he learned his twin had gone to space against his will, he actually found himself a little glad that Ryland was sedated when he was. At least, then, he didn’t have to experience taking what would probably feel like the worst elevator ride in his life up to space).
Colt plants his eyes firmly on the ground as he’s led to down the hallway to Ryland’s room. Just seeing the path is daunting. Before he can wonder how to get his legs to work to walk in there, a doctor approaches him.
“Mr. Seavers,” she says, holding her hand out for him to shake. He does, though his hand really just hangs there limply as he lets her do the actual shaking gesture. “I am Doctor Edwards, I’m on your brother’s medical team. There are some things I’d like to discuss with you before you see him.”
Colt nods mutely, doubting his ability to speak right now. This is real, he reminds himself. This isn’t a dream.
“First and foremost, I want to be upfront with you: we do not know all that Mr. Grace will experience or be faced with from a medical standpoint. We have theories and plans, of course, but no human has ever gone as far as he has in space, nor been there for so long. He will likely need to have frequent medical examinations for years, at the least,” she begins, getting her disclaimer out of the way.
Colt nods again, even though he’s not sure if he’s really understanding all of this. A small part of him does wonder if Ryland will actually need those exams, or if his doctors will want to put him through it to study him.
“Because of the artificial gravity on board, he thankfully did not lose bone or muscle mass, and him having gravity has eliminated a lot of what we’d usually be worried about. However, he is severely malnourished, and we’re currently treating him for a case of beriberi and scurvy—” a memory of playing pirates with his twin comes to mind, but Colt forces himself to stay focussed as Doctor Edwards continues to explain. He listens as she talks about what the diseases are, their plan to slowly reintroduce Ryland’s digestive system to solid foods, all the medications and IVs he’s hooked up to, and the concern for his mental state.
“Your brother hasn’t seen or interacted with another human being for a very long time,” Dr. Edwards says in a soft tone, and isn’t that the understatement of the year? “We’re trying to limit his contact with people, so we don’t overwhelm him. When he’s more stable, though, we do want a psychiatrist to come talk to him.”
Colt nods for what he hopes is the last time. He’s been familiar with psychiatrists and therapists from a young age (that’s what happens when your brother kills your abusive father and goes to jail), so this isn’t anything surprising. Still, he’s antsy, and he can’t stop himself from glancing at the hallway to Ryland’s room. He’s so close to his twin, yet it still feels like he’s miles and miles away.
“Can I seem now?” He asks, hoping that the impatience he feels doesn’t seep into his voice (given what he’s endured over the past two decades, he feels that he’s probably not being impatient enough).
“Of course,” Dr. Edwards says, and motions for him to follow her, which he gladly does. “He’s been sleeping for the most part, and is definitely groggy when he does wake up. Since it’s been a few days, our nurses are checking on him every half hour instead of every 15 minutes like they were initially.”
“Got it,” Colt says, and then freezes. There he is. Through the clear windows of an ICU room, Ryland Grace is lying in bed, an abundance of tubes attached to him, alive.
He faintly hears Dr. Edwards say something along the lines of “I’ll give you two some privacy” but he’s not paying attention anymore. He walks through the door, presses a button so that the blinds close over the window, and he cries.
Alive, alive, alive, alive, alive is chanted over and over again in his head. It’s the only thing he can hold onto, as he draws up a chair and sits as close as possible to the bed. His entire body is shaking badly, his heart racing.
“Ry,” Colt whispers. “Ryland.” The tears come harder now. Ryland’s hair is flat, his skin as pale as a ghost, his eyes sunken and with bags underneath him, and he’s lost a lot of weight.
Colt wants so badly to reach out and hold his hand, but he doesn’t want to mess anything up with the IVs and wires. Instead, he presses both his hands to his heart, closes his eyes, and thanks the universe and that alien for bringing his brother back, and Ryland for coming back too. To decide to live another 11 years hardly eating, just out of hope that he’d be able to get back to earth, was astounding . . . Colt had already been in awe of Ryland for a long, long time, but making that decision elevated his awe to another level.
After a moment, he opens his eyes and wipes his tears. Although he’d love to be able to talk to Ryland, he knows it’s better that he’s resting. His brother deserves that and everything else the world can offer him (which likely will be a lot).
With a quick glance around the room to ensure that there’s no cameras in here (there shouldn’t be, but you never know with the government), Colt pulls out his phone and dials Courtland, who picks up after half a ring goes by.
“Are you with him?” The older brother asks immediately. He’s audibly nervous.
“Yeah,” Colt chokes out, unable to tear his eyes away from Ryland. “I can’t believe he’s fucking here.” New tears are falling now.
There’s some silence on the other end, and Colt hopes that Courtland is allowing himself a moment to feel this before he jumps back into soldier mode.
“What did the doctor say?” Courtland demands.
“Court-”
“Damnit, Colt, what did the doctor say?”
“Court-”
“What?”
“He’s here.”
More silence.
Then, in a shaky voice that Colt hasn’t heard since Courtland told him and Ryland that everything would be alright when the cops were taking him away:
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
They eventually start talking again, Colt reiterates everything that he can remember that Dr. Edwards says, and they only get off the phone when a nurse comes in to do her checks.
When she’s done, Colt’s about to call Courtland again, when something in him tells him to look at Ryland. Call it twin intuition.
Colt nearly drops his phone, because Ryland is awake. His eyes are only half-open and a little glossy, but it doesn’t matter.
“Ryland,” Colt says, then suddenly realizes that he must look older to the man now. “It’s Colt. I’m-I’m here.”
It takes him a second before he smiles. He doesn’t say anything, just gives a smile. Colt can’t be sure that his brother is awake enough to have understood him, or to recognize him, but something in his heart tells him that the smile says: Yeah, dumbass, I know it’s you.
Colt smiles back. “We’ve got a lot to catch up on, huh?” He murmurs.