Chapter 19

Xi Pegasi
Survey Team One
September 15, 2057

“Yamina?”

Yamina stirred and opened her eyes. The surroundings were strange to her, and then she remembered. “Roger?” She sat up on the cot Faith had procured for her to sleep in Roger’s sick bay cubicle. “Honey, are you awake?”

“I think so,” Roger croaked. “I’m so thirsty.”

Yamina stood and walked the ten steps to the dispensary. Opening a cabinet, she selected a plastic cup and filled it with crushed ice and water from the built-in dispensing unit, then brought it to Roger. “Not too much, now.”

Roger lifted his head off the pillow and pulled some of the water into his mouth. It wasn’t enough to swallow, but nothing had ever tasted so wonderful. He laid his head back; even that amount of effort was exhausting.

“Better?”

“I guess so,” Roger’s eyes were clearer, and he smiled as he looked at his wife. “I’m sorry I got so lost. I don’t understand what happened.”

“You’re here now,” Yamina leaned in to kiss him, and she pulled back when his hand pressed against her breast. “Ow, that’s sore.”

“What? I’m sorry. What did I do?”

She kissed him again, and then leaned down to whisper in his ear. “My nipples are sore because I’m pregnant.”

Roger tried to sit up, but he was too weak. His eyes were huge as he took in the news. “I thought no one was getting pregnant.”

“You remember that fruit drink you make?” He nodded and she went on. “It made you fertile somehow. Lenna, Faith, and every other doc we have are trying to figure out how and why. But, we are going to be the very first parents on this planet. Congratulations.” She grinned at him as her eyes gleamed with unabashed joy.

“How did you figure it out?”

“Well, the day you left, I went home sick. That’s when I found out. Lenna and Faith flew down here to examine me, and it was just a process of elimination after that.” She giggled. “You should’ve seen Faith and Lenna digging in the trash pit after the fruit rinds I threw out. They wouldn’t let me in there, and they were just covered in stinky mess when they climbed out. Anyway,” she sobered, “they were able to find the combinations that you’d likely been using, and they’re still testing them. Now that you’re awake, you can help us get the right combination.”

“Anything to help,” Roger agreed. “I’m so happy for us; I don’t even know what to say. We’re going to be parents, Yamina.” His eyes glowed, and he pulled her down beside him and kissed her again.

“How is our patient this morning?” Lenna sat down in what had become her office, and Faith grinned as Lenna handed her the mandatory mug of coffee.

“He woke up at about three o’clock this morning, or what passes for it here. Devin really needs to decide on a new timekeeping system. The current one just isn’t cutting it. Anyway,” she sipped her coffee gratefully, “Roger is awake, and he’s a happy man this morning. Yamina told him that he’s going to be the first dad in the whole system.”

“That explains the spike in his heart rate, then,” Lenna giggled. “He seems to be recovering well, but I’d like to get him back to your place so we can test him.”

“He won’t like the guinea pig role, I promise you.” Faith warned. “You should’ve heard him back during the testing on Earth.”

“You should’ve heard Devin. He pitched absolute fits every night about the stuff they put us through. He hates tests, and he quit the program every night in our quarters.”

“Saburo stressed over it, too, but his reaction was a little different.”

“How so?”

Faith giggled. “When he gets stressed, he gets horny.”

“Oh, no,” Lenna laughed.

“He turned me every way but loose.” Faith closed her eyes. “I love that man, and I did. Frequently.”

“In that case, you’re probably ready to return home. I put in a call for a transport to Colony One Hospital about an hour ago. They should be here tonight sometime.”

“I will go explain your brilliant plan to Roger and Yamina. Do you want Tony to come back with us?”

“Not unless he wants to go. He’s as tough as a megatiger, and he’s healing just fine.”

“Alright. I’ll finish up here,” Faith indicated her display with her coffee mug, “and then I’ll see to prepping our patients.”

“And I’d best tell Devin what we have in mind. See you in a while.”

Xi Pegasi
Colony One
September 18, 2057

Roger closed his eyes as the medical scanner hummed over his bed, traversing his body from head to toe. He had just gotten back to sleep after the biopsy, and he was sick and tired of being in the hospital. “Please tell me I can get out of here,” he muttered.

“I’m sorry, Roger.” Faith appeared next to his bed. “Give me an hour to go over the results, and I promise I’ll let you leave if I can.”