Chapter 7

A very pregnant Ling waddled into the first year dining room and sat at the table with the rest of the family. She was due to give birth at any time and was looking forward to being able to walk around with her normal grace. Her frequent need to go pee was another thing that she hoped would end soon, since she didn’t enjoy going to the bathroom in front of an audience. The students, fascinated by her pregnant body, took every opportunity to look at her naked form.

Arriving at the table, she sat down heavily and said, “I had four offers to rub lotion onto my stomach by students. I think that is a record for one trip to the bathroom.”

Ed smiled at her and said, “They have come to appreciate the miracle that is birth.”

Knowing what the students really wanted, Leroy asked, “Why don’t you get undressed?”

His comment brought smiles to everyone at the table. John and Ed nudged each other with exaggerated leers that everyone noticed except Ling. Disappointed at her lack of response, they looked over at her in concern until they realized that she was seriously thinking about the question.

“I’ll be surrounded by the entire school in five minutes,” answered Ling still incredulous that she was actually pregnant. When she had returned from her hiking trip with Leroy, her period had not returned. Concerned about it, she had gone to a doctor only to find that she was almost four months pregnant. That explained the lack of a period while she was out in the woods. It didn’t explain why she didn’t have morning sickness. This whole pregnancy was odd.

Teasing her wife, Linda said, “Must be nice to be so popular. I’ve walked through here naked and no one even noticed.”

“It must be the fact that I now have breasts,” remarked Ling with a smile as she put her hands under her breasts. They had swelled much more this pregnancy than during her first one. They were even larger than Kelly’s breasts and they had been a gift from the Goddess.

Ed reached out and rubbed a hand over the swollen belly feeling the life within. There was only the slightest stirring of the infant within and that worried him. Kelly noticed his expression and said, “The baby is just saving its energy for when it’s born.”

The sluggish movements of the baby were a major concern of everyone in the family. All of the tests indicated that the baby was healthy and properly formed. Several of the Druid healers had said that the baby was going to be very strong, but the lack of activity seemed to suggest otherwise. Ling was afraid that it was because she hadn’t taken proper care of it during the first four months of her pregnancy. John knew the direction Ling’s thoughts had taken and said, “You didn’t know.”

“How could I not know that I was four months pregnant?” asked Ling still incredulous at the idea. Shaking her head, she added, “Leroy, I’m so sorry. I gave you lots of grief because I thought that things hadn’t worked out the way I planned.”

Rather than address her self-recrimination, Leroy said, “You looked really good in the park ranger outfit. I enjoyed every minute of our time together.”

Ling was about to respond when a small contraction rippled through her body. Wide eyed, she said, “I think something is happening.”

Kelly stood up and said, “Boys, you got to stay here. We’ll let you know when you can come see her.”

A look of real disappointment crossed the faces of Ed, John, and Leroy. This was going to be their fourth child and they hadn’t been allowed to participate in the miracle of birth once. Kelly had given birth before they even made it to the hospital. Linda had given birth under circumstances that had required significant medical care. Ling wasn’t going to act weak in front of her husbands. They watched as Linda and Kelly helped Ling out of the dining room. Ed looked at Leroy and said, “I still can’t believe that she didn’t know she was pregnant.”

“She said that her period tends to stop when she is in training and figured that had happened out in the woods,” replied Leroy with a shrug. He was having difficulty explaining it. Shaking his head, he finally said, “We’re men. What do we know about this stuff?”

Ed and John laughed at the fact that there was more than a little truth in his question. William didn’t say a word as he watched his fathers discuss the matter. After a while, he said, “My sister will be a strong warrior.”

“Your sister?” asked Beth in surprise. “I’m okay and I’m not a warrior.”

“No, I meant my little sister,” replied William.

Beth and Little John shared another one of those looks that conveyed another puzzle about their little brother that they had to solve. They had sworn to protect him, but he had never seemed to need it. Little John asked, “How can you know that?”

William just shrugged as if that was all the answer anyone required and as far as he was concerned the matter was settled. Stroking his medallions, John studied William trying to understand how it was that the boy seemed to see a different world than everyone else. His medallions were silent and he gained no further insight.

Leroy asked, “Are you kids going to your next class?”

Little John answered, “No way. I want to find out if I have a little brother or sister. I hope it’s a brother, just so that William is wrong.”

Everyone at the table laughed as William rolled his eyes. Even though he didn’t understand the source of his knowledge, his pronouncements were never wrong. He stood up and started to walk away.

John asked, “Where are you going?”

“Class,” replied the boy as he continued on his way.

The group at the table watched him walk off. No one was surprised by the style of his behavior, but his lack of interest in what was happening to Ling was another matter. Beth, frowning, asked, “Why is he going to class?”

Eyes tracking William as he went through the door to the hallway, John answered, “I think he is pretty sure that the baby won’t be born any time soon.”

Leroy and Ed looked at each other realizing that it would be a while before Ling gave birth. Ed said, “Yeah, it took a long time for Ling to give birth to Little John.”

The group sat around talking about things, eating snacks, and drinking various beverages. The kids were drinking milk, Leroy was drinking coffee while John and Ed were drinking iced tea. The time passed slowly and there was no news. After two hours had passed, William returned from class to find that his family had not moved from the table. Puzzled, he asked, “Why are you still here?”

“We’re waiting to hear about Ling,” answered Leroy as though his answer should be self-evident.

William shrugged his shoulders and sat down while opening a book. Leaning back in his chair, he started to read ignoring everyone else. Beth moved so that she could read the cover of the book. Aloud she asked, “Dune?”

The boy didn’t answer her question, but just kept reading. With a slow but consistent flipping of pages, he worked his way through the book totally enraptured by the story. Little John said, “I’m getting bored. Maybe I should get something to read.”

“I’m bored, too.” Beth looked around at her fathers as a smile came over her face. She asked, “Is anyone up for a game of Hunt The Bug Eyed Monsters?”

Almost without thinking, Ed replied, “I am!”

John and Leroy laughed at Ed’s speedy answer and joined in. “Me too!”

Putting up his book, William stood ready to play. Ed picked up Little John and set him on his shoulders. “Last one to the apartment is a rotten egg!”

The three men rushed out of the dining hall with a child each riding their shoulders. They arrived at the apartment at the same time. Within minutes, the living room had been turned into a space ship. John called out, “Pilot!”

Beth called out, “Navigator!”

Leroy shouted, “Communications!”

Putting his hand over Ed’s mouth, Little John said, “Gunner!”

William said, “Gunner!”

Prying Little John’s hand off his mouth, Ed muttered, “Mechanic, again.”

Everyone laughed and took their places. William and Little John sitting in the two chairs flanking the couch. John was in the center of the couch with Beth to his right and Leroy to his left. Ed was stuck sitting on a footstool, the low man in the crew. Once everyone was seated, John ordered, “Navigator, plot a course to BEM central.”

“Aye, aye,” replied Beth writing on a tablet. Looking up she handed the tablet to John and said, “Course plotted.”

John checked out the tablet amazed that she had plotted a three- dimensional course. Smiling, he said, “Communications, tell base that we are heading out.”

Leroy, in a very official tone of voice, said, “Base, this is Bug Hunter One. We are heading out.”

John made driving motions with his hands while Little John and William rubbed their hands. He shouted, “Going into warp drive on three. One, Two, Three.”

On the count of three, John acted as if he were punching a button and everyone started shaking like they were going over a bumpy road. They kept that up for about a minute and then John said, “Arriving at BEM central on one. Three, Two, One.”

Everyone stopped bouncing went about getting ready to engage the monsters. John started acting like he was flying a spacecraft. Leroy looked up and said, “Twelve of them ahead at two o’clock high and ten of them at ten o’clock low.”

Little John and William started making zapping noises as they fired their make believe laser guns at the bug-eyed monsters. Little John shouted, “Going to bug tracker missiles.”

William replied, “Going to laser cannon. There’s too many of them.”

With ka-booms and whizzes coming from the two young boys, Ed laughed and said, “Better watch out. Those bugs are tricky.”

Leroy shouted, “They got the communications antenna.”

With a wink, John said, “Go fix it, lowly Mechanic.”

While the kids were giggling, Ed shot a look at John and shook his head. He acted like he was putting on a space suit and then stepping out of an airlock. As he went, he called back, “You guys keep them nasty monsters off my back!”

As Ed pretended to fix an antenna, the others continued to fight the monsters. After a few minutes, William stood and went to the door, opening it before the person outside had a chance to knock. He gestured for her to enter the room. Laura Brockmire, the Druid in charge of the infirmary, entered and watched with a grin as Ed floated around the room. When everyone quieted down after noticing the presence of Laura, Ed called out, “There are still monsters out here.”

The lack of response from anyone caused Ed to turn to see what was the matter. Spotting Laura, he blushed and said, “I didn’t know you had come in.”

Laughing, Laura shook her head and said, “When I told Kelly that I would get her husbands, she said the children would be playing. I can see she was right.”

Leroy begged, “Tell us the details.”

“Ling gave birth to a nice healthy girl,” replied Laura with a smile. She added, “It was the strangest thing. When the doctor went to spank her to start the breathing reflex, she coughed and then yelled.”

“Yelled? Don’t you mean cried?” asked John.

“She shouted, Yeah!” It was the strangest thing she had ever witnessed in her life. It was almost as though the baby had made a high-five gesture.

Leroy laughed and said, “What you expect from a baby with me as father and Ling as the mother?”

The family followed Laura down to the infirmary, finding Ling on the bed holding the baby wrapped in a blanket. They approached quietly, but Ling said, “Don’t worry. She’s wide awake and ready to go.”

Leroy bent over and looked at the baby girl. She moved her hands and legs as if she were trying to get rid of the blanket. Looking at the baby, he said, “You’re gorgeous. Just as beautiful as your mother.”

Ling, weak and with face pale from giving birth, replied, “And just as restless as her father.”

Ed quipped, “It could have been worse.”

“Huh?”

“Could have been as ugly as her father and mean as her mother,” replied Ed with a smile. His comment provoked a laugh from everyone, including Leroy who made a gesture like he was mortally wounded.

Impatient, William asked, “Her name?”

Ling glanced at John for a second and then said, “Elizabeth Jones. I thought we could call her Betsy.”

Shocked, John looked down at the floor to try to control his emotions. Ed understood and put a hand on his shoulder. Kelly smiled at the reaction of John, knowing that Ling had tried to honor his first real love. Ling reached out and took his hand. In a weak voice, she said, “Yes. I know all about Betsy.”

“Thank you, Ling,” replied John. He looked down at the baby and said, “Betsy, you are a beautiful baby.”

The children crowded around the baby, each taking a turn looking at her. Beth said, “I’ll protect you, Betsy.”

Touching her right hand, Little John said, “I’ll help you in every way that I can.”

When it was time for William to look at her, he stood there for a long time without saying a word. Finally, he said, “I’ll listen to you.”