"... you can't just wish this away." – Travis Mayweather
=/\=
There was a sound of thunder, almost immediately after lightning. It was loud.
Norri jumped a little, "Gaah!" she exclaimed when Melissa touched her arm, "Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Sneak up like that. You know I hate thunder and lightning."
"Er, sorry. It looks bad."
"I've seen thunder snow before," Malcolm said, "It was on a planet – I'm blanking on the name now."
"I don't know as I've seen it here since we settled here," Doug said, "Uh, let's watch how we behave in front of the kids, okay?"
"Sure," Norri said, trembling a little.
"Dad, when are we going to see Mom and Dec?" Joss asked.
"Uh, soon," Doug said distractedly. That had been the plan, but now it seemed unlikely. He clicked open a communicator to call Lili, but only got static.
Melissa saw this, and took out a PADD. She turned it on, and it came up all right, clear and brightly-lit, "Huh," she said quietly. She showed it to Malcolm.
The two of them went into a corner, "No grid reception, eh?" he said, "That's not good."
"I just have whatever's on the drive," she said, "Try yours."
He did, with the same results. He swallowed hard. What if this meant that something had happened in Fep City? Was the Med Center still intact? Were Lili and Declan all right? He turned around.
"Mackum, you sad?" asked Tommy. He didn't speak too much, what with being so young, but he did sometimes.
"I just, I miss Lili," Malcolm said. No sense in projecting anything else to the kids.
Doug looked at him, and came over. He very quietly said, "Careful. Keep it together, Reed."
=/\=
"You have enough stress." – Dayah
"Lili's winding down anyway. This one should be my last child." – Doug Beckett
=/\=
For Lili's part, she was fine. She came out of the anesthesia in time to see Yicha and Miva coming in. Yicha was holding Declan.
Her room had a decent-sized bed in it and a small bassinet, plus a little changing area. Lili smiled, "Ah, my little love," she said, as Yicha gave her the baby to nurse.
"We are very healthy," Yicha said, "He's four point oh eight kilograms in weight, and fifty-three point thirty-four centimeters. He's nice and pink, as you can see, and his pulse rate is where it's supposed to be – over one hundred."
"Plus there's a good, strong cry and he's got good muscle flexion," Miva said, "He demonstrated on the way here."
"Has he been fed? Have you been fed?" Lili asked Declan directly. He responded by looking at her, his eyes matching hers.
"He's gotten a little bit of milk from a bottle," Yicha said, "But I bet he'd like more."
"Ah, yes," Lili said. She pulled back a tab on the hospital shift she was wearing, "Here ya go," he made a face and gasped a little, a slight cry, "Oh, hang on, I'll get closer," she did so, but he gasped again. Then he figured out what to do, "There. Now, that was tough, I know. But you're doing fine."
Miva smiled and said, "I wanted to tell you. We did the ovarian scans. You are completely menopausal."
"Wow. Last one in," Lili said, "Hear that, Dec? You're really, really special," he just did what he was doing.
"Are you hungry?" Yicha asked, bringing in a small tray.
"Yeah, now that I think about it," Lili said, "Thanks."
"We'll leave you," Miva said, "Get to know one another."
"Did you, uh, did Malcolm contact the Med Center?" Lili asked.
"I don't know," Miva said, "But we heard reports that there were problems with reception on the grid. Some sort of a weather system near the dishes on Point Abic."
"Oh. Well, let me know if it clears up," Lili said, and they left her and Declan alone.
=/\=
"More beautiful than I thought." – Doug Hayes
=/\=
The clouds got darker. Norri looked out the front picture window, "Oh, man."
"What?" asked Doug, "Keep it quiet, Digiorno."
"Doug, I grew up in Oklahoma City."
"Yeah?"
"So I've seen tornadoes. See that cloud? It's looking like it's going to become a funnel," she said, "You got a cellar, right?"
"Yeah," he said, "We are not gonna panic the kids."
"Understood," she said, "But we need to get food, water, blankets and diapers down there. Right now."
"I'm on it," he said, and turned, "Reed, you're with me."
"Oh?"
"Yeah," Doug said, "Come and help me," he silently nodded toward the window.
"That's not possible," Malcolm said, "I wonder how – and why – that's happening."
"Never mind that," Doug replied, "Help me with this."
=/\=
"It's a puzzle. I like puzzles. Putting them together, taking them apart and, and reconfiguring them. Seeing the combinations in my head and acting on them." – Malcolm Reed
"I don't like being confused, and I don't like sitting around and doing nothing." – Doug Beckett
"Pieces need to be arranged somehow. Rotated, perhaps. No box or guide to look at, though." – Malcolm Reed
=/\=
Lili watched Declan nursing and said, "Okay, there are two things for you to learn today. I realize, Mister Reed, you probably thought you were gonna be off the hook, seeing as it's your first day and all."
The baby concentrated on what he was doing.
"All right, well, first off. You are to memorize what I smell like. I often also smell like food. But I do smell like me. Not, uh, not to say that I don't shower frequently, of course," she smiled down at him, "And see? You've already passed that. Fifty percent, perfect on your first try! You, sir, are a natural."
He just did what he was doing.
"The second thing is, you are to memorize what I sound like. Now, I might sing a little sometimes. Actually, allow me to demonstrate," she sang.
"La petite poule grise
L'était une petite poule grise
Qu'allait pondre dans l'église
Pondait un p'tit' coco
Que l'enfant mangeait tout chaud
L'était une p'tit' poul' noir
Qu'allait pondre dans l'armoire
Pondait un p'tit' coco
Que l'enfant mangeait tout chaud
L'était une p'tit' poul' blanche
Qu'allait pondre dans la grange
L'était une p'tit' poul' rousse
Qu'allait pondre dans la mousse
(L'était une p'tit' poule beige
Qu'allait pondre dans la neige)
L'était une p'tit' poule brune
Qu'allait pondre sur la lune"
"That was all about a bunch of hens and eggs," she explained, "And look! You know my voice! You have passed with flying colors! Head of the class! Perfect! Valedictorian!" she enthused. The baby finished nursing and gasped a little at her. Much more softly, she said, "Lessons are all done for the day. So you can rest or eat as you wish. And I guess I will, too. Your Daddy will be back soon, with everyone else," she smoothed his hair a little on his head. It was white-blond, like hers, "See, now, you're all spruced up. You're looking very stylish with your little woolen cuff on, mister. I hear they are going to be showing this look on the streets of Paris soon."
=/\=
"I'm an action guy. Talking isn't always easy for me." – Doug Beckett
=/\=
The two men stripped the blankets off the beds and Doug grabbed a stack of diapers from the stand. Everything was stuffed into duffles – it was whatever could fit, "Take these," Doug said.
Malcolm was about to go down the stairs with the two very full duffle bags when Marie Patrice stopped him, "Where are you going, Mackum?"
"We're, we are going to go camping. Uh, downstairs in the cellar," he explained, "Can you, do you see that jug over there? Can you have Melissa help you fill it up and then bring it downstairs? That would be very helpful."
"Okay," she said, skipping off. She didn't seem to have any sense of what was happening.
Doug went into the kitchen and began randomly grabbing cans of whatever he could see and putting them into a box. Outside the window he could see the neighbor's house, more or less finished. The workmen had apparently put all of the big boxes into it. Behind it, the clouds were opaque blackish-green in color.
"Uh, Dad?" Joss asked.
"Oh, uh, can you get the can opener out of the silverware drawer and bring it down to the cellar?"
"What about the laser one?" Joss asked.
"No, uh, get your Mom's old-fashioned manual one," Doug said, "And, um, maybe do that fast."
"Uh, okay," The boy started to work. He didn't find it immediately, so he just ended up removing the drawer and taking it with him.
Norri looked out the window some more. There was a muffled roaring sound, and it was getting closer, "This is why I left Oklahoma. Even if it is where the wind comes sweeping down the damned plain."
"Mama! Cookie?" asked Tommy.
"Uh, maybe later," Norri said. She began to hunt around, and Tommy followed her, "Whatcha?" he asked.
"Ah, you want to know what I'm doing," she answered, "Well, uh, I am looking around for things. Come help me," she found a box of matches in a high drawer in the kitchen, and stuffed the box into a zippered pocket, "Hmm, I think that's full enough, Marie Patrice."
They capped the jug and Marie Patrice very, very carefully took it down the stairs. Doug was running past her, like a whirling dervish, "Candles! Melissa, get the candles! Uh, they're in the master bedroom. Reed, get a loaf of bread. Norri, uh, fill more jugs."
The roaring sound got louder.
"Drop what you're doing!" yelled Malcolm, "Let's get down there!"
They did, as the roaring became unbearably loud.
=/\=
"I can tell – and I'm sure your son can tell this as well – you look like you're on the rocks." – Laura Hayes
"Anywhere but here." – Polloria
=/\=
Lili got up tentatively and brought Declan over to the bassinet. She then took a little of the proffered food – a bit of a kind of broth that tasted a bit like potatoes, and possibly was made from them. She then turned on her PADD and clicked on it furiously. No grid reception whatsoever. She looked out the window and saw a perfectly shaped funnel cloud in the distance, in the direction of her home. She swallowed, hard, and tried to figure out how to conceal her fear from the baby, who could potentially pick up on it.
=/\=
"People who get shocking news should be sitting down when they hear it." – Pamela Hudson
=/\=
When they were all downstairs, they sat down on the cellar floor and laid out what they'd brought with them, "Dammit, we need more water," Doug said, "Norri, why didn't you get water?"
"I did what I could," she said. She started to hunt around the cellar a little.
"Lay off, Doug," Melissa said, "Marie Patrice, can you show Norri where the camping lantern is?"
"Huh, good idea," Norri said, "Not what I was looking for, but okay."
"Here, let's put the blankets together nicely, all right, Joss?" Malcolm asked. He opened up the duffles and they started to take everything out.
Doug started pacing. He kept clicking his communicator open, hearing static, and then closing it, "Melissa," he finally said, "What do we have for food? I, uh, I just grabbed stuff."
She looked, "Orange marmalade. Tuna. Homemade, um," she dipped a finger in and tasted, "tahini. Cashew butter. Tomato paste. Chicken broth. Strawberry jam. And, uh, canned bamboo shoots."
"There's bread, too," Malcolm said. He had brought down whatever had been in the crisper drawer. It was homemade wheat bread and a homemade baguette.
"We'll need a knife," Doug said.
"Here, Dad," Joss said, indicating the drawer, which was now a jumble, "We have knives in here."
"They're not sharp enough," Doug snapped a little.
"C'mon. Be nice," Melissa said.
"We can, uh, tear off pieces of bread like cavepeople," Norri said, "Found the lantern, thank you, Miss MP."
Marie Patrice came over to Doug, "Whatcha doin', Daddy?"
"This thing's not working," he said, tensely.
"Oh. Can I fix it?" she asked.
"No, you can't."
"Doug," Melissa said.
"We aren't gonna be there on time, and Lili's gonna be scared," he said, "This is not good."
=/\=
"This can only work if we all work together. There can never be any jealousy. You have to let all of that go, but you also have to make it possible for the others to let it go. No one gets to go around hurting the others. No one. You, Malcolm, have this piece, Doug has this one. And, in turn, Melissa has a piece, and Norri has another one." – Lili Beckett
=/\=
She pressed the call button. Yicha came in, "Something wrong?"
"Did the news say anything about that storm?" Lili asked.
"We, uh, we haven't had grid access for a while," The Calafan explained, "There are doctors visiting here and everything – I know the director wanted to make a good impression. At least the roof doesn't leak, eh?"
Miva came in, "Are you up for a visitor?"
"Malcolm?"
"No. A human doctor is here. He's – he is retired. But he's settling here, and wanted to see our facilities. Can you say hello briefly?"
"Uh, I guess so," Lili got back into bed and put the blanket around her. No sense in giving this guy a free show.
Not that it mattered too much. He was an older man, thin, with a face that was mostly nose, "This is Doctor Cyril Morgan," Miva explained, "And this is Lili Beckett. She is our only human obstetrics patient. And her son is our only human pediatrics patient."
"Ah," he said, shaking Lili's hand.
"Are you an OB-GYN or a pediatrician?" she asked.
"I am a retired orthopedic surgeon," he said, "I trust they are treating you well."
"They are," Lili said.
"I understand you're quite a pioneer."
"Yes. You're the first human doctor I've seen here since, well, since always."
"I'm sure more human doctors will be here soon enough. Perhaps I can get my niece to settle here. She's a plastic surgeon."
"Oh?" Lili asked.
"Yes. Her name is Pamela Hudson."
"We've met," Lili said.
=/\=
"Never arrive to a party early or on time. No one should. It's like the old Steady State theory of the universe. No beginning and no end. Or maybe it's just turtles all the way down." – Pamela Hudson
=/\=
"Lili will be fine," Norri said, still rummaging around, "What's in that box?"
"It says it's children's toys," Malcolm read off the side.
"Will you cut that out?" Doug asked, getting more peeved and pacing more.
"Calm down," Melissa took his arm and said that as quietly as she could.
"I can't help it," he answered.
"It's the pressure drop," Norri said, her nose in the box, "Ah, there it is," she took out an old green stuffed dinosaur toy. It was a stegosaurus.
"That old thing?" Joss asked.
"Do you want it?" Norri asked.
"No. I'm too big for that," he said.
"Good. Then can I borrow it for myself?" she asked.
"Uh, sure," he replied, and she hugged it to herself as the wind continued roaring outside.
=/\=
"Well, I suppose if I had a dinosaur, I'd sleep better, too." – Hoshi Sato
=/\=
"Good! She, uh, she needs female friends," Doctor Morgan said.
Declan woke and gasped and cried a little.
"I should, uh, let you get back to things," he smiled, "My granddaughter is four years old. I remember her being that small."
"I have older ones. But they weren't quite this small, even when they were newborns. It was lovely to meet you," she said as he helped her up.
"Likewise. Can I, uh, give Pamela your information?"
"Sure," she said. He clicked his PADD next to hers in order to transfer the data, and then left.
"Just you and me," she said to Declan as she lifted him out of the bassinet.
=/\=
"We never get a chance to be alone." – Jun (Daniels) Sato
=/\=
"Does anyone want a sandwich?" Malcolm asked. No one did, "All right. Uh, let's see," he said.
"Get my PADD," Norri said to Melissa. Norri fiddled with it a little bit, "Uh, how about a story?"
"Something nice and soothing," Melissa said.
"Hmm. How about a classic? Uh, Charlotte's Web," Norri punched a few keys, "We can, uh, read a bit and go around the room. Malcolm, do you want to start?"
"Uh, all right," he said, taking the PADD from her, and began to read aloud, "Where's Papa going with that ax?"
He read and they passed the PADD around, the three of them, while Doug continued to pace. The children, more or less, paid attention.
But then the power went out, and Marie Patrice began to cry. The PADD was still illuminated, the only beacon in the cellar. Doug fumbled for the matches and found them, then lit a candle. Melissa started up the camping lantern.
"So much for story time," Norri said.
"Actually, this is quick. Can I, uh, can I recite something?" Malcolm asked.
"Recite?" Melissa asked.
"Yes, uh, I had wanted to say this when we were all together at hospital, but I wonder if I'll be able to. Uh, today," he added quickly, "It's, it's a poem I wrote for Declan."
"Do you need to consult a PADD?" Norri asked, "We should, uh, probably keep them off and save them."
"It's all right, I know it," Malcolm said.
Doug just clicked his communicator open again. More static. He closed it and drummed his fingers on the shelf where the sled was being stored. At least he had stopped pacing, "Uh, go ahead," he finally said, "But nobody better be expecting a poem from me unless they wanna hear about a young lady from Ipswich."
"Hmm perhaps not today," Melissa said, "Uh, go on, Malcolm."
"Ahem," he said, and then recited from memory.
"My love for you is fully set
and all I can think about is you
Even though we have only just met
your arrival sparks a love so true
With your name we recall another one
Declan O'Day was fated to never leave the other side
I wish he could see you, my beloved son
But that pond, it proved to be far too wide.
I never thought I could feel this way
I never thought I would have the chance –
for, what more can anyone say?
You're the culmination of the sweetest romance.
Our lives will never be the same.
Now if I could only come up with your middle name!"
Melissa and Norri clapped in the semi-darkness.
"Do one for me!" Marie Patrice asked.
"I get the feeling it takes a while to make them up," Melissa said.
"I shall think of one, when I can," Malcolm said, "But right now we're a little busy, love."
There were creaking sounds outside. Norri grabbed Tommy and put him in her lap along with the dinosaur toy.
Doug started up the stairs, "What are you doing?" Melissa asked.
"Going to see if I still have a roof."
"Let it go," she said.
"But –"
"No. Let it go," she said, then grabbed her belly.
Norri looked up, "Please tell me you're not in labor."
"No. Just kicking," Melissa said. She came close to Doug and whispered, "The more I get stressed, the more Neil's gonna kick. And you need for me to be able to concentrate on what's happening here, and help with the kids, so that you can do other things. So take it easy."
"I hate this," he seethed through clenched teeth.
"Hang in there," she said.
=/\=
"My love for you isn't just hinged on performance. I won't deny that I like it. But to be with you is what really matters." – Lili Beckett
=/\=
Lili went through songs and nursing and tried, on her own, to stay calm. No sense in upsetting such a tiny baby. But she was worried. The funnel cloud was still there, still perfectly shaped. It seemed to have been at her house longer than anyone could have had the right to expect.
=/\=
He – it – was responsible for the storm, of course. He waited for her to put the baby back into the bassinet.
=/\=
"I come in peace." – Doug Hayes