“Penny! Are you here? I wanted to come by and apologize for how I was acting, it wasn’t really about my project.” A familiar, almost-human voice called from the far end of my suite.

I’d like to say I had been thinking about her. I’d like to say I’m rolling with the punches life has been sending me, but I’ve been half-stuck in a tube on my lazy river and haven’t done more that stare into the rippling waters pulling me along and have only realized my inaction by hearing Tessa’s voice. I try to move and slide out of the tube as I normally would only to struggle and flip over, now with my ass in the air and my head underwater.

I grunt in frustration before blipping out of my self-imposed prison to try and face Tessa. I realize that I didn’t change out of my swimsuit last night but now I don’t really have time to change either.

“Penny!” Tessa calls again as she rounds the corner, seeing me slumped with soggy hair. “Oh, did you sleep in the river again?”

“Yeah. Yesterday was a lot. I’m glad you’re here though.” I giver her the best smile I have left. “I’m going to be a mom.”

“Oh? So you finished with Oren mk 5? Why don’t you look happy? Did it break already?”

What started as a laugh, moved on to sobbing. I re-instate her comms access to me since I can’t manage to speak through the tears.

“Oh, thank you. I’ve felt so isolated since . . . oh.” Tessa stops a few paces from me and freezes.

Moments pass and the silence is awkward for me. “No comments?”

“Do you want me to comment?”

“Please do, it feels like you should be judging me. Might as well get it out of the way.” I slump down on one of the picnic tables near the river, hoping my hair covers my eyes somewhat.

“I am really sorry Penny. I’ve been frustrated with some projects and took it out on you. As for the pregnancy, you were trying to create an advanced construct, this one just takes longer.” Her tone was playful, but the posture tells me she is wary of my reaction.

Her comment makes me smile. “As neat of an idea science Penny thinks that is, person Penny is slightly horrified about classifying a fetus as an experiment. It’s weird to think that I designed the brain of my future kid. I have so many questions about this, two of which being the progress meters and why they aren’t working.

“Hmm, the background data seems to be stuck on assessing the formation of the biological systems the child will need? You consume a reliable quantity of conventional and aether-rich foodstuffs, so finding the nutrients and materials for them shouldn’t be too hard for you.”

When Tessa gets closer, I wrap my arms around her and just hug for a few minutes. “I’ve been freaking out a little. I used Katie’s basic harmonics, and now I guess she and I are having a baby, but we’re only kind of together right now? With a war coming and a huge influx of change, I don’t think I’m ready for this, but what’s the alternative? Cutting her out of me? That idea makes me sick and shaky.”

Tessa wraps her arms around me, “I might be a bit more independent now, but I’m not abandoning you, Penny. I can help you raise your daughter if you need me to.” She pauses for a moment before asking “have you told Katie yet?”

“She wasn’t in the mood to be in ‘Wife’ mode, so no. I called up Francesca and we talked and she laughed at me and my science mishaps.”

“Some angsty ogling too, no doubt.”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

I chuckle, “Definitely the latter.” She lets me hold her for a while longer and then slowly pushes us apart.

“You need to tell Katie.”

“She’s been so dismissive lately, but yeah, I do.”

“I know I said I wouldn’t meddle, but Atropos told me that Katie is feeling inadequate after the drugged and subsequent vengeance ordeal and is afraid to be torn apart by your judgement?”

She’s afraid of me? Those aren’t the vibes I was getting at all. I understand the that people push others away to protect themselves, but . . . no, wait, she’s done this before. It was years ago aboard Galilei, and she’s putting in the effort to be responsive this time at least.

>P]Katie, uh, something unexpected happened while working on my construct project. I’m pregnant.[<

>K] How the hell did Tessa get you pregnant!?[<

Oh now you’re interested? Ugh, don’t start a fight Penny.

>P] No Katie, I know she’s attracted to me, but no. I needed an organic matrix to try holding a complex Alpha pattern, and I can grow crystal. [<

>K] I’m coming over. [<

>P] Okay? [<

Well, I should get dressed then so id doesn’t look like I’m offering myself to her. Guess I’ll get in my work clothes: workout shorts and a tank. I give Tessa a brief explanation and blip to my room to change and then give Katie access to floors 45 and 47 on the express lift.

“Why am I so nervous to see my wife?”

“Because your wife wants to know who to kill.” Katie strides away from the elevator on 45 and walks up to me in my living space. She’s wearing a tight mission suit, likely a state of the art armored habitat suit, that looks amazing on her thin frame.

“It was an experiment gone wrong, hon, an accident.” I look up at her as she stops within a foot of me.

She cups my neck and thumbs my cheek, “You don’t need to lie Pen Pen, you can tell me who hurt you.” The final words rumbled through me in a sub-vocal sizzle that resonated in my core. How was she being possessive and sexy now?

“K-katie,” despite myself, I stutter with arousal, “Seriously, no one hurt me. I leveled up while I was conducting an experiment with a brain-like component and the Matrix got the wrong idea.”

She looked at my belly then back into my eyes for a long three-count before saying “I’m going to inspect you.” She waited until I nodded and looked deep into my midsection.

She sighs, and rests her forehead on mine. “Oh thank Andromeda. I got so angry so fast.”

Confused by the intimate gesture, I stand there and move my mouth like a fish. I’m a little happy and very confused.

“How are you doing with this? Was this the panic from yesterday?”

“I’m stunned, mostly. And yah, this was that. I’ve though of having kids, but this is a completely crap time for it.”

“Whatever you want to do, I’ll support your decision.” She says, still so very close.

“I’m keeping her Katie. She’s going to be a trait mix of you and me, and I’m keeping her.” I start fiddling with one of the pouches on her belt while I wait for her response. “No matter what, I’ll have a piece of you in my life.”

Katie pulls me close, and her chest starts wiggling in a way that I think she’s laughing at me. I pull back slightly to find that my wife is crying. I wrap my arms around her in return and sniffle for a few minutes before she speaks.

“I want to be a part of her life, Penny. Even if it’s too late to be a part of yours.”

“Why is it too late to be in mine?! Please, come back to my life. I like it with you here.”

She fiddles with her hands for a bit and then steps back. “I’m ruined. I’m spoiled, Penny. My mistakes shouldn’t follow you.” Her voice is small and hurt, nothing like my valiant scientist.

“You were drugged and abused, Katie, by people you trusted. That is not your fault.” I walk up to her and hold her belt with both hands. She looks away but doesn’t move otherwise. “I love you, a brilliant, fragile masterpiece of a woman. I want to appreciate you and invite you in, but you have to want to be here. And I’d love it if you let me in again.”

She looks up and searches my eyes, belying her interest in coming back.

“I am so scared you’re going to crush me. Overwhelm my need to please you. And it’s so hard to see a way through it.”

“When she’s born, our child will be the most important thing in my life. Can you handle that?”

She puts a hand on my belly and closes her eyes. After a minute she nods. “I can. And, I think, I know having her around will keep me more present.”

Tears creep up on me and I reach out to hug the crap out of her and she lets me. Andromeda I hope that she can keep this promise, I hope that she doesn’t get as overwhelmed as she did with me, but it would be okay if she lost herself in taking care of our daughter.