Hearing about their adventures and the ordeals they've been through should make me worried. After all, I've got a baby to think about. Oddly enough, though, I'm calm. I trust Adiron to keep us safe. I've had weeks to see how he is around babies, and his excitement is sincere. He told everyone on the Jabberwock—multiple times—that we're having a baby. He'd insisted we watch Jasmine for Kivian and Fran multiple nights so we can “practice” for when our baby arrives. And he'd been obsessively protective, hovering over me the moment he thought I might not feel well. He even carried around a stash of protein bars, ready to offer me one at a moment's notice if my stomach rebels. It's sweetly adorable, and I love him for it.
I've also seen how the crew handled Fran's baby. No one resented her or their captain for having a child. Instead, the little one is treated as an integral part of the crew—just one that doesn't contribute. Fran spent a lot of time watching the baby, but I've seen Kivian walking around the ship with his daughter strapped to his chest, and I've seen Iris playing with her. Cat and Zoey were less eager around the baby, but they helped Fran with her tasks around the ship when her hands were too full. Everyone pitched in, because they're a community.
It's lovely to see, and the way Adiron reacts—as if this is totally and completely normal—makes me think it's how it would be on the Little Sister, too. That his brothers would easily pick up any slack if we needed to focus on our child. I'm no longer filled with worry about having a baby in space. I'm just…excited for the future.
I haven't been excited for the future in a long, long time.
After dinner, I help Sophie clean the dishes while Jerrok goes over the things he's done to the Little Sister. He's changed out all the filters and done some additional small improvements to fusion cores and reactors and things I don't even know about. Sophie and I exchange books, and we talk a little about home as she shows me the plant-filled terrarium and the carinoux plays fetch with what looks like a fat metal pipe.
I'm glad when it's time for bed, however, because I want to spend some time with Adiron, picking his brain before we drift off to sleep. We finally part ways, and then Adiron leads me to our quarters. The bed's a good size, and I sit on the edge of it. "Thank goodness for this or I'd have nowhere to sleep," I tease.
"You could always sleep on top of my chest," Adiron says, as if that's a perfectly sensible sort of thing. He kneels in front of me and picks up my foot, undoing the auto-fastens on my shoes. I've nagged him about his fussing before—I'm perfectly capable of pulling off my own shoes—but he likes to take care of me. The moment my shoes are put aside, he moves forward and slides between my thighs, still on his knees. His hand goes to my belly. "Have you felt anything yet?"
"I'm only two months along," I say, laughing. "According to Fran, I have around another fourteen to go."
Adiron just grins up at me. "Are you telling me I'm impatient?"
"Yes!"
He leans forward, talking to my belly. "Don't you listen to your mother. She's got the wrong idea about me. I'm the most patient male on this side of the universe."
I chuckle, smoothing a black lock back from his face. It always falls over his brow, giving him a devilish sort of look. Very piratey, I decide. I like it. I tease the hair back behind his horns, only to watch it fall forward again. "Are you okay with everything?" I ask, running my fingers along the side of his face. I touch his jaw and trace my way along to his chin, just because I love touching him. "With Sophie staying and the cat and all?"
He shrugs. "Sophie's just seemed so lost ever since I met her. This is the first time I've seen her face and felt like she was happy. And I want her to be happy. Jerrok, too. I don't think I'd seen him smile since the war and I've seen him smile twice today. He's actually clean." Adiron lays his head in my lap, and even though one of his horns digs into my thighs, I don't mind it. I play with his hair, stroking his face and his head as he hugs my legs. "The loss of the carinoux hurts the pocket a little, but I'm fine with it staying with Jerrok and Sophie. Better than it being in a cage."
He makes it all sound so reasonable. "And yet you're sad to see them go, aren't you?" I ask softly.