A Small ProposalA Small ProposalBreakaway + 4 yrs, ~8 months
“Bob told me I’d find you in here brooding.”
Helena looked up from the clipboard in front of her and glared at her husband. “I am not brooding.”
“Sulking?”
She opened her mouth to make a quick retort when Bob Mathias walked in. “Ah, good, you’re here.” He leaned over and took the clipboard from his boss’s hands. “Now, here’s my prescription for you.”
“Prescription for what?” Helena growled.
“For this.” Bob waved the clipboard in front of her. “John, can you take the rest of the afternoon off?”
Koenig raised an eyebrow and nodded. “I suppose so.”
“Good. I want you to take her home and the two of you spend the afternoon together. Helena, we know you’re not pregnant, and cannot possibly conceive in the next ten days. So I want you two to relax and just have some quiet husband and wife time together. No pressure. We can get to work on this tomorrow. Today you need some down time. I’ll arrange to have supper sent to your quarters around your usual time. About 19:30?” At John’s nod, Bob ushered them both out of Helena’s office. “Good, good. Helena, I’ll see you in the morning then.” He walked the two of them out of medical center, then stepped back and the double doors closed behind him leaving John and Helena standing in the hallway.
John looked back at the closed doors and then at his wife. “It didn’t work?”
She shook her head. “It didn’t work.”
“You’ll figure it out.”
She nodded, not really trusting her voice. This wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have in the hall. She wasn’t sure it was a conversation she wanted to have anywhere. John reached out and took her hand. “Come on. Let’s get out of here before someone finds something for us to do.”
She met his eyes with a small smile. She was heartened by his grin. He seemed to be looking forward to an afternoon off.
“Slow day?”
“Deadly.” With a tug he lead her along the hallway to the travel tube. “There’s something to be said for quiet days, and I certainly don’t want to wish something bad on us, but I’d read as many status reports as I could handle for a while.”
She had to smile, and she enjoyed the feel of their hands entwined on their way to the travel tube. Koenig touched his commlock on his belt to call the tube then turned to place his hands on her shoulders. “We knew it wouldn’t be easy. Don’t get discouraged.”
Helena shook her head. “I know. And I’m trying not to. It’s just…”
“It’s personal this time,” John said softly, forehead touching hers.
“Yes, it is.” She turned her head just slightly to touch her lips to his. He drew her closer and the kiss deepened. They barely heard the swish of the doors that heralded the arrival of the travel tube.
Alan Carter cleared his throat. “Perhaps you two should get a room?” He suggested.
“We’re planning to do that right now,” John said with a wink, holding Helena close.
“What happened to you?” Helena asked noticing that Alan was holding his hand wrapped in a cloth bright red with blood.
“Just a scratch,” Alan said with a shrug. He looked at it to make sure it wasn’t dripping on the floor. “Maybe needs a stitch or two.”
John held tightly to his wife. “There’s a whole lot of people ready to help him right through those doors.” He indicated the direction they had come from.
“Sure, Helena.” Alan assured her. “You two just continue what you were doing. It’s really very minor.”
Helena gave him a worried glance but allowed John to draw her into the travel tube.
At their quarters, John said, “You are certainly tense. How about one of my deluxe massages?”
Helena gave a sly smiled and cut her eyes at him. “I like your massages.”
“Guaranteed to get your mind off your worries.”
“That’s for sure.”
John gave her a little push, “Go get changed.”
Helena headed for the bathroom. John moved to the computer station, quickly entering his status as off duty and routing emergency contact to Tony who would only use the override codes if necessary. Then he called up a list of music and selected only the most sensual of Helena’s favorite jazz artists. He started with the upbeat Steve Kindler, then the softer Michael Franks and Robert Michaels. He timed it carefully and chose the most sensuous of Gato Barbieri and the Rippingtons, then the soothing Pat Metheny. Then he lowered the lights and quickly hung up his own uniform in the closet.
When his first wife suggested they take a class in massage, John had not been enthusiastic. He was rather single-minded about his career, but Jean had convinced him that it would be fun to take the class together. For once he had listened to her, and he found out he was pretty good at it. Jean had loved it when he would take the time to give her a massage. It was something they had not done often enough. And, with their hectic schedule, oppressive responsibilities and dangerous environment, he and Helena also had few opportunities for leisure activities. John had no more time for musings of this sort when Helena emerged from the bathroom clad only in a towel.
One hand clasped the towel around her, the other reached up to brush her silky blonde hair back from her face and she gave him a smile that increased the temperature in the room. He returned her smile and reached out to take her hand and lead her to the bed.
“Top or bottom?”
“Bottom, I think.” Helena settled on her stomach, and John removed the towel. He gave an appreciative look up and down, then settled next to her on the bed and lifted one foot and began to massage it.
Once he worked his way all the way up to her neck, he lay next to her. She lazily opened her eyes and looked at him. “I feel as if I no longer have a single bone in my body.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead.
“Close your eyes and relax. Sleep some.”
She moved her hand slightly to clasp his and her eyes closed. He pulled the covers over both of them as the soft sounds of “Last Train Home” began. Something about the brushes on the snare drum sounded so much like the soothing whish of travel by train. He smiled and they both drifted off to sleep. He had timed it just right.
John awoke to her kisses. He put his arms around her and she rolled on top of him. Neither spoke a word as they made love, then Helena settled at his side. He ran his fingers through her hair.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” he assured her.
“You know I’m not that young…”
“Helena. You’re certainly not old.”
“No, but John, time is quickly running out for me to have children.”
He turned to her so he could look her in the eyes. “You and Bob are going to figure this out.”
“Given time, yes, I think we will. I think I have an idea to buy us some of that time.”
“And that is?”
“John. Victor had left me a sperm donation. I was wondering how you would feel about us using that next month. Then during the next year Bob and I could continue to work on this problem Magus left us with.”
Ever since Helena had given him that doctoral thesis to read, John had wondered when she would bring the concept of genetic diversity to a more personal level. And he’d been wondering how he would react to it. So far, he had to admit, he wasn’t sure how he felt. He understood the need intellectually. And also knew that this could be done clinically. He wouldn’t have to share his wife with another man. But he had to wonder how he would deal with a child who called Helena ‘mommy’ calling some other man ‘daddy’. Blended families weren’t that uncommon on Earth, but he’d never been personally involved in one. He wasn’t even sure how he would have reacted if Helena had children from her first marriage.
But Victor was his old and dear friend. John still missed him every day. Could he raise Victor’s child as his own? Yes, he was certain he could.
Helena lay quite still in his arms, watching him carefully. He knew she would wait as long as necessary for his answer. In fact, if he asked for time to think about it, she would wait patiently for as long as it took, and accept whatever decision he made.
Down the road, he knew it might be up to him to set an example, allowing his wife to share parenting duties with another man. He wasn’t truly in a place where he felt comfortable with that yet, and he knew others had their own opinions over this, their own demons to fight. Perhaps this would be a way to come to accept these changes to their lives more gradually. How could he not love any baby whose mother was Helena?
He met Helena’s eyes again. “I think that’s a terrific idea. I know Victor would be pleased.”
Helena’s smile was reward enough for him. And he knew he would do everything in his power to keep Helena and their baby safe and happy. No matter whose genetic material was used to make the baby.
ECL