Naming Conventions

Helena burst from the bathroom, towel clutched in her hand, eyes shining. John was sitting on the bed reading through the report one more time.

"I felt him!"

"What?"

"I felt the baby move!" Her eyes were lit up with excitement. She practically glowed. She dropped the towel altogether and reached for John's hand. She placed his hand low on her belly, just to the right of center. Her naked body distracted him and he grinned up at her, but she wasn't to be distracted. "Wait," she ordered.

John sat motionless in front of his wife and waited. Something fluttered against his fingers. It wasn't regular like a heartbeat. It felt deeper than a twitching muscle, and fainter. There was a tiny report, like someone knocking, then it was still again. He looked up at Helena.

She nodded, eyes watering. She spoke softly. "That's it! That was our son!"

He stood and she threw her arms around him with a laugh. "I can feel our son inside me!"

He held her tight. It was like holding pure sunshine. Things had been so dark for so long, first the miscarriage, then Victor's sudden death just when he and Helena had begun to move beyond mourning for their unborn child. Even with the plans they were making for Loki and Alpha, as busy as they had been, there had been little laughter in their household. The first few weeks of this pregnancy had been tense as well, once she tested pregnant there had been more than a month of waiting for tests to be run. It had been a tension filled time for them. Then after the tests were taken they had to wait another week and a half for the results. The tests simply couldn't be rushed. Intellectually, they knew that well, emotionally, it had been difficult for both of them.

Yesterday they had received the answer. The baby boy Helena carried was alive and well and as free of genetic defects as could be guaranteed by the technology available to them. Helena's emotions had soared. They had decided to celebrate the test results this evening by stopping work early and spending the evening alone together. And now that tiny life was moving inside his mother and they could feel that movement.

John began to be aware of the warm silky feeling of Helena's skin against his hands, his thin pajamas the only barrier between them. Helena turned and smiled, aware of his interest. She reached up to kiss him and then she leaned down to retrieve her towel.

"I'm going to need some new clothes," she said, wrapping the towel around her and heading back to the bathroom.

John followed her, appreciating the view as she looked at herself in the mirror. She examined her stomach from all angles to try and detect any increase in size. She smiled at him as she noticed his gaze. "How about pioneering the toga look," he suggested, taking the towel and draping it over one shoulder.

She looked at him in the mirror and laughed. It was so good to hear her laugh again. "You may not like the way I look in a toga in a few months."

John smiled. He was still having a difficult time imagining his always-slender wife with a child-swollen belly and the general puffiness that other pregnant women on Alpha were beginning to show. He moved behind her and looked at her in the mirror, leaning down to kiss her neck. "I'll always love the way you look." He moved his hands up and down her body, feeling a new tautness across her lower abdomen. Her breasts felt a bit tighter too. Helena leaned back against him, relaxing into his touch. He leaned down to nibble at her neck.

She reached behind her, playing with the waistband of his pajamas. He enjoyed her teasing touch and she turned and laughed again. She linked her fingers with his and tugged him back into the bedroom. She lay on the bed and held out her arms to him. "Love me now, John, before I blow up like a balloon."

"It's not like it's going to happen overnight," he said with a grin, kneeling next to her.

She reached up to caress his cheek, her hand trailing down his neck and chest. "John, I'm so happy," she whispered.

He leaned down and kissed her, softly at first, then more deeply. He pulled back as her touch became more intimate. "Is it... ok...?"

She smiled. "It's ok."

"The baby?"

"Is fine," she assured him. "Don't worry, John. I wouldn't suggest doing anything that would harm the baby."

He smiled hesitantly. "Of course not." He kissed her again and let his passion for her overwhelm the caution. He held her and loved her and when she was satisfied in every way he held her in his arms as she dropped off to sleep. It was still early evening, but he couldn't think of a better way to spend the time than holding the woman he loved and watching her sleep contented in his arms.

She shifted in her sleep and he slid his hand against her belly, wondering if he would be able to feel the baby move again. He held still and his patience was eventually rewarded with a soft pat-pat-pat, then after a wait he felt it again.

Helena smiled. "We'll have to think up a name for the baby."

"Well, we've got some time," he hadn't been aware that she was awake again.

"Any suggestions?" she asked.

"I haven't ever given it much thought. How about you?"

"Hmm, John Junior?"

He shook his head. "John's such a plain name. I've never liked it-except when you say it. Somehow you make it special. But that doesn't mean I want to pass it on."

"Plain? What do you want then?"

"Something-special, exciting."

Helena turned over and tucked her arm under her pillow and watched him. "Exciting. Like what?"

"I don't know, but it's definitely not 'John'. You're sure it's not a girl?"

Helena gestured toward the report sitting on the table next to the bed. "It's not a girl. Why, do you know what you want to name a girl?"

"Well, I was thinking that if it was a girl, we could name her after our mothers."

"Emma, and Rachel?"

John nodded.

Helena turned onto her back. "Emma Rachel Koenig. I like it." She glanced back at John. "I guess we'll just have to try for a girl next time."

"There's going to be a next time?"

"Could be." She smiled again. "Right now we need a boy's name."

"I'll think about it. But definitely not 'John'." He pulled her back into his arms and she moved against him, both ready to change the subject.

Over the next few weeks they collected an array of names and rejected them. Nothing sounded quite right. Baby names became a frequent topic of conversation. Maya was fascinated by her friends' absorption in the problem of finding a name for their unborn child. Helena thought up and suggested a number of names, but John remained unimpressed.

"Now take a name like 'Alan' for example," Alan suggested at dinner one evening. Everyone else at the table groaned. "No, really, it's a good strong name. And at the beginning of the alphabet. You end up first in line at school."

"They line you up by last name in school," Tony said.

"Not where I come from mate. I always ended up first in line."

"Oh, yeah? And who was next?"

"Bobby Daniels." Alan replied reasonably.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Well, there's Antonio. That starts with an 'A' too."

"Wouldn't that get confusing?" Maya asked. "Having a little one with the same name as yourself."

"Yes, it does," Alan said reasonably. "Which is why I would agree with John and not want my son named after me."

"What would you choose?" Sandra asked.

"Well, I'd like to name my son after my uncle. He was very influential when I was growing up. And he had a good name, not boring." The last he aimed at John. All had heard John's criterion for choosing a name.

"Your theoretical wife might have an objection," Helena said with a smile.

"Oh, I'm sure we could work out a compromise," Alan said with a good natured grin.

"So you name children for people in your life who influenced you?" Maya asked.

"That's part of it, Maya," Jeremy Devers said with a smile. "It's important to find the right name. After all, the kid has to live with it all his life, and you do too. You want it to be something you'll like to hear often. My own parents chose a name from the Bible."

"A name with religious significance?" Maya mused.

Carolyn leaned against her husband. She had been studying the practice of naming too since she didn't remember her life on Earth and she was also expecting a baby. "We're going to do the same thing. Jeremy and I have decided on the name Joshua."

"What was the religious significance of Joshua? And Jeremy?" Maya asked, intrigued.

"Well, Jeremiah was a prophet. Joshua was a leader of his tribe of people and a good man." Jeremy explained.

Maya considered this. "And is Antonio a religious name too?"

"Well, it is a saint's name, but actually, my mother had a crush on a movie star named Antonio. And my middle name is for a singer. But my third name was chosen for a saint when I was confirmed."

"It all sounds very confusing. Why would you need so many names, Tony?" Maya turned to John. "No wonder you're having so much trouble coming up with a name. The rules sound very complicated."

Everyone at the table laughed.

"There are very few rules, although different cultures have different conventions. In my own family, it was frowned on to name a baby for a living relative," John explained. "Another reason for not naming the baby after me."

"Earth must be a very confusing place. So many different cultures living together."

"Yes, it was, Maya," Helena said, patting her friend's hand. "And here, we're trying to blend some of those cultures to create our own."

Maya turned to Sandra. "And what is your custom, Sandra? How did you receive your name?"

"My parents tried to give my sister and I strong names which would sound good. They wanted something that was not one of the more popular names at the time."

Helena nodded. "There were always plenty of girls named 'Susan' and 'Cindy' my age."

"With our small population we don't want to do the same thing, but by choosing more than one name there's more room for variety. Like Helena being Helena Susan," John explained. "If there's another Helena, or another Susan, there probably won't be another Helena Susan."

Maya nodded slowly. "So, you try to find a name that is unique, but at the same time honors a person who has a religious significance, or family significance, or someone you have a fondness for," she recapped the information she had absorbed. "Helena, do you have a 'crush' on a movie star?"

Helena laughed. "No, not really. Although I've always been fond of Cary Grant, I don't think I want to name my son either Cary or Grant."

"Family significance then," she ticked off next. "And John doesn't want to use the name of someone who is still living. Your father?"

Helena frowned and shook her head. "My father's name is Richard. I like the name, but I don't think it quite suits John's requirement of being special or exciting." She looked at John.

"My father's name was Gustav. Everyone called him Gus. I don't think so."

"Grandparents?" Alan suggested.

Helena laughed. "I barely remember my grandfather. He was the only doctor for miles around and was a fat old bald man with a bushy mustasche. His name was Wilbur Blythe. He was very sweet, but I don't care for the name."

John shook his head. "Doesn't sound right."

Sandra shifted uneasily. "Have you thought about the name Victor?"

Helena looked at John. John looked at Helena. The loss was so recent. The pain so fresh. It was not a name that either had suggested, or even considered.

"Sandra?" John said. "You may have something there. It's certainly something to think about." Neither John nor Helena was ready to commit to anything without discussing it in private. The after dinner conversation turned to other things.

Late that night John turned to Helena and shook her softly. "Helena?"

"Mmm?" She surfaced from the depths of sleep. "What is it John?"

He didn't turn on the light, just turned and held her to him. "I like the idea of naming him after Victor. I really do. But the thought of calling him 'Victor' every day, saying the name and not meaning...him..."

Helena put her arms around John and held him, letting him lean against her shoulder, giving him comfort. "I understand. Perhaps it could be his middle name?"

John thought about it for a while. Finally he nodded against her shoulder. "Yes. That would be all right. Do you want to use your father's name?"

Helena shook her head. "I can't explain it, but I know it's not right. We still have time. We'll know the right name when we hear it."

John nodded again and they drifted back to sleep.

Helena soon needed those new clothes. She modified two of her skirts to include an elastic panel and wore her tunics without a belt. That lasted for nearly a month. During that time she made a jumper for herself out of uniform material and wore a white blouse. She seemed to be constantly warm, so she made the white blouse with a rounded neck instead of the high neck of her former uniform. She didn't seem to need a jacket at all, but on the few times when she did she simply borrowed John's larger gray jacket.

She was now entering the third trimester and she felt wonderfully healthy. They took a short vacation on Loki, living in a small cabin together. John helped with the work in the fields now planted with a variety of earth plants while Helena manned the infirmary. There was always need of a medic to care for aching muscles, the occasional accident and other health problems. John had no intention of having her overdo things and wouldn't allow her to help with the farming.

They had just returned to Alpha from vacation when John received a call from Michel Castellano. Michel entered John's office carrying a small wooden box.

"Michel, how's Celestine and the new baby?"

"The baby's getting bigger everyday and we're both happier by the minute. She was so ready for the birth of the baby. How about Helena?"

"Doing quite well."

"Enjoy your vacation?"

"Yes, I think the fresh air did us both some good."

"Glad to hear it. I finished cataloging the things you sent over from Professor Bergman's. I wanted your opinion about this box of letters. It is personal correspondence. I want to digitize it to save it to posterity, but I felt that perhaps someone should go through it and decide whether it should be made public. As the Professor's closest friend, I felt you should make that decision."

John looked at the box. He didn't really want to read Victor's private mail, but understood Michel's point. He nodded. "All right. I'll take a look at them." He gestured to the desk. "Leave it with me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

"No hurry, really. Whenever you have the time."

Michel left shortly and John sat at his desk and looked at the box. He sighed and decided to get this over quickly. He opened the box and looked at the neat row of envelopes with their letters. The act of bringing these to Alpha meant that they were something Victor cherished. He decided to go through them methodically and started with the first one. He was surprised to find it written in a childish hand with what appeared to be a real fountain pen.

John picked up the first letter again and read it over again. He touched the signature lightly. He liked the idea of honoring Victor, and he wanted an unusual exciting name. He wondered if his son would also find history smashing when he found his own name in the history books. Alexander Victor Koenig. He reached for his commlock to call Helena. He was sure she would agree with him.

 Ellen Lindow

May, 2000