“Alex!” Laura cried in excitement. “We’re gonna be grandparents!”
“Boy or girl?” Alexandre wondered, grinning broadly.
“The nanites say it’s a boy,” Cally said, proud. “So we’ve decided to name him Paul Hans Ashton, after you, Dad, and Nick’s father Hans.”
“We would have named him Alex, but we were afraid that might get a little confusing,” Nick explained somewhat contritely.
“And that makes perfect sense,” Alexandre murmured, accepting. “I’m very honored, children.”
“Good, Daddy,” Cally replied, rising and going over to hug him. “We hoped you would be.”
“Now, Cally, are you going to retire from police work to be a full-time mom?” Laura wondered.
“No, I hadn’t planned on it,” Cally replied. “I like my job, after all, and think I’m doing good work for the city. So Nick and I have been talking about what to do for child-care…”
Laura turned and stared at her husband, who smiled, knowing exactly what his wife was conveying, after so many years together.
“Yes, my dear, I think that’s an excellent idea,” he said. “And yes, given I own my own business–”
“I never have thought to ask what you do, sir,” Nick commented, flushing at the omission. “I knew you had your own business, ‘cause Cal told me, but…” He shrugged. “I didn’t want to be nosy or anything.”
“Wine imports, of course,” Alexandre chuckled. “Why do you think Callista knows so much about them? But the center of the business is actually in the Imperial City; I ‘commute’ in VR. And if there is a condominium coming available in that building you’re in, especially if it’s near yours, we might just look at moving to the Imperial City. Then I can work from home, and Laura can be grandmère and provide child-care, while you both work. Hell, I might even help with the child-care; I don’t work every minute of every day, after all. Grandpère needs to be in on spoiling his grandchild!”
“Oh! That would be wonderful!” Cally exclaimed.
“Yes, it would! But… isn’t this your childhood home, honey?” Nick asked her.
“No, no, no,” Alexandre said. “This is where Laura and I moved after Cally left for the Imperial Police Academy. The old house – which was much too big for just us – is rather an Ames clan sort of dwelling, a big, sprawling place with several families in various wings. We can visit there any time we want, all of us, but once Cally moved out, Laura and I decided we wanted something a little smaller and quieter…”
“It used to be called empty nest syndrome, in ancient times,” Laura said.
“I see,” Nick said with a grin. He looked at Cally, who returned the expression. “Cal, sweetheart, I think we have child-care taken care of now.”
“I think so,” she said, happy.
After that, they called Nick’s aunt and uncle on Flanders.
“Aunt Bea, Uncle Joe,” Nick said in the simulation, “you remember my wife, Cally.”
“Yes, dear,” Bea Jaansen Bertrand responded. “My, I think you’re even prettier than you were on your wedding day.”
“Good to see you two kids again,” Joseph Bertrand remarked. “To what do we owe the visit?”
“Well, we just wanted to let you know that there’s gonna be a family addition,” Nick said then. “Cally’s pregnant.”
“That’s wonderful!” the older couple exclaimed in unison. “When are you due?” Aunt Bea asked.
“Um, I’m about three, three and a half, months in,” Cally said. “It’s a boy, and we’re naming him Paul Hans Ashton, after Nick’s dad and my father’s middle name.”
“Nice, nice,” Uncle Joe murmured.
“Yes, Nick, I’m sure your father and mother would be honored,” Aunt Bea said, smiling while dashing away a tear. “That’s just lovely. Now, do you have child-care lined up? We can’t come there, but we could help financially…”
“Mom and Dad are moving to the Imperial City from Sergut,” Cally explained. “It’s on the other side of the continent from Imp City.”
“That works,” Uncle Joe promptly declared, looking at Bea.
“It does,” Aunt Bea agreed. “Now, be sure to tell them that, if we can help in any way, we’ll be glad to. And you two should know, we’ve done well for ourselves financially, but with no children, well…”
“What Bea is saying is, we’ve made you our heirs,” Uncle Joe noted. “And given that, if you need any financial help, especially while the little fella’s growing, you just yell, okay?”
“Thanks, Uncle Joe,” Nick said with a smile. “We… appreciate that.”
“Nick, Cally, we’re very proud of you both,” Aunt Bea declared. “You’ll have to send little Paul here for the summer to visit, when he gets old enough. Better yet, bring him sooner!”
“Thank you, sir, ma’am,” Nick murmured. “We’ll do that. I’d been thinking I’d like to show Cal around my hometown anyway.”
“You do that, son, you do that!” Joe said. “We just finished revamping the house, and there’s several guest bedrooms upstairs just achin’ to be used!”
The last thing to do was to throw a little party at their condo; they invited The Team as well as the IPD Investigations division, which now consisted of seven investigators in addition to Ashton. More, each brought a significant other, so the Ashtons had quite a houseful. Consequently, the roar that shook their condo when they made the announcement could have been detected on seismographs, the couple decided later. They found themselves immediately enveloped in happy hugs and congratulations by everyone in the crowded room.
“A toast to the new parents!” Maia Peterson exclaimed, raising a glass of ginger ale; everyone had wondered what happened to the wine, as Cally usually served some very nice wines, and now they understood – the new mama wanted to avoid overloading her nanites in caring for the baby.
“Hear, hear!” came the uproarious response, and everyone drank from whatever fluid they had in hand; this did include some beer for those who preferred, as Cally mostly didn’t
