To: DXA
From: DirLCarter
Subj: Re: Cal
I don’t know offhand, Nick. I do know that Maia set up extended sick leave for her, segueing into maternity leave, all effective immediately, over at ICPD. Let me see what I can find out for you.
~Lee
To: BGenMPeterson
From: DirLCarter
Subj: Cally
Maia, Nick is asking for a status, and if she’s available – or even awake – to talk to yet. You got any idea?
~Lee
To: DirLCarter
From: BGenMPeterson
Subj: RE: Cally
Yeah, sweetie, I heard from Laura and Alexandre a bit ago. The docs have her on meds, she’s home and in bed, where she’s supposed to stay for a few days. The doctors have set up several things so they can monitor her via nanite – they sent a medical nanite scanner thingie home with her, and it relays vitals through a dedicated VR channel to the hospital. It can’t give ‘em everything, but they can pull pulse, blood pressure, and blood sugar readings out of it, and those were the important ones, they said. Also Cally’s parents have express instructions about what to feed her and how often. They’ve managed to get Paul to settle down and be quiet by dint of telling him Mommy is sick, and that’s made baby sick, too.
I expect, from the sound, Cally might like to hear from her husband around about now. And I’m informed that young Paul got his nanites injected about a month or so ago – well, a while back, ‘cause Nick was there for that – so he might like a conversation with his Daddy, too.
~Maia
To: DXA
From: DirLCarter
Subj: Re: Cal
Nick, according to Maia, Cally is home with her parents on bed rest and special meds, and they’re feeding her according to doctor’s orders. But we think a call from her husband might be great timing. Also I gather your son might be wanting to talk to Daddy; the channel you use for talking to Cally should do fine for that.
~Lee
To: DirLCarter
From: DXA
Subj: Re: Re: Cal
Thanks, Lee!
~DXA
Once he arrived at the apartment, Ashton popped a message to his wife as Honda dished up dinner. The food was still a little bit soft, in deference to the bruising and soreness Ashton still had, but there was plenty of protein.
To: DetCAmes
From: DXA
Subj: Feel like a chat?
Hey, honey. By the time I heard you’d had a medical problem, the doctors already had you sedated, and I just got back from working at the consulate. If you feel like meeting in VR in a little bit, I’ll be available in half an hour – Rick is insisting I need to eat in the aftermath of getting decked the other day. Well, I didn’t hit the floor; I was sitting in my desk chair. But if I’d been standing, I’d have been decked.
Love you.
~Nick
Five minutes later, a response came back.
To: DXA
From: DetCAmes
Subj: RE: Feel like a chat?
Oh hell yes.
But you need to eat first. You have healing to do.
Love you too.
~Cally
After dinner, Nick dropped into the virtual room, popping a quick ping to Cally to let her know he was there, and moments later, she entered. He moved straight to her and took her avatar in his arms.
“Hey, honey,” he murmured, after they kissed. “How are you feeling?”
“Spazzed,” she admitted. “They have me on some medications that are supposed to keep everything settled, and they want me eating a specific diet at certain times. The baby has settled a lot with all that, and they swear to me that the medications won’t hurt her. So… I guess I’m okay.”
“Listen, I’m going to sit down with Rick once you and I get done talking, and try to brainstorm a way we can end this mess early,” Nick told her, earnest. “I don’t know that we can, so don’t get your hopes up too much, but we’re gonna try. I was worried about having to leave you so late in the pregnancy to begin with.”
“I know. And I’d like that a lot. I miss you, Nick. This bed is the loneliest thing in the world with you not in it beside me.”
“Tell me about it. And everybody here has to think that Rick and I are lovers, when neither of us even goes that way. Anyhow, we’ll do our best, but us getting out of this may not be fast.”
“Why not?”
“Because at least one of the other consuls already thinks I’m a spy. That’s why he clobbered me. I’m pretty sure – like, better than ninety-nine percent – that his remarks and behavior also planted a seed of suspicion in the consul I’m working with. If I do the wrong thing now, if I try to ease out of the position at the wrong time or in the wrong way, he could take it as me not being committed to the cause. He could even take it as me being the spy I really am. And that wouldn’t be good. These consulates have ‘security guards.’” He quirked his fingers around the words. “And they’re all big guys. Some of ‘em have a lot of security guards! When the guy backhanded me across the face the other day, I was surrounded by about eight or ten security guard goons – all with guns drawn – plus the two other consuls. The receptionist will hardly come into my office now, it scared her so bad. ‘Course, she’s maybe twenty-two, twenty-four, so she’s not exactly experienced.”
“She’s not pretty, is she?” Cally asked, face glowering like a thundercloud. Nick laughed.
“I honestly couldn’t tell you, sweetheart,” he said. “I haven’t looked that close. If memory serves, she’s a redhead, but that’s all I remember about her. And she sure doesn’t have your guts, determination, fearlessness,
