The crunch of breaking bones was sickening and was followed by a scream of agony that ripped its way from Pauline’s throat. Richard continued on down the hall, oblivious to the injured woman’s sobs and cries of pain.
Matilda knelt beside Pauline and laid a hand her shoulder, “Shh. It is all right, now. Just calm down.”
Matilda, like all SIRs, had a built-in suite of medical diagnostic programs and features which they used to assist humans in first aid situations. They were now informing her of the fact that two of Pauline’s right metacarpals, the bones forming the palm of her right hand, were fractured cleanly in half, and a ragged laceration was plainly visible on the back of the woman’s hand and was oozing copious amounts of blood.
“What’s that bastard done now?!” Stephen gasped from the end of the hall.
Before Matilda could answer he was on his knees at Pauline’s side. He took a moment to study her mangled and rapidly swelling hand, then shook his head slowly, “This’s broken. That bastard broke her hand!”
Stephen took Pauline into his arms and lifted her as if she weighed only a pound. He started off down the hall with the wounded woman cradled against his chest and Matilda hurrying after him, her concern for Pauline being her reason for doing so. Stephen took them to his former apartments in the west wing of his father’s house, which, per his father’s orders, had been left untouched since he had moved out nearly a decade before. The rooms were stuffed with a multitude of antique books and instruments of learning, things he had not felt a need to take with him upon his departure. His few pieces of furniture consisted of mostly spartan objects fashioned from oak and deep brown leather. Stephen gently placed Pauline on a worn leather sofa and went into his bedroom. He reappeared moments later carrying a large metal box, which he placed on the floor beside the sofa.
Matilda watched silently as he opened the box, revealing an assortment of emergency medical supplies neatly laid out in rows. Pauline had calmed enough to become aware of her surroundings. “What’re you gonna do?” she asked, her voice subdued by fear and pain.
“If we take you to the hospital you’ll have to wait in a waiting room for at least three hours, just for them to inject Knit, apply a cast, and send you home. I’m gonna do all that for you right now,” Stephen explained.
“How do you know how to do all this, sir?” Matilda asked.
“A friend of mine’s a paramed. She gave me this med-kit a while back and showed me some first aid techniques. I’m just glad the kit was still here,” Stephen answered.
Pauline gasped as Stephen pulled a thin hypodermic syringe and a vial from the box. Filling the syringe with a white liquid, Stephen gave her a reassuring smile, “This’ll only sting for a second.”
Stephen cautiously took Pauline’s injured hand, causing her to hiss in pain. He gently pricked the back of her hand with the needle, and after a few seconds the pain completely vanished, although she retained all her faculties.
“This’s Knit. Do you know what Knit is? What am I saying, everyone knows what Knit is,” Stephen assumed, a touch of sheepishness in his voice.
“I know what it is, but I don’t know why it works, Mr. Governor. I wasn’t very good at science in school,” Pauline admitted with greater sheepishness.
“Well, there’s no shame in that. Science can be damn tricky. To be honest, I was terrible at math all throughout my school career. I’m still terrible at it,” Stephen admitted with a slight blush.
“I kinda find that hard to believe, Mr. Governor,” Pauline piped, her timid nature making itself known in the softness of her vocalization.
“Well it’s true, as much as I hate to admit it. Anyhow, Knit’s basically a solution filled with minerals and billions of nanites. When injected, some of these nanites attach themselves to your pain receptors and shut them off while the rest help knit the breaks in your bones using the minerals, hence the name ‘Knit,’ ” Stephen explained.
He then removed a small, shiny black cylinder from the kit. He held one end of the cylinder against the back of Pauline’s broken hand, and she watched wide-eyed as an oily-looking substance began to flow from the cylinder and coat her hand. The cylinder began noticeably reducing in size as the substance flowed. “Cast nanites. Right now they’re talking with the Knit so they can locate the breaks and set them. Just relax and let them work,” Stephen told the woman in his care.
Pauline watched her injured hand move slightly as the black cast nanites set her broken bone.
“Once the bones are set, the cast nanites will form a layer around the break before binding together to form a protective cast as hard as steel. It’ll take about a week for the fractures to heal, then the cast nanites will disperse,” Stephen concluded.
The microscopic robots did as expected, and soon Pauline’s hand was encased in the aforementioned cast. Stephen nodded in approval, removed the greatly reduced cylinder from Pauline’s hand, then looked up and was taken aback to see tears streaming down the woman’s face.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked, deep concern in his voice.
“No sir,” Pauline assured him, “It’s just that I feel bad for burdening you with this.”
Stephen shook his head slowly, “You’re not a burden, ma’am. If anything, I should be apologizing on behalf of my father and brother. Richard never should’ve hurt you, and my father should be the one worrying after you. It shames me that they think they’re so much better than anyone in the working class. I really hope someday that they’ll learn that people aren’t toys to amuse themselves with and treat like garbage. What’s your name, ma’am, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Pauline. Pauline Carey,” the woman answered shyly.
“It’s obvious to me my father isn’t the right employer for you, Pauline, so I’d like you to become my personal assistant,” Stephen decided, “This means you’ll accompany me to work and take care of my more menial tasks. It also means your luxury pay will be greatly increased.”
“I am sorry, sir,” Matilda interjected, “but your father will never approve of this.”
Stephen waved his hand dismissively, “If Pauline leaves his employ it means less money out of his pocket, so why should he complain. Money’s all he cares about, but I care about people.”
Stephen reached up and gently brushed a tear from Pauline’s cheek, but he held his hand to her cheek for much longer than necessary. “Has anyone ever told you you’re very beautiful, Pauline?” he asked as gazed rapturously upon her.
Matilda stood back and quietly witnessed the exact moment these two people fell in love.
TWELVE
After they had returned from their honeymoon, Max and Caitlyn settled in East Chieftown, where they bought a three-story townhouse in an upper middle-class neighborhood. Max continued to serve in the VSF as a lieutenant-colonel while Caitlyn took a teaching job in a nearby dojo. When they were not working, the new couple enjoyed their newlywed bliss, rarely venturing from their new home. About three weeks after the High Summit, Max trudged into their home one evening to find Caitlyn waiting for him in the front room. He flopped tiredly onto the couch beside his wife and rested his head on her shoulder with a loud sigh of exhaustion.
“Long day, love?” she asked with concern.
“Father and Michael are plannin’ a raid on one of the Fulsom’s warehouses. A big, heavily guarded warehouse. I spent all day runnin’ the troopers through their drills, and, as usual, I got in the thick of it. Did every obstacle course, every exercise routine, and every combat training session. Gotta love the troopers, though. They did their best to damn near kill me!”
“I’m sorry to hear that, my poor man,” Caitlyn comforted as she squeezed his hand.
“Don’t be. I’m just bein’ melodramatic and needy. So, how was your day?” he asked before leaning in and gently kissing Caitlyn’s neck.
Caitlyn moaned softly in pleasure then spoke, “I took time off this afternoon to go see a doctor about the illness I’ve been suffering the past few weeks.”
“You’re absolutely insatiable!” she squealed as he nibbled and kissed a line from her neck down to her collarbone.
Caitlyn’s desire began to rise as Max’s kisses became more urgent and moved to her chest. As she clutched at his shoulders, she suddenly came to her senses. “Wait, wait!” she cried.
“Is somethin’ wrong, my beauty?” Max asked as he propped himself up on his forearms and regarded her with concern.
Caitlyn shook her head emphatically, “No, everything’s all right. Nothing’s ever been this right in my life before. I have my husband by my side, and in less than a year, I’ll be the mother of his child.”
Max’s eyes grew wide, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but did you just say you’re gonna be a mother?”
Caitlyn grinned, “And that means you’re gonna be a father.”
Max was too astonished to speak, so he merely sat with a stupefied expression on his face.
“Max, sweetheart, say something.”
“Excuse me one minute,” Max said abruptly as he climbed from the couch and without another word stalked from the room at a rapid clip, his face set in a grim expression.
Caitlyn sat up, apprehension gnawing at her celebratory mood. She never would have dreamed that Max would be angered by the revelation of her pregnancy, but his reaction to her announcement had planted that notion firmly in her mind. All afternoon she had sat waiting for his arrival, her body practically vibrating with excitement, as scenario after scenario had played out in her imagination. Not a single one of these fantasies involved her husband and the father to her unborn child storming from the room. She noticed her hand was now caressing her lower belly, a habit she had instantly developed upon learning there was a baby growing inside her.
He’s not angry, she told herself, he’s in shock, he’s overcome with emotion, maybe even scared, but he’s NOT angry!
Suddenly, there came a loud shout of triumph from the kitchen. “YYYEEESSSS! I AM A FATHER NOW! KING OF THE UNIVERSE STANDIN’ RIGHT . . . FUCKIN’ . . . HERE IN THIS KITCHEN! TAKE THAT, EVERYONE ELSE! TAKE THAT, PEPPER SHAKER!” Max trumpeted, his last exclamation being punctuated by a sharp crack and the shattering of glass.
Caitlyn could do nothing to stop the dazzling smile that broke across her face, nor could she cap the pure, unbridled joy that suddenly fountained within her. She quickly suppressed her smile when she heard Max’s purposeful footfalls returning from the kitchen. He entered the room, his face again a grim mask as he approached the couch.
“So,” he said in clipped tones as he stared down at her, “I’m gonna be a father, then?”
Caitlyn could detect the barely contained glee coursing through her husband, and decided to play along with his ruse. “You are. Is that going to be a problem?” she countered in equally clipped tones.
His grim expression was obliterated by one of pure ecstasy. “Are you kiddin’ me?! This is one of the best things to ever happen to me! I’m gonna be a father!” he shouted with glee as he practically yanked Caitlyn to her feet.
The suddenness of this action caused Caitlyn to let out a small shriek of fright, but before she could act further she was quickly swept into Max’s arms, lifted from her feet, and kissed passionately. When the kiss ended, Max returned her to the floor and lovingly held his hands to her cheeks.
“Thank you! Thank you so much for this incredible gift! I love you so much! I love both of you so much!” he gushed, his gaze darting down to her belly during his last exclamation.
“You and I are both responsible for this, so thank you, too! Oh, and we love you, too!” Caitlyn gushed back.
Max quickly kissed Caitlyn one last time before dropping to his knees and resting his head against her belly. “Our baby’s in there,” he said, his voice soft with reverence.
“And soon it’ll be in our arms,” Caitlyn added.
She fell silent and gently cradled her husband’s head as he planted little kisses all across her belly. He then stood, pulled her tight against him, and held her for a long time.
A thought suddenly occurred to Caitlyn, “Did you throw the pepper shaker?”
“Uh . . .dunno . . . maybe . . .” Max answered hesitantly.
Caitlyn giggled happily as she squeezed her husband tighter.
#
One week after Max and Caitlyn’s happy news had been shared it was joined by the equally joyous announcement that Anna was also pregnant. This announcement was, in turn, overshadowed by the sad news that the president had decided to allow herself to die. The election was announced in the same broadcast, and the candidates officially named.
Several days after the president’s announcement, Ronald had an unexpected visitor come to his home in East Chieftown. He lived in a decently decorated bungalow, which was much too big for a single person. This aspect of his home had always caused Ronald some distress as it served as a constant reminder of his romantic woes. Though he was a very outspoken man, or “loudmouth”, as Frederic was so fond of saying, he had kept a tremendous secret buried in the depths of his being for roughly two decades. When he was sixteen, Ronald realized that at some point he had fallen deeply and hopelessly in love with Bertram Von Raben.
Ronald, Bert, and Michael Hartnett had grown up together as a trio of inseparable friends, and as they entered adolescence, Bert had transformed from a wily, almost spastic little boy into a cool, dignified young man who whose physical appearance had been described as breathtaking. Ronald was soon shocked to discover that Bert had effortlessly captured his heart, but the thought of revealing this to anyone filled him with trepidation. How could he, the son of a tailor and a homemaker, even dare to dream he was worthy of the son of Frederic Von Raben? So he had watched Bert with covetous longing as they grew into manhood. He had been involved romantically with two young men and three young women in this time, but he always secretly pined for Bert. Their senior year of high school was the year a pretty young woman named Melissa Neal had moved to East Chieftown and joined the student body of H.S. 113. Bert had been rendered dumbstruck by the young lady, and Ronald had stood by in silent misery as his best friend and this newcomer had quickly fallen in love.
A year after graduation, Michael Hartnett had proven himself a brave man by daring to court Frederic Von Raben’s beloved daughter, Anna. Ronald was left flabbergasted by Michael’s brashness, and was further flabbergasted when Frederic eventually gave the new couple his blessing. He now realized he could have pursued Bert without fear of upsetting his parents or the social circles from which he had issued, but now he had missed his chance. Bert was already seriously discussing his plans for marriage to Melissa Neal, and Ronald could not bring himself to taint his friend’s happiness. So by age twenty, Ronald was the only one of the trio who was still single, and though he dated periodically, he still could not cleanse himself of his love for Bert.
After Melissa’s death, he had been the shoulder which Bert had cried on the most. Bert eventually emerged from his grief, but it was obvious that he was still unswervingly committed to his dead wife. Again, Ronald could not bring himself to taint his friend’s love with a declaration of his feelings. He was now begrudgingly resigned to the fact that his love would most likely be forever unconfessed and unrequited.
He had actually been sitting in his kitchen, working through a cup of black coffee and meditating on that very subject, when his HouseMind alerted him to a visitor waiting at his front door. In school they had been taught that in ancient times people had to survive without Cells or HouseMinds, a fact which had left him flabbergasted at the time. He found it hard to imagine a house incapable of communicating with its owner, thereby being unable to, among many other things, informing the homeowners of visitors and intruders, maintaining climate control at optimal comfort levels, and operating the home’s various e
lectronic systems at the homeowner’s unspoken whim.
He answered his front door and found Celeste Fulsom standing there. The woman was wearing an obscenely short, form-fitting dress of shimmering purple that showcased her bountiful cleavage and silken thighs.
After she politely asked for a moment of his time, he invited her in and led her into his front room. He sat in a large, cushy armchair and motioned to a sofa across the room. Celeste took her seat and began without preamble, “I’ve come to you at the request of my father. He wishes to cut a deal with your boss.”
Ronald kept the mood cordial, “Why didn’t you go directly to my boss with your business?”
“If I’d done that he would’ve had me tossed out without a second though. You’re not as impulsive as your boss, Lieutenant-General West.”
Ronald watched impassively as Celeste stretched languorously, causing her dress to creep a little higher up her thighs.
When he did not respond to her words or her little flesh show, Celeste resumed her speech, “My father would like you to know that he holds CEO Von Raben and his resourcefulness in the highest of regards. We’re certain he’s used this resourcefulness to learn that my brother Stephen will most likely be our new president. Should my brother actually win the election, which would be more of a certainty if your CEO could convince his son to cast his vote for Stephen, my father would have Stephen extend the Von Rabens certain political favors, and all he asks in return is your CEO’s assurance that he will no longer be a thorn in the side of Liberty Enterprises.”
Ronald grinned, “Oh yeah? And all we gain are political favors?”
A sly, seductive smile appeared on Celeste’s face, “I can think of many more things we have to offer one another.”
Ronald’s grin morphed into a sly smirk, “What sortra things?”
Celeste answered by stretching out and running her hands seductively down her body, once again putting her ample physical charms on display.
“Miss Fulsom?” Ronald husked.
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