by Kurt Winans
“Perhaps, but please don’t underestimate the King. His entire life has been spent living in these atmospheric conditions, so he may have incredible lung capacity and stamina.”
Knowing there was some unfinished business from the previous day; Jessica said, “Ross, unless there is something else more pressing, we should probably have that discussion with the medical team.”
“You’re right; let’s head for the clinic right now.”
Janet and several other members of the medical team were deep in conversation when Ross and Jessica arrived. They didn’t even notice they had company until Jessica said, “Good morning everyone. Is this a bad time for a visit?”
Janet turned and replied, “Not at all. We were hoping that you would stop by. Now that the neighboring dignitaries have departed, can we return to yesterday’s conversation?”
Jessica returned, “That’s the general idea, and speaking for Ross, the medical team now has our undivided attention.”
“That’s good to know, because we have something very important to discuss with you.”
Ross replied, “As Jessica said mom, we are all ears.”
Maintaining her role as the lead spokesperson, Janet proclaimed, “The obvious lack of medical equipment that had been in use on Earth in my time, or advancements developed during subsequent years, will undoubtedly hinder our efforts.”
Ross then asked, “Hinder your efforts to do what?”
“Deliver healthy newborns of course.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It has become somewhat of a guessing game for us to identify when each woman will reach full term, and the birthing process itself could also be impacted. Many of the mothers and newborns could face challenges if there are complications.”
“Your point of the potential danger is understood mom, but what do you mean by a guessing game?”
“Ross, you know that the gestation period of a human fetus is roughly forty weeks of Earth time.”
“Yes. I believe that most people, especially parents, are aware of that, but what is your point?”
“I mean that physiologically, at least with regard to the duration, these women all appear to be going through a normal pregnancy. We don’t believe that the travel through space, or the time on this moon, has altered that internal clock.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that a day on this moon is different in terms of hours on Earth, so we have to guess at how many days or weeks it will be until they reach full term. Of course we are not totally in the dark. Certain physical symptoms can provide us with a rough estimate as to how far along each woman is.”
“Well, that’s a relief. I thought you were building up to a significant problem with their collective health, but you’re really talking about a fairly simple math calculation. As to the possibility of difficult deliveries, it seems to me that some of the other abductees might be helpful.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about the women you met on the deep water vessel. You told us that some of them had been in captivity longer than you.”
“What about them?”
“Well, maybe one or more of them have delivered a baby in more primitive conditions than you or other members of the medical team are accustomed to. If so, their experience as either the mother or as a midwife could provide insight.”
A male doctor intervened by saying, “That’s a wonderful suggestion sir, if such a person exists.”
Looking in his direction, Ross said, “I don’t believe we have been formally introduced sir.”
“No sir, we haven’t. I’m Dr. Hans Schmidt.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Dr. Schmidt. I admit that such a woman may not exist within our population, but we should find out. Of course there may be other options available to us. Perhaps a Mayan woman could help. After all, they have no knowledge of the modern medical technology that you all currently crave. No drugs for the pain, no sanitized hospital, no post-birth health care system for the baby other than breast feeding and a blanket. In short, they know of only one way to deliver a newborn, the way it had been done for centuries.”
Dr. Schmidt’s response revealed an air of superiority when he said, “But there is a language barrier, and they don’t possess any medical expertise or training.”
“That is a poor excuse for not enlisting their help in this instance doctor. A person may not need to have been formally trained in the field of medicine to be of assistance.”
“That may be correct, but it’s difficult for someone like me who is accustomed to a sterile environment with modern equipment and technology to simply ignore it.”
“Please excuse me doctor, but the advanced medical minds of this team need to get over that belief right now. It’s true that our so called modern civilization of Earth benefited from technology that was way beyond that of the Mayan civilization. In fact, there was probably too much of it. We had become so reliant on having the knowledge of the planet at the blink of an eye in the palm of our hands, that we stopped working for said knowledge. Anything we wanted to learn or discover could be done so by looking it up on our electronic devices. In some parts of the world we reached the point of not being able to think for ourselves, or drive our cars anywhere, without relying on our intelligent built-in gadgets. Although ridiculously easy for everyone, it was actually quite pathetic.”
“We have the brain power and ability to develop such a civilization again if we so desire.”
“That’s not entirely true doctor. While I will agree that we possess the collective intellect, an important piece to the puzzle is missing. If the last several months have taught us anything at all, it’s that none of that technology exists on this moon. We can reinvent the proverbial wheel, but can we locate or develop the natural resources needed to build it?”
Janet stepped back into the conversation and said, “This is a wonderful topic for further discussion gentlemen, but I suggest we get back to the original problem.”
Ross replied, “That’s a good point mom. So the task at hand is to do a little math. We need to establish an estimate of moon time with relation to a full term human pregnancy.”
She replied, “That is correct. The first step will be to multiply two hundred-eighty Earth days by twenty-four.”
“Great. Does anyone have a cell phone or a calculator that I can borrow for a minute? Oh wait, I almost forgot. We don’t have any of those things do we?”
“That is quite enough Ross. You made your point.”
“Sorry, but I couldn’t resist. How about some paper and pencil? That will be quicker than calculating it my head.”
“Each of us ran the numbers, and concur that it equals six thousand, seven hundred, and twenty Earth hours.”
“All right, so we need to divide that into moon days. The astronomers informed me that one full day here is equal to seventeen hours and eighteen minutes of Earth time. Shortly after our arrival, I attempted to initiate an easier method of time keeping, but was met with overwhelming resistance.”
Jessica added, “Ross, that’s not important right now.”
“Good point Jessica. Everybody, divide the total Earth hours by seventeen point three, and that will give us the amount of moon days of a full term pregnancy.”
A figure of 388.44 days was confirmed by all those in attendance, then that was divided by the 44 day moon month to reveal a total of 8.828 months.
Ross said, “Alright. Point eight-two-eight is very close to five-sixths in fraction form. Since one-sixth of forty-four days is equal to seven and one-third, a full term human pregnancy should be roughly seven days less than nine months.”
Dr. Schmidt stated bluntly, “That is nearly the same as the duration of a pregnancy back on Earth?”
Ross replied, “That is interesting, and while we’re at it, let’s see how a month here compares to one on Earth.”
Everyone multiplied 17.3 hours by 44 days, and then divided that tota
l by 24 hours. The figure came to 31.7 days, so Janet said, “That implies that a month here, in terms of total hours, exceeds the average Earth month by slightly more than one day.”
Nodding in agreement, Ross added, “That should be fairly easy to keep track of as we move forward. Now all that you on the medical team, and the pregnant women, have to do is count how many eclipse cycles have occurred since the time of their respective conceptions. That, when combined with the physiological symptoms previously mentioned, should eliminate much of the guessing game.”
Janet jumped back in, “That’s a relief.”
“Why do you say that mom?”
“Because now I can more accurately gauge when each of the women, including myself, will deliver their babies.”
“Yes and. . . Wait a minute. What did you just say?”
“You heard me. Now I can more accurately gauge when my baby will be born.”
Jessica jumped in again, “Mom, are you pregnant?”
“Yes I am. The doctor confirmed it a few days ago.”
“Does Colt know?”
“Yes he does, but I asked him not to tell either of you, or anyone else, until I could speak with you about it first.”
Ross came back in, “This is absolutely mind blowing.”
“Aren’t you happy for us Ross?”
“Well of course I am mom, if that’s what the two of you want. It is, however, rather difficult to grasp.”
“It is what we want, but why is this difficult for you?”
“Because, I’m a man who became seventy-two years old shortly before we all left Earth, and Jessica recently became sixty-eight. Hell. Aurora is forty-five, and Rachel would be over one hundred and fifty back on Earth. Now you tell me that you and Colt are going to provide Jessica and me with a little baby brother or sister. I don’t intend to be rude, so please accept my apology for the obvious yet completely understandable shock. This is just a concept that I had never imagined, and it’s going to take me a little while to get used to the idea.”
“That’s understandable Ross, and I accept your apology. How about you Jessica, what do you think of my news?”
“Ross is correct. It’s a shock to say the least, but I have no problem with it.”
“Well at least one of you is supportive.”
“Ross never said that he wasn’t supportive of you and Colt, he’s just trying to wrap his head around the idea.”
“That’s right mom. I think it’s wonderful that the two of you have come together. I have known Colt for several years, and he is a good man who is dependable and loyal to the end. It has been my honor to benefit from his steadfast protection, and to count him as one of my friends.”
“I’m glad you feel that way Ross. I hope to spend many years with him.”
Dr. Schmidt intervened once again, “Do you feel better now that you have told them Janet.”
“Yes I do Dr. Schmidt, and thanks for your help.”
“It was my pleasure Janet.”
Ross moved to shake the doctor’s hand and asked, “Will you be her primary physician?”
“If that is what Janet wants, then consider it done.”
Having then heard Janet’s verbal acknowledgement, Ross added, “Thank you sir, and please take good care of her.”
Bracketed by her two children, Janet walked toward the family compound. Speaking plainly, she softly explained, “I want the two of you to fully understand my feelings on this matter. I’m your mother, and you therefore think of me as a much older woman. It must be difficult for you, because both of you are well beyond your child bearing years, yet here I am pregnant. The weird twist is that my internal body clock is still young. I was only thirty-four years old when I was abducted in 1957, and with all the time in captivity and on this moon, I have aged less than an additional year. Physiologically speaking, I gave birth to Jessica less than four years ago. I missed almost all of your respective lives, and I want to have another chance at raising a child into adulthood. My body is healthy and fertile. I am in love with a man that we all respect and admire, and his feelings for me are the same.”
Jessica spoke for them both, “I guess we never really looked at it that way mom. Of course you’re right, and those feelings are totally justified. As a still young and vibrant woman, you shouldn’t be hindered by the fact that your two previous children are now senior citizens.”
“Ross, is that how you feel as well?”
“Yes it is mom. Now that you have explained it to both of us, and I’ve had a few minutes to digest the information, I agree with Jessica. I also understand why you were so adamant about discussing potential challenges with the birthing process in this environment, or how this moon had not seemed to affect an expectant mother’s internal body clock.”
“I’m learning that it’s difficult to get anything past you Ross, and I thank you both for the support. I promise that I will never love either of you less once I have this child.”
“I think Jessica and I are aware of that mom. I just wish I had known that you were pregnant before introducing you to the Mayan King.”
“Why is that?”
“After the King learned that Gabriela was my only wife, he had his eye on you. I don’t want to think of him back in the Mayan city believing that you could possibly be made available to his desires.”
“I think you meant to say that Gabriela was your only supposed wife, but that’s a topic for discussion at another time. As to the King’s desires, Colt mentioned that he had noticed him looking in my direction several times. What can a girl do? I’m flattered that the King took a fancy to me, and that you and Colt are prepared to protect my somewhat less than virtuous soul, but you should actually be more concerned about Aurora.”
“I didn’t notice. Was the King eyeing her as well?”
“No. As strange as this may sound, my granddaughter was probably too old for his taste, but I was more to his liking. I’m referring to the strong interest that Aurora seemed to have with one of the men in the King’s entourage.”
Throughout the history of the human endeavor, and perhaps that of other species living in the vastness of the universe, love had surely triumphed over common sense or logic on countless occasions. In this particular instance, Aurora had provided Ross with the most clear cut case of that constant that he had ever been associated with. Flirtatious since the time shortly after her university years, Aurora had endured a series of gentlemen callers as a byproduct of that trait. None of them ever possessed that certain quality to fully capture her heart, but somehow, this man did. At the age of forty-five, she had finally met someone really special. Most of her days were now consumed by thoughts of how to see him more often. That process became the driving force behind her uncharacteristic misjudgment, and the most recent predicament for Ross.
Three more eclipse cycles had come and gone since the Mayan King and his entourage had first visited Ross and the colony. Hunting and foraging groups from both civilizations had run into each other on several occasions, and had even teamed up to kill a few of the wolf like creatures. Citizen groups had visited the population center of the opposite civilization for purposes that ranged from educational or medical to simple curiosity. The connecting trail had become more pronounced, and a small shelter had been constructed as an overnight rest area near the midway point.
Aurora had become quite familiar with the path as a consequence of traveling to and from the Mayan city on several occasions. She gladly volunteered her services as a guide for those making their initial trek, and met with her favorite Mayan hunter during the course of each excursion. That familiarity and comfort is what led Aurora to the unwise belief that she could make the journey from the colony solo. Anxious to see her hunter again, she could wait no longer for a group of travelers to form. At first light four days after the return of the sun from the most recent eclipse cycle, she set off.
Moving quickly, Aurora headed beyond the irrigated fields and toward the rocky point. Once out of sight f
rom the colony, and knowing that the trail would eventually turn away from the shoreline, she decided to cut off a large corner and blaze a new trail. Her thought was to shorten the distance and travel time to the Mayan city by moving through a saddle in the nearby mountains, but her road would soon be lined with peril.
Hearing the beast well before getting a visual fix, Aurora froze in her tracks. Scanning the area, she noticed that a wolf creature was pursuing a smaller animal and had apparently not spotted her yet. As stealthily as possible, she began to move in the opposite direction. Seconds later, a low growl to her left revealed a second huge wolf, and unfortunately, this one was staring right at her. Remembering what her father had said about their pack like mentality, Aurora knew that running from the wolf could lead her into the clutches of others. At her feet were several sharp edged rocks not much larger than her fists, and much to her dismay, they were her best hope of defense. After retrieving one for each hand, she took a deep breath and said, “It’s your move wolf!”
With the creature unmoving, yet poised for an attack, Aurora spun around to see if the first wolf, or others, were sneaking up behind her. There was nothing in sight, but by the time she reversed her pivot, the one that had spotted her was advancing. She had no choice but to counter the advance, and began to close the gap between them. With clenching fists and outstretched arms she yelled at the wolf in the hope it would be scared away. Feeling surprise might be her best weapon, she ran straight at the beast when she felt the time was right. The plan worked for a brief moment, and in the instant that the wolf took a startled step back, she made a break for it. The cover of the nearby trees could at least give her a chance at survival, but she would need to get there very quickly. Sprinting for her life, Aurora yelled out to no one other than herself, “Keep running, it’s only about fifty yards to the trees.”
While stalking smaller prey nearby, a Mayan hunter snapped his head quickly to the left. Then he asked the others with him in their native tongue, “Did any of you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
