Pathfinder

by Gun Brooke

  Agand nodded, clearly unable to speak yet.

  “Excellent. You’re more than welcome. Come meet your son.” Smiling at Shabina Vantressa, she began to close the door. “Please feel free to wait in the lounge area. I’m sure your son will want to share everything with you once we have installed the baby and his mother on their respective wards.” It hadn’t escaped Briar that Shabina Vantressa hadn’t once asked about the welfare of her daughter-in-law.

  Agand hurried to his son’s side, his eyes filling with tears as he stared in awe at the small child. “He’s…he’s so very small.” His voice barely carrying, he wiped at his eyes. “Can I?” He motioned at the tiny hand next to the baby’s cheek.

  “Absolutely.” With an eye on the monitors next to the child, Briar guided Agand’s hand forward. “He’ll hold on to your finger if you touch his palm,” Briar said.

  Carefully, the man took the little fist between his index finger and thumb. As if on cue, the little boy opened his hand and closed it again around Agand’s finger. The thin fingers didn’t reach all the way around but still held on with a firm grip.

  “He’s…he’s really holding me.” Reverent, Agand caressed the back of the transparent hand with his thumb. “It’s amazing.” He looked at his son a few moments longer, then seemed to pale again as he cast a glance toward the operating table.

  The team was just about to shift Zoma over to a hover bed.

  “She’ll wake up soon. Do you wish to accompany her to her ward or your son to his? They’re going to stay on the same level, not too far from each other.”

  “I’ll go with Zoma. She’ll need me when she wakes up. You’ll tell us if anything happens to him, right?” Agand reluctantly freed his finger from his son’s grip, and the little mouth pouted immediately.

  “She’s awake, sir,” a member of Zoma’s team said. “Looks like she’s a fighter.”

  “She is,” Agand said and hurried over. “My sweet girl.” He kissed her forehead and took her hand. “Zoma.”

  “Son…?” Zoma spoke with a strong slur.

  “Is here.” Briar had already hooked up everything necessary for the little boy to be transported, and as far as she was concerned, he would be much better off lying on his mother’s chest. “Unfasten her shirt,” Briar said to her colleague, who smiled and nodded.

  “Not often our timing is this perfect,” the other nurse said.

  “Here, Zoma.” Briar placed the boy on Zoma’s chest and fastened her shirt around the child. As if he felt his mother’s familiar presence, the boy yawned and blinked with a decidedly content look on his little face.

  “Weo.” Zoma cried silent tears and held her hands around the baby as they began to move. “His name is Weo.”

  Briar kept an eye on the portable monitors, happy to see that Weo was doing just fine so far. Agand looked like exactly what he was, a man who feared he might lose everything but instead had gained everything. He smiled and cried, keeping one hand on his wife’s shoulder as they transported the two most important people in his life to their respective wards.

  “Where’s Shabina?” Zoma asked quietly as they were about to part ways outside the maternity ward.

  “She’s in the lounge, waiting for pictures and news,” Briar said before Agand had a chance. “She seems like a tremendously proud grandmother, and I’m sure she’s going to spoil little Weo utterly rotten.”

  A shadow flickered over Zoma’s face. “I hope not. Not really.”

  That was an odd thing to say, and again Briar sensed that Adina kept her distance for good reasons. What grip did Shabina Vantressa have over this family, really?

  As she installed Weo and reported to the nurse on duty in his room, Briar debated whether to call Adina. She confessed to herself she had kept a bit of a distance too. Being around Adina—sensing her dual personality, the commanding-officer persona and then her withdrawn, aloof façade—confused and drained her. The immense attraction that built inside Briar every time they were together, and how she found it harder and harder to keep it a secret, made it all a great deal worse.

  Going into the medicine room, she tapped her communicator. “Briar Lindemay to Adina Vantressa. Personal.”

  “Adina here. Go ahead, Briar.” Adina sounded short, but she had to be where they could talk undisturbed.

  “Congratulations, you’re an aunt.” Briar winced at how chirpy she sounded. “I mean, your brother and his wife had their son today.”

  “Today?” Sounding equal parts confused and concerned, fast steps against a metal floor conveyed that Adina was on the move. “But Zoma can’t be more than halfway through her pregnancy.”

  “Twenty-six weeks. So far, the boy shows no signs of distress. Zoma suffers from preeclampsia, but now that the baby is extracted, she has every chance of recovering completely.”

  “And my mother?”

  The question surprised her at first. “Yes?”

  “How much of a scene did she cause?” Adina was still walking and her tone was gruff, but also cautious, as if she expected the worst.

  “Madam Vantressa insisted on being in the operating theater, but I convinced her we have to follow hospital policy, which allows only the other parent of the child to enter.”

  “Oh, Creator of everything sacred. How did she take that?”

  “I don’t think I gave her much of a chance to react. I asked her to return to the lounge, pulled your brother inside, and closed the door. I promise, I was very polite.”

  A saturated silence followed, and then Briar heard something she hadn’t been privy to yet. Adina began to laugh.

  “I never thought I’d say this,” Adina managed once she calmed down, “but I wish I could have been there and seen her expression. Nobody goes against my mother.”

  “Except you,” Briar said without thinking.

  “True. At a price.” The joy had disappeared from Adina’s voice. “I’ll be at the hospital in thirty minutes or so.” She grew quiet. “Will you still be there?”

  “I have another two hours to go before I’m off duty, so yes.” Briar regretted speaking so carelessly. She would’ve given anything to hear the merriment in Adina’s voice again.

  “That’s good. I may need you in case Shabina shows up while I’m still there.” Adina sounded as if she was trying to be facetious but failed as stress colored her voice.

  “Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered.”

  “Good to know.”

  A faint click indicated Adina had disconnected their transmission, but Briar thought she’d heard a lighter tone in her voice. Perhaps she actually could be a buffer of sorts between Adina and this overbearing mother of hers. Caya always did say Briar was a bit too protective, and now perhaps this trait would come in handy.

  Chapter Ten

  Adina stepped into the room where her young nephew lay in an incubator bubble. Attached to the ceiling, the bubble seemed to float with the little baby inside. A woman Adina would recognize anywhere by now, even wearing protective gear and with a mask on, stood with her hands inside the bubble. She was tending to the little boy’s umbilical cord, or what was left of it after his birth.

  “How is he?” Adina asked, looking around the room. “Where’s Agand?”

  “I made him go get some food. He was fading,” Briar said, her eyes sparkling. “Here. Look at this little guy. He’s already following me with his eyes. That’s very early.”

  Adina moved to stand next to Briar. Inside the incubator, Weo turned his head and locked his eyes on her. “Oh, my. He really is looking at me.”

  “Yes. I showed our neonatologist and she was impressed. Normally it takes even full-term babies a while to focus. Little Weo is very precocious.”

  Her entire being filled with tenderness as the little shrimp of a baby blinked sleepily. So vulnerable and dependent on adults to take care of him, but still a real person. She hadn’t been present when her nieces were born, as she’d been deployed most of the time back on Oconodos or working on Pathfinde
r at the space dock. Now, the son of her youngest brother was already wiggling into her heart as he fell asleep under Briar’s ministrations. This was also proof of how gently Briar handled the little boy.

  “So you’re here. Imagine they let you in before the head of the family,” a sharp voice said, making Adina’s spine go rigid.

  “Hello, Mother,” Adina said quietly. “Weo is asleep.”

  Shabina Vantressa approached the incubator, and Briar moved away to allow her to see her grandson.

  “I need to hold him to perform the ritual,” Shabina said. “He needs to be awake, and I require a basin for the bahiya oil.” She looked expectantly at Briar, clearly not recognizing her in her protective mask. “Arrange for it instantly. Too much time has passed already.”

  “No.” Briar took a step closer and removed her headgear. “Weo is finally asleep. He needs all the rest he can get after the extraction. There is no way we will allow him to leave the incubator for several days. When Zoma or Agand can sit skin-on-skin with him, that’s a whole other matter. But for now, he stays inside. I’m sure you can perform this ritual of yours once he’s awake. In there.” She pointed at the incubator.

  “You again. Of course. I want to see your supervisor. Or preferably the head physician. Someone with authority.”

  “By all means,” Briar said amicably. “Their shifts are over for today, as it’s getting late, but they’ll be back here tomorrow at—”

  “I want to see them now. Call them in here.” Shabina towered over Briar, and her voice assumed the tone Adina knew so well. Her mother had a way of wielding her power, using her innate skill for intimidation and manipulation whenever she thought it was called for. As a grown woman, and not only that, but as a soldier and an engineer, Adina didn’t allow her mother to intimidate her anymore, but on some occasions, flashbacks from her childhood and adolescence reemerged, and she regressed to an earlier time.

  Now was not one of those moments. Instead, Adina moved lithely in next to Briar and clearly showed whom she sided with. “What’s more important, Shabina?” Adina asked, deliberately not calling her “Mother.” “Weo’s well-being and survival or your ancient ritual that can be performed at any given time when it’s safe to subject him to the outside world?”

  “His very soul is in jeopardy and you know it,” Shabina said. “He needs to be assimilated into the Vantressa family, and the oil will be the vessel that engrafts the essence of him on our family tree.”

  Briar’s eyes were larger than normal as she regarded Shabina going off on her litany. “Really? That’s what the oil does? Engrafts the kid on a tree?” Briar seemed baffled, her lips parted in something resembling amazement.

  “Yes. I don’t count on anyone outside our faith to understand, as you need to have had this happen to your family for many generations to truly appreciate and understand the force behind it.”

  Turning to Adina, Briar’s eyes sparkled, and the mischief in them took some of the drama away from the situation. Able to smile in a relaxed manner, Adina turned to her mother. “Look, Mother. We’ve never had a premature baby in our family as far as I can remember. This is very different from how you usually do it, and you have to take into consideration that Weo might not be mature enough to be engrafted onto the family tree. His branch needs to be stronger than this. He’s only twenty-six weeks old. If you wait another few weeks, I’m sure you can work something out with the hospital, and then you will all have the ceremony he deserves.”

  Shabina looked back and forth between Adina and the incubator. “Honestly, that’s the first intelligent thing you’ve said in a long time. I can imagine it actually has some merit.”

  The compliment was really not very rewarding. In fact, it was a not-so-disguised insult, but Shabina had at least conceded that Adina had a point.

  “I’ll go over to see Zoma and Agand and inform them the ritual is postponed.” Shabina turned as if to leave, but Adina knew she had more to say. Her mother always did. Rounding so fast her skirt billowed around her; Shabina dramatically raised a finger at Briar. “You need to beware of constantly getting in my way. I don’t suffer agnostics very well.”

  “Oh, that’s all right,” Briar said with a broad smile. “I don’t mind.”

  Adina had to stop herself from laughing out loud. How wonderfully refreshing for someone to be completely irreverent toward Shabina in the politest of ways.

  Shabina exited in the same way she arrived, as if she were a queen leaving her minions behind, and Adina found herself exhaling in one long, trembling breath.

  “She’s quite something, your mother.” Briar checked on Weo, nodding approvingly at the stats on the screen.

  “She is.” Adina stood close to the incubator and looked longingly at the baby. “What’s his prognosis?”

  “So far he’s doing really well. No pulmonary issues, his heart is healthy, and his brain is, as you could see, well developed for his age. Now we’re going to make sure we disturb him as little as possible, and in a few days when we know he’s stable, we’ll have him skin-on-skin with either of his parents.”

  “That’s fantastic.” Adina put her hand lingeringly against the incubator. “I’ll pray for you, little one.”

  Briar gave Adina a curious glance. “I didn’t realize you’re a woman of faith.”

  “I am. I’ve taken a few steps—well, who am I kidding, a lot of steps—away from my mother’s way of worshipping and running the family as if she were the Creator herself, but I haven’t given up my faith. I just don’t believe in the conservative and reactionary way that my mother does.”

  “I see.” Briar came closer. “I can’t say I’m very religious, but I do trust in a higher power. A positive energy that exists within us, you could say. With mutual respect, I don’t see why we would let this difference stand in the way of, eh, friendship.” She blushed inexplicably. “You know.”

  “I think so.” Briar had never looked more beautiful than now, with a pink flush to her cheeks. Adina couldn’t look away. “You’re a brave soul for standing up to my mother.”

  “I didn’t. I stood up for Weo. He’s my patient and I’m his advocate against the world, whether it’s feisty grandmothers or overzealous doctors.” She patted Adina’s arm shyly. “And then there’s the fact that you’re his aunt. That makes it personal as well.”

  Adina smiled. “Well, thank you. I feel very reassured that Weo is in your capable hands. I’m sure my brother and his wife do too.”

  As if on cue, Agand came through the door, pushing Zoma in a hover chair. Adina moved to the side as Briar explained how well Weo was doing before she let the young couple spend time at their little boy’s side.

  “I’m going off duty soon. Want to pop over for dinner?” Briar asked. She shoved her hands into her deep pockets and looked up at Adina, her eyes glittering.

  “I’d love to. Will your sister approve? I’ve been at your quarters a lot lately, and she may feel I’m intruding.”

  “Are you kidding? She really likes you. Having you visit is a feather in her hat at school, I hear.”

  Adina blinked. “It is?” She had no idea what Briar meant.

  “You’re on a celebrity list the kids have, and they check off names of people they’ve either spotted, met in person, or even talked to. You’re a friend of our little family, and that’s off-the-scale brilliant. Or ‘brill,’ as the kids say.”

  “List?” Adina asked weakly. “What list?”

  “Don’t tell me you haven’t seen it? It’s on the entertainment channels on the screens. You can download it and have in your bag, check the boxes for each celebrity you meet, and so on. It’s apparently the latest rage.”

  “You’re serious.”

  “I’ll show you when you come to our quarters.”

  Smiling wryly, Adina rubbed the back of her neck. “I can’t wait.”

  “Ah, don’t worry, it’s not so bad. It means you’re sought after and considered brill.”

  “Brill, eh?” Laug
hing despite the cringe-worthy moment, Adina walked to the door. “I’ll see you in an hour or so?”

  “Sounds good. See you then.” Briar returned to Zoma and Agand as Adina walked outside.

  The corridor was full of medical professionals, as the third shift was reporting for work. Adina hurried to the elevator that would take her down to the jumper gate. She needed to stop by her quarters, hit the cleaning tube, and change into civilian clothes. As she rode the elevator, she thought of how courageous Briar was in an understated way. She had spoken the exact words that took care of her mother in a way Adina had never witnessed before. How did Briar do it? Was she merely so intuitive she figured out exactly how to approach the Vantressa matriarch? Adina had seen this ability in Briar many times and assumed it was a nurse’s trait in general.

  After today she would pay more attention to Briar’s abilities to communicate. Adina was aware of her own flaws when it came to interacting with regular people. She was good in a military setting but useless at socializing with civilians. She might learn something from Briar.

  *

  Briar pulled a box from the food dispenser and opened the lid briefly. The casserole smelled wonderful, and it would hold its heat well in the dispenser unless Adina was late.

  “You done in there?” Briar called out to Caya, who was in the bathroom.

  “Soon!” Caya yelled back.

  “You’ve been in there for twenty minutes. Believe it or not, I have to pee. As in now.” Briar wasn’t joking.

  “All right.” The door hissed open and Caya hurried past her.

  Briar spotted something and forgot she had to use the facilities. “Wait. Wait!” She caught up with Caya. “What’s that?” She tugged at Caya’s tunic and revealed what looked like an ink mark below her collarbone. “Did you do that? Paint on yourself?” Frowning, Briar placed her hands on her hips.

  “No. An artist did it.” Caya pushed her chin out a bit and folded her arms over her chest.

  “What does it mean?” Trying to decipher it, Briar tilted her head to the side. The ink looked like a circle with a crossed-over trident and three small circles surrounding it. “Is that a religious symbol?” Reaching out to touch it, Briar flinched when Caya jumped back. “What’s wrong?”