Dar was ambivalent about the subject. The slightly frantic, almost overdone aggressiveness of the protesters set her on edge, but on the other hand she firmly believed a person had to take responsibility for their actions, and that included having sex and the potential result of it.

You play, Dar reasoned, you pay, and once the child was started, you owed it the right to come into the world.

They sat in a small waiting room outside the hospital’s obstetrics wing, while Kerry approached the nurses’ station in search of her sister.

Dar paced quietly in one corner, reading the meaningless notices on the cork board while her mother claimed a chair, and her father poked around the few vending machines nearby.

“Dar?” Ceci cocked her head, after she watched her daughter for a few minutes. “Is that list of pregnancy symptoms so fascinating?”


358 Melissa Good Dar nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned and gave her mother a dire look. “No.” She paused. “Why?”

Ceci’s brow knit. “Just asking. You’ve been reading it for a couple of minutes and I know you read faster than that.”

Dar paced over and sat down. “I wasn’t reading it.” She tucked her hands under her arms.

“Okay,” Ceci murmured. “I…um…don’t think it’s anything you have to worry about. Unless you two are um…” She found herself the recipient of an outraged, blue eyed gaze. “Guess not. Hmm?”

“Oh yeah, I’d make a wonderful parent,” Dar muttered. “No, Chino’s family enough for us.”

Ceci cleared her throat and pulled a small sketch pad from her shoulder bag, set it on her knee and removed a pencil. “Well, her college costs should be minimal.” She flipped the pad open to an empty sheet and paused, then started to work.

“MY SISTER IS here. I think she’s in labor?” Kerry asked the nurse, who was busy writing something behind the desk.

“Well, if she’s here, she sure ain’t got a broken leg,” the woman answered. “Hang on a minute.” The nurse struggled with a terminal keyboard. “Stupid thing. Jesus, I hate these stupid computers.”

Kerry scratched her jaw. “Make a deal with you.”

The nurse looked up. “Excuse me?”

“Tell me where my sister is and I’ll fix your computer.”

Long, dark lashes flickered. “You’re one of those nerdy people?”

Kerry nodded.

“Sure. Have at it. What’s your sister’s name?” The nurse moved out of the way and let Kerry get at the terminal.

“Angela.” Kerry unplugged the terminal and gave it a whack, then turned the keyboard over and rapped it smartly on the desk. Crumbs the size of a postage stamp were dislodged and she brushed them away as she flipped the keyboard back over and restarted the machine. “She’s been in labor a while, she said.”

“She’s in that third bay down there.” The nurse watched Kerry in fascination. “She’s having a bit of a rough time. Hey, that worked.” She took the keyboard back and typed in something. “Wow. That was really cool. Is that what you do? Are you one of those field services people?”

“Mmm. I don’t usually do hands on, but yeah, something like that.”

Kerry leaned on the counter. “Is it okay for me to go see Angie?”

“Sure, sure. Um, we’re kinda outside visiting hours, so if anyone says anything…”

“Don’t worry.” Kerry smiled. “I just want to see her for a minute.”

The nurse paused, then looked at Kerry for the first time. “Stay a while. It really helps the mothers sometimes and she hasn’t had anyone in with her at all. I felt kind of bad for her.” She held a hand out. “Call me if she needs anything. My name is Stacy.”


Eye of the Storm 359

“Kerry.” She took the hand and grasped it. “Thanks. No one else has been here to visit?”

“No.” Stacy shook her head. “The doctor said he’s going to give her a little while longer, then he might have to look at other options after that.”

Kerry nodded. “Okay, thanks.” She left the desk and walked quietly down the hall, passing two darkened bays before she reached the third.

The room was partially lit, lamps making a friendlier atmosphere than harsh fluorescent would. “Angie?”

Her sister turned her head, sweat dampened hair plastered across her forehead. “Oh…hey.” A tremulous smile crossed her face. “Nice to see someone I know.” She held a hand out and Kerry walked over and took it. “God, it’s so good to have you here, Kerry.”

“Hey.” Kerry put her arms around her and pulled her into an awkward hug. “Wish you’d called me sooner. It’s not right for you to be here by yourself, Angie.”

Angie curled half onto her side and kept hold of Kerry’s hands. “You were busy.”

“I’d have rather been here,” Kerry admitted.

“I bet.” Angela blinked wearily and put her head down on the pillow. “You looked great on TV, though. The cameras kept showing you in the gallery before they called you up there.” She inhaled and winced, her face tensing in pain for several very long seconds. Then she relaxed.

“Who was that guy you were with? He’s scary looking.”

Kerry leaned on the bed rails. “That’s Andy. Andrew Roberts, Dar’s father.” She adjusted the sheets. “He’s the sweetest, most wonderful man I know.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Kerry smiled quietly to herself.

“He knows about you guys, I guess.”

“Absolutely,” Kerry told her. “He’s so cool about it, and you wouldn’t think he would be, because he’s from the military and all—but it’s like…Dar’s his daughter and it wouldn’t matter what she was or what she did. He just loves her.”

Angie shifted uncomfortably and sighed. “That’s different.”

“Mmm.”

“Um, I saw Dar on TV today too,” Angie commented. “She looks great. I didn’t understand one word in six of what she was talking about, but boy, she impressed that reporter.”

Kerry smiled. “I haven’t seen the interview yet. It was happening the same time as I was in that hellhole.” She exhaled. “But after last night, I guess they wanted to talk to her.” She caught Angie’s puzzled look. “The ATM thing yesterday?”

“Ew. That was you guys?”

“Sort of. It was the guys we used for the network, but Dar fixed it.”

Kerry rubbed her eyes. “We were up all night though. I’m so wiped.”

“You look as tired as I feel,” Angie admitted, grimacing as a contraction took hold again. “Augh. God, I’m getting tired of this.”


360 Melissa Good Kerry took hold of her hand. “Anything I can get you? Water or something?”

Angela shook her head. “It’s just nice to have someone to talk to.”

Her lips curled into a smile. “Are you here alone?”

“No. You up to a few more visitors? I’d like you to meet Dar’s mother and father. I don’t know when I’ll have the chance to introduce you again. “

Angela shifted and pulled herself up a little, pushing her hair back.

“I must look like a mess. Was that who was with you yesterday? Her mom?”

Kerry nodded. “Don’t worry. They’re not really formal people.” She ducked out.

“Yeah, sure,” Angie whispered to herself, listening to the footsteps come back down the hall. A moment later her room door was filled, and a slight, silver blonde woman entered followed by the tall, scarred man she’d seen on television. Then Kerry came back in with Dar right behind her, the dark haired woman glancing nervously around the room like something was going to bite. “Um…hi.”

Kerry slipped in front. “Okay. Angie, this is Andy and Cecilia Roberts. Dar’s mom and dad, and of course, you already know Dar.”

Ceci came over and smiled at her. “Nice to meet you, Angela.” She laid her hands on the railing. “Having a rough time of it?”

“Ungh.” Angie glanced shyly at her. “The doctor thinks it’s a nice, big baby, and that’s what’s causing the problems.”

“Ah, yes.” Ceci nodded seriously. “Been there, done that.” She smiled at Angie’s puzzled look, then turned and glanced first at Dar, then back at the woman in the bed. “Eight pounds, thirteen ounces.” Then she indicated her slight form and raised an eyebrow.

“Ooo.” Angie made a face. “I think you just made my toe hairs curl up.”

“Hey!” Dar affected an insulted look. “I wasn’t that big.”

Angela and Ceci looked at her, then snorted. Andy chuckled and patted his offspring on the back.

“You were a bouncing baby girl, all right, squirt,” he told her.

“Emphasis on the bouncing,” Ceci remarked dryly. They all chuckled and the tension relaxed.

“So. Do you have any tricks I should know?” Angie asked. “My first wasn’t this bad but she was a preemie.” She held her hands apart a little.

“All of five pounds. This one’s gone full term and more.”

“Well, there’s a famous Eastern technique that involves transcenden-tal meditation and the out of body thing, but I found drugs to be the best trick,” Ceci replied. “Have they tried to dilate you?”

Kerry leaned against the foot of the bed content to listen to the conversation and watch Dar and Andy edge curiously around the room, investigating the machinery. They both had a way of cocking their heads a little when they were figuring out something and seeing them do it together was pretty funny.


Eye of the Storm 361

Seeing Angie smiling was pretty nice too. Her sister was trading animated baby stories with Ceci, which Kerry was keeping tabs on to tease her partner with later. Dar had been, unsurprisingly, a very active baby who had gotten into some wild situations.

“And there she was, sitting on top of the car hood with the garden hose,” Ceci was saying, “terrorizing the squirrels.”

Dar sighed, then returned her attention to a blinking readout.