Andrew had made his passage through to Peters pod seem as normal as possible, he knew he was being paranoid but he seemed to be walking this way all too often, and was sure people had begun to take notice. If they weren’t they should, even he knew it was becoming an obsession. That was the thing with obsessions, even though you knew you shouldn’t you still did: a part of him really wanted to stop, but he didn’t try. His mind was torn, maybe he really did have too much to think about, and Peter seemed to give him time to think as he keep him waiting longer each time he came. Suddenly the door was opening and he faced Peter.
“Again?” Peter said in a belittling way. “Andrew I don’t know where you find the strength?”
It insulted him that Peter talked to him in that way, or just assumed why he was there. For a moment Andrew searched his mind for a legitimate reason he could say and walk away, but then the weakness crept in and he said nothing.
Peter stared at him in a superior, satisfied way. “I’ve finished the list,” he said.
Andrew nodded as Peter put his hand in his back trouser pocket. Andrew took the folded paper.
“Aren’t you going to check what I have done?”
He wasn’t but Peter waited.
Andrew opened it.
“I’ve decide on three groups; group A to go on the shuttle. You said you would let me know how many the shuttle could take, so I want group A on the shuttle understood?”
Andrew saw Peter and his boys, the women, some of the visitors, and himself.”
“Group B are the possibles. You can see they are numbered from one. One being the next on the shuttle; you get the idea?”
Andrew did. “And C stay’s here?” Andrew could see Mathews name, that wasn’t a surprise, but Beth’s was. “You’ve put Bethany in group C?”
“Yes, they need a nurse; something could go wrong?”
“She’s pregnant?”
“I know.”
“She’ll be alone when she has her baby?”
“There are those in group C to be with her?”
“But they’re all men; they won’t know what to do?”
“You want me to leave them without any medical help?”
“No but, if something goes wrong during the birth?”
“We would all be very sad. Look leave it as it is, tell everybody what group they are in and I’ll think about it… okay?”
Andrew waited but Peter didn’t move, at last he nodded and Peter stepped aside.