Chapter 13
Lina insisted that Floyd spend what was left of the day resting and he did not complain. The next morning, they made pancakes with a mix of the green goo and some of the grain Floyd had brought back, which the Fixers had ground on the stones. The grain added a fullness to the flavor and Floyd commented, "This is getting close to being real food. Just wish I had some coffee to go with it."
Lina said, "Mr. Watson has me putting some growth hormone on the plants to make them grow better, but it is going to be some time for them to fruit. Can you drink the beverage called tea?"
"Better than nothing. So I guess I'll try it."
Lina followed Mr. Watson's instructions and brewed the tea. She poured herself a small amount in the cup the Fixer had made for her. They sat and visited while sipping the hot tea. Lina said, "This is not so bitter. I think it is better than coffee."
Floyd nodded his acceptance but said, "I prefer coffee. It has more character and the smell is part of the enjoyment."
They discussed the plan for the day and decided Floyd would check on the injured and have one of the Fixers come and help Lina with the cooking. When he opened the airlock a Fixer was waiting to help and bowed to Floyd as he entered the ship. Lina was mixing the ingredients in their largest pot and having trouble with the stirring. The Fixer took over but was so interested in seeing everything in the ship that he kept spilling the batter. Lina would patiently put him back on task and clean up the mess. She cooked the pancakes in small batches because they had only the one pan and one heating element. The Fixer left with the first batch and returned with another Fixer. The Fixers soon took over the cooking with one mixing, pouring, and flipping the cakes the other Fixer running the cooked pancakes to the dome.
In the dome Floyd found the Fixer doctor now had a good handle on the injured and there was little for him to do. Tesla and several other Fixers were working on the metal and had formed a cylinder and other parts. Floyd watched them work but really did not understand how they could form the metal by just hammering on it. He asked Tesla, "Do you think the transport device could be used to haul the grain from the cave?" Tesla started bouncing and nodding his head. Floyd said, "Maybe tomorrow you can try and retrieve more of the grain. We need to leave one-fourth of each type for seed." The bouncing and nodding increased.
Floyd was about to head back to the ship but glanced up at the open circle in the top of the dome. Tesla saw the gaze and walked over to the cap he had made. The Fixers had taken the tow lines, that Tesla had used to pull the gliders, and braided a net to hold the large stone. Tesla began pointing and pretending to lift. It took a while but Floyd realized that they wanted to pull the stone through the opening with the net. He said, "Your plan is to have some Fixers on the outside of the dome pulling while you and I lift?"
Floyd looked closer at the stone and realized it was actually an ellipse. If they lifted it through the opening and turned it 90 degrees it would lock in place. Assuming no one fell off of the dome or they dropped the stone, the plan should work. Floyd said, "OK. We'll try your plan but move all of the injured to the side. I don't want to hurt anyone. And make sure the Fixers on the outside are tied on somehow. If one of you falls I will be in big trouble with Lina."
There was a flurry of activity and a dozen Fixers began climbing up the center support. The Fixers climbed through the opening and tied themselves together in a large ring. Floyd could see them through the opening leaning way back and then way in, testing the limits and generally playing around. He took one side of the stone and Tesla and two other Fixers the other end of the stone and they carried it to the base of the center support. The netting was placed under it and the ropes secured. Now with Floyd lifting in the center of the stone and the Fixers pulling from the top, the stone was raised stepwise up the central support. It got tricky at the top because Floyd could not see which way to turn the stone and the Fixers could not tell him. Tesla solved the issue by tugging on Floyd's left arm until he had turned enough. They then tilted the stone and passed it through the opening. Once the stone was sitting on top of the dome they took a rest or at least Floyd did. Floyd raised first one side, then the other. The netting was removed and Floyd set the stone down. After a short rest Floyd rotated the stone 90 degrees and set it down in the opening. It almost fit. Floyd held the stone up again while Tesla did little chipping. This time the stone fit, closing the roof.
Tesla was bouncing and Floyd was smiling before he realized that the Fixers were still on top of the dome. When Floyd mentioned this, thinking they would have to lift the stone, Tesla began pretending he was climbing down a rope. Floyd nodded and said, "They need to be careful." As Floyd climbed down the central support he noticed that all the Fixers were busy doing something. Those who were too injured to move were mending clothes or doing other tasks.
Lina accompanied the last of the pancakes wanting to check on how the Fixers were doing. She was in time to see the last of the Fixers rappelling off of the dome. First she stared at the Fixers hanging in the air. Then she had to turn away. They were not content to just climb down the rope they had to make it swing as far as possible. Floyd saw her tail go straight out and knew she was not happy. She said, "You need to make them be careful."
Floyd nodded but only said, "Fixers will be Fixers. They are acting like a bunch of teenage boys, not that I would have done anything like that." Lina looked at him but he doubted that she could understand the smile on his face. They checked on the Fixers who had descended and they appeared intact other than a few bruised shoulders from slamming into the rock wall. Floyd said to no one in particular, "I wonder if we could plaster the outside with the sticky mud from the bottom of the gulch draining into the lake."
The Fixers were looking at him for more information. He said, "Go dig up a bucket of the sticky mud and we'll try it. But stay out of the lake, the hectopus is still around."
He showed Lina around the dome interior and after she was done inspecting she said, "If they are going to live here they need a sleeping loft around the outside edge and some windows for light."
One of the Fixers handed her his small tablet and stub of a pencil. She did her best to sketch a circle around the perimeter with a ladder ascending to the loft. She even drew stick figures lying side by side all around the perimeter. The Fixer took back his pad and nodded to Lina. She asked Floyd, "How can we make them some windows?"
"Back on earth they use white sand, but I think we could use some of the quartz rock I've seen." One of the Fixers ran outside and came back carrying an armful of different rocks and dropped them at their feet. Floyd picked out one of the rocks that appeared to be pure quartz and tried to look through it. He explained, "If we can melt this type of rock, it can be spread out by glass blowing. The blown glass can then be cut to make a window." He reached down and picked up another rock that was pure black and said, "We need to have a very hot heat source." He rubbed the black rock and it turned his fingers black. He told Tesla, "I think this may be coal. Can you bring down some of Mr. Watson's alcohol and the fire starter?"
While waiting for the Fixer to return Floyd used a piece of the quartz to scrape a small pile of dust from the rock. When Tesla returned he poured a small amount of the alcohol on the dust pile and lit it with the starter. He had Fixers hanging all over him to see what was going on. As the alcohol burned it ignited the coal dust. Floyd gently blew on the fire. He then placed the remaining piece of rock on the fire and watched as it caught and started to burn with a black smoke. He turned to look for the Fixer who had brought him the rocks and asked, "Is there more of this black rock?"
The Fixer was nodding and bouncing and Floyd asked, "Can you show me where you found it?"
By the time he had turned back to his little fire, several Fixers had already burned themselves and Lina was upset saying, "This fire seems dangerous."
Floyd said, "Yes, it is dangerous, but it might keep them from freezing.
"
As Floyd was leaving with the Fixer who had found the rock, another of the Fixers was already heating the metal he was working on over the small flame to soften it. Floyd asked the Fixer, "Do we need to take the bike?"
The Fixer's eyes got big and he nodded and bounced obviously pleased with the idea. Floyd grabbed his backpack and had the Fixer climb aboard. He drove slowly enough with the Fixer pointing the way. Soon the Fixer was climbing on his shoulders and in his excitement was blocking Floyd's vision. Floyd told him, "Settle down or we are going to crash and wreck the bike." The Fixer settled down just enough to keep them from crashing and pointed to a drainage channel which ran between their hill and the hill of the dead. They stopped and the Fixer started looking at the rocks in the bottom of the channel. He found three more small pieces of coal. Floyd was examining the channel itself trying to figure out where the coal had originated, before it was washed down the drainage.
When they got back to the dome the other Fixers had gotten a makeshift bucket full of the sticky mud and were waiting for Floyd. Floyd used his hands to mold a ball of the sticky mud and then smeared it on the stone wall. He was looking for something to smooth it with and one of the Fixers handed him a piece of the broken glider wing. Now with a trowel he was able to get a pretty smooth finish. Several of the Fixers started imitating his actions and soon the bucket was empty and the section of the wall was looking pretty good. Floyd told them, "Each layer needs to dry and then another layer applied but only after you wet the surface of the dry layer. We need to build up the thickness gradually so it doesn't crack. This will keep the wind and most of the snow out." He added, "It would be nice if we could seal the roof layers somehow to make them waterproof. I will work with Mr. Watson on the issue."
It was now past Floyd's lunch time and he headed back to the ship. Lina offered to make him some tea but Floyd refused saying, "One cup of that stuff a day is plenty for me. I wish they would have left out the tea and stocked more coffee." After he had eaten the leftover pancake and had some water he went forward to work with Mr. Watson on a method of sealing the clay plaster. Mr. Watson had a lot of information on mud roofs in his data base but nothing that seemed to help. He suggested that using a layer of cement might be feasible and Floyd pointed out that they did not stock any cement in their supplies. Mr. Watson countered, "You have found limestone which when heated produces lime which is the key ingredient for cement. I think the manufacture of the product is within our capabilities."
Floyd had to nod in agreement thinking about how little he knew about the subject. He recalled the historical sites he had visited with his first wife and the primitive kilns for making cement. This brought back the coal issue. He told Mr. Watson, "One of the Fixers found some small chunks of coal in the drainage between our hill and the hill of the dead. There must be a coal seam in the mountains to the west of us."
Their conversation was interrupted by a knocking at the airlock. Lina cycled the airlock, and one of the Fixers with the broken leg, hobbled inside. Lina brought him forward saying, "The Fixer wants to show you something."
The Fixer was so busy looking around that Lina had to tell him to go ahead and show Floyd what he had. The Fixer handed Floyd an instrument that had leads attached that made it look like a fancy voltmeter with a small screen. Floyd accepted the device but could not figure out what to do with it much less how to turn it on. The Fixer pressed something and the unit lit up showing a map of the area with pretty good detail. He pointed to the valley amongst the mountains to the west. Floyd asked, "You think this is where the coal comes from?"
The Fixer nodded and even tried to bounce but with the broken leg the bouncing ceased quickly. Floyd asked Mr. Watson, "Can you access the database in this unit?"
The Fixer pointed to a small port on the side and began searching through his pockets looking for the cord. Mr. Watson said, "It would appear that the unit has a digital output and if we can use one of my import channels to receive the signal, I should be able to decipher the data." Mr. Watson had the Fixer cut one of the connections to a microphone and connect the wires from the device through the audio input. The Fixer picked out two of the wires and spliced them with small connectors from one of his pockets. The data transfer was slow and while waiting, Floyd examined the device which had an inset that reminded him of the cube Maurine had given him. He searched through the pile of stuff he stored on what was supposed to be his work area and found the cube. The Fixer's eyes got wide when he saw the cube and despite his broken leg was again bouncing.
Floyd asked, "Does your instrument read what is on this cube?"
The Fixers was nodding and bouncing. Mr. Watson said, "Let me finish this download and we will see what is on the cube." After many more minutes Mr. Watson said, "I have completed my download so now let's see what is on the cube."
Floyd handed the cube to the Fixer who, with great care, inserted the cube into the square opening on his instrument. Mr. Watson was quiet for several minutes while he evaluated the menu. He finally spoke saying, "The first partition is filled with data from a detailed geologic survey. The remaining partitions have a mixture of academic and historical information as well as personal files." After several more minutes he reported, "I have downloaded the data on the valley in question for our use but I do not have enough memory to download the entire content of the cube." Mr. Watson then displayed detailed maps of the area of interest along with some high resolution photographs. Tesla came in while they were looking at the screen and watched as Floyd planned a route to the band of black colored rock.
He said, "The country is too rough for the bike. We will have to travel on foot to see if the drone can navigate up the mountain side." Lina's tail drooped when she heard Floyd use the word "we" but she did not say anything. Floyd noted the tail droop and looked at her very pregnant belly. He said, "Tesla, it might be best if you head the expedition and take three other Fixers with you. I would have you take enough food and water for three days. Someone else will need to return to the cave for the grain." He then added, "The helmet probably will not work in the canyon so you will be on your own. You must be careful and explore on foot before moving the drone. You will need tools to dig and pick rocks with."
Tesla looked at the clock and Floyd knew he was thinking of leaving yet today. He said, "You can leave first thing in the morning. Prepare the equipment tonight." The evening was spent with Lina preparing food and Floyd trying to teach Tesla how to mine coal. Floyd was awakened the next morning by the sound of the airlock as Tesla departed the ship shortly before dawn. Floyd got up but had to untangle himself from Lina's tail which awoke her. He told her to sleep awhile longer and that he would make sure Tesla had enough equipment. By the time he dressed and reached the drone the four Fixers had their gear loaded. The simple sketch of a pick that Floyd had provided now existed in a somewhat diminished fashion. Along with it were a couple of shovels. The backpack with the food and water was sitting atop the unit. They were ready so Floyd sent them off by saying, "Learn as much as you can about the route. We will need to use the transport device to move enough of the coal to keep you from freezing this winter. I expect you back in three days."
When he got back to the ship Lina was stirring so he made them some tea. He used the bag first for himself and then made a very dilute tea for Lina. She accepted the cup and visited while they sipped the tea. She said, "The tea is very enjoyable as long as it is not too strong." Then she asked, "Did you want to go on the exploration with the Fixers?"
Floyd nodded his head but said nothing for a few minutes while he sipped his tea. He then responded, "I enjoy the excitement of exploration. It is part of who I am but now is not a good time for me to be gone."
Lina rubbed her belly and said, "Yes, the babies will want to be born soon. How are we going to do the birth? We have no hospital."
"I suppose we will do what they did for my first wife. The doctor most
ly supported the baby and then tied off the umbilical cord. How hard can it be?"
"I am scared that I will scream and not be able to help push the babies out."
Floyd was quiet for a while as he remembered the only semi controlled screams of his wife during the birth of their two children. He said, "You will scream because it helps push the babies out. Nature has got this pretty well worked out. When the babies are ready, they will be born."
"Mr. Watson has shown me images of doctors using a suction thing to help the babies be born."
"No help there. We need to do this on our own. We do have the Fixer doctor to help. No use worrying, because what will be, will be." Lina was silent lost in her thoughts and worries.
The next few days were fairly quiet compared to the hectic pace they had been experiencing. Floyd helped some with the plastering work and harvested another batch of the green goo but they had time for some rest. The loft structure was looking pretty good but Mr. Watson wanted some more reinforcements in case another earthquake occurred. Floyd knew the Fixers were hard workers, but they seemed to thrive on work. Their faces seemed to be looking a little gaunt and he queried Mr. Watson about their food intake. Mr. Watson said, "The change is partially because their skin is being exposed to the dryness of the atmosphere but I have calculated that they do have a negative caloric balance."
"Is there enough stored grain to increase their food intake?”
"Estimating the quantity of grain is difficult with the limited images I have to process. It is probable that the grain is sufficient for the carbon life forms until the barley is harvested. Unfortunately, the barley and beans are not sufficient to sustain the colony until the next harvest."
Their conversation was interrupted when a Fixer presented to the ship carrying the small drone Tesla had picked up on their way back from the cave. Lina brought him forward to the cockpit and at first he just stood there and stared at the instrument panel. He handed the drone to Floyd and pointed at the computer screen. Lina finally figured out what the Fixer was trying to say. She said, "The Fixers have modified the miniature drone to work as a reader of the cube and would like to give it as a gift to Mr. Watson."
Mr. Watson seemed to almost have a catch in his voice as he said, "I accept your gift. It is the first time I have ever received a gift." The Fixer showed Floyd where to insert the cube and connected the wires to the input connectors they had used prior. After a few minutes Mr. Watson reported, "This is a high speed transfer device and I have access to the entire data base. There is an amazing amount of information contained in the cube." He added, "I thank you again for the gift. It will take many CPU cycles to explore all that the cube contains." The Fixer was smiling in its own way as he left the ship.
Floyd said, "I will let you play with your new toy. I'm going to check on the pump system the Fixers are working on." The dome was a beehive of activity like always. Floyd greeted the Fixers with a simple nod thinking that he needed to come up with names for them all. The metal work had progressed and the Fixers had created a simple piston and cylinder that was to be driven by the warmth of the sun. They were busy forge welding metal parts together using a little of their remaining rocket fuel as a heat source. With much pointing and gesturing they finally got Floyd to understand how the system would work. He asked, "When the sun does not shine can we use the heat from the coal to power the pump?"
The Fixer who seemed to be in charge started nodding and bouncing in answer. He placed a pan under the far end of the heating cylinder and pretended to light the coal. Floyd thought he understood, so nodded his acceptance before moving on to inspect the loft. The Fixers had already occupied the space and those from the transfer device had also moved in. Floyd looked for the Fixer who accompanied the Ancient One but he was nowhere to be seen. When he asked, several Fixers pointed out towards the transport device.
Floyd walked out to the transit device and found the door open. He knocked and entered. The Fixer was sitting as if waiting and the voice of the Ancient One sounded as it had at their first meeting saying, "I had hoped that you would seek me out."
"Life has been hectic but I seemed to sense your presence. Why do you remain isolated?"
The voice replied, "The Fixers are very busy and their busyness is very distracting. I was also waiting to make sure I would be welcome."
"You are welcome. One of the gliders was seen to make it all of the way to the transport device and did a nice roll before landing. Seems you have not lost your piloting skills."
"The flight was brief but the joy of flying was as great as ever. My Fixer learned quickly and made our escape possible."
"And why did you want to escape?"
The voice responded, "A fair question but one without a good answer. Mostly it was to see how the Fixers responded to their new freedom. Maybe also because I am not yet prepared to end my journey even though the end is near. When my Fixer passes, I to shall cease to exist."
They visited about life’s twist and turns for a while and then Floyd said, "I had better go check on Lina. She will be delivering soon."
"Yes, but not yet. I would enjoy continuing our discussion."
Floyd agreed and then asked, "Would it be better if you and your Fixer moved into the ship?"
Floyd could see the look of alarm on the Fixer and the voice replied, "My Fixer needs the companionship of his kind and the work of being my eyes is very stressful. It would be best if we joined the others but maybe had a quiet area so I can contemplate."
Floyd nodded his acceptance and stopped at the dome on his way to the ship. He simply said, "The Ancient One would like to join you in the dome but needs a separate space." Several Fixers nodded and Floyd left the issue for them as he went to check on Lina. When he got back to the ship Lina insisted that he have something to eat and then she began to fret that Tesla had not yet returned. Floyd did not know how to respond so he changed the subject to the barley.
Lina replied, "The stalks are almost dry and maybe in another week we can harvest them. The Fixers and I picked and shelled most of the beans today but the rest will not be ready for another few days."
Mr. Watson spoke up saying, "If you are going to save 10% of the crop for seed, it should be stored separate from the rest. Our first beans, Lina was able to multiply by rooting cuttings but that will not be feasible on a larger scale."
Floyd agreed and said, "I will see if the Fixers can use some of the material from the glider to seal the crack in the fuselage."
There was little left of the day and Tesla had not yet returned. Floyd was starting to worry but just as darkness was falling, a Fixer presented at the ship and pointed off to the west. Floyd grabbed one of the electric lanterns and with Lina they followed the Fixer. The nights were cool and Lina needed to stay next to Floyd with her tail wrapped around her neck for warmth. Soon they could see the dim light on the drone and shortly four very dirty Fixers climbed down from the drone. Floyd's light showed the drone was piled high with coal and all four Fixers seemed intact. He said, "First I want you to get cleaned up and then you are to eat a double ration of food. Job well done."
The hectic pace had slackened some but Lina was having trouble moving around and needed help putting her shoes on because she could not bend over enough to reach her feet. She insisted on supervising the harvesting of the barley and had the Fixers cut each stock at ground level, and then manually strip the grain off into a simple container. Each plant stock was then carefully piled into bales for storage and future use. Floyd had little to add to the process until it was time to load the bundles of dry barley straw into the drone for transport to the dome. He had loaded hay a few times as a teenager on his grandparent's farm and the process was the same; lift with your legs keeping your back straight and swing the bale up onto the wagon in one smooth motion.
Lina insisted that the Fixers use the straw for bedding material. This meant the bales now had to be lifted up into the lo
ft. He tried explaining how his grandparents used a pulley on a beam that extended out from the roof to move the hay up into the loft. In the end, it was easier for Floyd to just carry the bales up the center support they used as a ladder. The Fixers initially just spread the hay out but soon were weaving it into mats. One bale was set aside to be used to attempt making cloth from. Floyd had no idea how it could be done and left the project to the Fixers.
The Fixers continued to explore the area harvesting all of the metal they could find. The one good thing the asteroid collision had done was provide lots of surface metal. Mostly this was small nuggets, smaller than a golf ball, but enough of them to supply the raw material for the projects they had. They did find another of the miniature observation drones and rewired it to connect with Mr. Watson. They now had their own terminal in the dome. Floyd found several of them huddled over the small screen which was displaying cards. He realized they were playing poker with Mr. Watson. He asked, "Who's winning?" One of the Fixers pointed to himself and had a big smile on his face. Floyd gave him the "thumbs up" sign and continued on his general inspection walk. The Fixers had built a central fireplace using the center support as the back with the rock chimney extending to a small opening in the dome. They were now sealing the stone work with their mud plaster. It was a simple design but hopefully would put out enough heat to keep them from freezing. They were excited to show him the cooking shelf that they had incorporated. It was a shelf on a vertical metal rod, which could be rotated into the firebox when desired. Floyd was not so sure he liked the idea of cooking over coal and suggested they enclose the shelf to create more of an oven effect.
At the evening meal, Floyd and Lina sat and visited about how their colony was going. Floyd started working with Mr. Watson on a plan to make a cloth from the residue of the green goo. The industrial process for making rayon would be hard to duplicate but it looked like they could do a fair job of duplicating it with their limited capabilities. The chemistry was fairly simple but as their supplies ran low they would need a supply of salt from which they could make the hydrochloric acid they needed. Mr. Watson began searching the database on the cube and reported, "There is a salt deposit at the base of the valley on the west side of the mountain range. It should be accessible."
Floyd responded, "It would be much easier to reach if the airplane was operational. We might have to move the repair up on the 'to do' list. Can you come up with a design for a new prop that'll take advantage of the electric motor's speed range? The present prop seems over-pitched and the engine is working too hard."
"I can do the calculations but flight testing will be required to prove them correct."
Floyd said, "Spend some of your CPU cycles on the problem but it's still not a primary concern."
Floyd went aft and found Lina in their berth reading the book he had brought. She said, "I have never held a real book before. It makes reading more difficult but yet more enjoyable."
"What is the book about?"
Lina replied, "It is mostly a history of their religious leaders. It does talk some of the hard times and The People's escape over the mountains." She asked, "I wonder if any of the books talk about their farming methods?"
Floyd could not resist rubbing the small mountain of a belly and said, "Who knows. After the babies are born we will have to have a look."
Lina's tail was tucked in behind her with only the tip showing and it twitched vigorously with Floyd's touch. She said, "The babies are restless. It will not be long before they decide to be born." She placed Floyd's hand on the lower part and he could feel movement.
Floyd said, "I think they are fighting to see who gets to be born first."
Later that night Lina was awakened by a strange cramping. It was just enough to wake her, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. She started to drift back asleep. The pressure and cramping returned but as before ended quickly. Now she was awake and knew that labor was starting. She thought about waking Floyd but he needed his sleep. She lay there timing the contractions. At first they varied but now they were regular and seemed to be getting stronger. She said softly, "The babies wish to be born."
Floyd did not respond and after another contraction she repeated, "The babies wish to be born", a little louder with a gentle prod with her elbow. Floyd groaned a bit and rolled over. After several more contractions which were hard enough to make Lina sweat, she shook Floyd's shoulder telling him, "Wake up! The babies wish to be born!"
This time Floyd actually woke up and after clearing the cobwebs asked, "How frequent are the contractions?" Floyd was struggling to remember what he was supposed to do and after hearing Lina's answer said, "I think you are supposed to lie on your left side. I will go get the Fixer doctor."
When Floyd opened the airlock the Fixer doctor was waiting and entered. Floyd was telling him about the contractions but the Fixer just nodded. Lina was working hard with each contraction and the Fixer doctor had little to offer other than massaging her back with his one good hand. Floyd said, "Lina, remember the breathing we practiced and if you need to scream, that is OK."
Lina relaxed a little between the contractions but then the worries would come. Floyd didn't know what else to do, so he held her hand and sang his simple song over and over. This worked between contractions but during the contractions Lina needed to focus all of her energy and concentration and made Floyd be quiet. Their gentle hand hold became painful as Lina clenched her hands during the contractions digging her nails into his palm. Her water burst not once but six times and she could not help but scream, for the contractions were becoming an all-encompassing force she could not resist.
She needed to sit up and Floyd supported her until the Fixers could take over. Her breathing changed and she started to push. Soon a small head appeared and Floyd took a deep breath supporting the baby as it exited the birth canal. It was small by human standards but as soon as it was free of the womb and the fluid and sac cleaned from its face it announced its presence with a loud cry. Floyd held the baby up for Lina to see but another contraction took control of her being. One of the Fixers held out the pouch they had made from one of Floyd's shirts and Floyd set the baby inside to be cuddled by the Fixer. The second baby came shortly after the afterbirth of the first and it too gave a healthy cry. Lina barely had time to look at the second baby much less hold it when the contractions began again. This one was pointed up instead of down and even though it was small Lina had to work hard to push the baby free. She was getting tired.
The fourth and fifth babies decided to come together and Floyd needed help with the first of the pair so he could catch the second and get the umbilical cord tied. Lina got a little rest with the milder contractions, cleaning out the afterbirth. Floyd said, "Looks like five it will be."
This brought on another contraction but no baby was presenting. Lina, between contractions said, "There is one more but it does not want to be born yet." The Fixer doctor tried to help by massaging her belly. He looked up at Floyd and held up a single finger to indicate he felt one more baby. The labor just seemed to go on and on. The ship was full of Fixers cuddling the babies and Floyd started to feel confined and wished he could get some air. Finally, the head began to show and the baby soon followed. It was notably smaller than the others and did not seem to want to breathe. The Fixer doctor wiped out the baby’s nose and mouth again but still the baby did not breathe and was getting blue. The Fixer doctor then started blowing into the baby's nose and after a few minutes a feeble cry was emitted.
As tired as she was, Lina needed to see and hold each of the babies. She counted their toes and fingers before passing them back to the Fixer. The tiniest one seemed perfectly formed and would complain by crying whenever Lina tried to stimulate it. The Fixer doctor had put a number with some sort of marker on each baby's foot except for the last which had a symbol which meant little one. Lina held the little one the longest time but then the bigger b
abies were demanding to be fed. She decided to try and feed them one at a time. The first baby latched on to her nipple and seemed to suckle fine and was soon asleep. The second had a little more trouble latching onto the nipple and Lina was wondering if it was because she was using her other breast. Floyd did not know but said, "My first wife had trouble nursing on the left side but we thought it was because it was harder for her to hold the baby on that side."
It was the little one who was the most difficult because she just did not seem to suckle hard enough. Lina tried to help her by expressing some of the milk which seemed to stimulate the sucking reflex and the baby finally latched onto the nipple. Lina said, "You are going to be the stubborn one, aren't you?"
When the Fixers had all moved forward with their charges, Lina relaxed some and told Floyd, "Birthing was even more horrible than the writings made it sound, but it was also the most wonderful experience. I was hoping at least one of the babies would have had a tail. Two boys and four girls, this will be a handful."
Floyd was starting to explain the genetics again but Lina fell asleep and he covered her up hoping she could get some of the rest she deserved. He could hear one of the babies starting to cry and hoped it did not need to be fed again already. He went forward and showed the Fixer how to let the baby suckle on his knuckle. This quieted the baby but Floyd knew it would not be long before it demanded to be fed.