Coming to check on all my babies! (Logic, Wei, Lillian, P'u)

[Miss Te]

Miss Te nudged her husband hard, wanting him to make the cart go faster. "Hurry dear! We don't have any time to waste! That poor sickly girl is not doing well, and I want to go see her!"

Te stopped pestering her husband and rested her head on his shoulder. Her pretty face was creased in an expression of worry.

"Oh, poor thing. I hope Wei is there to meet us."

The GJO living quarters began to appear ahead of them and it was all Te could do not to fidget. She was almost there. Everything was going to be ok.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei sat on the step that led up to the large doors of the living quarters with his eyes focused on the horizon and his ears at full attention, seeking the sound of squeaky cart wheels.

"I think I see them now, Logic."

Wei stood up and began to wave and shout. "HEEEEY! Good to see you guys!" Wei got up and began to run towards the cart as it approached, jumping on behind his parents and riding back to the Living Quarters.

[P'u]

P'u patiently endured his wife's nudging and nagging, understanding her frustration entirely. Something was wrong with this strange girl that Te had taken a liking to. When Te rested her head on his shoulder, P'u let go of the reigns with one hand and gave her a comforting pat on the back.

Then he heard his son. P'u smiled. "See there, dear? Our son has spotted us, and is happy to see us. Oh, and here he comes."

The cart rocked back and forth slightly, making the draft animal that pulled it grunt with frustration.

"There there, old boy. It's only our Wei. You should be happy to see him again."

The animal made another grunting sound, but this one seemed to be more up beat.

"That's more like it."

A few more meters, and P'u was able to stop the cart and let everyone off to go inside. "We're here. Everyone off the cart."

Once everyone was off, P'u tied the reigns to a post that stood off to the side of the doors.

"Now, where is this sick girl?"

[Logic]

Logic is pacing quickly, back and forth, back and forth, metal feet scraping the durracrete steps as it idles, calculating and processing circles around Lillian's condition, trying to reason away its inability to solve the riddle of her sickness. It hardly notices Wei's disappearance, and doesn't even notice the Wei family's arrival until it turns and almost knocks P'u off the steps.

She has moved back to her original room. She did not want to be a burden on Councilwoman Relvinian due to her sickness.

[Wei Wu Wei]

"Mom, Dad, this is Logic. He watches over Lillian and makes sure she's ok. He mentioned to me that she was ill, which is why I called you here. Mom, it doesn't make sense to either of us."

Wei began to walk up the steps and got the door for everyone.

"This way, Mom."

[Miss Te]

Te looked at Logic, not quite realizing he was a droid. "Don't worry sweetie," she said, giving the droid a hug, "We'll get to the bottom of this."

Te entered the Living Quarters and began walking to the turbolifts. "Wei, honey, come work this thing for me."

[P'u]

P'u followed behind, last through the door. "It is ok, Logic. You need not beat yourself up because you do not know. It's not your fault. Now come, my wife will have all of this straightened out and things will be back to normal soon."

[Logic]

Beat myself...?

Most droids are built to emote; Logic is not one of these, though it can interpret the emotion of others. Its AI is slowly teaching it to use the emotions it sees; thus its behavior in the B&G. It sounds almost confused as it follows P'u, Wei, and Te.

Using a turbolift is a simple thing. Press the "up" arrow button, get inside, and press the button of the corresponding floor. We want floor 4, if you would be so kind, Miss...

[Miss Te]

"Thank you, sweetie."

Te pressed the up button and was soon greeted with a pinging sound and the turbolift door opening.

"Well, come on. Hurry!"

[P'u]

P'u stepped into the turbolift quickly and began explaining to Logic. "Do not be distressed because you cannot find an answer to your problem on your own. Just realize that you need help and go find it. Which you have already done, by coming to my son, Wei."

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei got on the turbolift and pressed the number 4 button before his mother could. "Mom, do you already have any ideas about what might be wrong with Lillian?"

Wei leaned on one of the walls as the turbolift began its swift ascension to the fourth level.

[Logic]

Logic leads the way out of the turbolift, down the hall to Lillian's room.

I expect she can tell us when she sees Lillian, Master Wei...

It opens the door, gesturing for the family to follow silently. The droid leads them through the living room and back to the bedroom, where it stands silently aside to let them visit with Lillian. The girl is dressed in an oversized shirt, covered with a heavy blanket and lying on her side, sleeping soundly. Her face looks pained, and her forehead is hot to the touch.

What is your assessment, Miss Te?

[Miss Te]

Te's smooth forehead wrinkled as the thought. Te placed her small hand to Lillian's forehead. "Oh, the dear is positively burning up. Wei hon, bring me a cool, damp washcloth as quick as you can."

Te sat down on the edge of the bed and noticed the sheets tighten up around Lillian's middle. "She has put on weight. Look at her little tummy buldging out just a little. Oh, but she's so sweet lying there. Poor girl."

[P'u]

P'u stood by his wife's side, watching Lillian and listening to his wife's words. "She reminds me of you when you were pregnant with Wei. I remember how grumpy you were. And your fevers. Your stomach buldged out like hers too."

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei came running back in from the refresher with the damp rag his mother had asked for.

"I got it, Mom. So what's the matter with her?" Wei asked, curious.

[Logic]

Wait just a minute here!

Logic is drawing new connections in this riddle, discarding old ones, and is not liking the new result of its reasoning.

Sir, you said Lillian looks as your wife did, when she was...pregnant?

It makes perfect, logical sense for Lillian to be pregnant. She has all the symptoms of it, if "symptoms" is the correct word it should be using. But what does not make sense is how it happened! The guardian turns its attention to Te.

Is that true?

[Miss Te]

Te nodded. "Oh, yes. Fevers did not happen often, but I would get uncomfortably hot at night. My tummy grew so large. Poor little thing."

Te brushes some of Lillian's hair out of her eyes and sighs happily. "Those were some of my happiest days, though. Carrying around my little Wei in my belly."

[P'u]

P'u chuckled. "Yes indeed. Your stomach got to be so large that it thew off your center of balance."

P'u turned to his son. "She often carried a pack on her back to even herself out. Or she would tend to lean backwards so that she wouldn't fall over." He chuckled again.

[Wei Wu Wei]

"So she's going to be all right after all," Wei said, placing the wet washcloth on Lillian's forehead. "I'm glad. Well, we found out what was wrong. Think you'll be able to take care of Lillian, Logic? Cause my family and I can help you if you need it."

[Logic]

Logic knows nothing of the matter. It's still trying to wrap its processors around the fact that she's pregnant, and hasn't been with a man since her arrival at GJO.

This doesn't--

But as soon as it says it, it finally makes the next connection; the monster geneticist that kidnapped her must be the father.

I recommend putting her under the watch and care of Councilwoman Relvinian. If you would, Miss Te, please convince her to move back in with her. She will not listen to me, and fears that she will be a burden to the woman.

[Miss Te]

"I can try, sweetie. I certainly can try. It would probably be good for her to do that. Logic, dear, do you know if Miss Relvinian has ever had children before?"

[Logic]

She has no children of her own, though I do believe she has experience in taking care of them. It would be best to ask her in person.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei stretched for a moment, listening to the littke popping sounds his back made.

"So, what now? Do we wake Lillian up, or do we go see Miss Ryla?"

[P'u]

P'u chuckled. "No, it would be much easier to let her sleep here for a moment. She'll wake up on her own when she's ready."

P'u patted his son on the back. "Son," he said with a chuckle. "You think too much." Then he laughed.

[Miss Te]

Te smiled, but admonished her husband all the same. "Oh, that wasn't very nice."

Te brushed the hair out of Lillian's eyes one more time, and adjusted the wet washcloth on her forehead. "Poor little dear."

Once she had made sure that Lillian was going to be ok, Te went to the door and motioned for everyone to come along. "Let's leave Lillian to her rest and go see this Miss Ryla."

[Logic]

Logic squeezes by the family and marches off down the hall.

This way. It's not far.

It raises its fist, walks down eleven doors, and knocks twice.

[Ryla Relvinian]

I opened the door to find the last person I was expecting. Logic, Lillian's guardian droid, was not technically a person, but looked for all the world to be in a very human state of haste.

"Yes, can I help you?" I answered him, plaiting my wet hair over one shoulder. I had just gotten dressed from a shower, and now was very glad that I had a tunic, and not my towel on.

[Wei Wu Wei]

"Hiya, Ryla," Wei said, not noticing the rhyme he had just made. "My mom wants to talk with you for a minute about Lillian."

Wei stood to the side so that Te and Ryla could see each other. "Mom, this is Ryla Relvinian. Ryla, this is my mom, Te."

[Miss Te]

Te extended her hand to Ryla in greeting. "Hello, Miss Ryla. It's a pleasure to meet you. Logic says you've been taking care of Lillian for a time, and I wanted to ask if you would be so kind as to stay with Lillian while she's in the middle of having a baby."

Te looked rather disapprovingly at my son. "Although I am a bit upset to find out that Wei has been neglecting to check up on Lillian like I asked him to, I'm glad to see that you've been picking up where he's been lacking."

[Ryla Relvinian]

"She's pregnant?"

This was a bit shocking, to say the least. Lillian, for the weeks that I had taken care of her, seemed much more of a child than a woman, and was the last person I would have ever suspected of winding up pregnant. Unless...

It must have been the attack... and now, she had been cursed with the repercussions of a fate that no woman should have to bear, and herself barely a child. But no, now was not the time for that question.

"Of course, of course. Is she all right?"

[P'u]

P'u nodded. "She has not suffered anything unusual because of her pregnancy. She has a slight fever, but it will pass with time."

P'u was silent for a moment, then spoke up once more. A thought had occured to him. "Who is the father? Surely he must be around somewhere, concerned about Lillian's and the unborn baby's well-being."

[Ryla Relvinian]

"She..."

I did not quite know exactly how to say it and still maintain some semblance of Lillian's dignity.

"She was attacked while on a mission."

I hoped that my simple explanation was enough.

[Logic]

Logic, too, is eager to drive the subject away from the child's father.

Back to the matter at hand. Lillian is in need of care which I cannot provide her. Ryla has agreed to watch over her, so now we must either move Lillian in here or move Ryla in there.

[Wei Wu Wei]

"Let Lillian decide that," Wei said. "After all, we are talking about her well being."

It was a natural, easy answer to the problem Logic posed. It was also the type of conclusion his father would make.