Planetbound by DM Arnold (best contemporary novels TXT) 📕

your body, you can deal with it your way. I'm using meditation techniques.” She reached up and hooked her arm around his neck, drew his face near hers and kissed his cheek. “I'm also using what I learned from our Floran lovemaking technique -- to divide my mind and force the sensations to the back.” She kissed his cheek again. “It works for this, too,” she said and gripped his hand. “Another.”

“They're coming fast, now.”

She nodded and closed her eyes. Nyk could see her body relaxing -- the only tension her clenched jaw and her grip on his hand.

“It's amazing,” he said as he caressed her abdomen. “I can see him moving down.”

The nurse returned and felt under Suki's drape. “About six centimetres. She's doing well -- most moms-to-be are begging for an epidural by now.”

Suki's obstetrician, an older woman with grey hair, entered her room. “Sorry to get you out of bed,” Suki said.

“It's not the first time.”

Suki closed her eyes for another contraction. She let out a moan as it peaked, then gasped and panted. “That was a good one. The worst part is resisting the urge to push.”

The doctor nodded. “You'll have your chances to push.” She checked her. “Eight centimetres. Almost party time -- I'll go put on my scrubs.”

Nyk walked into the waiting room. Yasuko was pacing and George was reading a six-month-old Readers' Digest. “Shouldn't you be in there?” she asked.

“Her doctor is administering a cervical block. She brandished the biggest needle I've ever seen. I got a bit lightheaded and the nurse thought a change of scenery would do me some good. So far, it's been textbook.”

“Nick -- She couldn't have done this without you.” Yasuko smiled. “I'm looking forward to being a grandmother.”

“I'd better get back in there.” He returned to Suki's room. The doctor was sitting at the foot of her bed.

“She's almost there,” the nurse said. “She just hit nine.”

Nyk looked into Suki's face. She was panting. “I want to push so badly.”

“A couple more and we'll have you push,” the doctor said.

Suki took a deep breath and clenched Nyk's hand. He watched the monitor and felt her relax as the contraction passed.

“Push on the next one,” the doctor said. Suki closed her eyes and grimaced. Her face reddened and veins in her neck protruded. “I see a crown.” Suki gasped and panted. “Another push like that and you'll shoot the little sucker across the room.” Suki grimaced again. The doctor took a pair of forceps, gave a tug and held the newborn infant. Nyk heard the baby cry. “It's a boy.”

Suki held her son as Nyk sat beside her. Her parents entered her room. “How do you feel?” Yasuko asked.

“Tired and sore. The block is wearing off. I plan to nurse him. They'll get us started on that shortly.”

“Six pounds thirteen ounces,” her mother said. “Not a bad size. Have you thought about a name?”

“I've known from the start what I'd name him. I'm naming him after Nick. We'll call him Nicky -- until he's a little older.”

“Sukiko...”

“Yes, Daddy?”

George handed her a flat box. “This is yours.” She slipped the cover from the box and removed a layer of cotton wool. Inside was the golden Kyhana crest. “I know we haven't always seen eye-to-eye. Today, I'm proud of you. You stood your ground, did what you thought was right and damned conventional wisdom. And it was right -- you turned adversity -- something terrible -- into something very good.” He brushed a tear from his face. “He's an adorable little boy. I'm proud to be his grandfather,” he said as he took her hand. “I'm proud to be your father.”

She reached with her free arm and hugged him. “Thank you, Daddy.” She handed the box to Nyk. “You'll keep this safe until we can find a proper home for it?”

“You can trust me.” He regarded the object and traced the three katakana characters with his finger.

“Your dad and I are heading back to the house,” her mother said. “I'll finish getting the nursery ready.”

“Mom ... Daddy -- thanks for being here.”

“Do you need a ride?” George asked.

“I'll find my own way home,” Nyk replied. George nodded, slipped his arm around Yasuko and headed down the corridor.

A nurse entered with a clipboard. “Here's the paperwork for the birth certificate. I need the spellings of the names. Mother is Sukiko Kyhana?”

“Yes.”

“Father?”

“Unknown.” The nurse looked at Nyk. “He's not the father. The child was conceived in a rape.”

“And you carried him anyway,” the nurse replied. “God bless you. I need the child's name.”

“I'll fill it in,” Suki said and handed the infant to Nyk. “Where?”

“There,” the nurse pointed. Suki jotted the name on the document and handed the clipboard to the nurse. “An unusual spelling.”

Nyk handed the child to Suki. “May I see?” He looked at the document and saw she had written the name Nykkyo Nicholas Kane Kyhana. He looked at Suki, his vision blurred with tears.

The nurse took the clipboard. “One of the pediatric nurses will be by to help you start feeding ...” she looked at the document.

“Nicky,” Suki said. “We'll call him Nicky.”

Nyk looked at her. “You didn't have to do that.”

“I wanted someone on this planet to use that beautiful name.” She stroked his face. “You told me, when the time came, I must follow my heart. The time came, and so I did.”

Nyk rapped on the door to Suki's hospital room. “Howdy, stranger,” he said. She opened her arms and embraced him. “How are you feeling today?”

“I'm feeling okay. We go home tomorrow.”

A nurse entered pushing a bassinet. “Feeding time. If you'll excuse us...”

“He can stay,” Suki said. She opened her gown. The nurse handed Nicky to her and Suki offered him her breast. “Thank you -- we'll be fine for a while.”

“He really latches on,” Nyk said.

“Yes. I think we're getting the hang of this.” She stroked the baby's hair and back.

“He has your color.”

“He's a little jaundiced -- not that you'd know. I doubt you'd know if I were jaundiced.”

“Is that normal?”

“Normal enough.”

Nyk heard a rap on the door. He cracked it open and saw Yasuko. “It's your mom.”

“Come in, Mom.”

Yasuko stood in the room. “I'm sorry to interrupt.”

“It's okay. Giving birth is a great way to lose your modesty.”

Yasuko looked at the tag on the bassinet. “Nik...”

“It's Nee-KEE-Yo. For now, we'll call him Nicky.”

“Where on Earth did you come up with that name?”

“It came to me...” she said looking into Nyk's eyes. “... from outer space.”

“I thought you were naming him after Nick.”

“I did. Nick's name inspired me.”

“I hope you're not starting a family tradition of oddball names.”

“Oh, no. That tradition's already established.”

“What do you mean?”

“Yasuko ... Sukiko ... Nykkyo -- they're all odd names.”

“My name and yours are not odd.”

“Not in Japan -- but they are unusual here.”

“What do you think of all this?” Yasuko asked Nyk.

“It's Suki's choice. I think it's a fine name.”

Nyk cradled Nicky in his arms. “Okay, little buddy. I'll take you on a tour of your new home. Here's your room -- your bed. I know it looks big, but you'll grow into it. This is the kitchen. It's probably not too important to you right now. When you're ready, here it is. Over here's the bathroom -- we'll spend a little time in here every day. Now, this is Mommy and Nick's room. You're welcome here, too. There's just one rule. If the door's closed, knock first.” He heard Suki giggling from the living room.

“What do you think?” she asked, holding the golden pendant against the wall.

Nyk shrugged. “It's up to you. I have no taste when it comes to such.”

“I think it needs something to balance it. Daddy had the dagger hanging with it.” She looked up. “I don't want that.”

“What if it were in a frame? It might protect it -- for the many generations to come.”

“That's a good idea. I'll look for a frame -- I'll bet Mom has some in the basement.” She set the crest on the table and put her arms around Nyk. “I never imagined I'd have the pendant.”

“Through the generations, the passing of the crest will become our family's most cherished tradition.”

“You said Koichi's first child was born in transit. How did he have the crest?”

“Koichi's wife was about six months pregnant when they boarded the Floran. They expected a quick warp-jump to the Centauri colony world. Koichi's father had given them the crest, provisionally, until their child was born. Koichi wanted his child to be the first native-born Centaurian.”

“Instead, they became lost in space.” She shuddered. “I can't imagine the fear -- the despair those people must've felt. Imagine giving birth under those circumstances! Something very good came from that tragedy.”

“Tragedies can be like that,” he said, stroking Nicky's cheek.

Nyk sat across from George at the table holding the go board, trading turns with him placing black and white stones on the gridded board. Yasuko sat in a chair reading a magazine. Suki sat on the sofa with her feet up, nursing Nicky.

“This is so wonderful,” Nyk said. “I love feeling part of a family.”

“How would you like to ride into the City with me? You could spend a day looking over the firm. You might find a niche where you'd fit in.”

“I ... I guess I could do that. I do plan on looking for work. I wanted to spend a few weeks helping Suki.”

“It's quite all right, Nick. I wasn't trying to put pressure on you.”

“I do understand there's another mouth to feed, and Suki will be away from her job for several months. I am eager to contribute to the family resources.”

George smiled. “Please, don't worry.”

“George is right, Nick,” Yasuko said. “We're delighted to have the three of you under our roof.” She looked up from her magazine. “Too many young people try to start families on their own without a support structure. Take your time.”

Suki pulled closed her gown and stood. She carried Nicky to Nyk. “I'm a bit tired. I think I'll go upstairs and lie down.”

Nyk cradled Nicky in his left arm, with the infant's head in the crook of his elbow. He continued to place stones with his right.

“How easily you hold him,” Yasuko said. She arose, stood by Nyk and stroked his shoulder. “Nick, I'm sorry I was such a naysayer about her pregnancy. Now that I know my grandson -- I wouldn't have it any other way.”

“Let's tally,” George said. “A very respectable showing for a neophyte.”

“I'll put Nicky upstairs and spend some time with his mother.”

“Of course, Nick. We'll see you for breakfast.”

Nyk climbed the stairs to the apartment. He changed Nicky and laid him on his back in the crib. “Good night, buddy. I'm sure we'll hear from you in a while.” He turned the lamp low.

Suki was lying in her gown on the bed. Nyk sat beside her. “Are you all right?”

“I'm still having cramps -- they said it's normal. I'm so tired.”

“You did lose some blood. I don't mind saying, I'm glad I was stationed at the head of the bed. I saw them cleaning up and I was a bit queasy.”

“You don't care for the sight of blood, do you?”

“Especially if it belongs to someone I love.”

Nyk prepared himself for bed, turned down the bedcovers and climbed in. Suki completed her nightly toilet and stood by the bedroom door brushing her hair. “Maybe I should cut my hair. Long hair and little fingers are a bad combination.” She made a scissors of her first and second fingers. “How would I look with my hair cut like this?” She pinched her hair above her shoulder.

“You'd look like your mom.”

“Oh.” She gathered her hair, brought it up and clipped it into place. “Nick, I don't know how a Floran girl would take it, but unless her mother's a real knockout, an Earth girl doesn't like being told she looks like her.”

“Your mother is a very attractive woman.”

Suki smiled and slipped off her robe. “Let's not go into that.” She stood sideways to him and ran her hand down her stomach. “I feel like a balloon with the air let out -- flaccid.”

“Everything will go back into place in time.” She climbed into bed and cuddled to him. Nyk reached and switched off the light. “Let's talk about getting married -- setting a date. Have you thought about it?”

“I'd like your divorce from Senta to be finalized, first.”

“Senta's not an obstacle.”

“I must feel good about it, Nick.”

“I may need to go to the homeworld for that to happen. If I did -- I might not return.”

“Please don't be angry with me.”

“I'm not. I'm frustrated we can't have all this resolved.”

“I know you're committed to me, Nick. We don't need a