Shadows of the Mind
Prologue
Brenna rubbed her eyes tiredly. The baby was doing well. Her training was going well—or at least, it had been until lately—and she was doing exactly what she wanted to do, running the Center.
She should be glad to be back to work in her office. Should be, but she was tired. Felt heavy. Nothing specific, just a feeling of blaah that wouldn't go away unless she was home with Rupert and the baby.
Then there were the voices. That's what worried her the most, the voices. They didn't say anything, they were just there. She had already seen Dr. Tibbik, but he couldn't find anything wrong with her. She supposed she should tell Rupert and her father, but there wasn't much to tell, beyond being tired and hearing voices that didn't say anything.
And she really didn't want to tell them she was hearing voices.
She sighed. Then signed out of the office and logged off her computer. She'd just work from home for a few more days, then try again…
Shadows of the Mind
Chapter One
The door buzzed, and Rupert transferred the baby from one shoulder to the other to answer it. "Hi," he said to his father-in-law. "Come on in."
"Hey. Where's Bren?" Luke asked, hardly waiting for the invitation to enter, familiar enough to know that he was welcome even without it being spoken. He tickled the baby under the chin by way of greeting.
Rupert nodded towards the door to the sleeping area, and Luke heard the water just shutting off. "Don't tell me she's still in the shower? She was in there when I called."
"She likes 'em long, and she likes 'em hot," Rupert replied.
Luke did a double-take as Rupert went back to the couch, laid Han on the cushion, and proceeded to change the baby's diaper. Surely Rupert couldn't have intended that double entendre…
"Don't forget, people have to sit there," Luke reminded him.
Rupert looked up and grinned. "You mean, you do. Don't worry. We haven't had any leaks since that one time. Have we, Han-nee?" He blew raspberries on the baby's bare stomach, and the infant gurgled in delight.
"'Han-nee'?" Luke repeated, wondering what the galaxy was coming to.
"Combination of 'Honey' and 'Han,'" Rupert informed him. "Brenna's latest nickname for him.
Luke searched for something eloquent to say. "Ah..." was all he managed. He was once again amazed at how quickly the baby was developing. He could already roll over and lift his head, although his movements were still somewhat wobbly.
"Look, I gotta get going," Rupert said. "The spinner birds are due to be released soon, and I want to make sure they know where to find food. I'll be back as soon as I'm sure they'll be okay. Brenna fed Han before she took her shower, so he should be fine for a while."
"Okay," Luke said. He knew that Rupert's pet project was to reintroduce animal life to the barren planet. The trees seemed to have survived the transplant, and birds were next on his list. Of course, the food for them would have to be provided, until the various other species of the food chain had been introduced and established. "Grampa Luke will do his best to keep him out of trouble."
As Rupert left through the front door, the door to the sleeping area opened, and Brenna breezed into the room. Her body was wrapped in a large towel, and her hair was wrapped in a smaller one. "Hi, Dad," she said, and leaned briefly to plant a kiss on his cheek. Then she went to the couch, picked up a brightly colored ball, and began making cooing noises as she waved it around the baby's head.
"You're late," Luke accused, but with a smile.
"Am not. You're early," Brenna returned.
"Have you been practicing?"
Brenna let go of the ball and turned away from the baby toward her father. The ball remained suspended over the baby. "How's that for practice?"
Luke shrugged. "It's a good start," he admitted. "But I had in mind something a little heavier. Like the weight I gave you."
She shook her head. "Sorry." She put her hand behind her back and the ball dropped into it without her looking at it. "I can't even hold this up for very long. I've tried working with the weight, but..."
"But?"
Brenna picked up the baby and held him next to her between her and her father like a barrier. "But it's just not coming."
Luke sighed. "Give me the baby, go get dressed, and get to work." He took Han, lifted him to his shoulder and wagged a finger at Brenna. "Keep practicing."
"Yes, Dad," she said obediently.
The baby gurgled, and changed Luke's stern expression into a smile. In spite of Brenna's lack of progress with her training, he was looking forward to a day playing with his grandson.
It was shaping up to be a pretty good morning.
He had been enjoying a lot of them lately.
He didn't know it, but it would be the last pretty good morning that he would have for a while.