Conversations
"S.A.R.A.H., what were you thinking?"
Jo hadn't meant to say that. She'd left work a little early and gone straight to the bunker. But not to yell at S.A.R.A.H., just to talk to Carter.
After the news had sunk in – and had the news really sunk in yet? – she'd realized that her future held a slew of difficult conversations. The one with her dad…well, it wasn't as if she could hide twins from him. Or would. But whenever she tried to picture how the conversation would go, it ended badly.
And then there was Zoe. Zoe was damn smart, ergo capable of basic math. It was going to be obvious that while Zoe had been nursing a crush – or maybe even a broken heart – Jo had been sleeping with the target of her affections. Yeah, that conversation was going to be fun.
"Hello, Jo. I see that Dr. Blake has updated your medical records."
"You should have told me!"
"Does this mean that I am now allowed to discuss your health?" S.A.R.A.H. again sounded eager.
"Only with me," Jo sighed. "And you should have told me," she repeated, but with less vehemence. Really, she had no one to blame for this but herself.
"I debated whether engaging in an act of reproduction had to be considered medical in nature." S.A.R.A.H. sounded almost apologetic. "But I concluded that for human beings, given the biological requirements, there was no way to separate that information from your physical condition. And you had strictly forbidden me to share my knowledge."
"Next time, ignore me when I say something so stupid."
"Are you planning on there being a next time?" S.A.R.A.H. sounded mildly interested.
"No! No, not at the moment." Jo put a hand on her abdomen. No, the reality of the first time – or would it be the first and second when you were having twins? – had definitely not sunk in yet. "How am I going to do this?" The words were almost a murmur.
"I do not believe there is anything you need to do. The process requires no conscious control, although I recommend continuing to maintain a nutritionally balanced diet."
"No, not—" Jo tried to summon a chuckle. "I mean, big picture. How can I take care of a baby, much less twins? How am I going to keep my job and earn a living and also…" She pressed her lips together hard. All right, moment of panic there. Could she blame this new propensity to panic on hormones?
S.A.R.A.H. sounded thoughtful. "It does appear that children have a great many costs associated with them. This is not something that I have considered in depth."
"And responsibilities," Jo agreed. "Children are a big responsibility."
"Yes." Again, S.A.R.A.H.'s voice seemed abstracted, as if she was sorting through vast quantities of information. "I think I would like to reproduce."
Jo's eyes widened as she pictured a line of smaller bunkers extending deep into the Eureka woods. "Um, I'm not sure that's a good idea, S.A.R.A.H."
"I'll do whatever I can to help you," S.A.R.A.H. volunteered abruptly. "I shall explore the possibilities."
"I – thank you?" Jo was a little confused. Should she ask S.A.R.A.H. to elaborate? What exactly was the AI thinking?
"Sheriff Carter is at the door," S.A.R.A.H offered. "Am I allowed to discuss your health while he is present?"
Jo bit back her instinctive no, and shrugged. She suspected that everyone in Eureka was going to be discussing her health within a few days – might as well get it over with. "Sure," she agreed as Carter came through the door.
"S.A.R.A.H., is Jo –" Carter was starting to ask as he came through the door, but let the sentence break off when he saw Jo standing in the kitchen. Moving automatically to the refrigerator, he said, "Hey, Jo. I saw your car outside. Everything okay?
Jo paused. Wow, that was a surprisingly difficult question to answer.
"Cerveza?" Carter asked, holding up a glass of beer.
"Ah, no. No, I shouldn't," Jo answered.
Carter's gaze was searching and Jo took a deep breath. She wasn't quite sure how to say this, where to start. Flat-out? Just jump right into it? Or maybe work her way around to it?
"Your pulse rate has accelerated abruptly, Jo, and my sensors indicate that your body is producing excessive amounts of cortisol." * S.A.R.A.H. sounded concerned as she continued, "A single beer poses no risk of fetal damage if that is the cause of your tension."
Carter choked on the sip of beer he'd just taken and started to cough.
Jo closed her eyes. That was one way to do it. And maybe even the easiest way. "Thanks, S.A.R.A.H.," she said wryly, "But I'm okay."
"Are you?" Carter asked, setting his beer down on the counter.
Jo nodded. "I am. I really am okay. Or were you asking if I was pregnant?"
"So, ah – okay, ah…"
Jo put him out of his misery quickly. "Yes. Zane. June. And…twins."
Carter picked up his beer again and took a hefty swig, then set it back down very carefully. "I could have guessed the Zane part. But the rest of it – wow. Uh, congratulations?"
Jo laughed. Then sobering, she said, "Talk to me about Zoe. I didn't really get a chance to see her before she went back to Harvard and we've emailed a few times but not about anything important. Is she – is this – "
"Forget Zoe. You're okay? Really okay?"
Jo shrugged. "I'm a little – I mean, I – okay, well, maybe this – all right, yeah, I don't know. But I think it's going to be okay."
"And Zane? Where is he?"
Jo didn't answer right away, thinking about how Zane had reacted. The idea of twins had thrown him for a little bit of a loop, and she'd been overwhelmed and distracted herself. But overall? Considering the circumstances? Really, his response had been nothing short of amazing.
"Dr. Donovan is currently in Dr. Fargo's office," ** S.A.R.A.H. interjected helpfully.
"I meant the question metaphorically, S.A.R.A.H.," Carter responded, with a slight shake of head at the literal mind of the AI. "Where is he with this news? How is he reacting?"
But S.A.R.A.H.'s answer had distracted Jo from the response she'd been formulating. "Fargo's office?" she asked, surprised. "What's he doing there?" She thought the question was rhetorical: she didn't expect S.A.R.A.H. to know the answer. As tied into the network as S.A.R.A.H. was, she still couldn't read minds.
"Based on the activity occurring on the computer network, I surmise that he is reading your personnel records."
"He's what?" Surprise became shock, mingled with annoyance. Cancel that amazing. What the hell? "Where's Fargo?"
"Dr. Fargo is also in his office. Perhaps he is the one reading your files?" It was obvious from S.A.R.A.H.'s hasty suggestion that she'd detected Jo's emotional reaction, but oddly enough, the idea that Fargo was reading her records with Zane didn't improve Jo's mood.
Pulling out her phone, she hit Zane's auto-dial number. Carter, trying not to smile, picked up his beer, and took another swallow.
"Hey, Jo." Zane's voice wasn't even wary.
"What the hell you do think you're doing?" Jo turned away from Carter and took a couple steps out into the living room.
"Ah…"
"Reading my personnel records? That's so creepy." Sure, she'd read his, but that was different. She'd been trying to figure out what was going on in a new timeline: what he was doing was an invasion of her privacy.
"Jesus, you and Fargo both? That's impressively paranoid. How did you know?"
Jo disregarded the first question, since she had no idea what it meant, and, crossing her fingers for the lie, answered the second, "I'm the head of security for GD. I know things. And if you want to know something, you could try asking!"
"You don't talk," he protested.
"I don't talk? Tell me if you recognize these words: 'let her do most of the talking, you don't really even have to listen?'"
"Okay, now you're starting to scare me. What, do you have me bugged or something?"
"Andy asked me if I thought you were right. And I told him no, that you were an idiot. You idiot! Now get the hell out of my records. "
"Jo—" he started to protest.
She sighed. "Meet me at my house. We'll talk." She paused. She'd been trying to keep things simple. Simple, ha. But they hadn't been spending nights together, just hours here and there. Maybe it was time that changed. "And bring your toothbrush."
She could hear the smile in his voice when he answered, "On my way."
"Oh, and tell Fargo that I'm off duty for the weekend. I don't want to hear from him unless GD is actually burning down around him." Hanging up the phone, she shook her head.
As she turned back to Carter, he was already coming out of the kitchen, beer in hand. "I heard. You go. Don't worry about Zoe, and, Jo… congratulations. You know, if you ever need me, if you ever need anything –"
Nodding, she stepped close to him and he wrapped her in a quick, fervent hug. "My kids are going to be calling you Uncle Jack, I hope you know that."
On her way home, she made a quick stop at Café Diem. After she and Vincent exchanged greetings, she placed her order: dinner to go, for two.
"For two?" he raised an eyebrow, an open question, and she smiled, but didn't otherwise answer. He shrugged, accepting her silence, but as he disappeared into the kitchen, she eyed him speculatively. Hmm… She could maybe save herself a great deal of trouble.
When Vincent returned carrying a bag of warm food, Jo asked, "So Vince, how fast do you think you could spread some news around this town?"
"Is that a theoretical question or a practical?"
"Practical."
"News or gossip?"
"That might depend on your perspective, but let's call it gossip." Was this a terrible idea? Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. It would save her from having the same conversation over and over and over again. And if she turned off her phone for the next couple of days, she could avoid people's initial reactions, let everyone get used to the idea before she had to start talking about it.
"You know Eureka, gossip travels at the speed of light. Especially if it's good. Got something fun for me?" Vincent leaned on the counter, and Jo grinned at him.
She could read his mind. She didn't really know how long Vincent had known that she and Zane were a little more than friendly, but she knew he knew. And that he'd kept their secret. Maybe giving him this was like a reward.
"So, ah, Zane and I…" she paused.
"She admits it!" Vincent eyes widened, mock-theatrically, and he started scrubbing at the counter with his dishtowel. "I think I can spread that news pretty quickly, if that's—"
"…are having twins," she interrupted him.
The dishtowel dropped from his hand, as his mouth dropped open in shock. "Are – are what?"
"You heard me." Picking up the bag, she leaned across the counter and kissed his cheek, then waved at him, a slight waggle of her fingers, and headed out. As she pushed open the door, she remembered and called back over her shoulder, "Due in June," leaving him still stupefied, staring after her, more shocked then when a fighter plane appeared in the middle of the restaurant.
*I fear that I'm making S.A.R.A.H. a little too close to magic with the cortisol detection, but in Ep.3.04, she detects "an abnormal level of adrenaline in (Carter's) system" and so her sensors are obviously quite sensitive.
**And more miracle S.A.R.A.H.! But this time I'm basing her abilities on evidence from Ep.3.09, "Welcome Back, Carter" where she manages to crush Sheriff Andy despite the fact that he was in the middle of nowhere. She's obviously got some kind of ability to track people and robots.
A/N: I'm not in love with this chapter, but it felt like it needed to happen. Fargo and Ivy will be back in the next one (and no, GD won't be burning down, but Fargo will wish he'd called Jo!)