Chapter Eleven: Winnie

Bryce was resting when he heard a knock on his studio door. Looking at his security camera feed to see who it was, he spotted Theora standing there with another woman. Realising it was her sister-in-law, he got to his feet and answered the door.

"Hello, Bryce," Winnie said. "Shawn told me what happened at the Fresh Start. I hope you weren't too badly hurt."

"I wasn't hurt," Bryce assured her. "Edison saw to that."

"Edison's a good man," Winnie remarked. "You're lucky to have a friend like him."

Bryce nodded. "Theora says you have a child,"

"Yes," Winnie smiled. "A daughter. She can be quite a handful. I understand you're having a baby, too. Wow! I never thought I'd say that to a guy before. It must be really scary for you."

"No," Bryce told her. "It's too interesting to be scary."

"So, you're not worried about how the growing baby is going to affect you internally?"

"I haven't really given it much thought, really," Bryce admitted. "Now that you mention it, I guess I should. But, it can't be that bad, right?"

"You're going to be carrying around at least seven pounds in weight around during the last two or three months," Winnie told him. "How is the gro-bag attached? The reason I'm asking is that if there's danger of it tearing loose from the baby's weight, you may be bedridden in your third trimester."

"All I can do now is wait and see," Bryce told her. "If that happens, I'll have to deal with it."

Theora sighed. "I just hope this doesn't turn into a major tragedy. I know you think you'll be okay. But I'm worried about the pressure the baby will put on your internal organs."

"Look," Bryce said, "I know you're concerned, but I'll be fine. Ovu-vat would never ask me to carry this child if they didn't think it was perfectly safe."

"Ovu-vat doesn't know what they're doing, Bryce," Theora pointed out. "There's no way they can know if it's safe. But since you're determined to have this child all we can do is keep an eye on you and make sure the two of you are okay."

Bryce let out a breath and nodded. There wasn't much else to do or say at this point. He was going to have his baby and keep it.

Nobody could convince him otherwise.

Winnie sighed. She had wanted to say more, but she realized Bryce had made up his mind. She wished those protesters weren't outside. Had the conditions been right…

"I wish you could spend a few days with Shawn and I," she told him. "We'd love to have you help out with the baby for a day or two. Give you an idea of what it is you'll be doing. Teach you how to change diapers and feed the baby."

"It would've been helpful," Bryce agreed. "But I can't risk your family with all I'm currently dealing with."

Winnie sighed. "We'll find a way to help you through this."

"Don't worry," Bryce told her. "I'm fine."

Theora wished she could believe him.