CHAPTER 36 - ROOMIES
"Push. You can do it. Puuussshhh harder. Don't forget to exhale."
Elizabeth groaned as the well-meaning man stood by her side and encouraged her to continue.
"I can't," she whined.
"Yes. You can. Three more."
"Are you sure that this is good for the baby?" an exhausted Elizabeth asked as she stopped moving and stared at the man. "Because I don't know if you know this but I'm pregnant. And I don't think this is good for the baby."
Ensign LaPorte smiled. "Yes, I know you're pregnant. The whole ship knows that you're pregnant. And the reason I am making you work out is so that you will have a healthy baby when we land back on Earth. We want you in top physical form. Now stop stalling and give me three move reps."
The fitness center was getting more crowded and Elizabeth didn't feel like grunting in front of anyone else so she quickly pushed out three more repetitions and climbed off the weight bench.
She thought about what the ensign had said – 'we' want you in top physical form. That was the problem. Everyone wanted her in top physical form. Somehow, starting with last week's intercom announcement that she was expecting a baby, this pregnancy had become the transporter's pregnancy. Chemists wanted to test her urine almost daily, biologists wanted to know her every symptom, and kinesiologists watched her posture and gait. Everyone else had been offering name suggestions, even going so far as to putting up a board in the cafeteria for people to list their favorites. So far, all the names had - not surprisingly - had something to do with space. Star. Sirius, Celeste, Cassiopeia, Orion, Aires, Leo.
Elizabeth was leaning towards Halley for a girl because Jack loved it. He said it reminded him of when she had been worried about him on his space walk and unconvincingly lied and said she was waiting for Halley's comet. He said that they'd be spending plenty of nights waiting for a teenage daughter to come home from dates so the name was perfect.
After thanking Ensign LaPointe for his punishment, Elizabeth walked past the treadmill and across the room.
She peered through the plexiglass window into the other room. Jack, standing in the service zone between the two solid lines, had his fingers curled around the racquet's handle as if shaking someone's hand. He threw up the small ball, hit it harshly, and swiftly moved back when it rebounded off the wall in front of him
The attractive woman with the open stance was ready. She moved efficiently and attacked the ball with her own racquet.
Back and forth they went. Rushing the ball. Watching it violently bounce off the ceiling, floor, and walls. Taking turns serving.
She faulted, Elizabeth thought when the woman stepped outside of the service zone before the ball has crossed the line. And he's not even calling her on it! He's too nice to her!
Earlier, when Elizabeth had felt slightly jealous that Jack and their roommate Becca were heading to the gym with their goggles, she had suggested that she could play instead of Becca.
Jack had chuckled.
"You're afraid of the ball," he had reminded her with a smile. "And besides, I'm not letting you anywhere near a racquetball court. Your belly is a protected area."
Who knew navigators could be so attractive, Elizabeth thought as she watched Becca bounce around the wooden court. Probably because she doesn't have to do any hard physical labor. Just stares at a screen all day. How does she manage to look attractive even in googles? Because she has such perky breasts. Perky Breast Becca.
Elizabeth rapped on the glass.
When Jack looked in her direction, she motioned that she was going back to the room to shower.
Instead of heading directly to their living quarters, Elizabeth made a detour to Abigail's.
"Eat this, it will revive you after your workout," Abigail said as she handed Elizabeth a chocolate croissant. "I was going to drop it off at your quarters later."
"Oh my gosh! Thank you!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she eagerly took the pastry. "What will Doc say?"
"Don't worry about him. He has you eating so many carrots you're going to turn orange. A croissant now and then is good for the baby."
"How's that?" Elizabeth mumbled as she had already shoved a piece into her mouth.
"A happy mother is a happy baby," Abigail sat on the berth across from Elizabeth. "Now tell me how things are going. My roomies will be gone for at least half an hour."
"Things are good."
"Even with Becca and Candy?"
"Candy's no problem. She got me some extra water minutes. She said if someone in water purification can't siphon off a few minutes for a roommate, she's worthless."
"What about Becca?"
Elizabeth swallowed. "I'm not sure if she's just not self-conscious or if she's an exhibitionist. A few days ago, she asked me if I thought her breasts were still firm after spending almost two years in space. Then she just took off her bra and showed them to me."
"What did you say?" Abigail asked in astonishment.
"Nothing. I covered Jack's eyes and herded him out of the cabin."
Abigail grinned at the image of Elizabeth protecting Jack's virtue by not letting him see a topless Becca. "What's Jack think of living with three women?"
"He actually doesn't mind. He doesn't see much of Candy, and he likes Becca. He says she's really dedicated to her job but has an energetic personality. He also thinks she's really smart."
"Not jealous, are you?" Abigail asked when she noticed Elizabeth trying a little too hard to speak pleasantly about Becca.
"Of course not. If he wants to play racquetball with her, it's perfectly fine with me."
"Good. There's no reason to be jealous," Abigail said as she took a bite of her own croissant.
"It's just –", Elizabeth began and the paused.
"What? It's just what?"
"Yesterday when I walked out of the shower, they were talking to each other and when they saw me they seemed to quickly change the subject."
"What were they talking about?"
"I have no idea."
"It was probably nothing."
"I guess you're right. But I thought I saw Becca walking out of Jack's office this morning, and when I mentioned it to him, he said I must have been mistaken."
"You probably were. Jack loves you. And isn't Becca seeing that guy from the power room?"
"That was last week. She has a new guy every week. I just don't want it to be Jack."
"We're halfway back to Earth. Then you won't have to room with her anymore," Abigail said with a chuckle.
"I am so looking forward to being home. Seeing my family. We'll be home in time for my family's annual reunion," she said happily.
"Is it a big event?"
"My mom goes all out. Food. Music. We always have some relatives stay at the house. It's a lot of fun and I've missed it the last two times. I've missed a lot. I am so looking forward to being around nature. Jack and I are talking about buying a house. With a large front porch and yard," Elizabeth said dreamily. "We're going to decorate the baby's room with stars on the ceiling."
Abigail handed Elizabeth a bottle of water. "How were they? Her breasts?"
"Perky. I'm calling her Perky Breast Becca. Jack told me to stop it but I can't help myself."
The next day, Elizabeth had put Becca's perfect figure out of her mind and was thinking about math figures. She frowned as she turned a corner, and wondered how to get her students to better understand Algebra. She had just decided that perhaps her word problems were too complicated when she looked up and saw Jack in front of her. He was about thirty feet ahead with his back to her. Before she could call out to him, he turned to the right, entered a doorway, and allowed the door to slide closed behind him.
Elizabeth continued walking until she reached the door in which Jack had disappeared, and read the sign on the wall.
Navigation Center
That's where Becca works.
"Becca, I have to ask you something. What do you think about Jack?"
The two women were alone in their living quarters. Becca was sitting on her berth looking intently at her computer screen. Elizabeth had tried to forget about seeing Jack go into the Navigation Center, her roommate and her husband playing racquetball, the two of them talking secretively, Becca in Jack' office. But she couldn't.
Because something else had happened.
Elizabeth had just left her doctor's check-up and was in one of the stairwells when she heard voices from a flight above her. She could swear she heard the people say something about Jack and Becca. She just couldn't make out any other words. But she definitely heard the names. Together in a sentence. Like some sort of couple.
"Jack?"
"My husband Jack." Elizabeth put a strong emphasis on the word husband. "What do you think about him?"
"I think he's great. Charming. Athletic. Handsome. He's got a great smile."
I'm allowed to notice those things, not her, Elizabeth grumbled internally.
"You two have been spending a lot of time together these last few days."
"Yeah, well, we have stuff in common," the woman answered evasively.
"Like what?"
"We both live with you", Becca answered in an even tone.
Ohh. She's trying to be a smart ass. . . . . Or maybe not. I can't tell!
"What else?" Elizabeth asked, trying to be pleasant.
"Stuff."
"What kind of stuff?" Elizabeth tried to judge the woman's eyes, but Becca had already gone back to looking at her computer screen.
"Racquetball. We're both good looking people. We're both dedicated to our jobs," Becca answered without looking up.
"What do you two talk about?"
"Why don't you ask him? He's your husband."
"I'm asking you."
Becca stopped typing and turned around. Her shoulders slumped as she looked at Elizabeth.
"You know, don't you?" she asked. Resignation in her voice.
Elizabeth simply stared at her roommate. Know what? That you're after my husband? That you got my husband?!
"Don't look at me like that. It's not my fault," Becca said dismissively. "I'm not the one who crawled into someone else's berth."
"What did you just say to me?" a shocked Elizabeth demanded.
"Look, Elizabeth," Becca said with a sigh. "I know that when you boarded this flight, you imagined that you would arrive back in Earth with a husband in four months. But things don't always go like we plan. As Jack has said 'life is messy'. Plans change."
"Plans change?!"
Becca shrugged as if she was dealing with just a minor inconvenience. "We were just as surprised as everyone else. You have to roll with the punches."
Roll with the punches?! She's been rolling around with my husband and she's telling me to roll with the punches! I'll punch her!
"This wasn't my idea," Becca said defensively.
"Don't even try to tell me that it was Jack's," Elizabeth said harshly.
"What? You think this was my idea? Like I was just sitting around one day and said to myself I think I'll pick up a man in space and screw up Elizabeth's plans."
"I wouldn't put it past you."
"Just what is that supposed to me?" a surprised Becca asked.
When Elizabeth, still stunned by the conversation just stood there, Becca spoke again.
"Okay, so maybe I convinced Jack it would be okay and I could handle it. He was worried about your feelings, but we have to do what we have to do."
She's lying to me. Jack would never cheat on me!
"I don't believe you," Elizabeth said defiantly.
"You don't believe me?" Becca gave Elizabeth a perplexed look. "Why would I lie to you?"
"Why hasn't Jack said anything to me?" Elizabeth challenged.
"He was pretty sure that you'd start to cry. You know how you are. Talking about being home and buying a house and shopping and seeing your family. Introducing them to Jack. You talk about it all the time. Ever since you got pregnant, all you seem to think about is Earth and making a home with Jack and the baby. He didn't want to upset you. You're pregnant. But don't worry. We're going to make sure that you don't get shortchanged on anything. You're still going to have your share. Jack insisted on that. And I told him that you're a strong woman and can handle it."
"My share?" What the hell is she talking about? He's all mine! I don't just get a share! I get ALL of him!
"Jack was going to talk to Abigail to make sure you're going to be okay," Becca explained. "He's probably talking to her now. Because really, you were going to find out soon enough anyway."
Just then the metal door slid open and both women swiveled their heads towards it. Jack walked in and looked curiously at the women. Sensing something was amiss.
"What's going on?" he asked.
Elizabeth stared at him. He looked so . . .so. . . Jack.
Jack Thornton. Her husband. The man who loved her. The man who was the father of her baby. The man who would never cheat on her.
She's lying. She's not having an affair with Jack. She's lying to me. Jack will tell me that's she's making it up, Elizabeth thought as she braced her shoulders and tried to be confident.
"She knows," Becca said matter-of-factly before Elizabeth had a chance to respond to Jack's inquiry.
"She knows what?" Jack asked hesitantly.
"About our plans. And don't look at me like it was my fault. She figured it out," Becca said defensively.
"Oh man," Jack said in dismay. "I was going to tell you. I was just looking for the right time."
Okay, that wasn't what I expected, a stunned Elizabeth thought.
"Get out, Becca. I want to talk to Jack," Elizabeth ordered harshly.
"Don't you want her here to explain?" a puzzled Jack asked.
"No, I don't want her here to explain," she said bitterly. "That's your job!"
"But she's better about explaining the facts. She's really knowledgeable about where we're going from here."
"Out!"
Elizabeth and Jack remained quiet until the door slid closed behind Becca – who practically ran from the room at Elizabeth's order - and they were left alone.
"I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I never could have imagined this", Jack said as he went to hug her.
She angrily pushed him away.
"How could you?!" she exclaimed.
"I don't have a choice. Come on, don't put me in that situation. What was I supposed to do? Refuse to go along just because my pregnant wife might get upset?"
I'm not going to cry. I won't give him that satisfaction, she thought to herself. But unfortunately, her mind forgot to send the message to her tear ducts. She felt her eyes welling up as she stared at Jack, who looked miserable.
"I don't understand," she cried.
"It's not that complicated. It's just unfortunate. I'm so sorry. I know how badly you want to get home. Please don't cry. It's just one person temporarily derailing things."
This can't be! He can't be having an affair with her! He just can't!
"Are you having an affair with Becca?" Elizabeth blurted out.
A shocked Jack stared at her. "Good God, why would I be having an affair with Becca?!"
"You play racquetball with her!" Elizabeth wailed as she wiped her eyes.
"I play racquetball with a lot of people," a mystified Jack replied. "I'm in a tournament. That's how tournaments work. Did you never play sports as a kid?" he asked in bewilderment.
"Of course I played sports as a kid!", she retorted. "Sort of. That's not the -"
"Did you sleep with guys in the tournament?" a perplexed Jack interrupted.
"NO! Why would I do that?"
"Because you just asked me if I'm having an affair with Becca because we're in a tournament together."
"Forget about the tournament! That's not the point!" Elizabeth screamed. She was starting to feel a bit frazzled by this conversation.
"What's not the point? Actually, what is the point?" Jack asked calmly.
"Me playing sports is not the point! The point is you and Becca."
"Me and Becca what?"
"You and Becca!"
"Me and Becca what?" Jack asked again and then tried to finish Elizabeth's thoughts. "Me and Becca are roommates? Me and Becca like vegetable soup? Me and Becca what?"
"YOU AND BECCA!"
"There is no me and Becca. Why would you even ask that?" Jack shook his head in bewilderment.
"She's . . .she's gorgeous," Elizabeth said haltingly. "And you share a room with her. And spend a lot of time with her. She doesn't wear a lot of clothes. All that can lead to a relationship."
"Are YOU having an affair with her?" Jack asked in confusion.
"Why would I be having an affair with her?!"
"Because she's attractive and you share a room with her and she doesn't wear a lot of clothes and you spend a lot of time with her," Jack responded. "The same reasons you said I might be having an affair with her. Except for racquetball."
"No, I'm not having an affair with her. Don't be absurd!" Elizabeth retorted.
"Well don't be absurd and think that I'm having an affair with her. Geez, it's bad enough that we have to detour thousands of miles, and now you think I'm having an affair."
Elizabeth stopped in her tracks and stared at Jack. Her train of thought suddenly derailed.
A look of uncertainty crossed her face.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"I'm talking about Becca handling the navigation so we can dock up with the other transporter and take aboard the stowaway."
Elizabeth slowly lowered herself onto a berth. What? She quickly replayed her conversation with Becca. Oh, now that probably makes sense. Her comment about picking up a man in space.
"So you not having an affair with Becca?" Elizabeth asked as she scrunched up her face and looked at him.
"Should I be having an affair with Becca?" Jack asked in bewilderment. "Because I kind of thought that you and I were happily married."
As they lay on a bottom berth, Jack explained that a transporter on its way to Coal Valley had discovered a stowaway. The man, who had been denied passage to the planet due to not passing his security clearance, had been caught asleep in a crew-member's berth.
Jack was now charged with bringing the man back to Earth. Which meant that their transporter currently headed toward Earth would have to slow down its speed to line up – in an optimum area of space -with the transporter headed towards Coal Valley. The decrease in speed plus a slight course direction to avoid a black hole would delay their arrival back on Earth by three to four weeks. Becca was handling the navigation aspect of choosing the best location to dock the two ships together.
"Why did Becca say that I would get my share of you?"
"Share of me? Are you sure you heard right?"
"Mmmm. Maybe not," Elizabeth replied slowly.
"Probably not," Jack said with a grin.
"She said something about me not getting shortchanged and you were going to talk to Abigail to make sure I'm okay", Elizabeth insisted.
Jack pulled back and stared at Elizabeth. "You really have the weirdest imagination of anyone I know. Not that that's a bad thing. Just a little alarming at times."
"Sorry," she said with a shrug. "
"Why does this remind me of when you got poisoned and couldn't say anything except name the seven dwarfs?"
"Would you be serious?" she said with a playful slap to his chest. "I'm just confused."
"Apparently. Because I think most people, when stuck on a transporter for extra weeks and thinking about limited supplies, would think of their share of water and food. Not a man. But I'm glad to know I'm that important to you."
"We're going to run out of food and water?", she asked in alarm.
"Nah, we'll be fine. We should have enough to last for the extra weeks. Ever since our trip over when we almost got damaged, they've been putting larger contingency amounts onboard. But the commissary will want to recalculate portions just to make sure. I talked to Abigail and she'll make sure that you get what you need for the pregnancy."
"And we're going to get back to Earth before I'm due, right? "
"Yep. With a few months to spare. "
"Good. Because I do not want to have this baby in space."
"I promise. We'll be home in time."
Elizabeth snuggled closer to Jack, enjoying the feeling of his arms around her.
"So you're definitely not having an affair with Becca?" she asked.
"No, I am definitely not having an affair with Perky Breast Becca."
"Good," she said as she tilted her neck and looked at her husband's handsome face.
"Now, Candy's another story," he teased.
"Shut up and kiss me Jack."
UP next: Chapter 37 Docking
Dear Readers: Reviews are not posting on the website for some unknown reason, but I still appreciate getting them when the system is up and running again. In fact, I love getting them! Thanks!