"Nathan?", Calli's voice was uncertain. "Listen, you don't have to do anything. I mean, if you don't want…." Her voice trailed off.
He turned to look at her. "You said it's like a heat. It just hits you. What does that mean? Is it gone now? What about us? Was that just the heat? How do you feel about me now?"
"Oh, Nathan", she sighed. "You don't get it, do you? It wasn't the heat last night. I don't know why it happened. Maybe it was just time for it. It doesn't make any difference in how I feel about you. I love you. I want this baby because it's your baby too."
He put his hand on her stomach and smiled softly down on her. "I love you too. You're going to have our baby. You know what this means, don't you?", he asked.
"Well, I'm not going to be able to work. My job's too dangerous", she replied seriously.
He smiled. "It means I don't have to wait to ask you to marry me. I was going to wait until I thought you were ready. Are you ready now? Will you marry me?"
Calli studied his face. He appeared completely serious. Why not? She had waited when Jack had asked her, and in the end what difference had it made.
"Yes", she said. "I will marry you. But there are conditions."
He pulled her to him and said quietly, "I understand. With you there will always be conditions, but we'll work it out." He kissed her passionately.
While the shuttle glided slowly through the deadly valley Calli filled Nathan in on the history of Arhome, starting with how they found the cave and valley system when she fell into it. By the time the sounds of water hitting the shuttle indicated they were approaching the end of the line she had told him about the current, dynamic systems in place in the city state. He had learned about the governing council, the guard units, the farming, scientific, education and manufacturing that had grown up around the trading and fishing from the Bay.
Nathan was enthralled with Arhome. A guard greeted them as they stepped out of the shuttle. Calli returned the greeting and introduced him as her future husband. He noticed the guard became instantly more respectful.
One of his first sights was the waterfall, glistening in the afternoon sun, spreading its rainbow in the mist rising from the pond at its base before the river meandered off on its tree lined path into the distance. Homes and farms dotted the landscape as far as he could see. A paved path ran off into the distance. Residents were coming and going on the path, most of them greeting Calli when they approached. Smaller paths ran off the main path in both directions.
"The town's that way", she said, indicating the main path. "It takes about 40 minutes to walk there or we can take one of the bicycles that's kept here." She waved toward a rack where several bikes were standing in a shed.
"Let's walk", Nathan smiled. "Are the bikes always here?", he asked as they started off.
"Oh, they're communal property. You'll find them all over the valley. They're just left wherever someone goes. Everyone uses them. It's a big valley and it's a lot quicker to use the bikes or small boats on the river than to walk everywhere. Some people use their horses but they belong to whoever owns them, so those that don't have a place to keep a horse or prefer to just use the bikes." Nathan thought it was a very sensible system.
A young man, barely looking more than a teenager, advanced from Arhome to meet them. Nathan studied him as he approached. He was tall and well-muscled, with a handsome, rugged visage. His honey brown eyes seemed at odds with his brilliantly golden mane of hair. He was dark, but Nathan felt it was more a deep tan than his natural coloring. He was clad in the dark olive hooded robe of a Master of the One. The Disciples rarely showed their face in the wasteland but he had the hood pushed back. He seemed to be studying Nathan as he approached.
Calli smiled brightly, embracing him as he arrived.
"James", she said, turning to Nathan. "I want you to meet Dr. Nathan Halliday, the man I am going to marry. This is my son James." Nathan, barely average height himself, looked up into the very young face of his soon to be step son.
"I'm pleased to meet you", James said, smiling at him. "Come on, the others are anxious. They can't wait to meet the man that finally captured my mother."
Nathan smiled nervously as he returned the greeting. He wasn't so sure about the capturing part, but at least it seemed he was to be welcomed warmly.
The evening went quickly. Nathan had not had any idea Calli had so much family. He met Mattie and Joe, the people who had raised Rose and James, and their children, now grown also with children of their own. He was astounded to meet Aileen and her children, who had been declared dead in the wasteland over 15 years ago. The woman was as beautiful as rumor had her. Now remarried, she looked remarkably fit for a woman who had born 5 kids and already had two grandchildren.
Rose wasn't in Arhome. He learned she had married and now lived in Baton Rouge with her husband Tyrone, the oldest son of Aaron and Sarah. Aaron he had met though Sarah had been lost at sea. Tyrone he knew as he was currently Captain of the Tradewind ll, but he hadn't known he was Calli's son-in-law. He was thoroughly overwhelmed after being introduced to so many people.
"Don't worry", Calli was saying as they prepared for bed in her large house by the river. Mattie and Joe had long since moved to a house on their farm on the other side of the river. Calli's bedroom was one of the two larger rooms on the top floor. The other large room belonged to Hawk while smaller rooms were being used for other purposes.
Calli went out onto the balcony, dressed only in a long, filmy nightgown. She obviously felt completely safe here, Nathan thought as he joined her.
"Isn't it beautiful?", she asked, taking in the river and the houses and shops around them. There was no destruction here, only growth and prosperity and safety. Nathan put his arm around her.
"It sure is", he agreed. "Do you think I could visit your clinic tomorrow?"
"Sure", Calli agreed, leaning into him.
Nathan was impressed with the clinic and Dr. Wilson.
"It's a privilege to meet you, Dr. Halliday", the old doctor said as he extended his hand in greeting. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Nothing too bad, I hope", Nathan grinned. Calli went over to talk to the girl who helped in the clinic, leaving the doctors to themselves.
Nathan and Calli left the clinic to take in more of the growing town. "You know Dr. Wilson wants to retire, don't you?", Nathan asked. "He's just waiting for you to find someone to replace him. He isn't well, Calli. He wants to quit working now."
"Well, I really haven't time to find someone, have I?", Calli asked. "I've asked a few of the younger ones in the wasteland but they aren't interested in leaving everything behind to take their chances in an unknown place they can't return from. Dr. Wilson is getting agitated. I really need to find a doctor. Do you know anyone who would be interested?"
Nathan looked at her warily. She seemed completely ingenious, but he knew she wasn't above manipulating people. Was she trying to manipulate him?
Calli didn't bring up that subject that night. Instead she wanted to discuss the baby. She wanted it raised in Arhome.
"I'll find a family to foster it like I did Rose and James. Look how well they turned out! Rose is head of the Lelland Trading Company now and James is a Master of the Disciples of the One as well as captain of a guard unit", she said proudly.
"But, Calli", he argued. "I think we should raise him. He's our baby after all."
"How are we going to do that? I don't stay in Arhome very long at a time and you're out in the wasteland doing rounds and working the clinic. When are we going to be with him? I don't want him out there, I want them here, where it's safe and they can have a childhood", she said firmly.
"I understand that, but I don't want anyone else raising my kid. I've always wanted kids. I want to take care of him myself", he said equally firmly.
"You can see them whenever you want. I've shown you Arhome. I've introduced you to my family. The baby will be safe and loved here and we can be with him whenever we can", she pointed out.
"I have to think about this", Nathan said. "I don't think I can give up my kid to someone else. Let's discuss it tomorrow. We have to discuss our wedding too."
"We need to settle about the baby first. Then we'll talk about the wedding", Calli said. "But we have to do it now or you will have to come back to Arhome. I'll go with you to Cave Entrance but I'm not going back out in the wasteland until after the birth. You can take the motorcycle. I won't need it for a few months."
"You're staying here?", he asked, surprised.
"Yes", she said firmly. "I do what I have to to keep my babies safe. The kids stay here. It's one of those conditions I was talking about."
He suddenly remembered the missing years in her files. One of those times she must have been here, in Arhome, carrying Jack's babies. He felt a sudden unwanted twinge of jealousy. He had seen the picture of Jack and Calli that hung in the living room. He had been big, rugged and brimming with life. They were holding each other leaning on the rail of the sailing ship. They were very much in love and it showed.
The next day they took a picnic lunch and took a boat to Arhome Bay Cave. While they traveled they discussed, argued, planned and haggled. They had a nice lunch under the trees around the entrance to the bay tunnel. Nathan was rightfully impressed by the bay cave, which had grown very busy with warehouses, a diner and public restrooms and break areas for the many workers that spent their days there. A small barracks held a contingent of guards that watched the areas both day and night. It was never left unguarded. Both the cave and tunnel were well lighted as well so they weren't traveling in the darkness as Calli had with Jack.
After visiting the cave they took the boat back to her home, finishing their discussions as they went. Calli assured him they would visit the rest of Arhome at a later date, but the tunnels for manufacturing and scientific pursuits were too far if he wanted to go back to the wasteland the next day.
They made it back to the dock by her home in time. They had promised Aileen they would have dinner with her family. Nathan had made up his mind. He was not letting someone else raise his kid. Arhome needed a doctor. He would go back to the Citadel but only to make arrangements for someone to take his place. He was moving to Arhome.
He wouldn't stay in Arhome all the time. Once a month, he would take the Tradewind ll to River Port where there was a small clinic. He would help out there or take a bike that Calli would keep in one of her warehouses and go to the clinic at the Citadel to visit Dr. Loris, or visit any other clinic he chose. This would help him keep up with the wasteland. When the Tradewind ll came back down the Potomac he would ride her back to Arhome. The wasteland would be told he had decided to travel on the ship as the ship's doctor and practice in ports along her route. A traveling physician by sea was a novel idea.
The catch was he couldn't be Calli's only doctor now. When he was in Arhome he wouldn't be able to respond fast enough to her distress signal. Nathan would ask Dr. Lorin to take on the job. He was sure he would.
As Arhome's only doctor he would be busy so he would train assistants to handle the routine matters. He would have regular hours that would allow him to go to the house to have lunch with his child and be home every evening. As soon as he could make arrangements in the wasteland he would return. There would be a lot to do.
"Nathan", Calli said worriedly. "You know I want you here, but I don't want you to regret leaving your life behind." He took her in his arms and smiled down at her.
"I'm not leaving my life behind, luv. My life is here with you and our baby. I know you won't stay all the time after he's born, but this is what I want. I'll be with you until he comes and I'll deliver him. I'll be here for you." She sighed contentedly, snuggling into his embrace.
"I love you", she said softly. She looked up at him. "Here we can love openly", she said, "but not in the wasteland."
"I know", he agreed pulling her close. He understood her fear.