City
Chapter 5
It was one month later
They had evolved into a habit. They worked the Stockyards one day and Hydroponics the next. All of the animals seemed healthy, but Rick gave each animal another health check just to be sure.
They made love to each other daily, and Kate and Rick enjoyed the other's company.
They were still running at half power and would be for another three or four months. And that was if the tests worked out. If the power conduit they made didn't have any faults in it. If the couplings to the existing ones were clear. If... It was a lot of ifs. And that was just the power conduit. The ship still had holes they had to deal with.
But they worried about what they could control – the animals and the plants. The two of them actually fed everyone on the ship.
As large as she ship was and it was large, most of it was farm land. The rest of it was manufacturing. They had to make nearly everything, from clothes, to power conduits to ships hull plates. Then there were the maintenance yards. From farm equipment to train depots.
The Cruisers meant for defense were docked not stored inside a hanger. However the smaller craft meant for outside maintenance were stored inside a hanger.
Most everyone lived in one of the towers under the dome. They held about 80 thousand people. That might seem like a small number and perhaps it was. It was just that everyone had a job to do. Be it construction to farming. They had just enough chickens to feed everyone while once a week they served beef or pig. They needed Rick and Kate's expertise if they were going to survive.
Kate had literally moved in with Rick. She had taken over another drawer and used up half the closet. There was more of her stuff stacked on the countertop in the bathroom. She still had a few things in her place, but not much.
Then it happened; they had a fight. Kate stayed at her place for three days. She didn't go to the Stockyards and help Rick, and Rick didn't come to Hydroponics to help her.
Kate found herself in the Stockyard, though she wasn't there to apologize. Looking around, she saw Rick and walked over to him. "I don't want to fight anymore."
Rick lowered his head. "I don't want to fight either. I don't even remember what the fight was about."
"Nor do I. …Truce?" Kate held her breath, waiting for his reply.
"Truce. Come on and help me feed the pigs. I think they've missed you," Rick joked, getting her to laugh. She followed him to the pigs and fed them. It didn't look to her like they missed her, but it was a nice thought.
She walked around with him and looked the meat cows over, and they seemed all right. "How long until we have calves, if that's the right term?"
"About five months, more or less. It's going to be a busy time for me. The bull seems to have done his job, meaning I'll have a lot of work ahead of me," Rick told her. "Some of the cows will need help birthing. After that, some cows will go down with milk fever."
"Milk fever? What's that?" Kate didn't know that term.
"It's a calcium deficiency." Rick went on to explain further. "Birthing requires calcium, especially for milk cows, since they'll need calcium to feed their calves. If they don't get enough calcium, the cows will die, possibly taking their calves with them."
"And what will you have to do?" Kate asked.
"I'll have to feed them a bottle of calcium intravenously. I'll have to do it slowly, or I'll shock their hearts, which will kill them."
Kate was impressed. "It sounds like you know your stuff."
"I should, though I only have cows, pigs, chickens, and horses to worry about. No goats, sheep, emus, or countless other animals." He shrugged. "I have it easy."
"And dogs and cats." Kate frowned. "We do have cats, right?"
Rick chuckled. "Yes, we have cats, though we don't have too many."
It was the first time Kate really thought about it, and she had questions. "Why is that? Why don't we have other animals?"
"For one, they can't be slaughtered for food. They were deemed unnecessary," Rick explained. "However, we do have all of the other animals' DNA, which are on ice."
"Oh." At least there was that. Kate liked the idea. "All the animals?"
"All that were still alive when we left, which was a lot but not enough."
Kate nodded. She knew many animals were extinct. It was a shame, really. But that was the reason for the ship. The human race would be just as extinct without it.
~oo0oo~
The best part about having a fight was the makeup sex. The two kept it up until one gave in and needed a break.
They called it a draw. Though, in the end, each thought they had won.
~oo0oo~
In the morning, Rick hooked up the milk cows to the milker and fed the pigs since Kate wasn't there to do it. She was at the Hydroponics unit. He checked on the beef cows and each of the horses. Then he had lunch. After lunch, he took the milk cows off the milker, went upstairs, showered, and changed clothes. Then he took the train to reach Kate. "Hey there. I came to collect you if you want to pick up my puppy with me."
"PUPPY! I forgot all about that. After our fight and the makeup sex, it slipped my mind. Yes, I want to come." Kate looked down at herself. "But I need to change."
"Why?" Rick smiled at her. "You look great. Good enough to eat even."
She got his message, and while she liked the thought of having him go down on her, they had a puppy to pick up. "Because I'm a mess, Rick. I'm all wet!"
"So grab a towel, dry off, and let's go." Rick saw that Kate still looked hesitant and decided a threat might get her moving. "Or I'll go without you."
"All right already." Kate snatched up a towel and did her best to dry off. "Let's go get that puppy." Suddenly she couldn't wait.
It meant taking a train to reach the site. "Hi, Beverly. I'm here to pick up my puppy."
"Castle! You're just the man I was thinking about. I'll go get her." Beverly left and came back carrying a coal black puppy.
"PUPPY!" Kate took charge and relieved Beverly of the puppy. She was in love already. "She's adorable!"
Beverly reached over and touched Rick on the arm. "Thanks to you she's current on all her shots. She comes with a small supply of puppy food." She picked up the bag and handed it to Rick since his arms were empty. "You're all set. Don't forget to stop at the store. You'll have to pick up everything else she'll need."
"Oh, I won't forget. Thanks again, Beverly." Rick turned to leave and saw Kate cooing at the puppy. "Come on. We have places to go."
Kate followed him while holding the puppy, who was still doing her level best to try and escape her arms so she could get down and play.
They stopped at the store and bought more puppy food, a collar, leash, a bed for the puppy to sleep on, and poop bags. Then it was back on the train where they were noticed. Everyone wanted to pet the puppy.
"How do you rate getting a puppy?" someone asked, their envy apparent.
"I'm the vet," Rick replied.
"Oh!"
~oo0oo~
They made it home. "Better put the puppy down so she can pee and poop," Rick advised Kate, who did just that. The puppy wandered around, smelling everything and everyone she could find. It was all so new to her. But finally, she squatted to pee and poop. Rick picked up the poop, turned the bag inside out, and dropped it in the trash. Not the recycle bin.
Then Kate picked up the puppy and carried her up the stairs. She put her down and watched as she searched the place.
Rick sat the puppy's food and a bowl of water down, and eventually, the puppy discovered it and began chewing on the food.
"So, what's her name?" Kate was curious as to what he chose.
"Well, I was thinking maybe Sasha, or Sally, or…" Rick get no farther.
"Sally, I like Sally. Come here, Sally. Sally, come." Except the puppy went somewhere else. Kate sighed. "I guess we'll have to work on it." Then she realized what time it was. "I have to get back to work." She didn't want to leave; she wanted to stay with the puppy. But the puppy would still be there when she got home. Kate kissed Rick. "Bye." She looked down at the puppy. "Bye, Sally." Kate looked back over her shoulder as she opened the door and left.
"It looks like it's just you and me, Sally. What do you say we go downstairs and check out the horses? You like horses, don't you?" Rick picked her up and carried her as he went downstairs and over to see the horses. He held her while they checked out the horses. Sally was interested until one of the horses got interested in her. "It's alright. She's not going to bite you." Rick held her up to the horse, who sniffed and sniffed her. Then it was Sally's turn to check out the horse. So Rick put Sally down on the ground.
Down there, the horse looked a lot bigger, a whole lot bigger, and Sally backed off. "Fraidy cat." Rick picked her up again, only by now, the horse had given up and walked away.
"Maybe you are just a little too small. Give it time, you'll get the hang of it," Rick told Sally and petted her.
~oo0oo~
"Well, you've seen everyone, so what do you think?" he asked Sally who didn't make a sound. "Come on, back home we go. Kate will be home soon, and she'll play with you." Rick carried her upstairs and put her down.
~oo0oo~
Kate rushed up the stairs since she wanted to see Sally. "Where is she?" Kate asked the second she was in the door.
Rick pointed. "Over there in her bed, sleeping."
"Sleeping?" She wasn't supposed to be sleeping! Kate got down on all fours to check on her; she petted and petted her. "She's still so cute," Kate whispered as she got to her feet. "I'll let you sleep." And she kissed Rick.
"She's had a full day. She saw horses, pigs, and cows. She didn't seem all that interested in any of them." He shrugged a shoulder. "But then, she's just a puppy, and everything seems big to her."
"I'll bet. Let me get changed, and I'll start on dinner unless... Are we eating at the cafeteria?" Kate asked.
Rick debated that with himself. "We better eat here. When she wakes up, the first thing she'll want to do is pee and poop."
"We're going to have messes all over the place until she understands that she has to do it outside. Down a set of stairs." Kate looked up at him. "Does she even know about stairs?"
"Probably not, no," Rick said. That would be the first hurdle: getting her to overcome stairs.
"Great, that means land mines all over the place," Kate groaned as she headed for the bedroom to change clothes. She came back and saw that Rick was gone. She made dinner for them anyway.
~oo0oo~
Kate noticed the puppy was awake and looking around. "NO, NO, NO! No, you don't." Kate dropped what she was doing, scooped up the puppy, and took her downstairs. "Okay, go potty, go potty." But she didn't. "You're supposed to go potty." Except all the puppy did was sniff around. Then suddenly, she squatted and peed. "Good girl. That's such a good girl." Kate picked her up again, carried her upstairs, and put her down. The first thing the puppy did was gobble her puppy food. "That's a good girl. You eat while I cook."
"Where have you been?" Kate asked Rick the second he walked through the door.
"One of the cows had a Displaced Abomasum. That's a displaced stomach. A cow has four stomachs, and one had a stomach out of place. I had to roll her on her back all alone. Then I sewed the stomach to the wall, and that was that. All fixed." Rick leaned over and kissed her. "I'm going to take a shower and change clothes. Hi, Sally." He bent over and petted her on his way to the bedroom.
"Four stomachs?" Kate repeated to herself, not sure she believed him. "Four." She tried to picture that and came up empty. She made a mental note to ask Rick about it when he returned.
"NO!" Kate noticed the puppy pooping on the floor. "Great, just what I needed." She cleaned up the mess and took it outside. Kate dropped it in the trash, then came back upstairs. "I still love you." She picked Sally up and kissed her. The puppy did her best to clean Kate's face with her tongue.
~oo0oo~
Then came time for bed. Rick and Kate were naked and in bed, kissing and feeling each other up, when suddenly they heard a new voice. It was Sally, and she wanted up. She whimpered and whined and whimpered even more.
"You've got your own bed to sleep in." Kate leaned over the side of the bed to look at her, and all that did was get Sally to want up even more. "Fine, but you better not pee in my bed." Kate picked Sally up and put her between them. But all Sally wanted to do was play, not sleep. Thankfully, after playing long enough, the puppy settled down and slept.
"So much for making love," Kate grumbled.
"Yeah, looks like it." Rick got in a kiss and settled down to sleep.
~oo0oo~
Kate woke up and was confused at first. Then she realized that Sally was sleeping on her neck. She picked her up, moved the puppy where she was sleeping next to her head, and tried to go back to sleep.
The next time Kate woke, she saw Sally at the end of the bed, and the puppy was looking down. "NO!" Kate scrambled out of bed, snatched her up, and carried her outside and down the stairs. "Okay, go potty." Kate stood there naked and watched as Sally peed and pooped. She didn't have to worry about anyone seeing her since almost no one came to the Stockyards.
"Good girl." Kate picked her up, took her back upstairs, and set her down. Then she headed for the bathroom to take a shower. Still naked, Kate stepped out of the bathroom and walked straight into Rick. She held his head tight to her chest.
"RICK!" She squealed when she found herself on her back on the bed. She soon felt Rick's head between her legs. "Oh, Rick!" And she held his head in place. Kate could learn to like waking up like that every day. That wasn't going to happen but a girl could dream right?
~oo0oo~
There was no coffee since that took coffee plants, which they didn't have. Nor did they have tea because it required plants not on the ship. The same for most juices since they didn't have the necessary trees. They didn't have wine for a similar reason.
That didn't make the English or Chinese happy since there was no tea. The French weren't happy because there was no wine. Nor a lot of other people for the lack of coffee. But it didn't mean there was absolutely none of any of these. It just meant those who had any of the above had to be careful drinking what little they did have.
It didn't help Kate since she didn't have any of the above. What she did have was some papaya juice from her experimental papaya trees.
She watched as Rick and Sally came out of the bedroom. "I'm ready to go," she announced and finished her juice.
Rick and Sally hooked up the milk cows while Kate fed the pigs. Together, they gave the beef cows some grain for a change. Sally was doing okay until the beef cows got too close, then she bolted, running as fast as her little legs could manage.
Kate chased her down, picked her up, and carried her back to the beef cows. "They're not going to hurt you, I promise," Kate murmured to Sally until she calmed down. "Maybe you'll like horses better."
~oo0oo~
"See, this is a horse." She put Sally nose to nose with a horse. She seemed interested, so Kate put her down, and she didn't run away. That was a win in Kate's book.
Rick tried to feed the horses some grain but worried that it was too full of dust, so he quickly added water to the grain and made it soupy. "I don't want to give them choke. Choke is what it sounds like, a blockage that needs to be flushed," Rick explained as Kate watched the horses move in and start eating.
Since the horses weren't paying any attention to Sally, Sally paid attention to the horses. That lasted until one of the horses moved a little, then she ran for it. "Sally!" Kate chided as she chased her down and picked her up. "What am I going to do with you?" Kate kissed her, petted, and carried her back to the horses.
~oo0oo~
Kate got up the next morning and walked out of the bathroom, still naked. She made up her mind and decided to confront Rick. "I think Sally should come into work with me."
"I think she should stay here with me," Rick countered. "And I'll tell you why. She needs to learn to live with the animals. Sally lives here, so she needs to learn to live with them and not run from them."
"Aww." Kate knew he was right. She lived there, so she had to trust herself around the animals. "Fine, you win. But she's coming into work with me eventually." Kate wasn't willing to give up completely.
"Deal. In, say, about six months," Rick told her.
"WHAT!? No way. One month max," Kate insisted.
Rick thought about it. He crooked his finger, motioning for her to come closer. The second she was within range, he wrapped his arms around her. "Fine. One month. For now." Kate looked up and smiled at him. "Provided."
Kate sighed. She just knew there had to be a catch. "What?"
"Provided you give me a blow job." Rick waited to see what she would say.
"DEAL!" Kate wanted to do that anyway, kind of, and got started immediately.
