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"Mommy!" Idina was the first one to climb on the bed and crawl to her. "Why are you still sleeping?" She put her little arms around Karen's neck and pressed her lips to her cheek. "You are so warm." She laid her head on the pillow facing Karen, so close that her breath tickled her nose.
"Do you want to get under the blanket with me?"
Before Idina had a chance to answer, Gilbert dropped her little brothers on the bed to join the party, and they crawled as close as they could to her, trying to wedge themselves between their mom and their sister.
"Stay over there," Idina ordered. "Mommy is not feeling well."
"I'm just tired," Karen corrected.
"No, you have the feverish," Idina insisted.
"You mean that I feel feverish, sweetie."
"Yes. You are so warm."
Karen lifted a hand to her own forehead, and it felt warm, but it was probably from lying on the pillow and being under the blanket.
"Let me check." Gilbert sat on the bed on her other side and put his palm on her forehead. "She's right. You do feel a little warm."
Karen's heart skipped a beat, and she turned on her back. "Maybe it's starting?"
The color leached from Gilbert's face. "I'm calling Bridget."
"Don't. It might be nothing."
He shook his head. "I don't want to wait for you to lose consciousness. I need to wake Cheryl up so she can watch the kids, and then we are going to the clinic. Let the expert decide if you are transitioning or not."
Karen let out a breath. "Fine. But first, I need to go to the bathroom and get dressed."
He nodded and pushed to his feet. "Do you need help getting to the bathroom?"
"I'm good." She took his offered hand, though, and used it to pull herself up.
"Where are you going, Mommy?" Idina regarded her with worried eyes.
"For now, just to the bathroom. Tell Daddy which show you want to watch so he can put it on for you."
"The Backyardigans."
Karen smiled. It was such an old show, but the ship's server had it, and once Idina discovered it, she fell in love. She was singing along, and her brothers seemed to enjoy watching it too, probably because of how colorful and cute the animal pals were.
In the bathroom, she took care of the necessities and then hopped in the shower even though she'd showered after making love last night, or rather this morning. If she was going to the clinic and being probed by the doctor, she'd better be squeaky clean.
After the shower, she felt so refreshed that she was sure there was no fever, and there was no reason to go to the clinic, but she didn't want to let the hope die so soon after it had sparked.
Bridget would probably determine that she wasn't transitioning, but until she did, Karen could keep the hope alive.
When she stepped out, Cheryl was in the bed, occupying the same spot that Karen had just vacated.
"Is it happening?" she asked.
In case it was, there was no point in denying it, so Karen nodded. "Maybe. Cross your fingers for me."
Her daughter was much too perceptive to have been oblivious to what had happened with Negal. She might not know the how, but she knew that something was going on.
Thankfully, she also had enough tact not to ask how it could have happened when Gilbert didn't have what was needed to induce Karen's transition.
"Good luck, Mom." Cheryl lifted her arms, inviting Karen for a hug.
