“Of course, Mr. Kincaid. I have arranged for transportation for the two of you. The vehicles are waiting at the entrance, ready to take you home. Will we see you tomorrow?”
“I’ll be here at seven. Dr. Brooks will report to her superiors on her own schedule.”
“Perfect, sir. We’ll see you tomorrow then. And on behalf of the entire team, I’d like to welcome you both home and congratulate you on a successful mission.”
“Thank you, Carlson. By the way, the tent with the equipment is in the ruins. We found it necessary to change the point of return. I’ll explain the details at our next meeting. For now, please have someone retrieve everything.”
The other man nodded. “Immediately, sir.”
Carlson left to give the orders, and he turned to Kalli, who had remained silent since their arrival. He peered at her. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, of course. Well, I guess this is goodbye then.” She extended her hand, offering a parting handshake. “I’ll send notice if there are any... developments.”
He glanced between her hand and her face, and his brow creased with incredulity. Did she think he was going to let her out of his sight before finding out if she was carrying his child? Not a chance. He grabbed her outstretched hand, but instead of shaking it, as she intended, he used his hold to tow her behind him.
“Nice try, Kalli. You won’t get rid of me just yet. We are going to a pharmacy for a pregnancy test.”
“Now? There’s no need to rush. It is probably too soon to tell, anyway. I told you I will let you know as soon as I find out.”
“No. We are finding out now. I have already lost enough sleep over this.”
They had arrived at the front of the hangar where, as promised, two vehicles waited to take them home. He opened the door of the nearest one. “Get in.”
Kalli looked mutinous, but thankfully didn’t protest anymore and got in the car.
“Take us to the nearest pharmacy,” Dariux ordered the car after getting in. The doors locked, and they were off.
It was a relief to feel the speed of fast movement after more than a month of traveling everywhere at a crawling pace. In less than five minutes, they had arrived at a pharmacy. They ordered the test through the ordering screen and, not a minute later, the delivery bot deposited it in their car.
They both stared at the little packet that held the answer they both sought.
“Well? What are you waiting for? Open it!” he urged.
Kalli ripped out the package and took out the little device. After placing it on her finger and activating it, they both waited, staring at the small screen.
“It takes a few minutes,” she said, sounding tense.
He didn’t respond. He couldn’t. His heart was beating a staccato rhythm on his chest, reverberating throughout his whole body. He had never been more nervous in his life. But no matter what happened, he would do the right thing. He would stand by Kalli and their child, he would—
BEEP.
The notification they were expecting interrupted his thoughts, and Kalli snatched her hand back to peer at the screen.
“Well? What does it say?”
She looked up and offered the test for him to see. But he saw the answer in her eyes. When he looked down at the screen, it was only for confirmation.
The feeling that swamped him was not the one he had expected.
