Anna waved in front of her face. “No need, I like having the time alone for a few minutes.”
“I bet. You rest, okay?” She leaned over to pat Anna’s belly. “Give us at least a week or so here before Anna Jr. comes our way?”
“At least that." A shadow crossed her face. "Ugh, I’ll have to go back to the facility to give birth, won’t I?”
“Maybe you can do a home birth.”
“I wish. But I don’t want to take any chances. I’ll talk with Atlas about not having Stella anywhere near me and coming right back.”
“Good plan.” Nora waved her hands. “We are paving the way.” She elbowed Anna. “No pressure. At least your baby girl will have Tilly for another kid to play with.”
But Anna’s gaze grew distant.“Do you think any of the other humans on Earth will come here eventually?”
“Not if Stella has anything to do with it.”
“Yeah, but it would be nice one day.” Anna sneezed. “Okay, my nose can’t stay in here any longer.”
Nora laughed as she went out. “At least you’re clean. I’ll get ready for dinner tonight.”
Anna nodded her agreement. Outside, her nose still ran, but the air was crisp and clean. She went right to the animal area, noting the drones above. She didn’t want to hide inside and lie down. The drone was watching, so that meant she should make a good first impression, right? Show them what she did with her time? Show them that he wasn't doing anything harmful?
The trench was half dug, but that would be too much for her. The actual construction she didn’t want to disrupt. She paced, checking the chickens. What could she do to stay busy?
Well. At the very least Anna would walk. For the time being she paced the pasture, checking on every waterer. Each pasture was several acres and at the far corner there was a milking shed attached. She walked through, noting the equipment and layout. Everything was automatic, but the cows weren’t machines. Infact, one was pressed up against the fence looking in at her by the milking shed.
She stared back. “Would you like us to take care of you some?”
The cow quickly moved away. It didn’t matter. Anna wasn’t lying to Stella when she said she wanted to work. And after seeing the cows graze, she was certain. She hung on the fence flanking the milking barn, plans forming in her mind.
Cows. They could learn to milk them.
Anna stood there until she saw a dust cloud rise up in the distance, coming closer. She pushed off the fence, and the hover had made it back to the barn by the time she walked the path. Atlas and Simon were already moving items out as Tilly ran out of the barn. Her long blond hair was partially dry, but her shoes were already dusty again from dragging in the path.
The hover was loaded with more items. Simon reached in to help lift a doll out to Tilly. “I brought Samantha.” He handed the doll over. “Take her inside? We’ll unload this and then can go to that dinner.”
Tilly ran past, hugging the doll.
Anna dusted off her pants. “Hi Atlas, you came back fast.”
He smiled. “Were you busy while I was gone?”
“Not really.” She waved across the pasture. “Walked around, tried to think of things we could do here. I saw there’s a milking barn over there.”
His eyes were still distant. He closed the hover’s door. “If you want, I can show you how we milk them later.”
“Yes! I would love that!”Anna clapped. “Do you think we could help with that?”
“You could.” The focusing pattern was still in his eyes. “Cows respond better when we spend time with them and groom them before and after. Not everything is able to be mechanical. That is a task at the very least Tilly can help with.”
The hover tipped as Atlas also reached into the back. “Here, see what I brought back!”
He grinned as he pulled out food, picnic basket style, and a deck of cards. “Have you ever seen these before? Would you like to play with me? After we eat? You asked what I did other than repair work, so I thought I would show you.”
“That would be great.”
Atlas was balancing several items in his arms. “Here, let’s carry these in.”
Anna saw a long plant in the side passenger seat. “Is that . . .”
