“Not yet. Please keep it to yourselves until I tell you it’s a safe topic. Okay?”
“Absolutely,” her dad said. “But tell him soon.”
“He won’t hear it from me,” Kizzy said.
Dr. Samuels cleared his throat. “I’m not an expert on supernatural females, but I believe you’re even more psychic when pregnant. Is that true?”
“I don’t know,” Ruth said. “Mom and Grandma didn’t tell us much about our reproductive systems before they died.”
Aaron Samuels shook his gray head. “I wish they were here to help you, Ruthie.”
The three of them reflected on the day their grandmother had fallen and broken her ankle just as the train was coming. Their mother had ordered Kizzy to hold onto Ruth’s hand and stay on the sidewalk. Then they watched as the oncoming train hit both of the most important women in their lives.
Kizzy pushed the memory to the back of her mind for the billionth time. “The extra psychic power would make sense though—all those hormones will make any woman overly sensitive.”
Ruth chuckled. “One of my patients told me that when she was pregnant, she couldn’t get almond milk in a restaurant and burst into tears.”
Kizzy and her dad laughed.
“Oh, and there’s so much more to look forward to!” Ruth added. “Like morning sickness, which can last all darn day; cankles that engulf your entire leg; learning how to waddle like a penguin…and I can’t wait to be punched in the stomach from the inside.”
“Come on, Sis…the miracle of growing an entirely new human being? That’s huge!”
“Speaking of huge, I can’t wait to look like I swallowed a basketball, or to find out how Dolly Parton must feel.”
The elder Dr. Samuels had wisely stayed out of it, until now. He laughed. “Your mother and I had to plan every trip around knowing where a clean restroom could be found.”
“Oh, thanks, Dad. I forgot about having to pee every fifteen minutes.”
“But come on,” Kizzy insisted. “Deeply loving someone you haven’t even met yet…”
The others smiled wistfully.
“Yeah, there’s that,” Ruth said at last.
Kizzy embraced her sister and held on longer than usual. “I’m going to be this kid’s favorite auntie.”
“Gordon has no siblings. You’re going to be this kid’sonlyauntie.”
* * *
“So, guys, what am I doing wrong?” Noah asked his fellow firefighters as they ate lunch.
His buddy Mike O’Rourke shrugged. “Damned if I know. I’ve been married for ten years. Dating etiquette has changed.”
“Should I have just asked for her phone number and then called to ask her out? Maybe a private message on social media was too impersonal? A telephone call seemed like an unnecessary step.”
The other Mike, Mike Diamond, almost choked on his garlic bread. “Dude. That was probably the most impersonal way you could ask. Besides, girls like to think they’re worth an extra step or two.”
“Shit.” Noah frowned. “Have I blown it?”
Mike D chuckled. “If she likes you enough, she’ll give you another chance. Do you have her phone number?”
“Yeah. That’s why I was surprised when she said no. Maybe she wanted me to text her.”
“Jesus, Fierro. She wants to hear your voice,” his captain said. “You can’t really convey that you’d be excited to see her again with an emoji.”
“No? Not even the eggplant emoji?” O’Rourke asked, grinning.
