Page 35 of Proslo

“Hi!” Mo-mo said around a mouth full of food.

“So she’ll be okay until you find a donor heart?” Akoni asked, obviously addressing me.

“She’s being grown her own new one, using her DNA,” I explained.

“Wow. So like, a cloned heart?”

“More or less.”

“Cool.” Then his eyes flicked to Kaia. “You do whatever they say. We need you.” His voice cracked.

“I will. Daddy and his doctor friends are making sure I’m getting better and then he said we’ll get to go see the palace and visit the aquarium and stuff. That’s why I’m getting the floating chair, so I don’t get too tired.”

“Can we go to a luau?” Maui asked.

“Maybe before we go,” Betty hedged.

I made a mental note to see if we could book tickets to the one our hotel held. They held them weekly and I was certain the next one was scheduled for the night before we left.

“We gots hair cuts and Maui didn’t want the lady to wash his hair,” Mo-mo tattled. “I didn’t make a fuss though ‘cuz we just had to lay in the chair and gots to wear a hat that didn’t let stuff get in our eyes. Mommy bought two for us to keep from the lady when she paided.” She lowered her voice into a whisper, speaking as if she thought that would make Betty and I unable to hear what she said next. “I think they’re rich. We gots new big suitcases and clothes and Maui gots a toy fire truck and I gots a new doll.” She picked it up from where it had been sitting on the bench next to her, out of sight. “She drinks from a bottle and pees! Mommy says she’s gonna get her some cloth diapers and clothes after we get home!”

“She’s very pretty,” Kaia told her. “What’s her name?’

“Baby Doll,” Mo-mo answered.

My young were all the most adorable beings ever, next to my bride.

Akoni leaned back into the frame. “Once you’re all better from your new heart, you can have surfing lessons and go paddle boarding with me! They have a holo deck just for that and taking hula!”

“Really?” Kaia looked at me for confirmation.

I nodded at her encouragingly. “Once you are cleared to do so, you can do those things if you wish.”

“Yes!” she replied, excitedly.

“We’ll see you soon in person, and we’ll call you again in the morning at nine,” I promised them. “She needs to rest now.” I could see tiny lines of fatigue on her face. The nanites were hard at work, but it had only been a few hours. They still had much to do and right now, she needed to rest and let them do it.

“Bye! See you later!” the twins chorused.

“Get some sleep,” Akoni told her. “Bye, Dad.” My heart swelled with emotion at him calling me that. I’d not expected him to for a while yet. Hoped, yes. Expected, no.

“Talk to you later. Akoni and I are ordering some things for them all so please let whoever you need to know to put them inside. It’ll be beds and stuff.”

I nodded. “I’ll let the mover know. We’re being given larger quarters.”

“We’re moving again already?” Betty groaned in dismay.

I shrugged. “The quarters on either side and above and below us are already occupied so they couldn’t enlarge the space. They’ll put everything in the same places in the correct rooms in the new one.”

She gusted out a breath. “Well, okay. More room would be better, I guess. I love you. Speak to you later.” She blew us both a kiss before disconnecting.

“I like her and are we really getting a big house?”

“Yes. You each will have a bedroom plus there will be a playroom and a spare bedroom should we decide to have another young.”

“You guys must be crazy rich.”

I smiled down at her gently. “The Fleet takes care of its own. Now, would you like me to read to you?”