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“Me too,” she said quietly. “But it’s not your fault.”
Guilt made my limbs heavy nonetheless as I ended the transmission and set the Touch aside.
We zipped across the fields, taking the shortest route possible to Ella’s place. We knew the situation was bad when we saw the small crowd gathered outside the single-story building, identical to all the houses in the square.
Fend, Frowh’s brother, jogged to the bopper as we landed.
“What’s the word?” Ana asked before the door was even fully open.
“The babies are here.” His face was pinched, pained. “But they’re too small.”
He indicated with his hands the size of a small e-reader. “The medic says there’s a chance they won’t make it.”
The helpless agony in Fend’s eyes only made me more desperate to ensure the safety of those newborns. No matter what the medic said, I had to try to do something. This was Ella, the faithful friend who had been a big part of my otherwise lonely existence for over a decade.
“No... No, that can’t happen.” My voice was firm, insistent. “What can we do?”
“The medic has already arranged for two incubators to be brought down from the clinic. He said it would be too dangerous to move the babies there now. But even with the incubators...”
“We have no power,” I finished for him.
Ana and I shared a look. The panel was a lost cause. It was almost a century old and utterly fried. We needed a new one, an upgrade. But we knew the community didn’t have the money. But temporarily...
“We can use my generator. It should last about two weeks. I know it doesn’t solve the problem entirely, and the babies will probably need it for more than just two weeks but...”
“It’s a start,” Ana insisted, sliding into the bopper again. “I’ll help you get it. Fend, we won’t be gone for long but reach me on my Touch if something comes up.”
Fend nodded, his long red hair, much like Frowh’s, dropping over one shoulder. He gave us a half wave as we took off.
