Chapter 22: Epilogue II

Nakia:

Six Months Later:

Rohn rubbed her lower back. She leaned back into the solid warmth of him, adjusting the wool blanket. There was a chill in the air, but it wouldn’t last long.

The sun, barely more than a blush of pink in the early dawn, rose over the horizon. The water turned silvery in the light, growing brighter as a new day ascended. She enjoyed this morning ritual with her husband, sitting on the stone beach and watching the sunrise.

Now that he had retired, Rohn remained busy as ever. As did she. They had so many things to prepare and arrange and a non-negotiable deadline. Despite their hectic schedules, they made the time every morning to enjoy the peace and quiet, and each other.

A sharp jab to her side made her gasp.

“What is it? Is it Baby Rokia?”

Nakia rubbed her stomach. “We are not calling our son that, and yes, he’s kicking.” The baby had been growing more restless, practicing somersaults and kidney punches on his mom. The baby still had approximately seven more weeks to go. Seven more weeks of back pain, swollen ankles, kicks, and constant pressure on her bladder. Awesome.

Rohn placed his hand over hers, their fingers intertwining. He gave a happy gasp as the baby kicked again.

It was pretty awesome, all things considered.

“Let’s get breakfast started,” Nakia said, accepting Rohn’s hand as he hauled her to her feet.

Rohn’s “little house” by the shore turned out to be a rather large house adjacent to a private cove. The beach wasn’t a white sand tropical escape but stone with cool, clear water. The winter promised dramatic storms with wind, waves, and snow, and Nakia couldn’t wait.

They climbed the stone steps up to the house. Nakia wasn’t sure how much longer she could make the journey up and down the steps on her own. The last days of the summer season were fading fast, but also her body was already ungainly. She feared how large she would swell in the next seven weeks.

The lights were already on in the kitchen. Yvonne stood next to the coffee pot, frowning at the buttons. “How do I turn this thing on again? Everything’s written in Sangrin.”

“It’s this symbol.” Nakia pressed the correct button. She sighed dramatically as the pungent aroma of coffee filled the air. She missed coffee so much. “You better hurry up. Momma needs her coffee,” she whispered to her belly.

Her parents arrived a month ago for a visit. The original plan had been for Yvonne to stay and help for a little while once the baby arrived, but considering the size of the house, both her parents being retired, and the distance between them and their only grandbaby, they planned to stay permanently. Rohn accepted the news that his in-laws intended to move in with enthusiasm. Her parents, for their part, were little more reserved about Rohn, but he shared an interest in sailing with her father. They spent their days on the water, coming home with their faces red and chapped from the wind.

For her part, she kept busy with medical appointments and classes. She considered taking a pastry cooking class, maybe then working in a bakery, but decided against it. What she baked was meant for loved ones, not the entire world.

Honestly, she had a whole new world of law to study, and the prospect excited her. After two years of classes on Sangrin law, she could take the bar exam and be qualified to practice on both Earth and Sangrin. She couldn’t say if there was a huge demand for such a niche lawyer, but the idea intrigued her. Interstellar travel made lives more complex by the day and, legally, the old regulations didn’t keep up. Of course, managing to study with the baby would be tricky, but she wasn’t alone. Rohn fully supported her decision to go back to school and Yvonne was down for babysitting.

Rohn delivered a plate of toast, along with butter and jam. Without prompting, he buttered a piece and set it on the dish on the floor for Princess. The cat twined around his legs in a happy manner before licking the butter from the toast.

“I can't believe you feed my cat toast,” Nakia said.

“She likes the butter.”

“You spoil her and she’s going to get kitty heart disease.” Bringing Princess to Sangrin involved a few bureaucratic hoops and plenty of forms, but it wasn’t anything Nakia couldn’t handle. Immigration didn’t like the idea of tiny alien predators being imported, even as a family pet, so Nakia had to supply Princess’s entire medical history and verification of sterilization. Even with all that, Princess still had a three-month quarantine. Once she was released, Rohn spoiled her like true royalty and Princess lapped it up.

“I have been thinking about Rokia,” Rohn said, setting a steaming mug in front of her.

“So not calling our son Rokia.”

“How about Jasper?” Yvonne suggested.

“Mom, no.”

“It was your grandfather’s name and is perfectly lovely.”

The name suggestions had been coming nonstop, along with her own research in baby name books and on websites, but Nakia hadn’t yet stumbled across a name that fit. With only seven weeks to go, she needed a short list of contenders. Hopefully when she had her son in her arms, she’d realize the perfect name.

“Do you object to familial names?” Rohn asked.

“No, just not Jasper.” The name conjured vivid memories of her cranky grandpa. She just couldn’t picture the moniker fitting a little baby.

“Rokan,” Rohn said. “It was my father’s name.”

Nakia repeated the name, tried to imagine herself shouting it out the backdoor, calling Rokan home to supper, or muttering it while she pushed him out of bed in the morning. “Rokan. I like it,” she said.

The baby gave a strong kick.

Okay, they were agreed. Rokan.

“I can’t wait to meet you,” she said, rubbing her belly. A year ago she worked too hard and lived a lonely life with her cat. She could never have imagined the hero she crushed on in her teen years would come back, bringing a family with him.

She was 100% behind Team Rokia and always would be.