Candace walked away, thinking of another someone and happier times a few years ago before things changed inside her.
Chapter 9
Four weeks later, Jane climbed into the helicopter with Lucas and Sebastian. Hunching awkwardly as she strapped him in, she felt her stomach lurch in anticipation of the turbulent flight. Please, Jesus, don’t let me vomit in front of everyone, she prayed.
Ana and Dámaris climbed in and sat across from the Whyse family. Cheyenne climbed in next to Hal, who waved across the snow to Simeon piloting the smaller bird. The Chapmans, Candace, Riddhi, and Trevor were his cargo.
“Did you lock the front door?” Cheyenne asked Jane.
“Oh! I didn’t. Hang on.”
Cheyenne burst out laughing. “Newbie, I’m kidding. Who’s getting in? We’re a million miles from nowhere. As long as the doors are closed, The Dome’s fine. MILO will scream if anyone’s not authorized to enter. You know, like a polar bear.”
Jane tried to chuckle, but she was too wired. At nineteen weeks along, she'd hoped to be through the vomiting part of her pregnancy, but all her symptoms seemed to be magnified down here, making the secret frustrating to conceal. Almost halfway through the nine months, she thought, exhaling hard. Suck it up, Buttercup.
“Here we go,” Hal confirmed as the uncomfortable elevator-rising feeling took Jane’s breath away. She grabbed Lucas’s wrist so hard, she saw his eyes bug. Sebastian cheered.
“You know,” Hal commented as they began their journey, “If this was anywhere else, we’d just have one nice Chinook, and we could all ride together.”
“That would be too loud,” Cheyenne said.
“What?” he called with a wink. “They’re fun, though,” he mused fondly. “But down here, everything revolves around the possibility of having to land on a boat as we cross the sound, and I don’t have an aircraft carrier handy.”
Everyone eagerly peered out the windows and pointed out interesting occurrences in the white scenery. Their little home disappeared so quickly. Lucas was once again overwhelmed by a feeling of insignificance as he took in the landscape.
“There’s the ocean,” Cheyenne announced after about 45 minutes, pushing her hood back. “Everybody grab binoculars. You don’t get this view every day. It’s so clear, I bet we’ll see Argentina!”
“Really?” asked Dámaris scanning the horizon.
“No, sorry, I was just kidding, honey.”
Dámaris tried to hide her disappointment, but added, “We’re closer to New Zealand anyway…”
Hal smirked at Cheyenne, noting, “The kids like me more than you.” She shook her head, but Jane noticed a smile flash.
Sebastian clapped and clambered up to the window as Hal flew them out over the coast. Ana was the first to see a pod of whales beneath them. In a moment, every nose was pressed to the glass counting and pointing.
“Humpbacks,” Lucas confirmed to Sebastian.
“Look! A baby!” Dámaris shouted. “Do you see it Sebbie?”
“I see it! I see it!” the little boy’s eyes hardly rested for a moment as he tried to stare at each whale individually and study the pod at the same time.
Hal radioed to Sim that he was circling for a longer look.
“Does he actually talk to you in the radio?” Lucas asked Hal.
“Of course,” Hal replied. “You think we do Morse code in the head sets?”
“No, I’ve just never heard him talk much,” Lucas said. “I should’ve ridden in that chopper.”
Hal laughed and brought them in a wide loop to see the whales from the other direction. They counted somewhere between nine and twelve, including a little one.
Cheyenne and Lucas snapped pictures from both sides of the chopper. Sebastian begged for a better view, so Lucas finally unsnapped him for the last loop, holding him directly against the window. Sebastian giggled and chattered incessantly, leaving a large foggy, wet spot on the window when Lucas reeled him back into his seat.
“I can’t believe we got to see a baby,” Dámaris said as the pod faded into the distance.
“Mommas have babies everywhere, sweetie,” Ana said. “In the hottest desert and the deepest ocean, life is growing.”
“That was poetic,” Jane said, feeling tears prick her eyes.
“Oh, geez, Mom,” Dámaris said, rolling her eyes. “Leave it to you to point out that animals are doin’ it somewhere right now. Gross.”
Everyone laughed, including a clueless Sebastian.
“Better hope he doesn’t repeat that,” Ana said in mild reproach to her daughter.
As they crossed McMurdo Sound toward Ross Island, the home of McMurdo Station, Jane’s eyes closed. The familiar green feeling was at the back of her throat. The whirr of the chopper blades could have been soothing if it weren’t for the abrupt jolts that filled their flight. Jane could feel Lucas’s worried eyes on her as she breathed as slowly and deeply as she could.
It isn’t so cute now that this snow suit is too tight in the waist, Jane thought as she squirmed in vain, trying to find a comfortable position.
“Dat's it?” Sebastian asked, leaning hard into Jane to see out the window.
“Buddy, sit back, please,” Jane mumbled.
“But I see da flags,” he persisted, pressing harder.
“Sebbie, get off me,” she snapped loudly.
Jane exhaled but didn't have the capacity at the moment to feel embarrassed for her impatience. She was determined to make it the last few minutes of the flight on sheer willpower and ignored her son's disappointed face.
Hal and Simeon exchanged chatter with each other and the tower at McMurdo as they were treated to a view of the giant station. With over 100 colorful buildings of various sizes, its haphazard look reminded Ana of a remote mining or fishing town. Streets of hard-packed snow connected dormitories and labs, but also regular town buildings like a fire station, hospital, post office, library, gym, chapel, and even a few bars.
“After Semotus, it looks like a city!” Dámaris said.
“It is the biggest city on the bottom of the world,” Ana replied.
“Yeah, about a thousand people on site,” Cheyenne said as they started to descend. “Ok, everybody, this is a one-day field trip to make sure the children don’t lose their mind at Semotus and to get us some fresh supplies.”
“But no funny business,” Dámaris said pointedly to Sebastian. Ana and Lucas both cracked up. Jane wanted to look out the window to enjoy the view but had reached her limit. Just as the helicopter touched down, but unfortunately before she could open the door, Jane retched her small breakfast into her lap.
“No, Mommy! No!” Sebastian squealed in horror.
“Oh, babe,” Lucas said, reaching over in a poor attempt to help.
“Did you hit the bag?” Hal asked.
“There was a bag?” Jane replied weakly.
The rotor’s roar finally ceased as two young men opened the door, greeting them with a briefly happy, “Welcome to McMurdo… oh...”
Jane’s beautiful moment of female solidarity watching the mother whale was gone as the men walked around to open the other door. I'm so sick of morning sickness that lasts all day! Jane thought bitterly.
The team exited while Jane wiped her hands and pants with a towel Cheyenne had produced. The frigid air was already drying crust around her mouth, making her feel even grosser.
Hal was embarrassed. “Real sorry, there, Jane, it was real shaky today.”
“Oh, no, Hal, it wasn't your flying,” she assured him. “I just got queasy there at the end. Probably moving around too much looking at the whales.”
Lucas came around and took her elbow, leading her towards a building. “They said there's a bathroom in here, hun.”
“Where's Sebbie?”
“Candace said she'd take him while you got cleaned up.”
Jane looked over her shoulder and saw her son waving. She mustered her most apologetic smile, waved gratefully to Candace, and slumped on Luca
s's arm toward the grey building.
A half-hour later, with freshly brushed teeth, a clean face, and borrowed coveralls, Jane was actually able to walk out and greet Lucas with a genuine smile.
“You look better, babe,” Lucas said. “Candace took Sebbie for a snack, so I thought while we're free, we should look into getting you to see a doctor.”
Jane nodded and looped her arm through his elbow.
“I hope we get to see tiny baby feet,” Lucas said.
“You're weirdly obsessed with our kid's feet,” Jane said, shaking her head. “Hey, I wonder if they can tell us the gender. They usually can at 19 weeks.”
“Hmm, I hadn't thought of that,” Lucas said. “Let's wait until we're home. This is already going to be really special since it's our first picture of the baby. Hey, at this point, it could be triplets.”
“Babe, no. Don't even joke like that,” Jane said, punching him slightly.
McMurdo General Hospital was a rather unimpressive rectangular building of white corrugated metal, with a bright red roof and door. As they walked up, though, Jane felt more and more excited.
“I'm looking forward to hearing the heartbeat,” she said, taking Lucas's hand. “I remember that with Seb.”
“Me too,” Lucas said as he pulled open the door. “And you’re lucky,” he added, waving his arm to indicate the lifeless landscape in every direction, “I'm at least the best daddy for miles around.”
Chapter 10
Ana was pleased to see Dámaris flourishing in her new setting. She couldn't have imagined passing the opportunity to be a part of Split Horizon with the Whyses, but bringing her daughter to exile in Antarctica was a big decision. Ana was a military wife; her husband Ian, a medical doctor, was currently deployed in the Middle East and jealous of their opportunity to play space make-believe. The McDell family looked forward to being reunited when they all returned home at the end of this season.
“Mom, let's go see the wind turbines,” Dám suggested.
“What? Why?” Ana asked.
“Because they're cool. And it's nice out today.”
“Hmm... maybe in a bit. I have some labs to snoop. Labs are cool!” she said, purposely trying too hard to make it sound exciting.
Dámaris groaned and laughed at her attempt, but was a good sport about it. “How about a tour of the labs, then a snack, and then the wind turbines.”
“Deal. You're a good kid, Dám. I'm really lucky.”
“It's true. I'm the best part of you.”
“That's what your daddy always says,” Ana replied, pleased.
When they arrived at the lab, Ana evaluated their equipment with disappointment. This is like working in the 80s, she thought. I guess somebody really believes in Split Horizon to build and equip Semotus like they did.
Ana heard Riddhi’s voice and walked into the hallway, motioning The Dome’s metallurgist inside.
“What do you think?” Ana asked. Riddhi just nodded knowingly.
“Did you see anything?” Ana continued.
“Just walked in,” Riddhi replied. “I was going to head down to their geology research.”
“Can I come?” Dámaris asked.
“Dámaris,” Ana said. “Don’t impose, please. Riddhi’s busy.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s just down the hall.”
“Ok, I’ll be along in a minute,” Ana said with an appreciative nod.
They disappeared while Ana glanced at charts on the walls and peeked at the workstations in the large room. It had an industrial feel, with huge fluorescent lights and a roll-out floor you might see in a garage back home. It was certainly warmer than outside, but still cooler than Cheyenne kept Semotus. We're spoiled, Ana thought again.
The sound of a truck rumbling by outside reminded her that she'd promised her daughter some excitement. Walking in the direction Riddhi had gone, she found Dámaris inspecting some vials in the building's other lab.
“Whatcha looking at? Where’s Riddhi?” Ana asked.
“Back there looking at high-tech toys,” she said, pointing. “And I don't know what I’m looking at. This says it's for glacial samples.”
Ana walked toward the corner. “Whatcha doing, Riddhi?”
“What?” the metallurgist said, jumping as she slammed shut a machine's housing cover. “Just checking out this laser.”
“Anything special?”
“Nope, go ahead and flip it on,” Riddhi suggested.
Ana did but was rewarded with nothing more than a round white dot on the metal panel opposite the beam.
“How come it’s white now?” Dámaris asked as she joined them.
“What do you mean?” Riddhi asked.
“Nothing,” Dám said, “It’s just when you first turned it on, it was pink.”
“Hmm… no, I don’t think so,” Riddhi said, shaking her head. “I’m gonna go be social now,” she added with a wink. “I’ll see you when it’s time to go.”
“Ok, thanks,” Ana said with a wave.
When they were alone, Dámaris started pushing other buttons on the laser.
“Stop it,” Ana said, tugging her to go. “Let's go find the Whyses and see those wind turbines.”
“Ok, but I don’t know what she did because this thing’s light was definitely pink when we walked in...”
On the other side of the base, Jane's mood was lifted as she and Lucas left the doctor’s office. She massaged her belly happily as they walked. They had gotten only good news, and the doctor had willingly agreed to keep their secret. It was actually adding fun to the pregnancy for it to be such a secret. Jane felt closer to Lucas than ever before.
“Let’s go get Sebbie, now,” Jane said. “Poor Candace probably wants some freedom.”
It was only a brief walk to the dining facility, and Jane saw her son right away. He was in the middle of a crowd of at least a dozen young men, all of whom were clearly there to bask in his teacher’s winning personality.
“Good Lord,” Lucas muttered. “Poor Candace.”
Jane was suddenly very aware of her belly’s newly acquired paunch and her lack of make-up. Her hand instinctively smoothed out her hair, frizzy from the dry environment. She sighed and thought selfishly about all the trade-offs this pregnancy brought: nausea, acne, and swelling, not to mention the work interruptions.
“Daddy! Mommy! Hi!” Seb called. “We talkin’ ‘bout da whales!”
“Are you?” Jane said, smiling as she picked him up off the center of the table and gave him a squeeze. “Sorry that Mommy wasn't so patient on the ride over,” she said quietly in his ear.
Sebbie made a bubble sound with his lips and she stifled an eye roll. Well, I tried, she thought, kissing his ear.
“Hello, everyone,” Lucas said to the group as they approached. The presence of another man was enough to shake the mojo of several of the local residents who wandered off. Only three stayed to introduce themselves.
“Are ya’ll staying the night?” one asked in a deep south accent.
“Nope, just popped in for a quick stop.”
“Where from?”
“We’re from New York,” Lucas said. “You must be from… Georgia?”
“Alabama.”
“And you?” he asked the other two.
As they chattered, Candace calmly walked out with Jane and Sebastian.
“Geez, Candace, you really draw a crowd don’t you?”
“Oh, come on, Jane. This is Antarctica. Any new lady is going to draw a crowd.”
Jane animatedly looked all around herself, up on the ceiling, and under her shoes. “Mine must be invisible.”
Candace laughed and pointed to her wedding ring. “You’re wearing creep repellant.”
“Ah, is that it...” Jane said knowingly.
Sebastian saw an old display of some animal pictures in an alcove, so they stopped for him to inspect. As they waited, two of Candace’s admirers walked by but didn’t notice them.
“We should get hot visitors like th
at more often.”
“Dude, she only talked to you because this in Antarctica,” said his companion. “Anywhere else and that girl wouldn’t give you a second look.”
“Maybe, but I’d rather be good-looking in Antarctica than good-looking nowhere.”
The men walked off good-naturedly hassling each other. As soon as the door closed, Jane and Candace cracked up like middle schoolers.
Chapter 11
Three hours later, Cheyenne was quiet next to Hal a thousand feet or so above the ice. The noise of the rotors flapping above didn't do much to fight against the overwhelming silence in the helicopter. Sebastian was asleep, and Dámaris was fading as she leaned under her mom's arm. Jane and Lucas were sharing headphones, listening to a sermon from their home church. They smiled and furrowed their brows at the same time, depending on what the pastor said. Their speck of a base appeared in the distance, a contrast to the bustling town they'd just left.
There were two bins of fresh fruit in their chopper, along with several gallons of milk. The cooks at McMurdo had been overwhelmingly generous. Cheyenne's lips curled up, pleased with her crafty decision to send Candace and Sebastian to ask what they could share.
Lucas carried Sebastian inside when they landed, and Jane gave them each a quick kiss before turning to walk the other way.
“You're not coming?” he asked.
“I still have work to do,” she replied.
“Fine,” he said, shaking his head and disappearing.
“You didn't get sick this time?” Cheyenne asked.
“What? No, oh yes, sorry,” Jane replied, not mentioning that she hadn’t eaten a bite all day. “Must've been the whale watching this morning. Good night.”
Cheyenne waved and walked off towards her office. Jane took her boots off her swollen feet and padded down the hallway in thick socks. She passed the engineering lab and saw under the blue door that the light was on.
“Trevor, you aren't tired from our day?” she asked as she walked in and sat on a stool across from him.
“Yeah, maybe,” he said with a nod of greeting. “But I can't sleep after that helicopter ride. No wonder you threw up.”
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