Time Trap

by Danele J Rotharmel

  “Honey, you can closed-fist slap me anytime I act like that again. I’m sorry I fell apart.”

  “It may’ve been hard for you at first,” Gil said softly, “but once you pulled yourself together, you were a mountain of strength.” Looking at her husband with twinkling eyes, she teased, “You did such a great job that I don’t see the need of hospitals. We can have our future babies quite comfortably at home.”

  Peter watched as Dan’s eyes began to bulge.

  “Not on your life!” Dan sputtered. “Mark my words, when we have another baby, you’ll be camped in the hospital parking lot from the sixth month on. We’re nevergoing through this again if I can help it!”

  “You silly man, it wasn’t that bad, and look what a wonderful baby we got out of it.”

  A goofy look crossed Dan’s face as he watched his son yawn. “He is awfully cute, isn’t he?”

  As Gil stroked her husband’s cheek, Peter cleared his throat and got down to business. “How do you want to proceed?”

  Putting his son in Gil’s arms, Dan crouched in front of the time portal. “I need you to contact the Facilitator. I still haven’t found the flaw in the Wave Trapper prototype, so we’ll need one of Poppa’s Wave Trapper portals to get Gil and the baby home. Gil’s in no condition to surf back the traditional way, and our cartridge isn’t calibrated for Jay.”

  Peter nodded. “If I’m contacting Poppa, I’ll need the code for the safe.”

  “Date of my D-day, date we first met Poppa, answer to Hinglly’s third proposition, and the first three letters in the name of Angelina’s goldfish in Prinkleton’s numerical code.”

  “Which fish?” Peter asked as he jotted notes. “The one Sheba ate or the one Alex flushed?”

  “The one that got flushed. Once you contact Poppa, change the code again.”

  Peter nodded. “Where’s the key for the safe’s locked box?”

  From around his neck, Dan removed a key attached to a chain and tossed it through the portal. Catching it with one hand, Peter asked, “What instructions should I relay?”

  Dan’s voice lowered to a whisper. “Tell Poppa to come as quickly as he can. Jay’s fine, but something’s wrong with Gil. I don’t want to worry her, but I think she needs a hospital.” Dan’s voice caught. “It was a difficult delivery. Jay was turned the wrong way, and Gil’s still bleeding heavily. Her legs are numb, and she’s dizzy and feverish.” Dan passed a shaking hand over his face. “She keeps fainting, and she’s having trouble breathing.”

  Peter’s heart lurched at his best friend’s words. “I understand. We’ll get you help fast.”

  “Call Gil’s obstetrician and have an ambulance waiting at NSU when we arrive. My parents were planning on visiting us in June. Tell them to drop everything and come now. I’m not sure what’s wrong with Gil, but I think we’ll need their help.”

  “Consider it done.”

  “I know that I don’t know anything about childbirth,” Dan whispered in a strained voice, “but I know enough to realize that something’s wrong. This can’t be normal!”

  “We’ll get you help within the hour—promise!”

  “Hey,” Gil called from the bed. “Stop being so rude! What are you whispering about?”

  Dan turned toward his wife. “Nothing, honey, just clearing up loose ends. Do you have any messages for Peter and Laura?”

  “Yah,” she said, dragging herself up on one elbow. “Tell them to have a razor on hand when we get home. The first thing you’re gonna do when we get to the lab is shave off that stubble. You feel like a cactus when you kiss me.”

  Beside Peter, Laura gave a wobbly grin. “I’ll make sure the bristle brush bites the dust. I’ll track down some hedge clippers in case a razor won’t cut it.”

  Gil smiled and fell back on her pillows. “Let Thomas know the baby came early, will you? He’d never forgive us if he wasn’t one of the first to see Jay.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Laura replied. “He bought another stuffed animal yesterday—a big purple rhino.”

  Gil gave a weak chuckle. “How many does that make?”

  “I’ve lost count, but I’d lay you money that with all the stuffed animals he’s getting, Jay will decide to become a zookeeper when he grows up.”

  Dan smiled at his wife. “Anything else you want to say?”

  “Nope, that wraps it up on my end.”

  Turning around, Dan fixed Peter with an urgent gaze and whispered through the portal, “Be as quick as you can!”

  CHAPTER THREE

  From his seat along the back wall, Cadet Drake Procerus watched as Dr. Dan Ableman pulled his game cartridge from Summer’s PlayFest gaming system. As the temporal portal swirled away, the staff sprang into action. Dr. Laura Nelson rushed to the phone and began making a long distance call to Charlesberg, Colorado, while Director Peter Matthews, without a word to anyone, sprinted out of the lab.

  After a moment’s hesitation, Drake walked over to Dr. Nelson and tapped her arm.

  “Not now,” she said in a strained voice. “I’ll be with you in a moment.” Turning her back, she left a quick message. “Sam and Sue, this is Laura. Please call me as soon as possible.”

  Strolling back to his chair, Drake winked at Phoebe Reynolds, his field-exam partner. Phoebe was dainty and cute, and she smiled at him eagerly. When he didn’t sit down, she looked at him with a question in her hazel eyes.

  “Stay here,” he told her. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “Where are you going?” she whispered, catching his arm. “We should wait here like we were asked.”

  He tweaked one of her curls. “It’s not as if we’re in kindergarten. I can be excused to stretch my legs.” He smiled as she leaned forward eagerly in her chair. “I’ll be back soon, I promise. You couldn’t escape me if you tried.”

  He felt Phoebe’s eyes following him as he left the room. He knew if he’d asked, she would’ve gone with him in a heartbeat. Walking swiftly toward Dr. Ableman’s office, Drake heard a thud behind him. Turning his head, he caught a flash of light. He stared down the corridor, but seeing nothing further, he continued on his way. When he jiggled the knob, Dr. Ableman’s door opened at his touch.

  Inside the office, Drake could see a bookcase pushed to one side and a safe hanging open. Across the room, the director was standing in front of a shimmering time portal talking to an old woman. Drake stepped forward slowly. The floor squeaked beneath his heel.

  The director swung around. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “I’m sorry, Director Matthews,” Drake stuttered as the director pulled him into the corridor. “I wanted to see if I could help.”

  “That’s not necessary. Go back to the lab and wait. When things get cleared up, I’ll talk to you about your exam.”

  Drake hesitated. “I didn’t think it was possible to harness a timewave outside the lab. How’d you do it?”

  “That’s not your concern,” Director Matthews replied in cold voice. “Don’t mention what you saw, and next time, knock before entering.”

  Seeing the anger in the director’s eye, Drake backed up a step. “It won’t happen again.”

  “I should hope not.”

  Drake heard a lock clicking in place as the director shut the door to the office. His thoughts spun as he went back to Phoebe and sat down. They sat in silence as Dr. Nelson continued making calls. Phoebe occasionally tried to make small talk, but Drake simply wasn’t in the mood.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Laura saw Dr. Thomas Moosly bustling into the lab. The gruff professor was carrying a giant stuffed giraffe and a tiny teddy bear. Thomas hurried over and stood impatiently as she finished her call.

  She’d barely hung up when he spoke. “Is it true? When did it occur?”

  “Gil had the baby sometime yesterday,” she replied. “She and Dan couldn’t get to Summer’s PlayFest console to initiate a time portal, so Dan delivered the baby himself.”

  “Is the infant all right? How
is Gil?”

  Laura put a gentle hand on his arm. “The baby’s fine, but Gil isn’t doing well.”

  Thomas clutched the back of a chair. “How bad is it?”

  “We don’t know for sure, but Dan’s rattled. The only other time I’ve seen him like this was on D-day.”

  Thomas glared. “I warned Dan that it was unwise for Gil to time travel during her last trimester. He should have listened to me!”

  “He’s listening now,” she replied. “Dan swears the next time they have a baby, Gil will be sitting in the hospital parking lot from her sixth month on.”

  “And so she should! It was irresponsible of Dan to let her go. He may be brilliant, but he can also be downright idiotic.”

  “Don’t be too hard on him. You know what Gil’s like when she gets the bit between her teeth—it’d take a force of nature to stop her.”

  “I assume you’re using a Wave Trapper to get the baby home,” Thomas said, nervously pulling the giraffe’s ears.

  She nodded. “We hope to have Gil back within the hour. I have her obstetrician on alert.”

  Seeing paramedics entering the lab, Laura gave Thomas a reassuring smile and crossed the room. As she was explaining the situation to the EMTs, Peter and a white-haired woman walked through the door.

  “Twinkles!” Laura joyfully exclaimed. “I didn’t expect to see you.”

  “You don’t think I’d miss Jay’s homecoming, do you?” the old woman replied. “Besides, someone needed to bring the cavalry.” Twinkles motioned toward the door as a middle-aged couple came walking through with their suitcases.

  When she saw them, Laura gave a happy shriek. “Sue! Sam! I’m so glad you’re here! I’ve been leaving messages, but I couldn’t reach you.”

  Sue gave Laura a hug. “I’m sorry, we didn’t mean to be out of touch.”

  Laura smiled. Dan’s mother was as lovely as ever. Her golden hair was slightly touched by silver, but her kind face seemed unmarred by age. “How’d you get here so fast?” Laura asked.

  “Twinkles used a Wave Trapper to hop us from Colorado to the TEMCO lab.”

  Laura blinked. “I thought Trappers could only be used to go back in time—not to travel to two places in the same temporal setting.”

  “So did I,” Sue replied. “I guess we were both wrong.”

  “I don’t know why you’re so surprised,” Twinkles chided. “You should know by now that Poppa can tweak anything to fit his plans.” She rolled her eyes. “Just don’t ask him how he did it. He’ll explain the adjustment in such detail that you’ll be wishing you were deaf.”

  Setting down his suitcase, Sam asked, “Have you heard anything else about Gil?”

  Laura shook her head. “We’ve only had one transmission.”

  Biting her lip, Sue looked at her husband. Sam put his arm around her waist. “Now, don’t worry,” he soothed, resting his silver head against her golden one. “Gil’s faced tougher things than difficult childbirth. This won’t get her down.”

  Laura watched as Drake and Phoebe approached slowly.

  “Is there anything we can do to help?” Phoebe asked in a quiet voice.

  Laura shook her head. “I’m sorry about the wait, but as you can see, this is something of an emergency. If you’ll just be patient, we should get this crisis ironed out within the hour and then we’ll address your exam. Why don’t you go over to Student Union for a snack?”

  Phoebe looked over at Drake. He shook his head. “We’ll wait here if it’s all the same to you. We’d like to make sure that Doc and Mrs. Ableman make it back okay.”

  “I understand,” Laura said. “There’s coffee in the faculty lounge if you’re thirsty.”

  As Phoebe and Drake walked back to their chairs, a blue glow filled the lab. Since the glow wasn’t on the Staging Platform, Laura knew a Wave Trapper was involved. Light shimmered in the doorway of the file room, and as it twirled up and cleared, she could see into Summer’s bedroom. A man in his eighties was standing by the bed.

  “Poppa,” Peter said, “It’s good to see you. Were there any problems?”

  “None worth mentioning. Are you ready to receive the new momma and her baby?”

  Peter smiled. “Ready and waiting.”

  Across the blue light, Laura watched as Dan handed his son to Poppa and gently picked Gil up in his arms. Laura winced as Gil gave a tiny whimper.

  Dan walked toward the time portal but stopped when Gil pounded on his chest and said in an urgent voice, “Wait! I’m not going another step until I know what happens to Summer.”

  “We need to get you back to—”

  “Stop being a worrywart,” Gil sputtered. “I’m fine, and this’ll only take a second.” She looked through the portal. “Zeke, what’s the outcome? Where are we at?”

  Zeke’s fingers flew across his keyboard. “There’s a seventy-seven percent probability factor that Summer avoids death row.”

  Gil shook her head. “That’s not good enough. I’m not budging until that number’s one hundred percent.”

  Laura saw Dan starting to look wild. “Gil, please—” he objected.

  Ignoring him, Gil motioned for the sixteen-year-old girl to draw near. “Summer, promise me that when that boyfriend of yours calls, you’ll hang up. When he tries to speak to you, you’ll walk the other way. When he gives you a letter, you’ll mail it back unopened. I want you to break off all contact. Don’t be softhearted. Don’t yield an inch. Be brutally clear that it’s over.”

  Summer nodded slowly.

  “A nod isn’t good enough!” Gil insisted. “I want to hear you promise. That boy’s gonna lead you down a path of misery. He’s no good, and you deserve the best.”

  “But what if he’s the only boy who’ll ever come around?”

  “Nonsense! Utter rubbish! You’re a beautiful, smart, caring girl. You deserve a true man and not some jerk who wants to lead you into trouble. Believe me, having no man is far better than having the wrong man with the heartache he brings. Now, promise you’ll ignore that boy!”

  Summer looked at Gil solemnly. “I promise. I won’t ever talk to him again.”

  Leaning over Zeke’s shoulder, Peter gave a triumphant shout. “Congratulations! That did it! GAP indicates we’re at a one hundred percent probability factor. Summer’s off death row.”

  Laura watched as Gil squeezed Summer’s hand and murmured, “Good for you.”

  Zeke called out, “People, we have a first! Summer not only avoids death row, but she’s going to be an Olympic runner and later work for NASA. We have a future astronaut in our midst.”

  Summer stared at Gil with wonder in her eyes. “Can that be true?”

  “Of course it can,” Gil replied. “And it’s not even surprising. I knew you were headed to the Olympics when you ran across that field. My motorcycle could barely catch you. And with your brains, NASA will be lucky to have you.”

  Looking at the computer, Laura gave a glad cry. “Summer, you don’t have to worry about finding love. GAP indicates you’ll marry a perfectly wonderful man. Not only that, the two of you just had twins.” She laughed. “You named them Dan and Gil.”

  Dan smiled at the teenager. “Everything will work out fine as long as you make a clean break with Dennis. You have a bright future ahead if you keep away from him.” He looked at his wife. “Now can we go?”

  Gil smiled. “Take me home.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Phoebe craned her neck to watch as the old man she’d heard addressed as Poppa came through the time portal with the baby. When Poppa crossed through the wave, Dr. Ableman’s parents rushed forward to see their first grandchild. Next, Dr. Ableman came through carrying his wife. When they were safely in the lab, Poppa turned off the Wave Trapper with a touch of his toe. The time portal dissipated, and the Trapper snapped shut into a semi-translucent pyramid about the size of a child’s building block.

  Phoebe nibbled a finger. She’d heard rumors about Wave Trappers, but she’d thought the stories wer
e tall tales—she’d obviously been wrong.

  She watched as Poppa handed the baby to Dr. Ableman’s father. Bending over swiftly, Poppa scooped up the Trapper and stowed it in his pocket. Next to him, Dr. Ableman carefully placed his wife on a chair. His mother and Dr. Nelson hurried to his wife’s side. As Dr. Ableman talked with the director, Phoebe saw Mrs. Ableman putting shaking arms around her mother-in-law.

  “Oh, Sue,” Mrs. Ableman murmured, “I wanted you so badly! I was so scared. I don’t want Dan to worry, but I think something’s wrong. I think I need a doctor.”

  Dr. Ableman’s mother stroked her blonde hair. “I know, darling. I’m here now, and we’ll take care of it.”

  Dr. Nelson squeezed Mrs. Ableman’s hand. “Dan knows something’s wrong, and he’s made arrangements for your obstetrician to meet you at the hospital. Paramedics are waiting in the hall.”

  “Good, but I can’t go yet. Where’s my baby?”

  As the infant was placed in her arms, Mrs. Ableman motioned for Dr. Moosly. “This is little Jay,” she said tenderly, showing him her baby.

  Dr. Moosly dropped his stuffed animals as Mrs. Ableman placed her son in his arms. The gruff professor’s eyebrows flew up and lodged in his nonexistent hairline. Phoebe watched as his mouth turned up into a big grin. “He’s beautiful, my dear, simply beautiful.”

  “Dan and I want you to be Jay’s honorary uncle.”

  The grin on Dr. Moosly’s face grew. “That would delight me more than words can say.”

  Little Jay opened his eyes and batted Dr. Moosly’s cheek.

  “See?” Mrs. Ableman said. “Jay loves you already. I’m afraid I can’t carry the giraffe right now, but I’d love to take the little teddy if that’s all right.”

  Dr. Moosly nodded and stroked Jay’s cheek. When the baby grabbed his finger, the professor chuckled with delight.

  “So, what do you think of my son?” Dr. Ableman asked, walking over to the group.

  Dr. Moosly handed the baby to back to Mrs. Ableman and thumped Dr. Ableman on the back. “You reproduced admirably! Your offspring is a fine specimen.”