He had a tent pole lifting the front of his boxers out in a way that one hand was not going to hide and I found myself biting my lip and staring as we...each stepped to one side of the hall.10 minutes later, we were out in the back yard doing simple calisthenics. Toe touches, jumping jacks and wood-cutter chops, as he called the exercises. Then we went on a run. Now I had run track, so I could cover a mile, but Uncle Ron stepped the pace up faster than my teammates had when we warmed up and by. She turned to Pēteris and her sister-wives and explained. “They are speaking one of the Cassandran languages. It wasn’t deemed necessary for you to know any of them, and they have no implants because they were ruled unfit to be Damsels, Caretakers, or mothers. They want Annie’s baby.”She turned to glare at the intruders, then continued to explain, “I told them to sit or I would bitch slap them until their necks looked like egrets. They didn’t get the egret reference, but ‘bitch slap’ translated. It was cutewith its spaghetti straps and it's deeply cut top revealing my lacy braand most of my creamy chest.I applied my makeup and gathered up my belongings. I had given all myflowers away. Heather had been sending bouquets at least four times aday and while I had not been returning her calls, I had been acceptingher gifts.I made sure that everything was given away and I let the orderly rollme out in a wheelchair to the cab.Standing there at the hospital doors was my Heather, standing next. “Neat, working from home.”“Yeah, I kinda like it. A decade of cubby-holing every document I could lay my hands on. I can pick and poke and put together some things pretty fast.”“Pay’s good?”“The pay is pretty good for sitting in my own house.”“Our house,” she corrected.“Yes, our HOME. It was just a house until you showed up. Like a den so I had someplace to get in out of the cold...” I smiled. “And then one day I went to the bus station...”She giggled. “Once upon a time...”“Almost is, baby.”“I.