Subterra Heart

An Excerpt from the Journal of Nelda Crane

Date: 13/8/963

Sebastian's first son was born just yesterday. He's a sweet, beautiful baby boy, and his parents are so proud! Sebastian even asked if I would like to be the godmother. Of course, my answer was yes! We are looking forward to his naming ceremony next month. It's still a bit early to have settled on a name, but Sebastian seems to think that "Leonard" would suit the child quite well.

I hope that I will make a good godmother. To tell the truth, I'm a bit nervous. I've never had time to even think of trying to build my own family. It's been so long since I've had a part of my life that didn't revolve around work, particularly since Dr. Rocha died five years ago. He never was the same after his wife's death. I still feel bad for his youngest son, Samuel. Neither Sebastian nor I had been able to make it back for the funeral at that time. We had been in the middle of transferring headquarters for Rocha Pharmeceuticals over to Heart Central at that time, and even though the lab here had technically already been around for a few years by then, it was still a rough patch with some very late hours. Honestly, it was almost made worse by that massive grant we'd received that day too. I can still remember it like it was yesterday – Sebastian had just gotten word of his father's death that morning, but the both of us barely even had time to let it sink in because by that afternoon, we were scrambling to allocate the new funds that had rolled in.

I did think about sending a message to Samuel back then, but what are you supposed to say to a teenage boy who'd just lost his father? I hadn't seen him since he was a child, and I doubt he'd remember me. He must be in his early twenties by now, and I'm still a complete stranger to him. I suppose I still think of the boy every now and then because his story is a sad one. There had been some discussion of bringing him to Heart Central, but Sebastian had been too busy to act as his little brother's guardian, and he'd been reluctant to uproot Samuel. As it stood, Dr. Rocha had already set up a guardianship and a trust for the boy over in Flores Greens, so I imagine that he was well taken care of after Dr. Rocha's death. I can't know that for sure though, but it's none of my business. I just hope that little (maybe) Leonard doesn't have the same hardships as his Uncle Samuel.

And, oh goodness, I'd nearly forgotten about that other strange thing from that week. For some reason, Dr. Rocha had sent me the datacard that contained his notes on curing bloodrot, along with a letter requesting that I keep these notes private and hidden. I received this all posthumously, of course. It was such an odd thing. I'm nearly surprised that I didn't take a quick peek, or at least tell Sebastian about it. Then again, we were busy. And I have remained busy. And it's generally best to respect one's dying wishes. If I remember correctly, I must have slipped the datacard into one of my desk drawers here in my study. Or perhaps I set it aside on one of my shelves somewhere. This is a large apartment, and things can get lost easily if I'm not actively keeping track of them. I shall have to look for it today now that it's finally come to mind again.

But I digress – this was supposed to be a happy memory for me to write down, and here I am reminiscing about the past. I intend to be a good godmother for Sebastian's son. I will simply need to separate myself from my work a bit more. Which, I suppose, shall be a challenge in itself.

-Nelda Crane, signing out