Cyber Chronicles 2: Prime Voyage

Chapter 32: Present

Outside the hospital room, Lincoln paced back and forth, his heart pounding like the erratic tick of a broken clock. Anxious thoughts swirled through his mind, an unrelenting storm of worry and anticipation. 

His eyes were locked on the closed door, beyond which lay answers to questions he hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath for.

Inside that room, Naomi lay on a sterile white hospital bed. Her face, usually reserved and composed, now carried the weariness of a weary traveler. But even in her fatigue, her eyes sparkled with a gentle warmth as she spotted Lincoln through the open doorway. Her amethyst hair, cascading in soft waves around her, framed a face adorned with striking emerald eyes. She managed a faint smile, one that spoke volumes to him.

As he stepped into the room, the door slid shut behind him with a gentle hiss. Beside Naomi stood a doctor, a woman with strikingly human-like features. Lincoln wondered if she was a synthetic but even after having seen many synthetic humans before, he couldn't just tell.

"Lincoln," Naomi greeted him, her voice soft and filled with affection. She patted the bed, inviting him to sit beside her. He obliged, taking her hand in his as he settled into the chair next to the bed.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Lincoln's voice trembled with a mixture of emotions. He couldn't help but feel a hint of hurt that Naomi hadn't included him in this crucial moment.

Naomi's eyes glistened as she looked at him, her fingers gently brushing his cheek. "I didn't want to catch you in the middle of something intense," she explained, her voice tender. "But I also didn't want to exclude you on the day we find out about our child."

Lincoln's heart softened at her words, understanding dawning in his eyes. He squeezed her hand gently, his fingers entwining with hers. "I wish you'd told me," he whispered, his voice filled with gratitude and remorse.

Naomi gave him a reassuring smile, her thumb brushing lightly against his hand. "It's okay," she said softly. "Now we're here together."

They shared a moment, their eyes locked in silent communion, and Lincoln felt a rush of love for the woman who had become his rock, his partner in all of life's uncertainties.

A knock at the door pulled them from their reverie, and the doctor turned her attention to them. "Are you ready to know?" she asked, her tone gentle yet professional.

Naomi nodded, her gaze shifting from Lincoln to the doctor. "Yes, we are."

The doctor retrieved a small device and gently moved it across Naomi's belly. A soft, rhythmic thumping filled the room, the sound of their baby's heartbeat, a steady and reassuring presence amidst the tension. And then, with a few swift movements, the doctor revealed the moment they had been waiting for.

"It's a boy," she announced with a smile, and the room seemed to light up with the news.

Naomi's eyes brimmed with tears of joy as she looked at Lincoln, her lips curving into a delighted smile. "A boy," she repeated, her voice filled with wonder, her normally reserved demeanor giving way to a rare moment of emotional vulnerability.

Lincoln was speechless for a moment, his heart soaring. A boy. His heart swelled with pride and love. He wiped away a tear that had escaped his eye, then turned to Naomi. "A little brother for Dev," he said softly, his voice filled with emotion.

Naomi's eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she nodded, her hand resting on her belly where their son nestled. "Right?" she whispered, her voice filled with love.

Lincoln nodded, his own eyes glistening. "Right."

As they basked in the happiness of this moment, Naomi turned to Lincoln, her eyes shimmering with newfound maternal warmth. "What do you want to name him?" she asked, her voice filled with a quiet tenderness.