Tomorrow and Tomorrow

Chapter 6: Dylan

"Do you want to come over for dinner?" Alcott asked Levi as they were packing up for the day. Anatoly didn't let her climb trees anymore now that she was pregnant; mostly she measured sprouts and sold vegetables to the rest of the base. "I feel like it's only fair; you made me cookies."

Levi finished sending an email and looked up. "I would, but I'm going over to Walsh's to see Dylan," he told her. "Come with me. Seasons know Walsh and I run out of things to talk about."

"I don't want to intrude," she worried.

He shook his head. "You wouldn't be intruding. Please come. I'll message Walsh, he'll be glad to see you."

"You two are friends now?" Alcott inquired.

He grimaced. "Out of necessity. I'm grateful for the braces; he designed and paid for these. We don't hate each other anymore. We just don't have much in common. Will you pick out a pound of snap peas? Charge my account, and we'll take them with us."

"I'll buy them, but sure," she countered. "Anatoly, do you need anything else before we head out?"

"Get out of here!" Anatoly called.

Levi and Alcott laughed as they gathered the peas and paid for them before leaving the botany wing. Anatoly was very protective of all of her employees, but especially Alcott. Every now and then it was a bit smothering, but Alcott was glad her boss had given her space to come back to work on her own.

They walked through the base in comfortable silence before rapping on Walsh's door. No one answered.

"Sorry, I just got out of environ," called a voice from down the hall.

Walsh hurried to meet them at the door, letting them in. Alcott didn't see Dylan's papa very often. He looked much more worn than she remembered. He stepped in when Dylan couldn't handle being the head of environ and the fast past Dylan had effortlessly kept up was taxing on the older man.

"Dashiell wanted a earthstorm meeting today. I know he's new to the planet, but he could just trust the reports; they have all the information in them," Walsh grumbled. "And he keeps pushing for more people out of cryo, but we don't have the resources for that. Moonshy politician. How was life in botany?"

"Filled with tiny sprouts all measuring four millimeters tall," Alcott said. "And we brought snap peas."

"Sunshine. If you'll snap them, then I'll get out the chicken."

"You got a whole chicken?" Alcott questioned.

"It's not so expensive. I carve it up and save it for a week of meals afterward. And Levi showed me a chicken noodle soup recipe that is astonishingly good."

"We talk about food a lot," Levi confided.

"I see," Alcott laughed.

Levi and Alcott sat at the table to prepare the snap peas as Walsh washed the chicken, tucked the wings and used a little butter before placing slices of an apple inside the cavity. Then the bird went into the oven.

"How do you know how to do all of this?" she questioned.

"My great grandmother packed a family book of recipes," Walsh replied. "Levi and I have been trying them all."

"We don't have all the ingredients on the planet yet," Levi admitted. "But someday. I want to try chocolate before I die."

"Hopefully," Walsh agreed. "I have over a dozen recipes that call for chocolate or cocoa."

The door slid opened and Alcott turned to see Dylan enter the room. She was pale and thin; she had lost more weight then the last time Alcott had seen her. Levi rose from his seat when she glanced toward the kitchen.

"Dylan, we're having chicken and snap peas," Walsh said gently. "Please join us?"

Dylan shook her head and went to her room. Walsh and Levi shared a glance but didn't say anything more. Alcott couldn't believe that was the end of the discussion.

"You're just going to let her go?" Alcott inquired.

"Do you have a better solution?" Walsh said. "Beating down her door is not productive. We've been there."

"Hmph. You two finish dinner. I'm going to get Dylan," Alcott decided.

"Don't get your hopes up," Levi said softly.

Alcott tossed her braids and headed to Dylan's bedroom door. The two men watched her knock.

"Dylan, it's Alcott," she said.

There was no response, not that she expected any. Dylan didn't talk. So instead, she just pushed the door back, walking right in.

Dylan's bed had been shoved against the wall, and she was already curled up in bed with the lights off. Alcott left the lights as they were, but sat down on the edge of the bed, placing a hand on Dylan's shoulder.

"Dylan, come have dinner with us," she said quietly.

Dylan didn't move.

"If you make me sit here until you decide to come out, I'm probably going to pee on your bed," Alcott told her. "Being pregnant has not made my bladder very happy with its lot in life."

Dylan shifted a little, and Alcott chose to take it as a good sign.

"I found out I'm having a boy today," she said. "I'm going to name him Marcus. There are so many things I need to print, but I feel like I have a little time, you know? I have twenty weeks. Not a lot of time, but some. I know, I'm just procrastinating, but I don't want to think about diapers for three years. And baby clothes, though Frieda is going to let me borrow some. Thank the seasons."

Dylan moved, sitting up in bed. She didn't have her cap on, which was little confusing until Alcott realized she had cut all her curls. It made her face seem too narrow and her eyes wide and hollow. Alcott wished there was a way to help her friend.

"Come have dinner with us," Alcott repeated. "If it's too much you can always leave, but I know that Levi would like to see you. Please?"

A pained expression crossed Dylan's face, but she nodded, pulling her feet out of the bed. Alcott felt her baby kick and so she reached out for Dylan's hand, placing it on her left side.

"There he is," she said. "Feel?"

The life glimmered in Dylan's eyes for just a moment, and she stared down at Alcott's stomach.

"I know, I'm getting fat," Alcott agreed. "Anatoly says I'm as round as a watermelon. Seasons know what I'm going to look like at the end of this. Help me up?"

Dylan took Alcott's hand and helped her to her feet. They walked to the door, which slid open. Dylan glanced out at Levi and Walsh and shook her head, taking a step backward.

"I can't talk to him," she whispered, nodding at Levi.

"That's pas mal," Alcott said, her hand on Dylan's thin shoulder. "Next time?"

Dylan nodded once and then retreated. Alcott walked back to the kitchen alone. Levi was still staring at the bedroom door with a wounded look on his face. Alcott didn't blame him. She didn't think he could hear what Dylan had said, but it didn't matter when she had refused to leave her room.

"You got her to try," Walsh remarked quietly. "That's more than I could do."

"I threatened to pee on her bed," Alcott admitted.

Walsh glanced at her with an amused expression and then snorted.

"I can't say I've done that," he laughed.

___

A somber chapter, but important. This colony has never dealt with trauma or PTSD or anything of that nature before and it stands to reason that unfortunately, they are unequipped. Thanks for reading.