Tomorrow and Tomorrow

Chapter 14: peace offering

Lully was a little proud at how fast the news spread. By the time he had arrived at work, others were trying to tell him that Cameron was pregnant. He wasn't certain why Harper and Cameron were so central to the base, but perhaps it was because they had put themselves there.

Lully made it to his office, a little glad to be cloistered away from the gossip. He would only be tempted to chat instead of work and judging by Vertov and Charles stern voices, it sounded like others were having the same problem. Over the course of the morning, the earthstorm drowned out all but the loudest of the conversations.

He focused on signing off on the queues on his holo, sorting through builds, environmental and medical. Lully found that he recognized the print codes now from both the people and what they were ordering. He wondered if he would have the whole list memorized in a year at this job.

This took nearly the whole morning, but Lully had a little time before lunch. He wanted to catch Dylan at her office on somewhat neutral ground. He wanted to believe that she would accept the gift, but right now, there was no telling with Dylan.

Lully stepped out, laughing when people were still talking about Cameron and Harper.

"I can't believe Harper is going to be a father," Emerson laughed, walking up to Lully. "Bell assumed you and Esperanza would be the next couple. Harper and Cameron have only been together, what? A couple of cycles?"

"Barely," Lully agreed. "Do we have any deliveries to environmental?"

"A couple small things. I was going to send Dickenson later. Why?"

"I have a package to take that way and I would take more since I'm going," Lully said. "Hand them over."

Emerson found the boxes and Lully nodded his thanks. He headed out of the print bay, avoiding the high traffic areas and cutting through research to get to environmental. Lully dropped off the other boxes first, but then rapped on Dylan's office door, half expecting her not to open it. He hadn't seen Dylan in weeks.

To his surprise, the door cracked open and Dylan peered up at Lully. She was so thin and tired looking, so broken. He forced himself to smile. They had been best friends, he thought. Was it his fault?

"Package for you," he said, handing over the print.

She nodded, taking the wrapped piece in both hands. Lully hesitated, curious if she would open it in the hall. She tore through the paper with trembling fingers and flipped it over. Tears glistened in her eyes.

"It's from Levi," Lully said softly.

She nodded, touching the printing lightly with her fingers.

"Merci beaucoup," she whispered and ducked back in her office before Lully had fully registered she had spoken.

He walked slowly through the corridor, uncertain what to do with himself now. Fortunately his holo-rib chimed and he pulled it out of his pocket.

"Alcott and I are going to Cameron's to surprise her with lunch," Esperanza told him. "Do you have a moment? Do you think you could get off?"

"Sure. I'll just work a little later today, if you don't mind," he replied.

"Pas mal. See you there!"

Lully glanced back at Dylan's office, but then hurried on. Cameron's berth was near personnel and he saw Esperanza and Alcott standing outside the door. Esperanza was grinning with her hands full of fruit. .

"I don't think Cameron knows how many people Harper told," Esperanza said. "Knock on their door?"

Lully knocked. It took a moment, but then Cameron opened the room, looking at them with a puzzled expression.

"Did we have lunch planned?" she asked.

"Non, we're here to say congratulations!" Esperanza beamed, holding out the basket of fruit.

Cameron glanced down at the fruit with astonishment and then she turned her head toward the interior of the berth.

"Harper!" she called.

She open the door wider. Harper came out of the small bedroom with a worried furrow between his eyes. This smoothed when he saw the other three standing beyond Cameron

"Exactly how many people did you tell?" she inquired.

"Oh, we would have found out regardless," Esperanza laughed. "Madison would have told me or Alcott. Lully just happens to be the base's worst gossip."

Lully made a flourish with his hands and twirled. "You're welcome. The whole base knows."

Cameron's cheeks seemed a little pink as she took the fruit from Esperanza.

"Well, I can ask you to stay for lunch, since you're here," she offered. "And you brought all of this."

"I have to get back," Lully admitted. "I have work."

He clapped Harper on the back. "Congratulations again."

Lully didn't want to admit it, but he wished that it could be he and Esperanza who were being congratulated. It was his own fault; he didn't want to find out that Esperanza could never have children from her surgeries and bone marrow transplants. He resolved to set an appointment with Madison and find out all he could before talking to Esperanza. Perhaps they had options.

Most importantly, he needed to clean up his behavior if he wanted children; Lully hadn't been able to work overtime in years with all the community service hours he had. Vertov said that Lully had more than the whole rest of the base combined, which Lully didn't doubt.

He walked back into the printers, nodding amiably to Vertov and Charles as he passed.

"Lully! Where have you been?" Charles called.

He didn't sound friendly. Lully stifled a groan.

"I had a delivery and then I stopped to see Cameron and Harper on their lunch break," he answered. "I wasn't gone half an hour."

"Next time, let someone know; we were looking for you," Vertov told him.

"Yes sir," Lully replied. "I had my holo-rib, you could have messaged me?"

Vertov nodded as if he knew this. Charles didn't seem to care.

"I shouldn't have to message you, I should know where you are," he said sternly. "Have you finished the queues?"

"Yes, unless someone posted one in the half hour I was gone."

"Watch your tone." Charles cautioned.

Normally Lully would have sniped back, but today he tried to contain himself. He didn't like Charles. Charles didn't like him. So instead, Lully checked his holo-rib to see if this was the case.

"Non, there are no new print orders," Lully said. "Anything else?"

Charles walked away without explaining why they were looking for Lully in the first place. Emerson sidled up next to him once Charles was gone.

"You didn't yell at him, are you feeling all right?" he asked.

"I promised Esperanza I'd stop picking fights," Lully admitted. "I'm trying."

"Your credit account will thank you," his friend laughed.

"What did they need? Neither of them said."

"They want to get all the queues through today if possible to free up the printers for builds," Emerson said. "They wanted to confirm that you were done. You were, I told them you were, and no one bothered to venting check."

"You're starting to sound like me," Lully noted.

"You're not wrong when you yell at Charles," Emerson reflected. "I don't like him either."

____

Lully is weird when he's trying to be responsible. And Cameron is hilarious when she's off-balanced. But Dylan... *sigh* I think this will help. The road is long and difficult when you don't have a good support system, but they're working on it. Thanks for reading!