FIRST DAY

“I honestly don’t know how he does it,” Maddy sighed, watching Simon put a weave on her son’s knee. “Every time I turn around, he’s fallen over something, broken something, about to break something … kids are a trial, I can tell you.” She stroked Jacob’s shoulder. “But I still wouldn’t be without them.”

Simon smiled. “My own daughter’s just a month old, and she’s managed to get the entire crew wrapped around her little finger.”

“Yeah, I seen her. Your wife’s the mechanic?”

Simon, still smarting at the comments made by Shepherd Delrani all those months ago, just nodded. “There you go,” he said to Jacob, patting the boy on the back. “And try not running in the cargo bay any more, otherwise the Captain will throw you in the brig.”

“Yes sir,” the boy agreed, jumping from the medbed and running out of the infirmary.

“He just won’t slow down,” Maddy said. “Everything has to be now, and he gets skittish without having something to do.”

Simon smiled. “I wouldn’t say that around the Captain. He’ll have him cleaning out the septic vat.”

“You do that sometimes?” she asked, wide-eyed and looking far younger than her years.

“When it’s my turn. Which,” he said, shuddering just a little,”luckily isn’t that often.”

“And you a medic, too.” She picked up a phial, examining it idly. “You got a lot of medications on board?”

Simon took the glass tube carefully from her fingers. “Only as much as we need. Otherwise we could become a target for scavengers. There are a number out here.”

“Like on Shadow. Some folks have to break the law just to survive, to put food on the table.”

“It isn’t something I would recommend.”

Maddy laughed. “That your doctorly prescription? Keep the law at all times?”

Simon smiled. “As much as possible.”

“Wish it could be the case, doctor. But the Alliance made it awful difficult back home.”

“Was it that bad?” Simon put the phial back in its case and closed the lid firmly. “Did the war … I mean, I've heard stories, Shadow