Chapter Text
8
Sophie was looking for Leo.
He’d disappeared shortly after the meeting. Slipping away just as quickly the rep center doctors had when Desroches dismissed them.
This had been a task of Sophie’s since they were a little more than 3 years old. A short groundcar trip to the Jardin des Doms near their family home in Avignon, somehow found the boy in the Rhone. Sophie had been the one to see him when he tumbled over. After a chase.
In their teen years, at least once a week, Sophie would track Leo down after watching him slip from a second story window.
As an adult, she’d follow Leo into space and routinely have to track him down somewhere on the Atlas. Leo discovering every nook and cranny to disappear into.
Here on Athos, Leo turned what should have been the small 2nd floor of a rep center into an expansive labyrinth. And here was Sophie searching.
She bumps into Georos first, literally falls into the man as she rounds a corner. She offers a hand as soon she regains her balance, helping the tech up.
“Sorry!”
Georos dusted himself off, readjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. Despite being knocked over, he was still as easy going as he was when they met a little over 24 hours prior.
“No worries!” He smiled. His eyes were a light shade of brown. They weren’t the same shade of “honey” that Thia and Ethan shared but similar enough that Sophie examined them closely at first. “Sophie, is it?”
She nods, signing out of habit. “Oui.” Georos’ brow furrows, but she doesn’t burden herself with his confusion or curiosity. “Have you seen Leo?”
Georos shakes his head. “No. I saw he left almost as soon as the meeting ended.”
“Yes. He has the tendency to slink away like a wayward cat.” Sophie grumbled. How did her brother manage disappearing on a single floor? “A problem since childhood.”
“You knew him in childhood?”
Right. Georos had not been there when Alex introduced the crew to Ethan and Desroches.
“He is my brother, my twin brother.”
Georos’ face lit up with curiosity. “How is that possible?”
“Are there no twins on Athos?”
He nods vigorously in return. “On the rare occasion that the embryo splits after implantation in the replicator. Oftentimes we may terminate the additional child.”
“Why termination?” Sophie’s own curiosity peaked then. She couldn’t conceive of a world without Leo…or in this case Leo would have to conceive of a world without Sophie. Who then would sign and seek him out?
“There are numerous health issues and risks that can arise when two children share the same replicator. We strive for optimum health conditions and to also be economical. Many fathers, even with the help of their Designated Alternate, could not afford the resources that it would take to support both children.”
Sophie contemplates his words. “Leo and I are fraternal twins. We are the product of two different ova. I imagine some of the health risks might be reduced because of that?”
Georos hums thoughtfully. “Shared placenta is often the issue that can be encountered with split embryos, causing nutrition problems. Usually one conceptus being affected more than the other.”
He thought of another situation a couple years back that had ended terribly.
“Or very, very rarely partial splits, leaving the two conceptus’ somewhat together. Separate ova would most definitely reduce those two issues. But the replicator would still need to work for two which comes with its own problem.”
“Yes, my mother complained often about how much work Leo and I were.” Sophie grinned. “After some time her doctor put her on bed rest and she was not allowed to go very far. We were born by caesarian.”
“Caesarian?”
Sophie waves away the question, answering simply, “We were trouble.” Then a thought occurs. “You do not have fraternal twins on Athos.”
“From what you described, it would require the implanting of two embryos in the same replicator. Which we do not do. But I imagine double brothers born on the same day might meet your criteria.”
“Or the very next.” Sophie grins again when the confusion shows clearly on Georos face.
He rubbed a hand through short, dark unruly curls and gave a soft laugh. “I think this requires a longer discussion.”
“Most likely. But first, Leo.”
“There’s a snack machine nearby. Do you think…”
“Lead the way!”
That’s where they’d find Leo, kicking the snack machine. Georos helpfully offering an employee swipe card and Sophie using big, energetic signs. Leo was chastened and Georos looked amused when he realized she was “yelling”.
“This is the last layer of enclosure and at last this young man will be on his way.”
It was the first time Dr. Baruch had spoken since they had begun their work on the JJY-7 conceptus nearly 8.5 hours ago. She barely spoke even as they went over the surgical plan. Ethan was unperturbed, Dr. Baruch’s work spoke for itself. He had stated though,
“This work seems extensive.”
“A job for about twenty. Nearly a quarter being fetal surgeons.”
“We are only two.” Ethan did not hide his concern.
Neither did Thia. “You called the replicator a coffin, making the boy a corpse. What worse could we do here?”
Their work began shortly after.
It was late in fetal development and opening the replicator proved more risky, but the task was performed successfully in under an hour.
The most difficult piece was turning the boy so that the nature of his defect was at full of display of his surgeons.
Ethan had envied Thia in that moment. His hands were well-trained; gentle and delivering the right amount of pressure when necessary. But they were larger than…his “mother’s”. He watched as her just as well trained, daintier hands carefully turned the boy. Her touch light and perceptive.
She hummed softly when the boy seemed to stir under her hand.
Ethan monitored the boy’s heart as Thia went to work. She carefully removed the sac protruding from the spinal cord. This was the longest part, taking 5 hours as she worked around where the umbilical cord was thread through the sac. It’s freeing was a great relief to she and Ethan both.
In truth, Thia wasn’t sure she’d complete that piece successfully. No need to tell Ethan that, he looked as much of wreck as she felt.
It was the last half that Ethan impressed the most. Watching Dr. Baruch close the spinal defect. First the muscle layers and then the skin.
As she came to the end of the skin enclosure, the final piece of the operation, Thia spoke again.
“My father was a surgeon.”
That brought Ethan peace. Father was someone he could relate to. His “mother” may be working with him now, but maybe his predisposition for medicine came from a male line after all.
“He worked on hearts. A delicate enough task. And his hands were delicate. His work was incredible.”
Ethan nodded, still watching her hands, imagining the man who made them.
“But my mother was a sculptor. I remember when she first put my hand over hers as she worked.” Thia did not look up from her work but reverant tone of her voice was enough for Ethan to understand. “Believe it or not, she carved the softest hands from stone.”
As Ethan watched Thia make the final, careful stitch along the boy’s spine, he found that he believed her.
Thia is not surprised when she finds Captain Booth, Junwoo, and Desroches outside of the room when they’re finally finished with the tiny boy in the replicator.
To Junwoo and Desroches’ credit, they were least present for professional reasons. The later immediately giving Ethan a slap on the back after the confirmation of a successful repair. The former, trying to talk some sense into his superior.
Thia walked right up to Captain Booth, took his hand and placed it low on her stomach where their child currently dwelled.
“I don’t know if you can feel what I can feel, but Baby Baruch has been doing somersaults all day.” Her tone was all mock annoyance.
Alex couldn’t feel what apparently was an active baby, but he didn’t remove his hand from where Thia had placed it.
“10 hours. You’ve been in there for 10 hours.” The captain was not good at not voicing his distress.
Thia looked thoughtful. “I though it was at least 15.”
“How can you not know how much time you’ve spent in there?”
“I don’t know about time. You should know that, I’m late to every staff meeting.”
“You were on time to one.” It’s a weak argument and Alex knows it.
“Michaela told me it was 15 minutes earlier than it was.”
The captain of the Atlas looked like he had aged several years in that moment. “You were still just barely on time.”
“Exactly.” Her reply was smug.
A snicker came from behind them. Neither bothered looking in Junwoo’s direction. Ethan and Desroches had already physically moved on from the area.
“Are you,” Alex noticed how Thia shifted from one foot to the other, felt the little rhythmic movements in the hand still touching her as she moved. Almost like a dance. “You have to pee!”
Wide eyed and alarmed. “No, I don’t!”
Junwoo was fully laughing now, only stopping when he noticed that his captain and the future chief medical officer were openly glaring at him.
“What, did you think Leo was lying?” He asked, finally catching his breath enough to speak.
“That man can barely find himself without Sophie’s help, of course I thought he might be exaggerating.”
“Why are we even discussing my bathroom habits?” Thia shrugged away from Alex’s touch. “What does it matters if I pee or not?”
Junwoo’s smirk was full of amused teasing. “I don’t care whether or not you pee your jumpsuits but my dear captain sure does.”
Alex scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “We should talk. It’s dinner time. Let’s discuss over a meal.”
Thia didn’t bother refusing the rambling man. “Fine.”
They left Junwoo. The man wasted no time in seeking out Michaela, who he was sure would find the situation just as humorous as he did.