first_in_time | I Will Always Love You, Baby

I Will Always Love You, Baby

After she was dressed and ready for the day, Barbara Chesterton watched her reflection as she washed up the breakfast things. Alfie was late to help her but for once she didn't mind since it gave her time to think. They had celebrated Ian's running for council the night before and she felt awful to be the bearer of bad news, particularly she'd had chances before.

Once she had finished, she found Ian in the back garden with some of the boys, constructing another hammock.

"May I talk to you for a moment?" she asked once he looked free enough. Some of the boys made noises to suggest that Ian was in trouble.

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"I'm sure there's a good reason for that," he said confidently. She couldn't be pregnant, he'd taken the pills.

"I can't imagine what it could be," she said and looked up at him worriedly. "It has been like clockwork for years, and you were the one who took the pills, not me, so they can't have interfered with my body. I've made an appointment to see the doctor. Would you like to come or are you going to work on your papers for council?"

"I'll come." He wasn't worried because he was sure there would be an explanation. He looked over at where the boys were working on the hammock, with John helping - or attempting to. "Johnny will be fine with the boys for a little while."

Barbara nodded. "I'm going to leave in about an hour," she said and kissed his cheek.

"All right. We should have finish the hammock by then." He smiled comfortingly at her.

She returned the smile. "I'll come and find you if you haven't found me," she said and gave his hand a squeeze before letting go and heading back inside.

"All right." He returned to the hammock making and once it was finished the boys piled into it with a laughing John on top.

"Mrs Chesterton and I have to go out for a little bit, can you look after Johnny?" Ian asked the boys.

"Of course," they said, tickling John so he squirmed.

Ian left them to it to go and find Barbara.

"We shouldn't be too long," Barbara said to the girls as they worked in the kitchen, "but John's lunch is in the orange container in the fridge. You'll have to put him in his high chair because if he sits on a regular seat, he'll just want to climb down and wander around the room."

Barbara pulled on a jacket just as she saw Ian. She made one final check that the girls understood everything and were content, then took Ian's hand and walked with him out the door.

"The boys have been coming up with campaign ideas," Ian said, as they made their way to the doctor's. "They'd probably only work if the only voters were teenage boys," he said, chuckling.

"What have their ideas been?" Barbara asked, amused. "Giving out free sweets?"

"Something like that," he said, nodding. "They think that the dome should be permanently set on summer so the girls will always be wearing skimpy outfits, school holidays should be longer and every house should have a hammock."

"Every home should have at least one hammock but I don't know about summer and skimpy clothes. I'm getting too old for skimpy clothes." Barbara pulled Ian closer by tugging gently on his hand.

"I don't think they wanted to see you in skimpy clothes, it was more girls their age." He looked over at her with a smile, though. "I think you'd look good in skimpy clothes."

Barbara smiled back. "There aren't many girls their age in there dome. Most are older than I am. I suppose it will make things easy late on in life when they want to settle down."

"They did think the cloning policy should focus on the age and prettiness of the girls." He shook his head. "They'll calm down eventually."

"Maybe you'll be able to put forward their opinion when you're elected," Barbara said and pulled his arm around her waist.

"I'm sure it'll be taken into consideration," he said, laughing.

They turned toward the doctor's office and Barbara let Ian take his arm away so that they could get through the door and look somewhat professional.

"Mr and Mrs Chesteron!" the doctor's wine greeted them as they walked in, "I thought we were only seeing Mrs. Chesterton today?"

"We thought we might spend a little time together afterwards, so rather than going back home and coming out again, we thought it best if he came along."

"All right," she said, amiably. "If you'd like to wait, the doctor will be ready for you in a few minutes."

Ian led Barbara over to the row of seats along one wall. "Would you like me to go in there with you, or wait out here?" he asked her quietly.

"He's only going to listen to me and then ask for a urine sample," Barbara told Ian, "very dull but it's up to you.you can wait here and read something or you can make conversation with the doctor while I excuse myself."

"I'll come in," he decided. "It'll be less dull than sitting out here on my own." Or being asked awkward questions by the doctor's wife making conversation.

Barbara nodded and smiled. "If you stay out here she might try and invite you to another dinner," Barbara whispered with a grin, given that thelasst dinner they were invited to was disasterous for a number of reasons.

Ian made a face. He was all for not going to dinner with the doctor and his wife again. It wouldn't be so bad if his wife was as good a cook as she thought she was.

Dr Taylor saw a patient out and then beckoned to the Chestertons to come into his room.

Barbara led the way and sat down on a chair in the office, leaving a spare for Ian.

"What appears to be the problem, Mrs Chesterton?" The doctor asked after greeting were given.

"My cycle is roughly three weeks late, doctor. We haven't changed our diet or routine. I simply can't see why else I'd be late unless..."

"Unless you're pregnant? We can certainly test for that." He handed her a cup since she knew what to do, and Barbara left.

"She can't be pregnant," Ian told the doctor while Barbara was gone. "We've been... careful." He wasn't too sure about mentioning the pills, since they weren't officially supposed to have them.

"There are other reasons we could look at," Dr Taylor replied. "But let's rule out pregnancy first."

Ian nodded, sure they'd be ruling it out.

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