Jake's Women (Wizards) by John Booth Page B

need to know, especially pregnant ones.
    It was after I described my last encounter with Jorda that Jenny interrupted.
    “You killed twenty-two Representatives?”
    “I didn’t know the sword was going to do that. You’d think being in virtual reality would be safe.” I may have sounded a little defensive.
    Jenny patted my hand. “You have to be more careful, Jake. I don’t want to be known as the wife of Jake the Slicer .”
    “He didn’t know,” Mrs. Owens chimed in. “Retnor should have told him.”
    “I don’t think Retnor knew either,” I pointed out. “He asked for the most powerful sword the Dragons knew of and they gave him a Diabli one. Knowing them, I doubt they were the slightest bit bothered about the deaths.”
    “But others were,” Jenny said wisely.
    I nodded. “Yes, my window to escape had shortened. I’d figured out how to get out thanks to Issus, and then Fluff… Retnor recreated the tank conditions for me. But even as we were doing it, some of the dead people’s friends attacked me.”
    Jenny nodded. “That’s why he was so worried. But that was yesterday. Where have you been since then?”
    So I told them the last part of the story. Jenny sat back and I saw her relax for the first time since I had arrived. Then she rocked back as if she had been punched in the stomach.
    “The baby; it’s coming.”
    Mrs. Owens and I had a short contest over who would panic the most. I won and she was using her mobile before I was able to get my breath back.
    “Your father will be here in five minutes. I’ll get the case.”
    “I could hop you to the hospital,” I said, having recovered the power of speech and thought.
    “Jenny took a moment to wipe my brow and smile. “Dad’s car will be fast enough. You are coming with us, aren’t you?”
    “Nothing could stop me.”
     
    Every time Jenny convulsed my heart beat faster and I wanted to hop us directly to the hospital. The time between contractions was getting shorter. Her father was in high spirits, telling jokes as he drove. He was driving especially carefully and we seemed to stop at every traffic light in town, even the green ones. In some ways I was glad, but another part of me wanted to throttle him.
    It seemed to take forever to get to the hospital, but when we got there, they put Jenny into a wheel chair and we set off at a brisk pace to the maternity unit.
    “Do you want to be present at the birth?” a nurse asked.
    “He does,” Jenny replied in a tone that brooked no argument. Life had been fairly hectic during my wives pregnancies and so I’d never given it a second thought. Now it appeared I didn’t have a say in the matter anyway.
    I was pulled into the operating room, or birthing chamber, or whatever it is by one of the nurses. Jenny was offered gas from a mask which looked too much like the one I’d worn in my coffin to make me feel comfortable. I noticed a glass fronted fridge thing with bags of blood and plasma, ready and waiting. For some reason this wasn’t comforting. Then Jenny screamed and my eyes locked onto hers and stayed there.
    Seeing Jenny give birth was one of the highlights of my life. She was born to be a mother and it was an easy birth. Even the midwife said so. A doctor popped in just as my son was placed on Jenny’s tummy. He was very upbeat about it all.
    “He’s beautiful,” I said, holding onto my wife’s hand.
    “That’s because he takes after me,” Jenny said smugly. “Jake, I want you to meet your son, Merlin Morrissey.”
    “When did we decide on the name?”
    “While one of us was off trying to get himself killed, which has been most of the time I’ve been pregnant.”
    “Won’t other kids tease him?”
    Jenny laughed. “Not more than once. I suspect he’ll take after you in that regard.”
    I sat looking at my wife and baby. She looked so at peace. Then a frown covered Jenny’s face.
    A chill ran through me. “Should I call a doctor?”
    “Esmeralda, get to her,