Noah's Ark: Encounters by Harry Dayle Page B

and began fiddling absent-mindedly with his shoelaces.
    “Only until he’s fit enough to take the team back under his wing. He’s doing remarkably well, actually. For his age, I’m impressed. He’s a real fighter.”
    “That’s Grau alright.”
    Vardy sat forward in the chair, scratching the back of his neck. “Listen, Jake, I thought I should let you know about a couple who just came to see me. It’s a delicate matter. Victoria and Dan Mitchell.”
    “Okay?”
    “Victoria is pregnant.”
    Jake’s head snapped up. His eyes narrowed and he stared at the doctor. “Really? I don’t remember anyone declaring pregnancy on the census. I mean, we didn’t ask the question, not outright, but I would have thought if someone was expecting, they might have mentioned it.”
    “Well that’s why the matter is delicate. Victoria didn’t complete the census.”
    Jake leaned back in his chair. “Okay. And how did that happen?”
    “Because she should never have been on the ship. You see, she’s not just pregnant. She’s very pregnant. She’s at thirty-six weeks. That’s about eight and a half months, Jake. She’s pretty much at term.”
    “Gosh. Right. We don’t allow pregnant women in their third trimester to book a cruise. Pelagios had that as a condition. Non-negotiable. All the cruise lines had that as a condition. It’s a standard thing. We don’t want to be dealing with newborn babies in the middle of the ocean.”
    “Exactly. Which is why she hid during the census. Apparently she was terrified of being thrown off, or punished in some way. She lied on her booking form, and because she’s very slight, and the baby is small, she could get away with it. For a two-week holiday, anyway. With baggy enough clothes I can well imagine that nobody noticed. Not two months ago. But now? Now it’s very obvious.”
    “I see. Did she really think we would throw her off the ship? After the world ended?”
    “Apparently. They’re a very young and naive couple. And to be fair, before you found the Ambush and the food at Faslane, things weren’t looking good. If there was going to be any kind of tier system for allocating rations, I can understand that Victoria would expect to find herself at the bottom, given she is on board under false pretences. She’s been hiding out ever since, hardly leaving her cabin. On the plus side, it meant they avoided the virus entirely.”
    Jake stood up and walked to the window. He stared out at the sea. They had left the English Channel and were heading out into the Atlantic. Land was no longer visible with the naked eye. He knew that the land offered no sanctuary now, but it still gave him a feeling of security knowing it was within striking distance. Being out in the ocean brought home how cut off they were, how entirely dependent on their own resources. “You ever delivered a baby, Russell?”
    “Actually, I have, although only the one. It was an unexpected event, on board an aircraft in fact. I was the only medically trained professional on board. A terribly messy business it was. Fortunately Carrie, one of our newer nurses, has previously worked as a midwife, so I have no major concerns when it comes to the birth. It would have been reassuring if we had ultrasound equipment and an incubator available. Alas that is not the case. The ship was never designed for such an eventuality.”
    “If she missed the census, this Victoria, how has she been getting rations?”
    Vardy stood and joined Jake at the window. “Her husband, Dan, has been giving her his. He’s been living off any scraps he can find in the restaurants, so he tells me. Young love, eh?”
    “People leave leftovers?”
    “Believe it or not, they do. Perhaps we should look at reducing the size of the rations!”
    “I don’t want to bring about a mutiny. Not again. Where is this couple now?”
    “They’ve gone back to their cabin. I gave Victoria a quick check-up and she is in good health. I’ve asked her to come