Nelly showed up in the doorway, wide-eyed and worried.
"Straighten that chair up."
Ari jerked and leaned to reach after the cracker box that was lying with the chair, while adults were busy. Damned if she was going to forget what she was after.
Does she or doesn't she get the cracker? No. Bad lesson. She'd better not get away with it, she'll break her neck.
Besides, Olga was a vengeful bitch.
"Stand still. Nelly, put those crackers up where she can't get them. Shut up, Ari. You take her. I'm going to the office. And if there's a scratch on her when I come back I'll"
Wide azi eyes stared at her, horrified and hurt.
"Dammit, you know. What am I going to do? I can't watch her every damn minute. Shut up, Ari." Ari was trying to lie down, hanging off her hand with her full weight. "You don't understand how active she is, Nelly. She's tricking you."
"Yes, sera." Nelly was devastated. She was out-classed. She had had all the tape showing her what a two-year-old CIT could do. Or get into. Or hurt herself with. Don't stifle her, Nelly. Don't hover. Don't not watch her. The azi was on the verge of a crisis. The azi needed a Supervisor to hug her and tell her she was doing better than the last nurse. It was not Olga's style. Jane-type shouts and Olga-type coldness were driving the more vulnerable azi to distraction. And she was spending half her time keeping the kid from killing herself, half keeping the azi from nervous collapse.
"Just get a lock installed on the damn kitchen," Jane said. Ari howled like hell if she was shut into the playroom. She hated the playroom. "Ari, stop it. Maman can't hold you."
"Yes, sera. Shall I"
"Nelly, you know your job. Just take Ari and give her a bath. She's worked up a sweat."
"Yes, sera."
The azi took Ari in hand. Ari sat down and Nelly picked her up and carried her.
Jane leaned back against the counter and stared at the ceiling. At the traditional location of God, no matter what the planet.
And Phaedra came in to say that daughter Julia was in the living room.
A second time Jane looked ceilingward. And did not shout. "Dammit, I'm a hundred thirty-four and I don't deserve this."
"Sera?"
"I'll take care of it, Phaedra. Thank you." She pushed herself away from the counter. "Go help Nelly in Ari's bathroom." She wanted to go to the office. "No. Find Ollie. Tell him calm Nelly down. Tell Nelly I shout. It's all right. Get!"
Phaedra got. Phaedra was one of her staff. Phaedra was competent. Jane walked out of the kitchen, down the hall in Phaedra's wake, and took the left turn, the glass-and-stone walk past the dining room and the library to the front living room.
Where Julia was sitting on the couch. And three-year-old Gloria was playing on the long-pile rug.
"What in hell are you doing here?" Jane asked.
Julia looked up. "I took Gloria to the dentist. Routine. I thought I'd drop by for a minute."
"You know better."
Julia's soft mouth hardened a little. "That's a fine welcome."
Jane took a deep breath and went over and sat down with her hands locked between her knees. Gloria sat up. Another baby. Meditating destruction of something. The apartment was safed for a two-year-old's reach. Gloria was a tall three. "Look, Julia. You know the situation. You're not supposed to bring Gloria in here."
"It's not like the baby was going to catch something. I was just passing by. I thought we could go out for lunch."
"That's not the point, Julia. We're being taped. You know that. I don't want any question of compromise. You understand me. You're not a child. You're twenty-two years old, and it's about time"
"I said we could go out for lunch."
With Gloria. God. Her nerves were at the breaking point. "We'll go out for lunch" Gloria was over at the bookcase. Gloria was after a piece of pottery. "Gloria, dammit!" No platythere and no three-year-old ever turned from an objective. She got up and snatched the kid back, dragged her toward the couch and Gloria started to scream. Which could carry all the way down the damn hall where another little girl was trying to drown her nurse. Jane shifted her grip and clamped her hand over Gloria's mouth. "Shut that up! Julia, dammit, get this kid out of here!"
"She's your granddaughter!"
"I don't care what she is, get her out of here!" Gloria was struggling hysterically and kicking her shin. "Out, dammit!"
Julia got that desperate, offended, out-of-breath look; came and snatched Gloria away, and Gloria, uncorked, screamed as if she was being skinned.
"Get out!" Jane shouted. "Dammit, shut her up!"
"You don't care about your own granddaughter!"
"We'll go to lunch tomorrow! Bring her! Just shut her up!"
"She's not one of the damn azi!"
"Watch your mouth! What kind of language is that?"
"You've got a granddaughter! You've got me, for God's sake, and you don't bloody care!"
Hysterical howls from Gloria.
"I'm not going to talk about it now! Out!"
"Damn you then!" Julia started crying. Gloria was still screaming. Julia grabbed Gloria up and hauled her to the door and out it.
Jane stood in the quiet and felt her stomach profoundly upset. Julia had finally got some guts. And damn near sabotaged the Project. There was not supposed to be another little girl. They were still feeling their way. Little changes in self-percept while it was forming at incremental rates could have big effects down the line. If the start was true, Ari would handle course deviations at the far end just fine.
Ari did not need to be wondering, Maman, who was that?
Ari had been an only child.
So now the damn Project had Julia's nose out of joint. Because mother was one of Julia's triggers, mother was the root of all Julia's problems, mother was what Julia was determined to succeed in being, because Julia knew that that was the one place where the great and famous Jane Strassen had messed up and Julia was sure she could do it right. Julia felt deprived in her childhood so she was going to the other extreme, ruining her own kid with smothering: that little brat knew exactly how to get everything from mama but consistency, and she needed a firm hand and a month away from mama before it was too late. Amazing how accurate hindsight could be.
v
It was patches again. Florian felt himself a little fluttery, fluttery like when things got confused. The big building and sitting on the edge of the table always made him feel that way, but he could answer when the Super asked him where the One patch went. Right over his heart. He knew that. He had a doll he could patch. But it didn't have so many.
"That's right," the Super said, and patted him. "You're an awfully good boy, Florian. You're very smart and you're very quick to do things. Can you tell me how old you are?"
Old meant big and as he got bigger and smarter the right answer meant more fingers. Right now he got to hold up the first and the next and the next, and stop. Which was hard to do without letting them all come up. When he did it right he felt good all over. The Super gave him a hug.