Page 5 of Olivia

“Well, I have a great feeling about today,” Olivia bubbled. “I just know I’m pregnant. I have the most wonderful sense of peace. I think it’s a girl.”

Was she laying it on too thick?

Sarsai nodded, her lips pressed together, and gestured for Olivia to step into the nearest room. Olivia followed her lead, and found two comfortable chairs and a table with a lamp and a box of tissues. The walls were painted a mournful blue.

She didn’t have to be a top-level computer hacker to piece together this wasn’t a room a person was brought to for good news.

“Have a seat,” Sarsai told her, tapping her bracelet.

Olivia sat as a hologram winked into the space over Sarsai’s wrist.

Sarsai’s eyes moved across the light, but Olivia assumed she was only pretending to read. There wasreally only one word that mattered. Olivia prepared herself to act properly surprised and saddened.

“Olivia,” Sarsai said, with real tears in her eyes. “I know how hopeful you were. I’m so sorry that I don’t have good news for you.”

Maybe it was Sarsai’s sincerity, but the weight of sadness fell on Olivia’s chest all over again and she found herself genuinely weeping.

This time, thankfully, her emotions didn’t launch her into theatrics. She simply let her face fall into her hands and wept until she was out of tears. When she looked up, Sarsai was holding out a box of tissues.

“When can I try again?” Olivia asked.

“These procedures are grueling,” Sarsai told her. “As you know. It’s best to take a few months off to recover.”

“I can’t take time off,” Olivia said, her voice shaking slightly. “I’m strong, I can do another one.”

“Some things in life are not in our control,” Sarsai said carefully.

“And other things are,” Olivia replied. “Mother Stars will decide when my time is here, but I won’t slow her down with wasted months.”

That made Sarsai smile.

“Let me talk to the finance team,” she said, patting Olivia’s knee as she got up.

A few minutes later, a man from finance was there, holding out a reader with the cost of another full session loaded. Olivia tapped her bracelet to pay, and the reader barked out a noise that clearly meant rejection.

“That can’t be right,” she said, hoping she sounded desperate instead of smug.

She’d been a little worried that the bank might approve her on overdraft since she had always had decent credit.

“Try again,” the man said, holding out the reader.

Once more, the reader rejected the payment.

“Oh, no,” Olivia moaned, letting the tears come again. “I have to have another treatment. Ihaveto.”

“I’m sorry,” the man said simply, folding the reader back into his glass. “Come back as soon as you have the funds and we’ll be glad to help.”

“Don’t you haveanyother option for me?” Olivia wailed.

She closed her mouth and let her question hang in the air between them.

Please, she prayed to Mother Stars.Let them take me.

The man observed her for what felt like forever, tilting his head to the side slightly, as if considering something.

“Wait here a moment,” he said.

Olivia nodded.