Page 55 of Fall

Then she wondered how Desh was doing. She missedhim often. The tribe wasn’t quite the same place without him.

When she’d left, he hadn’t yet known whathe was going to do. She wondered if he would go back to school, be the academiche’d been before.

Life had changed him too—and hopefully itwas for the better.

On that thought, Lenna looked up and sawRone coming into the cave, making his way to the bed. It was dinner time, butLenna had left early to nurse the baby in peace.

The Kroo didn’t care about privacy—foranything—but it was easier nursing when she didn’t have dozens of interestedeyes on her.

Healthy babies were rare enough thateveryone was still fascinated.

Rone was smiling as he lowered himself tosit beside her. “Baby good?”

“Baby good,” she replied, using her freehand to stroke the soft forehead. Feeling unusually soft, she leaned towardRone, pleased when he wrapped his arm around her.

“Baby hungry,” Rone said, a faint trace ofawe in his tone as he watched their daughter nurse.

Lenna laughed. “Yes.” She tilted her headdown and adjusted her arm so she could press a little kiss on the infant’shead. “Hungry like Rone.”

Rone made a huff that could have been teasingindignation.

She leaned over and pressed a kiss on hisjaw.

He held his face in place so she wouldkiss it again.

Relaxing against him, she changedpositions so the baby could suckle from her other breast.

They were silent for a few minutes, exceptfor a few gurgles and slurps from their daughter.

After a while, Lenna finally put intowords a question she’d been wondering for the last two weeks. “Rone glad babygirl?”

The question evidently surprised Rone. Heturned his head toward her with a jerk.

“Rone glad babygirl?” she askedagain, placing more emphasis on the last word to make sure he understood whathe was asking.

She really didn’t know what he would feel.This was still a male-dominated society—even though Rone himself had changed inways she never would have imagined when she’d first met him.

Rone turned his eyes back to theirdaughter. “Yes,” he murmured. “Rone glad.”

“Lenna glad.” She stroked the tiny headwith her fingertips again. If their baby had been a boy, he would have lefttheir tribe when he hit puberty. As much as Lenna tried to really feel part ofthe Kroo, she would have hated that.

“Girl stay,” Rone said, as if he’d readher mind. “No leave. Rone glad. Babyhome.”

Lenna couldn’t have said it betterherself.

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