He banged his gavel and climbed down from the bench. Toni and counselor Gheisar led Juna out of the courtroom, followed by her family and Analin Goudrian.
“Is there anything you need back at the jail?” Toni asked.
Juna shook her head. Her lawyer had her clothes.
“Well, then, you’re free to go.”
“Thank you, Toni. If I ever have to be arrested again, I hope you’re the one who does it.”
“Do me a favor,” Toni told her, “don’t stick me with this job again.” She squeezed Juna’s shoulder. “Keep out of trouble, okay?”
“I’ll do my best, Toni,” Juna said with a smile.
“You should make a statement to the press,” Analin urged her. “Otherwise they’ll be all over you at the farm.”
“Analin’s managed to keep them away from us so far,” her father said, “but they’ve pestered the neighbors pretty badly. It’s worse than when word first came out about the Tendu.”
“I’ve had to deputize almost a dozen people just to deal with these reporters,” Sheriff Hiller complained. “I’ll be glad when the shuttle gets here.”
“Analin, why don’t we announce a press conference at the shuttle station?” Juna said. “Once we’re through, Sheriff Hiller can keep them there until it’s time to leave. Then they won’t be bothering the neighbors in the middle of harvest.”
“It might work, if we can schedule it correctly.”
“I could provide transport to the shuttle terminal,” Sheriff Hiller offered. “My grandfather is the local historian. He’d be happy to say a word or two about the station.”
Juna met Toni’s eye, and the sheriff winked at her. Juna fought back a laugh. Grandpa Hiller’s long-windedness was notorious. Listening to him rattle on was almost more punishment than the reporters deserved.
“That’s very thoughtful of you, Sheriff,” Analin said.
The sheriff shrugged. “They’re tying up the roads. It’ll help ease congestion.”
Clearly Grandpa Hiller had outdone himself. The reporters looked slightly dazed when they got off the bus at the press conference. It took ten minutes for them to recover enough to begin asking really probing questions, and Analin was able to bring the press conference to a close after a few more minutes. One of the deputies dropped Juna at home, and she slipped quietly upstairs and gratefully into bed, even though it was only the middle of the afternoon. She was so sleepy lately. She felt like a bear, slipping in and out of hibernation.
She was awakened around dusk by a comm call.
“Good evening, Dr. Saari, I’m Counselor Tatiana Kon-stantin, from the Survey’s legal department. As you know, the Survey is most concerned about the situation that you are in, and we are doing everything in our power to help you. We’ve arranged for the charges to be dropped as soon as your pregnancy is terminated.”
Juna felt the rising hope in her fall away at the lawyer’s last words. She clutched the edge of the table and took a deep breath, reining in her anger. “There seems to be some misunderstanding here. I’m planning on keeping the baby.”
“I see,” the woman said, obviously surprised. “You realize that you are not allowed on active duty while you are pregnant?”
“That clause in my contract refers only to space travel and hazardous duty.”
“Your duties with the Tendu will require considerable travel.”
“Then I guess we’re both in a bind, aren’t we?” Juna said. “We’ll have to work out a compromise that will enable me to continue to work for the Survey.”
“That may be quite difficult, Dr. Saari.”
“I understand that,” Juna replied, “but Moki and Uka-tonen need my help and support, and I can best help them by remaining in the Survey.” She smiled inwardly. The Survey wasn’t the only one who could deal in veiled threats. “It would be a shame if I was forced to retire because the Survey was unable to work around the needs of me and my child.”
“I see. We will need to reconsider our position in this matter.”
“Yes, we will,” Juna said. “The Tendu and I need to have a say in the Survey’s plans for us.”
“I’m sure we’ll take your needs into account, Dr. Saari.”
“How can you do that if we’re not included in the decision-making process?” Juna demanded.
“I’m sure we’ll discuss your request, Dr. Saari,” the woman said. “I’ll talk to the director, and set up a meeting with you after your leave is up.”
“Thank you,” Juna said, doing her best to sound grateful. “We look forward to discussing our plans with you.”
“You’re welcome, Dr. Saari,” she said, and signed off.
Juna sat back with a weary sigh, rubbing her forehead. She was bone-weary. Even though she had just wrung a concession from the intransigent Survey bureaucrats, it did not feel like a victory.
There was a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
It was Anetta, carrying a tray laden with food.
“You’ve had a long hard day, dear, so I brought your dinner up on a tray. I made you pea soup. When you’re done with that, there’s roast chicken and spanakopeta,” she said, setting the tray down on the desk.
“Thank you, Tati.” Juna said gratefully. She really was too tired to go downstairs to eat.
“I remember when I was pregnant with my first.” Her aunt paused a moment, her eyes shadowed, remembering her family, lost in the war. In that moment she looked truly, frighteningly old. “I was so tired I could hardly move for the first couple of months. And you’ve had a very hard day.”
“Netta-Tati, do you think I’m being selfish?”
“Selfish, Juna? Why on earth would you think that?”
“For having this child, all by myself, without planning it. I ask myself why I want a child, and nothing comes back. All I know is that I want this child. Maybe it’s for all the wrong reasons.”
Anetta reached out and took Juna’s hands. “When I was young, surprise children happened a lot more often. A lot of women stopped the pregnancy, and for them it was a difficult choice, but the right one. But some women wanted to keep their children, and somehow they made room for them, even when it was hard. Juna, you want that child. Don’t let anyone talk you out of it. You have all of us behind you, and we’ll make it all work out somehow. It won’t be easy— children never are. But most worthwhile things are difficult.”
“Thank you, Netta.”
Anetta reached down and hugged her. “You’re like a daughter to me, Juna.”
Juna looked at her aunt’s kind face, seamed by time. She had helped fill the hole left in Juna’s life by the death of her mother. “You helped bring me back to life after the camps, Tdti” she said. “I was so afraid for so long.”
“We helped each other, Juna. That was a bad time for us all. Some days I thought the cloud would never leave us. It was like that when Toivo was hurt, too. Your father— ” She shook her head. “I thought your father was going to go crazy. Then Toivo pulled out of it. The doctors performed miracles, but it was Toivo’s stubborn spirit that made the difference. He just refused to die. Then, when he found how bad it was, it was your father and Selena who wouldn’t let go of him, who made him live.”
“I wish I’d been here when Toivo was injured,” Juna said regretfully. “The worst part was knowing he was hurt, and not being able to do anything.”
“But you brought the Tendu and their miracles, and soon he’ll walk again. He hasn’t been this happy since the accident. And that baby will be another miracle,” she said. “You’ve given us so much, veljentytar” She stood. “Now, eat your dinner before it gets cold.”