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Amelia lay in the dark, unable to sleep. It wasn't her husband's gentle snoring that was keeping her awake, nor was it the wind whistling outside, or the occasional creaking of the walls. Nor was it a matter of not being tired. It was....what was it? It seemed to be an odd, restless feeling within her, something that was troubling her mind that she couldn't place, like when you get a feeling that you've forgotten something but you can't remember what. She rolled over in bed, and was momentarily overcome by a slight dizziness. Then as quickly as the nausea came, it left.
   She lay for perhaps a few minutes, or perhaps a few hours...there was no way of telling. Finally she gave up trying to sleep and decided to grab herself a spot of tea that might help her rest. As she sat up in bed, the wave of nausea returned. She struggled to keep her head straight as she slowly climbed out of bed. Odd, how dizzy she was...she certainly wasn't usually prone to spells. Well, she only needed a cup of tea. Tea would calm her nerves. She kept thinking that to herself as she staggered out of the room, occasionally gripping onto a wall for support.
   Sitting on the sofa while sipping tea, the nausea was a bit better, but it hadn't totally vanished. Neither had that restless sensation inside her. She breathed slowly and deeply and attempted to concentrate on the tea, but she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss. Perhaps an old war injury was coming back to her. Perhaps she hadn't been eating right. Perhaps she was having difficulty adjusting to the married life. Or perhaps....

   "Amelia? Amelia, wake up!"
Amelia slowly opened her eyes to find herself looking at Doppler, dressed in his bathrobe with one hand on her shoulder.
   "Huh?" she said drowsily.
   "Er....I hope you got up in the middle of the night and fell asleep on the sofa," said Doppler. "Otherwise, you sleepwalked down here."
   "Would you care to rephrase that, Delbert?" Amelia glared with tired eyes.
   "Well....you weren't in bed, so I assumed you had gotten up before me....but then I came down here and found you asleep on the sofa. So what happened, exactly?"
   Amelia glanced to the side to see that she was indeed on the sofa. At first she wondered how she had gotten there, but then she remembered the circumstances that had caused her to get up in the night and get herself some tea.
   "Er...I was unable to relax last night, so naturally I thought a spot of tea would soothe me," she said. "But apparatly, its effect carried through rather swiftly."
   Doppler nodded, thinking that it was probably best to not press the matter further.

   Doppler wasn't usually one to offer his wife advice in her personal business, but it was impossible not to notice her strange behavior at the breakfast table. She downed five glasses of purp juice, and wasn't touching the food on her plate. She was unusually quiet, and occasionally she would swoon slightly and clutch her head.
   "Amelia, honey..." Doppler said after clearing his throat, "....are you feeling all right?"
   "Perfectly fine, Delbert," replied Amelia. That wasn't entirely true; the dizziness from the night before still dwelled in her head, but if she told her husband that he would be panic-struck.
   "Um....are you sure?" Doppler persuaded.
   Amelia glared at him. "I don't recall ever asking you to evaluate my health." She poured herself another glass of purp juice.
   "Fine, forgive me for being concerned that you're not eating anything," sneered Doppler.
   "My diet happens to be my business," snapped Amelia as she downed the purp juice.
   Doppler raised a brow. "You know, one can't survive on purp juice alone. And besides, cravings are usually associated with something...." He trailed off as the possibility hit him.
   The possibility simultainiously hit Amelia, though she brushed it off a second later. She cleared her throat. "Well, anyway......where might our guests be?"
   "I believe Jim's still in bed; he was up late studying for the Acadamy. And Sarah's out getting some groceries."
   "Ah, yes," said Amelia. "I should probably get myself used to this form of silence for when the inn's rebuilt." Jim and his mother were staying with Doppler and Amelia while the Benbow Inn was being rebuilt.
   "Altering the subject," Amelia continued, "the Legacy's in good condition for her next voyage. I reckon I might be getting a new first mate before long, though I've managed these past months without one."
   Doppler nodded as he pretended to be interested in what she was saying. A few minutes later, he decided to try a different approach.
   "Um, Amelia," he said, "do you...have any plans for this afternoon?"
   "Nothing in particular."
   "Well then.....this is merely a suggestion...but you might want to see a doctor this afternoon. Er....a medical doctor, I mean."
   "And why do you suggest that?"
   "Er....well....you know....mating, it occasionally....bears results?" Doppler fumbled. "Um...I mean...it's just one simple test, and the sooner you know the better..."
   "What are you saying exactly?" Amelia glared.
   "Well...Amelia...do you think it's possible that you're....?" He glanced significantly at her stomach.
   Amelia's eyes widened as he spoke. For a moment she appeared to be struck speechless.
   "Well....do you?" Doppler persisted.
   "Delbert..." Amelia finally said, "..normally you're able to offer solid advice, but with the greatest possible respect, that is a HORRIBLE notion!"
   Doppler sighed. "Look, in all my scientific studies I have never once heard of any evidence that the laws of reproduction are different for feline spacers, that's all. Now on Planet Vetunis, that's different; they reproduce by splitting in half, but your kind, and my kind too, for that matter..."
   Amelia raised a hand to hush him. She was showing no emotion, but secretly she was desperately hoping that he was wrong. All her life she had been a fighter, an explorer, an adventurer, a commander, and most of all, a capable, fearless spacer.
   But she didn't think she could ever be a mother.

Continued