Oh, but the babysitter-she came from outside, she must have been covered in spores.Įllie ran out from the bathroom, dripping wet and wrapped in a towel. Oskar was allergic to spores, and she didn’t want to make his symptoms any worse. Cold water poured down around her skin, and she scrubbed until she was red to be sure she got rid of all the spores. Satisfied that Marybeth could take care of Lexi, Ellie went to the bathroom and took a shower. “It would be better if you could move on, Ellie. Marybeth carefully unwound Lexi’s outermost blanket and put it in the laundry hamper. “Oskar hired you to watch Lexi? Do you do laundry, too? Her blankets are a mess.” “Well, I’m glad they came nine months ago and not now,” Ellie said, wiping the tray of the highchair with the food-smeared napkin. Once they realized the planet was inhabited, they undid the damage as best they could, but they came too late for the elderly and the very young.” Nine months ago the Eridani seeded the planet with spores. She’s a bit of a mess right now.” Ellie dabbed at the blankets with a napkin, then added, embarrassed, “She’s a bit young for it, but I tried to feed her.” You must be Ellie.”Įllie nodded, “And this is Lexi. “Your husband gave me a key,” the woman said, “I’m Marybeth. Someone knocked on the door, unlocked it, and came inside. Four months was too early for solids and the entire jar ended up on the blankets rather than in the baby. When she went to get the formula, she could pick up an antihistamine for him.Įllie put Lexi in the high chair, still swaddled in blankets, and tried to spoon-feed her pureed peas.
She wondered if his allergies were acting up. Oskar’s eyes were teary when he turned to leave the room. “A little extra help around the house will be nice,” Ellie said. She lost her wife to the sporefall, so maybe you two can help each other get through your grief.”
I’ve hired a caretaker to help you get by without me, her name is Marybeth. She didn’t even answer the letter I sent about Lexi. There’s a caravan heading down to L.A., and I haven’t heard a thing from Jessica since sporefall. Oskar leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “If you’re too busy to watch the baby you should say so.” The pain is bad enough without reliving it with you every day.”Įllie frowned. I know how hard this is, but I can’t do this anymore. “Sporefall killed all the birds,” Oskar said, his voice bitter, “and we don’t need formula. Their apartment was on the third floor, and it had a lovely view of the treetops. Ellie opened the blinds, but the window was covered in white paint, making it impossible to see outside. Lexi’s room was dark, and the light switch wasn’t working. She wished he would confide in her about it, but he didn’t like to burden her with his problems. Oskar came in and gave her the same sad look he’d worn all week. “Come and hold the baby for a bit, I need to go out and buy formula.” She tried to rearrange the swaddling blankets so they didn’t cover Lexi’s face, but every time she moved the blankets, all she saw underneath was another layer of blankets. There hadn’t been a birthday party, and thirteen-month-olds didn’t need swaddling. Lexi was four months old, or maybe thirteen months? Ellie shook her head. She sang a quiet lullaby and cradled her swaddled infant in her arms. Ellie huddled in the corner of her daughter’s room.