“I don’t know the assigned gender yet.” She’d avoided finding out the physical sex—she didn’t mind either way. She would have cared, if they were still back on Earth. Where having a girl meant she would be born into a world where her chances of doing what she wanted with her life were smaller and shrinking each day.

Valerie snorted. “I’ll say ‘she’ until you know for sure, then. I will maybe—maybe—concede to Nan.” She squeezed past Naomi and strode out of her room. Their meeting had concluded, but she was all business. “Come on, then. Time for you to tell the others.”

Later, Naomi went to her room, leaving the others to discuss it among themselves.

It’d gone smoother than she’d hoped. Hart had long suspected Naomi would keep the child. Hixon and Lebedeva seemed surprised. Hixon was delighted; Lebedeva markedly cooler at the news.

“You’ll need more food,” she’d said. “Did you calculate this?”

“Two extra nutriblocks a day. Well within parameters.” It wouldn’t have been, if they had defrosted the backup crew and one had been viable. She shoved away any guilt.

Hixon had held up her hands. “Eat as many of those bricks as you like.”

Lebedeva had shrugged, gone back to her meal, and that had pretty much been the end of it. Naomi had no desire to be a fly on the wall. Hart would anticipate how the news would change the balance of the interpersonal relationships and be there if anyone needed to talk to her. Naomi had no idea if Hart and Hixon had ever wanted children.

Despite living on top of each other in a ship hurtling through space, they had avoided a lot of personal questions. They were wary of sparking fights or unintentionally opening old wounds when they needed to try and rely on each other. At the same time, if they let things fester, they were bound to bubble up at some point.

Naomi lay back on the bed, pressing her feet together like the pages of a book, letting her knees fall open. It helped ease the pressure on her lower back, but she was never comfortable. She’d have some relief if she went down to the main body of the ship, if only she could bring herself to.

She’d needed supplies from the Crypt for days but kept putting it off. The cryopods were still there, a stark reminder. She had to stay strong and focus. Cole was gone. She’d said her goodbyes.