Luis chuckled. “They’re paying me for two more hours to replace some valves. Sorry about the surprise. I know I’m keeping you from your work, but this rocketry gig offered me double my usual rate. And it’s good experience for the club. I’ll stop by the hospital on my way home.”

She could forgive him for double pay. “It’s all right. I have smaller tasks I can do without flow. You’ll return in four hours, then?”

“Definitely.”

She muted the audio and minimized his feed. The lack of progress on her project was frustrating, but at least she didn’t have to hide in the bathroom for her appointment. She stretched and got a glass of water before opening a call channel with her gynecologist. They spent two minutes exchanging pleasantries about Carma before getting to business.

“You are definitely pregnant, four and a half weeks along. And now that I’m aware of your pregnancy, I’m obligated to track your pill usage,” the doctor said. She gestured apologetically. “Legal reasons that didn’t exist when you were pregnant the first time. I know you’re better informed than most and won’t take risks, but I have to follow procedure. I’ll need your permission to install a tracker with your agent.”

“Permission granted,” Nithya said. “Though you shouldn’t need it for long. I’d like to terminate.”

“Oh? Can I ask why?”

“Because we depend on my income. My husband isn’t getting as many gigs as he used to, and I’ve built my reputation these last five years. If I drop this project unfinished, Synaxel won’t contract with me again. They’re the biggest funders of juver designs, and they’ve been reliably giving me work for two years now.”

“Okay,” her doctor said with a smile. “You don’t have to convince me. I was idly curious.”

Nithya tried to return the expression.

“You’ll need a combination of termination drugs and monitoring pills so I can check for complications. I can send the authorization to your kitchen. You’ll be able to dispense at your convenience. Plan to take a day for—oh, one moment. It looks like I need co-permission from your husband.”

“What?”

A document popped into Nithya’s view.

“Sorry, my system only now flagged it. Because your spouse is also a legal resident of Arizona, USA, the law there requires that you obtain his consent before you can terminate a pregnancy. Have him record it on this document and send it over. I don’t need to speak with him.”

“Okay.”

“As I was saying, plan for a day of rest after the initial dosage. You should be fine to resume your activities after that.”

“Thank you.”