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"Eksactly Dat is what I’s"

I got an uncouys to pi"

Bodo sighed "Dat’s true, yes, but I don’t think you are goingk to have a proble no"

"Think about it, Bryn," said Peter "If we could all control ourselves and do the right thing, none of us would have sex with someone of the opposite sex until our world is a better place to live in Having a baby is too big of a risk But we’re huuy could be with someone anted to have a baby and she had a way to take care of it,to be able to have sex and not worry about the consequences"

"Except for the fact that he’d have a kid out there sogesting "Not all guys would be okay with fathering a kid and then disappearing"

"No, you’re right I’ that, exactly," said Peter "I just mean that it’s a different world but we still have the sa People will still want to have da babies, even when da world is a scary place"

"It’s hardwired into our DNA to procreate," said Peter "Even when technically the ant to do things won’t ever end in procreation"

"Are you saying you want to adopt, Peter?" I asked, trying like heck to hold back hter

"Mock reat dad, though I don’t care what you say"

I reached out in the darkness and patted hihly on the head "Yes, you would You totally would I was justwith you Have you picked out a name for your baby yet?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I have," he responded sassily

"And a co-parent? Do you have one of those picked out too?" I meant it as a joke, but I knew as soon as the words left my mouth that it was a

I scooted over closer to him "I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that I’m an idiot"

"Yes, you are," he said very quietly

"Peter, listen to ed hio back and find hi into o back there Especially not for hio back and figure out what’s going on … get Trip and the rest of them over here if they want to be here"

Peter sat up "You can’t be serious!"

"Hush, dope! You want to wake everyone up?" I pushed him back down, and he ith only a little resistance "We have to go, and you know it If it were me back there, you’d come"

"Yeah, but it’s not you It’s just a bunch of idiots who didn’t back you up as far as I’et here like Rob and Paci did"

"You don’t ht? We could useus Not to mention so for a while When he did, I could al in his little head "You seriously think you could get all that stuff here and not get caught by canners?"

"I think I need to try" I wasn’t about to guarantee hi a price of souess I have soo?"

"Couple days, a week Whenever we can When a few ives s like what?"

"You’ll see" He rolled over and was soon asleep

I considered ignoring the other elephant in the room in favor of much-needed rest, but ular buthe sometimes had

"Bodo? Are you awake?" I whispered

"Yes I’uess"

"Me too" I wasn’t sure where to start

"Do you want to talk to ?"

"Yes I do, actually"

Here it comes The one … at the Aet dat?"

"Yeah, well … so deal really, but I just think I should tell you anyway"

Bodo said nothing for a long ti to feel sick by the tik to like dis, am I?"

My ears were hot with sha deal to you because it’s not to me"

"Tellup at the ceiling I wanted to stay that way so I could avoid the sha his reaction, but that was the coward’s way out I rolled ontohim I couldn’t see his expression in the darkness, but I kneas there by the heat of his breath hittingabout you being dead No one knehat had happened and what everyone saw you doing last was fighting canners right by the place that eventually was blown up and on fire"

"You thought I was deadt"

"Yes Well, no I wasn’t sure I kept telling ure out why you wouldn’t cohed "Yeah, that too"

"You know I tried, right?"

"Yes, I do now But at the time, I didn’t, you know? And as the days went by and you still didn’t show up, I got more and more depressed I don’t know … I kind of felt like I’d losthow much he would have liked you"

Bodo reached out and rubbed my arm "Thank you, Bryn I know dat is very special for you to say dat"