58.

'Who would ever have thought it? I'm a dad ...' George speaks out loud as he switches attention from looking at a bundle of joy in his arms to smiling at the lady next to him.

She smiles back, a smile which completely melts his heart. In the blink of an eye one moment becomes another and awakes in his bed.

'What the hell was that?' he asks himself.

Coming out of a dream and waking to reality right here and now is almost like stepping through a door as if both experienced moments are real but one was surely some kind of dream, right? Whatever that was, it has faded, indeed just like a dream might during the moment of waking. Being able to remember or not, or stepping out of a dream moment, something seriously is quite wrong.

***

For cleaning crew number thirty-two things seriously changed after that extremely strange moment of theirs. If only one of the brother like friends had witnessed, it then that would be one thing worthy of debate but both of them? Badger and Angus, they both witnessed the presence of a quite different and very pregnant Sheila and the things she had said too, disturbing to say the least. If only they could know that this is not the only odd moment currently being thought about.

During the very next work shift after the visiting pregnant Sheila incident, hardly a word was spoken. Sheila, in her current form, knows nothing of any strange goings on at all and the guys were not gonna say anything no matter how badly they wanted to. Sure, what could they really tell her? ... That they were visited by an alternate and pregnant version of Sheila herself? No, they would sound completely mad, and Sheila would not believe a word of it unless she had experienced something strange too. Perhaps she has, though as far as Badger and Angus know, she hasn't.

Indeed, as far as either of the guys know, Sheila had not experienced anything odd or strange, well not yet anyway, there was that moment however when she had apparently vanished prior to her alternate's arrival. Where did she go, if she had gone anywhere at all? And what, if anything, does she know of it? If there is anything up with her, it would appear that she too would be keeping quiet.

This particular shift passes quietly and swiftly, and their list of duties were performed in record time, well record time for these three anyway, lack of distraction being what it is, or distraction creating focus. It would be their following shift when things returned to the land of all things weird and insane. Sheila not turning up on time is nothing new, odd, or strange though she never before had been more than a couple minutes late.

While they had a minute of two to themselves Badger and Angus would have themselves a conversation with which they should have had long before this particular moment.

'So, any ideas as to what really happened?' asks Angus.

'Why ask me? I had put it down to my former whiskey drinking days. Thought they were coming back to haunt me but guess not. You did experience it too ...'

'I did. We haven't properly talked about her yet either, I know you like her, and I know you know that I like her too. Who do you think the father of her unborn is?'

'All messing aside, I have no idea. I can't imagine it being either of us but then again.'

'Why not?'

'I know we haven't really discussed things before now but I'm a hundred percent sure that we would have discussed things long before it would go as far to either of us becoming a father ... it isn't either of us, then again I may be wrong.'

'Yeah, it is neither of you guys' speaks Sheila, a very pregnant Sheila, once again arriving from apparently out of nowhere. 'I care about you both deeply. In all honesty neither of you will be around when I ... ya know ... take on a lodger.'

The version of Sheila that Badger and Angus have come across once before is back and indeed she is more pregnant than before, so much so that it looks like she could pop, so to speak, at any moment, in fact pop is what she is about to do for no sooner has she spoke what she has spoken her waters break. No time to inquire as to what she meant by what she had said, something else is to take priority.

'Oh, good God almighty ...' speaks Badger.

There is a moment of pause, a moment which is broken when a moan comes from a pang of labour. Both Badger and Angus open their eyes wide before they scurry to be at either side of a future version of their friend and work mate. Together they make their way to the medical facility as efficiently as they can.

Doctor Aaron Gray is on duty as the three 'amigos' arrive with a fourth passenger and this very much so comes as a shock to the Doc. Neither he nor anyone else connected with the medical facility know anything of anyone on board being anywhere near nine months pregnant. Of course, Maria's daughter Cindy is pregnant but not nine months pregnant. With there being no time to debate anything, usual labour questions would be asked.

Safe to say that cleaning crew number thirty-two would not be covering the shift they were assigned to cover. Time passes fairly quickly until a healthy baby girl is born, the first child to be born on The Pathfinder. Just as delivery is complete Sheila has something to tell Badger. She whispers his name, and he comes close.

'She is going to ask you to help her ...'

'Who is?' asks Badger.

'Listen; there is no time to waste. You have got to turn her down. Don't agree with anything. If you do aid her then you die, you and Angus will die. Helping her only leads to both your deaths ...'

'What ... what are you saying? ...'

In this moment a lady enters the medical facility, someone Badger and Angus know well. With an arrival a disappearance might be expected. A disappearance still may occur but not as of yet. How is any of this possible? If the guys weren't confused enough already, they are now.

***

For everything, it is said, there is a reason and the reason Sheila had not been on time for her most recent cleaning shift was that she had been a little distracted in the mess hall as she was to meet with a certain young Mister George Jones. She had seen him on a few occasions and on each occasion, she had seen him he had been on his own.

On a number of occasions this fellow with whom she has noticed has appeared sad and down in the dumps. In this moment he looks a little more upbeat though he still is on his own. With the intention of leaving the mess hall, Sheila comes into close proximity with George.

'Do you mind if I ask you a question?' she asks.

'Sure, fire away.'

'Do you have any family aboard?'

At this particular moment Sheila is standing by the table which George had been sitting alone at which in turn is not so far from the mess hall exit. George looks up at Sheila and responds.

'Nope, just me ...'

'I don't mean to intrude or anything, it's just that each time I see you, you are alone ...'

'Ah, don't worry about me, I have a lot going on here, I even have a security position.'

'Really?'

'Oh yeah, so for me all is well. Just need to have the odd moment to take it all in.'

'Good, well my name is Sheila so if you ever see me around and fancy saying hi, do that, alright?'

'Cool, I will, thank you. I'm George by the way.'

'Take care George and don't forget to say hi ...'

Sheila moves on and heads to the pre-arranged meeting point to begin her shift. She realizes that she is running late though still fully expects to see the guys waiting for her. She has no idea as to what or even who has taken them away from that meeting point. Instead, she assumes they have begun without her especially with how the last shift went.

No note or message of any kind has been left for her and it is only after a second coming together with George that she begins to make her way to the medical facility for George tells her of what he has been hearing since they talked only moments ago in the mess hall. He told her that someone was about to give birth to a child.

Whether it is time itself or something cosmic in nature, Sheila felt something. Whatever exactly is happening in the medical facility, it is calling for her, she felt the need to be there, so to the medical facility is where she goes. A little girl is indeed soon born, healthy and strong.

Badger, Angus, Aaron, medical staff, and anyone else in the vicinity, including a lady by the name Many Anand, all watch on in amazement. The present time Sheila moves slowly towards her laying counterpart. They lock eyes for a moment before looking at Badger and Angus. It's so odd; many things could be said or asked though everyone remains silent. Both standing any laying Sheila look at each other once again before clasping hands and in this moment laying Sheila speaks to her ... other self.

'Watch these two guys, alright? ... Especially Badger.'

Laying Sheila shifts her gaze to look directly at another person in the room as if only noticing her presence for the first time. A moment or two passes before standing and laying Sheila both vanish, vanish to where? Who the hell knows? What has happened leaves those in attendance at a complete loss.

There are so many questions now to which may never be answered. Stanger still, at the very moment future and present Sheila vanish, George is hit by a feeling, a compulsion. That dream he had; it couldn't have been a real moment. However, anything may currently seem, George now has a need to be in the medical facility. Once there he takes the new-born child into his arms and speaks.

'I think we should name her ... Sheila ...'

Badger and Angus look at one another; lost as lost can be ...