Chapter Two
"I was Above, an hour ago." The Council members stared at Father, knowing it took a very serious event to make him leave the tunnels. "Catherine asked to see me and I have a request to make on her behalf."
He watched his son as he spoke, and was relieved to find only mild curiosity in his eyes. Now that Vincent had recovered that name didn't seem to distress him as it once had. "Catherine..." he explained "...is a Helper."
Vincent nodded, thinking it had to be a comparatively recent helper, since he didn't remember her, but a very special one indeed. He'd never known Father to go Above before!
Father continued. "In the months past, Catherine has proven more than once how attached she is to our community. More than once she's been there for us in times of great need. Now she's the one in need of our help. Due to unexpected circumstances, which she wishes to keep to herself, she asks to be allowed to come and live Below.
That caused some surprise. "Catherine wants to come here?" Pascal asked. "But I thought that..."
"Yes, but things have changed." Father cut in. He waited for a second, and then dropped his bombshell "Catherine is pregnant. AND..." he raised his voice over the tumult of exclamations and waited for silence to come back before going on "...it would be best that no questions be asked, nor speculations be made, on that matter." He saw comprehension dawn on the first stunned faces, and noticed that they carefully avoided looking at Vincent as they swallowed back their questions and silently digested all the implications of the news. One by one, they nodded their understanding.
"How is she, Father?" Mary inquired.
"Not very well, I'm afraid."
"I bet she isn't eating right!" William boomed. "When is she coming?"
"The day after tomorrow."
"Then I must start planning my special pregnancy diet for her!" He stormed out of the chamber.
"Shall I make a special announcement on the pipes?" Pascal asked.
Father thought that over for a second. "Yes, but only about her coming, and her request for privacy. The rest can be handled more privately."
Pascal nodded and left.
"What chamber are we going to give her?" Mary wondered. "The one where she slept last time is much too far away for a future mother! She needs to be close in case there's an emergency... Oh, I know! Joshua and Kevin have been pestering me for months to let them join the boys' dormitory. I think they're big enough, now, and their chamber would be just perfect!"
"Then she'll need a real bed instead of those little cots the kids sleep in." Cullen broke in. "I'm currently repairing a beautiful one I found in a storage chamber. I think I can have it finished in time, if I hurry." He rose.
Mary, on her way to the door, turned to him. "Good! You remind me I must think of the bedding, too! She'll need a good mattress. I have a quilt that I never used and..." Her voice faded when they exited the chamber, which quickly emptied as the other Council members thought of urgent things to do and left, leaving Vincent and Father alone.
"It would seem that the ayes have it...." Vincent softly said.
"Definitely!" Father answered, grinning.
Vincent shook his head, bewildered. It was the strangest Council Meeting he'd ever attended. They were usually rather formal (he'd even overheard some people use the word 'pompous', though never when Father could hear) and important matters, like admitting a topsider in their midst, were always submitted to a vote. Well, he reflected, people had voted, in a fashion, by rushing out of the chamber to start preparing for the new-comer's arrival, as if it were evident to them that the answer could only be "Aye!"...Almost more puzzling was the way Father seemed to condone that breach of rules. Had things changed so much in his world during the time that was now lost to him?
"Father?"
"Yes, Vincent?" The tunnel leader restrained a smile at his son's bemused expression. He hadn't quite expected the Council members to be that enthusiastic, but it was a good thing. First because Catherine could certainly use all the warm welcomes and pampering she could get. And also because it would be hard for her to face Vincent's rather solemn, if kind, politeness. Now she had him intrigued, and interested, which was confirmed by Vincent's request.
"Please, could you tell me more about....Catherine?" Father noted the hesitation and slight frown as his son said the name he hadn't pronounced for so long. "You said she's a Helper, but I can see there's more to it. She seems to be... dearly thought of by the people Below..."
"You're right, Vincent. Catherine is more than a Helper. She's a dear friend, and though she's never really lived here, we consider her as one of us. She's a friend of Peter's, and works for the District Attorney's office."
"You said she helped our world in times of dire need?"
Father took a few moments to recall what Vincent did and didn't know about what had happened in those years he couldn't remember.
"Catherine is the one who brought Eric to us, after rescuing him from a bad children's home. She also brought Lena Below, and persuaded her to stay here after she gave birth to little Cathy. The child was named after her."
Vincent nodded, waiting for more.
"When the plague struck us, not only did she help Peter bring down medicines, she also stayed Below to care for the sick. Little Ellie, Eric's sister, died in her arms." Father went on. He hesitated for a second, looking into his son's still expectant eyes. His next revelation might be pushing things a bit, but...oh, well, a little nudge in the right direction couldn't hurt! "You remember I told you about that cave-in in the Maze, where you and I were trapped? Well, it was Catherine who managed to obtain, in a very short time, the explosives and other things Mouse needed to set us free."
Vincent looked struck. "She... saved our lives?" He remained silent for a moment, concentrating, but his efforts brought nothing else than the now familiar headache and uneasy, faintly nauseous feeling. He sat down in Father's big armchair, breathing deeply to fight a sudden dizziness.
"Vincent? Are you all right?"
Vincent looked up to his parent's worried face, utterly discouraged. "Oh, Father! I owe Catherine my life, and I can't even remember her!"
Father patted his son's arms reassuringly. "Don't worry about that, and please don't make yourself sick again by trying to force things. I understand how frustrating it can be, but you know what Peter said: you must be patient! I'm sure that, with time, you'll have your memory back!"
Vincent reluctantly nodded, wishing he was sure of that, too, then a thought struck him.
"Father, how come I haven't heard about Catherine before today?"
Father restrained a smile again. His son's curiosity seemed to be sufficiently aroused to even chase away self-pity. Good. "She hasn't visited us for a while. Events in her life were taking her on a different path..."
"Did she change her mind because of her...condition?"
"Catherine..." Father answered in a stern tone "...would not claim shelter Below without serious reasons. However, those reasons are only hers to reveal, if and when she so chooses."
Vincent took the mild rebuke with a nod, and rose. " Perhaps I should go and see if Mary or Cullen need some help."
"Good idea!" Father agreed.