Free Boundary 2: Threshold by Eric Flint, Ryk Spoor Page B

landing."
    "You sure you want to send both the top pilot and chief engineer down?" Jackie asked, startled. She'd already resigned herself to waiting until later.
    "Sure am, luv. Let's face it, this old wheel of tuna cans and duct tape is doing just fine, and if they have to coast home without us, well, that doesn't take fancy flying, and they're none of them stupid, so if they have to fix something they'll figure it out. Landing Feynman on a new rockball, that's not quite so simple. And A.J., Helen, and Rich all got their chance to land on a brand-new world, so I think they can wait for trip two."
    She hadn't realized how much she'd wanted to be "in" on that first landing until she found she was giving Bruce an emphatic hug. " Thank you, Bruce!" She kissed him on the cheek.
    "Hold on with that stuff, mate—Tammy might not approve," Bruce said, grinning. "Not that I mind, mind."
    "How does she put up with it?"
    "Knowing me, wouldn't you wonder how she'd put up with me if I was there all the time?" Bruce answered lightly.
    "No, really. How can you both stay married and so far apart?"
    Bruce grimaced, seeing she was serious. "It's been a fair dinkum problem, or was. See, she knew I was a pilot and I'd be going off for weeks at a time, but months—that was pushin' it. Speakin' honestly, we damn near didn't stay married. But Tammy, she's the practical sort, too. My pay's good, an' being out here I don't spend much of it, and little Stevie loves seein' her daddy on TV. Very proud of me, she is." Jackie could hear the affection in his voice, the rough edge that was like a tiny hint of tears. "Stevie was sorta an accident, but the best kind."
    "Still . . . how? I mean, I know you send them long letters, video, things like that, but . . ."
    "Oh, no doubt it's tough. But that's why we've made the decision that it ain't going to be that way anymore—thanks to Nick."
    This was something new. "Director Glendale?"
    "Yeah. You remember he called me aside a little before we left? We had a long talk. Well, actually, he did a lot of talking, and I did a lot of listening. If the IRI were a regular military or government agency, things'd be different. But Nick basically told me that there was a better way to do things. He's authorized it all. Tammy and Stevie are coming to stay."
    "Here? You mean, on board Nobel ?" Jackie demanded incredulously.
    "Well, not right this minute. But yeah, after we get back to Phobos Station, from then on they stay with me when they want to. And if I'm taking a long trip, like something to the outer part of the system might need, they get to come with me."
    Jackie knew her face reflected her astonishment. It wasn't the idea that Nicholas Glendale might have thought that far ahead for the welfare of his most important employees; that was characteristic of the charismatic and razor-sharp former paleontologist. The real issue was expense. On Earth, it was much easier to give the family of critical employees appropriate living quarters; but in space, where every ton of food, water, or air cost someone something  . . . and that issue was ten times more important on an interplanetary ship. And there were other problems, too.
    "Bruce, you know that at least some people can't take weightlessness at all, even for short periods."
    "Right, which is why ol' Nicky didn't even call me over until the family'd passed preliminaries. Tammy kept the whole thing a secret from me, too. Coulda knocked me over with a feather when I found out. Tammy wasn't too keen on it to start, but after these years seein' each other for a couple weeks at a time, and knowing how there just ain't going to be any jobs like this anywhere, ever again, she changed her mind. Because, funny thing, I still love her—more'n I did when I married her, strewth!—and hard as it is to believe, she loves me."
    "Not hard at all." Jackie said, smiling wistfully. "She's a lucky girl."
    "I'm the lucky one." He saw her half-sad smile. "Don't you fret,