There had been mandatory pre-Two-delivery sessions. The one Paul and Sally attended was led by a Dr. Yaekel.
“There!” Dr. Yaekel said by way of introduction. “Now there. Is everybody here? ÂÂ-- who should be here, I mean!”
No one laughed. Ice remained unbroken. The doctor started a sign-up tablet on its way around the room. Having initially handed it to a man in the middle of the first row of chairs, a workable pass-around sequence was never established.
While this process was fumbling its way to completion, the doctor projected a slide from her youPhone. It read
1: The First Day
2: Food and Clothing
3: House-Breaking
4: Worming and Shots
5: Training and Supervision
6: Fun Things to Do with Your Two
7: Leashes and Restraints
“We’ll have lots of time for questions” she said. “After all, this is a great experience for all of you -- nurturing new life. Giving birth, as it were, to your Two, a fully adult second body. I know you’re all really thrilled, and don’t feel bad if you’re a little nervous, a little unsure.” She looked around the room as if to compare the number of thrilled with the number of unsure.