I could stay. I was staying. This was where I was.
Okafor paused on the face one more time.
"She's looking at us," I said.
"She's responding to the probe pressure," Okafor said. "The auditory structures are developed enough now that she's aware of sound in the room." She paused. "But she's also oriented toward the sound, yes. Which is either a reflex or a preference. At twenty-four weeks we don't distinguish between those with confidence."
"She has a preference," I said.
Okafor looked at me over her glasses. "The Moonhaven bloodline's relationship with the biological literature has been a consistent source of interest to me," she said, in the precise dry tone that I had learned was her version of warmth. "The literature and the bloodline appear to be in ongoing negotiation."
"The blo
