Calculated Entrapment

range of data transmission and save us on trips.”
Stefanie nodded. “Nice. That’d be awesome. I mean, it might not save a ton of money, but it’d still be fun to see if it would help.”
“Glad you feel that way.” Nash crossed his arms. “Someone in the management chain declared it a distraction, which I heard directly from Cole.”
Stefanie shook her head in disbelief. “Research is not a distraction, it’s our jobs. Well, now that I’m here, I’ll go to bat for the team. Send me your proposal, and between you and me, we’ll figure it out, okay?” She started to visualize how she’d put it in her presentation. Whoever didn’t realize that the research team needed to actually do research was definitely going to need a presentation.
“Deal.” Nash grinned. “Thanks, boss. Nice to be working with you again.”
“It’s good to be here. And just Stef is fine.”
“You got it, boss. Stef.” Nash pushed his hair out of his eyes and went straight back into the lab.
Stefanie tapped her fingers on her desk, thinking of how she’d phrase the request. Well, she hadn’t gotten this job by being a shrinking violet. Although, it was odd that Nash’s request had been turned down without further explanation, especially considering how much time the OEG spent talking to the press about their groundbreaking research. Well, every office had its own politics and the Oceanic Exploration Group couldn’t be that different. Maybe she just had to nudge them a little to help Nash get some more momentum. And in the meantime, there were plenty of spare parts in the lab to prove they could do a lot with even a little funding.

5
Ree Ryland-Mitchell flipped the lock on the front door of her new house, nearly exactly halfway between her work at Indiana Polytechnic and the FBI Chicago field office. After everything she’d been through with Parker and his team at the FBI, Ree was fastidious about security. Today, she’d taken a half-day at home and would soon drive to Indiana Polytechnic for her office hours. While it was a longer commute than her old house near campus, she loved everything else about the location. They’d found a cute little place in a friendly neighborhood and purchased it in time to tweak it to their preferences before construction was finished. The next owners might raise an eyebrow at the gun safe built into the wall, but if it was up to Ree, they wouldn’t be selling the house for a very long time. Ree checked her purse for her car keys, and after several seconds of digging, she came up empty. She checked again. Ree usually kept them in their own small pocket of her meticulously-organized handbag, but she must have tossed them in the larger part of the bag. While she prided herself on having all of her metaphorical ducks neatly in their rows, the last few weeks had brought changes to Ree’s life that had sent those ducks into a tailspin. After looking in just about every room in their house, she finally spotted her color-coded key ring on the kitchen counter. Phew. She wasn’t completely losing it. Ree walked over to pick them up and startled when the door to the garage opened. Her husband, FBI Special Agent Parker Mitchell, walked in, crossed the room, and gave her a kiss. “Hey honey, I’m home.”
Ree grinned against his lips. “Hi there. You’re home early. I’m still not quite used to getting to see you every day.”
He pulled back but kept his arms wrapped around her waist. “Yeah, but getting used to it has been a lot of fun.”
“We may have had a little too much fun. It’s been affecting me all morning.” Ree swatted at him.
“I’m sorry you don’t feel well.” Parker leaned his forehead against hers. “But, I’m not sorry we had a great honeymoon, Dr. Ryland-Mitchell.”
She laughed. “Glad to hear it. Now I just need you to stop strutting around like a peacock.” She meant to smile at Parker but a rush of nausea rose up, fast and furious. She froze for a moment and Parker jumped out of her path just in the nick of time. Ree made a beeline to the toilet with her hand over her mouth and she did something that was the opposite of how she felt toward her husband. Once she thought she was done, she lifted her head and shouted, “You know I love you, but don’t even think about coming in here.” Ree heaved again.
Parker’s voice came from just outside the door. “Can I get you some water? Or crackers?”
Ree leaned her head against the wall and said weakly, “I’m fine.”
“Wouldn’t suggest otherwise.” When the feeling had passed, Ree rose and brushed her teeth. The doctor assured her that her occasional nausea was normal and her pregnancy was proceeding as billions of pregnancies had before. It was not nearly as reassuring as her doctor had probably intended it to be. Once convinced this wave of “normal pregnancy” was tamed enough, she sighed and left the bathroom. Parker met her in the hallway with a glass of water. “I love you. You are strong and incredible. And glowing.”
“I think you mean I’m sweating, but thank you all the same.” Ree put the back of her hand to her forehead. “Throwing up after you kissed me really wasn’t personal. I still think you’re hot, if it helps.” The sheen of sweat on her brow was probably less than convincing.
Parker pulled her to his side, giving her a gentle squeeze. “Thank you, but that’s not the thing I’m worried about. You have a long afternoon ahead. Have you told anyone at work yet?”
Ree sighed. “I mean, we just found out, so I’m still processing. But yeah, I will soon. Matt has already noticed that I’ve gone running from our shared office space to the restroom at least once a day.” Dr. Matt Brown wasn’t just a colleague and friend, he’d also helped out on previous