“Dad!" "Jack!" They cried out in unison
“My girls, my beautiful girls” he said, giving Bella flashbacks of Big G.
While the call was secure and private — meaning NASA wouldn't be listening — that didn't mean they could talk freely. Jack was on a ship in space with three other people - it wasn't like they could just step outside to give him privacy.
Not wanting to waste time on idle chit-chat — they only had about fifteen minutes — he told them about the launch itself, how it felt, and that while the capsule was comfortable it was a bit cold, and that sleeping in a floating sleeping bag was taking some getting used to.
Piper and Sloane told him about school, how tennis and dance lessons were going, and how Primmy and Daisy had chased a squirrel up a tree — the squirrel, they reported, was not happy. Bella told Jack about the pre-orders, and he said he was so happy for her. She remembered to pass on Jerome's moon rock request — and when Jack relayed it to Margie, her laughter carried clearly over the call.
Bella held up her feet so he could see her shoes — Tory Burch flats in satin blue with little stars and moons embroidered on them. She heard him laugh.
When it was time to wrap up, Jack told the girls he loved them and would check his emails in the morning so they could write to him with anything, then asked for a moment of privacy with Bella.
"What's your state?" he asked, using the pilot shorthand they'd agreed on — a status check, arranged in advance as a way to communicate without the girls knowing if something was wrong.
"I'm Five by Five and as fragged," Bella replied.
Five by Five — the gold standard for radio clarity. As fragged — doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing and doing it well.
"Roger. Bravo Zulu," Jack said, that slow smile crossing his face.
"I love you, Isabella Marie Genovese."
“I love you too, Jack Patrick Calloway.”
Bella sat there for a few minutes after the call ended, letting it settle, then asked the girls if they wanted to join her and the dogs for a walk before dinner. Gathering the leashes, they went outside — all three of them pausing instinctively to look up at the sky before moving on.
Later that night, after the kitchen had been cleaned and the dogs taken out for their last potty break, Bella locked up, set the alarm, showered quickly, and climbed into Jack's side of the bed in her pajama bottoms and his shirt. As she reached over to turn off the light she heard Piper's voice from the doorway.
"Bella? Is it okay if I sleep in here with you tonight?"
Bella could see the events of the last few days finally catching up to her.
"You don't snore, do you?" she asked teasingly. "Of course not — this is a huge bed. Plenty of room."
Piper climbed in. A few minutes later Sloane appeared in the doorway.
"Is there room for me?"
Bella moved over to make room. She was just reaching for the light when she heard a familiar snuffling from the floor — and looked over to find both Primrose and Daisy staring up at her hopefully.
"Fine — there's room for you two as well."
She sighed, leaned down, and lifted both Corgis onto the bed, turned off the light, and for the first night in ages, slept.
With email communication now established, Bella sent Jack short daily updates even though she knew there would be delays in him receiving and that he had a short, allotted time each day to read them and reply. And she was looking forward to themoon landing and her phone calls with her very own ‘man on the moon’ while he was on the surface.
The day of the moon landing they gathered around the television — Sloane and Piper on either side of Bella, the dogs somehow sensing the gravity of the moment and settling quietly at their feet.
They watched the landing at the Lunar South Pole, where the astronauts would explore, collect samples, conduct scientific experiments and test technology for future Mars missions. Bella and the girls held hands so tightly their knuckles went white as they watched the Human Landing System make its way to the surface — executed flawlessly, Mike at the controls, calm and precise. Elena would stay on the Aurora, keeping it in orbit while the others were on the moon.
The HLS — which they had named Penelope — would be the crew's home for three days on the lunar surface. Much bigger than the old Apollo-era landers, it had individual sleeping pods, two separate decks, dual airlocks for moonwalks, advanced life support systems, and dedicated areas for science research and sample analysis.
Bella knew it would be several hours before the crew stepped outside. They had a scheduled series of tasks to complete first — a post-landing check to ensure the spacecraft was safe and operational for eventual departure, followed by a simulated launch countdown to verify all systems were functional before committing to a stay. That would be followed by donning their suits and running detailed pressure checks to confirm there were no leaks.
The hatch opened.
Eight hours. They had watched every moment of it — the post-landing checks, the suit preparations, the systems verifications — barely speaking, barely breathing.
