"If you want you can put a pillow on the floor."

"I want to hold Kalatha and I want her on the bed, I'm not sure how to navigate you."

"I'm not going to sleep on the floor when we don't know when we'll next have a bed. If you want to hold Kalatha then you should sleep on the bed too."

She nods. She puts the scrub rag away.

They can go to their preindustrial alien hotel room.

It's better than sleeping on the side of the road, especially since it rains that night. Kalatha's a mediocre sleeper but they can get a few hours in despite many instances of Shasali getting up and pacing till she'll consent to sleep again.

It's actually easier in some ways to sleep with a baby right there. Helps with the missing his husband. He thinks he might be getting used to Shasali touching things. 

In the morning Shasali helps the innkeeper make breakfast and then they get to eat breakfast. Shasali teaches him some words she picked up in the kitchen.

Words are good. Maybe soon they'll have enough to ask some of their questions. 

He goes out and listens to people some more. Practices sentences until they mostly stick.

Stops by the daycare to ask if they are hiring. "Pay people watch babies?"

"Oh, yes, there's an application - can you read -"

"Not read the common."

"I can give you the application aloud." And she does - wants name, address, creche of upbringing, references.

"Creche of upbringing?"

"Yes, where were you raised -? It wasn't this one, I've been here long enough to know."

"Foreign, no creche of upbringing."

Blink. "I think they have creches abroad."

"Not abroad. More foreign. Anitam."

"What do they do in Anitam?"

"People want babies. People want babies so much."

"...for what?"

....is there a baby around so he can demonstrate.

Bunches. There's a just shy of toddler one tugging on his pant leg.

Holding them up in the air and beaming at them! Counting their tiny tiny toes! Blowing air in their faces so they giggle and giggle! Kissing their tummies! Dangling them upside down which for some reason delights them! Snuggling them close and not feeling utterly bereft and empty! This is what Amentans want babies for.

The creche worker scrawls something in the empty fields on the application and says he's hired.

"Thank you! Also Shasali is from Anitam."