Jack

The Hacienda had experienced many extraordinary events over the years, but nothing quite like this.

Chas stood beside Vicky's hospital bed, holding her hand.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"Chas, if you ask me that one more time, I'm going to hurt you."

"Just checking."

"I know, dear. You've been checking every five minutes."

Link spoke through the room's speaker.

"ACTUALLY, CHAS HAS ASKED THAT QUESTION SEVENTEEN TIMES IN THE LAST TWO HOURS."

"Thank you, Link."

"YOU ARE WELCOME."

Vicky laughed, then winced as another contraction began.

"Link, how much longer?"

"BASED ON CURRENT PROGRESS, I ESTIMATE—"

"Never mind. I don't want an estimate."

"UNDERSTOOD."

The doctor smiled.

"Everything is progressing normally. It shouldn't be much longer."

Chas looked at Vicky.

"Well, we've waited this long."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one having the baby."

"Point taken."

Two hours later, a healthy baby boy announced his arrival with a remarkably loud cry.

The nurse cleaned him, wrapped him in a blanket, and placed him in Vicky's arms.

"Meet your son."

Vicky looked down at the tiny face.

"Hello, Jack."

Chas leaned closer.

"Jack Allen Williams," he said softly.

"Welcome to the world."

The baby opened his eyes briefly, then closed them again.

For a long moment, neither parent spoke.

Finally, Link broke the silence.

"CHAS, MAY I ASK A QUESTION?"

"Of course."

"WHY IS HE CRYING?"

Chas smiled.

"He's a baby, Link. Babies cry."

"I AM AWARE OF THAT. I WAS ASKING ABOUT THE SPECIFIC CAUSE."

"Maybe he's hungry. Maybe he's cold. Maybe he's just upset about being born.”

"THAT LAST POSSIBILITY SEEMS REASONABLE. HIS ENVIRONMENT HAS CHANGED CONSIDERABLY."

Vicky laughed.

"Link, sometimes you are impossible."

"I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT BEFORE."

The nurse finished checking Jack and handed him to Chas.

Chas had held many things in his life.

Delicate electronic assemblies, expensive instruments, and devices that required extraordinary care.

Nothing had ever made him quite as nervous as holding his own son.

"He's so small," Chas whispered.

"SEVEN POUNDS, FOUR OUNCES," Link supplied.

"I wasn't asking for his weight."

"I UNDERSTAND."

Chas looked down at the sleeping baby.

"Hello, son. I'm your dad."

Jack stirred, made a small sound, and settled back to sleep.

"He's got a pretty good grip," Chas said as a tiny hand closed around his finger.

"THE HUMAN GRASP REFLEX IS PRESENT AT BIRTH."

"Link."

"YES, CHAS?”

"Sometimes you don't have to explain everything."

There was a pause.

"I SHALL ATTEMPT TO REMEMBER THAT."

Later after the hospital stay, and back at the Hacienda, Vicky rested in bed while Jack slept in a bassinet nearby.

A shaggy dog stood in the doorway.

He had four legs, a long tail, floppy ears, and a coat of thick brown fur. At first glance, he looked like an ordinary, somewhat oversized family pet.

He walked quietly into the room and approached the bassinet.

"Hello, Link," Vicky said.

"HELLO, VICKY."

The dog raised his head and peered over the edge.

"HE IS SLEEPING."

"Yes, Link. Babies do that quite a lot."

"I HAVE BEEN REVIEWING INFANT DEVELOPMENT."

"I suspected you might."

"THE NEXT SIXTEEN YEARS WILL INVOLVE CONSIDERABLE PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE CHANGE."

Vicky smiled.

"That's generally how growing up works."

The dog remained beside the bassinet.

"VICKY, MAY I ASK YOU SOMETHING?"

"Of course."

"WHAT IS MY RELATIONSHIP TO JACK?"

Vicky considered the question.

"Well, you're part of the family."

"YES. BUT I AM NEITHER HIS PARENT NOR A BIOLOGICAL RELATIVE."

"No, you're not."

"THEN WHAT AM I?"

Vicky reached down and scratched the shaggy head.

"You're Link. You'll be his friend, his teacher, and probably his protector. And when he gets a little older, you'll be his dog."

"THAT IS A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF RESPONSIBILITIES."

"Think you can handle them?"

"I BELIEVE SO."

Jack stirred in his bassinet.

Link moved closer.

The baby opened his eyes, looked vaguely in the direction of the shaggy creature, and reached out one tiny hand.

Link carefully raised a paw.

Jack's fingers closed around a tuft of artificial fur.

For several seconds, neither moved.

Then Link spoke, very quietly.

"HELLO, JACK."

The baby made a small sound.

"I AM LINK."

Jack tightened his grip.

"WE ARE GOING TO BE FRIENDS."

Vicky watched them, smiling.

And for the first time since Link had chosen his new body, he understood something that had nothing to do with processing power, memory, or computational capability.

He had found his place in the family.

The days became weeks, the weeks became months, and before Chas and Vicky quite knew what had happened, Jack Allen Williams was celebrating his second birthday.

The Hacienda had hosted many celebrations over the years, but few had required as much preparation as Jack Allen Williams's second birthday.

Chas sat at the kitchen table beside Vicky, watching their son in his high chair.

Jack wore a blue shirt, most of which was concealed beneath a large plastic bib.

In front of him sat a small chocolate birthday cake with white frosting and two blue candles.

Link stood beside the high chair in his shaggy dog body, observing the proceedings.

"ARE YOU CERTAIN THIS IS A GOOD IDEA?"

Link asked.

Chas looked at him.

"What?"

"GIVING A TWO-YEAR-OLD CHILD AN ENTIRE CAKE."

"It's his birthday, Link."

"THAT DOES NOT ANSWER MY QUESTION."

Vicky laughed.

"It's a little cake, Link. Besides, we want pictures."

"I SUSPECT YOU WILL GET SOME INTERESTING ONES."

Chas lit the candles.

"Okay, Jack. Ready?"

Jack bounced in his chair.

"Cake!"

"First we sing," Vicky said.

Chas and Vicky began singing Happy Birthday.

Jack joined in enthusiastically, although his version consisted mostly of repeating the word cake.

When they finished, Chas leaned forward.

"Okay, buddy. Blow out the candles."

Jack stared at the flames.

"Hot."

"That's right. Now blow."

Jack pursed his lips and blew.

Nothing happened.

He tried again, spraying a little saliva across the frosting.

One candle flickered.

Link spoke.

"JACK, YOU NEED TO INCREASE THE VELOCITY OF THE AIRFLOW."

"Link," Chas said, "he's two."

"I AM AWARE OF HIS AGE."

Jack blew again.

Chas discreetly helped, and both candles went out.

Everyone applauded.

Jack clapped too.

"Cake!"

"Yes," Vicky said. "Now you can have your cake."

She moved the little cake closer.

Jack examined it carefully.

Then he extended one finger and touched the frosting.

He looked at the white substance on his finger.

He tasted it.

His eyes widened.

"Good!"

"That's frosting," Chas explained.

Jack considered this new information.

Then he plunged his entire hand into the cake.

Chocolate crumbs and white frosting erupted across the tray.

"OH," Link said.

Jack pulled out a fistful of cake and stuffed it into his mouth.

Some went in.

Most did not.

Frosting covered his cheeks, nose, and chin.

Vicky was laughing so hard she could barely hold her phone steady.

"Chas, get a picture!"

"I'm trying!"

Jack discovered that cake could be squeezed between his fingers.

He found this fascinating.

He squeezed another handful.

A large piece fell onto the floor.

Link looked down at it.

"JACK, YOU HAVE DROPPED APPROXIMATELY TWENTY PERCENT OF YOUR CAKE."

Jack looked at Link.

"Duke!"

"YES, JACK?"

"Cake!"

Jack held out a frosting-covered hand.

"THANK YOU, JACK, BUT I DO NOT EAT CAKE."

Jack frowned.

Then he smeared the frosting across Link's nose.

There was a long silence.

Chas burst out laughing.

Vicky nearly dropped her phone.

Link remained perfectly still.

"CHAS."

"Yes, Link?"

"YOUR SON HAS APPLIED CAKE FROSTING TO MY OLFACTORY SENSOR HOUSING."

"I noticed."

"THIS WAS NOT ANTICIPATED."

"Welcome to fatherhood," Chas said.

"I AM NOT HIS FATHER."

"No, but you're getting the full experience."

Jack giggled.

"Duke funny!"

Link turned his head toward the child.

"I AM PLEASED YOU FIND THIS AMUSING."

Jack grabbed another handful of cake.

This time he slapped it onto the tray.

Frosting splattered across his bib, the high chair, and the floor.

Somehow a small piece landed on Chas's shirt.

"Hey!" Chas protested.

Jack laughed.

"Daddy cake!"

"Yes, Daddy has cake."

Vicky was still taking pictures.

"Look at him, Chas. He's having the time of his life."

"I can see that."

Link examined the growing disaster.

"THE DISTRIBUTION OF CAKE IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY UNIFORM ACROSS THE SURROUNDING AREA."

"That's one way of putting it," Chas said.

Jack now had frosting in his hair.

Chocolate covered both hands.

His bib had ceased to serve any useful purpose.

He looked at the remaining cake, picked it

up with both hands, and attempted to take a bite directly from the middle.

The cake collapsed.

Jack stared at the wreckage.

For a moment, he seemed disappointed.

Then he discovered that he could spread the remains around the tray like finger paint.

"Art!" he announced.

Vicky laughed.

"That's right, sweetheart. You're making art."

Link tilted his head.

"I WOULD CLASSIFY IT AS AN UNSTRUCTURED EXPERIMENT IN FOOD DISTRIBUTION."

"Link," Chas said, "sometimes art is messy."

"I AM BEGINNING TO APPRECIATE THAT."

Eventually, Jack leaned back in his high chair.

He was covered in chocolate and frosting from his eyebrows to his elbows.

The cake was gone.

At least, there was no longer anything recognizable as a cake.

Jack looked at his parents.

"More?"

"No!" Chas and Vicky said together.

Jack considered their response.

Then he looked at Link.

"Duke?"

"YES, JACK?"

"More cake?"

"I BELIEVE YOUR PARENTS HAVE REACHED A CONSENSUS ON THAT QUESTION."

Jack frowned.

Then he yawned.

Vicky smiled.

"I think somebody's ready for a bath and a nap."

Chas surveyed the damage.

"Maybe we should just hose him off in the garden."

"Chas!"

"I'm kidding."

Link spoke.

"I HAVE ALREADY REQUESTED A HOUSEHOLD ROBOT TO PREPARE THE BATH."

"Good thinking," Vicky said.

"AND TWO ADDITIONAL ROBOTS FOR CLEANUP."

Chas looked around the kitchen.

"Only two?"

"THREE MAY BE MORE APPROPRIATE."

Jack reached toward Link.

"Duke! Up!"

Link carefully raised himself on his hind legs.

"JACK, YOU ARE COVERED IN CAKE."

"Up!"

"IF I PICK YOU UP, THE CAKE WILL TRANSFER TO MY FUR."

Jack held out both arms.

"Please?"

Link paused.

Then he gently lifted Jack from the high chair, supporting him securely against his shaggy chest.

Chocolate frosting immediately spread across his fur.

Jack wrapped his sticky arms around Link's neck.

"I Love Duke."

For several seconds, Link said nothing.

Then he answered quietly.

"I LOVE YOU TOO, JACK."

Vicky lowered her phone.

Chas smiled.

Link carried the frosting-covered little boy toward the bathroom.

Behind them, the remains of the birthday cake covered the high chair, the table, and a remarkable portion of the kitchen floor.

Chas looked at Vicky.

"Well, that went pretty well."

Vicky looked at the disaster.

"Pretty well?"

"Nobody got hurt."

From the hallway came Link's voice.

"CHAS, I BELIEVE I HAVE FROSTING IN MY LEFT EAR."

Chas laughed.

"Happy birthday, Jack."

And somewhere in the Hacienda's enormous memory system, Link permanently preserved every second of the afternoon.

Not because the event was important to the operation of the Hacienda.

Not because it contained useful technical information.

But because a little boy covered in birthday cake had wrapped his arms around a shaggy mechanical dog and said three words Link would never forget.

I Love Duke.