Patting his ribs on the right, he grins. "Sure. I'm all healed up now. She can have a go at the guy with green hair. I hear he makes a hell of a target."

He wonders whatever happened to not being able to stand kids, pets, and women with attitude. Used to be a pretty damn good saying, but now... hell, he can't imagine himself saying it. At least not within earshot of Beth or of Junior and, since it takes up way too much energy to be duplicitous, that means he'll just quit saying it altogether.

His hand moves from his ribs to settle around Beth's waist

(hey, Slim, you've got a waist again)

and he gives her a little squeeze. "I think the universe's best baby is also the universe's best sleeper. Sleep, sleep, sleep: hell, she even puts me to shame." Jet once told him he sure did sleep a lot. But in space where there's no day and no night and no reason for keeping a regular clock, who gives a shit? No one. A guy sleeps when he can.

Here, it's different. He'd love to lie down and sleep, but Junior's too fascinating. Also, she wakes up a lot but still, he'd rather hang around and watch her than almost anything else.

Almost. His hand on Beth's waist stakes its claim.