Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 31116 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31116 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
“You look a little distracted.”
“Still full of pleasure,” I admit, my face even hotter. But she smiles at me, and I find I am eagerly grinning back at her like a lovesick fool. I want nothing more than to clasp her hand again.
“Well, your day is about to either go downhill or through the roof, depending on how you handle this next part.” She takes a deep breath, then continues. “So I had a really good spring crop and was finally able to save up enough money to have a baby.”
Ah. I have heard of such things before. Did my co-worker Rektar not go through something similar recently when his Lucy wanted to have a child? They used up all of their savings to work with a fertility doctor who specializes in humans.
“Before you ask, no, I don’t have a mate. I’m just kind of tired of the same old thing and spending every day out on the farm alone, it can get lonely. I’ve always wanted a baby. Several, actually. I didn’t think it’d be possible considering alien biology and me being human.” She gestures at herself. “And I don’t see a lot of human men here. So I figured I was looking forward to a very quiet future. But then my friend Kerri said that there was a doctor who came to Port and helped humans out. That it was how Milly kept getting pregnant.”
Lady va’Rin, the lord’s wife. She’s currently pregnant with her third, I believe. Something tells me she is not using the same physician as the rest of the colonists, but I do not point this out. I wait for her to state why she is here seeking my help. Has this physician defrauded her, perhaps? Or has another colonist stolen some equipment she needs to ensure her pregnancy? I wait patiently, absorbing the details of her appearance, of her lovely skin that is the perfect shade of one of Lucy’s strange cookies, that her eyes are framed with long lashes. That the tip of her nose flexes when she smiles.
Naomi, I think dreamily. Her name is Naomi. It is a sound as lovely and pleasing as she is.
“My friend got me in with the doctor, and I brought my savings. He gave me a shot of fertility drugs and another shot of vitamins to help things take, and told me I had a week to get pregnant. I thought I’d just get artificially inseminated, you know? But apparently your people’s sperm count drops severely the moment the sperm leaves the body, so I figured heck, I’ll do it the old-fashioned way. Get a little drunk, have a little fun, call it a day. I met a guy—”
My stomach lurches unpleasantly. Is she going to tell me all about how this male got her pregnant? Or didn’t? Why do I want to punch things at the thought of another mesakkah touching her? I no longer want to hear this story…but she needs my help. It is my duty above all else. So I brace myself. “This male harmed you?”
“No! That’s the thing.” Her expression is a mixture of laughter and annoyance. “He put me off for a few days, and when I finally cornered him, he confessed that he’d fallen in love with another girl that he was helping get pregnant right before me, and so he couldn’t help me get pregnant after all.”
I laugh.
Naomi pauses and blinks at me. “Oh. Um.”
Oh no. My relief at the fact that this male did not touch her has bubbled over. “Apologies,” I blurt out. “I am glad that the trouble with the male is not of a darker nature. That is all.”
“Oh. Yeah. I guess I can see that.” She gives me a wry smile and the dimple comes out. “There’s not a lot of people here with happy stories, are there?”
“Lucy has a good story,” I immediately offer.
“Okay, then one person does,” she manages, and I realize hers must not be a happy story. My stomach curdles slightly at the realization, and I want to grab her and hide her away inside my office, where no one can ever touch her again.
Instead, all I do is clutch my data pad a little tighter. “I see.”
I see I will have to figure out an outlet for my rage once she is gone. Perhaps sparring with Paxon. I rather enjoy thrashing him.
We’re both silent for a long, uncomfortable moment. “Anyhow,” Naomi finally blurts. “I tried to line someone else up to help me out with my situation. Someone that doesn’t have any genetic abnormalities and doesn’t mind banging a human. Someone that I’m relatively confident won’t cut my throat and rob me.” She gives me a tight smile. “Doesn’t leave me many choices, which is why I’m here.”
Disappointment crashes over me. “I see. You require my assistance in finding another male that can impregnate you?” I should be flattered that she trusts the custodians enough to do such a thing. It’s a sign of our growing influence among the colonists, who used to be utterly terrified of all law enforcement. I should be happy at this sign, and instead I find myself vaguely wishing Paxon was here so I can murder him in the training room. “I will do my best.”