Caitlyn and the Alien Protector (Intergalactic Brides 7) (3 page)

They entered the store and Bane grabbed a shopping cart. “You’ll want one too. I have a feeling that as much as you’re going to need, it will take two baskets to hold everything. And even that might not be enough.”

Good thing there’s plenty of money in the bank.
No one had ever warned him how expensive children were, but as the baskets filled up, he realized his wee daughter could very well empty his bank account given time. He arranged for a toddler bed and mattress, along with a matching dresser to be delivered later that night, which had cost quite a bit. The store had tried to schedule the delivery for the following week, but Cosmir was determined his daughter would have a bed to sleep in tonight.

He’d never realized how many clothes someone so little would need. Katy now had more clothes than he owned, by at least triple the amount, and Ari told him he’d probably still need to buy a few things later on. Just how much stuff did one tiny little girl need? It wasn’t until they reached the toy aisle that Katy’s little eyes lit up and she squirmed to get down.

“Let her pick out what she wants,” Cosmir said as Ari reached for the little girl again. “At least that way I’ll know she likes it.”

Of course, when he’d said that, he hadn’t realized that Katy was going to pick up a soft, white bunny with satin-lined ears and then ignore everything else in the store. He’d planned to buy enough toys to fill a room, but she seemed hesitant. Bane and Ari picked out a few more things, and Cosmir even asked their daughter to pick out a few things for Katy. In the end, it took both his SUV and Bane’s to get everything loaded and back to his house.

As the last of the things were brought into the house, Bane rubbed his hands together. “What else do you need? You’ll need a place for her bedroom furniture. Is there a place for it already or do we need to move things around?”

“I have an empty room. It’s the furthest from my bedroom, but I think it will be fine.”

“Just remember to put the baby gate across her bedroom door at night so she won’t wander the house if she wakes up before you. And she’ll need to be changed right before bed and right after.”

“Now that I have a car seat, I can take her to the grocery store with me. Thanks for the list of toddler approved foods.”

Bane smiled. “We’re in town for a few days if you have any questions, and there’s a chance we may move here. Ari misses being on Earth around other humans, and I think it would be good for our daughter to experience a bit of her mother’s heritage. I’ve been in negotiations with your council to allow the Tourmaline males to have access to the bridal candidates. I’m not sure if they’ll approve it or not, but your race isn’t the only one that will die out without an infusion of alien females. Humans are the most compatible with the Tourmaline, Zelthranites, and Drelthenes.”

“It would be good for all of us to work together to repopulate our planets. This world has so many single females that it wouldn’t bother me to share with other races. Hopefully, my council will feel the same way. I would hate for females to be abducted from this world because we can’t all get along.”

Bane snorted. “Abductions already happen. Between pirates, the Vaadens, and my own people, women go missing from this world all the time. The key is not to take so many that it stands out, just one or two here and there, spread out throughout the year. Now that aliens have made themselves known to the humans, it’s not as easy to take off with a woman. For one, they’ve lost the element of surprise.”

“I want to raise my daughter in a safe environment. Since she’s half-human, there are those who would be interested in claiming her. If we continue to make Earth our home, I will fight to make this world a better place for females.”

Bane smiled.

“Perhaps there are others who feel the same as the two of you,” Ari said. “What if you reached out to others here on Earth and formed your own council? You could then petition the Zelthranite government to take more of a stand in protecting the females of my world, maybe even form a special Army tasked with keeping Earth safe. What would it hurt to have ships orbit Earth to keep the pirates away?”

Cosmir grinned. “You have one smart female.”

“I definitely got lucky when Ari became mine. I’m sure you’ll find your mate, Cosmir. I know you feel like it’s not likely to happen now that you’re a single father, but you’d be surprised at how attractive human females find males who are the sole caregiver to a small child.”

“While I think Katy needs a mother, I don’t want a mate who is only interested in me because of my daughter. I want someone who will love both of us.”

Ari nodded. “I’m sure she’s out there, just waiting to meet you. Or maybe you’ve already met her.”

With that cryptic statement, Ari gave him a smile and walked off, with Bane and their daughter trailing behind. Cosmir buckled Katy into her new car seat, and hoped he’d be able to get her back out. If what he’d learned today was any indication, his next stop was the grocery store. He’d created a list in his phone of approved toddler foods and had a feeling it was going to cost another small fortune to get everything Katy needed.

One thing was for certain, this daddy thing was going to be a bit of an adjustment. Cosmir watched over other people as part of his training, but he’d never been solely responsible for someone before, especially someone so small that she couldn’t take care of herself. He only hoped he didn’t screw it up.

The fire blazed around Caitlyn, the heat from the flames making her skin feel like it was going to peel from her bones. Caitlyn coughed as she inhaled another lungful of smoke. The window across the room was open and she made her way to it, hoping and praying someone below would hear her over the roar of the fire. Every step felt labored and she wondered if she would make it. The smoke was thick and heavy in the air and it burned her lungs with each breath she took.

Bracing her hands on the windowsill, she leaned her head out and tried to call for help, but she only made a croaking sound. The smoke inhalation had affected her throat and she was unable to speak above a whisper. How could she get someone’s attention if she couldn’t yell?

Caitlyn looked around and saw a water glass on the table beside her. Picking it up, she immediately dropped it, silently screaming in agony as the flesh on her fingers and palm burned from the heat.
Stupid, stupid, stupid
! Why hadn’t she thought about the glass being hot? Anything she touched would likely scorch her.

Once more she looked out the window, begging the people below in silent entreaty to look up and notice her, to see that she was still trapped in the building. The fire had spread down her hall rapidly and when she’d opened the door mere moments after the alarms went off, she’d been greeted with a wall of flames. The doorknob searing her palm should’ve been a clue, but she’d been desperate to escape the building, like the rest of the residents.

The red lights of the fire truck parked below caught her eye. Three men were diligently working on putting out the flames, but two more held back, checking on the inhabitants of the building, probably reassuring them that help was on the way. Even with the sound of the fire roaring behind her, she could hear the ambulance siren as it drew nearer. She knew her brother was likely one of the men below, but she doubted he’d realized she was stuck in her apartment. He’d called earlier, wanting to hang out, but she’d cried off, giving him an excuse of having a girls’ night out planned.

When she’d given up hope, relegated herself to becoming Caitlyn barbeque, one of the firemen looked up. He nudged the other one and pointed to her before yelling something at the others. Even from this distance she could tell he was different from the others. His skin was a lavender color and she knew immediately that he was a Terran, probably the one she’d met at the station. One of the men on the hose ran for the truck and a moment later, the ladder started swinging her way.

From up here, she couldn’t tell which man was her brother, or if any of them were. She’d expected to see him racing her way, but it surprised her when the alien took the initiative to come after her. The Terran began climbing the ladder once it perched precariously against her windowsill. She watched the metal shimmy and shake as he made one step after another toward her, giving her hope that she’d make it after all. When he reached the top, he stepped over the sill and gently took her arm. She coughed, hard enough that she thought she’d cracked something, and he steadied her, offering her his mask so she could breathe easier. She had a feeling he was breaking protocol, but she was thankful for the oxygen. She gulped in as much as she could, then handed it back to him.

The firefighter stepped back over the sill and onto the ladder. Holding out his hand, he helped her alight in front of him. With his arms sheltering her, she made her way down the ladder, her heart racing in her chest. She wouldn’t feel truly safe until her feet were firmly planted on the ground. Another cough consumed her, racking her body until her lungs burned and her eyes watered. The alien behind her soothed her as best he could and helped ease her further down the ladder. Her feet finally touched the ground and she breathed a sigh of relief, only to end up coughing again.

The ambulance had arrived and a paramedic rushed to her aid, practically carrying her to the white and red van. He settled her on the gurney and gave her oxygen before checking her vitals. Caitlyn knew he was asking her questions, but all she could hear was a roaring in her ears. He turned and it looked like he shouted something out to the people gathered nearby her brother rushed over. She saw his lips moving and thought she recognized her name, but had no clue what they were talking about. Jake reached for her, smoothing her hair back from her face, his hand trembling, probably from his fear for her safety.

The fireman who’d helped her down the ladder came over, presumably to check on her. She wanted to thank him, to tell him how grateful she was for saving her life, but with the oxygen mask in place she couldn’t. Even without the mask, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to speak well enough to be heard.

The paramedic climbed into the back of the van and closed the doors before settling next to her. He gave her a reassuring smile and then she felt the lurch of the vehicle as it began moving. She assumed they were taking her to the hospital, which must mean she was worse off than she thought. There was nothing for it but to wait and see what happened. Maybe the doctor would release her tonight. She frowned. If he did, where would she go? Her purse had been in the apartment and by now, it was surely engulfed in flames, along with the rest of her things. She had no home, no money… things were looking rather bleak. Jake would offer her a place to crash, but he didn’t have a spare room, and she’d just as soon not sleep on his couch.

When they pulled to a stop, the paramedic rose and opened the doors. The second man, who had obviously been driving the vehicle, helped slide the gurney out of the van. She saw the bright red sign of the Emergency Room a split second before she was wheeled inside. A nurse hurried over and Caitlyn was rushed to the back. The men transferred her to one of the E.R. beds, said something she couldn’t hear, then left.

Another nurse came forward, a clipboard in hand. They tried to give it to her, along with a pen, but her hands were too burnt to take either one. She tried to show them, hoping they would understand. They gave her a sympathetic look and then glanced at one another as if trying to figure out what to do.

Caitlyn coughed once more, gasping and wheezing.

One of the nurses patted her on the leg, then disappeared. It wasn’t long before she returned with a doctor. He listened to her lungs and checked her ears, then looked at her eyes. He did everything but check her poor hands. She watched as he turned to say something to the nurses. One of them nodded and popped the locks on the bed, releasing the wheels.

The fluorescent lights overhead zoomed by as Caitlyn lay on the bed. One corridor turned into four, an elevator ride and three more hallways later, she was pushed into a room. An orderly who looked like he’d been a football player in high school helped her move from one bed to the next.

Everyone walked out again, leaving her alone once more. She was anxious, not knowing what was going on, but she tried to remain calm. It was obvious they were trying to help her, despite her lack of admission forms, and that soothed her a bit. After another bone-rattling cough, she closed her eyes, thinking that perhaps some rest would do her a world of good. She found that she was rather tired and before long, she fell asleep.

* * *

Cosmir stopped at the triage desk in the E.R., hoping to find out what happened to Caitlyn. She’d been in his thoughts ever since he’d relinquished her to the paramedics. Even with her face grimy from the smoke, she’d been beautiful, and it had been a face he’d recognized at once as Jake’s sister. Her blue eyes had been fearful and he’d wanted to make everything better. He couldn’t, in good conscience, return to work until he knew what had become of her. It had taken a bit of convincing, but finally the chief had relented and released him, calling in another firefighter to finish his shift. There were always guys looking for a little overtime. He’d promised Jake a full report after he’d seen Caitlyn. Cosmir wasn’t sure if Jake was trying to keep busy so he didn’t worry about his sister, or if something else was going on. He’d been surprised when his friend hadn’t gone after Caitlyn.

The pretty blonde at the desk finally looked up and smiled at him, her eyes lighting in appreciation. Being a Terran, he’d had his fair share of females stare at him adoringly, but add in a fireman’s uniform and they damn near swooned.

“May I help you, sir?”

“I’m with the F.F.D. and I came to check on a woman who was brought in earlier. Caitlyn Wright.”

“Oh, the fire victim? Poor thing. If it weren’t for the paramedics, we wouldn’t even know her name. Miss Wright is on the second floor in room 218.”

“Thank you.” He hurried through the double doors at the other end of the room and made his way to the elevator. Taking it to the second floor, he found her room easily enough.