Gateway to HeVan (20 page)

“You’re being the voice of reason and I don’t want reason right now.  I want to have a tantrum.  I want to run around and throw things.  I want to have a screaming, jealous fight with my
Ankida
and then have hours of smokin’ hot make-up sex.  I gotta tell you, Catherine; I really miss the hot monkey sex.  You know what I mean?  The three on one, moaning, groaning, acrobatic, hard slamming sex I had before I was impersonating a beached whale.”

Catherine just laughed.  “I can’t believe they’ve been leaving you hanging.”

“Oh…well…as to that, they know how to improvise,” she said with a smirk.  “It’s not the same, you know?  I don’t get to give them the pleasure they deserve.  We don’t all fit together the way we used to.  I have all the fun and they have to take turns to get a piece of me.”

Catherine giggled and then sighed, “Yes, I know.  I’ve just hit the stage in my pregnancy where sex has to be creative.  My guys are going to have to suck it up and say goodbye to a really active sex life in the next six weeks or so.  You aren’t selfish.
You’re carrying a lot of babies.  I, for one, think orgasms are healthy and good for you.”

“So it’s kind of like taking my daily vitamin?” Addie laughingly asked.

“Sure.  I’ll even prescribe it, if you want me to.  Take two―or three―and call me in the morning,” said Catherine with a wink.

“On another matter, I’ve got some
really great news.  BianCa and Thors have discovered the reason behind the KowLer’s inability to get pregnant and the miscarriages many have suffered, including Natalie.  It seems her first husband was sterile.  In trying to cure his sterility, he developed a poison to cause it.  The water on the planet was poisoned.  They are really quite lucky the poison only affected humanoids.  It could have literally killed the planet otherwise.  Anyway, the poison affects the males, killing their sperm.  In some, instead of killing the sperm, it transfers to the egg and causes spontaneous abortion,” Catherine stated baldly.

“How horrible!  Is there a cure or an antidote?” Addie asked, tears gathering in her eyes.

“Yes, and none too soon.  I checked and since we’ve added so much time to our trip, we will need to replenish our water stores soon.  If we had done that before knowing about the poison?  I don’t know if any of our women would have lost their babies, like Natalie, but it’s possible.  My
Ankida
are going to treat Peet and Reeko as soon as they get the formula for the antidote.  We should be able to replicate it on board in medical.  I think we should keep some on hand, just in case,” explained Catherine.

“I agree.
Have you checked on Natalie this morning?  She was practically catatonic last night.”

“She’s still sedated.  I don’t expect her to wake for a few more hours.  My hope is
, when she wakes, we’ll be able to give her some good news.  It will take her some time to recover mentally.  I would suggest she and her
Ankida
take a shuttle and go on to HeVan.  She needs to be able to connect with Peet and Reeko without getting pregnant.  The decision to have children needs to be made by her when she’s ready.”

“What about when I do arrive on HeVan?” Addie wanted to know. 

She hadn’t thought about the women who didn’t want to have children.  She’d been so focused on the fact that so many were happy to be pregnant.

“Catherine, are any of the woman unhappy to be pregnant so soon?  It must be really hard for many
women to leave Earth, and then find they got pregnant so quickly.”

“I won’t lie to you, Addie; there were a few who had a problem with it at first.  However, as time has gone by, they’ve all become so involved with their
Ankida
and their new futures, the unhappiness didn’t last.  None were so unhappy they contemplated terminating their pregnancies.  It was just a case of emotional overload. I’m closely monitoring all the women—not just during their pregnancies, but also afterwards—both their physical and mental health.  I’m concerned about post-partum depression,” said Catherine.

“While I think it’s a good idea to prepare, don’t borrow trouble.  You need to spend time on the good things and not dwell on problems
which may never come to pass.  Now, we need to change the subject.  When, exactly, am I going to hold these babies in my arms instead of my belly?  How soon can I expect to engage in monkey sex with my
Ankida
?” asked Addie.

“You’ve actually reached the point in your gestation when most people carrying sextuplets either go into labor or have a planned Cesarean.  Since we’re lucky enough to have this advanced medical technology available to us, every day we keep those babies inside you adds to their chances of being born with healthy lungs and a better birth weight.  It’s even more vital now
for you to consume enough calories.  You should be eating about six thousand calories per day,” Catherine reminded Addie.

“Yeah, yeah, nag, nag.  I’m eating so much I’m worried about wearing down my teeth.  Those special shakes are over a thousand calories each. 
I’m remaining calm and avoiding stress.  Well, except for this morning.  I plan to hold out as long as I can.  My daughters are going to have the best possible chance for full term growth.  The guys are giving me massages daily to help my circulation and keep my skin moist and pliable.  I’m counting on you to do some real magic with flabby skin and stretch marks once these babies are born.  I’m going to need to look sexy for all the monkey sex.  Oh, and I’m going to need condoms, too,” said Addie.

“
Sounds like you’re doing everything you should be doing.  Let me do a quick scan on the girls, take your pulse and blood pressure.  Then I’m going to tell your
Ankida
it’s safe to come back in and you can have a modified make-up session.  No acrobatics,” she said, getting up from the chair she’d been sitting in.

“Have two and call you in the morning?” joked Addie.

Catherine just laughed and headed out.  She wasn’t surprised to find Rune waiting in the hallway.  She would have been more surprised if he hadn’t been there.

“Rune, I’ve given her a prescription.  I’m expecting you to take care of it,” she said.

“Of course,” he said, before quickly turning and entering through the doorway.  

He was
only a little curious as to why Catherine was laughing as she walked down the hallway.

Natalie woke up; it took her a minute to figure out where she was.  She was alone in bed, which was unusual.  Peet or Reeko were usually there with her.  The fog in her mind cleared and she remembered what happened, again.  Tears gathered in her eyes but she didn’t let them fall.  She needed to pull herself together.  She’d never felt her babies move or kick.  She knew they didn’t have arms, legs, hearts or brains, but she did believe they had souls.  Now she prayed those lost souls would come back into her life.

Part of her wanted to stay in bed and lose herself in sleep but life had to be lived.  The one thing she knew for sure, though, was that if she became pregnant right away and lost another baby, it would destroy her.  Using condoms didn’t work.  While she loved the sex and the closeness she felt with her
Ankida
when they came together, she knew she was going to have to put the brakes on sex for the time being.  It worried her a little; they’d only been together for a couple of weeks.  So far, sex had been a large part of their relationship.  Would they still want her when they knew she had no plans to put out?

She decided to get dressed and find her friend, Jennifer.  She felt a little guilty because since meeting Peet and Reeko, she and Jennifer had spent so little time together.  Up until then, they had been best friends since college.  First, sharing a dorm room, then an apartment
—they were total BFFs and she knew Jen would help her get her emotions under control. 

She went to the bathroom to shower and take care of her other personal needs.  Then she put on her softest and most comfortable jeans.  After adding a tank top
—she didn’t need a bra—her boobs were on the smaller side and very firm; she walked over to the other side of the room and opened the closet her
Ankida
used.  Even if she wasn’t having sex with them, she needed to be close to them right now.  Grabbing a shirt at random, she held it under her nose for a moment before putting it on, hmm—Peet.  Luckily, it was short-sleeved and the cuffs hit just past her elbows, the hem falling to her knees.  She didn’t bother using the front closures, wearing it like a coat instead.

Lifting it up for another sniff and a rub against her cheek, she brushed her hair and put on some mule slippers and left.  One look at the clock and she knew Jennifer would be in her restaurant prepping for lunch service.

In the medical bay, Peet and Reeko were lying on beds side-by-side.  They were being treated with an antidote for the poison, which had entered their bloodstream when they went for a swim after
joining
with Natalie.  Peet was also treated for a broken hand.  When he had been told of the cause of his mate’s miscarriages, he blamed himself.  He’d also been wearing the condom which broke. 

In his anger and misery, he’d punched the wall.  Fist meets bulkhead and bulkhead wins.  He’d broken fifteen bones in his hand and jammed his wrist.  The surgery had been delicate.  His hand was going to be immobilized for
the next ten days to allow it to heal.  Then he’d need to perform special exercises to make sure he didn’t lose any mobility.  Other than feeling like a complete idiot, he worried he wouldn’t be able to give Natalie the help she needed because he’d acted so rashly.

The treatment for the poison meant they wouldn’t be able to have sex for a couple of days and they would be sterile for a week or ten days.  It didn’t bother them at all; knowing they would no longer bring harm to Natalie was
most important.

“I know she was sedated, but who is staying with her?” Reeko asked Delpha, the head medical officer.

“Catherine asked Gilda if she would sit with her.  She is an older woman who has been through much in her own life.  I agreed with her assessment,” said Delpha.

“Good, I hate the thought of her waking up alone,” said Reeko.

When Gilda arrived at Natalie’s quarters, she used the passcode to enter.  Only she found the bed empty.  Being an older woman with a great deal of experience of the world and young women, she correctly guessed where young Natalie would be.  In the mood for a good cup of coffee and perhaps a pastry of some type, she gathered up her sister, Carol, and followed Natalie to Jennifer’s restaurant.  Maybe she would give Jennifer her mother’s recipe for Kugel.

Gilda knocked on the door and wasn’t surprised to see Natalie and Jennifer sitting at a counter in the kitchen of Jennifer’s restaurant.

“Hello, girls, would you mind some company?  Carol and I would enjoy some coffee and some girl talk,” said Gilda.  She walked over and gave Natalie a hug.  “Carol and I have both been in your shoes.  As hard at it is, you get through it and you go on, yes?  You are strong.  Take the time you need to grieve for what you lost, have a good cry, yes?  Also, isn’t it wonderful you know what caused it?  Me, I blamed myself for a long time.  Was it something I ate?  Was it something I did?  The guilt—Oy Vey!  However, we know your troubles were caused by that nasty man. Aren’t you glad you killed him?”

Natalie was listening to Gilda ramble on, even as she gave her a hug.  She then stepped away and picked up the coffee pot.  Carol had already put out two additional cups and spoons.  It took a minute
, but Gilda’s words started to finally penetrate her brain.  When they did, she gasped.

“They know what caused it?”

“I’m sorry. I should have realized they didn’t have a chance to explain it to you.” 

Gilda took her hand and told her of BianCa’s discovery and the antidote. 
Her
Ankida
were even now being treated for the poison in their bodies.

“It is my fault
! I asked if we could go to the planet to
join
!”

“No!  If anyone is to blame, it’s that horrible man.  You are not at fault, believe that.”

Suddenly, Natalie missed her own mother.  She died when Natalie was twenty.  At this moment, she wished her mother were here.  Tears began to fall and her body shook with her sobs.

Gilda simply walked over and quietly took her in her arms.  She lightly brushed her hand down over Natalie’s hair.  “That’s right, little one, cry it out.”

Carol and Jennifer, seeing the tears as a catharsis that Natalie needed, drank their coffee and waited, giving silent support.  Finally, after several minutes, the storm of tears ceased.  Easing her up from her bosom, Gilda handed Natalie the handkerchief she kept with her. 

“Blow your nose.  Good!  Now, have a nice cup of tea with honey and lemon for your throat.  Don’t be surprised if you need to cry again.  Everyone is different.  Don’t let anybody else tell you how to grieve or for how long.  Only you know, here in your heart,”
Gilda said, placing her hand between Natalie’s breasts and giving her a pat.  “For now, we will help Jennifer chop and mix things while we talk.  Maybe we make some Challah, yes?” she asked with a smile and Natalie nodded her head. 

“Good girl,” Gilda answered at her nod.

“Gilda, I think you should give Jennifer our mother’s recipe for Kugel,” said Carol.

“We will try the Challah first and then see what happens, yes?”

“Yes, sister,” said Carol.

Natalie took a drink of the hot tea Jennifer had prepared the moment Gilda suggested it.

“Gilda, did you say the duke is the one who made me lose my babies?”

“Yes, love; he’s actually the reason why the women of the KowLer didn’t get pregnant and why so many of them had miscarriages.  He put something in the water
, which caused sterility in the men.  If they did manage to get their women pregnant, they miscarried.  He was a horrible man,” said Gilda.

“I was feeling bad about having to take a life.  I wasn’t sorry I did it.  He needed to be stopped but I was wishing I hadn’t had to be the one to do it.  I’m so over it now
. I’d like to kill him all over again,” said Natalie with a sniffle, her voice still catching on unshed tears.

“Don’t dwell on him now.  He’s gone and good riddance.  Just remember you didn’t do anything to bring this on yourself.  There is nothing wrong with you or your
Ankida
,” said Gilda.

Natalie’s head shot up.  “Are they all right?  I should go to them.”

Gilda put a hand on her arm, giving her sister a look.  “No, they are fine.  Men don’t like to have women around when they have to have medical procedures involving their schlong.  You stay here for a time and then bring them some nice chicken soup later, yes?  I’ll show you how to make it.  Do we have some alien chickens?” she asked Jennifer, causing Natalie and Carol to laugh, just the way she planned. 

It was a start.

When Natalie kept picking up the edge of the large shirt she was wearing and burying her face in it, Gilda knew she would be alright in time.