Love Without Boundaries (24 page)

Jyrl smiled.
 
“More than all right
which is surprising in light of what I discovered in my examination.
 
Did you know humans only have one heart?
 
Or that their bones are much lighter and more fragile than ours?
 
Fascinating!”

The large warrior couldn’t help frowning at the med-leader’s response which seemed out of place in the miasma of fear that was just then beginning to dissipate in Rykhan’s body.

“And our scans show that the youngling she is carrying was not injured in the least.
 
But I’m uncertain how the rest of her gestation will proceed given she only has one heart.
 
Depending on which DNA is stronger, it may cause problems later when your youngling’s second heart engages.”

Everything within Rykhan stilled and he couldn’t think.
 
Not beyond the repetition of Jyrl’s words, ‘the youngling she is carrying’ which replayed, rang out again and again, in his head.
 
So much so that he missed the rest of what the other man had said.

“Say a-again?”
 
Rykhan’s growl sounded strained even to his own ears.

“I was simply reminding you that because of this incident and because your youngling will be the first of the Picari-Humans that will repopulate our worlds, your mate will need constant monitoring until she delivers.”

“She’s breeding?” the huge warrior whispered hesitantly.

“Isn’t that what I just told you?” Jyrl’s face frowned as he observed Rykhan’s reaction, at the swaying motion the male made before dropping again to the floor as if unable to support himself.

And was even more confused when the stalwart, highly decorated, senior warrior of the Picari Protectorate, covered his face and began to sob.

Leah heard the two-toned chime and glanced at the clock, set on Earth time, in the corner of the holograph screen.
 
She’d been so involved in updating the spreadsheets that she’d gotten lost and hadn’t been paying attention to what the clock read.
 
Calling a soft, “come in’, she stood and made her eyes do a quick sweep of the room.
 
Seeing nothing out of place, she turned to the door and smiled.

“Tersa mandai, Dr. Jyrl,” she greeted just as she did every day when the physician came to perform her daily examination.

“Tersa mandai, Rykhan’s female,”
came
the reply.
 
“Your accent is getting better.”

“I think it’s just because I’m getting more practice.”
 
She went to the chaise which took up one corner of the large room.
 
A space that used to be the observation deck onboard the
Searcher
but that had been refurbished as her and Rykhan’s living space.
 
Lying back and closing her eyes, she relaxed into the chair and let both it and the handheld device Dr. Jyrl passed over her body to do their scans.

Actions which, at first, had completely wigged her out but once both the physician and Rykhan had explained were to help both her and the baby, she’d seen the benefit of it.

A baby!

Every time she even thought about her pregnancy she got a little thrill and she had to fight the need to stroke her fingers over her stomach.
 
Who knew that Rykhan’s swimmers had been strong enough to overpower her birth control pills after only sharing sex twice?
 
Although she hadn’t been so thrilled when she’d been remanded to staying onboard the star-cruiser, not allowed to go back to Phoenix.
 
And every argument she’d mounted against being confined on ‘a damn tin can with thrusters’ until they left to return to the Picari system, was lost as soon as anyone reminded her of her pregnancy.
 
It was one thing to take chances on using the TIPS when it was just her by herself, but with the unknown effects it may have on her and Rykhan’s unborn child, she didn’t want to take the risk.

“It all looks as it should,” Jyrl announced, closing the portable tech-med and holding out a hand to aid her in getting out of her chair.
 
It seemed her center of gravity had shifted over the last few days and she noticed that simple moves were a bit more of a struggle to maneuver.

“Do you have any idea how long until the baby comes?” she asked, just as she did after every daily exam.
 
She extended a hand in invitation towards the tiny two person table and the teapot and cups she’d set out earlier.
 
It hadn’t taken long for her to discover Dr. Jyrl had a weakness for chamomile tea with honey and always tried to have some waiting.

“I have been studying the gestation cycles of a human fetus and comparing them to the old notes in the Picari archives.
 
If I understand it correctly, it takes a human baby forty
werts
to develop whereas a normal gestation for my species is only twenty-two.
 
Since we still haven’t taken a sample in order to read your younglings DNA, I’d hate to make an approximation.
 
However, the scans indicate that your baby…did I say that correctly?”
 
At Leah’s nod, Dr. Jyrl continued.
 
“Your baby is developing faster than what the human models indicate.”

“She’s still healthy, right?”

“Oh, we don’t know the gender yet!
 
But your youngling appears to be in very good health as it grows,” the doctor replied before pouring a measure of tea into both cups, handing her one after performing a quick stir of the hot liquid.
 
“Rykhan’s mate?
 
I know that you’ve said no in the past but I don’t think you realize…”

Holding up a palm and frowning, Leah bit out, “Shut it, doc”, before bending her face to her cup and sipping.
 
The damn man never let up even though she’d explained it again and again.
 
“I said no and I meant it.”

“But it would help by speeding up the process, allowing in the males in pairs back on Galaxia and Nutrol to complete their families, enjoy their own younglings.
 
And the procedure is very simple, quite painless…”

“What part didn’t you understand?
 
They are my eggs, located in my body and I’m not about to let you nor anybody else to harvest them, all right?”
 
Slightly shorter and much leaner than any of the warriors, the doc sighed and looked disappointed as always by her refusal while he sipped his tea.
 
Leah softened her voice.
 
“I really wish you wouldn’t ask me for them again.”

“And I would prefer you stop asking as well,” Rykhan’s deep voice growled as he stepped into the room.
 
“You only upset my Leah with your constant requests.”

“You know her eggs would help.
 
The need is so dire that I must do everything I can to convince her of our desperate circumstances, warrior.”

He came to stand next to her and Leah felt the ire the doctor’s words drift away at the soft caress Rykhan slid over her back.
 
Gazing into her eyes, Rykhan rumbled a soft, “she knows, Jyrl.
 
Believe me, she knows.”

Sighing heavily, Jyrl sat his teacup on the small table.
 
“I must get back to the med station.
 
I have been exchanging emails with an
obb-gen
on Earth who is helping me in my research.”

It wasn’t until after the med-leader left that Leah understood what the man had meant.
 
“Oh my god!” she giggled.
 
“He meant an OB-GYN!”

Rykhan, who had wandered over to the desk that sat underneath the large viewport, turned back at the sound of her mirth.
 
“Is all still well,
mica tisha
?”

“Yeah, baby.” She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around his waist.
 
“Our youngling is great.”

“Of that I have no doubt,
tersa blay
,” he countered, as he pulled her closer, pressing his forehead to hers.
 
“I was just inquiring after his health.”

“That ‘he’ just might turn out to be a ‘she’, you know.”
 
It was a playful discussion that happened often and one neither of them seemed to mind engaging in it again and again.

“I do not care whether our youngling will be a male or a female, only that you and it remain in good health.”
 
And Leah could tell by Rykhan’s firm tone that their on-going discussion was over for the day.
 
“Your property is now at the warrior house and the keeper of your apartment building is in receipt of the monies owed on the remaining portion of the lease.”

“Thanks for taking care of that,” Leah murmured before disengaging herself and moving to the bed.
 
To tell the truth, she was a little sad that she’d had to give up her apartment but it didn’t make sense to hang on to the rental when she wouldn’t be living there any longer.
 
“I know we can’t bring the furniture but what about the rest of it?”

“I have asked that it be secured in the storage area here on the
Searcher
,” he replied as his eyes followed her movements while she stretched out on the bed.
 
“You will have your things with you on Nutrol, my Leah.”

Draping an arm over her eyes, Leah yawned.
 
“I appreciate it, Rykhan.”
 
She didn’t use to be someone that needed to nap but over the course of the last few days, she found herself getting sleepy right about mid-day.
 
“Give me a half-hour, baby, and we can review the updates.”

She felt Rykhan’s fingers stroke her toes as he moved by her to get to their cleansing unit.
 
“Take as long as you
need,
mica tersa
.”

*.*.*.*.*

“I like the whole, ‘lady lounging around’ look you’ve got going,” Pam muttered, her eyes roaming over the linen tunic and leggings that Leah been given by Captain Pryntal after being released from the med bay.

“You’re just jealous because I’m comfortable while your ass is bitching about the tight jeans you poured yourself into,” Leah shot back as she emptied the cooler Pam had brought with her.
 
Turning to the thermal bag and reaching for its zipper, she let her gaze rest on her friend.
 
“I can’t fit into my regular clothes anymore.”

Pam’s expression appeared shocked.
 
“Seriously?
 
I mean I know I’m bringing you good eats and that you can’t really work out in this place…”

Pulling the tunic tight over her stomach, Leah showed off her baby bump.
 
A sight so startling that it left Pam speechless for more than a few seconds.

“But…but,” Pam took a deep breath, her eyebrows pinched together as she stared.
 
“It’s only been a couple of weeks!
 
So how come you look like you’re already four months along?”

Leah shrugged and turned back to the containers.
 
Every afternoon, Pam brought up both a cooler and thermal case full of what Rykhan called ‘Earth food’.
 
But Leah knew he was only teasing since he’d witnessed the many times she tried to consume what was served onboard but was unable to keep any of it down.

Plus having Pam bring it meant that she got to visit with her friend daily.
 
And the hour or so they spent together gave them the opportunity to add to their documentation regarding the warrior’s continuing efforts in their quest to find a mate.
 
Not to mention to engage in the gossip they would never allow the men in the group to overhear.

“So I think I’m a little bit closer to getting the 4-1-1 on Wyst’ black eye, the bastard.”
Pam had already relayed that in the morning following Leah’s collapse, Wyst came to breakfast with a black and swollen eye.

“Is he still acting like a whipped puppy?”

“Shit, yeah.
 
And I ain’t complaining about
that
in the least!” Pam’s giggle made Leah smile.
 
“Though I don’t know who did it, I found out the ‘why’ this morning.
 
And it has to do with you, the
tresl
and your accident.”

Leah’s hands stuttered on the box of cereal she was removing before she blinked and continued putting it into one of the built in cupboards.
 
She didn’t like thinking about that time and found it hard to make her lips move as she encouraged her friend to, “go on”.

“I already know I didn’t see it, but a couple of the boys did and have been letting what they witnessed out in tiny, cryptic bits at a time.
 
Remember when I told you that it was Wyst’s communication device that you picked up?
 
Well, the latest thing I overheard was from Brent’s own lips although he didn’t know I was in the laundry room at the time.
 
Much less that I could hear everything he was saying to Ty.”

Brent, who Leah still called by his Galaxi name of Arbrynt, had come up to the
Searcher
to visit a couple of times since she’d been in residence, although he acted very formal and was careful to ensure Rykhan was always in attendance.

“It seems whoever performed said smack-down did it fast, hard and angrily which you know is against the Picari Alliance code for warriors in the Protectorate.
 
Well, I guess Brent asked the badass who laid Wyst’s ass out flat for a chance to participate in ‘serving out justice’.
 
And was singularly turned down.”
 
Pam heaved a sigh.
 
“Isn’t that romantic?”

Leah speared her friend with a look of disbelief.
 
“Romantic?”

“Yeah.
 
Because our Brent is such a smitten kitten!”

“No, he’s not,” Leah denied Pam’s words and included a head shake for emphasis.

Pam’s laughter rang out around the room.
 
“That’s what you think, friend o’ mine.
 
Because from what I heard, if you weren’t wearing Rykhan’s symbol, then Brent would challenge him for the right to pair with you.”

“That is totally not true!”

“It sure is!” Pam crowed to the ceiling as she continued to chortle while Leah tried to ignore her friend.
 
Leah had always suspected Brent watched her a little more closely than the other warriors did, but she’d thought it was because she confused him, not because he had a crush!

As Leah finished the unpacking, she moved to her laptop.
 
“If you’re done giving me shit, why don’t we review this stuff and see which warrior has what going on for this weekend.”

“Coward!”
Pam huffed, easing herself into the chair at the desk.

“Troublemaker!”
came
the immediate reply.

But both were smiling as Pam’s fingers hit the keyboard.