War Orphans (The Terra Nova Chronicles)

  “It isn’t fair, Dawn Marie,” Morning Grass replied. “I can’t allow you to take all the heat for this.”

  “Listen to me,” Russo said as she stopped and grabbed the sleeve of Morning Grass’ uniform jacket. “You have to let me do this.”

  “But, why?”

  “If you say something that gets you thrown out of the CEF and Teacher along with you, then everything I’ve done to help you will be of no consequence. I did it all because I love you. If you love me too, you won’t allow that to happen. I couldn’t live with it hanging over me.”

  Morning Grass said nothing. She lowered her head and closed her eyes. She gave Russo a submissive nod and the two walked on.

  The door to Stiles’ office was open when the two arrived, but they waited outside for an invitation to enter. Stiles waved them silently in and after they entered, she ordered Morning Grass to close the door.

  “Do you want to tell me what was running through your mind yesterday morning, Major,” Stiles asked. She rarely referred to a subordinate officer by rank while on duty in the hospital. When she did, it meant she was at the end of her patience with said officer. What came next was never pleasant.

  Russo spoke formally and got right to the point. “I was having thoughts of harming myself, Colonel Stiles. I couldn’t bring them under complete control. I was by myself on the shuttle and I was afraid. I did the only thing I could think to do at the time to ensure I didn’t act on those thoughts.”

  “Why didn’t you call someone, Dawn Marie,” Stiles asked.

  “I guess that option didn’t occur to me, Colonel.”

  “Well, I imagine it would have been at cross purposes with whatever made you lock yourself inside the shuttle and turn off your locator in the first place,” Stiles said. She then sat silently while Russo mulled over her response.

  “Like I said, Colonel,” Russo replied after a tense moment, “I had thoughts of doing myself harm.”

  “You should have mentioned this to me during our most recent session, Dawn Marie.”

  “This came on me out of the blue, Colonel. I was feeling fine until yesterday morning.”

  Stiles turned to Morning Grass. “Did you notice anything strange in the major’s behavior before yesterday morning, Captain Morning Grass?”

  “No, Colonel. I didn’t,” Morning Grass replied, after which she fell silent. Her expression told Stiles that she wanted to say more.

  Stiles looked at Morning Grass for a moment. “Are you sure about that?”

  “Yes, Colonel,” Morning Grass replied.

  “Why were you not with the major, yesterday morning,” Stiles asked.

  “We spent the night at my old dwelling, Colonel. At dawn, the major awoke and walked to the shuttle on her own.”

  “Even though she knew there were separatists about who had threatened to kill any humans in the area the previous evening?”

  “Yes, Colonel. I offered to accompany the major, but she refused.”

  “And that didn’t strike you as unusual, or at least less than cautious?”

  “I had my misgivings, but the major insisted on going alone.”

  “Thank you, Captain,” Stiles said. “You’re dismissed. Please take the next shuttle back to New Phoenix and return to duty.”

  “Thank you, Colonel,” Morning Grass said. She hesitated to leave.

  “Was there something else, Captain,” Stiles asked.

  “I’m only concerned about Major Russo, Colonel.”

  “As am I,” Stiles answered, “but, what I have left to say is just between her and me, Captain.”

  “Yes, Colonel. Thank you.” Morning Grass took Russo’s hand and gave it a squeeze before leaving.

  “Morning Grass has certainly come a long way with your mentoring, Dawn Marie,” Stiles said, once the feline was gone. “I shudder to think what would happen to her if you were ever taken out of the picture. I’m sure you’ve thought about that yourself.”

  “Of course,” Russo answered.

  “People who feel wanted and needed don’t just decide to end it all on a whim. You have a lot of responsibility with the feline hospital, too. Certainly, you know your worth to this mission and your colleagues.”

  “Yes, I do,” Russo replied. “But, my self-worth isn’t completely dependent upon my role in this mission.”

  “Is there anything at all you want to share with me before I hand down your punishment?”

  “No, but I may have some things to share with you if you still want continue as my therapist.”

  Stiles looked as if she could suddenly see some hope in Russo’s situation. “We’ll have to talk about that later.”

  “I understand,” Russo replied.

  “Please stand at attention, Major Russo,” Stiles ordered.

  Russo wasted no time complying.

  “For your infraction of the Combined Earth Forces Code of Conduct for Doctors of Astronautic Medicine and the Code of Ethics of the Consolidated Earth Government Medical Association by willfully dispensing a controlled substance without following proper procedures, how do you plead?”

  “Guilty, Colonel.”

  “Not Guilty with an Explanation, Major? This is your only opportunity to list any mitigating circumstances for the record.”

  “No, Colonel.”

  Stiles looked at Russo and frowned. “Of all the times for you to choose not to fight.”

  “I have nothing to say, Colonel,” Russo responded.

  “Then, Major Russo,” Stiles continued. “I have no choice but to suspend your ability to practice medicine without direct supervision for thirty days, while your ability to practice permanently is discussed. It will be up to the CEGMA to determine if they want to pull your license for this.”

  “Thank you, Colonel,” Russo said. “Is there anything else?”

  “Yes, Major,” Stiles said. “Report to me at 0630 in the morning. You’ll be counting adhesive bandages, cotton balls, tongue depressors and all that other shit for the next thirty days. If you so much as tweeze a splinter during that time without coming to me first, I’ll put your ass in the brig.”

  “Understood, Colonel,” Russo said.

  “Dismissed, Major.”

  Chapter 66

  8-September-2210

  Russo skipped her morning shower and headed for the running track in the flight deck rec area of the Armstrong reserved for the marines. She was still more than welcome to use the rec area reserved for bridge officers, but was not in the mood to deal with the looks she’d been getting lately when she ran there.

  She still had ten days left of her thirty day suspension and she was having difficulty fighting the boredom that came with her limited duties. She considered herself lucky, however. She had expected to be discharged and shipped back to Earth on the earliest available supply ship.

  After her second lap around the elevated track, Russo began to feel unusually tired. She took a quick look at her wrist chronometer and noticed she was a full minute off her pace for a five kilometer run after only five hundred meters.

  “I must be getting soft,” Russo said to herself. She clenched her teeth and slapped the face of her chronometer to reset it before running the next lap. “C’mon, Dawn Marie. You’re better than this.”

  Russo picked up her pace and fought the tiredness, hoping to gain her second wind. Halfway into her fourth lap, a wave of nausea hit her and she broke into a cold sweat. “I must be coming down with something,” she thought as she slowed her gate to a trot.

  A second wave of nausea hit Russo forcing her to head straight for the nearest trash receptacle. She put her head over the basket and heaved. She then stood up straight and looked around for the nearest water dispenser. She spotted one on the opposite side of the elevated track near the entryway.

  On shaky legs, Russo began to trot once more, making her way around the track toward the water. She had just made it through the first turn when a spell of dizziness made her stumble and fall forward. She felt as if
she were falling in slow motion. Her knee burned from friction as it scooted along the plastic running turf. She closed her eyes tightly and put her hands out in front of her to brace her upper body for impact with the floor of the track before blacking out.

  * * *

  Russo awoke to a stinging in her eye as a strong light shocked her pupil. She tried her best to close the eye, but couldn’t so she rolled it to the side to avoid the beam of the flashlight. The thumb holding the lid open released it and she closed it quickly before feeling the lid of her other eye being pressed back.

  “I just stumbled and fell to the floor,” Russo complained. “I didn’t take a header down a gang ladder. I doubt I have a concussion.” She was having trouble focusing her eyes well enough to make out who was examining her.

  “Let me be the judge of that,” a stern male voice demanded. “You took an unusually long nap afterward. I guess it’s true what they say about doctors being the worst patients.”

  “Charles,” Russo said with a bit of a start. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be difficult.”

  “I know, Sweetie,” Mbenga replied. “You just can’t help it.”

  Russo started to laugh at Mbenga’s barb, but after chuckling only a second, tears filled her eyes.

  “I didn’t mean anything by that, Dawn Marie,” Mbenga said.

  “I know, Charles. I don’t know why I’m crying.”

  “Think nothing of it, Sweetie. Mood swings are normal.”

  “Normal,” Russo asked.

  “Sure, Dawn Marie,” Mbenga replied. “You know that. Even the slowest of med students knows that.” He looked at Russo with an accusatory eye. “This explains a devil of a lot.”

  “I’m not following you, Charles.”

  “The reason you’ve been a bit pissy on poker night, lately,” Mbenga asked. “Quite frankly, I’m shocked. You’re the last person I would ever expect to come down with full-blown complications from ‘feet in the air’ syndrome. I thought they taught medical students how to avoid that these days.”

  “It’s not possible for me to get pregnant, Charles. There has to be a mistake.”

  “That’s not the first time I’ve heard that one.” Mbenga handed Russo his tablet with her chart on the display. “Who’s the lucky bastard who got our little princess so hot and bothered? I need to tell him he’s going to be a daddy.”

  Russo stared at the chart in disbelief. “I’m telling you, Charles, this is not possible. Didn’t you look at my history?”

  “Of course I did. I drew a second set of blood tests and I checked them, myself. Your hCG levels, your blood glucose and your kidney functions are all elevated. I’m at a loss to explain it, but I can’t refute the results of the tests. I might not have caught it at all if I hadn’t been familiar with some things. I was an OB/GYN before I joined up. My mom’s idea. How’s that for irony?”

  “How could this possibly be happening,” Russo asked. “I haven’t even—” She shot up to a sitting position in the hospital bed. “Charles, have you informed anyone about this, yet?”

  “No,” Mbenga said. He looked concerned. “I have to report it, though. There’s no way around it. You’ll have to name the father, too.”

  “I know, Charles. I need you to do me a big favor first.”

  Mbenga gave Russo another stern look. “Your test results are already in the database. I have to include this in the report going in at the end of the shift.”

  “I’m not asking you hide this,” Russo said, “or, delay reporting it. I need a full genetic workup done, immediately.”

  “Do you suspect some sort of abnormality?”

  “I don’t know what to expect.”

  “Aren’t you overreacting then, Dawn Marie?”

  “No,” Russo answered. “I’m not. How far along would you say I am?”

  “I can’t really tell until I’ve done a sonogram. When was your last period?”

  “It’s a little more complicated than that,” Russo said.

  “How do you mean,” Mbenga asked.

  “I don’t know if I could explain it satisfactorily. Can you please do the sonogram now?”

  Chapter 67

  “Well, it isn’t a boy,” Mbenga informed Russo. “I hope the daddy wasn’t counting on a son.”

  “Does everything look normal,” Russo asked.

  “It’s about what I’d expect for a fetus that was ten weeks along.”

  “Ten weeks,” Russo asked. “Are you sure, Charles?”

  “You’re going to have to tell me what it is you were expecting if you want me to follow along, Dawn Marie. What is it you’re keeping from me?”

  “Look at the hands,” Russo said. “Tell me what you see when you look at the hands.”

  Mbenga searched for the fetus’ hands with the sonogram probe. “The fingers are all there. They’re a little stubby, but… Wait a minute.”

  Mbenga stared at the claws on the ends of the fingers. He used the back of the hand not holding the probe to wipe the sweat from his brow. He looked up from the monitor to Russo.

  When Russo saw the expression on his face tears flowed once more. “I could only have been pregnant between two and three weeks.”

  “How did this happen, Dawn Marie? What were you thinking?”

  “It wasn’t intentional,” Russo replied. “I ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “Obviously.”

  Russo cried harder.

  “We have to abort this,” Mbenga said, hastily. “Your body was never meant to carry a baby that grows this quickly. It will never be able to keep up.”

  “I can’t, Charles,” Russo said. “Not yet. Does it look perfectly healthy?”

  “Yes,” Mbenga answered. “That doesn’t enter into it, though. You’ll never be able to carry this baby full term. It won’t be able to draw the nutrients it needs to develop normally from a human mother. You’re both at risk.”

  “If there isn’t anything abnormal, I must try. There’s a reason this happened.”

  “We can’t blame God for our mistakes, Dawn Marie. He gave us free will. You can’t say he intended this to happen.”

  “Then he would expect me to take responsibility for my mistakes. If this is my fault, I have to live with the consequences.”

  “You’re talking nonsense, Dawn Marie,” Mbenga said. “God doesn’t expect you to sacrifice your life to pay for an error in judgment. This would be suicide. You’d never survive it.”

  “If this baby has any congenital defects, I’ll gladly terminate,” Russo said, “but, I have to be sure. Even then, it isn’t only up to me.”

  “This is an exceptional situation, Dawn Marie. The father’s wishes don’t enter into it.”

  “You mean the parents’ wishes,” Russo answered. “Technically, I’m a surrogate.”

  Mbenga reeled from the shock of finding the situation was even more bizarre than when he only thought one of Russo’s eggs had been fertilized by a male feline. “If you aren’t one of the biological parents, that’s all the more reason to terminate immediately.” Mbenga threw his hands in the air. “I can’t allow this to go any further. I’m calling Peggy. Maybe she can talk some sense into you.”

  “I know what I’m doing, Charles. Please run the tests. I have to be certain.”

  “I told you the sonogram doesn’t show any signs of defects,” Mbenga said. “The spine and the rest of the skeleton are perfect. The heart shows no abnormalities. There are no obvious developmental defects at all.”

  “I suspect some sort of aneuploidy,” Russo said.

  “Why,” Mbenga asked. “If the biological parents are both feline, the chances of chromosomal problems are next to nil.” Mbenga stopped talking when the realization of who the feline mother might be hit him. He became instantly calm and a sympathetic smile replaced the scowl he wore only seconds before.

  “I don’t believe Morning Grass will agree to you carrying this baby full-term,” Mbenga said.

  “Maybe not, bu
t I can’t just assume that,” Russo replied. “This isn’t my child. It’s hers.”

  “But it’s your body the child is growing in. You’re the one taking all the risks.”

  Russo said nothing. She just looked at Mbenga and shrugged her shoulders.

  When Mbenga realized he would be unable to change Russo’s mind he picked up his tablet and punched in the orders to run the tests to screen for genetic abnormalities in the fetus she was carrying.

  “You do realize that an amnio or CVS increase the risk of miscarriage, don’t you,” Mbenga asked. “If the fetus is completely normal, whatever that turns out to be, you may lose it anyway.”

  “It’s the only way to know for certain, Charles. Please?”

  “Okay. I’ll do the tests myself, even though I strongly object to this prenancy being allowed to continue. I’m sorry, but I have to report this to Colonel Stiles before I begin. I don’t know what she is going to say about it.”

  “I understand,” Russo said. “She won’t be happy. Would you ask her if she would let me be the one to tell Morning Grass?”

  Chapter 68

  “Son of a bitch, Dawn Marie. Son of a bitch.”

  Stiles held nothing back. She was certain Russo had transgressed beyond the Forward Command’s ability or desire to forgive. “Wasn’t it enough to risk your medical license? Did you have to go for a dishonorable discharge to boot? Getting pregnant by itself is grounds enough to send you home, but this… I can’t even begin to explain the enormity of this.”

  There was a knock on the door.

  “It’s open,” Stiles yelled.

  Morning Grass stepped inside and closed the door. “Captain Morning Grass reporting as ordered, Colonel Stiles,” she said as she saluted. “I came straight from the shuttle bay.”

  “At ease, Captain. The major has some important news to share with you.” Stiles turned to Russo. “I’m going to walk to the coffee machine. You have five minutes, Dawn Marie.”