by J. E. Taylor
Katrina put her free hand on her stomach and looked up at Linda. She didn’t have the same conviction as André, but she nodded.
The nurse came in and changed her IV bag. “You should be good to go in about a half hour.”
Linda stood and handed André the keys to the hovercraft. “I need to get supper ready for your father.”
“We’ll be home once they let her go,” André said and turned back to Katrina. The color was back in her cheeks and the circles under her eyes had faded a bit. “How are you feeling?”
“A little better.”
The doctor came in. “I assume you are the father?”
“Yes.”
The doctor took note of the wedding band on André’s hand. “You two are married?”
“Yes, sir, we are,” André answered. “For a little over a month now.”
The doctor scanned the chart. “It looks like your wedding day prompted more than just nuptials.”
“When is she due?”
“May, June time frame. When was your last period?” he asked Katrina.
“I’m not sure. Beginning of August?” she said. “But I can tell you the date that we probably conceived. It was either August fifteenth or sixteenth,” she said, reciting the day André made love to her for the first time as well as the day they were in Chicago.
“Then we are looking at roughly around May fifteenth,” he answered, plugging the dates into the chart.
Katrina raised her eyebrows. She might not make it to finals and that irritated her, along with the prospects of going through senior year with a child. But André was so damn happy about this that she sighed and focused on what the doctor was saying.
“...prenatal vitamins and you will need to drink lots of fluid so you don’t get dehydrated again.” The doctor scribbled on the screen and the prescription came out a few moments later. “Do you have any questions?”
André opened his mouth and then closed it, biting his lip like he did when he was trying to formulate a delicate question. “What kind of complications could we be facing?” he asked, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.
“Your wife is a healthy woman in great physical shape, so she is at a lower risk for complications,” the doctor began. “However, with that said, there is always the risk of miscarriage in any pregnancy but that risk gets lower after she completes the first trimester. Warning signs to look for throughout the pregnancy include serious cramping, spotting, and dehydration. If any of those occur, you should bring her here immediately.” He handed them the bottle of prenatal vitamins. “Try to maintain a healthy diet, and I want to see you every month if all goes smoothly. If we hit some bumps, I’ll want to see you more frequently.” He looked at the IV bag. “I’ll send the nurse in to take that out and before you leave, please make your next appointment,” he said and headed toward the door. “If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call the office.”
“Thank you,” André said and turned his attention back to Katrina. “You look so much better.”
“I feel so much better than I did earlier,” Katrina said as the nurse came in.
The nurse removed the IV and handed them an instruction sheet before showing them out of the office.
“My father is going to blow a gasket,” Katrina said as they got into the hovercraft and headed toward the house.
André shrugged. “My dad isn’t going to be happy either but we’ll deal.”
Katrina pulled the visor down and glanced in the mirror. “I look like shit.”
“No you don’t,” he said and grasped her hand and kissed it.
MATTHEW PULLED UP AS they were getting out of the hovercraft and he sent a glare in André’s direction. “Where were you?”
“Tell Mom I’ll be in in a few minutes,” André said and watched Katrina trot up the steps and enter the house. Turning his attention back to his father, he took a deep breath, ignoring the intimidation inspired by the full military attire Matthew wore. He leaned against the hovercraft. “We need to talk, Dad.”
Matthew nodded for him to follow and placed his briefcase on the porch, sitting on the steps and indicating for André to do the same. “What’s on your mind?”
André took a deep breath. “A few things. First, I’m not real happy with the arrangements,” he said, picking at a hangnail on his thumb.
“Tough.”
“I think since I’m gonna be a father, I should be able to share a room with my wife.” He leaned back to watch Matthew’s reaction.
Matthew went to speak but stopped as the words sank in. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Kat’s pregnant.” André crossed his arms. “It’s time to change the living arrangements.”
Matthew shook his head. “No, the arrangements are not changing.”
André uncrossed his arms, the bite of anger creeping in. “She’s already pregnant, Dad. You don’t have to worry about that variable anymore.”
Matthew glared at his son, and stormed into the house.
André immediately followed. “Dad, you’re being ridiculous.”
Matthew stopped in his tracks. He turned slowly toward André. “My roof, my rules,” he replied. “You don’t like it, you can leave,” he added and headed toward the master bedroom to change.
André mumbled something unintelligible under his breath and stormed into the kitchen. He sat down, the moody air rippling around him conveying to his mother and Katrina that all did not go well with his conversation. “Can you talk to him?” He looked up at his mother, exasperated.
“About what?” Linda asked, stirring the soup and looking over her shoulder at him.
“The living arrangements.”
Linda raised her eyebrows. “This doesn’t change anything, André.”
Katrina and André exchanged a look and she silently asked him to let it go. “We are married, damn it!”
“You are also just seventeen,” Linda said as she turned her attention back to the pot on the stove.
“We are going to be parents!”
Linda glanced back at him and shrugged. “While you are under our roof, you play by our rules.” She recited the mantra she and Matthew had agreed upon that first night. They planned to stick to their guns no matter what was thrown their way.
“Do you and Dad fucking practice that?” André snapped.
Linda turned on him. “That language is not to be used in this house!”
André stood up. “Fuck you!” he screamed and turned to storm out of the kitchen.
Matthew stood in the doorway, his face red with anger, and his open palm connected with André’s cheek, the loud slap silencing everyone in the room. “You do not talk to your mother that way.”
André’s hand flew to his cheek, his eyes wide as both the sting of the slap and the surprise at finding Matthew blocking the doorway sunk in.
Katrina burst into tears and skirted by them, pausing long enough to give André a look conveying her disdain before bolting up the stairs.
André started after her but Matthew grabbed his arm. “Sit your ass down,” Matthew growled and pointed at the kitchen chair.
André looked toward the stairs and back at his father. “No, Dad. I need to go talk to my wife.” He yanked his arm, but Matthew’s hand clamped around his biceps like a vise.
Matthew swung him around and into the kitchen chair, planting his face within inches of his. “Right now I don’t give a damn what you want,” he began. “You have royally screwed up that girl’s life.” He pointed toward the stairs. “You don’t even have a clue, do you?”
André shrank away from him, confusion overtaking the anger. “What are you talking about?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Matthew took a step back from André. “Whatever career aspirations she might have had, you have screwed. Do you know how hard it’s going to be for her to finish high school with a child? Do you?”
André slowly shook his head.
“And college is going to be d
amn near impossible for both of you.”
“So,” André replied.
“How are you going to support your family?” Matthew asked.
André nodded toward Matthew. “The same way you do.”
Matthew blinked. “You think Commander Lawrence is going to allow you in the military after what you’ve done to his daughter’s life?”
André looked at his hands and shrugged. “Yeah,” he mumbled, sheepishly looking up through his bangs.
Matthew laughed. “André, I have a doctorate in aeronautical engineering. I was in college for eight years before I enlisted. I wasn’t a high school dropout. Do you know what happens to dropouts?”
André shook his head.
“They become losers living off society or criminals who end up either in prison or worse. So what makes you think you can live the way I live? What makes you think the commander would give you any sort of chance?”
André looked at the floor. “Because I can teach people to do the things I can.”
Matthew took a step backwards when André raised his eyes.
Fire red blazed over his eyes; his battle to hold in his anger began to waver. “I am smarter than any of the kids in my class and not one of them can do this.” He tilted his head; the entire kitchen set lifted into the air. He smiled and set it back down. “Imagine being able to stop any threat aimed at you or someone you love without scrambling for a gun.” His voice rumbled in his chest. “How much do you think that’s worth?”
“How the hell are you going to do that?” He pointed at the kitchen set. “No one on Earth has that power.”
“I can teach anyone to tap into their inner strengths, even you,” André snapped.
“Bullshit,” Matthew said.
André shrugged and got up to leave the kitchen. “Whatever,” he said over his shoulder and wandered away, leaving Matthew and Linda in the kitchen staring after him.
MATTHEW SPUN TOWARD his wife. “Do you think he can?” His eyes grew wide with the possibilities. “Do you think it’s even possible?”
Linda looked at the empty doorway and back to her husband. She took a deep breath. “Yes. I think he can do anything he puts his mind to, Matt,” she said with a sigh. “André may not be all that swift on the common sense side of things, but academically, he is far superior to kids his age. And he has more insight into the human spirit than either of us. So yes, I think if he sees it, the possibility is there.”
Matthew digested her answer and looked toward the door thoughtfully.
Linda stared at her hands, struggling with the next thing she wanted to say. “He may be seventeen in years the way we see them, Matt, but I think he’s much older than that underneath.”
He looked back at Linda.
“Sure, he still does some of the stupid things a normal teenager does...” She trailed off. “But...” She shook her head. She turned toward the forgotten dinner, turning the burners off and formulating her thoughts. “I’ve stood by the rule you laid down when they came back, but with this new development, I think they should be together,” she said. “They’re going to need each other, Matt.”
Matthew sat down at the table.
She faced him. “We don’t know how this pregnancy will work,” she said bluntly. “And I’d rather André be with her. He’ll know if something is wrong.”
Matthew closed his eyes. “But he’s just a child.”
“That’s where you are wrong, Matt. He isn’t a child anymore,” Linda replied.
“So we just give in to his every whim?” Matthew countered.
“No. But we have to trust that he’s learned something from us. He’s always had a clear idea of right and wrong.” She walked over to Matthew. “What he did with Katrina wasn’t wrong—stupid, yes, but not wrong.” She smiled a little. “It was actually a bit romantic if you think about it.”
Matthew rolled his eyes.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me, Matthew Robbins,” she scolded, putting her hands on her hips.
Matthew smirked, humor returning to his eyes after what seemed like weeks. “I’ll roll my eyes any time I please,” he replied, standing up and pulling her toward him. He kissed her gently. “So we give them what they want?”
She nodded. “In this case, I think it would be for the best.”
Matthew sighed. “You want to tell them?”
“No, it needs to come from you.”
“Crap,” he muttered under his breath.
Linda heard the mutterings. “You dished out the punishment; you also get to be the one to give back the privileges. That’s how it works, honey.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Matthew said as he headed out of the room and up the stairs. He hated the very idea of giving in.
ANDRÉ SAT ON THE BED with his arm around Katrina, looking expectantly at the doorway to Katrina’s room when Matthew stuck his head in.
“You knew I was coming,” Matthew stated.
André nodded.
“Do you know why?”
André half smiled and nodded, trying not to gloat.
Matthew sighed and nodded. “No sex.”
André raised his eyebrows and looked at his father through his bangs. Yeah, right.
Katrina hit his stomach with the back of her hand, giving him a cross look.
“I’m serious, André,” Matthew said.
“I know you are,” André replied but he had no intention of agreeing to the stipulation.
Matthew went to leave but paused and looked back. “You can really teach people to control things and read minds?”
André nodded and glanced toward Katrina. “Show him.”
Katrina bit her lip, glancing at Matthew. She turned her attention to the desk, staring at the pen that lay on her math book. A thin layer of perspiration broke out on her forehead as she willed the pen to move. She let out a hiss of air from her lips and the pen spun around in a circle. She smiled, but the effort obviously wiped her out.
André kissed her cheek. “Good job, babe,” he said and looked over at Matthew.
Matthew’s gaze bounced between the pen and André and back. “How long did that take?”
“A week,” André answered.
Matthew’s jaw dropped and he blinked rapidly, trying to grasp the concept. “How?” he asked when he recovered his composure.
André debated on telling him the process. “You didn’t believe it was possible,” he stalled and got up. “I need to get her a drink.” He walked past his father and down to the kitchen, coming back in time to hear his father drilling Katrina.
“How, Katrina?”
Katrina shook her head and wiped her face with her hand. “I’m not sure. But now if I concentrate, I can do stuff. I can read minds, too, if I try.” She looked at her hands. “I think this may be the reason I got sick, though. It takes a lot out of me.”
André stepped in with a glass of orange juice and handed it to Katrina. Taking a seat next to her, he turned his attention to his father. “I can teach almost anyone,” he said. “The only caveat is that the person has to trust me.”
“Why is that?”
“I have to get into their head,” André replied.
Matthew’s brow furrowed. “Say again?”
“I have to get into their mind.”
Matthew sat back. “Mind control?”
“Not exactly,” André answered. “Mind control screws people up. It scrambles their brains a little.” He shrugged. “This is different. It’s more like opening a door that’s been locked since birth.” He studied the hangnail again and then glanced at Katrina. “I guess it hurts a little, too.” He looked back at his father when Katrina nodded.
Matthew glanced between the two of them. “Okay, go for it.” He leaned back with his arms out.
“Huh?” André grunted.
“Teach me,” Matthew said, putting his hands on his thighs.
André blinked and glanced sideways at Katrina.
“It hurts,” Katrina warned.
; “You got through it.” Matthew shrugged. “How bad can it be?”
André turned away from Katrina as a small laugh escaped his lips. His father just set her off with that statement.
“What, you think girls are wimpy?” Katrina shot back at her father-in-law, the anger in her eyes making Matthew smirk and shrug. She stalked out of the room in a huff, leaving André and Matthew staring after her.
“You just pissed her off,” André replied with a grin.
“Seriously, how bad can it be?”
André shrugged in response. “Do you trust me, Dad?”
Matthew considered the question. “For the most part, yes.”
“But not completely?”
Matthew shook his head. “No, not completely. There are some things that I don’t trust you with. Katrina, for instance.” Matthew pointed over his shoulder.
André blushed, shrugged and nodded. His father had good reason not to trust him with Katrina.
“But as far as putting my life in your hands, I trust that you wouldn’t intentionally put me in harm’s way.”
André nodded. “I wouldn’t,” he said and sighed. “But if you have any doubts at all, I could end up really hurting you.”
“Tell me how this works.”
André shifted uncomfortably. “First I have to access the point where the brainstem attaches to the spinal cord.”
“Define access,” Matthew demanded.
André looked at the floor and back up. “I stuck a needle in Kat’s neck.”
The color drained from Matthew’s face. “Then what?”
“Then I remove the needle and plug the cut with my finger. And from there, I’m able to access the person’s mind.” He shrugged. “Once I’m in, I break down the barrier that prevents humans from getting to the natural powers each of you already has.” André wouldn’t meet his father’s gaze.
Matthew took a deep breath. “What aren’t you telling me?”
André scanned his hand. The cut on his finger had healed from his venture with Katrina. “In order to get to your mind, I have to infuse my blood with yours.”
Matthew digested what André told him; his eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed. “And how’d you know this would work?”