by Marla Monroe
Coreg was proud of their success in locating so much of what they’d come after. He couldn’t wait to see his Andrea’s face when she saw the rest of her things. Even Lettie’s smile would be welcome. He knew she was hoping they’d locate hers as well.
“Coreg. Watch out.”
Just as he looked up, one of the soldiers knocked him down just as an aragus jumped at him. The soldier took the brunt of the attack, but Coreg could feel the blood running down his arm. He rolled away from the huge creature then took the knife he always kept in his boot out and jumped on the thing’s back to get it to let go of his rescuer.
The soldier managed to crawl away while the creature tried to get Coreg off its back. Coreg drove his knife under the armor-like skin, trying to hit something lethal on the creature. From the way it screamed, he hoped he was succeeding. He was afraid that killing it would be the only way he would be able to get off of it alive.
The other two soldiers raced to the fight, one pulling the other soldier back to the hover crafts for the other males to take care, then joining his partner to attack the aragus. They yelled instructions to Coreg on how to disable the creature while they used every chance they got to wound it.
Finally, he managed to get a vital organ and the aragus collapsed. It was still alive, but no longer fighting them. He slipped off its back and all but crawled away from the dreaded creature. The soldiers dispatched the fallen animal then returned to help the others bandage up their colleague and Coreg. His arm hurt worse than anything he’d ever felt before, but he’d survived and would return to his Andrea. The soldiers had congratulated him on defeating an aragus, even though he pointed out that he’d had their help. They were impressed nonetheless that he’d jumped on the thing’s back to save their friend.
“You would have done the same. I couldn’t let the thing harm another male. We have much to be happy about now. Soon there will be young, and more of us need to know how to protect our greatest assets,” he told them.
“We will make sure everyone knows that you are an aragus killer,” one of the males said.
“I’m not sure that is a good idea. My female is going to be very unhappy with me,” he told them.
“Why? You were a strong male and a hero,” one of the other males asked.
“Because I promised not to get hurt. She will be worried that I have been injured.” Coreg hoped that she would be so happy that he’d returned and brought her things that she would overlook his slight injury.
He winced, well, it wasn’t exactly slight. It would mean he would be off work for a few weeks from the looks of it. He was sure he had a broken bone as well as the cuts from the thing’s teeth. No, she would be quite angry with him before she forgave him.
Oddly enough, he was fine with that. It meant she cared for him and that he had a female to care about him. He was truly blessed among Levsassians to have a female in a family unit. The fact that he shared her with PJ was nothing to him. It meant that if something had happened to him, PJ would be there to care for her in his absence. He valued his new friend for that. He hoped PJ thought the same thing concerning him. They would talk once he finished begging his female’s forgiveness.
No sooner than they entered the gates of the city, word spread about their adventures. He and the wounded soldier were whisked to the healer’s before he could stop to let his family know that he was fine. He asked to use a communication unit to let them know he was home, but the healer refused until they’d scanned and treated him.
Once they’d set his arm and repaired the lacerations, Coreg commandeered a communication unit and called his home. The fact that no one answered worried him. What was wrong that they weren’t there waiting on him?
He soon found out when a frantic Andrea burst into the room where he waited for the sealant to cure on his injuries, followed by a very unhappy PJ. She threw herself at him, hugging him to the point of pain despite the pain medicine they’d injected him with. She looked him over as if assuring herself he was truly all right. Then she crossed her arms and glared at him.
“If you weren’t already injured, I’d kill you myself.”
“I don’t understand?” Coreg began.
“You promised you wouldn’t get hurt. They are talking all over the city about how brave you were saving one of the soldiers from an aragus. They are the trained ones, not you. What were you thinking?” Andrea shook her head, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “You could have been killed, Coreg.”
“The soldier saved my life first, little one. I couldn’t lay there while he was seriously injured or killed after he risked his life to take the full brunt of the creature’s wrath. I didn’t think, I just reacted.” Coreg sighed when she just shook her head, allowing a single tear to slide down her cheek.
“Not good enough. You can’t scare me like this. You aren’t a soldier. You’re my male,” she said.
“PJ. Help me here. I can’t stand to see her so unhappy. She’s shedding tears. This is terrible.” Coreg stood up, wincing at the pain that radiated down his injured arm.
“Don’t get up.” Andrea shoved him back down on the table. “Not until the healer lets you leave. Then you’re coming home with us.”
“I’m sorry, Coreg, but she’s the boss when it comes to times like this. I was lucky to keep up with her when she heard that you’d been injured. Then, when they started talking about how you were a hero, she just about lost me getting here. The woman can run.” PJ shrugged.
“I’m fine, little one. Please do not cry. I will make it up to you. I found the rest of your things, and I even brought back Lettie’s things,” he told her.
“I don’t care about our things when it meant that you were hurt. Nothing is worth you or PJ to me. I love you. I can’t stand the idea that something nearly happened to you, Coreg.”
“You love me?” Coreg focused on that one thought.
She loved him.
“I love you both. I’ve wanted to say it for a while now, but wanted the time to be perfect. Now I wish I’d already told you. What if you’d been killed and I hadn’t said the words? It would have broken me. Now do you see why you can’t do this again?” she asked.
“Do not worry, Andrea. I won’t be going again. Now that we have your things and the baby things for the young, I will remain here working and by your side. I am truly sorry that I scared you.” Coreg reached out with his good arm to take her hand in his. He held it to his heart. “I love you as well, little one. With all my heart.”
Andrea smiled up at him through teary eyes. He loved that smile but without the tears. He wanted to see that smile all the time.
PJ wrapped his arms around their Andrea from behind and rested his chin on her head. She reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand.
“I love you, too, silly. You both mean the world to me. I don’t want my world to ever be without the two of you in it,” she said.
“I love you as well, babe. You’re what makes our family unit a family. Nothing matters more than your happiness. Coreg won’t be going anywhere again. Neither will I. We’ve got jobs here and don’t need to go back to the ship. We’ll leave that to the soldiers and other men.” PJ caught Coreg’s gaze and lifted his chin. “Right, Coreg?”
“That is correct.” He smiled at the other male. “I also found your things and packed them away with Andrea’s. They should deliver the boxes by in the morning,” he said.
“Thanks. I’m glad you found them, but if you hadn’t there wouldn’t have been anything I couldn’t live without. I have everything I need right here in this room.” PJ pulled Andrea into his arms and clasped Coreg on his uninjured arm.
* * * *
Andrea couldn’t stop looking at Coreg on the trip back to their home. They’d taken a transport to lessen the effort on Coreg by walking back with his injuries. She could have lost him, nearly had. She didn’t think she was going to be able to rest easy for a long time. Nearly losing him had sealed her need for both of them to always be there in her li
fe.
“What are you thinking so hard about, babe? I can almost see the wheels working in your head.” PJ took one of her hands in his. Andrea held fast to Coreg’s as well.
“Just trying to get past nearly losing Coreg. It’s going to be awhile before I’m going to sleep easy.”
“Little one, I’m fine. Please don’t fret on my account. Nothing is going to happen to either of us. We will return to our normal duties soon enough. There’s nothing dangerous about overseeing the fields or working on the broken machinery that PJ does. Your fears are unfounded.
“Don’t tell me not to worry about you guys. I’m going to do it regardless. You’re getting hurt nearly paralyzed me. I was so scared of what I was going to find when we got to the health clinic, that I nearly threw up.” Andrea squeezed his hand. “I’m going to worry about you. I can’t help it.”
“I am sorry I worried you so, little one. I will do my best not to allow that to happen again.” Coreg smiled down at her.
Andrea loved his smile. His silvery eyes brightened and the way his lips curled up reminded her of a statue back home, no, back on Earth. It had always intrigued her. Coreg was a handsome man with his silver skin and bright eyes. He was strong with muscles like all Levassians. She knew he worked hard, though he was a supervisor of sorts. She knew PJ worked hard since he handled heavy machinery trying to make it work. Of the two jobs, PJ’s probably posed the greatest risk.
“Both of you must promise me to be very careful. I don’t think I can handle another injury between the two of you. Promise?” she asked.
“We promise, babe. No taking risks. Neither of us wants to worry you,” PJ said.
“When we are home, I want you to go straight to bed, Coreg. You need to rest so that you heal. No arguing with me. I’ll bring you something to eat there.” Andrea knew he’d resist but was ready for him.
“I do not need to rest in bed. I can rest in the living area so I can be close to you,” Coreg complained.
“If you’re doing better in the morning, you can sit in the living area while I sew. I can keep an eye on you that way.” Andrea shook a finger at him.
Coreg looked over at PJ with a look that Andrea interpreted to be entreaty to appeal to their woman to show leniency. She shot a sharp look PJ’s way. He better not take Coreg’s side.
“Sorry, buddy, but I have to live with her, too. You’re confined to bed tonight,” he said. “Look on the bright side. It’s almost time to go to bed anyway. Enjoy the meal in bed. It’s considered a rare treat on Earth.”
“Eating in bed is a treat? That doesn’t make sense.” Coreg frowned.
“I’ll explain later. Just go with it for now. It makes our woman happy.” PJ winked at the other man.
Andrea watched their byplay with amusement, then it hit her again that Coreg had come near to dying and she sobered. Nothing in that ship had been worth his life to her.
They pulled up outside their home. Andrea insisted on helping him out of the transport and into the house. On one level, she knew she couldn’t support his weight should he falter, and PJ would have been the better choice, but on the other hand, it made her feel good to help him into their home.
“Let’s get you out of the rest of your clothes and into bed. You’re not going to be able to use your left hand to do it.” Andrea followed him into the bedroom.
She could hear PJ talking to Lettie, apprising her of Coreg’s condition and no doubt letting her know that Andrea was going off the deep end about it. She didn’t care. At least for tonight she would be in some form of control over Coreg’s care. She needed that control when she’d been helpless when he’d been injured back in the jungle.
Once she had Coreg tucked safely in bed, she returned to the living area to talk to Lettie about finishing their meal. The other woman had already done so.
“Thank you, Lettie. I’m not sure I would have been able to cook without burning something,” Andrea said.
“I didn’t mind. I’m so glad Coreg wasn’t seriously injured. I know you’re sick over it.”
“I could have lost him, Lettie. I don’t know what I would have done.”
“Well, you didn’t. Don’t torture him over it. I’m sure he was a little upset about it as well. He faced an aragus for goodness sake. We all know how dangerous that is, even for the trained soldiers. He’s considered a hero now. He saved one of the soldiers after that soldier threw himself between the aragus and Coreg. Few Levassians would have done that. They say they would have frozen in place out of fear.” Lettie pulled Andrea into a hug.
“I don’t care that he was a hero. All I care about is that he was hurt and I could have lost him. I won’t fuss at him anymore though. He did what needed to be done. I can’t argue with that, but I’m still shaking inside over it.”
“Take a deep breath and carry his meal to him. If you feed it to him, he might see that supper in bed isn’t so bad,” Lettie told her with a wink.
Andrea smiled and drew in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. She would be fine once her gut stopped quivering like a bowl of Jell-O. She loaded up a plate with enough food to feed two then carried it into the bedroom on a tray. She sat the tray across Coreg’s lap and proceeded to feet him from it.
“This is nice,” he said. “Thank you, little one.”
“Don’t get used to it,” she said chuckling. “It doesn’t happen often.”
“I’m humbled that you would feed me now. I understand it is a gift from you.”
“It makes me feel better to do it. Now be quiet and eat all your vegetables.”
“Maybe later I can eat you,” Coreg said, his eyes growing dark.
“Much later. You’re recuperating. We’re not playing around while that arm is healing.”
“I don’t need my arm to pleasure you, Andrea. Just my mouth.”
Heat burned up Andrea’s neck and into her cheeks. How this man could make her blush when he was injured amazed her.
“Rest, Coreg. You’ll be back on your feet soon enough. When you are, we’ll make up for lost time.
“I can’t wait.”
Chapter Twelve
Andrea couldn’t wait for Coreg and PJ to return home. Word had spread that Caro was in labor at the health clinic. It was only seven months, but they’d all been told that most Levassian infants were born at seven months. Since both of Caro’s men were Levassian, it stood to reason that she might give birth earlier than a human couple. Still, she was anxious and wanted to be there to hear what was going on.
PJ arrived home first and hugged her when he heard the news.
“That’s wonderful. As soon as Coreg gets here, we’ll go and wait so we can welcome the new baby into the world.”
“I can hardly believe it. Seven months seems too soon. I know they’ve been monitoring her and the baby, but seven months, PJ.”
“Trust them that they know what they are doing. They have devices that are far more advanced than what we had back on Earth. They know if the baby is ready or not.”
Coreg walked in with a huge smile on his face. “You’ve heard the news?” he asked.
“Yes. Hurry up both of you and get changed. I want to go to the health center,” she said.
Coreg followed PJ to the sleeping chambers to change with Andrea following them.
“You do realize that all of Levastah is probably going to be there. We’re all excited about this birth. It will be the first one in many, many years,” Coreg said.
“I don’t care. I want to go. Surely as a female I can get closer to see the baby once he’s born.” Andrea would use her revered status as much as she could in order to be close by.
“We shall see. I will try to get you close to the clinic,” Coreg said.
Once the men had changed, the three of them hurried out the door and down the street, only to find a large crowd waiting outside the health center’s doors. Andrea sighed. Coreg was right, there wouldn’t be any way to get her inside the clinic. From the conversations around them
, the only people allowed inside the clinic were the council and relatives. They’d also brought Della in just in case she went into labor since they’d conceived so close together.
“How long do Levassian’s usually go through labor?” she asked Coreg.
“I’m not sure. I don’t remember from my childhood and never heard from anyone concerning it,” Coreg told her.
They stood around talking with other Levassians while they waited to hear any news that might come out of the clinic. It did seem that most of the city had congregated in the streets to hear as soon as the birth was announced.
Two hours later, a health worker emerged through the doors and waved his hands to quiet the crowd.
“Mother Caro has just delivered a healthy boy. Both mother and young are well. The family thanks you for your support and hopes that you will return home as joyous as they are at this time. The young will be on display tomorrow afternoon once he’s gone through all of his tests and has a good rest. You can file through the nursery to look through the window. Caro only asks that you don’t tap on the window and upset the young.” The man nodded and returned inside the clinic.
There were cheers and back slaps as everyone turned to return home. Andrea hugged both men and took their arms as they walked back to their home. She was relieved that both mother and child were healthy and happy. She hoped the labor hadn’t been overly painful. They hadn’t announced the infant’s weight or length. That worried her a bit. Was he overly large or long? She couldn’t wait to see him the next day.
“The city is going to be celebrating tomorrow. There will be food and excitement at the city’s center commune. We should go and celebrate with everyone,” Coreg said.
“It sounds like fun,” PJ commented. “What do you think, babe?”
“Absolutely. We’re a part of Levastah now. If they are celebrating the baby’s birth, then we should do the same. I hope they do the same for Della’s baby,” she said.