by Zara Zenia
I was helpless to do anything but hope the baby would survive this birth. Then it dawned on me that I might not survive this birth. I was panicking inside but was unable to do anything but try to keep myself calm through the contractions that were causing me to double over in pain.
Once we arrived at the hospital, my vision clouded over and I began to drift in and out of consciousness. “Stay with us, Cindy,” I heard an unfamiliar voice cry out.
“Where’s my husband?” I tried to murmur, but I was unsure of whether any sound was coming from my lips. Then, there was darkness.
I woke up and I had no idea where I was. My eyes landed on Togtulir, who was standing above me. Dr. Chirolar was looking at a computer monitor next to a bag of IV fluid. I traced the IV line back to my own hand. “My baby! Where is my baby?”
Togtulir and Dr. Chirolar both looked at each other and then down at me. Togtulir leaned over to give me a kiss. There were tears in his eyes. “We had a boy, darling. A baby boy.”
“A boy? Can I hold him?” I looked from him to the doctor.
“He’s in an incubator right now, Cindy. We had to perform an emergency caesarean section to get him out. He’s only four pounds right now, and he still has a lot of growing to do as far as his lungs, brain and nervous system goes.” The doctor leaned in to check my blood pressure.
“Can I see him? Is he going to live?” I was in hysterics. I wanted to see my baby and neither man in front of me was being very forthcoming with that information.
“Yes, you can see him, Cindy. You just need to recover enough to come off your sedatives before we can wheel you into the NICU where the baby currently is on a ventilator.”
The doctor was trying to be supportive, but I noticed an edge of firmness in his tone. He had to speak the truth to his patients, but it wasn’t what I wanted to hear right now. What I wanted was to be able to hold my baby.
After thirty minutes or so, I was healthy enough to go see the baby. I had a son, I couldn’t believe it. I was so curious to what he looked like. I had been bombarding Togtulir with questions about him, but he knew not much more than I did. The doctors and nurses had whisked the baby away as soon as they cut him from my womb. He needed precise and urgent medical care to stay alive.
They took me by wheelchair to the area where the premature infants were. When we walked into the room, it was dark, lit only by small lamps on tables around the room. There were several rocking chairs next to little incubators. There was only one baby in a little plastic see-through box though, and it was my baby.
My eyes filled with tears as I looked at him, hooked up to machines that helped him breathe. His eyes were closed. “Can I touch him?” I looked up at the nurse and she told me I could actually pick him up, as long as we didn’t disconnect all the wires connected to him. I nodded my agreement as Togtulir stood over my shoulder.
The nurse handed me our little baby and Togtulir and I both wept silently, tears rolled down our cheeks in unison. His skin was wrinkled and felt like paper. I was almost afraid I’d break him if I made any jerky movements. He had an oxygen hose through his tiny little nostrils and a light machine hooked up to his foot in order to help prevent jaundice.
A few weeks ago, I had thought up a name for a girl and a boy. “Can we call him Amir?” I looked up at Togtulir through blurry tears.
“Amir?” Togtulir asked but his voice sounded as if he liked the sound of that name on his tongue.
“Yes. It means little Prince.” I whispered, nearly choking up again as I stroked my baby boy’s tiny hand as gently and carefully as I could. He was a perfect blend of human and Cardalphian, with a skin tone that made me think of a soft sky blue, but with more subtleties.
“Amir. I like it. Our tiny little prince.” Togtulir leaned over to rest his arms on my shoulders as he gazed affectionately at our little boy.
Two months later, Amir was healthy enough to come off the ventilator and breathe on his own. The number of tubes still hooked up to him had significantly dropped over the course of the past weeks. Dr. Chirolar had been a miracle worker, and we owed him our son's life. Literally. All the nurses who stayed by his side in his little plastic box night after night were angels walking the planet, and I made sure I told them that any chance I got.
I was rocking Amir, who was in a little green jumper that Aunt Rosgular had brought by. Amir had grown substantially over the past two months, more so than a human baby would have. But, he was still smaller than a full-blooded Cardalphian baby. I was feeding him a bottle and he was looking up at me with his perfect newborn eyes. He had a tuft of fuzzy hair on top of his head that I enjoyed caressing because it was so soft.
My favorite nurse, Marinar walked into the room carrying a set of baby blankets that had been perfectly folded. She gave me a warm smile when she entered the room.
“Today is a very special day, Mrs. Cindy,” she approached me and watched me feed little Amir.
“Every day is special when you’re with this cute little guy,” I smiled down at my baby and he grasped my thumb with his whole hand.
“Well, it’s even more special because you get to take him home with you today.”
“What? Are you serious? Dr. Chirolar hadn’t mentioned it! He said it was going to be at least another week.”
“He gave me the orders just now. Congratulations to all of you.” She patted my shoulder and I was overcome with emotional joy.
“Togtulir, get down here quick,” I called and told him into the phone speaker.
“What’s wrong, baby? Is something the matter with Amir?” His voice was laced with concern, so I decided to dial down the suspense and just tell him.
“We get to take Amir home today!” I exclaimed happily into the receiver.
For a moment Togtulir was quiet, then I heard him holler animatedly on the other side of the phone. He had been back at the palace going through the new agenda for the year with his police force.
“I’ll be right there, baby! I’m bringing my baby home today!” Then the phone clicked off. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of him jumping around his board room in the palace, high-fiving his employees.
That was just the type of man that Togtulir was. It didn’t matter that we had come from different backgrounds, different worlds, in fact. Fate brought us together and we created a wonderful new living being out of love. Against all odds, our baby boy was given the top medical care in all of Cardalph, and now through a wonderful miracle, we got to take him home.
Later that afternoon we dressed Amir in a beautiful white newborn suit and wrapped him in a soft blue blanket, hand knitted by Aunt Rosgular. It smelled like a new baby and felt as soft as a cloud to the touch.
We got in the car and drove home, our little family of three. Once we got home we were on our own without the aid of nurses to help us through the night when Amir cried. We were new parents trying to learn the ropes, and all the tricks new parents needed for newborn care.
After a night of minimal sleep, I decided to wrap Amir up and take him outside to listen to the morning birds chirping in the sky. The water in the pool lapped at the edges and I closed my eyes as I gave my baby a bottle. The sucking sound he made as he drank his milk made me feel calm and peaceful. My heart was exploding with love for someone I had only just met.
“Hey, Mama,” Togtulir walked outside holding a cup of my favorite blend of coconut flavored coffee.
“Hey, you.” I took the cup gratefully and took a refreshing sip. He sat in the patio chair beside me and stroked Amir’s head. We both smiled at each other enjoying the serene landscape.
“I could stay out here forever,” I admitted, looking out to the trees out in the distance.
“Thank you.” Togtulir looked at me with tears in his eyes.
“What’s wrong baby?” I took his big strong hand in mine, not used to seeing my handsome and rugged husband letting down his exterior walls.
“Thank you for being you, for being my wife, for giving me a beautiful son. I have searched
far and wide across the galaxy. I never thought I’d find a soulmate but then I found you. I don’t know what I would do without you, Cindy.”
I squeezed his hand. Happiness and love lived in places I could never have imagined.
About Zara Zenia
Zara Zenia writes steamy, sexy, and suspenseful sci-fi romances! You will find her writing alien romances from intergalactic planets, bionic romances, superheroes and time travel romances too.
Please see her Author Central Account on Amazon for a full list of her titles.
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Also by Zara Zenia
Celestial Mates:
Blue Alien Prince’s Mate: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Celestial Mates)
Alien Gladiator’s Mate: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Celestial Mates)
The Blue Alien’s Mate: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Celestial Mates)
Aliens of Dragselis Series:
Zaruv: A Sci-Fi Alien Dragon Romance (Book 1)
Karun: A Sci-Fi Alien Dragon Romance (Book 2)
Ragal: A Sci-Fi Alien Dragon Romance (Book 3)
Warriors of Orba Series:
Benzen: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Book 1)
Jarick: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Book 2)
Voland: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Book 3)
Draygus: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Book 4)
Ethazol: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Book 5)
Standalones:
The Alien Mate's Abduction: A Sci-Fi Alien Abduction Romance
Bionic Outlaw’s Baby: A Secret Baby Sci-Fi Romance
Zaruv Preview
Preview:
Book 1 of the Aliens of Dragselis Series: Zaruv: A Sci-Fi Alien Dragon Romance
Chapter 1-Zaruv
Tick, tick, tick, tick. My eyes darted across the emerald table, meeting those of my youngest brother. The incessant tapping continued, much to my chagrin. Every time the heavy, golden, ring on his middle finger brushed against the table, the noise rang out across the silent ship. He was going to start a fight without ever lifting a fist in anger.
That was Pavar’s thought. He had a way of stirring the pot to his liking. Young and wild, my twenty-five-year-old brother shot me an easy grin. At once, I felt my anger giving way to amusement. It was damn near impossible for me to stay angry at his hotheaded ways. The youngest of five brothers, Pavar always seemed to play on the line between prince and prisoner.
“If you continue to act like this, you will be the death of us all,” I said finally.
He cocked his head and the tapping finally stopped, “Come now, Zaruv. We both know that the Dragselian people are not going to change their ways. The system has worked for thousands of years.”
“It’s flawed and you know it. Hell, I would even venture to say that the other brothers know it too. None of you want to speak up though. Even now, we are all heading to our exile and still, you won’t speak against the old ways.”
“It’s not my place to speak ill of them. Nor is it yours.” Came Karun’s steady voice.
He stepped into the ship’s hull and nodded toward me as a sign of respect. As the second oldest son, I held the honor of being charged with my younger three brothers. We all knew that the day of exile was coming, but now that it was here, old struggles seemed to be flaring up. It didn’t help that we’d been stuck in the small passenger spaceship for the last two weeks. No amount of preparation could ready one for spending so much time in close quarters with their siblings.
Pavar glared at Karun while nodding in respect toward his elder brother. “We are heading to Artax, where we are sentenced to live out our lives away from our home and our people but you still support the rule?”
“I do,” replied Karun confidently. “The system, though flawed, has worked well long before we were here. It will continue to work long after we are gone.”
“You make Artax sound like a prison,” I interjected. “Artax is a resort planet, dear brother. We are going to live out our lives with more Dragselian woman and servants than we can handle. Yet you seem to find a way to make it sound terrible.”
“That’s because it is! I want to be back home on Dragselia, not billions of light years away from it.”
“You are so ready to start a fight when our father has not even been dead a week. You mourn the loss of your comfort, but not the man who provided it. You should be ashamed, Pavar,” Ragal said.
My two brothers sat down at the table with myself and Pavar. Looking around at them I saw the stark differences between them. Each one of them had a different personality that had its flaws, but also its winning qualities. I could think of no better warrior than Karun. His strength, speed, and agility were almost matched with my own. An anger boiled below the surface though. He hated the exile even more than Pavar, though his loyalty to the Dragselian way ran deeper than his disdain.
“We are not far from Artax now, I think you will sing a new song once you see what waits for us there, Pavar,” Karun said
“Karun, you won’t win. I would encourage you to let it go now before a war of our own starts,” interjected Ragal.
“I agree,” I said while nodding to Ragal. “There is nothing that we can do about it now. Pavar, you may voice your concerns among us brothers, but once we reach Artax, there will be no room for that hostility.”
“Why not?” Pavar fumed.
I started to speak, but it was again Ragal who answered. “Because Artax is a haven of Dragselian. To speak against your king would be unforgivable.”
“Maybe that’s what I need to do then, at least I wouldn’t be living a lie.”
Karun sighed and shook his head, “Then we will be forced to live with your death. You will be painted the selfish, spoiled brat that you are.”
Pavar leaped up, but I raised my hand in a command for him to sit. He begrudgingly listened. This wasn’t the first time that he’d tried to start a fight in the close quarters and I knew it wouldn’t be the last. I didn’t worry about Ragal. His level head and passive nature wouldn’t allow him to partake in such a pointless fight. It was the others that I was worried about. Karun was a fighter and Pavar was an instigator but Ragal only wanted peace to reign out over all others. I smiled at him as he sat silently, looking out at the stars as they flew past us.
“We are close,” Ragal whispered beneath Pavar and Karun’s argument.
I looked out the front window and took in the beauty of the planet. It had been many years since I’d ventured to the area. Everything seemed the same. A small flicker of light caught my eye. At first, I thought that it was a star, but it seemed to be moving. Another ship in this area was common. Artax was a popular resort planet. No chime of the security console came but that did little to comfort me. It was programmed to send a message to all ships in our area, keep track of their level of danger.
Our vessel did not bear the royal insignia of our home planet. It was too dangerous to openly declare that there were royals on board. Throughout the area, there were Infernians lurking and waiting for our capture and eventual death. If no heirs to the throne were alive, they could easily overthrow our rule. I kept a watchful eye on the ship. It wouldn’t take much to fool our system. A false sense of security might blanket those who didn’t know the price on our heads, but it did little to put my mind at ease.
“What troubles you, brother?” Ragal asked, watching the changes of my face.
I shook my head, not wanting to alert the others of potential danger until I was sure. “It’s nothing, just my paranoid mind playing tricks on me. I think that I, too, am getting a little stir crazy.”
Ragal smiled and leaned back, “I believe it's infected me as well. I will be glad when I can again rest my feet on solid ground.”
I snickered, Ragal hated to be on ships. The uncertainty of the unknown did little to comfort
him. He was not one for adventure. Left alone with his charts and the stars, he was a very happy nomad. I glanced back at the window, searching for the small blinking light. At first, I thought it had gone, moved onto whatever planet it was destined for, but then I caught it again, this time it was closer and worse, it wasn’t alone.
My heart started to race, wondering if it was enough danger to alert the others. In my hesitation to speak though, a heavy silence fell over the cabin. Karun and Pavar were no longer arguing with each other. The silence had transformed into a heavy fog, waiting for me to speak and lift it. I glanced back at the approaching ships, four in total and knew that I needed to make a decision. They would be on us in a matter of minutes.
“Zaruv?” Karun asked, “What troubles you?”
I looked him in the eyes, dark and brooding as always. We were an incredibly attractive lot by human standards. Our bodies had little to no hair, save for our heads which flowed freely down our backs, mine in waves of deep auburn. My heart was racing; we were not prepared for a fight as we flew in a passenger vessel with no security. Instantly, I regretted my decision to not push for some sort of escort. These were troubling times for our kind, as evident by the unmarked ships now closing in.
Karun saw them before I responded to him, “Are they Infernian ships?”
I shook my head, “There is no way to know. They do not have any markers or colors. I don’t think they are coming to be friends though. Jartex?”
A computer voice rang out over our heads. Jartex was our security system. “Yes, my prince?”
“Can you send them a message please and ask that they identify themselves?”
“Shall I share make your royal presences known?” Jartex asked.
“No,” I whispered. “Do not share who we are with them.”
The four of us stood watching through the window as the ships grew closer. They couldn’t see us through the thick glass, but we could see enough that my heart sank to the pit of my stomach. No passenger vehicle carried the two heavy missile portals on either side, as were the ships that were now hovering a few hundred feet from us. There was little doubt in my mind that they knew who was on board.