Patrolling the Stars

by KD Jones

  “No,” she answered, more slowly this time. Her heart rate sped up. Could she be ….?

  “Well, Miss Andiva, you’re pregnant. From what I can tell you’re about four weeks along. We’d like to see you back here in about a month, and at that time we will come up with a care plan for you." The doctor typed something in on the computer in the room. “Let’s say the fifteenth of next month, around nine?”

  “Yes, that will be fine,” she answered, still in shock from what the doctor had just told her. She wasn’t sure how to feel about it, and she had no clue how she would tell Drako. She almost felt sick to her stomach trying to picture the way Drako would react. She hoped he would be happy, but he might be upset over it. She’d heard of relationships that ended over pregnancies, and she hoped that wasn’t the reaction that Drako would have.

  *****

  She walked back to the suite she’d been sharing with Mary and started packing the rest of her stuff. She left her suite key on the counter with a note to Mary and Thesos, telling them that she’d signed the suite over to the two of them and wished them a happy marriage.

  She took her stuff to Drako’s suite and started putting everything away. She couldn’t sit still from the anticipation building up, unsure of how Drako was going to react about having a child with her. She cleaned the whole suite twice as she waited nervously until it was time for him to finish working for the night. She couldn’t stand it anymore.

  Carolina rushed down to the control room. The waiting and anticipating was killing her; she had to tell him now and find out how he felt about it. Maybe they would work things out. No matter what, she was keeping their child. Carolina rubbed her still-flat belly. Waiting for Drako to come home had given her time to come to terms with her pregnancy. She was thrilled, and she hoped Drako would be, too.

  “I thought we were meeting for dinner?” Drako asked before he kissed her. He was surprised by her showing up, but happy to see her. “This works better, though. We can walk to the restaurant together.”

  “I needed to talk to you about something first," she said nervously, starting to fidget with her hair.

  “What is it?” he asked curiously.

  “Drako, I’m pregnant,” she blurted out. Her heart started pounding in her chest as she waited for a reaction. She felt uneasy at his stunned silence.

  I’m pregnant. Her words hit Drako like a ton of bricks. He looked her up and down. She didn’t look pregnant. She hadn’t acted nauseous at all. He, on the other hand, was feeling sick to his stomach. Drako’s face went pale white. His hands started sweating first, then the rest of his body. How could he have gotten her pregnant? He had been careful. What if he was a terrible father and the baby hated him?

  “Drako, are you alright?” Carolina asked.

  “Are you sure?” Drako asked, still feeling sick to his stomach.

  “Yes, the doctor told me today,” she answered. She waited for him to say something about the baby.

  “I should shower before we go to dinner," he said nonsensically, and started walking back to his suite. Carolina walked silently beside him, rubbing her stomach. What was he going to do? Drako wasn’t sure that he was ready to have a baby yet. What if he messed up and hurt the baby by accident? What the hell was he going to do?

  He needed time to think, to make plans. His suite wasn’t big enough for a family. He worked really long hours. Plus, he hadn’t asked Carolina to marry him yet. Human females wanted to be married. He’d thought he had plenty of time to do that before having children.

  What about Carolina? She had a business that she’d put everything into. She would hate him if he was the cause of her having to give up her job. She’d told him that she started a new liaison business with employees to take over the dates; she was excited about it. That might change if she had a baby. Pregnancies took a toll on females, and with their child being the first mixed species, it was sure to be even more complicated.

  The way Drako reacted made Carolina feel confused and a little bit angry. A child was a precious gift, and he should be excited about it. She contemplated moving back into the suite with Mary, but she didn’t want to do that. She decided to give Drako some time to process the news of the baby, and if he still wasn’t happy she would seek out another suite for her and the baby.

  There was no way she was going to abort the baby, even if Drako wanted nothing to do with it, nor would she put it up for adoption. True, she’d never thought about having children, but she would be glad to be a mother, even if it meant that she raised the child on her own. She loved Drako with all of her heart, and the thought of having his child made her happy. She only wanted him to feel the same way. She waited anxiously for him to get out of the shower.

  *****

  Drako let the hot water rush over his head and down his body. He closed his eyes and pictured Carolina, swollen with his child. Then another image came to his mind: Carolina holding a baby, his baby, in her arms. The images filled him with a joy he had never known before. Why had he been so hesitant? Carolina and the baby were the best things that ever happened to him.

  As soon as Drako got out of the shower he called Turk.

  “Hello?”

  “Turk, do you have another two-bedroom suite on board?” he asked.

  “Yeah, there’s one more open, but it might not last long; we’re making port tomorrow afternoon,” Turk answered.

  “I need it.”

  “I know Carolina is moving in with you, but she doesn’t have that much stuff.”

  “I need the extra room because … Carolina just told me she’s pregnant.”

  “What? That’s fantastic! Congratulations, my friend.”

  “Thanks. So can I have the suite?”

  “Yeah, it’s yours. When do you want to move in?”

  “Immediately. I want to surprise Carolina. I didn’t react very well to the news; I was kind of in shock. Now I have to do something to show her how excited I am.”

  “Ok. I’ll get it ready for you.”

  “Where is it located?”

  “It’s actually five doors down from Carolina’s old suite. The suite number is 1085.”

  “She’ll be close to Mary and Melanie. That will make her happy." He hoped it would. He had acted like a real ass. “I’m taking Carolina to dinner. If you could have someone work on moving our stuff there while we’re gone, I’d greatly appreciate it.”

  “Yeah, just keep her out for about two hours,” Turk told him.

  “Thank you.” He hung up the phone.

  Drako finished dressing and walked out of the bedroom, hoping Carolina hadn’t heard him talking to Turk. He wanted the new suite to be a surprise. Drako found her sitting on the couch, looking pale and unsure. He hated seeing her upset. He gave her a reassuring smile, then sat down and took her hand, lifting it up to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss in her palm.

  “Let’s go get you something to eat.”

  She nodded and stood up to follow him out of their suite.

  *****

  He held her hand as he led her down to the restaurant. He took the long way around, hoping to avoid the hallway that Turk would be using with his crew.

  They ordered their food and ate in silence for the most part. He took as much time as he could, ordering them dessert even though Carolina said she wasn’t hungry for it. He smiled as she ate every last piece of her chocolate cake. He needed to stretch things out as long as possible to give Turk more time.

  Drako tried to stay on safe topics. “How is everything going with your new business?”

  Carolina frowned. He obviously didn’t want to talk about the baby. This wasn’t good. “Fine. My new employees are booked for the next three weeks.”

  “That’s great." He looked down at his phone. He was getting anxious waiting for a text or a call from Turk. Finally he got a text; just in time, because she’d started to ask to go back to their suite so that they could talk in private.

  “Where are we going?" Carolina asked. It lo
oked like he was taking her back to her old suite. Was this it? Was he going to end their relationship because of the baby? She frowned when he passed her old suite and continued down. Where the hell was he going?

  Drako stopped outside a closed door and turned to her. “I have a surprise for you.” He covered her eyes.

  Drako opened the door and even he was surprised — it was a lot nicer than the suite that Carolina had originally started out in. The kitchen was more spacious, and had more cupboards and drawers. The floors in the kitchen were made out of hardwood. The living room had a mocha-colored sectional couch that was large enough to seat six people comfortably. The carpet was even softer than the carpet in the other suites they’d been to.

  He glanced at the open doorway to the master bedroom and could tell from where he stood that it was much bigger than the ones he’d seen so far.

  “Drako?" Carolina asked while he still had her eyes covered.

  “I know I’ve been an ass about the whole baby thing, but I’m hoping that this will start to make-up for it." Drako brought her inside the suite and removed his hand.

  He stood back so he could watch her expression. She opened her eyes and looked around in shock and confusion. “I don’t understand. Why are we here?”

  “I wanted to show you how thrilled I’m that you’re having my baby.”

  “You are?”

  He came up to her and cupped her face gently. “Yes. You are everything to me, and now our baby will be everything to both of us.”

  A tear trailed down her cheek. “I thought … you didn’t want …”

  Drako bent down and gently kissed her lips. “I want you, and I want our baby more than anything. I’m so sorry for being an asshole when you first told me. I think I was in shock, and then I was worried about how having a baby would change things. I panicked. It’s no excuse, and I’m deeply regretful. I plan to make it up to you every day for the rest of our lives.”

  “Drako …” Her voice cracked.

  “Come on. Let’s look over our new suite.”

  “We didn’t have to move right away.”

  He took her hand as they investigated the living room and the large kitchen. The master bedroom was huge. The bed was a queen instead of a full, and nicely made up. The bedding on the bed felt like silk on the top and like velvet on the bottom. The carpet was just soft as it was in the living room. The master bathroom had a huge tub with jets, and a separate shower.

  They walked to the second room, which had its door closed. Drako was almost holding his breath, hoping it was as nice as the rest of the suite. They both sighed in awe and relief. The walls had been painted a light purple color and had wallpaper with cute little zoo animals that went around the middle. Carolina had tears in her eyes as she looked at the crib, which also had purple bedding.

  “It’s beautiful," Carolina whispered.

  “It truly is." Drako was shocked at the gesture that his friend had made. He wasn’t expecting that much. They entered the room and explored everything; the nursery even had a rocking chair in it. The mobile was put up, and the crib was made like Carolina was going to have the baby tomorrow. There were a few baby clothes in the closet already, and a package of diapers. They both stared in awe, a little bemused by it all. “I owe Turk big-time for all this.”

  “Glad to hear that." Turk stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, trying not to laugh at Drako. “I’m going to be the best uncle ever, aren’t I.”

  “You didn’t have to do all this," Drako returned, shocked.

  “I know, but I love babies." Turk said.

  “No you don’t," Drako said with a knowing smile.

  “I do when it’s your child. ‘Uncle Turk’ has a nice ring to it."

  “Thank you Turk.” Carolina went over to give Turk a kiss on his cheek. The man blushed.

  Drako didn’t like Carolina kissing other males. He took her back into his protective arms. His behavior caused Turk to break into laughter.

  “Easy buddy. She is definitely yours.”

  Drako reached out to shake Turk’s hand. “Thanks again for all this. You really out-did yourself.”

  “I plan to spoil this kid like crazy!" Turk yelled out as he left them.

  Carolina turned to Drako. “Are you sure you’re okay with all this?”

  “I’m the happiest man alive. I have you, and we’re having a child. There’s nothing more precious than the two of you." Drako wanted to blurt out a proposal, but he planned to do that after several rounds of lovemaking, so that she was too tired to say no.

  “I love you," Carolina whispered.

  “I love you forever, my Carolina.”

  Carolina turned and kissed him, happy that he’d said that and meant it. Drako put his hand on her stomach when she did. She placed her hand on top of his, and kissed him one more time. She smiled happily at him. She couldn’t believe it herself that they were having a family together, but now she was glad that they were, because she couldn’t picture her life without him.

  Epilogue

  Captain Rena glared at the irritating male. “I don’t care if you have all the gold in the universe, this is the only room available to you.”

  “Fine. I’m issuing a complaint with the captain of this bucket of steel.”

  “I’m the captain, you asshole!" Rena stormed away, not looking where she was going, and bumped into someone, hard.

  “Easy," a male voice said as he helped Rena regain her balance.

  “Sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going." She took a step back and checked out the male before her. He was tall, probably about six-foot-six inches. He had a slim build, but man, he was well built. He had curly blond hair and the prettiest blue eyes. He was human.

  “I’m Jessie Collins." He reached out to shake her hand.

  Rena smiled at him as she grasped his hand. She liked that his hands weren’t soft. Nothing turned her off more than a male that was more feminine than she was. “Captain Rena." She thought about the name Jessie, wondering why it sounded vaguely familiar. Jessie …. Jessie … oh. “You’re the liaison?”

  He laughed. “Actually, yes. Will you be one of my clients?" he asked as he began to openly check her out.

  Rena couldn’t believe the male’s audacity. It was also a bit of a turn-on. She liked confident males. “Maybe.”

  Another voice interrupted the two of them. “You better keep your distance, little human. That female will chew you up and spit you out.”

  Rena braced herself. She’d hoped to avoid this, but it was bound to happen eventually. She knew she would have to come face-to-face with the one male in the entire universe whom she hated with a passion. Rena turned around and gave the man a tight smile.

  “Captain Turk. Can’t say it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

  “You know this day has been a long time coming.”

  “It came too soon.”

  Captain Turk growled. “Not soon enough for my liking. Rena, we need to talk.”

  More Books By Author Jessica Killabrew

  Stealing a Pirate’s Heart

  Mutiny of the Heart (Stealing a Pirate's Heart) (Volume 2)

  Bounty of Her Heart (Stealing a Pirate's Heart Book 3)

  Capturing His Heart (Stealing a Pirate's Heart Book 4)

  Fire In A Gypsy's Heart (Stealing a Pirate's Heart Book 5)

  Forbidden Plunder

  The Rise of the Royal Elven

  Vixen (Pirates of The Galaxies Book 1)

  Contact Author Jessica Killabrew

  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jessicakillabrew/?fref=ts

  Website: http://jessicakillabrew.weebly.com/

  More Books by KD Jones

  Katieran Prime Series

  Katieran Prime

  Prime Commander

  Prime Medic

  Kiljorn Prime

  Prime Deliverance

  Prime Salvation

  Colonial Prime

  Kiljorn Commander

  Katieran Prime Mirac
le

  Galactic Cage Fighter Series

  Rage

  Talon

  Taurus

  Zara

  Hammer

  Zen

  Torch

  Maxim

  Ronin – coming soon

  Inter-Galactic Bounty Hunters Series

  Inter-Galactic Bounty Hunter

  Tempting Bounty – coming soon

  Strange Lake Falls Series

  Strange Lake Falls Vampire

  Strange Lake Falls Werewolf

  Strange Lake Falls Vampire Mistress

  Strange Lake Falls Panther

  Earth Evolution Series

  Desolation

  Resistance

  Contact KD Jones

  Website: www.kdjonesauthor.net

  Email: authorkdjones@yahoo.com

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kdjonesauthor

  Twitter: @authorkdjones