Muffled voices in the hall drew her gaze to the door. When it opened and Juna walked in, relief changed to irritation as Ellar, one of the Primarian physics, entered behind her.
“What is he doing here?” she blurted out. “I told you it can’t be a Primarian child, so he has no business here.”
“I know, Eryn,” Juna answered patiently. “You’ve said so many times.”
“Then why did you bring him with you?”
“Because this isn’t adding up.”
“What do you mean? I gave you the date of conception. All I need is prenatal vitamins and I’ll be back in a few months for a checkup.”
“You don’t have a few months, young woman.”
Tired from the long wait and annoyed with the entire proceedings, she scowled at the man. “Why are you still here?”
“Don’t be rude, Eryn,” Juna scolded. “I requested he be here.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m convinced the child is Ram’s.”
“It can’t be,” she snapped. “We didn’t bond. I told you that onboard ship.”
“And I told you nothing about human-Primarian interspecies breeding is as expected.”
“But the tests all came back negative. You ran them yourself. And besides, Primarians can’t breed with an incompatible mate, which we were.”
“What’s this?” Ellar appeared bewildered and began tapping on his tablet. After a few moments, he nodded. “Greater than 99 percent, a very strong match.”
“You need to update your computer, doc. The initial results were reported incorrectly. I saw the notification sent to Ram about the error. It had incompatible marked in big bold print.”
“Compatibility ratings are never flawed. And if a mistake was made, which would be the first time, ever, I’m positive notification wouldn’t come by written notice.” He scoffed at the notion, his lips twisting as if offended by the mere suggestion.
“But I saw it myself,” she repeated, her voice rising in volume.
“This is most irregular.” Ellar reply was low, as if to himself, while he stroked his snowy beard. “We haven’t had an error in my lifetime. Further, we have protocols for the handling of discrepancies. It is done by face-to-face consultation with the physic, and if an error is suspected, per protocol, retesting would have occurred.”
“You’re certain?” Juna asked.
His head came up sharply, and he met her gaze straight on as he answered. “Jarlan would have someone’s head over such slapdash mismanagement of data and violation of protocols.”
“I’m confused,” Eryn stated. “What are the odds of three false pregnancy tests and a reporting error on the same patient?”
“Slim to none,” her doctor replied. “I have to assume they were somehow tampered with.”
“It’s a possibility we need to consider, yes.”
Following all of this in disbelief, Eryn exclaimed, “But I took those tests onboard Odyssey. Who would do such a thing, and why?”
“That’s harder to explain.” The older man’s face tightened with anger. “With what’s going on in Ariad, with the Purists and their plots, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a hand in this. Not one bit. I must report this new information to Jarlan, which is a call I don’t relish making.”
“You think someone tried to interfere with Eryn and Ram’s mating.”
“It seems that way, yes,” Ellar concurred.
Eryn felt more than saw Juna’s focus shift, watching her patient’s reaction. She was on edge, for certain, a jumble of butterflies in her stomach, but all she managed to do was whisper, “This is insane.”
“The only one who needs more convincing is you,” Juna told her gently. “Consider the other facts. Most women don’t feel the baby kick until their second trimester. Yet you felt the first strong kick weeks ago. There is also the weight gain, which is a concern if you’re early on as you claim, but expected toward the end of your term. And, the date of conception doesn’t correspond with your measurements, but it does if we consider Ram is the father.”
“Which would make you twenty-five weeks gestation,” Ellar interjected, “and if this pregnancy follows the shorter Primarian term of seven months, you will deliver in three to four weeks.”
She shook her head, having a hard time accepting anything with so many contradictory facts. “How do you explain the rest? I’m sitting here without any markings or evidence of a transformation, and, aside from the symptoms I had on the ship which you told me yourself could have been a stomach virus, I’ve had no signs of separation sickness since arriving back on Earth, which should tell you it isn’t a possibility, either.”
The two medical professionals shared a knowing glance which Eryn couldn’t have missed if she’d been blindfolded.
“What was that?” she demanded. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“We think,” Juna began then stopped and gestured toward Ellar. “You should probably explain. It’s your theory.”
“Oh, I can’t take the credit. Our lead physic agrees it is possible. We’ll need more extensive study to prove my hypothesis true—”
“Will someone please tell me what you’re talking about before I go nuts?” Eryn shouted.
Both doctors turned and stared at her.
“Tell her,” Juna demanded, and the older man took a hesitant step forward.
“We have been in consult this last hour with Jarlan, on Primaria. As Juna mentioned, none of the matings are holding true to course, and we have had several anomalies.”
“And you’re saying I’m one of these anomalies?”
He paused, sending Juna a sidelong glance. She, in turn, hesitated to respond, both seeming suddenly uneasy.
“Just spit it out,” Eryn insisted of Ellar.
He cleared his throat then he did. “Some of the new pairs have bonded, including sets of fated mates, without visible signs until late.”
“Six months after separation late?” she pressed.
“Well, no, but none have been pregnant.”
“And this changes things how?”
“We think, if the child you are carrying is indeed Primarian, the baby may be giving you protection from the sickness.”
“What?” she gasped, dread washing over her.
“Hear him out, Eryn.” Juna laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.
“We believe,” Ellar continued, “since the baby carries the father’s biocellular construct—”
“What we call DNA,” Juna added.
“Right, right.” The alien physic nodded. “With the baby possessing the father’s DNA, we think it may be enough to minimize or possibly nullify any symptoms, in theory.”
“No!” she whispered, shaking her head. “Ram can’t be…”
She closed her eyes, remembering their last meeting. He’d come to see her in the med-bay, demanding to know if she suffered separation sickness. When she’d emphatically denied it, blaming a virus or the flu, with no other connection between them, he’d left. Well rid of her, he’d stopped at the door to impart one final chilling remark.
“Maker willing, for your sake, our paths won’t cross again in the future.”
He’d been so angry. If this turned out to be true, which seemed to be the case, he would think she had betrayed him again, keeping their child from him with more lies.
“We didn’t part on good terms,” she murmured. “And he requested the elder council to dissolve us, or whatever the process is for such a thing, and they approved. He won’t want this if it’s true.”
The Primarian physic flushed red and adamantly shook his head. “You underestimate Master Ram. If he is the father, he will be overjoyed, no matter what has come between you before this. And the term you are referring to is dissolution. To my knowledge, that did not occur.”
She glanced at Ellar, shock locking the air in her chest. “Are you certain? I was told otherwise.”
“Someone was misinformed, perhaps?”
“Why wo
uldn’t he go through with it? He went home months ago.”
“No, Eryn, he remained here at Roth’s request.”
Her gaze shot to the door as a familiar voice joined the conversation. Maggie, who she hadn’t heard enter, stood in the open doorway. Behind her, Commander Roth, tall and intimidating as ever, had his intense purple gaze locked on her.
“Doesn’t anyone knock anymore?” she snapped. If the commander knew, he would tell Ram. “And whatever happened to confidentiality?”
“I called her,” Juna confessed. “You have her listed as an emergency contact. I thought you might need her support.”
“How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough,” Maggie whispered.
Looking pointedly at Eryn, Roth’s response was precise. “Back to the statement ‘if Master Ram is the father’.”
“Great,” she murmured, aiming a scowl Juna’s way. “Maybe a front-page headline would have told everyone on the base.” Then something Maggie said sunk in. She glanced at her seeking clarification. “What do you mean he remained here? Ram’s on Earth?”
“He’s here on the base,” Roth clarified. “He is an integral member of the integration team. I’m amazed your paths haven’t crossed in all this time.”
With her pulse pounding in her ears, she didn’t hear anything after here on the base. In fact, with her heart racing so hard, she could hardly hear herself think. A sudden sense of being closed in came over her. “Well, this has been loads of fun.” She scooted to the edge of the exam table. “But, I need to get dressed and go.”
“I know this is a lot to take in, honey,” Juna acknowledged kindly, “however, we’re not quite finished. There is one more definitive test. It’s the other reason I brought Ellar with me. The test needs to be done in the lab on the Intrepid.”
“It will not require you to transport up in person,” he explained. “I’ll only need a cell sample. It will determine with 100 percent accuracy if Ram is the father.”
“From me or the baby?”
“The child.”
Her hands flew protectively to her belly. “How?”
“It will require a minor needle prick.”
“Yeah,” she drawled. “It’s not happening today. I’m done. I need time to let all of this sink in.”
“I’m afraid you don’t have time for that, Eryn,” Roth informed her quietly. “Ram is scheduled to leave for Primaria tomorrow. You’ll need to tell him immediately because this changes everything.”
Tears stung her eyes, something unfamiliar to her until Ram. She averted her eyes, staring down at her clenched hands, not wanting to reveal her weakness to anyone. “I don’t want him to know,” she whispered.
“I’m sorry, if this child is Ram’s, you don’t get to make the decision. I won’t allow you to keep his son’s existence from him,” Roth murmured.
“Or his daughter,” Maggie added.
“Maker be praised if this is true,” her mate replied in a voice barely above a whisper while Ellar nodded in agreement. “A female birth would be a rare gift to Primaria.”
“Excuse me if I’m not thinking about gifts to Primaria. This is my baby. Are you telling me I have no say?” Her hoarse voice, rising with her anxiety, dried her throat.
“Not under the treaty, Eryn.” Maggie’s sympathy for her plight rang in the gruffness of her voice. “I’m so sorry, honey. I know you had a hard time with Ram, but surely you can resolve the problem.”
She looked up, a single hot tear tracking down her cheek. “He hates me, Maggie.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.” Her concerned gaze flicked to Roth.
“If this is his child, it means you are mates. Ram will be thrilled, and he’ll set aside whatever barriers drove you apart.”
Roth’s confidence didn’t reassure Eryn. Only she and Ram knew what had passed between them and how abhorrent it was.
“No.” Her voice broke as the memories swept through her, and guilt at her actions made her stomach clench. “What I did… I haven’t been able to forgive myself, so how can I expect him to?” She hopped down from the table, in flight mode. “I must go.”
“Eryn, we have one more test,” Juna repeated.
“No more tests.”
“I’m afraid we have to know.” Roth’s calm tone rang with authority. “And under the treaty, if we suspect a child may be Primarian, we have the right to insist on testing to determine the truth.”
“I don’t care about the damn treaty,” she snapped, forgetting her training and the respect due to a superior officer. “This is my body and my baby. And that, as they say, is that! End of discussion.”
“I’m sorry, Eryn.” Roth’s voice remained firm with a gentleness underlying the steel. “Only half of what you say is true. If the child is Primarian, he is Ram’s under the law.”
Icy dread spread through her chest at the thought of her child being ripped from her arms and taken across the galaxies. “This is Earth, not primeval Primaria. I have rights. I can fight this.”
“You could,” Maggie agreed, “but you would lose, honey.”
“There is something else you’re forgetting, Eryn,” Juna interjected.
“What else?”
“The protection the baby gives you? We aren’t sure—”
“Aren’t sure of what?” she snapped, all patience gone.
“What will happen after you deliver,” Ellar answered for her. “If his or her DNA is keeping you free from the sickness, it could all change after the birth. If you and Master Warrior Ramikin are indeed mates—”
“You could get sick,” Maggie told her. “If you’re fated mates, and you separate, you would both die. What would become of your precious baby?”
“So like me, he has no choice. If he despises me and can’t bear to look at me, he’s stuck with me forever, upon risk of illness or death. Is this what you’re telling me?”
The blows, coming one after another, were far too much for Eryn to endure. Her knees buckled, and she staggered backward, Roth rushing forward to catch her before she fell.
“Ram’s a good man, Eryn,” the commander assured her as he took her weight. “You can trust him to take care of you and your child.”
“That’s just it.” Her quavering, defeated tone underscored her misery. “After what I did, I don’t think I can.”
“Eryn, what on Earth?” Maggie exclaimed. “What could be so bad?”
She shook her head, too ashamed to speak of her actions, let alone reveal it her longtime friend, a woman she respected.
“Do your damned test,” she told Juna and Ellar. “I suppose I can’t move forward until my fate…” Her hands swept over her stomach. “Until our fate is known.”
* * *
Juna raised the head of the exam table, letting Eryn sit up more comfortable. She also removed the sensors from her belly and switched off the monitor tracking her baby’s heartbeat. A constant companion for the past several hours, she missed the steady rhythm already.
“How’re you doing, Eryn?” She gave her hand a little squeeze.
“In general, I’d say being a patient sucks.”
The squeeze became a consoling pat. “Get used to this. We’ll be checking you often from now on.”
“I can hardly wait,” she grumbled as she adjusted the thin paper drape over her belly for maximum coverage.
“Don’t cover up yet,” Juna directed, holding up a handheld censor. “Don’t worry. This one won’t hurt a bit.”
“Famous last words from the woman who stuck a six-inch needle into my abdomen less than an hour ago. And Ellar, with his internal exam. Next time—if there must be a next time—you do it. His hands are freakin’ huge.”
“I’m sorry, Eryn. The technology is his; therefore, he had to collect the samples.”
“What’s taking him so long, by the way?”
She glanced at the clock. “He said he’d return in one time cycle, which is equivalent to one Earth hour, so we have fou
r minutes left to wait, give or take.”
“Let’s hope it’s not give. I’ve been here long enough. Not that I don’t enjoy your company and your lovely amenities.” She swept her hand down her body indicating the crinkled blue paper gown.
Juna shook her head, although her mouth kicked up on one end in a half grin as she moved the wand over her belly. “Hush for a moment, so my scanner’s audio can lock onto your baby.”
In seconds, the swishing background noises settled into a rapid lub-dub rhythm.
“That’s her?” Eryn gasped.
“Or him.” Juna grinned. “If you look at the screen on the wall to your right, you’ll also see little him or her.”
Her head whipped around so fast, a sharp pain stabbed her in the bend of her neck. But she didn’t care once she saw the 3-D color image of her baby.
“He’s so small,” she whispered, blinking back tears. It all became very real in that moment. Fixated by the computerized likeness of her little one, she found herself laughing and crying at the same time. “He’s like a wizened old man.”
While watching his legs kick on screen, she felt the movement against her belly. And she fell in love the next moment when his thumb found his mouth and he began sucking.
“He’s amazing, isn’t he, Juna?”
“Absolutely, though I can’t vouch for him being a he.”
“It’s a girl? How can you tell? Her legs are crossed.”
“That’s what I mean, the image is inconclusive. Ellar should be able to determine the gender after his analysis is complete, if you want to know.”
“Certainly,” the physic acknowledged, seeming to appear out of nowhere. “Our test is sensitive and can give specific details right down to the eye color.”
“You’re back,” Eryn whispered. As she studied the older man’s face, trying to glean the answer, her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest. “You know?”
“I do.” His tone, his facial expression, his body language didn’t tell her anything. The man would be unbeatable in a game of five-card draw.
Breathing in deep, Eryn blew the air out bit by bit, hoping to relieve some of her tension. It did no good. She doubted anything would, ever again.
His Rebellious Mate (Primarian Mates Book 3) Page 10