by Aurelia Skye
"Are you sad?"
She shook her head. "Never."
He let out a small sigh, which seemed to indicate relief, and then his chest swelled, and he looked quite full of himself. "Of course you aren't. You're my mate, so why would you have any reason to be unhappy?"
She giggled at his silliness, though she acknowledged there was truth to his words. He was just teasing, but she was serious when she said, "Being with you makes me happy, and there's no doubt about that."
"It's the same for me, Carrie. I love you." He pressed his lips to her forehead in a gentle kiss.
She moved just a bit closer, finding the natural groove where her body melted against his, and settling in to the familiar space with ease born from practice. "I love you too, and I think I fell in love with you even a little more today. I didn't think that was possible."
"I believe it's entirely possible. Just when I think I can't love you any more, you prove me wrong every single time. I’m glad to hear it's the same for you."
She nodded against him, feeling drowsy from the combination of the weak sunlight and the gentle lovemaking. "Is it all right if I nap for a while?"
"Of course. We’re safe here." He rubbed her back, zeroing in on the lower area, where there was constant pressure these days. "I must admit this surprise isn’t entirely altruistic."
She blinked her eyes, pushing back some of her drowsiness. "How so?"
"Other than the possibility that I would get to make love to my mate, I had an ulterior motive for planning this."
She arched her brow and tipped her chin up to look at him. "What kind of motive?"
He gave her a slow smile, looking a little sheepish. "According to my research, sex can sometimes start labor. You’ve been so miserable, and I know you want to avoid surgical intervention, so I hoped this might help."
"It's helped tremendously, even if it didn't start labor." She stretched like a cat, which reminded her she wanted to see Raven’s kitten the next time she found her friend. She didn't imagine that would take long, since Raven often sought her out, and not just because they were good friends. At only three months pregnant, Raven was sometimes fearful of what was happening, while equally fascinated to see the changes in Carrie.
That was her last thought as she slipped off to sleep, imagining a fluffy white kitten crawling over Raven’s lightly curved belly, though she had no idea what color or breed of cat Gwen had managed to clone for their friend. At some point, the dream shifted as she fell deeper asleep, and it was the cat on her stomach instead of Raven’s.
At first, the cat was gently kneading her, and it was a pleasurable sensation as its claws remained retracted. Gradually, the cat's loving massage shifted, becoming at first just a little uncomfortable before turning outright painful as its claws extended while it pressed firmly and continuously on her stomach.
Carrie moaned, slowly returning to awareness as she realized her stomach was tight and painful. For a moment, she thought it was a residual effect from the dream, until it happened again. Abruptly, she realized she was having contractions, and that had filtered through into her sleep, manifesting as the cat dream.
Her eyes snapped open fully, and she looked up to find the sun was in a different position. She didn't know if that was natural or artificial, but it seemed to indicate time had passed.
Davis was still curled against her, and his eyes had also closed. She was briefly sidetracked from the tightening in her stomach by tender amusement at the thought of her mate, the strapping cyborg general, having an afternoon nap alongside her. The next spasm in her stomach quickly derailed the thought, and she gasped.
His eyes opened, and he seemed completely aware, as though shaking off the effects of an afternoon nap without difficulty. Carrie envied that ability, since her brain still felt sluggish, even with the stimulation from the contractions.
"What troubles you? Are you in labor?" He sounded slightly frantic, though he looked calm.
She nodded. "I think I am." A moment later, another intense tightening in her stomach broke over her, and it lasted longer than the previous one. It was so strong it made her grit her teeth. "Yes, I'm sure I am," she finally managed to say as the contraction faded.
Davis moved faster than she'd ever seen, scrambling to his feet and dressing before finding her clothes. He didn't bother with her bra or panties, and she thought about protesting, but was sidetracked by another contraction as Davis quickly dressed her.
He scooped her into his arms, leaving behind everything, and she clung to him as he hurried back to the base. What had been a leisurely five-minute walk before was now a two-minute run, and she wasn't sure if she should ask him to slow down because the pain was spreading through her from his jarring pace, or if she should request he speed up.
The contractions were coming closer and faster than ever, and she tried to convince herself she couldn't be that close to giving birth. It was her first baby, and they usually took hours. Sometimes days even. Her own mother had been in labor for forty-six hours before she was born, and she remembered her grandmother had a similar story, so she was likely to have hours and hours ahead of her to experience this pain.
The thought brought sweat to her upper brow, and she gritted her teeth to hold back a moan. She didn't want to alarm Davis further, since he was clearly already rattled. So was she, though she was trying to hide that. She didn't have any fear of serious complications, since Owen and Nikki had been researching for months, and they were consummate professionals. She was just afraid of the pain, and even a little afraid of meeting her baby.
She was anxious to hold him or her, but she was afraid she might not be a good mother. That anxiety was probably just as normal as everything else, but it was something she'd kept to herself. Her plan had been to sort through it later, but later was now here, and she didn't have the luxury of putting off the fear any longer. She would simply have to deal with it and take confidence from her love for the baby she had yet to meet.
Judging from the intensity of her contractions, it wouldn't be long before she met her child. Davis had her delivered to the medical bay in record time, and Nikki and Owen both seemed to take her arrival in stride. Neither one of them was alarmed or panicking, and their calm suffused her, helping her find her own again. She managed a shaky smile as Nikki came over. "It's time."
"Terrific. Lie down on the table, and I’ll do a scan."
There was no lying down, because Davis was still holding her. He put her on the table himself and seemed reluctant to step away before forcing himself to do so. Not that he went far. He was just moving back to allow Nikki room to work as Owen came over to join them. Davis's hand remained clenched firmly around hers, and she drew strength from it.
The scan was brief, and Nikki nodded at Owen before looking at her. "You're definitely in labor. You're already dilated to eight centimeters."
Carrie's eyes widened at the news. "That’s crazy. My water hasn’t even broken yet."
"It doesn't always break, even during active contractions," said Owen. "It's rare, but the baby might even be delivered in the amniotic sac."
Before Carrie could ask a question or formulate a response, another intense contraction gripped her. It was the most painful one yet, and she clung even tighter to Davis's hand as she curled into the fetal position instinctively, cupping her stomach until the last wave of the contraction rippled away.
"Eight-and-a half centimeters," crowed Nikki happily.
A hint of exhaustion was already spreading over Carrie, but she fought it back as another contraction moved through her again already. "It hurts," she whimpered as she rode it out, the pain leaving her lying limply against the table once it was over.
"It's not too late for pain relief," said Owen. "I know you said you wanted a natural del—"
Carrie lifted a hand to interrupt him. "I really do. I'll let you know if I change my mind." That was the agreement she'd already reached with the cyborg healer, and she knew it had cost him a lot to con
cede the point.
He didn't see a need for her to suffer or be in pain when he could stop it, and he didn't understand her reason for wanting to experience the full gamut of childbirth. He had assured her the pain relief they offered was completely safe for her and the baby, but Carrie didn't want to take any chances at all.
As another contraction reached its peak, and wetness gushed from her, she wondered if she was making the right choice by denying pain relief. It was far more intense and painful than she'd expected, and perhaps that was because it was happening so quickly. Or maybe it would have still been this way if she had taken hours to labor. She couldn't imagine enduring these kinds of contractions for hours. It made her thankful her child was in a rush to meet the world, though it was a draining, agonizing process for her.
"That one punctured the amniotic sac," said Nikki, her excitement evident in her tone. "You're also at nine centimeters. It shouldn't be more than a few more contractions before you hit ten."
Carrie clung to those words, using them to get herself through the next ten minutes, as contractions continued to move through her, barely ceasing before the next one began. She was so focused on what was happening in her body that she was barely aware of anyone else in the room, other than Davis having moved behind her to rub her back and provide emotional and physical support as the contractions progressed.
"Ten centimeters," said Nikki a few minutes later, and though she sounded kind of distant, Carrie was aware enough of the words to cling to them and focus on her surroundings again, even in the intensity of the pain shooting through her.
It felt natural to move, and Davis instinctively supported her as she carefully shifted positions from lying on her side to be supported on her hands and knees. Another contraction moved through her, but she wasn't as devastated by it. Either it had reduced in intensity, or the shift in position had made a difference. Or maybe it was just knowing she was at ten centimeters, and this was almost over. She’d soon meet her son or daughter, and that gave her an extra surge of strength.
Still responding to instinct, she ended up squatting, ignoring Owen’s protest that he couldn’t reach her or the baby in that position. She tuned him out and focused only on what was happening in her body. Opening her eyes and locking gazes with Davis, she managed a shaky smile as another contraction swept over her.
She could feel her baby moving downward, and she was in sync enough with Davis that he must have realized, because their hands moved together, and their baby slipped out of her a moment later, with one last intense pain that left her physically depleted, but emotionally recharged as she stared down at the gleaming pink bundle cradled in her and Davis's hands.
"It's a girl," said Davis in a shaky voice as he carefully took the baby from her. The suspense had been killing him, but he had acquiesced to her request not to know the gender before the birth, just like Owen and Nikki had.
Carrie allowed Nikki to help her lie back slightly, but her gaze never wavered from the beautiful sight of Davis cradling their tiny daughter.
The baby had a headful of thick black hair like her father, and she was crying forcefully. She appeared completely human, which had been of some doubt. The nanonetics that supported Carrie’s cybernetic system would obviously have infiltrated their baby’s as well, and no one knew what the result would be.
She held her breath as Owen scanned their little girl, wisely not insisting on taking her from Davis. When he grinned a moment later, she let out a sigh of relief before he even spoke.
"She's perfectly healthy, and while there are detectable levels of nanonetics, they don't seem to have to interfered with or changed any of her normal development."
Carrie let out a ragged sigh, eyes still on Davis and their baby as Owen clamped the cord. Finally, Davis could move completely away from her and stand up with their child in his arms. He took the towel Nikki offered to wrap around her before coming to kneel by the table by Carrie. "She's beautiful. She looks like you."
Carrie thought she looked more like Davis, but she wasn't going to argue. "She's absolutely perfect."
"Have you decided on a name?" asked Nikki.
Carrie nodded "Eva, or EVA. I wanted her to have a cyborg and a human name, since that's her heritage."
"It's beautiful, just like her." Nikki's hand rested on her own stomach for a moment, and she was clearly imagining the moment when it would be her in a few months giving birth to Owen’s child.
"If you consent, General, Nikki can take Eva to bathe her and get another baseline scan, and you can announce to everyone that your daughter is born. I'll finish here with Carrie and get her prepared for visitors, because you're sure to be inundated."
Davis seemed reluctant, and his gaze locked with Carrie’s, his eyes questioning.
She nodded. "It sounds like a good idea." He didn't need to be there for the birthing of the placenta anyway. She would prefer to be fresh and dressed before the horde of cyborgs, humans, and Grecopans invaded their room to see the newest arrival at the base.
Carrie could've resented the claim they felt they had on her child, but she didn't. She understood entirely. In a way, Eva belonged to all of them, and she was a symbol of hope of the new future. Plus, she was the first baby ever born on the cyborg base, and their leader’s offspring. The general's baby meant a great deal to all the people living there, and she was okay with sharing that moment.
Chapter 2
Owen hadn't underestimated the number of people who would want to see Eva, and Carrie was feeling a little less generous now that all the people were crammed into the medical bay. They were moving through in a steady line, allowing everyone a moment with Eva and herself.
Of course Carrie was under no illusion that they were paying any attention to her, and she was fine with that. Eva was the star of the show, and people couldn't help oohing and awwing over her thick head of dark hair and ice-blue eyes so much like her father's. Carrie could relate, and she was getting antsy to have time alone with her family.
Davis seemed to pick up on her mood, because he lifted his arms to get everyone's attention. "Everyone out. Visiting hours are over for now. You’ll have plenty of time to see Eva later, but Carrie and Eva are both tired, and I'm sure my daughter is hungry."
Carrie was amused and a little surprised there was not a peep of protest as everyone in the room filed out. She actually laughed outright when Owen and Nikki left as well. "You can be very persuasive, General."
"It's my gift," he said with a wink before moving closer. He carefully nudged her over, being sure he didn't jar her, which she appreciated, as he sat on the table beside her, putting his arm around her and a hand against Eva's back. "This is my true gift, love. You and Eva."
"We really need to thank Freydon—" Carrie broke off abruptly as a light flashed in the room, and she knew what it meant.
Freydon Rote stood there before them, and the gelatinous peach blob was a welcome sight. Carrie's eyes misted as Freydon came closer, his expression one of pure joy despite the fact that his mouthpart never formed. She could just sense his joy pouring off him.
"She's marvelous. Congratulations, General and Carrie."
"You can call me Davis," said her mate, his voice sounding a little thick. "After everything you've done for us, I think we’re on a first-name basis."
Freydon’s mouth part appeared as he beamed in delight. "Thank you, Davis. I won't be returning, since there's no reason to come back now. You're all on the trajectory you're supposed to be on, and it's relatively smooth sailing from here."
Carrie looked down at Eva. "What about her?"
Freydon lifted what could be construed as arms. "May I hold her for a moment?"
Carrie hesitated only briefly, and only because she was afraid his gelatinous form wouldn't be able to support the infant. She quickly banished the thought, knowing Freydon wouldn't put Eva at risk, and she carefully handed over her daughter. His skin touched her, and it felt like jelly, which was a disconcerting sensation.
Carrie watched with some amusement as an appendage extended from his body to hold out a small package to Davis. "Thank you for the gifts, Freydon. You've already done so much for us, so it wasn't necessary."
Freydon simply smiled before handing Eva back to Carrie with a small sigh of regret that was obvious to all of them. "I do wish I could stay, but you need your quiet time and privacy, and there's always something for a Celestial Mates agent to be doing. I really will miss all of you, but I couldn't be happier with how things have developed."
Davis seemed choked up when he replied. "I couldn't be happier either, Freydon Rote. Safe travels through time and space."
"Thank you, Davis. Good luck to both of you."
Carrie let out a gasp as he started to disappear. "Wait, I have something for you."
Freydon stopped, the light dimming around him again. "You have something for me?"
She felt a little awkward for a moment. "You hinted that you might be back someday, so I thought I would do something for you. It's not much, but…" She trailed off before turning to look at Davis. "Could you please fetch the silver bag in my crochet trunk?"
Davis nodded and hurried off, leaving Carrie with Freydon, who was cooing at her daughter again. She wasn't sure why she felt self-conscious about giving him a gift, and by the time Davis returned with the small silver bag, she was over that. She nodded for him to give it to Freydon, and the alien accepted it with one of his gelatinous appendages.
It was endearing watching the peach alien open his present, as though he had never gotten one before. The bag was crocheted, and so was the item inside. He beamed with delight when he pulled out the white and black hat she had crocheted. Freydon immediately put it on, his form conforming to the hat, and Carrie was pleased that he had that ability, because she hadn't been certain what size to make him.