Belong

by C. R. Jane

  "Your water just broke," said Corran as he rushed in. "Clean that up," he barked at Derrial before gathering me into his arms and helping me into the nest. "Bring me some towels," he ordered Thane, who'd just rushed in as well.

  "Ahhhhhh," I yelled out as another contraction hit. Thane handed Corran a wet towel and a dry towel, and Corran wiped me down, helping me out of my undergarments so I was just in the comfortable nightgown type clothing that the machine had created for me earlier that morning.

  "Spread your legs, I'm going to check you," he commanded me gently, and I took a deep breath before spreading my legs wide. Corran inserted a finger to check me, and I flinched from the pain. "Your cervix is still as tight as a rock," he explained. "And you're only dilated to a one. It's going to be a while yet."

  "How is it hurting this bad at a one?" I sobbed as another contraction ripped through me. I knew I had an above-average pain tolerance so this wasn't about me being a wimp.

  "We don't have anything to compare your symptoms to, Ella. You're the first..."

  "I know I'm the first," I screamed as tears rushed down my face. I knew I was out of control...but this seriously hurt. It was like my insides were being forcibly ripped apart. "Is there anything you can give me?" I whimpered, not sure how I was going to make it.

  Corran was already shaking his head though. "If I give you anything for the pain right now it could delay the labor, basically freezing you at this point which could be dangerous for you and the baby. We're going to have to wait until you're at least at five before we can do it."

  Derrial had settled in beside me and was holding my hand while I cried. Thane was pacing behind Corran as he ran his hands frustratedly through his hair.

  The next hours were literal hell. I'd tried to imagine what labor was like, tried to remember what people I'd talked to back on Earth had mentioned about it, but nothing could have prepared me for this. I'd been crying the entire time, unable to stop since the contractions were coming in one after the other, barely giving me a breath to recover before the next one hit.

  The worst thing was, in all of that time, I had only progressed to a four.

  I started to sob harder at the news, and Derrial started yelling at Corran that there had to be something they could do.

  "I'm going to start the epidural. It's a little different process on Veon, but it’s still a needle in your spine," he explained, and I nodded gratefully, up for anything if it could mean that there would soon be relief.

  I remembered that one of my mom's friends had said she loved delivery day. She and her husband got a break from her other kids, she would get the epidural early, and then they would spend the day watching movies and reading as she progressed.

  "Loving" delivery day was probably the last thing I would say at this moment. Thane had tried to put up a movie for me at one point, trying to help me take a mind off what was happening, but after I threw one of the books I'd hid in my nest at the screen when the female actress looked a little too pretty and skinny for my current pregnant self to take, we'd all quickly decided that movies weren't going to work.

  Derrial helped me set up as I tried to breathe through the almost constant pain. Corran cleared off the area with the cleansing solution and then he picked up a shot looking object that seemed closer in size to a sword than any shot needle I'd seen on Earth.

  "What the hell is that?" Thane asked in horror. I was right there with him, trying to decide if I really could live through the pain I was dealing with because that thing was going to slice through my spinal cord.

  "I know it looks a little menacing, but you will barely feel anything after the skin numbing solution kicks in," he explained as he applied said solution with his other hand.

  "There's no way that can go in me," I squeaked, and Corran moved it out of my eyesight. Thane could still see the needle from his vantage point and he looked like he was about to pass out.

  "Take a deep breath," he said. "You'll be thanking me for this later."

  I nodded, tears squeezing out of my eyes as I took my deep breath right after a contraction had stopped.

  Sure enough, somehow I only felt a small pinch as the needle went in. Corran talked me through the whole process and within five minutes, my contractions felt like light period cramps instead of the soul-shattering contractions they'd been prior.

  My whole body shook as I laid back down in my nest. The adrenaline rush from hours of extreme pain was hard to recover from and Corran frowned as he examined my vitals. "Your heart rate is a little low," he muttered as he concentrated on listening to my chest.

  "How is that possible?" I whispered, feeling light-headed. "It feels like my heart is going a million miles a minute."

  "How are you feeling?"

  "There's barely any pain...but - " My voice broke off as my lungs seemed to close up. It was hard to breathe and I felt so freaking tired.

  "Ella!" Corran yelled sharply. "Stay awake!"

  "She's having a reaction to the epidural," he explained as I faintly saw him reach to unhook the device in my back from the medicine that had been flowing into it. He then grabbed another bag of fluid and attached it to my IV.

  A few minutes later and the fuzziness that had built up in my head, and the pressure in my chest...they both eased, and I was able to start breathing again.

  Unfortunately, with those changes came the return of my contractions.

  "You're going to have to do this unmedicated, baby," Corran explained softly. "We can't risk that reaction happening again."

  I cried as I nodded. There was no other choice, and screaming and protesting wasn’t going to change the fact.

  Pain. That's all I was conscious of for the next few hours. Hours that seemed like days. Everything was pain.

  I was only faintly aware of the others' presence in the room. All of my concentration was on surviving the next contraction. I'd begun to progress, thank heavens. So I lived for the checks that would get me closer and closer to it all being over.

  "It's time to push," Corran announced triumphantly and I mustered a small smile right before I almost broke Derrial's hand that I was holding as another contraction rolled through.

  Corran pressed a button, and a small table suddenly rose up from the ground at the bottom of my nest. Derrial and Thane helped me scoot so that I was right up against it.

  "Ok, I want you to take a deep breath and then push as hard as you can," Corran explained and I nodded hesitantly. It hit me once again that I was about to meet my baby. Everything had hurt so much that I hadn't really been able to think about it much.

  Taking my deep breath, I began to push. And I pushed, and I pushed, and I pushed.

  And the baby didn't budge.

  "Fuck," Corran muttered as he brought up the complicated ultrasound type system to the side of my nest and held it over my stomach.

  "What?" Thane asked anxiously. He hadn't stopped looking nauseous.

  "The horns are preventing the baby from coming out," he said quietly. "Ella's vagina doesn't have quite the stretching capability as a Vepar mother's would to accommodate them."

  "The horns?" I gasped out. "Our baby is stuck inside me because of its horns?"

  Corran nodded, not making eye contact with me. They thought I was freaked out because our baby had horns, but I was actually way more freaked out over the fact that the baby was stuck inside of me because of the horns."

  Corran began gathering supplies. "What are we going to do?" I groaned as another contraction hit. They were basically constant now, maybe fifteen seconds in between each one.

  "I'm going to perform a cesarean," he said calmly, despite the fact that I knew Corran had never done one before.

  Thane looked like he was about to pass out, and Derrial's hand was probably broken from me holding onto it so tightly.

  "Is that really necessary?" I asked, knowing it was a stupid question.

  Corran stopped what he was doing and knelt next to me. "Ella, you are doing so well. And I know it hurt
s, and I know you're scared. But we're about to meet our little baby. And then all of this is just going to be a faint memory. Because it's going to be here." There were little tears gathering in his eyes at his little speech. Hell, everyone had tears in their eyes at his little speech.

  I nodded determinedly, until he brought another bag to my IV. "What's that for?"

  "I can't just use an epidural for this because of your reaction. I'm going to have to knock you out. But luckily, our drugs are much more concise than you’re used to and I'll be able to wake you up as soon as you're sewn up."

  I cringed at the thought of being knocked out with my insides splayed out, but a quick glance at the heart rate monitor showed that the baby's heart rate was showing it was starting to be stressed.

  No sooner had I said, "Ok," then everything faded to black.

  The sound of a baby crying was the first thing I heard when I woke up. It took me a minute to open my eyes, but when I did, everything hit me at once. That was my baby I was hearing.

  "You did so good, love. She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," whispered Corran as he handed her to me.

  A girl. We had a girl. I started sobbing as I examined our baby who was wriggling in my arms. She'd stopped crying as soon as he laid her in my arms. She had dark hair, so dark it was almost black, and almond-shaped, hazel eyes that looked the same shade as Corran's. I knew that human babies were usually all born with blue eyes, but Vepar babies must come out with their eye color already in place because the proof was right in front of me. She had bow-shaped lips and a tiny nose. And...she had two tiny white horns.

  She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen and I immediately burst into tears as I looked at her.

  Looking up at my men who were all gathered around me, they were all openly sobbing as well. My heart felt like it had expanded in size by a million somehow. I'd never known I could love something so much, so immediately.

  She let out a little cry that sounded like a dove cooing and we all laughed through our tears. "She's probably hungry, my darling," said Corran in a choked voice, and he helped me take off my top so that I could bring her to my breast.

  To my surprise, she immediately latched and started sucking, her eyes closed and her tiny fist clenched on top of my breast.

  I had been wrong before at feeling like home. We'd always been missing something before this. Only now, with her, were we truly complete, were we truly home.

  "I'm so proud of you, my pet," Thane cooed and pressed a kiss against my forehead.

  I smiled tremulously at him.

  "Thank you for giving us a family," added Derrial, blinking furiously as he tried to control his emotions.

  "I love you," added Corran.

  Despite all the pain and agony, this was the best day of my life.

  We'd been parents for a few days now. We'd all instantly agreed that we should name her Rory, short for Aurora, after my mother's name. We were all exhausted, but the happiest we'd ever been. I spent every second in my nest with Rory, while the guys took turns in the room with me while the others would work on the antidote and keep up to date with what was going on around us.

  Despite my fears that I wouldn't be able to be a mother, I realized quickly that most of being a mother was just loving your baby. She kept us awake most of the night, and even with the fancy Vepar diaper technology, I was pooped on at least twice a day. And sometimes I cried when she refused to latch. And I just loved every second of it.

  Vepar babies advanced faster than human babies, but because Rory was half-human, she developed at a speed more advanced than a human, but less advanced than a Vepar baby. It was fascinating to see her change almost every day. She smiled constantly. And because of how advanced she was, you couldn't even say it was gas. Everything the guys did was funny to her, but she was a momma's girl through and through. She liked to be holding on to some part of me at all times and her upper lip would quiver if I left the room for even a minute. I didn't mind it one bit. She laughed for two weeks, and I wanted to bottle up the sound and keep it forever. It sounded like a tinkling of bells, very different from a human laugh. And it was the most amazing thing I'd ever heard.

  We were in heaven.

  A couple of weeks passed like this and as much as I tried to block it out, I knew that we had stayed away for about as long as we possibly could. The guys were getting more and more concerned with what was going on, and with what the reports were saying, it wouldn't be too long anyway before the trouble out there would find our safe house.

  We had no other choice.

  Our babymoon was about to end.

  14

  “Are you sure about this?” I asked Derrial nervously over the breakfast table. Here we sat, eating fluffy pancakes with berries while talking about disrupting the whole planet of Veon.

  Derrial nodded and took a mouthful of pancakes, as if we casually talked about what we’d do with our day. “We are good to go. The serum is ready to be dispatched worldwide to everyone needing it. And the only way to get distribution is to let everyone know what the Council has been up to. To show them evidence of their corruption. To cause distrust and when we offer our serum, more people will be inclined to accept it and see the truth.”

  “We need to overpower the Council,” Thane added, supporting this decision. “It’s the only way to derail their plans and save everyone.”

  I pushed my plate away, my stomach feeling queasy. “So, you’re going head to head with them?”

  “Not quite,” Corran answered. “If our plan works, we won’t be alone in this battle.”

  I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. “I’m just scared this will backfire. The Council will never go down without a fight.”

  “And that’s what we are counting on. No one will stand up to them alone, but as a collective, people will stand up and fight,” Thane explained.

  Derrial and Corran nodded.

  All three looked at me and smiled like I had nothing in the world to worry about.

  I bit on my lower lip, thinking it over, praying this plan worked. “I know you’re right. It’s just me being worried. We are a family now, and we have Rory to care for.”

  Derrial leaned closer and took my hand in his. “This is why we must stand up against such brutes who walk over anyone in their way. If we don’t fight, what sort of future will we be leaving for our precious little girl?”

  My heart clenched at hearing the ache in his voice, at what was at stake. I looked at each of my three husbands, loving each one of them with everything I had. If it wasn’t for them, I never would have found this new future. And that was a future worth saving beyond anything.

  “Okay, we do this and we just be super vigilant,” I said.

  Derrial got up. He was the leader, the Vepar with the strongest upholding position in Veon. The Vepar knew him and the hard work he’d done for their kind for so many years.

  “It’s time,” Derrial said strongly as he got to his feet. “Thane, prepare the media channels to ensure we tap into every single airwave. Corran, you’re with me during the talk.” Derrial looked over at me. “This will work, my pet. You will see.”

  I loved his confidence and believed in him. Everyone had left the table to get ready so I checked on my angel who was still fast asleep in her crib, then had a shower and dressed. Next, I packed a bag with baby clothes, formula, diapers, and everything else our parents would need to care for Rory. She would be safe with them while this went down. I couldn’t have her with us in case the Council tracked us down. That wasn’t a risk I was willing to take.

  My stomach churned with worry but if we did nothing, then what? We kept running while the planet of Veon became a wasteland?

  The sound of voices drew my attention, and I slipped out of the nursery and moved quickly down the long hall with white halls and to the far room where the three of them had started the broadcast.

  Pressing my back into the wall just outside the room where Derrial and Corran were broadcasting them
selves, I remained silent and listened as Derrial finished introducing themselves.

  “Veon is devastated. Our futures are in jeopardy, and the infected fill our streets. The Council is doing nothing to help because they don’t know how. They are responsible for the virus that has taken your loved ones, yet they do nothing to help you.. For years, our Council has been experimenting for a way to aid our women in becoming fertile again. But they haven’t been experimenting just on humans. They also have been experimenting with Vepar. Treated our kind like animals.” There was a pause, and I heard a small electronic click.

  “The images you are seeing on your screen,” Derrial continued, “are the test papers of the subjects from the Council’s laboratories. It clearly shows they are Vepar and being experimented on. These are the same tests that resulted in the virus outbreak that now plagues our lives and devastates our planet.”

  Derrial swallowed loudly. “This is our chance to stop the Council’s destruction and bring back the Veon we once loved. They must be stopped. I invite you to join us to finally make the Council responsible for their actions. The coordinates flashing across your screen is where we will be meeting today at 16:00 hours. Show up and show your support to save our planet before it is too late.”

  A loud click sounded of the broadcast ending, and both of them sighed heavily.

  “Fuck!” Derrial announced. “That has to work. Did that broadcast reach all the various Council airwave channels too?”

  “It sure fucking did. And I’m sending them a copy just to ensure they don’t miss it. We need them there.”

  “We’re finally doing this,” Corran added, and they cheered. But I sensed the fear in their voices. This was a massive gamble and could just as easily turn against us. So having as many supporters turn up as possible was the key to success.

  I stepped into the doorway, unsure how to feel. Scared. Excited. Worried. Still, I smiled. “I may need another quick rundown on using a huge laser gun.”