by Olivia Black
“Are you okay?” Rett asked, concern lacing his voice.
Georgie shook his head, “I don’t feel good.”
Rett knelt beside him. He placed a hand on Georgie’s back and moved it in a circle, easing some of the pain and calming Georgie’s frayed nerves. Georgie lifted the towel and wiped his face. After a few minutes, Georgie forced himself to stand. He flushed the toilet and turned toward the sink. Georgie turned on the water. He leaned forward and put his mouth underneath the faucet. Georgie rinsed out his mouth, desperate to remove the acidy burn.
“Is there anything I can do?”
Georgie cleared his tender throat. “No, I’ll be fine. I should probably just lie down and get some sleep.”
“Is your stomach tender?”
Georgie pressed his fingers against his belly and yelped. It hurt like hell. A cramp ran through his stomach, and he cringed. After a minute, the pain eased enough that he could breathe again.
“We should go to medical.”
Georgie wanted to object. He didn’t want to go medical. He wanted to climb back into bed and pull the covers over his head. But the worry on Rett’s face convinced him to go.
“Okay,” Georgie said.
Rett wrapped an arm around Georgie’s waist and led him back into the room. Georgie leaned against Rett, suddenly feeling weak and a little dizzy. He allowed the other male to hold most of his weight. Rett walked Georgie to the bed, and he sat down on the edge, keeping the towel draped over him.
“Wait here,” Rett told him. “I’ll grab you some clothes.”
Rett strode over to the wall unit. He kept his back to Georgie as he rummaged through it. When Rett turned, he walked over to Georgie, holding a pair of soft-looking pajamas.
Once they were both dressed, Rett took Georgie’s hand and led him out into the corridor. Georgie used his free hand to run his fingers through his hair, combing out the short strands.
Georgie felt as if he was walking in a daze as Rett pulled him along. He didn’t know what was happening or why he felt nauseous. His stomach hurt, his belly cramping with each step. Georgie now knew that something was wrong, but he had no idea what it was. Could it be serious? What if this was space sickness?
He’d heard of humans experiencing it in the past. It was the reason that humans were put into cryosleep when they traveled from Earth to Glecerus. Their bodies lacked the proper amount of bone density and muscle mass for long-distance space travel. Maybe he was sensitive to space travel.
When Rett pulled Georgie to a stop, Georgie lifted his head and looked around. He quickly realized that they were outside of medical. There was a doctor waiting for them. He stood at the threshold with a kind smile on his face.
“Georgie, this is Doctor Flov’iq.” Rett introduced them.
“Hi.” Georgie smiled.
“Hello, Georgie. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“I’ll leave you here in the doctor’s care. I need to take care of a couple of things. But I’ll be back.”
“Okay.”
Rett leaned down and kissed Georgie before taking his leave. He stepped into the lift and disappeared from sight.
“I’ve got a room ready for you, if you would just follow me.” The doctor turned on his heel and headed into medical.
Georgie followed him. They went into a private room, and the doctor closed the door. The room was bare. It had only a single bed, a chair, and some sort of alien machine. He helped Georgie to stand on a square platform in the center of the room.
“This device will perform a scan of your body.”
Georgie nodded in understanding.
Doctor Flov’iq stepped back. He grabbed a small hand-held screen and started typing. Within seconds, a ray of light flashed on, moving up and down Georgie’s body, scanning him from head to toe. Soon, a three-dimensional picture appeared between Georgie and the doctor, showing his insides.
“Wow,” he whispered, impressed with the Glecerian technology.
“And there it is.”
The doctor pointed to something in Georgie’s abdominal area. It was small, shaped similar to a bean. Georgie tried to imagine what it could be. Was it a tumor? He had no idea what he was looking at.
Leaning forward, Georgie squinted and asked, “What is that?”
“It’s a baby,” Flov’iq said. “You’re pregnant.”
Georgie swayed. He could barely believe what he was hearing, but the proof was right there on the screen. He placed his hands on his stomach, covering his flat belly. I’m pregnant. Pregnant.
A large hand reached out, grabbing hold of Georgie before he could fall. “Take it easy.” The doctor led him to a chair and helped to lower Georgie into the seat. “Sit down.”
“A baby,” Georgie murmured.
“I know this is probably quite a shock for you. Just take a few minutes to absorb this, and then I’ll answer your questions.”
Georgie glanced up. “I knew it could happen when I got the inoculations, but I didn’t expect it to happen so fast.”
“Human mates get pregnant quickly. It’s the inoculations mixed with our aggressive Glecerian DNA,” Doctor Flov’iq told him.
“Can you tell me exactly when I got pregnant?” Georgie needed to know if the baby belonged to Rett or Lund.
“I don’t have that kind of equipment here on this ship. But even if I did, the development of the fetus varies with human pregnancies. Some humans were given a caesarian section at four months while others carried their babies for eight. It’s impossible to tell for certain when the baby was conceived.”
Georgie groaned in disappointment. “So, I won’t be able to find out who the father is.”
“You’re the father.”
He scoffed. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know what you meant.” Flov’iq smiled indulgently. “But the Glecerian DNA doesn’t matter. The child will belong to whichever mate you choose.”
“Whichever mate I choose,” Georgie murmured.
How was he supposed to choose between Rett and Lund? How could he be expected to pick one male over the other?
“I’ve got some vitamin pills for you.” The doctor held out a container. “You need to take two each morning. They should help with the cramping and morning sickness.”
“Thank you.” Georgie stood up, taking the container from the doctor. “If Rett comes looking for me, tell him that I went back to my quarters to lie down.”
“Of course.” Doctor Flov’iq nodded. “And if you have any questions, I’ll be here.”
“Thanks.” He tried to smile, but failed miserably.
Georgie left sickbay in a state of shock. I’m pregnant. He ran those words around inside his mind, trying to come to terms with his new reality. Georgie wasn’t sure if he was allowed to be happy. How could he celebrate when he didn’t know who the father of his child was? After growing up in an orphanage, unwanted and alone, Georgie dreamed about having a family.
But between Rett and Lund, Georgie wasn’t sure if he was ready to add more chaos to his life. He went back and forth, but in the end, he decided it was probably best if he waited until he was back on Glecerus before sharing the news with the other males.
Chapter Nine
When he reached the corridor where Rett’s quarters were located, the ship’s alarms went off, jarring Georgie from his thoughts. The sound blared, echoing throughout the entire starship. A voice called out above the ringing, demanding that all humans go to the lower deck to evacuate. They were under attack.
Georgie gasped. He turned on his heel and started running back toward the stairs. Before he could reach his destination, an explosion tore through the corridor, shaking the entire starship. Georgie stumbled and fell backward. He reached out and grabbed a hold of a protruding pipe along the wall, preventing himself from falling to the floor.
There was a bright flash, nearly blinding, as fire exploded from a wall, followed by a loud boom. Georgie cried out. Twisting his body around, he threw himsel
f down onto the floor, trying to escape the blast. Heat burned a trail across his spine. Georgie inched forward on his belly, low crawling, trying to escape, but he was trapped.
Panic overruled all logical thought. He didn’t think he was going to make it out of this situation alive. Fear gripped Georgie’s heart, twisting the organ. He tried to push himself up off the floor, but his arms wouldn’t cooperate. He couldn’t move. His entire body felt paralyzed. The corridor suddenly plunged into darkness. The emergency lights and alarms shut off. A moment later, the floor beneath him shifted and bucked.
Georgie forced himself back onto his feet. He needed to find a way out before the ship fell apart.
Loud booms sounded in the distance. The entire ship shuddered, throwing Georgie off balance. He hit the floor, and his head slammed against the metal grate. Georgie groaned. He blinked several times, trying to clear out the fog of confusion. After a few moments, Georgie pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and started crawling. There was another loud bang. Something hit the back of his head, and he fell forward.
Darkness clouded his mind, his eyes fluttered, and he passed out.
“Georgie.” Someone said his name, but it sounded like a distant echo in a long tunnel. “Georgie.” A hand touched him, giving him a gentle shake. “Georgie.”
Groaning, Georgie opened his eyes. He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the dark outline looming over him. It took a minute to focus, but soon Georgie was able to recognize the man. It was Grant Byers. He knelt down beside Georgie, a worried look marring his brow. The lights within the corridor were dim. Georgie looked around, trying to understand what he was seeing. The ship was torn apart. There was debris everywhere.
“Are you okay?” Grant asked.
His head was pounding, a sharp pain ripping through his skull. Georgie moaned. He felt like hell. Georgie wasn’t sure how much time had passed. How long had he been unconscious?
“I–I…” He cleared his throat. “I don’t know.”
“You’re covered in blood.”
Georgie ran his hands over his stomach and chest. Everything felt normal. When he touched his head, Georgie felt a huge lump and a lot of excess moisture. Pulling his hands away, Georgie saw blood. And there were also cuts and slash marks all over his arms. The tank top he was wearing hadn’t provided any protection. Georgie picked a few pieces of jagged metal out of his skin and flicked them away.
Now that the initial shock was wearing off, Georgie was starting to feel pain. His back and legs were starting to throb. He was sure there must be bruises all over his body. Despite everything, Georgie didn’t think there was any life-threatening damage.
Where is everyone? Georgie started thinking about Rett. Was he okay? Was he still alive? What about the rest of the crew? What about the other humans? What if he and Grant were the last two alive? With those questions running through his mind, Georgie forced himself to sit up, and eventually, he stood.
Shattered chunks of the corridor panels lay all around, exposing the internal wall, which held computer panels, pipes, and wires. Georgie turned in a slow circle, trying to take it all in. Everything was destroyed.
“Georgie.” Grant said his name, getting his attention.
“Huh?” He looked at Grant.
“Are you okay?”
Georgie nodded slowly. “Yeah, sure, I’m fine.” It wasn’t entirely true, but he didn’t know what else to say.
“Do you have any idea what happened?”
“I think we were attacked by the planet of Slion.”
Grant’s brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“Rett, he’s my uh…” Georgie shook his head. He wasn’t going to try to explain his relationship to Grant. “The ambassador told me there was an enemy ship nearby, but I don’t think he really believed that they would attack us.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Are you serious? We were attacked?”
Georgie nodded. “Yes.”
Grant was silent for a little while as if he was trying to digest this information before saying, “I was in the shower when the alarm went off. I got dressed as fast as I could, but there was a loud noise, and the starship started to shake. I was trapped inside my quarters. I couldn’t get out. I ended up busting the electronic lock and forced the door open.”
“Where are the others?”
Grant looked around, as if searching for them. “I don’t know.”
“If we can move the broken bits of paneling, maybe we’ll be able to clear a path and get out of here.”
“That’s a good idea. Let’s do it. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Georgie bent down and started pushing the pieces of torn corridor out of the way. The sharp edges of metal cut the hell out of his hands. Blood ran over his fingers, across his palms, sliding down his arms. Georgie tried to ignore the pain, but he couldn’t. He stood up and ripped his tank top apart, wrapping the torn material around his hands, cinching it tightly to stop the bleeding.
“Shit,” Georgie breathed out. “I can’t believe this happened.”
“Me either.” Grant stood up. He inspected his hands before mimicking Georgie’s actions. He ripped his shirt and wrapped the material around his hands, creating makeshift gloves. “What do you think happened to the Glecerian destroyer? Wasn’t it supposed to keep us safe from our enemies?”
“I have no idea.” Georgie wished he had some answers.
After a moment of silence, Grant asked, “What if we’re the only ones alive?”
Georgie swallowed hard. That was one of the questions he’d been asking himself but was too afraid to voice out loud. “No.” He shook his head, refusing to believe it. “Everyone is alive.”
Grant pressed his lips together. He looked as if he might object, but he kept his mouth shut.
“Let’s just keep working,” Georgie said.
* * * *
Grant Byers worked alongside Georgie, pushing the heavy debris out of the way. Their ultimate goal was to reach the stairs at the end of the corridor, but at this point, he didn’t think it would happen. The entire hallway was blocked. The dim lights helped them to see the destruction, but it was a total mess with torn pieces of metal, glass, and other things he couldn’t quite identify.
“We need to take a break,” Grant said, breaking the silence.
He looked Georgie up and down, wondering, not for the first time, how the guy was still standing. He could see more blood than actual skin coating Georgie’s face, head, and arms.
“Let’s go to my quarters. I think there might be a first aid kit in there.”
Georgie dropped a large piece of metal. It crashed to the floor with a resounding bang. He leaned backward against the wall, taking in deep gulps of air.
“Come on.” Grant reached out. He wrapped his arm around the other man’s waist, holding him upright. “There’s a small chiller in my room. I think I have some water in there.”
Georgie nodded. “Yeah. That’s a good idea. Thanks.”
Grant led Georgie down the corridor. They navigated the hallway as if it were an obstacle course, stepping over large chunks of the ceiling and around sharp edges of metal jutting out from the walls. Grant took cautious steps, careful of each move he made. It took a while, but eventually, they reached Grant’s temporary quarters.
“Here…uh…” Grant steered Georgie over to the bed. He pulled off the blanket, removing all the debris that had fallen from the ceiling. “Sit here. I’ll find the first aid kit.”
Georgie did as he was told. He sat down on the edge of the bed and placed his hands in his lap. Georgie didn’t say anything. He just stared down at his lap. Georgie started removing the blood-soaked material wrapped in a crisscross pattern around his hands. When he dropped the fabric to the floor, Grant cringed. Georgie’s hands were a mess.
Grant started searching through the room, looking for the first aid kit. He ended up finding it inside the wall unit. He pulled the bag down from the top shelf. Slinging the str
ap over his shoulder, Grant walked back to Georgie. He knelt down on the ground, dropped the bag, and opened the bag. He opened a plastic container and pulled out a few moist antibiotic wipes. Taking Georgie’s hand in his own, Grant wiped Georgie’s fingers, one at a time.
“Ouch.”
Grant stopped. He looked up at Georgie’s face. His features were twisted in a grimace, and Grant instantly felt guilty. “I’m sorry.”
“It doesn’t really hurt that bad,” Georgie told him. “It’s the rest of my body. I’m in pain. Keep going.”
“Okay.”
Grant spent a while cleaning Georgie’s hands. When he was done, he pulled out more wipes and mopped up the blood that covered Georgie’s face, head, and arms. Some of the lacerations were deep, still seeping blood, but most were cuts and scrapes.
Grant dropped the used wipes into a pile on the floor. He reached into the first aid kit and pulled out a handful of sterile gauze pads and a roll of gauze. He did his best to wrap all of Georgie’s wounds.
“Thanks,” Georgie murmured.
“You’re welcome.” Grant rooted around inside the first aid kit and found a small pill bottle. “I found some pain pills.”
Georgie sighed in relief. “Oh, thank goodness.”
Grant opened the lid and poured out a few capsules. He gave Georgie two before rising to his feet. He strode over to the chiller and pulled it open. Grant grabbed two water bottles and handed one off to Georgie.
“I’m not sure how long we’ll be here so we should probably ration our supplies.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. He threw the pills into his mouth and took a long swig of water. “Now, we should get back to work.” Georgie started to stand, but Grant put a hand on his shoulder.
“You need to rest.”
“We need to get out of here. We’ve got to find the others.”
“Listen”—Grant gave him a pointed look—“they’ll find us. Right now, you need to lie down and get some rest.”
He was sure Georgie couldn’t spend any more time on his feet. If he did, Grant was sure the other man would pass out from sheer exhaustion. Georgie nodded and lay down on the bed. His head hit the pillow, and Georgie’s eyes closed. His breathing soon changed, and he fell asleep. Grant watched over him for a few minutes, watching his chest rise and fall evenly.
