Titus

by Carly Fall

  Abby looked miserable as she ran her hand over her huge belly, and Macy listened as Beverly explained the meeting.

  “I’d like you and I to come up with a plan in case we have to perform a C-section.”

  Macy tried not to cringe. The thought of actually cutting someone open went against her very fiber, but it could be a necessity in order to save Abby’s life, or the baby’s. She was used to mending, not wounding.

  “What do you suggest?”

  “Even though she’s late, she’s still in good health. All her vitals are normal. She’s just very uncomfortable.”

  “That’s excellent!”

  “From what I can tell with the limited equipment I have, the baby is also doing fine. However, I’d like you to go in and make sure.”

  “Of course. I’d be happy to.”

  “But if we need to do a C-section in the near future, I thought it would be best if I performed the surgery, and basically have you inside her monitoring both the baby and her.”

  “I would think you’d want Cohen there as he’s more experienced that me.”

  “Noah doesn’t want him there,” Abby interjected. “He says he’d rather have you since it’s such an intimate procedure.”

  Beverly rolled her eyes. “He doesn’t want Cohen to see her naked.”

  Macy smiled. So were the ways of SR44 males and their mates. Even in medical situations, they couldn’t put aside their need to make sure another male didn’t see what he considered precious flesh.

  “I understand.”

  “Abby will be fine as she’s been healed by Cohen before, so we know even though she’s half human and half SR44ian, her body accepts the process without issue.”

  “Excellent.”

  They discussed the procedure a bit more, what each of their roles would be, and what safety systems they could put in place.

  “I’d feel much more comfortable if she went to a hospital, but we can’t take that chance. If the baby came out with its eyes glowing orange …”

  Macy nodded. “I agree. It’s definitely more of a challenge for us to perform the surgery, but we can’t risk something like that.”

  After they’d talked through all the details, Beverly turned to Abby. “What do you think?”

  She smiled. “I think it sounds like you guys have everything covered.”

  “Good. If you think of anything else or have any questions, let us know. Now, let’s have Macy check out the baby.”

  Macy kneeled before Abby and placed her hands on her belly. She slowly allowed her energy to enter her, not wanting to startle the baby with her presence. As she absorbed the vibrations from the baby’s heartbeat, she gently wrapped herself around it. The baby responded, and for the first time, Macy met its energy.

  A few moments later, she pulled out of Abby and took a deep breath. She wanted to be sure she wasn’t the one to reveal the sex of the baby as Noah and Abby had requested it remain a surprise.

  “The baby is fine,” she said, sitting back in her chair. “It’s very content.”

  Abby chuckled and looked down at her stomach. “You need to come out!”

  “I think it will need a little more prodding than that, Abby. It’s safe and warm and cozy in there. Give it a good reason to come out, and maybe it will consider it.”

  Beverly and Abby smiled, but Abby’s faded quickly.

  “There doesn’t seem to be much out here that I’d want it exposed to,” she said, tears brimming her eyes.

  “Nonsense!” Macy cried. “It has the love of its mother and father, and all this extended family who can’t wait meet it. It will be cared for with so much love. I think that’s something that’s definitely worth it.”

  Abby nodded and wiped her eyes. “I was just thinking about the Colonists and all that garbage. But you’re right, Macy. We do have a beautiful life. These hormones are just making me crazy.”

  She squeezed Abby’s hand and wondered if Titus still waited for her. “I need to go. I’ll see both of you later.”

  After hugging each female, she rode up the elevator with a smile on her face and excitement coursing through her. She looked forward to their trip to the park, and she could possibly be delivering a baby in the next week or so. The only thing that would make her life close to perfect would be for Titus to let go of Simon’s ghost, but that would never happen. So, she should just be thankful for what she did have, because overall, it was pretty darn good.

  Chapter 31

  Titus stuck his head into the War Room where Noah sat with three colored pens, a highlighter, and two stacks of papers in front of him. He looked busy, but Titus wanted to get everything cleared before their little fieldtrip. “Hey, Noah. Do you have a minute?”

  Noah glanced over at him and nodded. “Sure. Come in. What’s up?”

  Titus took the chair closest to him. “Well, Macy and Alaina wanted to take the kids to a park downtown tomorrow, and they asked if I would accompany them.”

  Noah furrowed his brow. “I don’t know if I like that idea.”

  “It’s some sort of festival for the kids. Clowns, balloon animals, a train … it sounds like a child’s paradise.”

  Blake walked in. “What’s up, Titus? Everything okay?”

  Titus realized he must have arrived just before a meeting between Blake and Noah. He quickly explained everything again, and Blake shrugged. “I think it would be good for the kids to get out for a while, and the weather is nice.”

  “Have you talked to Hudson or Beverly about it?” Noah asked.

  Titus shook his head. “No, but Macy did. Beverly said it sounded like a great idea.”

  “If it’s okay with the parents, I’m fine with it. It seems the crazies come out at night. The humans go about their business without a care in the world during the day. Besides, we go to movies, have dinners out in the city … I can’t see what bad would come from a day in the park with clowns and shit.”

  Titus smiled, thinking that had been exactly what Macy said, except Noah lacked her tact.

  Blake pulled out his phone. “I’ll check with Sophia about Megan. I don’t have a problem with it. They’ve been to the park before, so I’m sure it’ll be fine with her.”

  Titus stood. “Excellent.”

  “How did you get roped into that?” Blake asked. “You don’t strike me as the clown-loving type.”

  Noah grimaced. “Those fucking things are creepy. Put me up against a Colonist any day.”

  Blake nodded. “I agree. Clowns belong in horror movies, not at birthday parties or parks with children around.”

  Titus went to the door, hoping to get out of there before he had to answer Blake’s question.

  “Take your gun, Titus, just in case you need to shoot one of those fuckers,” Noah said.

  Titus nodded and slipped out as Blake and Noah talked about their favorite horror movies involving clowns.

  Chapter 32

  Titus didn’t think the day could get any more perfect. The temperature hovered in the mid-sixties, a light breeze blew through the air, and the beautiful blue sky had been peppered with wispy clouds. People milled about in the park, playing at the playground with their children, eating lunches on their blankets, and laughing at the clowns that walked around making balloon animals for the kids.

  They’d just finished their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and Titus ate barbeque chips out of the bag they all shared and drank his soda. He sat with Macy and Alaina on the blanket they’d brought, and all three laughed as they watched Megan and Killian play. The clowns had made Megan a crown and Killian a sword. She tried to convince him that she was the princess and he could be her knight and slay the dragon. Killian decided that he didn’t want to be her knight, but he’d still protect her. He loped around battling the pretend beast while Megan screeched and ran around as if she were trying to get away from it.

  A while ago, they’d watched a magic show, which the kids had loved, and he’d also enjoyed it. He still contemplated how the magici
an had gotten the rings apart, and wished he could have gotten his hands on them so he could study them. They had looked metal, but perhaps not.

  Or maybe, it had been magic.

  They’d put the kids on the train ride around the park, and Titus had gotten some really cute pictures and video on his phone to bring home. He wished he had remembered to plug the damn thing in the night before as his battery hovered just above zero after shooting the memories.

  The warmth of the sun on his back relaxed him, and he stretched out on the blanket, propping his head in his hand. If he wasn’t careful, he’d end up asleep.

  Simon would have loved spending the afternoon like this, and pain tugged at his heart.

  “This almost makes me feel like I’m one of them,” Macy said from his left. He glanced over at her as she pushed her sunglasses up on her nose. “They have no idea that they have an alien sitting among them, enjoying the day, feeling the warmth of the sun, wishing the afternoon didn’t have to end.”

  He nodded, feeling at home himself and like he belonged among the humans, that he could assimilate and live in harmony with them.

  “Do you miss it, Alaina?” Macy asked.

  Alaina shoved a chip into her mouth, contemplating the question. “Miss what?”

  Macy motioned over at the families and kids all around them. “This. Do you miss this?”

  Alaina grimaced. “No. I never had this.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, his curiosity piqued. He realized he knew very little about the female.

  “Well, I grew up in the foster system. That’s where kids go when their parents don’t want them, or screw up bad enough that the city says they don’t deserve their kids. My foster parents would never even think about taking me to a place like this. Then, when I went out on my own, I just wanted to survive. It never would have occurred to me to come to an event like this.”

  He thought of his own childhood where he grew up under the love and caring protection of his parents, and he tried to put himself in Alaina’s shoes. He’d never had made it without his parents’ firm guidance, and would have definitely slipped into trouble with little effort.

  “Besides, I always knew I was different. I knew I didn’t fit into the ‘real’ world. In a way, when I found Nico and the Saviors, I found the family I never had growing up, and I finally understood what I was and why I was different.”

  Macy squeezed her hand. “I, for one, am so glad that you did find your path. If you hadn’t, I never would have found my best friend.”

  Alaina put her arm over Macy’s shoulder and squeezed. He was happy Macy had such a good friend. Titus noticed a huge bruise on Alaina’s bicep and asked what had happened.

  “I’ve been training with Holly and Annis. They’re determined to make a fighter out of me, and that’s one of my many war wounds.”

  He laughed. “I’ve got a few of those myself from Blake.”

  “I could barely get out of the bed this morning! It was like every muscle in my body just refused to work. Thank God for Motrin!”

  “No kidding,” Titus agreed.

  Alaina shook her head. “Annis is so tough. I’ve learned so much from her, but it’s been a rough road.”

  “I could never learn to fight,” Macy said, staring off into the distance. “It goes against everything in me to even think about hurting another.”

  “We need people like that, Macy. We need Healers, just like we need Warriors,” he said.

  He wanted to take her hand, but didn’t. Alaina didn’t know about them, and both he and Macy preferred it that no one found out. He had no idea what they were doing except being ‘friends with benefits,’ as Macy liked to call them. So far, they both seemed happy with the arrangement.

  “He’s right, Macy. We need you just the way you are.”

  Macy grinned. “That’s good, because I don’t think I’m capable of changing any time soon.”

  “Well, we’ve got … about thirteen hundred years to work on you, right?” Titus joked. SR44ians lived to be about two thousand years old.

  Macy and Alaina laughed, and he stood up. “I’ve got to use the restroom. I’ll be right back.”

  He walked through the park smiling and nodding at those who met his gaze. He thought again of Macy’s words, of the feeling of belonging. Today, he wasn’t a Warrior or an alien. He wasn’t the confused, broken-hearted bisexual. Instead, he was just a guy in the park, hanging out with some friends, eating too many potato chips, and enjoying the day. His world and his troubles seemed miles and miles away, and it felt so good to just be normal.

  He had to wait in line for a few moments, and after he used the bathroom, he washed his hands and headed back to the blanket. He saw Killian and Megan playing on the swings with another little girl. Today, they weren’t different, either. They were just two kids getting dirty and making new friends.

  He saw the blanket in the distance. Alaina and Macy had gone somewhere. He took a quick glance around. Perhaps they’d also needed to use the facilities.

  Sitting down, his heart went cold when he felt something grainy under his palm. He turned his hand over, and saw that black ash covered it. Not moving a muscle, he looked around the park again, this time studying every face he could see.

  He stood up slowly as he brushed his palm over his pants, panic gripping him.

  The perfect day had taken a very bad turn.

  The kids.

  Racing over to the playground, he kept his gaze locked on Megan and Killian. When he reached them, he tossed Megan onto his back and told her to hold on while he pulled Killian to his chest.

  “What’s going on?” Megan whispered.

  “There’s a Colonist here.”

  She tightened her grip around his neck, almost strangling him. “Oh, no. No, Titus! Don’t let him get us!”

  He heard the panic in her voice, but was thankful that she’d been educated on the horrors of the worst of their species.

  “He won’t, Megan. I promise you.”

  “I want to play some more!” Killian screamed, drawing the gazes of other families.

  “We can’t,” Megan hissed. “Do what Titus says or you’ll be eaten by a Colonist!”

  If he hadn’t been so worried and panicked, he would have laughed. He’d never seen a Colonist eat anyone, but he wouldn’t put it past them.

  He returned to the blanket, keeping the kids on his body. He looked over the park again, still not seeing Macy or Alaina. He ran over to the women’s restroom and barged in. “Macy!”

  No answer, except for a few sideways glances and dirty looks from those waiting in line.

  “This is the women’s bathroom,” one woman said.

  “I’m very aware of that. Thank you.”

  He ran back to the blanket, his heart thudding in his chest and sweat beading on his brow. He looked down at the dark blue cloth again to make sure he hadn’t imagined it. No, the black ash was there.

  What did he do?

  Macy and Alaina were nowhere to be seen, and a Colonist was at the park. The kids. He had to get the kids to safety.

  Leaving everything where it lay, he ran to the SUV and pulled Megan from his back after setting Killian inside. When both kids sat in the back seat, he slammed the door and hit the key fob, locking them in.

  Taking his gun from his waistband, he held it by his thigh. He again scanned the park.

  “Titus!” Megan yelled from inside. “Titus, look!”

  He turned as a car drove by. Alaina sat in the front passenger seat while Daniel drove, holding a gun to her head.

  Macy stared at him from the back, the terror on her face almost palpable.

  He ran around the car as it drove through the parking lot and got the license plate.

  Removing his phone from his jacket, he tried to dial the silo, but it had gone dead.

  Did he race after them? Chase them down?

  No, he couldn’t risk putting the kids in danger.

  The best thing he could do now wo
uld be to head back to the silo, get the kids to safety, and then hunt down that son of a bitch. If he thought he or the Saviors would take this abduction lying down, he had been sorely mistaken.

  They would bring down the wrath of the SR44ian gods and the hellfire of the Devil himself.

  Chapter 33

  Titus drove down the freeway, his hands shaking with anger. Picking up his phone, relief swept through him when he saw the car charger had finally given it a bit of power.

  He dialed Noah, but no one answered. He tried Blake.

  “What’s up, man?”

  “You know when you say shit just moved into the critical zone?”

  “Uh oh.”

  “Yeah, we’re there.”

  He relayed the story to Blake who listened intently. “That motherfucking son of a bitch.”

  “Yes.”

  “The kids are okay?”

  He glanced in the rearview mirror. Both stared out their respective windows, Megan’s face looking pensive and bothered while Killian seemed to be drifting off to sleep. “Yes. A little shaken up, but they’re fine.”

  Blake sighed. “Thanks for getting them out of there, Titus. I hate that Alaina and Macy have been taken, but if the kids fell into Daniel’s hands … I don’t think I could live another second.”

  “Where do we go from here?”

  “Get back here quickly, but obey the laws. Try to keep your cool.”

  “I will.”

  A half hour later, Titus pulled up to the front of the silo, and a flood of people came out, Hudson and Beverly leading the charge with Sophia and Blake right behind them. They each snatched up their respective children and held them close. Hudson patted down Killian as if he looked for injuries, while Sophia and Blake looked like they’d never let go of Megan.

  He received a few praises, but then he met Nico’s gaze.

  “Please tell me he doesn’t have her. Please tell me this is some sick joke.”

  He shook his head, hating to be the bearer of bad news and wishing he could have done more. “I can’t, Nico. He’s got Macy and Alaina. I saw them with him.”