by Abella Ward
"Shay."
He finally allowed himself more than a brief glance at Gemma. She was struggling against her bonds, but the air in Shay's lungs seemed to have all dissipated. The flames in his belly burned low and cold. He was unable to believe what he was seeing. It had only been a day since he had last seen Gemma. And yet in that time, her belly had swollen with at least four months' worth of growth.
What sort of internal damage would this accelerated growth to do her? To their baby? His knees felt weak and, for a moment, he was tempted to go after Wynon and tear her apart, despite his vow. How could anybody do such a terrible thing?
"Shay," Gemma repeated, her voice pained and terrified.
The dragon shook his head, shoving Wynon violently from his thoughts, and hurried to his human's side. He quickly unstrapped her and she threw her arms around him. She began sobbing, and Shay stroked her hair, whispering gently.
"It's okay. You're okay."
"I thought I was going to die," she whispered. "I thought—"
"You're safe," Shay promised.
From here it would only take five minutes to get outside to where his transport was waiting for him. If Wynon hadn't alerted security. If his crew was still keeping the scientists occupied. He needed to move quickly; there was no time for stealth.
Shay released Gemma, stepping back. Gemma cried out, reaching for him, but he closed his eyes and dropped his chin to his chest. He had never been particularly good at partial shifting, but he focused on his lower body, bringing the beast within to his legs. His robes parted as his lower limbs grew, becoming longer, stronger. He scooped Gemma up then, gritting his teeth to keep the shifting isolated to his legs, and charged from the room.
They passed Wynon, making her shriek. Shay rounded a corner to see a dozen security officers waiting for him. His wings sprouted from his back, wrapping around Gemma's body as he charged at them. He ignored the calls for him to stop.
"Don't shoot him!" Wynon screamed from somewhere behind. "He has the human! She can't be harmed!"
Shay burst through the guards, snapping his wings back to knock them away. He kept running, clutching Gemma tightly in his arms.
An energy field dropped in front of him. He was only just able to stop himself from running straight into it. Shay whirled around. A second field dropped. He panted, looking around wildly.
Desperation clawed at his throat. He had to get out of here–had to get Gemma out of here. Shifting his human where she still clung to him, he activated the communication device that linked him to his ship.
"Hack the cameras," he gasped at the dragoness who answered. "Get all the footage of what's happening, now!"
Just after the dragoness confirmed she was in, Niqæsh stepped around the corner. Wynon was right behind her, and a dozen security guards followed after. Niqæsh's eyes were narrowed, her hands clenched at her sides.
"This human has had her pregnancy accelerated," Shay shouted. "In one day you have progressed her pregnancy by four mouths!"
"I am doing what is necessary," Niqæsh snarled. "Surrender your unborn child to further research or die."
"It's unethical to experiment on those who cannot give consent."
"What do I care about ethics? Our people are dying! I think I'll kill you, too. You've always been one of those dragons who thinks he deserves more than he does. I'll be doing our people a favor by ending you."
It was all Shay needed. "Did you catch that?"
"Yes," said the dragoness through his comm. "Shall I broadcast?"
Shay smiled as Niqæsh's eyes widened at the voice. "Yes."
Chapter Eight
Public outrage spared Shay a private trial, which could have been disastrous in his situation. The Science Board knew that they couldn't simply sentence him for disobeying a direct order. Some of the members who had remained quiet when Niqæsh had told him he had to hand over Gemma and their unborn child for experimentation were even publically declaring their support for him now.
Niqæsh herself was also on trial and suspended from her position on the Science Board. There were quite a few petitions circulating calling for her power to be fully stripped from her.
But as much as the public had his back, Shay was not immune to discipline. He had not only disobeyed direct orders from the Science Board, but he also perpetrated violence against fellow scientists and encouraged the same from his crew. That wasn't going to just go away.
Shay passed the scanner over Gemma's enlarged belly and along her back as she lay on her side, reading the information that was returned to him. They were under house arrest while his trial was underway. While the explosive acceleration of her pregnancy had been stopped, the damage was already done.
"The baby appears to be healthy," he assured his worried human as she chewed on her lip. "Wynon didn't damage our child.”
He could not say the same for her spine. Not only had the pressure of having such a quick growth of pregnancy damaged her spinal column, but the fact that Wynon had kept her on her back the whole time had only made it worse. If she hadn't already been jailed…
"My legs are still numb." Gemma lifted one foot and winced as she turned it in a circle. "That can't be good, can it?"
"No," he responded honestly. "And we won't know the full extent of the damage until after the baby is born and we can do more powerful scans."
He fiddled with the controls on his scanner until Gemma reached out and put her hand over his. His fires were burning low, and when he glanced up he saw his worry reflected in her eyes.
"Calm down, you're freaking me out. Let's talk about something else. You're going to give your justification at your trial tomorrow, right?"
Shay let out a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. Normally the justification is only after four months of evidence has been delivered to the Justice Board, but given the situation, they have agreed to allow me to speak first so that I don't have to worry about it after the child is born."
He put a hand on her stomach. They had been under house arrest for two months now, and Gemma could go into labor any day. He only prayed that it wouldn't be until after he had delivered his justification. He thought he had good reasons for doing what he did. After all, if he hadn't, he might not have Gemma or their child at all.
"I want to talk to them as well."
Shay shook his head. "You're not strong enough."
"So put me in a wheelchair. I'm strong enough to talk." Gemma narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm a lawyer, and I've spent the last two months studying your laws. I've been preparing my speech. I want to explain in my own words what it felt like."
She had a point, but Shay was worried about the stress it would put on her. Her health was already precarious. The amount of energy required to grow the child so quickly had eaten up most of her fat stores. She was thin and breakable now.
"I can see by the look on your face you think I'm not strong enough." Gemma narrowed her eyes. "Trust me, I'm going whether you want me to or not. So am I going to have to walk, or are you going to help me?"
Shay smoothed the hair from her forehead and kissed her gently. "Oh, my love. You are a stubborn woman."
"You’d better believe it," Gemma crooned back. A wincing look came over her face. "I need to use the toilet."
Shay scooped her up into his arms and headed for the bathroom. Gemma slung an arm around his neck and he buried his face in her hair. How had he gotten so lucky to get a woman like her? It might be Stlozyn belief that the atoms of the universe were cold and uncaring, but perhaps they had made an exception in his case. Meeting Gemma could not have happened just by coincidence.
He breathed in her sweet scent–he only hoped that by coming into her life, he hadn't ruined it.
***
Gemma wasn't certain her speech to the Justice Board was the most inspiring one. Stlozyn were all about logic; emotion was looked down on as the root of all evil.
Well, maybe not that bad, but close. Gemma shook her head as she directed the chair she sat in
–a hover chair, which she could move in literally every direction–towards the gangplank of Shay's ship. She had given her speech, recounting exactly what her imprisonment had been like, right after Shay had given his justification.
After the sentence was declared–Shay had to provide remuneration to the crew members who had broken laws by following his orders–he was reinstated as Science Alpha on his ship and told that his justification was worthy of his actions, though he was warned not to be so emotional in the future.
"Let's get you to bed," Shay said, and Gemma agreed.
Her back was killing her, the pain bringing tears to her eyes, and her legs felt like two wooden blocks beneath her body.
"Home, sweet home," Gemma trilled as Shay closed the door to his quarters behind them.
She hadn't seen Shay's quarters on his ship, and she was surprised at how basic everything was. The room she had had before was like the most luxurious hotel in comparison. Shay had a large bed, a wardrobe for his uniforms, a private bathroom with a shower and no bath and a small food processor that was only good for small snacks, rather than meals.
"So why was my room so luxurious while you have something like this?" she asked, as he lifted her into the bed. She was sick of lying on her side all the time, but it really was the most comfortable position for her at the moment. Not that she would call it 'comfortable'.
"Every ship of this size is fitted with a room for members of the Science Board, should they desire to visit."
"So I was in the presidential suite?"
Shay laughed at the look on Gemma's face. "Essentially, yes."
"Yikes," she muttered. "You guys are seriously Spartan."
"Sparta is known for its stringent warrior culture. We're scientists. Violence is based on emotion. It's an abhorrence." Shay's expression became thoughtful. "Although they did have a methodical approach to war, which in some ways was almost scientific."
Gemma smothered a giggle. He was just too cute in these moments, despite the fact that he was tall and stacked and ought to be intimidating rather than adorable. "No, silly. It means that you don't have a lot of luxuries. At least not on ships. Your apartment on Bronæl was far fancier than the presidential suite."
"On a space-bound vessel resources are much more precious."
His personal comm beeped, indicating an incoming call. Gemma settled down, rubbing her aching back as the baby started moving, pushing against her skin as if it was trying to stretch. She never really felt the baby kicking, though, something she was still furious about. Wynon had stolen half her pregnancy from her.
Shay activated his comm and the holographic image of one of the dragonesses from the Science Board appeared. Gemma saw Shay's shoulders tense, and he angled himself away from her so the dragoness couldn't see her.
"Science Alpha." The dragoness nodded her head. "I thought you would like to know that Niqæsh has been stripped of her position, and her research buildings have been taken from her. Her personal wealth will be distributed towards the fund for ethical research, as well."
"That is good to hear. Thank you for informing me."
"This also means that her position on the Science Board is empty. On behalf of the Board, I would like to extend you the offer to fill it."
Gemma pushed herself up, eyes brightening. A grin spread over her face. This was what had always Shay wanted. To be the youngest dragon ever to be on the Science Board. To her surprise, however, he didn't look happy. A frown creased his brow.
"Thank you for the offer. I will have to discuss it with Gemma."
The dragoness nodded. "Of course. We will give you three months to make your choice."
Shay nodded, and the image flickered out. He sighed heavily, exhaling a lungful of smoke that made Gemma's eyes water. She waved it away, narrowing her eyes at Shay.
"Why didn't you take the offer? It's what you’ve always wanted."
"No. I wanted to earn my place on the Board, not have it offered because the Board needs to save face after one of them was found promoting unethical practices." Shay shook his head, his lips thinning. "I do have many accomplishments to my name, though… it might have nothing to do with what I am to the public right now."
Gemma squeezed his hand. Her heart went out to him, but she wasn't certain what she should say. Her dragon shook himself and gave her a tense smile.
"It's late. I'll think on this for a few days and then discuss it with you." Shay leaned over her, giving her a deep kiss. "For now, it's time for you to sleep."
Gemma nearly groaned. Sleep. It was all she seemed to be doing lately. "I can't wait until the baby is born."
"Yes, I imagine it will be much more comfortable—"
"No, I mean I want to do something other than sleep." She raised her brows at him, but he still looked confused. "Something spicy."
Shay's confusion cleared. He laughed and kissed her again. "The baby will be born soon. Then we can see what shape your spine is in. With any luck, a simple healing will have you back in perfect condition a few days after the birth. But try not to think spicy thoughts yet, my dear."
Gemma nodded, wrinkling her nose. "I know. I need to sleep."
"Indeed." Shay slipped into the bed behind her, wrapping his arms around her. "Goodnight, my love."
Gemma snuggled deeper into his warmth, her eyes closing. "Goodnight."
Chapter Nine
Shay woke to Gemma shaking him. At first, he only pulled her closer, but then a hissed gasp of pain escaped from her. His eyes flew open. He jerked upright, feeling her stomach spasm beneath his hand. It felt like his own stomach was squeezing, and for a second he wasn't sure what to do. He'd had training and schooling, but the rush of both adrenaline and endorphins had scattered his mind.
"Shay, I think I’m going into labor."
Her stomach contracted under his hand again.
"You might be," he said, and was surprised by how calm he sounded. He cleared his throat, pushing aside his tumbling emotions. Now, of all times, was not the time to let emotion guide him. What to do first? "Let me check to see how much you're dilated."
Gemma's eyes were round, but she nodded and turned as best she could to accommodate him. As he removed her sweatpants and underwear, Shay was immensely grateful for his ability to see in the near-darkness that surrounded them. Somehow turning on the lights seemed like it would take too long. Something gushed over his fingers as he checked her–she was already ten centimeters dilated.
"Well?"
"You're in the final stages of labor already." Shay swallowed thickly. "It appears that whatever Wynon did is having some residual effects. Don't worry, I have done my time as a midwife, just like all biological scientists, and the ship doctor spent a round with maternity. We're going to be fine."
Gemma hunched over, half-groaning, half-screaming. Her stomach shrank, muscles bulging.
"Don't push yet," Shay told her. "We have to get you to the birthing stool."
"That thing you want me to crouch on?" Gemma's breath came out in a growl. Sweat beaded on her brow. "I can't, you know I can't. My legs—"
"I'll help you. Lying on your back is one of the worse positions to give birth in. It narrows the pelvis and—"
"Okay." She half-screamed again. "Let's just get this going, then!"
Shay called the ship's doctor on the comm unit and picked Gemma up, carrying her to the birthing stool that was set up in the corner of the room. Everything was prepared. He had made sure of it before they left the planet. There was no reason for his heart to be pounding so hard! He thought it might burst from his chest.
Everything was going to be fine.
The doctor arrived quickly. Everything was a blur after that, punctuated by clear images. Gemma squeezing his hand. The doctor assuring them everything was proceeding well. A fly landing on Gemma's nose and licking at the salty sweat there. He wanted to brush it off, but Gemma was leaning so heavily on him he didn't dare release her. And then Gemma let out an almighty wail that was suddenly ech
oed by a baby's cry.
The doctor placed the infant in Gemma's arms. She started laughing and crying. Shay felt a smile blossom over his own face.
"A little dragoness."
The baby had a scattering of soft scales over her body, tinged blue and green as most babies were. But the shape of her eyes and ears, even her little bow mouth, were all Gemma. The baby continued to cry, waving tiny little fists in the air.
"She's beautiful," Gemma whispered, while the doctor palpitated her stomach to dispel the afterbirth.
"She is." Shay kissed Gemma's temple, shifting her so he could touch the baby's tiny feet. "It's too cold in here."
"I already adjusted the temperature," the doctor interrupted, rolling his eyes. "It's not too cold."
Shay hesitated but nodded. Soon the baby was cleaned up and wrapped in a warm blanket. The bed was soiled from when Gemma's water broke, so they took the luxurious room for visiting Board members. Once he was sure that Gemma and the baby were settled, Shay slipped in beside them. How could anything be so tiny, so beautiful, so precious?
"Do Stlozyn have any naming traditions?"
"One… but you'll laugh."
Gemma's lips quirked. "Why would I laugh?"
"It's a superstition. Not based on any sort of scientific fact."
"Tell me."
Shay sighed. This tradition meant a lot to him. If Gemma laughed… "It was believed by our ancestors that Stlozyn are reborn every fifth generation, and so it's tradition to look back five generations to name a child after one of our ancestors. We give the child that name, and when she's ten she chooses her true name, a name she'll only share with those that mean the most to her."
Shay braced himself for Gemma's laughter, but she nodded instead, her expression serious.
"I like that. It's beautiful. Do you know of a name from five generations back in your family?"
"My grandfather always wanted me to name my first daughter Ishoel, after his great-grandmother. It means beautiful star."
"Ishoel." Gemma smiled up at him. "I like it."
Shay let out a breath of relief. He'd always liked the name as well, and was grateful Gemma did, too. He kissed her forehead. "We should sleep."
