Haven and the Alien Mechanic

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  “It’s hard to get a decent job around here without a degree, but now that I’m pregnant, I don’t see me going back for another year of college. Not unless I can take classes part-time and online. This baby changes a lot of things for me.”

  Dryden could understand that. She no longer just had to take care of herself, but she had a child on the way. He hated to think of her on her own while juggling a job and a baby, but if she didn’t agree to be his mate, then it was out of his hands. It didn’t mean he couldn’t help her though.

  “Speaking of jobs,” she said. “Shouldn’t you at least check on things at the shop? I know you said someone was watching over things, but is it typical for you to not go in to work?”

  “It’s Friday. My shop manager works Friday and Saturday so he can have Mondays off. I’ve never asked why, figured it was personal.”

  “So, you’re off until Monday?”

  He nodded.

  “Good.” She smiled. “I like spending time with you.”

  “I’m actually scheduled to work off world next week. You’d have to get clearance from the clinic, but would you want to go with me? You could see my world, and while you couldn’t walk around without being mobbed by males wanting a mate, I could take you out to see the sights when I wasn’t working. You could even meet my parents and spend the day with them, if you’d like.”

  “You’d let me meet your parents?”

  He bit his lip and studied her a moment. “I’m still hoping that maybe one day you’ll agree to be mine, and they’ll be your parents too.”

  “But we could still live here on Earth, right? Or would my human baby be accepted there?”

  “We’re a very accepting people,” he said with a smile. “Your baby would be more than welcome, especially if it’s a girl.”

  “Then yes, I’d like to go with you and see your world.”

  “We’ll stop by the clinic later today and let Xonos check you over. Make sure it’s okay for you to make the shuttle trip.”

  Their food arrived and Haven ate as if it were her last meal. When they were finished, Dryden paid the check and escorted her back outside. He knew exactly where he wanted to take her next, and drove there without giving her any hints as to where they were going. She seemed accepting and didn’t question him.

  When they pulled up to the zoo, she laughed a little. “I thought you said we should do indoor things.”

  “There are some indoor exhibits, and I’m sure they had some outdoor heaters spread throughout the area. If you get cold, we’ll leave.”

  “I haven’t been to the zoo since I was a little girl. This will be fun.”

  As far as Dryden was concerned, doing anything with Haven was fun. They looked at the elephants and zebras, moved on to the large cats, and checked out the lizards and snakes for a reprieve from the cold. Haven seemed to be tiring, so Dryden escorted her back to the front.

  “We can come again some other time,” he said. “Maybe this spring when it’s warmer.”

  She nodded and climbed into his truck, shivering a little. Dryden cranked the heat and soon her face had lost the rosiness from the cold. As they neared the Terran Station, he wondered if he should have called Xonos ahead of time. He’d never needed an appointment at the clinic before, he didn’t know the rules when it came to potential mates. He knew she’d need a check-up before he could claim her, even though it was apparent she was able to have children.

  “The doctor won’t do anything that hurts, will he?” Haven asked as he pulled into the parking lot.

  “I don’t believe anything will hurt. Have you seen a doctor since finding out you were pregnant?”

  “I went for a blood test to make sure I was really pregnant, but then I lost my insurance when my parents were dealing with the IRS.”

  “Then it’s a good thing we’re going today. I’ll see if Xonos will agree to be your doctor until the baby is born. I’m not sure if he’ll be allowed to though. The council prefers that he only treat humans who are mated or related to Terrans.”

  “I understand.”

  They went inside and passed the receptionist. Dryden led her down hallways until they reached the clinic. The wall of glass showed that no one was sitting in the waiting area. He pushed open the door and ushered her inside. There was a bell on the counter and Dryden smacked his hand on it a few times. Xonos came out of the back and smiled when he saw them.

  “I haven’t seen you in a while,” Xonos said.

  “I’ve kept busy. This is Haven. I’m trying to convince her to be my mate, but she’s a stubborn one.” He smiled to soften his words. “She would like to travel with me to Terran next week for work, but she’s expecting and I thought you should check her over first. Make sure it wouldn’t harm the baby.”

  Xonos nodded. “Come on back. I don’t have anything scheduled today and it’s been quiet.”

  They entered one of the exam rooms and Xonos pulled out a hospital gown, handing it to Haven, then he motioned for Dryden to follow him into the hall, giving her privacy. Dryden liked Xonos all the more for that small kindness. It wasn’t like Dryden hadn’t had his face in a very intimate place not but a few hours ago, but it didn’t mean Haven would be comfortable changing in front of him.

  “So, a mate,” Xonos said. “You’ve wanted one for a while.”

  “With some luck, Haven will agree to be mine. How are the kids? I haven’t seen them in a while.”

  “Evie is learning to drive. She received her driver’s permit the other day. Gryl and Taffy are both handfuls, but at least they’re both in school this year.”

  “What’s Victoria doing with her time? Did she decide to work?”

  Xonos shook his head. “She tried to come here and help with files and such, but it didn’t work out. She decided to stay home in case the kids needed her, and she volunteers at the elementary school a few days a week.”

  “Haven talked about needing to work when the baby comes. She was in school, college, but had to stop going when she found out about the baby. I wish there was a way for her to finish her degree. It seems to mean a lot to her.”

  Xonos clapped him on the shoulder. “If she agrees to be yours, there’s no reason she can’t take classes online while the baby is small, and by the time your son or daughter starts school maybe she could put that degree to use. Unless you use the daycare here at the station. I’ve heard it’s decent now that the harpy who denied Lily entrance has been removed.”

  The exam room door opened a crack and Haven peered out at them. Xonos smiled at her reassuringly and they both entered the room. She climbed onto the table and fidgeted while she waited to see what Xonos would say or do. Dryden wished he could ease her fears.

  “Haven, do you know how far along you are?” Xonos asked.

  “About four months.”

  Xonos nodded and began pulling out different medical instruments. Dryden watched as Xonos did a bio scan, listened to her heart and lungs, took some blood, checked her blood pressure, and then did a full-body scan just to be safe. As Xonos studied the results of each test, Haven seemed to grow more and more nervous.

  Dryden stepped closer and took her hand in his. She smiled up at him gratefully, and they waited together for the results. It made Dryden wish all the more that he really was waiting for news of his son or daughter, but until Haven agreed to be his, she was just a friend who was having a baby. It was damn hard though not getting emotionally invested in her pregnancy.

  “Everything looks good,” Xonos said. “The baby is healthy and strong, has a good heartbeat and growth rate. Your blood pressure is a little higher than I would like, but it’s not life-threatening. Just try to take it easy. Whatever you’re stressing over, try to put it out of your mind for a while. If it gets worse or doesn’t seem to drop, then we can discuss medication.”

  “Could you tell if I’m having a boy or a girl?” she asked.

  “Not yet. The baby is turned the wrong way, so we can try again in two to three weeks. We shou
ld be able to see something then. I have one of the human ultrasound machines if you’d like a picture of your baby.”

  “I’ll wait until I can find out the sex,” Haven said.

  “Very well. Then you can get dressed and you’re free to go. I didn’t see anything medically that would keep you from travelling on Monday. If you’re concerned about your blood pressure, you can always stop here before meeting the shuttle and I’ll check it again for you.”

  Haven nodded. “Thank you.”

  Dryden and Xonos left the room so she could get dressed. The doctor leaned against the wall and studied Dryden. It looked like there was something he wanted to say, but for some reason, Xonos held back.

  “What is it?” Dryden asked.

  “You know how in-depth my scans are.”

  “Of course. Was there something you saw that worries you about the baby?”

  “Has Haven discussed the father with you?”

  “She doesn’t know who the father is. Haven said she was drinking too much at a party and a month later she found out she was pregnant.”

  Xonos nodded. “The baby is only half human. It’s part Traxian. I’m not certain how she would have come into contact with one. They tend to stand out.”

  “I doubt she knows, and I’m not certain how to bring it up. If I can think of a way to work it into conversation, I’ll try. I don’t want her to be blindsided when the baby is born, but it’s not something I want to blurt out either.”

  “Let me know if you’d prefer that I talk to her. I could mention it Monday, or even now if you think that would be better.”

  “I’ll tell her as soon as possible.”

  Haven opened the door and stepped out of the room, a smile on her face. Her stomach rumbled, and Dryden realized it was well past lunch. Even if they had eaten breakfast a little late, as an expectant mother she needed to eat more often than he did. Or so he’d learned from his friends when their mates were pregnant.

  “Come on,” Dryden said. “Let’s feed you. If you’d like, we can eat here at the station. There’s a food court.”

  “Really? Do they serve cuisine from your world?” she asked.

  “Yes, although most places serve human food. You can have whatever you want,” Dryden said.

  Xonos led them back to the front of the clinic. “It was nice meeting you, Haven, and it was good to see you again, Dryden. Stop by any time if you have questions or concerns. Haven, as long as you’re a potential mate, I’m allowed to treat you.”

  “It was nice meeting you too,” Haven said.

  Dryden led her through the maze of hallways to the food court and let her explore each option before ordering their food. He selected a table away from the few people taking a lunch break, intent on talking to her about the baby in her belly. If he waited, he worried he might chicken out of telling her. He wasn’t certain how she would react. To him, a mixed race child wasn’t a big deal. A baby was a baby, and he would love that baby regardless of its race, color, or sex. He just hoped Haven believed him. He’d learned that humans could be prejudiced when it came to different races. There wasn’t a difference to him between a half-Terran child or a half-Traxian one.

  As she took her first bite of Terran cuisine, he tried to think of the best way to bring it up. She seemed so happy, and he didn’t know what her reaction would be. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her. Maybe he’d give it a few days and see if he could figure out the best way to break the news to her. Since she didn’t remember the father of her child, he didn’t know if discovering it was an alien would be upsetting to her.

  Why couldn’t anything ever be easy?

  Chapter Five

  Monday morning came all too soon, and Haven found herself packed and waiting at the Terran Station for the shuttle. They’d arrived early and were enjoying breakfast in the food court. Haven was pleasantly surprised that the Terran food tasted so good. She’d been expecting something strange and unusual, but the meat tasted almost like ham, and the blue-and-orange vegetable-looking things tasted like bell peppers and onion. She glanced at Dryden and knew there was something on his mind, but for some reason he was keeping it to himself.

  “You’re quiet,” she said.

  “Just thinking.”

  “Anything good?” She smiled. “You look almost worried.”

  “Are you sure there’s nothing you remember about the party you went to the night you became pregnant? Any unusual people there?” he asked.

  “Unusual like different from me but human, or unusual as in alien?” she asked.

  “So, there were aliens there.”

  She nodded. “Some college-aged guys were there. They were in town for something happening at the Terran Station and I guess someone invited them to the party. One looked like a tiger, another was blue with black hair, and one was red with fangs. I remember seeing a Terran or two there as well. Why?”

  “I need to tell you something about your baby, but I’m not sure how to do it. I don’t want to upset you.”

  She placed a hand over her belly. “The baby is healthy, right? Does it have a birth defect? Xonos didn’t mention anything, and when he checked my blood pressure this morning he said everything looked good.”

  The good doctor had done more than that though. He’d also given her an implant behind her ear that would translate other languages for her. She would be able to understand everything said on Terran, as well as anywhere else in the galaxies or on Earth.

  “No, nothing like that. But it’s not going to look human either.”

  She set her fork down. “I slept with one of the aliens?”

  He nodded. “A Traxian. And if they were present for an event at the Terran Station, I can find out who those males were and we can narrow down who the father is. If you want to know. Even if I were to take you as my mate, if the baby’s father found out later that he had a child, he could try to take the baby from us. I think it would be best to get him to waive his rights. Or come up with another solution.”

  Haven stared at her food a moment, trying to process everything. She’d slept with an alien, and from what she’d heard, they wanted babies in the worst way. Why would the Traxian give up his rights? And if he didn’t, what did that mean for her? Would she be forced to marry him? Her stomach rolled and nausea welled in her throat. Tears misted her eyes and Dryden reached across the table to take her hand.

  “We’ll figure this out,” he assured her. “When we’re done eating, I’ll speak with someone about gathering the names and contact information for the males who were here from that world. There couldn’t have been many of them.”

  “I don’t think I can eat anymore.”

  Dryden squeezed her hand. “Think about the baby. You need to finish your food. Don’t worry about the baby’s father.”

  Haven nodded and took another bite. It didn’t taste as great as it had before, but she knew the food hadn’t changed. By the time she’d finished her meal and Dryden had thrown away their trash, her nausea had doubled. What would she do if the father of her baby tried to take it from her?

  Dryden led her down several hallways before approaching what looked like a conference room. A large screen was on one wall and he began pressing buttons. When the screen lit up, it showed a room with four Terrans sitting around a table. Dryden waited until he had their attention.

  “Dryden, is there a problem with the hotel?” one of them asked. “Chief Councilor Borgoz requested a key for your mate.”

  “I haven’t checked with the front desk yet,” Dryden said. “But we may have a situation that can’t be resolved with a call. Haven is pregnant, as I mentioned to the Chief Councilor, and Xonos ran some tests the other day. We’ve discovered that the father of her baby is a Traxian.”

  “How could she not know the father was Traxian?” one of the men asked.

  “I had too much to drink at a party,” Haven said. “There were a few alien races present and I think I must have slept with one of them. But I don’t reme
mber doing it.”

  The men talked amongst themselves for a moment.

  “Dryden, we’ll contact the Traxian government and see if they can help us locate the father of the child. I’ll ask Xonos to send any data he has about her pregnancy in case they need the information. How far along are you?” the man asked her.

  “Four months.”

  “Traxian pregnancies run about the same length as a human pregnancies. Which means we have some time to locate the father and figure out what to do.”

  “Larimar,” Dryden said. “What if the father wants to claim the child? Haven doesn’t want to give up her rights.”

  “The Traxian government will not allow the baby to be separated from the mother, but they can demand that the father be allowed to visit whenever he wishes.”

  Haven breathed a little easier. That didn’t sound so bad. As long as they didn’t try to send her baby to another world, she could live with anything else. Visitation rights didn’t sound so horrible.

  Dryden thanked the men and ended the call.

  “So, he won’t take my baby away?” Haven asked.

  “It doesn’t sound like it. I wouldn’t put it past him to try to convince you to mate with him though. Especially, since you’re carrying his child. If I were in the same position, I’d do the same thing. But just because he asks, doesn’t mean you have to say yes. You can turn him down, or if you want time with him to see if things could work, then I’m sure he would stay on Earth for you to date.”

  She glanced up at him. “And you would be okay with me dating someone else?”

  A muscle in his jaw ticked. “No, but I have no claim on you. I want you for my mate, but you’re free to do as you please. If you think the Traxian would make you happy, then I will try to be content with your decision.”

  Haven smiled and reached for his hand. “I don’t want the Traxian, even if he’s super nice. Now, I believe we have a shuttle to catch. I’m anxious to see your world and meet your parents. If you still want me to go.”