Haven and the Alien Mechanic

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  “What if I love him and it all goes wrong?” she asked, her throat tight with unshed tears. “What if he wakes up one morning and realizes he made a mistake, that I’m unlovable, and that my baby is unwanted?”

  Tilia sat on the edge of the bed. “Do you really think that would happen? Knowing Dryden the way you do, can you honestly see him thinking any of those things?”

  Haven bit her lip. “Maybe not.”

  “I’m going to let you rest, but think about something while you’re lying here. Has knowing Dryden made your life better? And I don’t mean in a material way. Has he given your life meaning that wasn’t there before? Has he made you hope for something you’d thought you’d never have? When you think about the future, does it hurt to imagine him not there?” Tilia stood. “I think once you answer those questions, you’ll have a better understanding of your feelings, and you’ll be able to release some of those fears.”

  “Thank you, Tilia. You really are a great mom.”

  Tilia smiled and stepped out of the room, letting the door shut behind her.

  Haven stared at the ceiling, and pondered Tilia’s words. There was still so much she didn’t know about life, the world, or herself. But Dryden’s mother seemed wise, and while Haven knew it was Tilia’s love for Dryden that urged to speak out, she felt that Tilia wouldn’t lie to her. Maybe Tilia saw things in Haven that she herself was unable to see.

  As Tilia’s words played over and over in her mind, she closed her eyes and willed her body to sleep. Perhaps the answers she sought would be found in her dreams.

  Chapter Seven

  Dryden tightened the last bolt on the shuttle and put his tools away. His hands ached, but it was the good kind of hurting. The kind you only get from an honest day’s work. He stretched out his back and cracked his neck. Being hunched over the shuttle engine for the last few hours had given him a few twinges. He pulled a rag out of the back pocket of his jeans and cleaned his hands off before tossing the rag into his toolbox.

  The captain of the shuttle started her up and Dryden smiled. The engine was running better than ever, and he knew it was thanks to his magic touch. There were other mechanics on his world, but his services were always requested first. He might not have a high-paying job, but at least he was considered the best at what he did. He took pride in his work, no matter how small or large the task.

  The engine shut off and the captain exited the shuttle. “It’s running perfectly. Thanks, Dryden.”

  “Just doing my job, Sentir. If you don’t need anything else today, I think I’ll go home. I brought a potential mate with me and she’s been spending time with my mother. Knowing Tilia, she’s talked Haven’s ears off by now.”

  Sentir laughed. “Go rescue your bride. I think the shuttle is in good shape for now. If anything else breaks, you’ll be the first one I call.”

  Dryden stored his tools in his designated area before heading for his parents’ house. He wasn’t sure if his father was home yet. He’d missed his parents while he was on Earth, but if he hadn’t opened his repair shop in the small Kentucky town, he never would have met Haven. He wondered what she thought of his world, and if she would want to live here. He could either sell his business on Earth, or make monthly trips there and leave the place in his manager’s hands. He’d often thought about what would happen when he found a mate.

  At his parents’ house, he waved his wrist across the pad and unlocked the door. His mother greeted him, and pressed a finger to her lips.

  “Haven is still sleeping. She took a nap before lunch, but I must have worn her out too much. I checked on her a few times, but she hasn’t moved.”

  Dryden frowned. “Are you certain she’s all right?”

  “She’s breathing evenly, but she seems to be in a deep sleep. Has she not been getting enough rest?”

  “Xonos checked her over before the flight and said everything looked good, but then we talked about the baby. I called the council on the Vid-Comm before we left and asked them to search for the child’s father. Maybe it was too much stress for her to handle combined with the trip here.”

  Tilia nodded. “Why don’t you go check on her? You’re welcome to stay for dinner, but I’ll understand if you’d prefer to go home. You haven’t had much time with her today.”

  “I’ll try to wake her and see what she wants to do. She may want to go back to my apartment and sleep some more. I know the shuttle ride here can be taxing on my body and she’s carrying another life inside of her. Maybe she’ll be more rested tomorrow.”

  “Bring her by before you go to work, unless she’d prefer some quiet time to herself. I don’t want to push myself on her.”

  Dryden smiled a little. “You like her, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do. I think the two of you are well matched and I’d like to see the two of you mated. Haven and I talked a little today. I think she’s scared. She told me about the world she comes from, the society she was raised in, and it’s vastly different from what you’re offering her. She has a big decision to make, and she’s worried she’ll make the wrong choice. Not because she doesn’t want to be miserable but because she’s worried you’ll be unhappy.”

  “Idiot,” he muttered. “And I mean that in the nicest way. The woman is going to drive me crazy. I would give her anything she asked for if she would only agree to be mine. I’ve known from the moment I saw her that she was the one. Convincing her of that has been damn near impossible though.”

  “I think she’ll come around.”

  Dryden kissed his mother’s cheek. “I’ll go wake the sleeping princess. Thank you for spending time with her today.”

  “It was my pleasure.”

  Dryden searched the rooms until he found the bedroom where his potential mate was sleeping. He eased open the door and stepped inside. Haven had curled onto her side with her hands tucked under her chin. She looked so innocent, and she really was. Not innocent in a virginal way obviously, but there was still a childlike wonder to her sometimes. And he loved that about her.

  Hell. He loved her. But he had a feeling if he told her that, she’d run as fast and as far as she could.

  “Haven,” he said as he gently shook her. “It’s time to wake up.”

  She murmured in her sleep and curled her body around him. Dryden smiled and rubbed her back, but his smile quickly turned to a frown when he felt the muscles pulling and contracting in her lower back like they had done at the hotel on Earth. How long had she lain here in pain without saying anything? He reached under her shirt and began working the tense muscles as best he could from the odd angle. If she was hurting, he didn’t want to wake her just yet.

  Dryden massaged her lower back until he felt the muscles loosen. It worried him that this had happened twice now. He didn’t remember his friends mentioning such a thing happening with their pregnant mates, and he wondered if the pregnancy was too hard on her body. If something like this was happening when she was barely showing, what would happen when she gained more weight?

  He smoothed her hair back from her face and knelt beside the bed. He leaned down, placing his cheek against the bedding, his nose brushing hers. Trailing his fingers down her cheek and through her hair, he tried once more to wake her. A smile curved Haven’s lips and her eyes fluttered open.

  “You’re home,” she said, her voice heavy with sleep.

  “I am. You had me worried.”

  “I didn’t mean to sleep so long. I should have been well-rested after that eight-hour nap on the shuttle. I’ve been a horrible guest. Your mother is probably sorry she asked me to stay with her today.”

  Dryden traced her lower lip and kissed her softly. “My mother is completely in love with you already. If anything, she thought she was too hard on you after such a long trip. Don’t feel bad for falling asleep.”

  “I think I must have walked too much. My back was hurting, but it feels better now.”

  “Your muscles were contracting when I came to wake you up. I rubbed your back fo
r a few minutes. Haven, I’m worried that this has happened to you twice now. Maybe you should see the doctor while we’re here.”

  She frowned. “But it happens all the time, whenever I exert myself. I’m sure it’s just part of being pregnant.”

  “No, I don’t think it is. Not this soon in your pregnancy at any rate. I’ve seen pregnant women rubbing their lower backs, but they’re usually much further along than you are. I know Xonos said everything was fine, but what if it’s not?”

  Her hand rubbed her belly. “You think the baby is in trouble?”

  “I think the pregnancy is too hard on your body. Will you please let me take you to the clinic? We can go now.”

  “If it will make you feel better, I’ll go.”

  He kissed her again. “Thank you.”

  He helped Haven stand and then went in search of his mother. She was watching something on the Vid-Comm, but looked their way as they entered the room.

  “Is everything okay? You look worried,” she said.

  “I’m taking Haven to the clinic. She keeps getting back spasms and I don’t think that’s normal for this stage of her pregnancy, or any stage for that matter. Even though Xonos said she was in perfect health, I think something is going on.”

  Tilia nodded. “Would I be in the way if I came with you?”

  Dryden looked down at Haven, taking her hand. “If you want it to just be the two of us, she’ll understand. But I’m all right with her coming along if you’d like for her to be there.”

  “I’d like for her to come with us.”

  Dryden nodded and the three of them set off for the clinic. It was several large city blocks, probably close to two miles, and he worried about the strain on Haven’s body. When they reached the clinic, her face was pale and her features pinched, and he wondered if her back was spasming again. He reached for her, casually placing his hand there, and he felt the muscles contracting.

  Zaylon, the clinic’s assistant, was in the waiting area when they arrived. He smiled in greeting, then quickly frowned when he saw the state Haven was in.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Zaylon asked.

  “We were hoping you could tell us,” Tilia said. “She’s in pain and it’s still early in her pregnancy.”

  “Let’s get her to a room. Are both of you going back with her?”

  Dryden nodded.

  They followed Zaylon down a long hallway and into an exam room. The doctor’s assistant helped Haven into the chair used for full-body scans. He made sure she was comfortable before starting the machine. When it was finished with the scan, Zaylon helped her onto the padded table.

  “I’m going to take some blood and do a few more scans. I’d also like to get a good look at your baby. The body scan will show us how healthy the child is, but it doesn’t let us see the baby like you would in one of your Earth pictures. We have a new machine that will do that for us. Similar to your ultrasound machines on Earth.”

  Haven nodded and lay back on the table. Zaylon took several vials of blood, ran two more scans, then checked on the baby. His eyebrows shot up. “Interesting.”

  “What’s wrong?” Dryden asked. “We were told the baby is a Traxian.”

  “Well, that’s partially true. Did she see Xonos while you were on Earth?”

  “Yes. He assured us everything was fine with the baby.”

  “The baby is perfectly healthy from what I can tell, but it’s not Traxian. Not completely anyway.”

  “Then what is it?” Haven asked.

  “The baby is a Traxian hybrid if I’m judging the facial structure correctly, and you’re probably further along than you thought.”

  “It’s been four months,” Haven said.

  Zaylon nodded. “And with a Traxian/human coupling, that would mean you had another six months to go. But this baby… there’s no way to know for sure when you’re going to deliver. I’ve never seen a combination like this before. If I had to guess, I’d say your baby will arrive in about two to three months. It’s small now, but fully formed.”

  “I don’t understand,” Dryden said. “If it’s not fully Traxian, what is it?”

  Zaylon tucked his hands into his lab coat pockets. “If I’m reading the imaging correctly, your baby is a Traxian/Kuliki hybrid.”

  Dryden’s jaw dropped a little. “But… the Kuliki people are thought to be extinct. Their planet was destroyed and no one has seen one in decades. The Traxian male Haven saw looked close to her age, and she said he was tiger-striped. The council was looking into the matter as we had several Traxians at the station during that time.”

  “It seems that some have survived. It’s possible the Traxian traits would have been dominant and the father of the child may not have possessed any visible Kuliki characteristics.”

  Haven held up a hand. “I’m sorry, but what does a Kuliki look like?”

  Zaylon pulled out a handheld comm unit and tapped on the screen until an image appeared. Dryden looked at the rather striking alien. Brilliant turquoise eyes stared back at them from a light green face. Black hair framed features that were damned near perfect in every way. Pronounced cheekbones. A long, straight nose. But it was the shape of the eyes that really drew attention to the alien. Large and almond with tipped up corners. All of that could have described other alien races as well, but the Kuliki people had four round bumps across their foreheads in a pearlescent white that would glow when their psychic abilities were active.

  “And my baby looks like that?” Haven asked. “How do you know it’s a Traxian/Kuliki hybrid?”

  Zaylon showed her the image of the baby and Dryden peered down at the screen. The child was tiger-striped, but its skin was a soft green with black striping, and it bore the four bumps across the forehead. None of which would have shown up in the scans Xonos did. But Dryden didn’t understand how the Kuliki DNA wouldn’t have shown in the same test that determined the baby was part Traxian. His confusion must have shown on his face.

  “Your baby has signs of being part Kuliki, but I’m guessing the Traxian genes were dominant in the father, which means the DNA that Xonos pulled would have shown Traxian with only faint traces of human and Kuliki. If he didn’t know to look for it, he could have easily missed it.” Zaylon put the comm unit back in his pocket. “Your body is reacting to this pregnancy as if you were eight months pregnant by human standards.”

  “But you said the baby was small,” Dryden said. “Is it too small to be born healthy?”

  “No. The child is nearly fully developed. I don’t know why Xonos didn’t say more when he did the exam on Earth. The baby could even be born a few weeks early and still survive. The unusual mix of human, Traxian, and Kuliki seems to have had some unexpected results. If I had to guess, I would say your baby is a girl. Would you like me to take another look and see if we can find out?” Zaylon asked.

  “It’s not too soon?” Haven asked.

  “No. Considering you’re getting close to your due date, we should be able to tell something. If the baby cooperates. I may have to push on your stomach to shift the baby into another position. I promise it won’t hurt.”

  Haven nodded her consent and waited patiently while Zaylon performed the imaging test again. He smiled broadly as he froze the image on the screen and showed it to them. “I was right. You’re having a girl. Kuliki females are small and dainty. I wouldn’t be surprised if she never reached your height, momma.”

  Haven’s eyes misted as she stared at the picture on the screen. “That’s really my baby?”

  Zaylon nodded.

  “She’s beautiful.”

  “Yes, she is,” Dryden said.

  Tilia wiped away tears as she stared at the image and Dryden knew she’d be out tonight buying little girl baby clothes. Even if Haven never agreed to be his mate, his mother had decided she was family. And once Tilia decided something, she made it so.

  Haven bit her lip. “My baby isn’t going to be accepted on Earth, is she? She’s too different from everyone els
e. I mean, Earth is getting used to seeing different types of aliens, but no one will look like her.”

  “Since humans have never seen a Kuliki before, I’m not certain how they would react,” Zaylon said. “I can say with certainty that if you made your home here, our people would welcome her with open arms.”

  Haven nodded.

  “She’s been getting back spasms when she does a lot of walking,” Dryden said. “Should she limit her amount of exercise?”

  “Walking is normally good during a pregnancy, but I think the baby is a bigger strain on her body because of its mixed heritage. Very little is known about Kuliki pregnancies except duration. I wouldn’t say their people were secretive, but they kept to themselves.” Zaylon smiled at Haven reassuringly. “I think the baby will be just fine, and as long as you don’t overdo it, you shouldn’t be in any pain. If the spasms start again, get someone to rub your back or place a hot compress on the area.”

  Dryden shook Zaylon’s hand. “Thank you.”

  “If you have any other questions or concerns, come back and see me. If I’m not here, Banchek should be around.”

  They left the clinic and walked back to his parents’ house. Haven rubbed at her back and he knew it was bothering her again, yet she didn’t utter a word of complaint. She seemed almost happy after having seen her child. But one thing was certain. They had just narrowed down the list of possible fathers for the baby. Dryden doubted there were many Traxian/Kuliki hybrids. More than likely, there was only one. Which meant Haven was going to meet the father of her child sooner rather than later.

  * * *

  Haven stared out the window as she waited for Dryden to return. Shortly after they’d arrived back at his parents’ home, he’d left to meet with the council. Since her child was so unique, there would be no question of who the father was. She had to admit she was anxious about meeting him. Well, she’d obviously already met him, but she didn’t remember much about that night. All she could recall were vague flashes of the party with several aliens in attendance.

  If the Traxian was mixed with a race thought extinct, would that mean he was more likely to want the baby she now carried? She had hoped that they could discuss visitation rights, and the baby would remain with her. But now she had to wonder if that would be the case. He’d looked like the other Traxians she’d seen, from what she could recall. The picture Zaylon had shown her didn’t look anything like any of the aliens she’d ever seen. Her baby though… Her daughter was beautiful.