“Does anyone else know about the baby?”
“Only Rain,” Ivy said. “Maxim didn’t think that we should tell anybody while we were on Penthos. It would be too much of a distraction when they were facing the hybrids the first time. He thought that everybody would be too worried about me and the baby to concentrate on the fight there. I honestly think that that is a big part of why he sent me back here. He didn’t want to think about me when he should be focusing on the fight.”
Ivy felt an unexpected rush of emotion tighten in her throat and wished that she had allowed Ellora to make the coffee for her just so that she could have the comfort of holding the warm mug in her hands.
“My son is far too stubborn for his own good,” Ellora said. “He should know that a baby would be a source of motivation. Everyone would want to know that they are fighting for the safety and the happiness of the future generation.” She gave a soft laugh. “It reminds me of Aegeus when I first told him that I was carrying Maxim.”
“He was worried about you?”
“There were days when I thought that he was never going to let me leave our bedroom. He was convinced that being pregnant somehow made me fragile and completely vulnerable to everything. I think that’s just the way of men. They don’t understand that it takes far more strength to carry and deliver a child than anything that many of them will do with their lives. Do you think that most of the men in Rey’s court would be able to go through a pregnancy and bringing a baby into this world?”
Ivy couldn’t help but laugh. From what little she knew about the court, they were not men who could even begin to be compared to the Mikana army or to the Denynso warriors. The King himself led the army, but the men in his court were there primarily to advise him when he needed it and to perform ambassador duties when Rey was not available. They were rarely seen and even more rarely in action.
“I wish that Maxim could see me as strong.”
“He will,” Ellora said. “He loves you. He just hasn’t figured out that he can love you and want to protect you, and appreciate that you are able to take care of yourself and the baby within you at the same time.” She looked out the window and then back at Ivy. “If you’d like, I can go back to the midwife with you. They might be able to tell you more about the baby. I know that you would rather have Maxim with you, but…”
“I would love for you to be there with me.”
Ivy felt her heart swelling. Though she and Maxim’s mother hadn’t been close since they met, she felt some of the tension between them easing. She knew that it had been troublesome for Ellora to see her come back to Uoria rather than staying on Penthos to support Maxim, and now that she knew the reason behind it, she seemed far more willing to start to build a connection with her.
The midwife seemed surprised to see her when she opened the door and saw Ivy standing in front of the office again. Ellora was standing close behind her and when the midwife saw her, she smiled.
“You’ve told Ellora the wonderful news?”
“She has.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Opaline. Ivy says that she left before she was able to get a full examination.”
“She did,” Opaline said. “I just assumed that she decided that she couldn’t trust me since I’m not a doctor like they have on Earth.”
Ivy shook her head.
“That’s not it,” she said. “Please believe me. I trust you. If Maxim and Ellora both say that you will be able to help me through this, then I am willing to trust you completely. I just didn’t want to do this on my own.”
“I understand,” Opaline said, her face brightening slightly at the statement. “If you’d like, I’m still happy to examine you. I will still not be able to tell you everything, but I can tell you some.”
“I’d like that.”
Several minutes later Ivy was laying in the examination room, her hand grasping Ellora’s as the midwife examined her. Finally Opaline stepped back and invited her to sit up. Ivy complied and pulled a blanket up around her, suddenly chilled and nervous about what the midwife was going to tell her. Until that moment she hadn’t worried about the baby’s health or anything that could go wrong in any pregnancy, but especially a pregnancy that was unprecedented among all of those who were available to help her.
“You are looking very healthy,” Opaline said. “Your body is responding beautifully to the pregnancy and is beginning to prepare to bring this little baby into the world to meet all of us.”
Ivy felt nervousness bubble into her chest.
“Already?” she asked. “I’ve only known a few weeks.”
“It isn’t imminent,” Opaline said. “You still have time. But remember that a Mikana pregnancy is far faster than a human pregnancy. Our kind, most of the species on Uoria, come from ancestors who have had too much risk and danger around us to have the luxury of long pregnancies.”
“I feel like my baby is far safer inside of me than out,” Ivy said.
“I know,” Opaline said. “I know that you feel that way. All mothers do. But a baby that has been born can be protected even when the mother can’t. Your little one can be brought wherever it would be safest once it has been born, but if it is still within you, it can only be protected where you are. I know that you want to hold onto this little one for as long as you can. Every mother wants for the only thing that her baby hears is to be her voice and her heartbeat, but you must trust that the way that it is is the way that is best.”
Ivy took another breath, trying to calm herself. She felt so much more protective toward her baby now that she had told Ellora about the pregnancy and taken the step of being examined by the midwife. Though she felt a strong link to it and already loved it, this had made it so much more real for her and the instincts within her had surged forward.
“When do you think the baby will come?” Ellora asked, the tone of her voice soft and soothing as though she were trying to gloss over the tension and keep the conversation moving forward on a more positive note. “Will it be soon?”
“I can’t be sure,” Opaline said. “There are still things about this pregnancy that are controlled by Ivy being human. From the signs that I see, though, this little one should come within the next two months.” She reached out and brushed a lock of Ivy’s hair away from her shoulder. “I am here to take care of you, Ivy. We’re going to help you through this and will be here for you when the baby is born. Just relax now. Take care of yourself and your little one, and start preparing to hold it in your arms.”
The midwife walked out of the room and Ivy brought her hands to her belly. All of the activity seemed to have woken the baby up and she ran her hands along the swell, feeling the little shifts and bumps of it moving within her.
“I wish I knew if it was a boy or girl,” she said.
“You’ll know soon enough,” Ellora said.
Ivy smiled bigger than she had in as long as she could remember.
“I think that Maxim would probably want to have a son, but I would love to see him holding a little girl. I think that he would be an amazing father to a daughter.”
“Why do you think that he would want a son?”
“He has a brother and he has admired his father so much. I think that he would be proud to have a son who could follow his legacy.”
“I know that Maxim will be happy with whatever child is being given to him. He will be a wonderful father.”
“I know.” Ivy sighed and cradled her belly a little tighter. “I miss him so much. I’m so excited about the baby and I wish that he was here to be excited with me. Or that I was there with him.”
“Would you want to go back to Penthos?” Ellora asked. “Even knowing the danger that is there now?”
Ivy nodded.
“Yes,” she said. “I know that what is going on there is difficult and dangerous, but if Maxim is there, that is where I want to be. I promised him that I was going to stand beside him and that I was with him no matter what. I could have l
eft Uoria whenever I wanted to, but I didn’t. I stayed here because I know that what Maxim is facing is incredibly important to him, and what matters to him is what matters to me. I want to be wherever he is and helping him in any way that I can. I don’t want to go through this pregnancy without him and I don’t want him to go through this battle without me.”
She expected Ellora to argue with her, to try to convince her that she should stay on Uoria under the care of Opaline. Instead, she gave a slow nod.
“Then I think that when the ship goes back to Penthos, you should come.”
“What?” Ivy asked.
“I think that you should do whatever you think is right, Ivy. If you think that you should be on Penthos with Maxim, then that is what you should do.”
“I thought that you would be really resistant to me doing anything that dangerous while I was pregnant. I assumed that you would tell me that I should stay here and just wait for him to come back.”
“I have spent far too much of my life being too cautious,” Ellora told her. “Especially after Aegeus left. I have resisted so many things that I thought of doing because I thought that they would be just too dangerous for me. Maybe if I hadn’t, maybe if I followed my heart before now, I wouldn’t have had to spend so much of my life without Aegeus.”
Ellora smiled at her and then left the room to allow her to get dressed again. Ivy felt a wave of relief and excitement rush over her. Soon the army would be trained, they would have gathered all of the supplies that they would need for the journey and when they arrived on Penthos, they would be back on the ship, and she would be on her way back to Maxim.
Chapter Nine
Maxim watched as Eden wrapped his injured hand with a bandage. The warmth from the healing that she had administered was still making its way through his veins and he could already feel the ointments that she had placed over the cut taking away the pain.
“Do you have any other injuries?” she asked. “Anything else that I can heal for you?”
Maxim shook his head.
“No. I’m alright. I need to help the other men. They are in far worse condition than I am.”
He climbed down off of the table that had been converted into a treatment bed and walked into the other room where some of the other men were being treated. A hybrid man sat on the floor, his back against the wall as he gripped a deep wound in his thigh. Blood bubbled up between his fingers and his eyes were closed against the pain, but he was making no sound. He was confused and nearly overwhelmed by the sudden presence of so many more people in the compound. Though he had been expecting the Denynso and some of the others that they had with them, he was taken off-guard by the strange species that were with them and the hybrids that they brought along with the wounded.
“Who is that?” he demanded, grabbing ahold of Gyyx’s arm and gesturing toward the hybrid man.
“I don’t know,” Gyyx said. “They don’t have names.”
“They?”
“The hybrids that came from Earth with us,” the warrior explained.
“I don’t understand,” Maxim said. “You brought some of the hybrid army with you?”
“They were where we found your father,” Gyyx said. “They were in very bad condition.”
“But weren’t they fighting you there?”
“You need to talk to Pyra,” Gyyx said. “He’ll explain everything to you.”
“I need to be here,” Maxim protested. “I need to help the wounded.”
“You’ve done enough. They are being well cared-for by Ciyrs, Elianna, and Eden. For now, you need to take care of yourself. Get something to eat. Rest.”
Maxim nodded and backed out of the room. He knew that Gyyx was right. As much as he wanted to help take care of the wounded or to help those who had just arrived from Earth, he could feel the effects of days of not eating or sleeping enough starting to pull down on him. Though his mind felt like it was moving even faster than it had been when he was on the battlefield, his body was dragging and he knew that soon he wouldn’t be able to do anything if he didn’t stop to rest and eat.
The scent of rich, fulfilling food drew him from the building across the open courtyard toward the flickering of the fires. The energy in this area of the compound was different. While the makeshift infirmary was tense, almost frantic, things were calmer and more relaxed here. People roamed around eating, gathered in tight groups to talk, and lay on the ground staring up at the stars. There was the clear sense of peacefulness here and Maxim spent a few moments just enjoying the feeling.
One of the women approached him and held out what looked like a large chunk of bread. He accepted it and saw that the center of the bread had been carved out and filled with thick stew. She had toasted the leftover bread and handed that to him by way of a spoon.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “We ran out of utensils.”
“It’s alright,” Maxim said. “This looks delicious. Thank you.”
She offered a smile and walked away, returning to the fire to create another of the meals. He dipped the bread into the stew and took his first savory bite. The rich flavors ignited his hunger even further and Maxim hurried to eat more of the stew. He was taking the final bite of the gravy-soaked bread bowl when he turned and saw his father standing several yards away. He was staring at him without emotion, unmoving, as if he wasn’t sure if he should approach him.
Suddenly Maxim didn’t know how he was supposed to feel or what he was supposed to think. He was overwhelmed with emotion that he didn’t know how to process. His chest felt like it was crushing and each breath was harder to draw into his lungs. He had to get away. He couldn’t keep standing there, just wondering what either of them was supposed to do. Not paying attention to where he was going, Maxim started running. He needed to break out of the tension and get somewhere where he felt he could breathe.
Before he realized where he was, Maxim had run beyond the wall of the compound and was standing out in the dark sand away from the warmth and reassurance that the surrounding wall provided. He paused, trying to pull himself back under control. He hated feeling like this. He hated the sense that he couldn’t manage his emotions and the thoughts that were running through his head. The feeling of someone behind him made him turn and he saw Aegeus approaching him.
“I always wondered how fast you would be when you grew up,” he said.
Maxim’s muscles tightened as his father’s voice touched his ears for the first time since he was a small child.
“I guess you never thought that you would know,” Maxim said.
“You’re right,” Aegeus told him. “I didn’t.” There was a high, chilling scream somewhere in the distance and Aegeus took another step closer. “You can’t be out here, Maxim. It’s too dangerous.”
Maxim didn’t understand why, but something snapped inside him and a rush of painful emotion filled his chest.
“Suddenly you want to be my father and worry about what’s happening to me?”
He felt guilty as soon as the words came out of his mouth, but Maxim didn’t know what to do. He looked away, his hands planted on his hips. Aegeus backed up a few steps and without saying anything, Maxim started following him. They walked back to the compound and Aegeus led him to a quiet place away from the busyness of the center courtyard. Maxim stood with his back against the wall of one of the empty buildings and stared ahead of him, not trusting himself to look at Aegeus. Several long, silent seconds passed between them before the older man spoke.
“Do you hate me?”
The words cut through Maxim and his eyes closed against them. His head hung and he shook it.
“No,” he said. “Of course I don’t hate you. I couldn’t hate you. I just don’t know what I’m supposed to think or do.” He finally brought himself to turn and look at him. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long. Even when I thought that you were dead, I dreamed of what it would be like if I got to see you again. What I would do. What I would say. I always had so much that I
wanted to tell you. Now that it’s finally here, though, I don’t know how I’m supposed to handle it.”
“What do you mean?” Aegeus asked. “It’s just me. I know it’s been a long time and that you had to grow up without me, and I’m so sorry for that, but I’m still your papa.”
Maxim slid down the wall so that he sat in the warm sand. He pulled his knees up and rested his arms on them.
“I’m worried that you will be disappointed in me,” he admitted. “Or that you will think that I haven’t done what I should have in life. I never got to know everything that you dreamed of for me, or who you wanted me to be, and I don’t know if I lived up to any of it.”
Aegeus shook his head.
“Maxim, there is nothing that you could do that would make me disappointed in you. I never wanted anything more from you than for you to be yourself and to be a good man. I can see that you are. I’ve heard what these other men say about you and the way they look when they talk about you. It is obvious that they trust and respect you. How could I ever not think that you aren’t everything that I could ever want for my son?” He hesitated. “I’m worried that you will be disappointed in me.”
“How could I be disappointed in you?” Maxim asked.
“I was captured when you were so young. Any memories that you might have of me are through the lens of a child. I can’t possibly live up to what you thought of me. Especially now that you know what I went through.”
Maxim tilted his head.
“All I know is that Ryan held you captive in the laboratory on Earth. I don’t know anything else.”
Aegeus looked pained, as though there was something that he didn’t want to admit to Maxim but he knew that he didn’t have a choice.
“I was Klimnu, Maxim,” he said. “He held me for a time and then he mutated me and I’ve been Klimnu for several years.”
“Fully Klimnu?” Maxim asked.
“As much as he was able to change me,” Aegeus said. “He couldn’t change my heart or my mind, but he totally changed my body. I spent more of the time that I have been away from you as that horrifying creature than I spent as I was before I left. The only reason that I am this way again is because of the efforts of the Denynso healers. Even though I look like this again, though, I know what I’ve been. I’m worried that now that you know, you, your brother, and your mother won’t be able to look at me the same way, much less be able to love me.”
The Alien's Back! Page 8
