His to Mate

by Selina Coffey

  She sat there in their bedroom, with a book in her lap as she waited. Her boobs were still sore, and she felt a little nauseous, so she didn’t bother with dinner. She didn’t know she’d fallen asleep until later when Rager slid into bed beside her. She barely woke up, but she felt him there and knew he was home.

  “What was wrong, my love?” he asked as he felt her stir.

  “I need one of those health scanners. The dog is pregnant,” she muttered to him but fell asleep before she heard his reply or even realized that she’d said something totally off the wall. Exhaustion pulled at her and she couldn’t resist, not even a little bit. She didn’t feel the way his hand cupped at her stomach, or the way he kissed her hair before he rested his head on his pillow. All she knew was the pull of sleep and knowing he was there.

  16

  A week later, she woke up to the sound of whimpering. She knew she shouldn’t hear that sound, so she turned over and tried to find the source of the noise. She saw a small box on the floor on her side of the bed, with holes all around it. Something was alive in it, and from the sounds it was making, it wanted out.

  Her heart did all sorts of flips as she pulled the tabs open on the box to reveal a tiny chihuahua puppy. Its little head poked up, curious to find out what had just happened, and then it scrabbled its way out of the box. Ann was in love at first sight. She picked up the little black and tan puppy and laughed when the little bundle of energy squirmed all over her to inspect its new place in life.

  “I think you need water and to go outside,” she said to the still squirmy creature and put on a robe as best she could so she could go out to the balcony. She set the puppy down and found a small dish of water and food were already out there. The puppy inspected them but decided that exploring was far more pressing than food or water at the moment. “What am I going to do with you?”

  The puppy yipped and jumped around and her little, semi-floppy ears perked. Ann had been able to hold off her squirming to note that it was a she, and she looked down at her now, more than a little befuddled. “What in the world made him decide I needed a puppy?”

  The puppy yipped again and bounced around before she went back to exploring. She clambered up into the raised flower bed there, did her business, and came back and sat down in front of Ann. “That was convenient, but I don’t think that was the proper place for that.”

  The puppy’s head tilted but she didn’t respond in any other way. “I’ll have to figure out how to get you down to the ground to do your business, missy. For now, what shall we call you?”

  Ann picked her up, set her on the table, and they stared each other down. Ann put her face down close to the little brown-eyed girl and jumped back when the puppy licked her nose. “I think that was a hello.”

  The puppy wobbled her head around but didn’t do much else.

  “You’re no help with this, you know?”

  The puppy stuck her head out and growled a little bit.

  “Hmm.” Ann watched her but the puppy didn’t do anything but sit down and stare up at her. “I have to give you a name.”

  Ann picked her up and set the tiny thing, no bigger than her hand, down on her chest. She had all of her teeth, though they were tiny, and she had brown eyes, so she was a month or two old. Old enough to be on dry dog food. She was just tiny then.

  “I could call you something like Tiny, but I don’t like that. How about Katy? You look like a Katy to me.”

  The newly named Katy did more squirming and exploring before she finally settled in Ann’s lap for a nap. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you, or why he gave you to me, but I’m glad he did. You’re about as cute as you can be.”

  Ann needed to do some business of her own, so she scooped the puppy up and put her in her pocket. The puppy must have been very tired because she didn’t protest or try to jump out, she just settled into the silk pocket and kept on sleeping.

  Ann got through her morning routine and ordered some breakfast. She had a meeting with Skye later, and somehow, she was going to have to tell the other woman she hadn’t managed to get a health scanner from her husband yet. She’d started to experience morning sickness, or something, the day after she’d been to her mother’s and the exhaustion had started to spread into most of her day.

  She now spent most of her day, and night, asleep, while the mornings were reserved for trips to the bathroom to empty her stomach. It wasn’t so bad this morning, and she hoped that was the end of it. By now, she’d settled into the idea that her period wasn’t coming and that she was more than likely pregnant. The way her breasts continued to swell and ache, along with the sickness, exhaustion, and lack of period were pretty good indicators to her that she was.

  She wanted to be sure before she told Rager, and she kept meaning to send him a message about the scanner or to write him a note, but every time she started to, she fell asleep. If she could keep the puppy quiet this morning, she’d send him a thank you message and ask him for equipment for the clinic.

  Ann walked around with the puppy in her pocket, and it made her smile every time she realized the weight against her hip in the square pocket on the front of her robe was the little dog. Katy, a good name for a dog. Now, she needed to figure out a name for her baby.

  Her hand went over the flat of her stomach, no sign of a baby in sight yet, but she just knew. Something told her, some instinct far more than the symptoms of pregnancy she’d experienced, that there was now more in the world to protect than herself. She nibbled at some strawberries, had a sweet but plain muffin, and drank some grape juice. The grape juice was the newest addition to their pantry. She loved every drop of it.

  Her smartwatch dinged, and she looked down at it. A reminder than Skye would soon be here. She went to the closet and found a long sapphire blue blouse that had similar pockets to her robe and a pair of shorts, and changed into those. The puppy stayed awake a little longer this time and stuck her head out of the pocket. When she saw Ann she yipped, and then curled back into the same position she’d been in earlier.

  “Yeah, well, you might want to stay hidden down there. I expect Miss Skye is bringing the fire down on me today, for not getting the equipment we need yet.” Not that anybody had made any progress. Meg still hadn’t sorted the problem at the lab, but she had been able to give Ann’s mother an ultrasound.

  Ann had been relieved to learn that her mother was fine, but shocked to find out she was pregnant with twins. A boy and a girl. Better her mother than her, Ann decided with a laugh. She wasn’t sure she could handle one baby, much less two right now. She had no clue what to do with babies, but she’d get some practice in with the twins, she hoped.

  Now, if she could just stay awake today… she had to put that thought on hold as the need to get rid of her breakfast overwhelmed her. She ran for the bathroom and had just flushed the toilet when Skye showed up. “The butler let me in. Or whatever he is.”

  “That’s fine. I’m sorry. Just a bit ill this morning.” Ann reached over for a washcloth from a stack on the countertop and wet it down. She wiped her face and glanced up at Skye. “Remind me not to have grape juice until this has finished.”

  She stood up, brushed her teeth, and took a deep breath. “I’m not sure that’s over, but I hope so.”

  “I don’t think we need that health scanner, do we?” Skye looked at Ann with a new level of pity and concern. “Maybe some toast?”

  “Did your books tell you that?” Ann went out to the balcony, her gait a little unsteady, but she made it. “I’ll try anything at this point if it makes it stop.”

  “It might help. And something like weak tea. Just to make sure your throat isn’t too dry.”

  “Okay, I’ll send down for it. Want anything?”

  “Chocolate cake, pineapple upside down cake, cheese danishes?” Skye smiled but looked at Ann with new concern when Ann’s pocket yelped. “What is that?”

  “That,” Ann said as she reached down and pulled Katy out of her pocket, “is
apparently the health scanner I asked for. Rager sent me a message while I was being sick. Said I asked for a health scanner because the dog was pregnant when he came home one night. He took that to mean I wanted a puppy. I named her Katy.”

  “Oh, my word, she is precious!” Skye cooed over the puppy, who pulled her head back and inspected the woman. Skye held Katy on her chest and close to her face. “I think you’re just adorable.”

  Katy jerked her head in the direction of Ann and yipped. “I think you’re also attached to your mommy already.”

  Skye handed Katy back to Ann and the puppy wiggled with frantic joy. “It looks like you’re right, Skye.”

  “You have a stalker for life now,” Skye laughed. “Puppies are almost like having babies. Only they never grow up. Not really. They stalk you forever.”

  “I’ve never had a pet. Mom and Dad were always too busy with work, and I was too busy with school. I’m not sure what to do with her.”

  “You’ll have to get them to build you a staircase so you can let her outside when she wants to go.” Skye pointed at the other end of the balcony. “That’ll make life easier on both of you.”

  “That’s not a bad idea. I’ll suggest it to the men later. For today, she’s been using the flower bed. I imagine the gardener is going to love her.”

  They both laughed at that, and Ann looked around. “My mom is pregnant, did I tell you?”

  “No, but Meg did.” Skye looked at her with a little guilt on her face. “It wasn’t breaking patient confidentiality, not when we’ll both be caring for her.”

  “It’s okay, I’m just excited about it for her. Twins. My dad will go insane!”

  “From what I’ve read, it can happen later in life, and your mom is in her 40s. So, it isn’t out of the realm of possibilities.”

  “I suppose not. I’m just glad it’s her. I’d die.”

  “No, you wouldn’t. You’d cope, the same as she will. Women are always so afraid with new babies, but you soon settle into it. Don’t get me wrong, some don’t and weren’t very good at it, but that was an exception to the rule. It wasn’t the norm.”

  “You’ve learned a lot the last few weeks.”

  “Some of it I knew before, and I did do a lot of reading in that basement. I’m full of useless knowledge, but it comes in handy every now and then.” She closed her eyes and put her hand over her forehead. “I have a headache, sorry.”

  “It’s alright. Do you want some aspirin?”

  “I’ve had some, it’s just this heat. And I heard there’d been fires, so maybe it’s smoke too?”

  “Could be, and yes, there have been, to the north of us, in the forests. There’s been a fire department formed, and they’re up there trying to put it out.” Ann had heard that from her mother too, who seemed to have far more information than Ann lately.

  One day, Rager was going to have to take a day off. One day, she’d have a definitive answer. One day, she’d get to spend some time with him. She just knew it. She missed him, even if she filled her day with duties, and people, and now a puppy. She missed talking to him and being with him. Most of all, she missed his touch. Damn, she craved his touch so very much it hurt sometimes.

  Maybe tonight she could stay awake…

  “Earth to Ann, come in, Ann?” Skye snapped her fingers and Ann shook her head.

  “Sorry, think I drifted off there. I’m finding it very hard to stay awake anymore.”

  “I noticed. It should get better for a little while, and then as you progress, you’ll want to sleep but won’t be able to get comfortable… and…”

  “Yes, stop there. I thought this whole thing was glorious, and you glowed prettily, and took sweet photographs holding your bump, and maybe peed yourself once or twice, and then ‘boom’, a sweet bundle of joy appeared in your arms.”

  “Not quite, even though I know you’re joking.” Skye winked at her and pulled up her bag. “I brought that book I mentioned. When you can stand to eat, you need to eat really well, okay? Get lots of nutrition in your body. And make sure you’re getting food with folic acid.”

  “I will.” Ann took the book and looked it over. It had a woman in a rocking chair on the front, a giant bump cradled in her hand. “All nine months are covered, huh?”

  “Yep, and you’ll want to read every page. You won’t be so surprised by stuff that comes along, or happens, or whatever…” Skye waved her hand. “I have to go, I need to check on one of the other wives. She’s not doing well with her pregnancy.”

  “Oh no, what’s wrong?” Ann asked but then shook her head. “You can’t tell me, it’s okay. Thanks for the books and the company.”

  “No problem. Let me know when you get that scanner, alright? We’ll figure out how to use it together.”

  “Sure. Have a good day, and don’t work too hard.” Ann waved her friend off and looked down at her pocket. “Now miss, I think we need to find a way for you to get outside when you need to go potty. Let’s go talk to the gardener and see what he can do.”

  Ann spent the rest of the day arranging the business of stairs for Katy, and asleep. Katy woke her up more than once to play or cuddle, and Ann did her best, but she was struggling to stay awake. It wasn’t easy, but she did manage to see Rager for about five minutes before she passed out later that night.

  She was certain she asked for a scanner properly this time and went to sleep happy. He came to bed, kissed her with a passion she’d missed dearly, and then she fell back against her pillows, too exhausted to stay awake. She felt two presences as she slept now, one was her husband curled up behind her, and the other was Katy, curled into her stomach. Warm, safe, and loved.

  17

  Ann got up the next day and took Katy outside for a walk and to chase leaves for a little while. She was so little she disappeared when she dove into a flowerbed, chasing something. More than likely a bee, Ann thought. The aliens had revived many of the insects needed for pollination and other useful things. Others had simply come back on their own somehow.

  She let Katy play while she had breakfast and checked over her plans for the day. Skye had taken a test Meg created and had passed it with flying colors. Meg had been impressed enough that she had allowed Skye to start classes early in the mornings. There were four students, so far, and Skye enjoyed it, but that meant Ann’s mornings were now free. Katy filled up plenty of that time.

  The nausea hadn’t been too bad this morning, and she’d had toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast, which might rebel later. Ann was still learning the process of morning sickness, so she stayed on the lighter side of most foods until dinner time. Although, lately, she’d spent most of her dinner times asleep.

  She scooped Katy up when the puppy came up for cuddles and scratched her ears and back for her. They’d become instant buddies, her and the puppy, and Ann was happy she had her now. She was a very smart dog, little Katy, and had already learned to let Ann know that she needed to go out with three sharp barks and a shake of her head.

  Ann tried to think of something to fill her morning with today but couldn’t think of much. Skye would come by after lunch, but there wasn’t much else on her agenda other than that. With a sigh, she went to get dressed and made sure she had on a blouse that had a pocket on it for Katy. She’d just have to go out and explore some more.

  She headed in the direction of a shop where she’d spotted some baby clothes and other things a person with a baby might need. Katy kept her company as she drove the transporter over. Ann felt incredibly alone, even with Katy with her, when she walked into the derelict shop. The guard quickly followed in his own transporter and stood outside.

  With her hand over the pocket of her pink shirt, she looked around. Baby clothes, bassinets, cribs, bottles, strollers, it was all there for the taking. She called in with her phone-watch and asked for a truck and a couple of men to be sent over. She let the guard know help was on the way, and started to gather things up into three piles, one for her mom, one for her, and one for the other
new mothers to be. The third pile would be sent to a depot and they’d have to go pick out what they wanted from there.

  Ann filled several boxes with the help of the two men that came, and those were loaded into her guard’s transporter. She would put the boxes into their storage area at the house until she needed them. She filled 6 boxes for her mother, double everything as she would have twins, and the rest all went in boxes for others. By the time lunchtime rolled around, she was tired, ready for food, and Katy had explored every nook and cranny of the shop. She picked the puppy up, put her in her pocket, and thanked the men for their help.

  “You’re welcome. We’ll drop these at the addresses you gave us and unload them for your mother. Have a nice day.”

  “You too,” Ann said in an offhand way, and headed for her transporter. The trip home took only moments and she went up to her room. She crawled onto the bed and put her head down, just for a moment. She woke up to find it dark outside while Katy barked frantically at her shoulder.

  “I’m up, little girl, I’m up. Come on, let’s get out of here and find you a place to potty.” Ann put Katy down and she followed as Ann went out the door.

  A quick swipe at her face with a washcloth, a brush through her hair, and a shower would be nice, but Katy needed to go, now. She took her outside and ordered some food and a drink from the kitchen staff as she walked through. She had dinner, alone, again, outside with Katy.

  Her mom was too busy most days to come over very often, and Skye was her only other real friend. She got along with Meg and some of the other women, but she liked Skye the best. She reminded her of the best friends she’d lost so long ago, and made Ann feel like someone really cared about her.

  Not that Rager made her feel unloved, he was just… busy. Really busy for a man that was still newly mated. He had a brand-new empire to run, though, so she tried to keep the complaints down. He would send her messages, gifts, and the things she asked for every day, yet the one thing she really wanted, she couldn’t have. A little more of his time.