by Marla Monroe
“You’ll spoil her, Kirk.” Brad shook his head.
“She deserves some spoiling,” Kirk insisted.
Carmen nodded her head with a wide grin. She heartily agreed with that.
* * * *
Early the next morning, the three of them climbed on board the transport, minus the trailer, and headed for the city. Drowsy at first, Carmen soon woke up enough to enjoy the sights of the strange planet Alpha. She hadn’t noticed as much on their drive to their new home. She’d been much too anxious to pay much attention to her surroundings at the time.
There were colorful trees and flowers everywhere. She noted yellow and blue trees scattered among the more normal-looking brown and green trunks. She squinted at something moving in the distance and pointed it out to Kirk, who wasn’t driving.
“What is that?” She pointed at the funny-appearing creature that seemed like something between an antelope and a zebra.
“Hell if I know. It’s weird. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Kirk shook his head and grabbed a pair of binoculars from the locker behind them.
He watched the animal then handed them to Brad to look. He had pulled over when they started talking about something strange looking.
“Hurry, Brad. I want to see.” Carmen huffed out a breath in exasperation.
“Here you go, babe. It’s sort of pretty in a crazy way.” Brad handed her the glasses to look through.
“Hey, it’s got yellow-and-brown stripes. Is that crazy or what?” She handed the binoculars back to Kirk. “Do you think it’s something good to eat?”
“Don’t know, baby. We’ll have to ask around. That’s the first one I’ve seen.” Kirk replaced the glasses in the locker and smiled down into Carmen’s eyes.
She was so happy. It seemed that now she was over her accident, things had relaxed. The men had confessed their love for her, making her the happiest woman in the world. She’d told them her love for them and they were all doing well now. She couldn’t wait for them to be intimate again, though. That meant a good report from the doctor.
Well, she was assured of that since she felt wonderful and had no residual problems from the accident. Nothing was going to get in her way of making love with her two men. She had a lot of time to make up for. And, she wanted to learn more about Brad’s dominant side. He’d been holding back on her.
They pulled into the city around ten that morning and headed straight to the doctor’s house and office. When they pulled up, the door opened and a tall man waved them inside.
“I’m Scott Tibbs, Dr. Davis’s nurse. How are you feeling, Carmen?” He held the door for them.
“I’m doing great. I just need him to pronounce me healed so I can get back to work.”
Scott chuckled and nodded toward the room ahead of them. “Right through there.”
She followed Kirk with Brad bringing up the rear. They looked around at the rather large exam room. It looked more like an emergency room than a doctor’s office. Scott crossed the large space and pulled out a gown and sheet.
“Here you go. Change for him and have a seat up on the table. You can pull the sheet up over you if you’re cold.” Scott left them alone in the large room to get the doctor.
“Need help, baby?” Kirk asked.
“Yeah. I’m nervous for some reason.” She let them help her out of her clothes, but insisted on keeping her panties on. They didn’t argue with her.
Brad picked her up and sat her on the table while Kirk covered her with the sheet. They spoke in whispers as Brad told her what he would like to do with her on the exam table. They were all laughing when Scott returned with an equally large man with dark hair and a friendly smile.
“Well, hey there, Carmen. I have to tell you that I’m surprised to see you here.”
“You didn’t have much faith in me, did you, Dr. Davis?” Carmen chastised him.
“Call me Jeff. Everyone here does. Or you can just call me Doc if you feel more comfortable with that.”
“Thanks, Doc.”
“Okay, lay back for me and let me check you over. Then we’ll draw some blood to see if there is anything residual in your bloodstream.”
Carmen endured the poking and prodding, but she was very glad to have her men there to hold her hand when they drew the blood. She hated needles with a passion. She had to close her eyes and let Kirk distract her with a kiss. Brad squeezed her hand and whispered naughty things in her ear.
“Okay, that’s it. Why don’t you help her get dressed, guys, and I’ll be back in a few minutes. I want to look at the blood while you are here so I can at least give you a preliminary report.”
“That sounds good to us, Doc,” Brad said.
As soon as the other men were gone, Carmen let the tears fall that she’d held off on while they were around. It hadn’t really hurt that bad, but she hated being stuck.
“Easy, baby. It’s all over with now,” Brad told her.
“I know I’m being a baby, but I can’t help it. I don’t like to get my blood drawn, and I really don’t like shots.”
“Good thing you didn’t know about Kirk giving you one when we found you.”
“You gave me a shot?” Carmen turned to Kirk and growled at him.
“Great going, Brad. Now she’s mad at me.”
“Naw, she’ll get over it by the time we get back home,” Brad assured him.
“I wouldn’t be so smug if I were you, Brad. You let him give me the shot.”
It was Kirk’s turn to smile now.
By the time they had her dressed and were tired of looking around the big room, Scott came back and led them to the doctor’s office.
“Make yourselves comfortable. He’ll be right with you.” Scott closed the door behind him when he left.
“Do you think he found something?” Carmen asked in a whisper.
“Just that you’re a walking miracle, babe, but we already knew that.” Kirk poked her in the ribs.
A few seconds later, the doctor walked in carrying a folder in his hands and sat down behind the desk. He looked through the folder again then sat it on the top of several others on his desk.
“What is it?” Brad finally asked.
“Everything about this planet is strange. I don’t know why I’m continually surprised by what I find.” He licked his bottom lip and blew out a breath.
“You shouldn’t be alive, young lady. You still have a large amount of toxin in your bloodstream. I honestly don’t see how you are walking around with as much as you have inside.”
“Is she still in danger?” Kirk immediately asked.
“No. I don’t believe so. Her body has somehow adjusted to it and the stuff isn’t poisonous to her anymore. Saying that, I don’t want you to go out and grab some more of that thistle bush. I can’t promise fresh poison won’t still make you sick or even kill you.”
“Don’t worry. I’m never going to pick flowers without gloves again.”
“Besides, we burned all the thistle we could find in the area,” Brad admitted.
“That was probably a good idea regardless,” Doc said. “Okay, more news. You have the same weird cell in your blood that most of the inhabitants here have. I’m figuring it is in the food and water here. It’s not bothering anyone, but it’s not something I’m pleased with, either. We are working on trying to figure out what it means and how it will affect everyone as time goes on. So far, we don’t have a clue.”
“What about us? Do you need our blood?” Brad asked.
“Speak for yourself, asshole.” Kirk frowned.
Jeff chuckled and nodded his head. “I’d like a sample from each of you if you don’t mind.”
“Fine, but you go first, Brad.”
Carmen watched them take the lead. She was still worried about what all of the strange stuff in her body would mean for a baby. Would she be able to get pregnant, and what would it do to it? She was afraid to ask him in front of the men. She didn’t want to worry them. Besides, if they thought it could cause a problem, they might
not make love to her anymore.
Jeff called Scott in and the nurse led the men to the lab so he could draw their blood. The doctor kept Carmen in the office.
“I can tell you wanted to talk without the men. Here’s your chance. What did you want to ask?”
Chapter Twelve
Carmen licked her lips, nervous now that she was alone with him. Finally, she looked at the door and blurted it out.
“What does this mean for having a baby?”
“You’re not pregnant, Carmen. You don’t have to worry about that right now.”
“Will it stop me from getting pregnant, though?”
“I honestly don’t know, Carmen. If it were just the strange cell that everyone else seems to have, I’d say unequivocally not, because there are others pregnant that have it. However, you have that toxin in your body, so I’m just not sure.”
“What would happen if I did get pregnant? Will it harm the baby?”
He sighed and leaned forward. “I don’t know. I wish I had the answers, but all of this is new to me and everyone working on it. We just don’t know yet.”
“I’m scared, Doc. What happens if I can’t get pregnant? Will they send me back to Earth?”
“No! Of course not. You’re going to be fine, Carmen. Don’t worry about it, and everything will work out like it is supposed to.”
The door to the office opened and the men filed back in. Scott nodded at Jeff. She was glad she had been able to at least ask her questions without the men being able to hear how worried she was.
“Well, if that’s everything, we promised the wife that we would let her do a little shopping.” Kirk took her by the hands and pulled her softly to her feet.
“If you have any problems, call or come back, Carmen. I’m always here.”
“Thanks, Doc. I appreciate it.”
The men hurried her out of the office and then the building. They climbed up in the transport and Brad flew them farther into town. He parked outside a store that boasted all sorts of kitchen supplies. Brad dropped them off and went to see about getting a few more supplies for the as-yet-unfinished house.
“I’m going to leave you and Kirk here to shop while I grab some more of those things we needed for the site.”
“Good idea, Brad. I’ll take care of our wife.” Kirk unsnapped her harness and pulled it over her head. “Come on, baby. Let’s see what we can find for you.”
“It’s just canning supplies, guys.” She rolled her eyes at them, but was secretly glad they were being so attentive. She felt a little delicate right then.
She had too many thoughts rolling around in her head. Worries about babies and the garden and what the future would hold for them filled her brain to bursting. She needed this distraction.
They walked into the store and a bell chimed, signaling they made their entrance. A clerk immediately walked out. She smiled when she saw them.
“Hey! You must be new. I’ve never seen you here before.” She held out her hand. “I’m Nancy. My husbands and I run the store. What are you looking for?”
“I’m Kirk, and this is my wife, Carmen. She needs some canning supplies. Do you have them here?”
“We sure do.” She led them to the area of the store that was dedicated to canning and drying foods.
“Wow, a dehydrator. I hadn’t even thought about that! We could dehydrate some of the fruits and even some meat to make beef jerky.” Carmen browsed around the area, looking at all the possibilities.
They spent well over an hour in the store. She got the dehydrator and supplies as well as the canning supplies she’d originally come into the store for. Kirk carried all of it out to the transport, making two trips to get it all. He wouldn’t let her so much as lift the instruction book that came with the new toy she had gotten.
“But I want to read about it on the way home,” she whined.
“I’ll give it to you when we get in the transport to head home. Are you hungry?” he asked.
“Hmm, I could eat.”
“Let’s go find Brad and then get something. There are several possibilities here for a late lunch.”
It took them nearly thirty minutes to find Brad and load up his things. By then, Carmen really was hungry. They chose a little café that had cold sandwiches and hot soups. Brad and Kirk discussed the purchases they had made with Carmen only halfway listening to them. She was thinking about what all she would try in the dehydrator.
By four that afternoon, they were ready to leave. Kirk helped her in the transport then gave her the instruction and recipe booklets for the new gadget. She spent the ride home reading and thinking. She didn’t even look out the window at the passing landscape to see if she saw any more of those weird animals from earlier.
When they got home, she was worn out and ready for a nap or bed, whichever came first. As it was, Kirk suggested she take a nap while they unloaded the transport. Carmen didn’t argue. She walked upstairs still holding the pamphlets for the new dehydrator in her hand. She climbed into bed after removing her boots and was asleep in seconds.
* * * *
Early the next morning, Carmen was up and had breakfast cooked for the men by the time they made it downstairs.
“Something smells good, baby,” Brad said.
“I can’t wait to get out to the garden. I hope there is something ready to pick by now.”
“You just want to try out your new gadget is what you want to do,” Kirk admonished.
“Well, I can’t help it. I’m excited.”
They finished breakfast and helped her clean up before they headed out to work.
“Now remember, if you need anything at all, you call us. How does that new holster fit you?” Brad had remembered to get her one to carry the gun. It worked even better than she thought it would.
“I love it. I can reach it, but it doesn’t worry me that it will go off by accident.”
“Stay safe, baby.” Kirk gave her a quick peck on the cheek and climbed into the transport.
She waved them off before heading for the garden. She walked the rows first just to see how everything was doing. She found that the tomatoes had regained some of their stolen ground and had a couple of ripe ones on the vine for her to pick. She quickly got back to work and discarded the weeds before tying up the plants that needed it and picking the few ripe tomatoes. She would fix them sandwiches for dinner. They could have roast sandwiches with tomatoes.
Carmen grinned and stretched. It was a little after noon by the sun’s location. She figured she better get something to eat and take a nap so she would be in good shape for the men that night. She expected them to make love to her. She was fine now. She had missed her men.
It didn’t take her long to finish a tomato sandwich for her lunch and eat it. Then she lay down on the couch and took a quick nap. When she woke up an hour later, she felt good as new. In fact, she really hadn’t felt this well since before the sun had started messing up back on Earth.
She shrugged and got to work on cooking a roast for dinner. She added currick to the roast with potatoes and carrots. Then she set it all in the oven to cook. She had picked some not-quite-ripe fruit to try her new dehydrator out. She was quite pleased with the results.
Brad and Kirk were home before dark. She was so excited to see them that she almost forgot the roast in the oven. They swung her around and kissed her until she remembered. Then she hurried into the kitchen to take it out. She sat it on the stove and soon had the men sniffing over her shoulder as she opened the lid to check on the meat.
“You both need to go upstairs and shower. You smell like you’ve been actually working somewhere,” she teased, closing the lid.
“That smells wonderful. How long till it’s ready?” Brad asked.
“Depends on how long it takes you two to shower and change.” She winked at Kirk.
Kirk took the hint and raced for the stairs. Brad wasn’t far behind him. She laughed as she heard them fussing in the bedroom. It didn’t take her long to
set the table and pour up the glasses. Still, she had everything on the table and ready to eat by the time the men made it downstairs dressed and pretty much dry.
She giggled at the wet hair sticking up all over their heads. They needed haircuts. She would have to talk them into letting her give them a trim later.
“What are you grinning at, wife?” Brad asked, pulling her into his arms for a kiss.
“You both have wet hair. Did you even bother to dry off before dressing?”
“The clothes dried us off just fine,” Kirk said with a straight face.
She shook her head at him as they all took their seats.
Dinner was a hit. They all thought the tomatoes were extra tasty since they had come from their garden. They each made a sandwich with a slice and commented on how good the roast tasted with it.
“I also dried some fruit, but we can’t eat it. I just wanted to see how it worked. The fruit wasn’t ripe enough to eat yet. You can look at it, though. I kept it so you could see it.”
“You’ve been busy today. Did you rest like we told you to?” Brad asked with a stern expression on his face.
“Yes. I took a nap after I got finished with the garden. I feel fine.” She smiled and hoped they believed her. She wanted some tonight.
They helped her tidy up the kitchen before heading to the living room where they cuddled up on the couch to talk. Brad told her that they were basically finished with the house. Greg and Steven had done most of the finishing work without them. They only had to do a few minor things over the next few days. Then they would be finished with it and ready to start on the next one.
“Will you start right on it or will you take off a few days?” she asked, hoping they would take off.
“Well, normally we would take off, but since we were off with you while you were sick, we’re going to take off one day and then go on back to start up the foundation while Steven and Greg take off to be with Janet some.” Brad tweaked her nose.
“I guess that’s only fair. I’m sorry I messed things up for everyone.”
“It wasn’t your fault, babe. Just like it wasn’t my fault I hurt my foot that time,” Kirk reminded her.
