by Marla Monroe
After a couple of tense minutes, there was a knock at the door. At her “Come in” the doctor walked in. He was holding a file in his hands.
“Hello, Ashley. How are you feeling today?”
“I’m fine.”
“From what I understand, you’re having a problem with needing several naps a day.”
“The men seem to think it’s a problem, but I think it’s okay. I mean, we have an extra hour of work time in the day, and I’ve been working hard in the garden.”
“Still, two naps in one day is not normal behavior for a grown woman in her twenties,” the doctor said. “I’m going to run some tests.”
“What kind of tests?” she asked with a frown.
“Blood tests. I promise. It will only sting for a second.” He grinned when she made a face at him.
“Behave, Ashley.” Keeton rubbed her head.
“The nurse will be in here in a moment to draw your blood. Then I’m going to examine you, so put on that gown for me.” He walked out of the room.
“I don’t want to do this, Keeton.”
“Come on, Ashley. Let’s get your clothes off and the gown on before the nurse walks in on you naked.”
She hurried and stripped then put on the gown and hopped back on the exam table. Keeton smiled at her and held her hand. There was another knock on the door and the nurse walked in. He had a small tray with an assortment of tubes and things. She didn’t know what they were. She turned worried eyes up at Keeton. He squeezed her hand once again.
“Let’s see your arm, Ashley.”
The nurse wrapped a tourniquet around her arm and checked it for something. Then he wiped it down and let it dry before sticking her. She yelped, but she kept still. She didn’t want to move the needle in her arm or cause him to have to stick her again. She looked away as he drew the blood.
When he removed the tourniquet, he had her hold her arm crooked at the elbow. Then he put a bandage on it.
“All done now. Just wait here for the doctor,” he said and took the tray with him when he walked out the door.
Several minutes later, the doctor knocked on the door and walked back in.
“Okay, we’ll have the results of those tests in about thirty minutes or so. I want to check you all over, Ashley. First, let’s look at your leg.”
She lifted her leg up and he held her foot as he checked the bubbly skin with the yellow tint. He looked it over really well. Then he let her leg go and took out a stethoscope and listened to her chest and back.
“Lie back on the table for me and let me check your breasts and abdomen,” he said.
“What? Why do you need to check my breasts?” Ashley wasn’t at all happy about that.
“To see if you have any lumps or suspicious glands.” He was patient while she thought it over.
Finally she nodded. He was very discreet and checked each breast. Then he checked her abdomen.
“You seem a bit tender around your breasts,” he said.
“Um, well, we are kind of active sexually.” Heat climbed up her neck and face.
“Um-hum,” was all he said.
“Okay. I’m going to go check Rachel now and then look at the results of your tests. You can get dressed for now.” He turned and walked out the door.
“For now? What is that supposed to mean?”
“Calm down, baby. He is covering all his bases. He might need to check you some other way.”
“Oh, no. He’s had his checking. No more.” She wasn’t going to have a pelvic. She’d had two of those for the trip over there.
“Easy, baby. I know you aren’t happy about this, but you’re going to do whatever he thinks is best. I want you healthy.”
Ashley sighed and climbed back into her own clothes. Then she took a seat back on the exam table so Keeton would have the chair. They waited for what seemed like hours, but in reality was only about thirty minutes or so. Finally the doctor returned. He had the perfect poker face, so Ashley couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“Okay, here is what I’ve found out. You’re a little anemic. Not enough to account for the excessive tiredness, though. You have an abundance of red blood cells, which partly can be explained by the fact that you are pregnant.”
“What!” both she and Keeton exclaimed.
“I take it that this is a shock,” he said with a smile.
“I haven’t been sick or anything.” Ashley grasped at straws.
“You don’t necessarily have to be sick, and I would take that as a plus, but you could start getting sick a little later. Without a little more information, I don’t know how far along you are. When was your last period?” he asked.
“Um, I haven’t had one in several months, like since I got off the shuttle.”
“You didn’t think this was odd?”
“No, I have very irregular periods anyway.”
“I see.” He wrote something down in his chart. “At a guess from the exam, I would say you are due in December or maybe January.”
He flipped through the chart and looked up at them.
“The other thing is that you have something in your bloodstream that I can’t account for.”
“What does that mean?” Keeton asked, standing up and putting his arm around Ashley.
She was thankful for his support. She felt sick inside now.
“It’s a cell that I’ve never seen before. I’m going to take a wild guess that it has to do with the rat thing that got you last month. It’s all I can come up with right now. I’m going to be studying it closer over the next few days.”
“What about Rachel? Does she have the same thing in her bloodstream?” Ashley asked.
“I can’t discuss her condition. You can talk to her about it. I’m sure she will want to know about you as well.”
“When can I see her?”
“Just as soon as I give you what you need.” He handed her a bag of things. “Inside are a bottle of iron pills and a bottle of prenatal pills. Take them all as the bottles tell you and come back before you run out. I’ll want to see you again to monitor your pregnancy. Get lots of rest and eat four small meals a day.”
Ashley swallowed hard around the lump that had formed in her throat. She was pregnant and there was something in her bloodstream. What did that mean for the baby? For her?
“Okay, you can go wait in the waiting room for Rachel and Andrew to come out.” The doctor left them, leaving the door open.
“Oh my God. What am I going to do, Keeton?”
“It will be okay, baby. We’ll do just fine. Boyd is going to be over the world when he hears.”
She looked up at him. “But you’re not.”
“I’m just surprised right now. I’ll be excited once it sinks in.”
Somehow Ashley wasn’t so sure about that. He looked a little sick. Then she probably looked a little sick, too. He helped her down from the table then led her out to the waiting room for Andrew and Rachel to show up.
Nearly thirty minutes passed before they emerged from one of the exam rooms. Both of them looked in shock. Ashley wanted to run to Rachel and ask what was wrong, but Keeton kept a tight hold on her. What on Earth could be wrong?
When they made it over to them, Rachel looked at Ashley and shook her head.
“I don’t believe it. I’m pregnant.” Rachel just shook her head.
“You aren’t going to believe this, but I am, too,” Ashley said.
They looked at each other and burst out laughing. It was absurd, unreal that they were both pregnant at the same time.
“When are you due?” Ashley asked her.
“The middle of November sometime.”
“I’m not sure when I’m due, but probably around December, or maybe early January.” Ashley couldn’t believe it.
“Did they find anything in your blood that was unusual?” Keeton asked.
“Yes, how did you know?” she asked, looking up at Andrew.
“I have it, too,” Ashley told them. “He doesn’t know what it is.
”
“What does it mean for the baby?” Rachel whispered.
“I don’t know, but we have to believe that it won’t matter.” Ashley leaned back in Keeton’s arms.
“Let’s go home.” Andrew drew Rachel back into his arms as well.
“We need to go to the library to get books on pregnancy. I don’t know the first thing about what to do.” Ashley suddenly felt overwhelmed.
She felt tears well up in her eyes. How was she going to take care of a baby and handle a garden and take care of the men, too?
“Easy, baby. It will be okay.” Keeton soothed her. “We’ll go by the library and you can get all the baby books you need.”
“Rachel?” Andrew asked.
“She’s right. I don’t know the first thing about being pregnant. A book would be a good idea.”
The men hurried them outside, where they left their bags in the transport and walked to the library a couple of blocks down the street. The men left them to pick out books while they waited over in the building and farm equipment section.
“Rachel?” Ashley looked at the other woman. “How are we going to manage a house by ourselves with babies?”
“I don’t know. But frontier women did it all the time. We will, too, somehow.” The other woman looked determined.
Ashley resolved to do her best and worry about it when the time came. Right now, she needed to take care of herself and her baby. She concentrated on picking out books. She and Rachel picked out a few of the same books. Ashley figured that was a good thing. They could compare notes on the different ones.
“I’m ready. What about you?” Rachel asked.
“Yeah, me, too.” She stood up with her bounty of books and headed for the counter.
Keeton was immediately there taking the books from her.
“You don’t need to be carrying anything heavy,” he chastised.
“I have a garden to take care of. I’ll be doing a lot more work than this,” Ashley reminded him.
He looked worried as he glanced over at Andrew. Ashley noticed the other man didn’t look much better. Well, they would both have to get over it. They couldn’t be with them during the day.
When they placed their books on the counter for them, the clerk looked up, beaming.
“Congratulations, ladies. You’re going to be mothers. You’re the fourth and fifth who’ve come through here getting books. I wish you well,” the clerk said.
“Thanks,” Ashley said.
The men carried the books back to the transport. After loading the books, they helped the women inside. Ashley and Rachel both sat in the back this time to talk and read through their books together. The men still appeared dazed.
Ashley wanted to reassure Keeton, but didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t sure about any of it, either, especially the part about having something in their bloodstreams that didn’t belong there. She was sure it had something to do with that super rat’s saliva that had burned her leg. Somehow it had gotten in her bloodstream. That was probably the reason she’d been so sick with it.
She and Rachel talked about what they would do and what rooms they would fix up for a nursery. They arrived home in what seemed like no time at all.
Andrew and Rachel dropped Ashley and Keeton off at their house before continuing on to their home. Keeton helped Ashley down before gathering up her books to cart into the house for her. He gave the keys to Ashley to unlock the house. It would be another hour or hour and a half before Boyd would make it home.
“Why don’t you go lie down and rest for a while. I’ll get something up for dinner tonight,” Keeton suggested.
“I’ll help you. I’m really not tired. I think I’m too wired to be tired. I still can’t believe all of this.”
“Me, either,” Keeton muttered.
Ashley wrapped her arms around Keeton from the back. “Are you terribly upset about this, Keeton?”
“I’m worried, Ashley. I’m not upset that you’re pregnant. I’m worried about how we’ll cope and about the thing in your blood.” Then he cursed. “I shouldn’t have brought that up. I’m sorry, babe.”
“We can’t forget it’s there. I know it is, and I am worried about it, too. But I am concentrating on having a safe and normal pregnancy. I’m in shock about that, as well.”
Keeton stood in the middle of the kitchen, obviously not sure what to do first. Ashley shoved him into the living room out of her way.
“Go sit down and rest. I’ll take care of dinner. I know what to do and you don’t.”
Keeton didn’t argue. He just walked into the other room, leaving Ashley to deal with fixing dinner. She was secretly glad to have something to occupy her mind right then. It was racing with worry and trepidation over the entire situation.
She had dinner ready when Boyd walked in. He immediately grabbed her up and hugged her.
“What did the doctor say?” he asked anxiously.
“Go talk to Keeton. He can tell you all about it. Then go get cleaned up so we can eat.” She shook her head when he tried to press her. “Talk to Keeton. I’m okay, Boyd.”
Boyd frowned but after a brief kiss left her to walk into the living room. It wasn’t long before he shouted “Pregnant,” then ran into the kitchen and picked her up and swung her around. Then he put her down and pulled her into a very intimate kiss that took her breath.
“Boyd!” Keeton’s voice could be heard all over the house, she was sure. “That’s not all.”
Boyd frowned as Keeton walked into the kitchen.
“There’s more?” Boyd asked.
“There’s something in her bloodstream that isn’t supposed to be there. It’s in Rachel’s, too.”
“Did you tell him that Rachel is pregnant, too?” Ashley asked.
“No, he didn’t. What do you mean there’s something in her blood?” Boyd asked, looking a little pale now.
“Rachel has it, too. I think it has something to do with our injuries. I think Danny needs to have his blood tested, too, to see if it’s in his blood as well,” Rachel hurried to say before Keeton had Boyd going off the deep end.
“Baby, we’ll take care of you. Everything will be fine.” Boyd picked her up and hugged her before sending Keeton a stern look.
Ashley could tell that there was going to be some tension in the house for quite some time. She just hoped they didn’t fight over this. She wished that Keeton would be a little happier about her being pregnant, too. It dampened her mood to think that he might not have wanted her to get pregnant so soon—or maybe at all.
Chapter Sixteen
“She can tell you aren’t happy about it, Keeton. You’ve got to change your attitude.” Boyd threw the saddle over his horse.
“I’m just surprised, is all. Plus, there’s the added problem of whatever in the hell is in her blood. I’m a little worried, Boyd.”
“Hell, so am I, but we can’t let her see so much of it. She needs to stay calm and be happy.”
“Fine, I’ll work on it.” Keeton checked the harness and led his horse outside.
“How do you really feel about her being pregnant, Keeton?” Boyd stopped him with a hand to his shoulder.
“Does it matter? She’s pregnant now.”
“It’s not like we did anything to prevent it,” Boyd pointed out.
“Hell, it’s in the papers we signed that we couldn’t. The entire point of moving here was to populate the planet.” Keeton sighed and shook his head. “Honestly, I’m a little upset about it. I thought we would have longer to get settled before she got pregnant.”
“Yeah, I didn’t expect it this soon, either, since most of the women on Earth that can still have kids took years to conceive. Still, I’m happy about it. You know I wanted kids.”
“Deep down, I do, too, Boyd. I’m worried, though. Things aren’t working out like we planned. There are all these strange creatures that they didn’t warn us about. One of them infected our wife with something, and we don’t have any idea how it will affect h
er.” Keeton climbed up on his horse.
“She’s going to be fine, Keeton. If it were going to do something, it already would have by now.” Boyd didn’t sound as sure of this as he pretended.
“In the meantime, Ashley’s never had a garden before or put up vegetables. Now she has to do it alone and while she’s pregnant.” Keeton turned his horse toward the pasture.
“I wonder how soon the next shuttle will come in,” Boyd mused.
“What in the hell does that have to do with Ashley?” Keeton asked.
“Maybe there will be some more ranch hands and their wives with them. We could get them to live with us in one of our other rooms while they build a house, and their wife could help Ashley.”
“That would be great in a perfect world. I think we know by now that this isn’t that world.” Keeton couldn’t help sounding bitter.
Knowing that Ashley was going to go through a tough time really bothered him. Plus, as selfish as it sounded, he had wanted more time with her before they added a child. Still, Boyd was right. He needed to get over it and be positive around her. It wasn’t her fault any more than it was their fault.
The idea of seeing her belly expand with their child did something inside him. He could imagine touching her belly when the baby kicked. That was what he needed to concentrate on, and not all the problems and potential problems. They would handle them as they happened.
“Look, there are Andrew and Danny. I wonder how Danny reacted to the news on Rachel,” Boyd said.
“Better than I did, I hope.” Keeton reined his horse up to the other two men.
“How’s Ashley doing?” Andrew asked.
“Doing fine. She’s excited,” Boyd added.
“What about Rachel?” Keeton asked.
“About the same. She’s excited.” Danny grinned.
“I’d say you’re about as happy as she is,” Boyd noted.
“I would have preferred that we waited another six months or so, but that’s okay,” Danny said. “As long as she’s healthy and the baby is, then it’s all good.”
“Healthy is the thing I’m worried the most about,” Keeton admitted to them. “Whatever is in her bloodstream could affect the baby.”
“We know.” Andrew gritted his teeth. “Thing is, it’s the same thing in both women, and they were infected by different creatures. Danny is going tomorrow to get his blood tested to see if he has it in his blood.”
