Loren felt so badly for her she felt like crying. She missed her parents, but she couldn’t imagine how awful it would be to know she’d left children and there was no way to get to them. Karen was probably right in a way. She certainly hadn’t wanted her parents interfering with her decisions about her life, but they’d still been there if she’d needed them and Karen couldn’t do that for her girls. It wasn’t going to help either of them to dwell on negative things, though. “Well, I don’t guess there’s going to be any chance to go bar hoping,” she said teasingly.
Karen laughed, sniffing. “They’ve got music at the other village, though. We could throw a party. They do every once in a while—special occasions, you know.”
“We’ll have to have a big party when the guys finish the pods,” Loren agreed, smiling. “And who knows? We might still make a trip to Earth, at least to visit. We used a lot of fuel getting here, but we might be able to find a source to replace what we used and the ship has obviously been there many times. The course should be in the data banks.”
* * * *
When Daeman had located Ka-ren’s men and told them that the baby was coming, he went to stare down the path that they had cut between the two villages for any sign that Kael and the others might be on their way back. He did not want Lau-ren to want comfort and have no one, but he did not want to go back in a very bad way. It had been bad enough to begin with, but he could see that her pain was growing and now Ka-ren would be howling in pain also before very long.
After a brief debate, he turned and studied the area for some place that would allow him to see further and finally focused on the building itself. They had only just begun work upon the pods that would house their families, but the central community area was completed. Four tall ventilation shafts, two on each end, rose to a height that put the openings above the surrounding trees. Lau-ren had said that it was a brilliant design. It would keep the temperature inside almost constant at a comfortable temperature year round—like the central heating and cooling units they used on her world.
Girding himself, he strode to the building and began to climb up. He was breathing heavily by the time he reached the top of the nearest spire, but he felt triumphant. Turning, he stared hard in the direction of the other village, hoping to see some sign that they were returning—with or without Teron. He could not see them and frustration and dismay filled him. They had abandoned him to stay with Lau-ren, the inconsiderate bastards!
He was about to climb down again when it occurred to him that his voice would carry very far, mayhap further than his eyes could see. Shrugging inwardly, he sucked in a deep breath to bellow as loudly as he could. “Lau-ren is having the baby!”
He didn’t feel particularly hopeful that that would inspire them to rush back even if they heard him, but at least it was something!
Lau-ren looked far more distressed when he returned than she had when he had left and he felt his belly cramp. He halted just inside the door, wondering if she would notice if he retreated again.
She unclenched her eyes and looked at him before he could escape. “Daeman!” she gasped, holding out a hand to him.
His belly executed a flip and something tightened around his throat, as if a hand had seized it in a vice. Swallowing with an effort, he moved toward her and sat down as he had before—behind her where he could see nothing but the mound of her belly. Shara had been examining Ka-ren, but she moved to Lau-ren as he gathered her against him again.
She nodded and held out the tea for Lau-ren to drink a little. “Baby coming. We get in pool now.”
Daeman looked at the calm bitch with a mixture of outrage and fear.
“Oh no! They’re not back yet. We have to wait!”
Daeman agreed completely. He nodded jerkily. “Wait for father.”
“Baby no wait. He come when he ready.”
“You think it’s a boy?” Loren asked hopefully.
Shara shrugged. “We know soon.”
How she could be so calm about it passed all belief, Daeman thought angrily. He got up, however, and cast a yearning glance toward the door and then climbed into the pool. When Shara had joined them, she instructed him with a mixture of language and hand motions to hold Lau-ren as he had before except he must reach around her and support her legs.
He thought he was doing well enough until he spotted a light cloud of blood. A wave of dizziness swept over him and he glanced at Shara sharply to see if he could tell from her expression if that was a bad thing or expected.
She smiled. “Almost see top of head! Come very soon now!”
“Gods!” Daeman muttered, glancing toward the door again. To his relief, Kael rushed in. Directly behind him were Teron and Dakaar and Balen. Balen stopped at the door and stared at the group in the pool and then retreated.
Craven bastard, Daeman thought.
Kael and Dakaar dropped into the pool and wrestled briefly over possession of Lau-ren. As relieved as he was, Daeman felt a flicker of both regret and resentment as he yielded her to them and climbed out of the pool. Despite his earlier desire to escape, however, he did not retreat far. He had been with her through most of her labor. He decided he would stay so that she would know he was with her throughout.
Kael and Dakaar finally settled their silent battle and Kael shifted her to hold her as Daeman had been. Dakaar took her hand, kneading it a little frantically.
Teron had gotten into the pool and moved first to Lau-ren. When he had checked her, he patted Shara’s shoulder. “She is doing well.”
Kael and Dakaar glared at him as he moved away to check on Ka-ren. “Her baby is crowning, also,” he announced. “They are racing, these two!”
Neither Kael nor Dakaar looked amused or pleased about the announcement. In point of fact, Ka-ren’s men did not look particularly happy either, especially when Ka-ren began to throw more volume into her cries.
Teron moved back to see Lau-ren’s progress, but he merely stood and watched Shara until he was apparently satisfied and then he moved back to Ka-ren.
As unsettling as it was to watch Lau-ren struggle, Daeman focused on her again. Kael and Dakaar, he saw, seemed to have won their battle with their panic.
“Big baby,” Shara announced, planting her hands on her hips to consider the problem. “Very big.” She looked at Dakaar. “Put hands here on belly. Next time grow hard, you help her, yes?”
Dakaar looked a little sick, but he nodded jerkily and placed his hands on Lau-ren’s belly. Lau-ren began to pant with effort.
“Now!” Shara said. “Gentle push down.”
Lau-ren strained until her voice reached a high note that bordered on a scream.
“Good! See head now! One more, Lau-ren!”
She frowned after a moment. “Next one.”
Kael held his breath, beginning to feel the panic from before clawing its way to the surface again when Shara thought the baby would come and it didn’t. He felt weak all over when saw a small shape appear between her legs and tiny arms and legs flailing the water as the baby swam instinctively toward the surface. Its face broke the water and it sucked in a breath of air and let out a wail of distress.
Loren chuckled weakly with relief, reaching for the baby as Shara caught it beneath its arms to support it and looked it over carefully. She grinned at Loren abruptly. “Big strong boy! Good lungs!”
She held the baby out to Dakaar. “You gibe Lau-ren.”
Dakaar caught the baby and stared it for a long moment, searching for any clue that it might be his. Torn between the desire to know and the reluctance to find out it was not his, he hesitated and finally lifted the baby to sniff its scent. The baby sniffled, squinted its eyes, and let out a wail. Disappointment tightened around his throat. He turned and settled the baby in Lau-ren’s arms. “No mine,” he said, trying to sound neutral.
Loren glanced at him sharply. “We don’t know that yet.”
He nodded and looked at Kael.
Kael looked at the baby skeptically, trying to
accept, and finally shifted Lau-ren in his arms so that he could nuzzle his face against the baby’s. The baby tested his scent and opened his eyes a sliver, batting at his cheek. Kael grinned broadly. “Mine.”
“You two are weird,” Loren said a little irritably. “He’s mine and that makes him ours!”
“Next one mine!” Dakaar said, grim determination in his eyes as he challenged Kael.
“Don’t talk to me about ‘next’, damn it!” Loren said tiredly. “I just had this one.”
Dakaar looked disconcerted for a moment. He leaned down and nuzzled her face. “Next one mine?”
Loren relented, kissing his hard cheek. “Talk to me about it in about a year.”
Dakaar looked surprised but pleased and then a little doubtful. “You spawn in year?”
Loren bit her lip. Either he hadn’t believed her when she’d told him that they were fertile once a month every month, or he’d forgotten. “Yep. I’ll be ready for another spawning in a year. We’ll tie Kael up,” she added, sending him a teasing look.
“I spawn,” he said, studying the baby with pride. “Next year, I no need.”
When they finally helped her and the baby out of the pool, it was Daeman waiting with the blankets to wrap them both up. Loren smiled at him happily. “He’s beautiful isn’t he?”
He studied the baby a little doubtfully. “Mine be pretty.”
Loren ignored the insult to her beautiful baby and smiled at him, lifting a hand to pull him down for a kiss. “He will be … just like his daddy. The ladies are all going to faint when they see all of my beautiful boys!”
She noticed Balen, looking a little pale and shaken, standing behind Daeman when he straightened and smiled at him, holding out her hand in invitation. “This is wonderful! All the people I love the most in the entire universe together,” she said happily.
A new baby wail caught their attention and they all glanced over toward Karen. Noticing their interest, one of her men looked at them. “Mine!” he said with a shaky grin. “Is girl!”
Loren repressed a smile. He looked as shaky as crack addict! She sure was glad her men were so tough and cool under pressure!
The End.
Enslaved Book III: The Gladiators Page 28
