A Desconian Happily Ever After (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (2 page)

“What if only one baby survives?” Tosh asked quietly. It was a valid concern. In the early days of in vitro fertilization on Earth, many procedures were done with four or five zygotes to improve the chances of success.

“Then nature would have made a decision for us that took too many hours of discussion to make.” She pulled Tosh closer to her, lifting up to press a kiss to his mouth. “I was never certain we’d made the right decision anyway. This way we no longer need to wonder.”

Tosh nodded, glanced at Jenelle’s other two husbands, and finally agreed. “You’re an amazing woman, Jen. No wonder we fall more in love with you every day.”

Kallum smiled at the genuine love that he could feel between these four people and couldn’t help thinking of his own partner. He and Drew had planned to find a wife, a mubella, years ago, but when Drew had gotten sick every plan they’d ever made had gone on hold. Perhaps now that Drew was fully recovered it was time to consider their options once more. They loved each other dearly, but their triad was incomplete. Irrationally, Kallum glanced at the faded symbols of their marriage painted on his skin and felt a small sliver of panic. They were actually overdue for the traditional five-yearly renewal of their joining, but even that had gone on hold when Drew had been sick.

“Okay,” Kallum said, trying to pull his mind back to the here and now, “let’s get this done. Jax, call your sister and tell her she and
both
her husbands need to meet us here as quickly as possible. We don’t have the freezing methods that humans used to use, so we need to get organized.”

Jax nodded, reaching for the tiny earpiece commonly used by the Royal Guard, and quickly contacted his sister. Judging by the wince from Jax and the unmistakable sounds of celebration coming through the connection, Kallum guessed Galeena was rather excited. “They’re on their way,” Jax said, rubbing the side of his head as he disconnected the call.

“Perfect,” Kallum said, feeling pleased that things seemed to be falling into place.

* * * *

Ally laughed as her son spat out yet another spoonful of white mush. She’d only started him on solid foods a few weeks ago, and as the doctors on Descon had advised, she was introducing new foods slowly. He’d loved the pureed fruit she’d tried him on for the first few weeks, but it seemed he wasn’t a big fan of the Desconian equivalent to rice paste.

She scooped up the gooey mess from his chin and tried a new spoonful. Alex opened his mouth, eager to try the food, but as soon as it hit his taste buds managed to push it back out. White paste, liberally covered in baby saliva, dribbled down his chin and onto the thing Desconians called a bib.

Landing on this planet had been terrifying, but just as David promised, here she’d found a safe haven for her child. Alex had a chance to grow and learn and choose his own future on this planet, and for that Ally would always be grateful.

But it didn’t stop her worrying about David. After she’d been attacked he’d used every cent they had between them to buy her passage on the ship that smuggled her away from Earth. They’d planned to leave together, but David had insisted that he’d catch up to her as soon as he was able. She’d been too injured to argue him out of it.

Alex made a delighted, squealing noise and blew messy rice-paste bubbles from his mouth, smacking his hands on the table in front of him happily. His glee managed to drag her attention back to the present.

“That looks rather messy,” Drew said as he took a seat beside her. “I’m guessing he doesn’t like the latest culinary treat.”

Ally grinned and leaned over to wipe the mess away before her beautiful little imp decided that throwing it might be fun. He’d come a long way from the quiet baby he’d been. She’d worried at first when he’d started to cry more frequently, concerned that even on Descon his distress would put them in danger, but instead it had attracted attention mostly of the positive kind. Not only had the planet and its people welcomed her and her son into their culture, but the authorities had provided more information than she’d ever thought possible.

“I think perhaps we’ll go back to pureed fruit for a few days and then maybe try again.”

“Good idea,” Drew said with a laugh when Alex managed to dribble even more white paste from his mouth.

“How are you feeling?” she asked Drew worriedly. Her friend Jenelle—she’d been the first human Ally had spoken to upon reaching Descon—had told her that Drew had been ill for a long time. He was such a sweet man and a good friend that it hurt to think of him as confined to a bed for so long.

“Not you, too,” he said with a smile and a roll of his eyes. “I’ve been symptom-free for quite some time now. You’d think that would be long enough for people to stop worrying.”

“I don’t think people on Descon will ever stop worrying.” She gave him a sad smile and tried not to think about the only person on Earth who’d ever cared about her. “At least, I hope they don’t stop worrying.”

Drew gave her a concerned look. “I’m sorry,” he said. “That was rude. I didn’t mean to stir up old memories.”

She reached a hand over to touch his where it rested on the table. She squeezed his fingers briefly and quickly pulled back. Since the birth of her son she’d discovered the comfort in holding another person, but so far touching someone else still felt forbidden. She’d spent quite a long time talking to the counselors here and the other women at the compound, so she understood how experience tainted her thinking. It just didn’t make it any easier to adjust. And since the only touching she’d known before that had been the traumatic kind, it was taking even longer than she’d hoped. Unfortunately, in this compound she wasn’t alone in her experiences. Earth might have outlawed physical touching, but all it seemed to mean was that there were an awful lot of rape victims who would never see their attackers brought to justice.

“What brings you here today?” she asked, trying to push back the awful memories to where they belonged. Drew volunteered twice a week at the compound, and unless she’d gotten confused with the extra-long days on Descon, he wasn’t due back until tomorrow.

“I had to visit my two favorite people,” he said with a broad smile, reaching over to tickle Alex’s little feet. Her son laughed happily, smacking his hands against the table loudly as he chortled. Ally gave them both a smile, but knew Drew well enough to know he wouldn’t be here unless his husband had come to the compound, also. Kallum was very protective of his husband, and from Ally’s point of view that was something precious, even if it did leave Drew feeling a little smothered now and then. “And Kallum had a patient to visit.”

“I hope his patient is okay,” Ally said, worrying for the women she’d met since landing on Descon. She’d found so many people on this planet willing to care for the people around them that it was impossible not to feel the same.

“I got the impression it was some good news, so hopefully everything is fine.”

“That’s good,” Ally said, feeling a little relieved. She was still getting used to the idea that people on Descon could visit doctors because they actually wanted children, that on this planet pregnancy was considered good news. She’d never even heard of a doctor who specialized in caring for pregnant women until she’d met Kallum and his friend, Tosh.

Everything on Descon was how David had hoped it would be.

If only he was here to see it for himself.

“Hey, what’s that sad look for?” Drew asked, reaching over to touch her face lightly with the back of his finger.

“Just remembering a friend,” she said, trying to hold back the tears. “He’s the reason Alex and I have a chance at a better life.”

“Alex’s father?” Drew asked.

“No,” she said quickly, and because Drew was a good friend and deserved the truth she added, “I don’t know who fathered Alex. I…um…” Her words jammed in her throat.
Damn it!
She’d spent countless hours learning how to deal with the trauma of her attacks. The very least she should be able to do by now was say the words out loud.

“It’s okay,” Drew said, leaning closer. “I seem to be saying all the wrong things today.”

“No,” she said, wanting him to know that it wasn’t his fault. It was normal and natural for Desconians to ask about the baby’s father. It was something she would have to deal with for a long time to come. If she couldn’t say it to a man who’d become a close friend over the past few months, then who could she say it to? “It’s okay. You didn’t say anything wrong.” She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and then dragged in another as she tried to force the words onto her lips. “I was raped. I don’t know who Alex’s father is, but I love Alex and I plan to be a good mother.”

“You already are,” Drew said, placing his hand on her arm briefly. “Tell me about your friend on Earth. What was his name?”

“David,” she said as tears filled her eyes once more. “He tried to protect me on Earth, but, well, as you know that’s a nearly impossible task. When that failed he used all the money he’d saved to get me and Alex off the planet.”

* * * *

Drew tried not to react to what she’d unintentionally told him. He knew that many of the younger women from Earth had been victimized, but he’d never really given any thought to the likelihood that they’d been raped more than once. On a planet that now forbade physical interaction between men and women, seeking medical treatment would have gotten Ally into more trouble than her attackers. Drew’s friend Jenelle had been viciously whipped and had her uterus removed without her knowledge or consent when she’d been on Earth. Drew didn’t even want to contemplate on what might have happened to Ally if she’d needed medical assistance.

“What are you going to tell Alex when he grows up?” It was none of his business, but it seemed an awful burden to place on an innocent child. Surely growing up with the knowledge that he’d been fathered by a vicious rapist wouldn’t be healthy for Alex.

“I don’t know,” she said with a half smile. “I was thinking I’d lie and tell him about David instead. He never did that to me…with me, but after some of the videos I’ve seen since landing on Descon I know that making a baby can be good. Not scary.”

Drew nodded and couldn’t help but admire the way she thought. Her words were still poorly pronounced and her vocabulary limited, but it was clear that she was very intelligent. Drew couldn’t even begin to imagine a planet that would abandon education for its young people. Ally had once told him she remembered some things about the small amount of schooling she’d received, but until she’d reached Descon her language and mathematical skills had been very poor. Thanks to volunteers and a few other government initiatives, humans landing on Descon were being given the opportunity to learn and catch up on the things they’d missed out on.

“Have you met any families that you would like to join?” It was strange the way he held his breath as he waited for her to answer. It was the normal course of things. Humans landed on the planet, they were given a chance to heal, learn, and adjust to Desconian life, and then they were matched to suitable couples. It was the law and seemed to be working. Why he wouldn’t want Ally to find a Desconian couple or triad and live happily ever after was beyond him. It was why he volunteered here twice a week after all.

She gave him a thoughtful look and then leaned closer. It was clear that she didn’t want to be overheard. “I want to know what happened to David. If I leave here I might never know.”

He nodded, understanding her reasoning. “But you have friends here now. If David arrives Jenelle or I will contact you. You know that.”

She nodded and went back to cleaning up the baby drool Alex seemed to be spitting out on purpose. Drew smiled at the toothy grin the baby gave him.

“I suppose part of it is that many of the families I’ve met seem more interested in Alex than in me.” She blushed, glanced around the crowded room, and whispered, “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.” Her eyes darted around the dining area as if someone might take offense to her words and throw her off the planet—or worse.

“It’s okay, Ally,” he said as he reached for her hand and rubbed his thumb over her wrist lightly. “You have a right to want to be loved, too. If the couples you’ve met can’t see past Alex to notice how amazing his mother is then they aren’t the right match for you.” He smiled when she squeezed his hand slightly but didn’t pull away. She was making progress, recovering from her traumatic experiences on Earth. When he’d first met her she’d flinched anytime someone had come within an arm’s length of touching her.

Then, as with many young children, Alex decided the adults had taken enough time for themselves and squealed his protest quite loudly. He giggled again as soon as he had their attention, but he was still trying to lever himself out of the baby seat.

Ally gave Drew a sad smile as she moved to undo the restraints and then lifted Alex into her arms. He wriggled, clearly wanting to be put down.

“He wants to crawl,” she said in an apologetic tone, “but with so many people around I worry that he’ll trip someone over.” She smiled as her son reached his chubby fingers up and tried to push them into her mouth. She grabbed his little fist, pressed a kiss to his knuckles, and turned her attention back to Drew. “Well, that and the fact that he tried to eat something off the floor a few days ago.”

Drew glanced around the dining hall. It really wasn’t a good place for a baby. Unfortunately Ally’s quarters probably weren’t much better. The compound where the human women were being housed had once been military accommodations, so the rooms tended to be very small. With the ever-increasing influx of humans to the planet it had become necessary to house several people in what were essentially rooms built for one, maybe two occupants at the most.