Last Flight of the Ark (24 page)

Jessica grabbed both his hands and pulled him toward the bedroom. “Let’s work off our frustrations.”

“It’s going to take a lot to work off mine. I did this, Jessica. I infected us. I alerted Earth Command of our situation. I….”

“Saved us. You gave us a chance when we had none. You didn’t have a choice when the renegades snatched that shuttle’s crew. You can’t continue to carry all the guilt on your shoulders. You are also the reason we are alive.” She pulled one of his hands to her stomach. “You created life. Here. On this world.”

“You make me sound like some kind of hero. I love you.” Kaleb pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Perhaps things would work out? Only the passing of time would answer that.

“You are. You’re my hero. Care to show off some of those superpowers and knock my planet off its axis?” She pulled away and backed through the bedroom door, snatching a com off a nearby shelf. She slipped it on and crooked her finger at him while she spoke into the com. “Melissa.”

“Melissa, here.”

“What are you wearing?” The corner of Jessica’s mouth curled.

“What do you mean? I’m in the tower in uniform like I’m supposed to be.”

“Are you alone?”

“Yes, for the next twenty minutes when the relief shift arrives, but I’m not sure what you—”

“Good. We’re going to play a little game. Take off your panties.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your turn, baby. I’ve got Kaleb here and he’s awaiting your command. Lock the tower and let’s play.” Jessica handed the com to him. “Be a good boy and get naked for us.”

His cock sprang to life. He strode through the door and kicked it shut. “She had better have that tower door locked because this is going to take longer than twenty minutes.”

Seven months later

“Hang on, Jess, don’t have the babies yet.” Melissa squeezed her hand.

Jessica groaned. “I don’t think that’s an option, Missy.”

“You have to wait.” Melissa glanced toward the door. “Where the hell is he?”

“He who?” Kaleb and Jessica said in unison.

“Frank.”

“Oh no. I don’t need Frank in here for this,” Jessica said and started panting.

“Trust me, you do.” Melissa eyed the door again. She turned to him. “Don’t let her have the babies. I’ll be right back.”

“Yeah, I’ll just hold them in.”

“I’m serious. Don’t let her push yet.” Melissa bolted out. She ran down the corridor and toward the lobby where Frank leaned against the nurse’s station, chatting with a blond man. Melissa snagged Frank’s sleeve and pulled him down the hall. It was nice to see that Frank was flirting. After losing Bryant, Melissa hadn’t ever expected him to recover. He’d been closer to Bryant than she’d known at the time. Frank claimed he was the only man he’d ever loved and he’d never get over his loss.

When Frank learned of Bryant’s death, he’d all but collapsed. Melissa knew the pain he suffered, so she’d opened her bottle of rum and shared it with him that night. The two of them drank it all. They’d cried and talked about her sister and Frank talked about Bryant and how they’d met. Together, Melissa and Frank mourned and became close friends. But regardless of how nice it was to see Frank moving on with his life, she had a much more pressing issue.

“Where the hell have you been? I didn’t send you an urgent transmission so you could hang out and flirt with the nurses.”

“I was just talking….”

“No time for that. Jessica’s having the babies now and we need you.” Frank pulled away and stopped. He frowned. “I’m with military legal. I don’t know anything about delivering babies, Melissa.”

“Enough of the smart-ass, more of the haul-ass.” She grabbed his arm and tugged him toward the room. “You need to marry us.”

He stopped again. “I told you I have no authority. I’m not in a command position or of sufficient rank.”

“You have your own pack and Earth Command has finally given us the ability to make laws within our communities. The order was signed this morning. Probably to appease us, but there it is.”

“And that ‘authority’ foisted upon me and need I remind you it’s temporary until they find someone to take that position? Find a chaplain. There’s one in every military hospital.”

“They can’t change or create new laws. You can. You have that flexibility you told me about.”

“I don’t have any flexibility. The office does.”

“You’re still temporarily in a position of authority in that office.”

“Yeah and I’m still not of sufficient rank to perform the ceremony. I’d have to be a captain, at least. This little ole silver bar isn’t gonna cut it if you want it to be official.”

Melissa slapped a set of silver bars into his hand. “Borrow mine.”

“It doesn’t work that way. And what do you mean I need to have flexibility? You’re not asking me to break any laws, are you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m asking you to make a new one to fit the needs of the hybrid colony.”

From down the hall Jessica screamed. Melissa grabbed the front of Frank’s shirt and pulled him toward the room. Jessica shrieked again.

“I’m not exactly sure I want to go in there. It sounds rough.”

“You’ve survived worse.” Melissa shoved him through the door. “Okay. He’s here.”

Kaleb looked up. “Why?”

“Good question. I think I should leave.” Frank spun and Melissa snagged his arm and pushed him back toward the bed and a panting Jessica.

“Promote him, Colonel.”

Kaleb furrowed his brow. “Promote him? Now?”

“Yes, now.”

“Just fucking promote him so I can have these kids,” Jessica screeched.

“I don’t have the rank to pin on him.”

Melissa peeled the bars from Frank’s grip and handed them to Kaleb.

“I need to do the appropriate paperwork.”

“You don’t for a battlefield promotion.”

“We’re not on a battlefield.”

“If you don’t fucking get on with it, it’s going to become a battlefield,” Jessica yelled and started panting.

Frank nodded. “I wouldn’t test her on that.”

“Whatever.” He pulled the rank off Frank’s collar and pinned the bars on one lapel. “Congratulations, you’re a captain. Now can we have these kids?”

“Not yet.” Melissa turned to Frank. “Marry us. The three of us.”

“Polygamy isn’t legal,” Kaleb said.

“On Earth. However, here, Frank has the ability to create laws to suit the colony and there is more than one household with multiple mates. Earth Command sent down an amendment this morning. I’ve been trying to find Frank since I saw it. We can make laws that will help us maintain peace in the hybrid colonies.”

“Wait a minute. Nobody asked me to marry them,” Kaleb said. “I’d like to do it right, and I’d like to be the one doing the asking.”

Melissa put her hands on her hips. “Then ask, because I refuse for our children to come into this world unless we are.”

Kaleb turned to Jessica. “What do you say, you want to do this?”

She nodded. “Hurry. I can’t wait much longer.”

“Get down on one knee.”

He glared at Melissa.

“It’s the proper way to ask.”

“Whatever.” He dropped to his knee and took both their hands. “Would you both marry me?”

“Yes,” Jessica and Melissa said in unison.

Kaleb rose to his feet. “I can’t think of anything I could want more than to make you both mine.” He turned to Frank. “Marry us and make it quick. I don’t think the babies want to wait any more than I do.”

Frank grinned. “All right, hold hands.”

Kaleb grabbed Jessica’s and Melissa’s hands, while they linked with each other to form a circle.

“I don’t know much about the vows, so I’m going to wing it.”

“Now!” Jessica screamed from between clenched teeth. She began to pant.

“Okay. Let’s see.”

“No. Now.”

“Do you, Jessica—”

“Yes.”

Frank nodded. “Okay. Kaleb?”

“Both of them. Yes, I do.”

Jessica screamed and clamped down on Kaleb’s and Melissa’s hands, sending them to the floor. “Eeeeeyeeeethisfuckinghurts.”

“Melissa.”

“I do. Yes. Please let go of my hand.”

“Not until he finishes it.” Jessica blew out a breath and dropped back to the pillows.

Frank screwed up his face. “I thought we were done.”

“Pronounce us.” Kaleb looked up and growled. “For the love of God, before my hand ends up in a cast.”

“Oh, yeah. I now pronounce you…. what does that make this marriage? It’s not husband and wife, or wife and wife—”

“Just pick something!”

“I now pronounce you a family. You may deliver the babies or kiss or whatever.”

Jessica let go of their hands. “Get the doctor. I think my water just broke.”

Frank edged toward the door. “I think I’ll go hang out in the lobby now.”

***

“Push!” Kaleb grabbed Jessica’s arm while Melissa got her other and helped her to sit up.

“Oh, God. Fuck. Phuf, phuf, phuf,” Jessica panted. “Eeeeeeeeee. Ahshitthishurts.”

“Keep breathing,” he said. “The screaming isn’t helping anyone.”

Melissa’s eyes widened and she shook her head—a second too late.

Jessica turned and locked on to him like a missile-tracking system. “Who’s having these babies? Shut the fuck up!” As the contraction eased, Jessica dropped back to the pillow.’

“The doctor said you need to relax. It’ll hurt less.” Kaleb brushed aside the damp strands stuck to her forehead.

“Don’t touch me.” She knocked his hand away.

“I was just trying—”

“Don’t.”

She’d been in labor the entire night. Her water breaking had only been the beginning. Minutes after, Jessica was up and out of bed, and nobody could get her back into it. At first she paced. Then she went for a walk.

Everywhere.

Kaleb had followed her through the medical facility, across the roof, down the fire escape, through the town, the forest, and back to the medical facility, where he finally caught her and forced her to back to her room and the bed.

Big mistake. She seemed to be a little resentful of being confined to the bed. Things only got worse from there. When the heavy labor came, she called him every nasty name he’d ever heard and a few he hadn’t. She also reminded him that there was no “obey” part in the vows. She was going to hurt him. Bad.

At one point she threw a basin at his head. Kaleb ducked, but was unsuccessful. The plastic container bounced off his skull and hit a tray of surgical tools, knocking them to the floor. The nurse who picked up the once-sterile instruments shot him a nasty look like he’d done it.

“Look, all I’m saying is that you need to stop screaming and start breathing like they showed you.” Her howling couldn’t be helping the process. He’d never witnessed a birth before, but their instructions made sense: the more oxygen she expelled by screaming, the less the babies got. Plus, the pitch only seemed to escalate with each contraction. His ears rang and his head pounded. Enough was enough.

Jessica reached up, snagged the lapels on either side of his shirt, and yanked him down until their noses almost touched. “You did this to me.” A contraction took that moment to strike and her grip tightened until she choked him with his own collar. She sucked in a deep breath.

“No, Jess. Baby. Breathe.”

“
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
. I can’t do this. It’s tearing me in two.”

Kaleb frantically tried to pry her fingers loose, but pain laced her blood with adrenaline, and seemed to give her superhuman strength. “Let.” He pulled back with all his strength. “Go.”

Jessica released him and he fell into another cart with freshly replaced instruments. The cart, the tray, and Kaleb landed on the floor with a loud crash.

“Kaleb,” Melissa said. “I think you should leave. You’re upsetting her and making a mess.”

He was making a mess? Wait a second. Who was she to tell him to…?

She pointed at the door.

He glared and crossed his arms. They were his children. He wanted to be present when they were born. “No. I’m not leaving.”

“Then keep your mouth shut and sit over in that chair.” Melissa nodded toward a seat near the bed. Close enough to see the birth, far enough away not to get caught in Jessica’s clutches again.

That he could do, even if it looked like he’d given in to her demands, which he hadn’t. He snorted, jumped to his feet, and stalked toward the chair, plopping down with all the finesse of a Neanderthal.

The nurse scooped the dirty instruments from the floor and gave him another nasty look before she exited the room.

“We’re seeing a lot of multiples. You’re lucky you’re only carrying twins. I delivered quadruplets this morning,” the doctor said. He lifted the sheet. “There you go. I see a head. Next contraction I want you to push. When I say stop—stop.”

Kaleb sat forward, his eyes popped open. “Quadruplets?”

The doctor nodded. “About average.”

“Average?” What was the chance of that, if his mates ever got pregnant again?

“Don’t worry, they still haven’t lifted the birthing ban. She gets an implant before she leaves. But I should warn you, the birth control they’re using is only about fifty percent effective. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

His gaze shot to Melissa and he swallowed. “Fifty percent effective?”

“I feel it coming,” Jessica whimpered.

“Okay—push, push, push.”

I have to do this again? In bigger batches?
Someone up above was having a big chuckle at his expense.

Jessica screamed. Her face turned red. Seconds later, the doctor handed a baby to one of the attending nurses. They suctioned the baby’s mouth and it coughed a couple times, then cried. “We’ve got a boy.”

“A son?” Kaleb jumped to his feet. “We have a son?”

Jessica fell back on the pillows. “Sounds like he’s inherited your mouth.”

“My boy.” He walked over to the isolette where they were cleaning his son and wrapping him up. The baby shoved his thumb in his mouth and turned blue eyes toward him. “He’s got my eyes. He’s beautiful, Jess. Perfect. Let’s call him Jericho, after my father.”

“Okay…. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy—it’s coming again.
Eeeeeeeeeeeee
.”