Amber
Six days before mating season began, the base was buzzing with high energy and a sense of purpose. Nervousness invaded my system, and I spent my days trying to stay busy inventorying medical supplies and training a male and female soldier to be medics. Rylen was gone from before sunrise most mornings, and only sometimes made it back in time for dinner. I knew he would be pivotal in this invasion of the invaders, and that made me both proud and terrified.
I was surprised to see Shavontae drag herself into my office and fall into a chair, her head leaning back against the wall. Her skin was ashen. I immediately went forward and felt her forehead. No fever, but she sure was clammy.
“What’s wrong, hun?” I asked.
“Stomach bug.”
Oh, no. Momentary panic struck me. The last thing we needed was some sort of illness outbreak right before this battle.
“Have you heard about anyone else being sick?” I asked.
She shook her head, eyes still closed. “I could barely drag my ass outta bed this morning.”
“Vomiting? Diarrhea?”
“Neither. But I’m dizzy and I feel like I’m gonna throw up. All I want to do is sleep.”
“When did it start?”
“Yesterday.”
I did a full exam, and everything looked good. I had her pee in a cup, and passed it to my junior medic to test for high sugars and bacterial strains.
“Have you tried to eat or drink anything today?”
“I had some water. Small sips. And Devon got me some crackers. Everything stayed down, but I had to force myself to eat it.”
“Okay. I’m going to let Top know that you need to stay in bed for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Only me or Devon can bring you food. But I’m going to tell D not to touch you.”
“Fine. But can you give me anything?”
I sighed, feeling horrible for her. “Stomach bugs just have to run their course. If I try to give you anything, it could make you puke. Rest is the best thing for you.”
“I don’t have time for this,” she said weakly.
“I know.”
A short knock, and then the door opened. My female infantry medic looked at me with big eyes.
“Ms. Fite, can you come here one sec?”
A weird feeling crawled over me as I told Shavontae I’d be right back.
In the hall, the girl showed me the urine reading, and my heart lurched. That couldn’t be right . . . but then again . . . I thought about it. How long had it been since we were at the bunker in Utah? Months. How long had it been since I gave Tae her last Depo-shot? The blood drained from my face. She was due for one in June. It was July third. And unlike me, Shavontae had not been in the civilian world while DRP were running it, giving out those shots that would cause infertility.
Shavontae was pregnant.
“Thank you,” I whispered to the medic. “It’s fine. I’ll talk to her.”
I walked back in, slowly closing the door, and pulling up a chair close to her.
“Tae?”
“Yeah?” she whispered, cracking open her eyes at me.
“You’re pregnant.”
Her eyes popped open and she sat up like a spring, ramrod straight. “Shut the hell up.”
“We forgot your shot last month.”
“It hasn’t been that long.” Then, if possible, she became even more ashen as she did the math in her head, and she covered her mouth. Her abdomen heaved. I grabbed the trash can and put it in her hands just in time. “I need . . .” She panted into the trashcan. “D.”
I rushed to the door and called out for one of the medics to find Devon, but not to say a word, just to reassure him that everyone was okay. In the next ten minutes, Shavontae had begun shaking and murmuring, “I can’t do this. I gotta fight. But I can’t fight. I can barely stand. What am I gonna do?”
“I don’t know,” I told her honestly. She held out her hand and I went to her, taking it and rubbing her back.
Devon burst through the doors and came straight to Tae, crouching at her knees. “What’s wrong, baby? You still feeling sick?” He looked her over, clearly worried.
“I—” She glanced at me, as if for support, so I nodded. Devon looked at me, terrified.
“What?” he demanded.
“Get this.” Shavontae let out a small laugh, garnering his full attention again. “You’re gonna be a daddy.”
His severely drawn eyebrows would have been comical if it weren’t so serious.
“You fuckin’ with me right now?”
“Nope.” She laughed again, but this time her chin trembled, and he pulled her into his arms. I opened the door and slipped out, giving them privacy.
Top was standing in the hall with his arms crossed. He must have come when Devon was called.
“Something serious?” he asked.
I was sure Devon and Tae wouldn’t mind me telling him. Top knew everything about everybody here. “She’s pregnant.”
His eyebrows went up. “Well.” He nodded. “I suppose the Earth will need to be repopulated once we take out the parasites. The timing could be better . . .”
I wanted to smile or laugh at his dry humor, but the thought of a baby amidst all of this madness was terrifying. I couldn’t imagine how they were feeling.
“She’s in the early stages, and she’s already feeling sick,” I said. “She wants to fight, though. I know her.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Top said. “Don’t worry. We do have positions that don’t require being on the front lines. I’ll talk to them.”
I nodded. We stood in silence a moment before he patted my shoulder.
“Things are coming together, Tate. I mean, Fite.” I smiled, and he chuckled. “Just a handful more days, and everything’s going to be different. Better. And we’ll all get a new start.”
I nodded and closed my eyes, imagining. It really would be a brand new life. That morning at breakfast, as I’d put my rationed scoop of sugar in my coffee, I couldn’t help but think about how there were currently limited amounts of mass produced items on Earth. We would have to re-learn things that our society had taken for granted for decades, because eventually, things like roasted coffee beans and granulated sugar were going to run out. Things would be more simple, which I wouldn’t mind as long as we had freedom to grow again. It would be hard work, but we would rise to it. If we survived.
That gloomy thought had settled over me when Devon opened the door and looked surprised.
“Top,” he said. “I was just coming to look for you.” Devon opened the door, and First Sergeant stepped in. Devon sent me a grateful look, and I gave him a small smile before he closed the door.
As much as I hated the Baelese for taking away my ability to become a mother, I didn’t envy those two and the timing of their news.