Chapter 11 #5
He blinked. “Actually… I expected to find you in the lab. Were the two of you headed somewhere?”
“We were on our way to eat.”
“Oh,” he replied. “Go eat first. Then come to my office. I’m not going to keep a pregnant person from food.”
“Ok.”
He gave us a nod, turned, and strode back the way he’d come.
“Are… are we in trouble?” I asked.
Eashai chuckled. “I do not know, but I will not concern myself with it until we have eaten.”
I nodded. “Ok.”
Only a few stragglers were eating when we entered the mess. We got food and resumed playing footsie while we ate.
Then it was time to see the general. We were ushered into his office as soon as we arrived, and saw him focused on his computer.
“Ah, gentlemen,” he said, standing and motioning to some chairs. “Have a seat.”
My stomach attempted to twist itself into knots as we sat. Eashai and I had tried to be more discreet, but I wondered if somebody had complained about public displays of affection.
He sat again and looked at each of us. “Gentlemen, I have a special request for you.”
I swallowed. “Wh-what is it?”
He stood again, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced his side of the desk.
“We are almost ready to recruit volunteers to mate with Lalyllte men. However, during discussions to finalize the process, several people expressed concerns that we wouldn’t be properly preparing our men on what to expect.”
“What does that have to do with us?”
He turned and looked at each of us. “This is our dilemma. We would prefer men who have already mated to be the ones to provide the information. But the others are enlisted men who might not be comfortable presenting such information to officers. In addition, we would need people to cover things such as anatomical differences. Lastly, toward the end of their testing phase, we wanted to bring in one of the Lalyllte so they could ask questions directly, but an unmated man could result in an unintended mating.”
Eashai and I shared a glance as it became clear what the general was asking.
He set his palms on the desk and leaned in.
“All that said, the two of you meet all the criteria we’re looking for.
Doctor Wallace, as a man from outside the military, you are free to speak to both enlisted men and commissioned officers in the manner required.
Eashai, since you have mated with Doctor Wallace, we would not need to be concerned about an accidental mating while delivering presentations.
Finally, both of you are accomplished scientists with more than enough medical knowledge for the level of information you’d be conveying. ”
I nodded, then licked my lips. “What about Eashai’s pregnancy? He’s not showing now, but it’s only a matter of time.”
General Block snickered and straightened. “These soldiers will have to get used to seeing pregnant men if they’re going to make it here. I personally consider it another mark in the pro column.”
He glanced between us again. “Obviously, I cannot order either of you to do this. But I am hoping that you will accept the positions.”
I looked over at my mate, and his calm smile was enough to tell me what he was thinking.
I turned back to the general. “As long as I can work it around my teaching schedule, I’m in.”
“And I will need to consider my pregnancy and any trips to Lyll,” Eashai stated.
General Block nodded. “Those requests are reasonable and expected. Do you have any other concerns that I need to consider?”
“I think my next worry would be around Eashai’s due date,” I replied. “We expect it to be right at the start of summer, so I wasn’t worried about taking a leave from teaching. But I expect we will want to spend some time away from work as he recovers.”
Another nod from the general. “Also reasonable and expected. We can determine options closer to that time. There should have been plenty of matings by then, so we could look into another qualified person to speak temporarily, or we might slow volunteer recruitment if we have more early volunteers than expected.”
I glanced over at my mate, then rested my hand on top of his. We shared a smile, then I faced the general again.
“Ok, we’re in.”
He smiled. “Thank you, gentlemen. I’m sure with your experience, our soldiers will be better prepared to understand and decide if mating is for them.”
I squeezed Eashai’s hand and thought about the discussion from the hall. I was happy with my choices, but also glad that I’d be able to help others prepare for the changes they could expect.
∞∞∞
“Hey, Doc G,” Ashley chirped as she appeared on screen. “Hey, invisible advisor!”
My eyes shifted to where my very pregnant mate was suppressing a laugh.
“Good afternoon, Ashley,” I replied. “How are things working out with Doctor Brown as your new advisor?”
“Good,” she paused. “But I’m glad you’re still my unofficial one.”
I smiled. “I’ll do what I can to keep helping from here. But I wanted to make sure you were well established before things got hectic this summer.”
She giggled. “You know there’s a betting pool, right?”
“On what?”
“What’s going to keep you so busy. Austin thinks they’re sending you to some sort of simulator to get real-time data about either deep-sea or space travel. Pam thinks they’re putting you on that hospital ship the Navy has so you can talk to people in disaster areas.”
“And what do you think?”
She grinned. “There’s a rumor going around campus that you’re married now. I think your new wife might be pregnant.”
“You’re basing your guess on a rumor?” I asked, hoping that my face wasn’t giving anything away.
She shrugged. “As weird as everything has been lately, it’s at least something other than some secret installation somewhere. A new wife and baby are things for you to be happy about. It’s not all work all the time.”
I smiled. “I’m glad you’re hoping for good things for me.”
She laughed. “It’s not as if any of us will know any time soon, if ever.”
“I’m sure one day I’ll be able to talk about the work I’m doing. Now, onto your research. Let’s start with things Doctor Brown hasn’t been able to help with.”
She nodded and got serious as she detailed the current state of her research.
Eashai and I listened and responded as needed—him through an Army-approved voice modulator. Then it was time for the call to end.
“She is very close to a breakthrough,” Eashai said as I drove our beater car from the admin building back home. “I am glad she continued to look down the path I suggested, even when she thought the genes were unrelated.”
“Me too. It’s just a shame we won’t be able to celebrate with her properly once she does find those connections.”
“You might have that opportunity.”
I frowned. “Maybe, but you’re important too. It’s not fair that, after all the help you’ve provided, you won’t be able to meet her face-to-face.”
Eashai reached over and rested a hand on my leg. “It was something I understood from the start, and I do not regret my choices. Instead, I am happy that I have been able to provide this tiny bit of guidance to help a young woman start her career.”
I smiled as I pulled into the garage. I turned off the car, then leaned across the center console to kiss him.
“Why don’t you go get comfortable while I start dinner,” I suggested.
“We are having spaghetti?” he asked.
“As long as that’s still what you’re craving. The beef is defrosted, and I have other ingredients if you want something else.”
He chuckled and rubbed his round belly. “No, our little one is quite fond of his bapo’s spaghetti, as am I.”
I smiled. “And here I was worried you’d be sick of it since we’ve had it so often.”
“Perhaps after our son is born, but for now I wish to eat it regularly.”
I chuckled. “I’ll make sure we’re stocked up on all the ingredients then.”
We got out of the car and into the house. I watched him climb the stairs, then I turned to focus on dinner.
I was ready to plate when I realized that he’d never come back down.
“E?” I asked as I headed upstairs.
I stopped when I reached the top and spotted him. He stood in the doorway of our nursery, a wistful expression on his face.
It was the same look he had whenever he was thinking of his lost mate. I’d seen it less and less frequently over the months since we’d mated, but I knew that the sense of loss would forever be a part of him.
I walked over and slid my arms around him from behind, then I nosed aside his shirt so I could kiss the spot where his shoulder met his neck. “Talk to me,” I murmured into his skin.
“I was remembering when Tolai was a newborn,” he said softly. “Naqoi was radiant, and so happy that he’d been able to give me a child. I always hoped that I would bear one for him in return.”
I tightened my embrace around his middle, signalling that I was listening.
He reached down and laced his fingers with mine. “Sorry, my Gene. It is insensitive of me to voice such thoughts when we are so close to our own family.”
I shook my head against his shoulder, then used gentle pressure against his belly to turn him.
A long breath escaped as I spotted a tear trailing down his cheek. I reached up to wipe it away.
“It’s not insensitive, E,” I said softly.
“That loss is part of you. You will always love and mourn him, I understand that. My role as your mate isn’t to feel threatened by that love, but to support you when the memories are overwhelming.
I cannot and will never be a replacement for him.
But I can be who is right in front of you: the man who fell in love with you as you are now. ”
“Gene…”
I swallowed. It was time to voice something I’d been thinking for a while. “E?”
“Yes?”
“Remember when we were discussing baby names? You told me that, on Lyll, names are rarely chosen for the sake of meaning or popularity. Oftentimes, parents-to-be will choose, or create, a name based purely on how they like the sound.”
“I remember.”