Chapter Forty
––––––––
GG KNEW SHE COULD TALK to Wynter about anything, but it was hard to share such a personal problem with anyone. Her eyes moved to the baby bulge and a lump formed in her throat. “You and Tolas don’t know how lucky you are,” she said wistfully.
Wyn winced when her daughter kicked her. “Yeah, it’s a barrel of laughs having a human being squirming around inside me, making me pee myself a bit every now and then.”
GG snickered, then both women cracked up. “The joys of pregnancy,” GG said when she’d recovered enough to talk again.
“You never had kids with any of your partners,” the cambion said. “You didn’t want to tie yourself down to any of them?”
GG reached over to place her palm on her bestie’s belly for a few seconds. “Only Dalt knows this,” she whispered. “I had a test when I was seventeen and I’m infertile.”
Wynter’s eyes immediately welled up with tears. “Oh, GG,” she said with utter compassion. “Is that the real reason why you broke up with the love of your life?”
Sniffing back tears of her own, GG nodded. “It was one of the reasons,” she confessed. “He wanted a bunch of kids and I couldn’t give him any. Not ones that were biologically mine, anyway.”
“Was he crushed when you told him?” the cambion asked.
“He was more understanding than I thought he would be,” GG said. “Dalt agreed I was right to break up with him. He said he would have dragged me to every infertility doctor on the planet.” They shared a rueful smile at his honesty.
“Even if you did want to try using IVF now, there’s no one left to perform a procedure like that,” Wynter said.
“I was thinking about talking to Qiana,” GG confessed. She knew Tolas was probably listening to them. The aliens and their mates had uncanny hearing. “Do you think the doc would agree to take a look at me?”
Wyn’s gaze went distant, then she checked her watch. “Let’s go,” she said.
“Where to?” GG asked in confusion.
“My knight is going to teleport to our base to grab the doc,” her bestie said. “He’s going to take her to the hospital and told us to meet her there.”
“We don’t even know if Qi’s going to agree yet,” GG said, suddenly feeling nervous.
“Of course she’ll agree,” Wynter said in a chiding tone. “Our doc helps everyone who needs her assistance.”
They walked to the elevator and rode it to the first floor, then made their way to the nearby private hospital. One of the nurses hurried over to them when they entered. “Are you here for a checkup?” she asked.
“I’m fine, thanks,” Wyn said with a smile. “The doc will be meeting us here soon.”
The nurse nodded and returned to her duties. A few people were sitting in the waiting room. They were suffering from minor problems.
“Our friends just arrived,” the cambion said, then turned to face a hallway to the right.
Dr. Forgan stepped out of an empty room, then strode down the hall with Tolas right behind her. Kochab strolled out next. He nodded at Wyn and GG, then took a seat to wait. He would teleport his mate back to their base when she was done.
“Hi, GG,” Qiana said with a nod of thanks to Tol, who headed back to Larry’s place.
“Hey, doc,” GG said, then wiped her sweaty palms on her shorts.
“Come with me, ladies,” Qi requested, then headed down another hallway. She was wearing casual gear rather than scrubs and a mask, but everyone knew who she was anyway. Murmurs of awe came from the humans in the waiting room.
They entered an examination room and the surgeon shut the door. “Thanks for coming all this way,” GG said. “I’m not even sure if you can help me, since you’re a trauma surgeon rather than the sort of doctor I need.”
Qi smiled serenely and gestured at the examination bed. “Why don’t you take a seat and tell me what’s wrong?”
Wyn sank down onto a chair. She was there to offer her best friend moral support.
GG sat on the bed and shuffled back until her feet were swinging in the air. “I’m infertile,” she said. “A doctor ran some tests on me when I was seventeen and she said I’d never be able to conceive naturally.”
“I see,” Qiana said gravely. “May I scan you?”
“Sure,” GG said. “Do you want me to lie down?”
Qi’s smile widened. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll put my hand on your shoulder, then scan you from head to toe.”
“Okay, doc, I’m ready,” the ex-wrestler said, bracing herself.
Putting her hand on the blonde’s shoulder, the cambion scanned her with her power.
She frowned slightly when she sensed a problem with GG’s reproductive system.
“I can see what’s wrong,” she murmured, then infused her patient with her healing power.
“There,” she said in satisfaction. “I’ve repaired the imbalance and your eggs are now perfectly normal.
They’ve been rejuvenated, so they’ll be viable until you’re in your late forties or so. ”
GG gaped at her in shock. “You fixed me, just like that?” she asked.
“Just like that,” Qiana agreed. “I couldn’t find any other problems. You have the fitness level of a twenty-year old.”
“Congratulations, GG,” Wynter said, beaming widely. “You and Dalt can have a bunch of kids together now.”
GG burst into wracking sobs and was engulfed in the doc’s arms. Wynter joined her and the trio shared tears of relief, joy and compassion.
“Does this mean you and the cowboy are finally an item again?” the doc asked when they eventually broke apart. She pulled a wad of tissues out of her pocket and handed her friends some.
“Not yet,” GG said as she wiped her eyes. “I’m still recovering from being at Rahab’s mercy.”
“Are you?” Wyn asked shrewdly as she dabbed at her own eyes. “Or are you just using that as an excuse so you don’t get your heart broken?”
“There’s no way Dalton Ashton would break GG’s heart,” Qiana refuted. Even after crying, she still looked ridiculously beautiful. “That cowboy is head over heels for GG and he always has been.”
GG blew out a sigh. She couldn’t get angry at her bestie for putting her on the spot. “Wyn’s right,” she said ruefully. “I’ve been avoiding getting into a real relationship with Dalt because I’m terrified of losing him.”
“He’s not going anywhere,” the redhead said with a frown. “He’s committed to you, GG.”
“What if he dies?” GG asked in a small voice. “We’re at war with a ruthless band of aliens and their human minions. Dalt could die at any moment and I’ll be stuck on this hellhole of a planet without him.”
Her friends couldn’t promise that Dalton wouldn’t die. He didn’t have their healing abilities or their strength and speed. “Dalt’s a smart guy,” Wynter said. “He loves you too much to risk his own life by doing something stupid.”
Qi nodded in agreement. “Your ex is as close to being a Knight of Order as a human can get,” she said. “He might be more fragile than our mates, but he’s noble, intelligent and he’s a fierce warrior.”
GG had always known Dalt was special. Hearing two cambions talk about him like he was equal to their mates made her realize just how worthy her old flame was. “Thanks again, girls,” she said, fighting back more tears. “If you ever need me for anything, just ask.”
“We should get back to the Pastor’s apartment before the guys come looking for us,” Wyn said after they all hugged again.
Qi branched off to treat the few injured people while Koach lifted his hand to wave at them.
GG and her bestie waved back, then returned to Pastor Hogan’s home.
Dalton’s eyebrows rose when he saw GG’s red eyes when they entered the apartment.
GG smiled at him to show him she was fine.
Tolas winked at her, indicating his mate had telepathically clued him in about what had happened.
“Is everything alright?” Larry asked in concern.
“Everything’s great, Pastor,” GG said. “I just had a checkup with our guardian angel.”
“We should probably head back to our base,” Dalt said and rose to his feet. “Stay safe, sir,” he said, then Larry got up to hug him. Tolas shook his hand and Wyn hugged him, then the knight teleported GG and Dalton back to the skating rink.
“We’ll see you again soon,” Wynter said, then her mate zapped them home.
“What’s going on, GG?” Dalt asked as GG headed for one of the couches in the recreation area.
“Take a seat and I’ll tell you, cowboy,” she told him, patting the cushion next to hers.
Sitting next to her on the couch, Dalton turned to face her. “Are you sick?” he asked in concern.
GG shook her head and her bottom lip trembled. “Qi healed me,” she said.
Dalton looked at her blankly, then his eyes widened. “She fixed your infertility problem?” he asked in shock.
“Yeah,” she said and more tears spilled over. “The doc said I can have babies until I’m in my late forties or so.”
A grin of wonder spread across his face, then he pulled her into his arms. “I’m so glad the doc helped you, darlin’,” he said, stroking her blonde hair.
“Me, too,” she said, mastering her emotions.
“What now?” Dalton asked, releasing her, but taking hold of her hand. His expression was cautiously optimistic.
“Now this,” she said and leaned over to kiss him. It was sweet and tender and he cupped her cheek reverently.
“That was the best damn kiss of my life,” the cowboy said when she finally drew away.
“That’s all we can do for now,” GG said with a teasing grin. “The timing couldn’t have been worse.”
“Ah,” he said, accurately guessing it was that time of the month. “Then I’ll just have to be patient a little longer,” he said, squeezing her hand.
GG’s heart felt so full she was amazed she could control her urge to burst into tears again.
She’d never expected she would ever have or truly want kids.
Now she wanted nothing more than to have a family with the man she loved.
The only thing that shadowed their potential happiness was the war between their allies and their enemies.