Alien Read online

  “I won’t have to pay taxes?” Raising her eyebrow at him in amazement, Andi couldn’t help but be astonished. “Like ever?” She read the lines again in disbelief.

  “Yes. We have explained to your government that some of the women only feel comfortable with you caring for them. Tamin and Rodin have tried to be as gentle as possible, but they are inexperienced in caring for human women. It is still a struggle for them to make their female patients completely at ease. Even you did not want to see them for your exam after the kidnapping. Instead you chose to be screened by medical on Phaeton. Can you see where I am going with this?”

  Motioning for her to rise and follow him, he walked to the first exam room and stood in the doorway. Beyond him, a very pale woman was lying as still as death on a regen bed. “Isabel refuses to not only let them examine her, but also to talk to them. The loss of her child has taken a mental toll and she is having trouble recovering.”

  “Can you blame her? She almost died in that cell. If it weren’t for someone finding us, she would have bled out. Not only did she lose her baby but she is unable to ever have children.” Andi shook her head in sadness. “From the little she has said to me, she feels as though she needs to leave and dissolve her marriage to her warrior. I heard what the other council members were mumbling while they were here. ‘What benefit is the bridal contract without the possibility of a child?’”

  “Her husband will not let her leave if that is what she is thinking. He cares for her too much to give up on their union.” Wheaton looked up at the ceiling in frustration. “None of the men will let their brides go. It does not matter if she is sterile. She belongs to him. This is one of the reasons why we need you to stay. This is the first time that her feelings have been voiced. Tamin and Rodin only get one-word answers from the women who were taken and abused. We need to know that they are healing mentally as well as physically, but they will not talk to us.”

  “Wheaton, they are going through a lot, right? Be patient and they will warm up soon. Their loss is fresh in their minds. Not only did they almost die, but they blame themselves for swallowing those damn pills in the first place.”

  “Their trust was abused. It is a disgrace that they were tricked into taking the Hefnon12, but they shoulder none of the blame for the actions of the Verge. Their husbands grieve for the lives of children lost but will not stand by and lose their brides as well,” he said determinedly. “There needs to be a voice of reason while they heal and you will be that voice.”

  Wheaton leaned forward and placed his hands on her shoulders. “We need you, Andi. They need you.” He paused then pointed out, “We will not even be close enough to Earth for you to leave on a shuttle for three more weeks anyway. Our trip from home world to Earth’s orbit is going to take time. Would you not rather spend it helping out rather than being confined to an apartment the entire time?”

  Glaring up into the big warrior’s eyes, she was unable to stop herself from nodding in agreement. Damn him. The bastard was an expert negotiator if what had just happened was anything to go by. No wonder he was such a successful council member.

  Wheaton, satisfied that she had agreed, pulled a pen out of the pocket on his leather vest. He pointed to the spot on the document for her signature. Letting out a sigh, she signed, not able to stop herself.

  “These will be filed immediately. Thank you.”

  “I’m only staying for the duration of the contract and that’s it. Comprende?” Pointing her finger at him, Andi waited for him to show he understood.

  “Yes, comprende,” he repeated, the Spanish word sounding funny coming from an alien warrior. “The doctors will be in here in a moment to go over the information on the brides still being treated and let you know your duties.”

  “Great,” Andi said with false cheer.

  Stuck with the doctors she labeled Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dumbass. Well, stuck for a couple months at least. These women needed her. Isabel was coping by shutting everyone out except for Andrea. What the doctors needed to realize was that humans wanted to be told everything would be okay, even when they knew it wouldn’t be.

  From the doorway, Andi watched Isabel open her eyes and glance around before closing them again and falling asleep. It seemed that was all she was capable of lately. Using sleep as an escape, Isabel had started requesting drugs to help her sleep more and more. According to Isabel’s chart, Tamin and Rodin had given them to her, unaware it was the last thing she needed. That was going to change immediately if Andi had anything to say about it.

  “Andi?” Turning to see who was speaking, she was surprised to see another recovering bride walking toward her.

  “Staci, what are you doing here?”

  “I have an appointment for a follow-up scan with the docs.” Peeking into the room where Isabel was sleeping, she shook her head sadly. “She’s not getting any better, is she?”

  “Not yet, but she will soon.” Giving Staci a considering look, Andi added, “I may need your help talking her through this. From what I gather, she’s refused to see Nixon lately. He’s come every morning and sat with her while she sleeps, but once she wakes, she asks him to leave.”

  “I know how she feels. There were a few days where I couldn’t stand to look at Cooper. I felt so guilty. And when the docs said I might not be able to ever get pregnant again… Well, let’s just say I went to a bad place.”

  The women linked arms as they walked from Isabel’s door and made their way into the main area. A platter of donuts sat in the middle of a large table, and Andi grabbed one. Getting comfortable, she studied Staci with an appraising eye.

  “You are doing really well, Staci. What’s helped you the most so far?”

  “Well, first off, there was Cooper. That man wouldn’t leave me alone no matter what I said or did. Then, Tamin and Rodin said I was healing better than expected. For the last few weeks, they’ve been treating me with the regen bed here on the ship. The results show the scar tissue is getting smaller and smaller with every visit. I guess even a slight chance at getting pregnant again was enough to remind me I’m a fighter. It also helped that Cooper said it didn’t matter if we could have children or not. He was happy that I was alive and said to not worry about the future.”

  “From what I can tell, Nixon doesn’t want to push Isabel. He’s worried the stress of doing so will cause a lapse in her recovery.” Tapping the table with her fingers, Andrea thought for a moment. “I have a feeling that’s exactly what she needs. Everyone has been so busy tiptoeing around her since our kidnapping that she’s been able to hide from what happened.”

  Staci nodded. “I agree. Maybe I can get Coop to talk to him and offer some advice.” Pointing to the hallway, she added, “She’s not going to get better by sleeping and pretending it didn’t happen. Plus, if Tamin and Rodin think I may be able to get pregnant again, then she might be able to as well.”

  * * * * *

  As the women sat and outlined a plan for shaking Isabel out of her funk, Tamin and Rodin eavesdropped from the doorway. They had been unaware of the way the female mind worked. Thinking it had been best to tell the women bluntly what they had been through and that their future might not contain children had been as simple as reading a printout from a regen bed. What was the point in giving false hope when dealing with something so serious? They had not been aware the miscarriages would leave such an emotional scar on the three brides who had suffered the losses.

  Rodin crossed his arms across his chest and watched the two women. His main focus was on the woman whom he now knew as Andi. The woman seemed to have his patients’ best interests at heart, regardless of her violent tendencies. He was still shocked that she had slapped him. Knowing he had deserved it only made it worse. For that, he felt shame. Never had he spoken so cruelly to a female. He took pride in the fact that he had made friends with Poppy and Val so quickly after he had been introduced to them. His only excuse for the actions and words he had used that day was that he had been angered by what the