“Breathe through it,” I instructed, reaching her side and supporting her elbow. Her skin felt exactly like human skin—warm and soft. “I’m a doctor. Can you tell me what you’re feeling?”
The woman’s eyes widened with recognition. “You’re the Earth doctor.” She winced, her breathing shallow. “Sharp pain, lower right quadrant. It comes and—” She sucked in a breath. “Goes.”
My fingers found her pulse—steady, if a bit rapid. “How far along are you?”
“Seven months,” she whispered, her eyes darting nervously to the small crowd gathering around us.
I knelt beside her, my medical instincts fully engaged. Seven months pregnant and experiencing localized pain—not labor contractions, something else. The familiar puzzle of diagnosis replaced my anger about being kidnapped.
“Has this happened before?” I asked, gently probing her abdomen.
She nodded. “Twice this week.”
I felt a presence behind me—Aeon. His shadow fell across us both, but rather than feeling threatened, I was oddly comforted.
“She needs monitoring,” I said without looking up. “This could be placental insufficiency or uterine spasm.”
“Can you help her?” His voice carried genuine concern, none of the mechanical detachment of a typical war cyborg.
I looked up, meeting those startling blue eyes. “Yes. But I need your medical area.”
Aeon nodded and then bent to lift the pregnant woman into his arms with surprising gentleness. “This way, Serena.”
Serena. The woman had a name. Of course she did. I followed them through the colony, noting how naturally Aeon cradled her, and how his brow furrowed with concern. This wasn’t the calculating kidnapper from hours earlier. This was someone who genuinely seemed to care about others.
The medical facility doors slid open to reveal gleaming equipment, some familiar, and some utterly foreign.
“What’s that?” I pointed to a curved metallic panel as Aeon laid Serena onto the examination bed.
“Portable fetal monitor.” He activated the machine with swift, practiced movements. “Designed for cyborg physiology, but the principles are similar to your Earth equipment.”
I moved to Serena’s side. “We need to place this here,” I said, positioning the sensor just below her navel. The screen flickered to life, displaying vitals in an unfamiliar format.
“Can you read it?” Aeon asked, standing close enough that I could feel the heat from his body.
“Give me a second.” I studied the display, recognizing patterns despite the different interface. “Heart rate stable, oxygenation good.” My finger traced a jagged line. “But there’s uterine irritability here. Not contractions, but not normal, either.”
Aeon leaned closer, his breath warming my neck. “What does that mean?”
“It means,” I said, feeling an unexpected flutter in my stomach at his proximity, “that Serena needs to rest and hydrate. The baby’s fine, but her body’s sending warning signals.”
I turned to Serena. “Have you been drinking enough water? Resting regularly?”
She looked away. “There’s so much to prepare before the baby comes.”
I shook my head, surprised by the rush of protectiveness I felt. “Your only job right now is growing this baby. Everything else can wait.”
Aeon nodded gravely. “I’ll ensure she rests. Commander Helix will assign assistance for her remaining duties.”
I prepared a nutrient solution from supplies Aeon pointed out, explaining each step as he watched with intense focus. His ability to absorb medical information was remarkable—not mechanical memorization but genuine understanding.
“You’re good at this,” he observed as I administered the solution to Serena.
“It’s my job.” I checked the monitor again. “The uterine irritability is already decreasing.”
“Not just the medicine. The way you care.” His voice had softened, something vulnerable peeking through his disciplined exterior.
I looked up, startled by the compliment and the emotion behind it. For a moment, I forgot he was my captor. For a moment, he was just a concerned colleague with surprisingly human eyes.
