“Wait?” A bomb was about to be dropped directly on his head, he could feel it coming.
A noise that sounded a lot like choking came from the comm.
“Is he laughing?” Saku asked.
“I think so.”
“Nick,” Storo’s tone was that of a person dealing with a confused child while trying to hide his amusement. “It is effective immediatelyiftheatolceis already in your system, as it is for everyone in the villages,exceptthe two of you. The first injection takes thirty days to become effective.”
The clunk he was sure he’d just heard must have been his jaw landing on the floor. “Are you fucking kidding us?”
“You know I’m not.”
Well, great. Just great. “Why didn’t anyone tell us that before?”
“Why didn’t you ask?”
“Argh!” Sometimes dealing with this particular Anferthian left him with the overwhelming desire to bash his head against a rock. Repeatedly.
“If you had told one of us you were going to use it, the information would have been given to you,” Storo explained.
“I’m putting a warning label on the stuff.”
“This sounds reasonable.”
Nick gave his head a shake. He and Sakura could have runtinan—theyshouldhave runtinan—but in the heat of the moment neither of them had. In reality they only had their own complacency to blame.
“Fair warning, my friends,” Storo’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Do not expect to see too much of the child once it is old enough to be away from you. Already the little one isfyhen, you understand. All the Anferthian aunts and uncles will want their time.”
Nick released a gusty sigh. “Fine. Just keep this to yourself for now, please, Storo.”
“You know secrets do not keep in these villages,” Storo replied. “No one will disturb you today though, I assure you. Enjoy your day off.”
The comm clicked off and Nick met Saku’s gaze.
“I am so sorry about this, Nick,” she whispered.
“I’m not.” Despite the momentary shock of unexpected impending parenthood, it was the truth. He lifted the covers, climbed in next to her and drew her warm body against his. “We wanted kids eventually, right? This one is just coming a little bit sooner than we’d expected.”
Tears began rolling from her eyes at an alarming rate. “How did Inotknow I was pregnant?”
“Because you didn’t think to look?”
She sniffed. “No, I did not.”
He smoothed his hand over her hair. “And neither did I.”
Silence descended and with it a new batch of concerns rose up. Holy crap, they were having a baby. Life was about to change, again. Their child would grow up on an alien planet, see and do things he and Sakura never imagined as children.
A small chuckle slipped out.
“What?” Saku asked.
He covered her abdomen with his hand. “With all those Anferthian aunts and uncles hanging around, I hope our kid learns to walk before the age of twelve.”
Sakura’s eyes sparkled with humor. “We are going to have a good life, Nick, you know that, right?”
“I can’t wait.” He dipped his head to taste her lips. “I love you, Sakura Yamata.”
Her hand slid over his abs heading south. “I love you too, Nicholaus Bock.”
The End
