Planet Athion: The Complete Series by Angel Lawson

12

Mercy

I’m sippinga cup of tea at my work station when Dr. Kane walks in.

“Good morning, Mercy,” he says approaching the table. I find myself unnerved when he’s so close—his eyes are such a startling blue. There are times I feel like he can see right through me—and there are times when I think I want him to.

“Good morning, Dr. Kane.”

“I asked the secretary to schedule a full day of OB patients for us. There are six at the facility now. I thought we could have a day completely designated for them.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” he laughs, “really. They were all due for a check-up anyway. I figured this way you could see the various progresses in an Athion pregnancy.”

I’m nearly giddy with excitement. When I first arrived, there were no pregnancies at the facility, but in the six months that have followed, more and more women have found suitable mates or relationships with the Athions working and living here.

Our first patient is Adele, age twenty-three, from France. She’s five months pregnant and accompanied by two men. One, Damin, a light-blue skinned Athion, with a slim frame and dark brown eyes. The other, Adrius, has a darker complexion, maybe from the Southern Tip. His eyes shimmer like amber. They both hover attentively over Adele from the moment they enter to the moment they leave.

The instruments used on Athion are far more advanced and less intrusive, which is less stressful on the mother and baby.

“Adele,” Dr. Kane says, while I assist, “I need you to stretch out on the examination table. Mid-wife Ladd will coat your belly in this gel and we’ll start your exam.”

It’s similar to an ultrasound but the quality and picture are far superior. Within minutes of placing the monitor on her slightly round belly, the forming baby is visible.

“Would you like to know the sex?” Dr. Kane asks, rotating the device.

The three look at one another. At the same time, they say, “Yes!”

“It looks like you’re expecting a girl and everything looks healthy. As you can see, the heart has an extra chamber—this is normal for Athion embryos--and there’s a small nub at forming on the backside. Also normal.” He looks at the men. “Is this a common trait in one of your families?”

“On my mother’s side,” Adrius says emotionally. Dr. Kane nods. “Well, your mother’s genetic material has been passed on.”

I wonder for a moment if Damin will be upset but he takes Adele’s hand and kisses it, smiling happily at Adrius.

Dr. Kane glances at me. “Mid-wife Ladd, do you have any comments?”

“Heartrate for baby and mother are good. Your blood is flowing well. Are you having any problems?”

“My nausea is mostly over and I’m able to get down solid foods.”

“Are you taking the maka root powder like I suggested?”

“I am. Thank you, it really helped.”

The herbal medicines are plentiful on Athion and mixing them with our own processes has made the birthing transition even easier.

“Good. You need to keep your vitamin D levels up, as well as your iron. I’ll give you a list of things you can get at the apothecary that should hold you over between now and your next appointment.”

“Great, thank you.”

Dr. Kane and her mates leave the room. I linger to help her clean up. Once she’s settled, I glance at her, wanting to ask a question but unsure if it’s appropriate.

Adele frowns. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m—I’m just curious about something but I don’t want to pry.”

“You’ve been such a help to me,” she says, resting her hand on her belly, “ask me anything.”

“How did you know they were the ones? That you were ready to procreate with one of them?”

She smiles and it makes her look younger—happier. “There’s something about these males that are different from the ones at home. It’s not that they aren’t lustful or filled with desire but it’s balanced by a respect and adoration that I’ve never experienced before. I’d thought I’d been in love on Earth, but what I feel for Damin and Adrius…it far exceeds any relationship I’ve had before. I feel safe with them. Treasured. I want them,” she confesses. “I thought I understood what lust felt like before but no, I want both of them all the time. Even while pregnant. I have a spark in me—a thirst I can’t quench.”

“And it isn’t strange to be with two men at once, you know, emotionally and physically?” I blush at the last question. It seems too forward. Adele doesn’t seem to mind.

“No—it feels right.” She grins. “It’s hard to explain. You’ll know how to navigate it if you ever have the opportunity.”

I squeeze her hand. “Unfortunately, I think I’m married to my work, but it makes me happy. You’re going to have a wonderful family.”

I leave her to finish changing, knowing our next patient is waiting. I consider what she’s said, that feeling of thirst—the spark. I’ve felt the flickers myself when I dream of Kai, or when I was alone with Dimka and our hands touched. When I feel the heat of Alex’s eyes protectively watching me. I think of Dr. Kane and how I’ve learned so much from him—the way he’s taken me under his wing. All of these are unfamiliar to me yet thrilling all the same. I wonder, if we were under different circumstances, if one of these men could be my future mate.

Or maybe, I think, walking to the examination room, maybe more than one.

* * *

“Do you ever get homesick?”I ask one night. It’s past midnight and I’m still not tired. My cup of tea sits on the table between me and Alex, along with a tablet where we’re playing tic-tac-toe. “Do you miss Earth?”

“I miss some things,” he says. “Food. Comfort items. Smells—like my mom’s Sunday dinner or fresh cookies from the oven. Grass after a summer rain.”

“I think I miss the way things were before—not the way they are now.”

“That’s not very specific.”

“Fine,” I say, leaning back in my seat. “Every week growing up, we’d go to the Dairy Queen in town and get sundaes. I liked peanuts and hot fudge and two cherries.”

“Two?”

“Yes, two, specifically.” I sigh. “I know I’ll never get one of those again, you know?”

“Yeah.” He nods in understanding. “It’s hard for me to remember those things. I was a solider on active duty for several years, living off MREs and in a dusty tent.”

“So, you traded up for space exploration and the exciting world of playing tic-tac-toe at three a.m.?”

“I was looking for a new adventure, I guess. I wanted out of the war and Kai promised me this assignment would be calmer.” He smiles at me and marks an X on one of the outer boxes. “He was right about that.”

“I was tired of being scared all the time,” I confess. “I hated the paranoia of not knowing who to trust, of feeling like I was a victim waiting to happen.” He frowns while I say this, concern etched on his face. “I’d lost my sister to the Trads and I just…I just couldn’t face it happening to me.”

I make a circle on the grid with my finger and reach for my cup.

“You don’t feel that paranoia here?” he asks. “Because the Athions are just as eager for a mate.”

“True,” I agree. “But it’s not a mate the Trads want. It’s a vessel.”

I feel his eyes on me and look up to his intense gaze. “I agree, their interest is genuine, but there are other things they do differently than back home. You’re aware they believe in poly relationships?”

“I am.” I think back to the family in the examination room that day. “It’s nice. There’s a lack of competition. They fall in love with who they’re supposed to—even if it’s not just one person.”

“So you’re agreeable to that kind of relationship?”

“Me?” I laugh. “Sure, I’ll push the horde of interested suitors out of the way.”

The frown line between his forehead is deep and creased. He shakes his head and makes a final mark on the tablet. Securing the win. “Don’t be so sure about your lack of suitors, Mercy, I just told you, things work differently here.”

I pause, confused. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not a courtship like back home. There’s no mingling at bars or set-ups by well-meaning friends. The Athions can sense your chemical make-up, their attraction clicks in place, like a missing piece of the puzzle.”

I recall Dimka’s hand touching mine, and Kai’s gesture of the sunset—his scent that stirred my dreams and woke me. I study the man across the table. The human. “And where do you fit into these differences?”

“At first I didn’t get it. Share a woman? We don’t really do that back home. Even cultures that have polygamy typically have one man and multiple wives. But living here, becoming friends—no brothers—with Kai and Dimka? They’ve taught me how to view women differently. Value you and your beauty and mind and body in a whole new light.”

It’s the use of the word “you” that rocks me. There’s no doubt in my mind he’s referring to me. It’s in the way he’s looking at me. The way his jaw tightens and his chest puffs forward. It’s in the slight strain of his voice.

He checks his data pad and grimaces. “I need to go on patrol.”

“O-okay.”

Nothing else comes out.

He walks around the table and passes me, but I don’t miss the slight graze of his fingers on my neck or the chill that runs down my spine in reaction.

A million questions sit on the tip of my tongue as I watch him leave. Is he saying what I think he’s saying? That these men, all three are interested in me? I flash to Dr. Kane. Does he feel the same? A knot in my belly tells me no—not after he warned me away.

I sit in my chair until daylight, until my tea is gone and sunlight streams through the windows, pondering this new world and everything it holds. Athion seems ready for me, but I wonder if I’m ready for it.