Mama and the Alien Warrior (Treasured By The Alien #1) - Honey Phillips Page 0,62

her own.”

“Will it be dangerous for Ribel?” Hrebec asked.

“It could be. It will, of course, be his decision.” L’chong paused. “I’m not sure that it will be possible to separate them afterward, although there are some alternatives we can try.”

“But… she’s going back to Earth.” Abby looked at the fragile figure in the bed, dwarfed by the mound of her stomach. “Is there anything else you can do?”

“I can try, but I will tell you this directly. I think this is the only chance to save her life.”

“How could it have come to this? Why didn’t I see what was happening?” At her despairing words, Hrebec pulled her closer.

L’chong made a sympathetic noise. “Do not blame yourself. Her body shows signs of long-standing weaknesses. That weakness may have been aggravated by recent events, but unless your planet has technology of which I am unaware, going into labor would always have put her in jeopardy.”

She took a deep breath. “Do it. Do whatever you can to save her and the baby.”

He nodded. “You have made a wise decision.”

L’chong went to a small object in a niche on the wall that she had assumed was a sculpture and made some adjustments. The bed widened and lengthened. Ribel barely seemed to notice, his gaze focused on Molly’s face, until the medic spoke to him.

“Ribel, this female needs your help. Will you assist her?”

“Of course. Anything.”

“It could be dangerous,” L’chong warned. “She is extremely weak and trying to helping her could drain you beyond your ability to recover.”

Ribel finally looked at him, and Abby’s heart ached at the despair on his young face. “I don’t care. There would be no life for me if she died. Only the thought that she would be safe and happy on her planet has sustained me these past days.”

L’chong nodded. “Then join her. Wrap yourself around her. She will need your strength.”

Ribel climbed into the bed and tucked Molly carefully into his arms, his tail curving over her waist and hugging her close to him. Thin silvery ribbons appeared from the ceiling, floating down and weaving themselves around the young couple.

“They will provide additional nutrition,” L’chong explained softly. “We will leave them now. I will monitor from outside the room, but I want them to be alone together as much as possible.”

Abby left without protest, but as soon as they were outside, she stopped. “What about the labor?”

“I will postpone it as long as possible to give her time to strengthen, but I do not think it will be possible to wait more than another day, perhaps less. Do you wish to wait with her?”

“Yes, but…” She looked up at Hrebec. “What about the girls?”

“I can provide you with rooms,” L’chong said. “We are equipped for family stays.”

“Could we do that?” she asked Hrebec. “I know you have the ship to look after.”

“The ship will be fine,” he assured her. “I will get the girls and return.”

As they walked towards Amber’s room, Abby remembered TeShawna and Mekoi. “I hate to infringe upon your hospitality, but would you have another room? I think TeShawna would like to stay with her friend, and she has a child as well.”

“Of course. We have plenty of room at this time.” L’chong tilted his head in a very birdlike gesture. “May I ask how many children are on this ship?”

“Aside from my little girl, there are six infants. There are two other human females as well.”

“Indeed.” He bobbed his head thoughtfully.

“One of them is a Cire infant,” Hrebec said grimly. “Purchased at this hospital.”

“Purchased? Ah, I see. The Vedeckian who promised to find a Cire home for her.” He shook his head. “I did not suspect him of ill intentions. He seemed genuinely concerned with the welfare of the child.”

“I think he was,” Abby said. Ignoring Hrebec’s snort, she continued. “However, his… companions were not. They intended to sell the baby.”

“How is she? Cire infants do not thrive without a family bond. We were in the middle of an outbreak of disease and I was not able to attend to the matter personally. That is one of the reasons I agreed to let her go.”

“She has a family now,” she said firmly, and Hrebec’s tail wrapped around her arm.

“I see.” Sharp little eyes darted between them. “As I said, we have plenty of room. Perhaps the other females and the infants would like to spend some time on the planet. And if you do bring them here, I would be happy to check