Page 30 of The Emerald Boa's Lover
“You move in with me.”
“I already live with you?”
“We share our lives together.”
“We already do that too?”
“We commit to each other to make this relationship work.” He smiles and hugs his arms around my waist.
“I can agree to that.” I kiss him, because he’s too handsome and tender not to.
“And you promise that you will tell me when you need something, even if you think it’s difficult to ask, you do it anyway.”
“Right back at you.” His expression is deadly serious. “This isn’t a one-way street, and I meant it when I said I’m an all-or-nothing kind of guy. I’m all in now Dal. So when you need something from me, you say so, okay?”
“All I need is for you to be happy, healthy, and to love me. If I have those three things from you, then you’ll have them back from me.”
“You are so fucking romantic.” He chuckles and cups my cheeks to smush my face and hold me close to his face. “I love that about you. We can be hopeless romantics together. Partner.”
“Deal.” I mumble through my puckered lips, his hands still smushing my face. I manage to flick my tongue forward, connecting with his nose and making him bark with laughter. I love that sound. I want to hear it for the rest of my life. “Now do you want me to make you some more toast?”
“What’s wrong with the toast?” We both turn in perfect sync to see that the cup of coffee has been knocked over at some point (probably by my tail) and the toast is now floating on the plate in a pool of it. “Ah. Yes please.” Charlie walks over and picks up a piece of paper and tries to open it, but it’s so soggy it tears. “Ah. I hope this wasn’t important?”
“I can draw it again.” I chuckle and wink at him.
“What was it?”
“A surprise.” I take the remanents before he can try to piece them together. “And I’ll draw it for you again while you eat breakfast. That’s the deal.” He pouts, but his stomach is on my side, as it rumbles loudly.
“You drive a hard bargain, but I agree.” He chuckles and I watch the flex of his muscles in his back as he walks away from me to the pulley system. “I’ll throw some clothes on and—”
“Or don’t?” I counter with a smirk, as he sits on the pulley seat. He flashes me a mock scandalous look…and then lowers himself down toward the living area, rather than back up to the nest room for his clothes. It’s like the pain that’s been squashing Charlie has finally subsided and he’s back to his normal self. Maybe he’s better equipped to deal with what’s on his plate now? Whatever has changed, I like it, as I clear up his ruined breakfast and take the dishes down to the kitchen area. Charlie is posed on a soft blue fuzzy beanbag, one leg crossed over the other to hide his groin from me, the menace, as he reads Asma’s patient file.
He is smiling though. I can’t remember the last time he read it with a smile on his face. In turn, I can’t stop smiling either.
Chapter 24
It's egg laying day
Author’s Note. Trigger warning. Without giving a spoiler, you can skip this chapter if you wish.
Charlie.
It’s egg-laying day. Doctor Chada and I agree that Asma needs to lay her eggs now. She’s starting to show signs of fatigue and we don’t like it. She’s agreed to be induced and I’ve been given permission to assist, but not lead in the procedure. I’m not a specialist, after all. Asma wants me there as her doctor, and Chada has this idea that he’s going to try and convince me to stay on at the hospital in the clinic here once Asma’s been treated.
I am going to stay, but not in the way he wants me to.
Dalahan has been on the com-gem call daily with Rerasha for weeks to lean on Alaric, and my confirmation came through this morning. I will be working in the hospital from now on, alright, but in the immunology lab. Oh yes. I’m getting my precious Petri dishes back! I don’t care how many times people praise me for being good with patients. I hate seeing them suffer, and I am just not made out for this. I want to see Asma through her procedure and then I am never treating a living breathing patient directly, ever again. Thankfully, the Ucfeni desperately need someone with my expertise to develop new antibiotics and test them, more than another doctor on the front lines. Alaric pushed the paperwork through, probably just to make Rerasha stop nagging him. Dalahan described to me how annoying the ambassador can be, and delighted me with several tales of their childhood to attest to that fact.
But now is not the time to think of childhood tales of the two of them pranking one another and driving their parents crazy. Today is the day.
“Doctor Charlie?”
“Yes Asma?” I smile and come to her side. The beautiful blue Ucfeni is laid out on an 11ft long hospital bed. The last third of her tail is secured in with padded straps to keep her from thrashing and slumping off the side of the bed. She has railings framing her upper body. The middle third has no such railings or straps, to allow the medical professionals to get to her abdomen and pouch. She’s hooked up to an IV with fluids and antibiotics ready to go.
“Can I hold your hand?”
“Promise not to crush it?” I tease her with a wink, but I’ve already cupped both my hands around her right one. She is bare with a loose hospital skirt that will be lifted up once it’s time for her to push. Well, to squeeze would be a more accurate description of how she will lay, but it’s all semantics at this stage. She also wouldn’t be on her back if she was laying naturally, but she’s in this position so we can best give her medical intervention if required. The Ucfeni doctors and nurses are wearing face masks, one to reduce her pheromones entering their scent pits in a confined surgical room, and two, for the same reason they now wore face visors, gloves, and a surgical gown. There was a real chance Asma may need surgical intervention if she doesn’t lay the eggs quickly enough. She’s already been induced, and that’s what everyone is on hand for. She is contracting, but her contractions haven’t been very strong.
