Destin's Hold (The Alliance #5)(59)

Trig had moved to the end of the bed where he had picked up the tablet to read the medical report. Destin’s lips twitched when Patch leaned over and pulled it out of Trig’s hands with a raised eyebrow. Beth’s tired laugh told him she hadn’t missed the move either. Destin watched her lay her head back against the propped up pillows.

“I’m glad you didn’t,” Beth admitted with a weary sigh. “She’d be jumping all over me for getting hurt.”

“No, she would be proud of you,” Destin murmured. “These aliens have some pretty good medicine. You’ll be kicking butt before you know it.”

“I know whatever Patch gave me for the pain is some good shit,” Beth grinned, her gaze moving to Trig when he walked around to the other side of the bed. “Are you giving Destin trouble again, big guy? Don’t make me have to ‘open a can of whoop ass on you’, as Grandma likes to say.”

Destin grinned, relieved that Beth would be fine. He glanced at Patch when the healer murmured he would return later to check on Beth. Following Patch out of the room, he closed the door and glanced across at the room where Sula was located.

“How is Councilor Ikera?” Destin asked, sliding his hands into his pockets.

“As Chelsea would say, ‘lucky to be alive’,” Patch commented. “She took a blast to her shoulder. I was able to repair most of the torn tissue. She’ll need a few weeks of rest before she is fully recovered. I would suggest that someone in her condition avoid getting shot.”

“Someone is her condition? Is she ill?” Destin asked in concern, glancing at the door again.

“Being pregnant is not an illness. She can carry on with her daily activities as long as they don’t involve getting almost killed,” Patch stated in a dry tone.

“Did you… did you say pregnant?” Destin asked, a wave of shock hitting him with the force of a tsunami.

“I am not familiar with Usoleum anatomy, but I would suspect from the readings that she isn’t far along,” Patch murmured, glancing down at the tablet in his hand and touching it. “I’ll have to access the database to be sure.”

Destin pulled his right hand out of the front pocket of his jeans and ran it down over his face before rubbing the back of his neck. His mind swirled with the knowledge. In all honesty, he hadn’t even thought of the possibility of Sula getting pregnant. He didn’t know why he thought it would matter that they were two different species. After all, so were Kali and Razor, and they had Ami.

“Does she know?” Destin asked, looking back at Patch. “Does Sula know she’s pregnant?”

“Yes,” Patch replied with a pained expression. “I left Chelsea with her when she burst into tears. Chelsea thought having another female with her would be better than my attempts to quiet her.”

Destin swallowed and absently nodded. He slowly walked toward the door. Pausing with his hand on the doorknob, he turned back to Patch.

“Will the baby be alright if the father is human and not Usoleum?” Destin asked in a quiet voice.

“Human…. Ah, yes, well… I’ll do some research to be sure, but I suspect there shouldn’t be an issue, otherwise she would not have been able to conceive in the first place,” Patch said with a curious expression. “I assume you are the father?”

“I think it is safe to say that,” Destin muttered. “Thanks for taking care of her.”

Patch bowed his head and strode down the hallway. Destin watched the other man disappear into a room down the hall before he turned his attention back to the door. He ran his hand through his short hair again, drew in several deep breaths, and released them to calm his stomach.

He knocked on the door, and opened it when he heard a woman’s voice. He immediately recognized the cheerful, dark face of Chelsea, the resident human nurse and motherly figure who kept the Trivators, particularly Patch, on their toes.

“I…,” Destin started to say, but his voice died when his gaze locked with Sula’s watery one. His heart melted when he saw her swollen face. “You are the most beautiful woman in the world,” he whispered, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

“Now you’re going to make me cry again,” Sula wailed, burying her face in the small towel she was holding.

“Honey, you just keep on telling her that,” Chelsea said, walking around the bed and patting Destin on the shoulder. “Go give that girl a hug, but be gentle with her shoulder. She needs it right now.”

Destin nodded, walking slowly toward the bed. Behind him, he heard Chelsea quietly exit the room, closing the door firmly behind her. He sank down on the edge of the bed and lifted a hand to slide it along her jaw. She sniffed and looked up at him, her eyes red and her nose a dark blue.

“Destin…,” Sula sniffed. “I… We… I’m….”

“I know,” Destin murmured, leaning forward. “I love you, Sula.”

He caught Sula’s soft gasp with his lips. He gently teased her lips, waiting for her to open for him. A soft whimper escaped her and he immediately released her, afraid he had hurt her.

“No,” she whispered, lifting her good arm and wrapping her hand around his neck to pull him close again. “Don’t stop.”

Destin’s soft chuckle filled the room. This was his Sula – his alien mermaid. The woman with eyes of fire and skin the color of glacier ice. A woman who could fire his blood faster than any other woman he had ever known, fought like a warrior, and cried ugly.