Maylak says something, then Georgie relates it. “She’s going to speak to your khui and see how you are doing.”
“Super. Tell it I said hello and he’s a little bastard.”
Georgie grins and gestures for Maylak to begin.
The alien closes her eyes and hums, and for a terrible, corny minute, I think she’s going to start chanting ‘ommmm’. But her eyes begin to glow even brighter, so bright that I can see the glow behind her eyelids, and my cootie starts to react. It’s not singing or purring like it does when Raahosh comes close, but it’s almost like it’s…talking to her. I feel it twisting inside me, and then it almost dances.
It’s creeping me out.
She continues to hold my hands, and I feel my cootie moving and vibrating in response. It’s a different kind of vibration, higher and more rapid than when it’s sexytime with Raahosh. I try to pull my hands from hers.
“It’s all right, Liz. She’s just checking stuff out inside you. I promise it’s fine.” Georgie puts her hand on my arm.
Maylak opens her eyes and my cootie stops vibrating. It slows to a faint hum and then ends, and the healer exhales slowly. Then, she smiles and releases my hands.
Weirdly enough, I feel better. I didn’t feel bad before, but I feel…rejuvenated. Like I just had an hour-long massage on the inside.
Maylak begins to speak, and Georgie translates. “She says you have a bit of exhaustion. That it’s normal for the humans because we’re all still acclimating to the climate and having a khui, but for you to take it easy.”
“I’m not surprised. I’ve been taking care of Raahosh since he fell and broke his leg.” My eyes widen and I clutch at Georgie’s hands. “Oh – tell her she needs to check out Raahosh. He hurt himself a while ago and took some time to recover. She needs to check him over to make sure he’s okay.”
Georgie looks at Maylak and speaks, and a small, unhappy frown crosses Maylak’s face. She says something, and Georgie argues back with her.
“What are you guys saying?” I ask when they ignore me.
“It’s complicated,” Georgie says. “I’ll tell you later.”
Maylak continues to speak, and she gestures at my stomach. Georgie breaks out into a smile and looks at me.
“Let me guess,” I say before she can translate. “I’ve got a bun in the oven.”
Her eyes widen. “You knew?”
“Uh, I shake like I’ve got a vibrator tucked inside me every time Raahosh gets near,” I say in a dry voice. “We might have banged a few times without protection.”
“A few?” She chuckles.
“Okay, a few times a day. But seriously, that’s what the cootie’s about, right? So I’m not surprised. I don’t know how I feel about it, but I’m not shocked.”
She gives me a sympathetic look. “Not sure how you feel about it because it’s Raahosh’s?”
“No.” Dang, why does everyone think I hate the guy? “Not sure how I feel about it because I’m not sure I wanted to be a mommy, and I’m kinda young. I’m only twenty-two. You’re only twenty-two. We’re all only twenty-two and now we’re going to be having kids if the cooties have their way.”
Georgie’s hand goes to her stomach. “I’m pregnant, too.”
I look over at the silent, waiting healer. “Is she sure? How do we know it’s not just gas or something? Maybe the alien food makes our colons explode.”
“First of all, gross? Second of all, she knows. She’s the healer.” Georgie looks at Maylak and says something, and Maylak gestures at her chest, speaking more fluid syllables. I really need to visit the alien ship and get the info dump, because I’m tired of people talking around me already. Georgie nods and then looks at me, translating. “She says she can feel the changes in your womb. Your khui knows it’s there.”
“Then why does the damn thing still vibrate all the time when I’m around Raahosh?”
Georgie’s mouth curls in a slight smirk. “Because you’re turned on? I imagine it likes sex endorphins as much as the rest of us.”
Girl has a point. I exhale, staring at the cave walls. “So I’m pregnant.”
“Me too. You’re not alone.” She smiles. “Vektal is so excited.”
I imagine the excitement on Raahosh’s face when I tell him that there’s a baby blue alien in my stomach. I touch my belly. He’s going to be…happy but terrified. I remember the story of his parents. That won’t be us. I promise Baby Blue that it won’t. I look at Georgie. “Raahosh is pretty excited about the whole resonating thing too. He really wants a family.”