Page 36 of Bred By the Dragon

“It’s positive!” she crows. “You’re going to have a baby!”

I should feel absolutely elated. This is what I was after, since all of this began. This is why I went to DreamTogether, why I met Sammy, and why I’m here now—for my someday-hatchling, who would complete a life that felt half-empty.

Instead, my chest is hollow, and all my emotions feel dulled. I nod my head as if Sammy can see me. You’re going to have a baby.

Me, not us.

“That’s wonderful news,” I say, hoping I sound more excited than I feel. “I am... so glad to hear it.”

There’s a long silence on the other end, and I check the phone to make sure the call hasn’t dropped.

“Sammy?” I ask, concerned.

“I’m here,” she answers, her voice quiet. “I thought you would be happier.”

Oh, hell. I cringe at how flat I sound. “I am ecstatic,” I say, trying to put as much feeling into my words as I can, but even I know it doesn’t sound real. “Truly.”

“Okay.” She sighs. “Well, I’m happy it worked. Should I give you monthly updates?”

Monthly? I would only hear from her once every month?

It feels like the bottom has fallen out of my stomach. But what did I expect? Our business together, in that way, is concluded now.

“S-sure,” I answer. “Though we’re no longer going through DreamTogether, you should still be receiving regular health check-ups. I can attend those with you.” And I’ll need some way to pay for them. She can’t take that on, too.

“Okay, sounds good!” Her too-enthusiastic voice is back, the one she uses to hide her real self. “I’ll make an appointment and get these results confirmed.”

“Thank you, Sammy,” I say, meaning it with all my heart. She is doing something selfless and marvelous for me. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, of course,” she says in her peppy tone. “I’m glad I could help. I’ll talk to you soon!”

The phone immediately goes dead. I stare down at it, and suddenly, the glass screen cracks. I drop it, realizing that I was squeezing it so hard that I broke it.

Wonderful. Now I have to get a new one so I can keep getting Sammy’s calls. I’ll definitely have to sell the house, with the hole in the roof and all, so I can pay for her doctor’s appointments. That will mean a lot of commuting from my mountain, but I find that preferable.

At least at home it’s easier to sulk. It’s quiet and lonely, a perfect reflection of how I feel inside.

fourteen

SAMMY

I’d never have done it if I knew Zakarion would... well, not care.

When I called him, he sounded like I was delivering the weather report. I wonder what’s changed. Before, having a hatchling of his own was all he wanted. That’s why he did this, why he found me in the first place, why he went to DreamTogether at all.

I wonder if I’ve made a big mistake committing the next who-knows-how-many months of my life to gestating a dragon’s baby, when he doesn’t seem to give a shit.

When we get off the phone, I set it down neatly on the bed before finally allowing the tears rush in. I let them fall for a while, until I get tired of myself being a sad sack and make a phone call to a local ob-gyn to make an appointment. It’s a week from now, and even though I know Zakarion said he prefers calls, I send him a text anyway. I don’t know if I can bear to hear his voice right now.

Appointment at 10am next Tuesday.

I don’t get an answer. Hours later, when I still have heard no reply, I crawl under my blankets and hide there, almost wishing I’d never applied for DreamTogether, so I would never have met him.

A day later, I do get an answer:

All right.

I grind my teeth together, my sadness and regret morphing into frustration. I shouldn’t let this bother me; this was a business transaction from the very start. But the way he’s treating me like a stranger hurts.

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