Page 66 of The Alien's Major Dilemma

"Oh, no, not right now. But the end result of this kind of mating does tend to be offspring. I do understand the Chelion have difficulty with reproduction without medical intervention and that might be the case for you. If that's the case, when you're ready, I'll be happy to give you any assistance you might need."

"Um," Marissa said. "Thanks. I appreciate the offer. Though I hope I don't need it any time soon."

"Yes, well, I assumed you had questions regarding the process?"

Marissa could feel her face contort while she tried to figure out a response. "No, I think I've got a pretty good handle on the basics of how babies are made. I actually wanted to ask some questions about why I feel kinda crazy."

"Ah, that's going to be a combination of things, I think," Mintonar said, his face contorting into awkward sympathy."Some of it is, indeed, the hormones. The first few months tend to border on an overdose of what some of your nurses have referred to as 'the happy hormones'. Being intimate with your mate will actually make that easier to deal with. The rest, though, has something to do with some brain damage."

"Brain damage? I thought the concussion was healed."

"It is. This is damage that was caused over several decades. I can show you on the scans?"

Marissa nodded and he pulled up a projection of her brain.

"Right here," he said, circling an area that she could suddenly feel in her head. "It's subtle enough that I don't think human imaging technology would pick up on it. There are connections that have been damaged so they're not firing consistently. I suspect there was something introduced when you were a child and your brain was still developing that was removed recently."

"Uh, yeah," she said, rubbing at her head. "Cooper said there was some kind of thought worm or something? He took it out. And the doctor who attacked me had them, as well. But she had more of them."

"Ah," Mintonar said and made a note. "I've heard the Dragor have the ability to insinuate thoughts into a persons mind. I didn't realize it was a talent the Chelion shared. I'll have to include that in my assessment of the doctor and the other soldier I was asked to look at."

"Other soldier?" Major Ozark asked.

"Yes, I believe she was with you when Captain LaGrange was attacked. I have her name written down."

"Corporal McBride," Marissa said.

"Yes, that sounds right. Do you know her?"

"She was part of my team. Grew up not far from where I did, actually. Different state, same mountain range."

Mintonar made thoughtful noises and added more notes.

"That's good to know."

"It is?"

"Of course. Data is always a good thing. I might not be able to use it right away but it gives me another piece to the puzzle."

Marissa nodded, feeling completely out of her depth.

"To answer your question, though, you are going a little crazy. But it's a good thing. You were damaged and the flood of hormones combined with the connection to your mate is helping you heal. Faster than your brain is equipped to handle without help."

"So, I am crazy, but it's a good thing."

"You're healing," Mintonar said gently. "And learning while you do it. It's normal to be overwhelmed but you have a second brain you can lean on when you need to."

"When I'm not infecting him."

"Affecting," he corrected. "Not infecting."

Marissa wasn't sure she believed him but she did know she didn't want to argue with him about it. Which was…new. Something to think about when she had some down time.

"Do you have any other concerns?" Mintonar asked. "Because I think we've done everything we can for now and it's almost time for the meeting to restart."

"No, I think that's everything. Thanks for the sandwich, by the way, I wasn't looking forward to skipping lunch but I wanted to have the concussion dealt with soonest."

"It has been my observation that human women do well with regular meals, especially when they're in the throes of a new relationship, and I hoped to have the chance to examine you. It seemed prudent to have food ready if I was pulling you away from the official meal."

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