Page 14 of LeX

“GETITOUT!”Hisroar makes the walls of the ship seem to shake around us.

“NO! …ViN!”Iam shocked at the determination you can hear inEmber’svoice even in such distress. “SCOUT, you save my baby … if anyone can do it … it’s you.Please, just give me something to deal with the pain.Iam strong enough to carry her a little longer until she is bigger.”

IwatchSCOUT’swhole personality change when he turns his attention fromViN, whose eyes are wild as his runes pulse rapidly all over his body, to look atEmber.

“Littlefemale you must listen to me.Yourlife and the younglings are both in distress and rapidly declining.Thereis no way we can put this off; she is ripping you apart as we speak.Thismeans you will bleed out internally if we wait any longer.Youalso need to understand that ifItake this child, you will never bear another, andIcannot guarantee that you will survive this procedure even ifIdo.

Ican hear your child’s heartbeat and yes, she has grown rapidly, but something is off.Thistrembling you’re feeling is not coming from you, it’s from her.Forsome reason, she cannot regulate her temperature inside of you.Sheis in distress, too.Butyou need to know, you nor the youngling may come out of this alive.Tosave this child,Iwill have to destroy your insides, if she hasn’t already.”

Helooks up fromEmberatViN, whoIknow we are going to have to restrain at any moment. “Whatdo you want me to do,MasterViN?”

“SCOUT, this is not his choice!It’smy body and you will do whatIsay.ViN,Ilove you more than my last breath, butIwill not allow you to live with this choice either way.SCOUT, you do to me whatever it takes to save my child.”

IwatchEvOpushQwinbehind him asIswearViNis getting larger and the room’s temperature is increasing as he looks down at his crying mate.

“Wait!Canwe not put her and the child in stasis,SCOUT?”

Ifit was here and available, it could open up some options. …Hishead turns to me, but allIcan see is code running behind his eyes as he processes my words. “Unfortunately, the damage is too great, and stasis has never been used if the occupant was pregnant.Although, a healing chamber may be an option forEmberif we can keep her stable long enough to get her there.Destroyer,Ineed you to chart a course toFalcorat top speed.Youhave permission to pull on my power reserves if needed.”

“CaptainEvO?”

“DoasSCOUTsays,Destroyer.”

“Attentionall personnel, please brace yourselves untilIcan moderate our acceleration.”

Theentire ship shudders andIhave to hold my hand out to catch myself whenIfeel likeI’mbeing pushed back.Inthe meantime,SCOUThas completely reformed into somethingIhave never seen before.Healmost looks like a large arachnid, each arm an extension of a medical device of some sort.

“MedicLeX,Ineed you to monitorEmber’svitals at all times.ViN, step to the top of the bed.Captain,Irequest that you and your mate wait in the lab where you can assist theDestroyerin assembling the new incubator.”

SCOUTreconfigures the bed, raising it up higher before physically movingEmberslightly sideways. “MasterViN,Ineed you to control your emotions.Iam giving you two very important jobs.First, your mate has calmed since you got here, and her pain is now manageable because you are unwittingly pulling it from her into yourself.Ineed you to gently keep up that reassurance, place your hands on both her shoulders andmake sure she doesn’t move.Second,Ineed this room hot, but not to the pointEmberis uncomfortable.Canyou do this?”

Hiseyes flash red, butIcan see the true fear behind his grumpy persona.AndIfight back my tears when she reaches up, pulling him down to her as he kisses her gently.IthoughtIfelt helpless with the circumstances surrounding my own mate, but nowIrealize that if this had happened before we got back in contact withSCOUT,Iwould have lost my brother’s mate and their child.

Amask forms in one ofSCOUT’smany arms, while two others are connected straight into the mainframe of the med bay. “Ember,Iam going to place this over your nose and mouth.Youwill be slightly aware of what’s going on, but you won’t feel anything.Ifyou do, tell me immediately.”

ViNkisses her once more andIwalk up beside him as the mask is lowered overEmber’sface.Withina few breaths, you can see her begin to relax.

Acurtain is lowered from the ceiling, blockingViNandEmber’sview of her lower body.WhileSCOUThad been talking,I’dscrubbed up and covered my clothes in a sanitary suit.Standingbeside this reconstructedSCOUT, we both work together quickly to get her ready for surgery, as this is going to be so much more than a normal cesarean.

Withina few tics, the room becomes almost swelteringly hot, andIknowViNis fighting himself and the urge to protect his family with more strength thanIbelieveIwould have had in the same situation.

SCOUTflips a small laser cutter around in one hand. “MedicLeX, the moment the fetus is free of her mother, you will need toget her to the incubator quickly.Iwill be working against time to fix whatever we have to decimate and ravage in order to free the child.Herprimary care will be left in your capable hands untilEmberis either stable or in stasis.”

Ican’t stop the gasp that leaves my lips as he slowly slices her lower stomach open.Whatcomes into view is not a normal youngling in an amniotic sac; her uterus has completely hardened around the child.SCOUTgradually starts cuttingEmber’sinterior walls.Wherethe uterus had reached out in an attempt to either stabilize itself or gain more nutrients, her inner cavity is bruised more intensely than her exterior.Emberwas in extreme pain all this time and told no one.

Iwork on cauterizing the many tears whileSCOUTmeticulously cuts her uterus out.Wework together cutting and closing and everything is going well untilEmber’sblood pressure suddenly drops.Alarmsblaring,SCOUThands me the removed uterus with the fetus inside andIrun toward the incubator.IhearSCOUTtellingViNto go with the youngling, butIknew he would refuse until his mate is stable.

EvOandQwinboth obtained sanitary suits, and he is holding the unit open for me to lower the fetus into.Iwas hoping the moment we freed her of her mother’s body we would be able to break the casing around her, but to my horror, it starts hardening even more.Thecreepy part is the outer layers are still reaching out like they are seeking something.

“Whyis it doing that?”IhearQwinwhisper as she steps back with a horrified look on her face.

Mymind is racing over what is occurring in front of me.EvenwhenIturn the heat up as much as possible, the sack-egg-like surrounding only seems to become more irritable in itsmovements.Suddenly, it stops moving altogether andIsee it shrink in size, and in my heart,Iknow the child is dying.Mymind races through every textIhave ever read.Thenit hits me, she needs warmth and the essence of her parental unit, butEmber’sbody wasn’t enough, so she was searching for more.

“ViN,INEEDYOUNOW!”

WhenIdon’t see him coming through the door,Ilook up atEvO. “Helpme move this unit to the other room.Ihave a hunch.”

Hepicks one side up whileIgrab the other, both of us walking quickly but steadily asItry not to jar the fetus any more than we must.Justas we clear the doorway,SCOUTdrops a curtain all the way aroundEmberso thatEvOcan’t witness her at this stage.Thesmell of burning flesh hits my nose as we round the bed.

---