Page 69 of Whoops-A-Mate From Outer Space
I smiled. “Then I think we should get a test.”
“They will have them at the building for the Lalyllte delegation,” he replied. “And that is closer than the base hospital.”
“Do you want to go now, or later when you might feel a bit better?”
“Now, please.”
“Ok.”
He stood, and I followed. We went upstairs to change, then grabbed a tandem bike that we’d splurged on from our garage space. Soon, we were pedaling toward the restricted building.
We’d have to get a small car soon enough as winter set in, but until then, biking was a way we enjoyed getting around the base. And all the soldiers got a kick out of seeing us riding it.
We stopped at the gate about twenty minutes later, and I could tell that Eashai was impatient to get inside as we got the bike settled in the rack, which had a couple more single-person bikes in it since others had noticed and taken a liking to them.
He grabbed my hand as soon as we made it inside, leading me farther down the hall than I’d been before. Then he opened the door to what appeared to be a storeroom.
“Eashai?” asked a man with light brown skin. He was one of the Lalyllte who could most easily pass for human, though there was an undertone to his skin that was slightly off.
“I would like to request a pregnancy test,” my mate replied.
The other man blinked, then a slow smile spread across his face. “I shall get one for you.”
He disappeared between some shelving racks, then reappeared a moment later holding a small box. He handed it over.
“May you have the results you desire,” the man said with a grin.
“Thank you.”
They shared a nod, then Eashai led me from the room.
“How does your test work?” I asked as we walked down the hall back to the entrance. “On Earth, the birth parent pees on a test strip.”
He stopped walking, turned to me, and laughed. “Ours works in the same fashion.”
I met his gaze. “If that’s the case, did you want to go home to test, or do you want to find a restroom and do it here?”
The long pause as he considered the question told me exactly how nervous and impatient he was.
“Let us test at home. “
“Ok.” I leaned in and kissed him.
We both pedaled a bit harder on the return trip, making it home in record time. I urged Eashai to go take the test while I put the bike away.
He was pacing the living room as I got inside.
“How much longer do we need to wait?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his middle.
“The test should be complete,” he answered. “It works quickly.”
“Ok,” I said softly, then I kissed him. “Let’s find out if we’re going to be fathers.”
He nodded, and I released him so that he could retrieve the test. Then we sat next to each other on the couch.
Eashai took a deep breath, hands shaking, then he turned it over.
“I… I am pregnant,” he whispered.
