Page 53 of Secret Twins for the Alien Dad

She is in so much pain whenever she has a contraction, and I feel utterly helpless. The ride seems interminably long. Eventually, we reach our destination. I hurriedly swipe my comm across the pay pad and the door slides open.

There is a hover-chair waiting for her, but she has to stop and have a contraction before she reaches it. We’ve both researched as much as we can about labor and birth, so I squat down next to her and encourage her to breathe through it.

“Come on, this is the last one before you get some pain relief,” I tell her encouragingly.

She is so brave she even tries to smile in response to my encouragement.

Once the contraction is finished, I help her to the waiting hover chair. She sinks into it with relief as the chair molds to support her in just the right places. I feel better knowing that the chair is already scanning her and sending pain relief to where it’s needed.

“That feels so much better,” she says with a sigh.

The hover chair carries her to her birthing suite, where we are met by the consultant. “Hi,” she says, her voice soft and gentle. “My name is Analize. I will be your birthing consultant throughout your labor and birth. Let’s get you settled in and we’ll see what’s happening with those babies of yours.”

Just then, Myra has another contraction, but the chair responds to her needs and allows her to bear it pain-free. Once it’s finished, I help her into the waiting bed and take a seat next to her head.

“I see you’ve opted for an anti-gravity birth,” Analize says, pulling up Myra’s notes on the screen.

“That’s right,” Myra replies. “We both came in for the training last week.”

“That’s wonderful,” says the consultant. “The ZeroG unit has helped so many of our young mothers. If you find it doesn’t agree with you, though, you can change your mind at any time. We can offer water and manipulation also as you know. And the surgery is on standby if you need it, which I’m sure you won’t.”

“That’s great,” says Myra. “It’s good to know our options.”

“I’ll let you get undressed and ready for the ZeroG unit,” she says and leaves the room.

I help Myra out of her clothes, and I strip down to my shorts. The run-through was fun last week, but my nerves are getting the better of me today. I give myself a mental shake. I’ve got to be strong for Myra, even though I feel completely out of my depth.

I take her hand and give it a squeeze. “I can’t believe we’re actually going to meet our babies today!” I say.

“I know, it’s so exciting. We will finally get to cuddle little Staxin and Ranxor,” she says with wonder in her eyes. “It’s been so long, and now it’s finally here.”

The consultant comes back in and attaches the pads to Myra’s stomach and back. She then attaches some to me, too. The ZeroG unit is small, unlike the recreational ones. This space is designed with padded handles and backrests and places where Myra can brace herself to push if she likes.

“Okay, I just need to test everything is up and running okay before I turn it on,” says Analize.

She presses a screen and a 3D image of Myra hovers in the air in front of us. The consultant touches the image and scans in on certain areas. Her heart, her lungs, the expanded entrance to her womb, and finally the babies. She removes the image of the babies from the hologram of Myra and runs through several checks on each of them too.

I’m fascinated by the tiny forms that seems so lifelike, hovering in the air in front of me. I want to reach out and touch them, even though I know my fingers would pass straight through the image.

“Okay, everything appears to be in order,” she says. “Now if you’d like to go around behind Myra and hold her steady like you were shown in training while I turn on the machine.”

I do as she asks, glad to have a job. I wrap my arms around her warm body, holding her in that hot spot between her breasts and her swollen belly. She eases herself back into my arms, and I feel some of the tension leave her body.

“Okay, it’s going on,” says Analize.

We float gently into the air, and I feel the weight of her chest rise up from my arms. We are floating, suspended in the air.

“That’s so good,” she says. I can feel all the pressure on my body being lifted.

Just then, she has another contraction. I can feel her belly tightening under my hands. She makes a small straining noise as the contraction continues, but even I can tell the pain is nothing like it was before.

“That one was much longer. You’re doing well,” says Analize. She is keeping an eye on things in the observation room by watching the holographic images of mother and babies for any changes in their vital signs. I am reassured by her vigilance.

“Is there anything you’d like me to do?” I ask Myra.

“Can you massage my belly between contractions, please?”

I maneuver my way around in front of her. The ZeroG allows me to float in the air between her legs and massage her gently.

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