Killian flinched as his mother’s screams, and just that of so many of his kind, started to echo in his head. Some cries were so weak, one would think they’d be easily forgotten, yet those were crystal clear in his mind, as they had occurred just before their bodies had given out.
Swallowing hard, he moved to Ender’s side, resting a hand on the Gorgon’s shoulder. “What risks are we looking at? Is there something we should be watching out for? When you say nest rest, do you mean he shouldn’t be on his…tail at all? Should we carry him places?”
“I do not need to be carried around!” Ender huffed, before cutting Dr. Corradetti off as she obviously went to answer, “Now, there is no point in scaring the man.”
Ruby’s gaze narrowed on the Gorgon. “There isn’t. But there is also reality, which is what we are in, and the reality is…Gorgon births are dangerous.”
Killian barely managed to stop his grip from tightening on Ender’s shoulder, while hoping the man didn’t notice that his hand had started to tremble.
He took a deep breath, trying to slow his beating heart. “Would it be better to remove?—”
“No,” she cut him off quickly. “As mentioned before, until the eggs themselves are ready to come out, that stone-like barrier lining his womb is almost impenetrable. We’d risk killing all three of them if we tried.”
“But what if something goes wrong before they are ready?!” he blurted out, his voice much higher and thready than he intended it to be.
Ender feltthe fine tremor in the hand on his shoulder worsening, as the Siren’s scent soured with fear that was audible in his voice as well. After overhearing that conversation, and spending these last few weeks with the man, he honestly felt…weird about it. Like he should do something to comfort him.
But he didn’t, because he was not interested in a relationship… So why the fuck did he feel bad?!
Her expression was tight as Ruby sighed. “We’d likely be able to save Ender, but the eggs would not survive, as to get inside him, we’d have to destroy them.”
He let out a low hiss at her words. “You won’t?—”
She cut him off. “That is the worst-case scenario. One we shouldn’t have to face, as like I said, it’s time. The eggs are where they should be, one on top of the other, and even if an incident occurs at this time, we could artificially induce you, if need be, to bring down the barrier. Something we are only able to do when you are this far along.”
“Back to my initial questions…?” Killian pressed.
“He can get up from the bed to shower, and for the bathroom, but otherwise, he should remain in bed, or in his nest if he prefers, which is likely where his instincts will favor at this time. There is nothing really for you to look out for. If something goes wrong, Ender will let you know in a very loud way. Nothing will be subtle at this point.”
The Siren took a deep breath and slowly let it out, before asking, “What about when he’s laying the eggs?”
Ender imagined all of these questions had something to do with how the Siren grew up. He, unfortunately, had heard it all before, and had experienced some of it, so it was more or less a repeat for him.
“So, unlike real snakes, whose eggs remain malleable and leathery, even after being laid, Gorgon eggs are supposed to harden afterwards. But because you two aren’t Gorgons, we don’t know how far the eggshells are in the hardening process. It will be easier on his body if they are still in that malleable stage. If they are not, there is a moderate risk of them cracking without intervention.
“This not only puts the babies in danger, but Ender himself, as the shells, once hardened, are like stone and are often sharp. It won’t necessarily kill any of them, but it could, even with intervention. Because his womb lining right now prevents me from reaching in to see just how hard the shells are, when it’s time, I’ll be giving him something that causes his cloaca to loosen and relax further, making up for that lack of knowing.
“One other thing to note with the laying process. While I know you already know this Ender, Killian and Cyrus should be aware that while your Gorgon side will likely let them stay inside the room, even when it takes over, they still need to be cautious as you won’t be very with it. As for everyone else, it’s best they stay away, or risk being attacked. I myself won’t be able to stay inside the room after I administer the shot that I need to. But I will be just outside the door, in case you need me.
“Before you two expecting fathers panic, his body will know what to do. The laying process isn’t quite as messy or involved as other species. Once the process starts, it shouldn’t take too long. No matter what, I promise, I will do whatever I can to make sure Ender and the babies come out of this okay.”
“Any estimate on hatching?” Ender asked. He already knew, but figured it was good to steer the conversation away from laying, and the possible gut piercing issues with the shells.
“Two months. Hatching for your kind tends to be the same regardless of who the father is,” Ruby stated.
He frowned when Killian’s trembling didn’t seem to lessen.
Blinking, he looked to Cyrus, who was on the other side of him, when the Fate took a deep, slightly shuddered breath, before clearly worried father number two asked, “After that…is… Can anything go wrong with the eggs?”
“You two are stressing me out!” Ender snapped. “I am fine. Our eggs are fine. We are all fine! We—” He cut off when his phone started to ring, and pulled it from his pocket.
“What do you want, Soren?” he grunted, on releasing the screen and answering.
“Severo and his family are here.”
“Why are you telling me?! Just let their asses in.” Grumbling, he hung up and pocketed his phone again. “Anyway, as I was saying, things are fine. And once the eggs are actually out of me, as long as no one tries to crush them, or drops them from high up onto a hard surface, nothing will go wrong.”
“We should remove the base of the bed,” Killian bizarrely blurted.
