The jolt of his anxiety and excitement came through my feelers. I sent a pulse of tranquil energy through them, hoping to calm him. When he felt it, he sighed in relief and loosened his shoulders.
“Thanks, Zat’tor,” he said softly. “That feels good. But seriously, what’s going on?”
“My suspicions were right,” Jaeyoung said. “Just as it created a womb with your DNA, Zat’tor’s pollen also created a natural exit for the baby.”
Levi tilted his head. “Let me guess. It’s coming out of my butt?”
“It’s coming out of a fleshy tube that’s coming out of your butt,” Jaeyoung corrected.
Levi snorted in amusement. “Nobody on Earth wouldeverbelieve this...”
“That’s why we live on Eukaria now,” Jaeyoung said wryly. “How’s your pain level?”
A tired smile curved across Levi’s lips. “It’s fine with the weird juice Fhi’ran gave me and with Zat’tor’s help.”
“Good, because the channel is pulsating.”
Levi frowned. “What does that mean?”
Jaeyoung shot a glance between his legs. “The baby’s coming out. Right now.”
A pulse of Levi’s panic came through the feelers, but I counteracted it with a wave of calm. He exhaled a shaky breath.
“Okay,” he murmured. “I can do this. Right? Someone please tell me I can do this.”
“You can do it, Levi,” I told him. “You’ve done excellently thus far.”
He nodded and sank back into the bed. “Tell me what to do, Doc.”
“The channel seems to be doing most of the work for you,” Jaeyoung remarked. “It’s pushing the baby out towards us. All you need to do is help it along.”
Curiosity got the best of me. I leaned over to witness the birth. The channel that had emerged from Levi stretched and undulated as a form moved inside of it.
A burst of happiness bloomed in my chest. That was our baby!
Levi gasped, sounding lighter. My feelers were still connected with him, so he felt my unbridled joy, too. It gave him the strength to push hard one final time. With a great big heave, a slimy form emerged from the end of the channel. My heart raced. That curled-up lump nestled on the bed was our newborn.
“What happened?” Levi asked between short breaths.
The room was silent with awe. Even the cool-headed Jaeyoung was speechless at the sight of the baby, his dark eyes shining with emotion.
I moved first. I reached for the newborn, picking it up gently. Our baby squirmed inside the translucent gold sac. Instinct awakened inside me. I cut a hole in the sac with my claw, allowing the newborn to spill out of it.
“Is that our baby?” Levi asked breathlessly, his voice wavering.
He sat upright and reached out with his arms in a silent plea. As I placed our infant in his lap, a huge smile broke across his face and tears formed in the corners of his eyes. He was absolutely elated.
The newborn was a Maeleon, there was no doubt about that. Its body was the same color as a healthy new leaf. But when the infant opened its eyes and blinked, I noticed oddly human irises—the same shade of green as Levi’s.
“Hi there,” Levi murmured, beaming. “You’re so beautiful, aren’t you?”
My heart felt so full. My human filum had given birth to a Maeleon, but there was no hesitation to Levi’s love. It was unconditional. That was his baby, no matter the shape or species.
Jaeyoung and Fhi’ran came closer to see the newborn.
“Congratulations, you two,” Jaeyoung said with the brightest smile I’d ever seen. “I’m no expert, but that looks like one happy, healthy infant.”
“Not an expertyet,” Fhi’ran commented. “You’ve been a wonderful help in the healer’s den.”
