I shook off the sudden whimsical feeling, then faced him. He wrestled the two kids playfully, letting them dangle off his arms like a pair of monkeys.
“Yeah,” I said confidently. “Honestly, I’ve felt ready since I saw Dai’zee.”
Zat’tor’s eyes shone with pride. “You seemed ready,” he agreed. “You just hadn’t found your filum yet.”
Kur’tok’s feelers wriggled. He was embarrassed and flustered. “Right. Because I was out in the wilds, acting like a fool.”
I nudged him lightheartedly. “Hey, we all have our moments.”
The corner of his lip curled into a smirk. “I’m glad that particular moment is over.”
He leaned down to kiss my temple. His touch felt unusually soft and tender. I shuddered with happiness. Contentment spread over my body like warm sunshine.
The only way today could get better was if Ifinallygave birth.
The long outdoor table for tonight’s feast was full. A spread of fruit appetizers was laid out before us as we waited for the main course. Except for the cooks, the whole village was present—even Assistant 23, who’d been shy and squirrelly since joining us. He squeezed onto the bench beside me, careful to leave a few inches for my comfort. He yelped quietly when a big purple Maeleon plopped into the seat on his other side. Turning to me, Assistant 23 cleared his throat.
“Y-you got big fast, huh?” he said.
I reached for an orange squash from the center. “Yup. Maeleon-on-human pregnancies are super quick. Don’t ask me why, ‘cause I’m not a scientist. I just talk to people.”
Kur’tok noticed my reach and grabbed the squash, placing it on my plate. He cut it into little pieces while I chatted away.
“Oh, thanks, Kur’tok—anyway, as I was saying, I’m due any day now,” I continued.
Assistant 23 turned his face shield towards my swollen belly. He hadn’t removed his hazmat outfit, despite our best persuasive efforts. But there was no point in pressuring him. Let him do whatever made him comfortable. He’d come around eventually.
“And you’re... going to... push it out of you?” Assistant 23 asked.
I took a bite of squash. It tasted sweet and sour, like a gummy candy. “Seeing as I can’t teleport it out of my body, yeah.”
I couldn’t see Assistant 23’s face, but I imagined that he looked both fascinated and terrified.
“By the way, Assistant 23 is kind of a mouthful,” I said through another bite of squash. “Do you have a different name you’d rather be called?”
He paused. “No.” Another pause. “Um... Not right now, anyway.”
I shrugged casually. It was no big deal to me what name he went by.
“Okay. Hey, why haven’t you started eating yet?” I asked. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen him eat in the two weeks he’d been in the village. Had he been taking food and eating it in private so nobody could see beneath his suit?
“R-right.” Assistant 23 grunted softly and reached for a few fruits from the center. The big purple Maeleon beside him noticed him struggling and tossed a pile of food onto his plate. “O-oh. Um, thank you...”
Was it my imagination, or did Assistant 23 seem a bit flustered when the Maeleon flashed him a smile?
“Hey, Paz!” Levi sat across from me with a grin.
Jaeyoung and Linn’ar joined him, with Zat’tor and the kids close behind. It was nice to have everybody together.
“Hope you and the baby are hungry,” Levi went on. “I cut up so many potatoes. And before anyone asks,no, there wasn’t a single knife injury involved.”
“Shockingly,” Jaeyoung teased.
“Oh, shut up, doc.”
When the scent of hearty veggie stew floated over to my nose, I nearly moaned in anticipation. As if he wasn’t talented enough, Jaeyoung had become quite an amazing cook.
“Let me get it for you,” Kur’tok offered. “Make it a big portion. Paz and the baby deserve it.”
