"So, this is my fault. I've brought him nothing but trouble. I'm ashamed to say that I was mad at him for not telling me he hadn't gotten permission to bring me here when it's him that's getting punished and beaten. For his sake, I should have stayed on Earth. My love isn't worth his death,” Michelle declared.
Kelan's barely discernable voice protested, "It is to me."
Both Michelle and the healer jumped at the soft sound. Kelan's eyes were open. Pain and weariness showed in their emerald green depths, but he was awake, and his brain was clear. The healer was pleased. "Are you seeing clearly or is everything fuzzy?” he asked.
Kelan whispered, "You're both clear, and there is only one of each. That's good, right?"
"It is better than I expected,” the healer admitted. "You must be in excellent health to take such a blow to the head and not suffer more damage."
"I'm just hard-headed. Ask Michelle if you don't believe me,” Kelan tried to joke.
"My work here is done,” the healer stated. "If you can make jokes, there is no bleeding or swelling inside. I will leave Michelle to care for you. For your information, she has won me over. My vote is for her to stay. I believe her to be trustworthy."
Michelle offered to see him to the door. He declined. Kelan needed her more. She was ordered to get him hydrated and keep him in bed. No transforming was allowed.
Michelle held a cup for Kelan to drink from. She kissed the top of his battered head and eased it back down on the bed. "I'm sorry your own people have turned on you. It's not fair that you're suffering due to my presence. I would offer to leave, but I think it's too late. They won't trust me not to divulge this planet's existence, and they won't forget who brought me here."
"Does this mean you're not angry with me anymore or is this a temporary reprieve due to my injuries?” Kelan inquired.
"I'm not angry. I was so afraid you wouldn't wake up and let me tell you that I love you and that I'm sorry for the childish way I've acted. We've both made mistakes. Who wouldn't in this situation? There's no precedence for falling in love with an alien and moving to their planet. We didn't have a guidebook to help us. It's a trial and error sort of thing,” Michelle teased. "Mostly errors,” she added.
"I see you can make a joke too,” Kelan answered. "It's nice to see you smile again. I've missed it. The healer's on our side. Maybe he can convince others, and things will be easier."
"I hope so, although I have news that could make everything worse or fix it all. I don't know how the citizens will look at it. I don't even know if you'll be happy or upset. In fact, I'm a little confused about my own feelings,” Michelle sighed.
"How bad can it be? I've been demoted and beaten. You're locked up on an alien world. Your fate is to be decided by strangers of a different species. So, give it to me straight. I'm in no position to do anything about it, even if I don't like it,” Kelan replied.
Michelle took a deep breath, blushed from head to toe, and said, "We're going to have a baby." Then, she rushed from the room to throw up again. Kelan stared at the empty room in disbelief.
