Chapter Seventeen
***Savanah***
There it was again: that awful dizziness that caught her off guard several times a day. To Savanah, it meant she was on the verge of another bad spell. She fought against it, not wishing to go into that hazy place where she lost control and danced with the man she now considered to be the devil. She wouldn't give him that power over her ever again.
She slowly stood up from the bed, and overwhelming nausea was added to the dizziness. Savanah fell back to the bed holding her head in her hands. She was so very tired and yet she had slept much longer than usual. What was happening to her? Was the emotional issue now causing a physical illness? She couldn't continue this way. There was too much to do and too much at stake.
It was a difficult decision to make. Savanah knew her only option was to see the medic who acted as the pirate doctor, but that would be taking a chance on everyone else discovering she was having more problems. They already worried over her more than enough. And she would hate the attention. Maybe this would pass quickly, and she could forgo the visit.
She managed to make it to the shower without falling on her face, and the hot water eased the aches in her body. However, the nausea became worse, and she lost the contents of her stomach. That hadn't happened before, even during her worst bouts with the hypnotism after effects. It was possible this was an illness that wasn't associated with her time in captivity at all. The thought brought her comfort and made it far simpler to choose to see the doctor.
The encampment was already active when she left her room. A fake smile covered her face, though inside she was cringing. She pretended to be perfectly fine and sipped at the strong coffee someone kindly handed her. It made her stomach roll dangerously, and she couldn't finish it. She couldn't wait to get help any longer or her situation would become obvious to the whole crowd. She poured out the coffee and placed the empty cup on the closest table.
Thankfully, she wasn't stopped by anyone, and the medic was in his makeshift office. Better still, he was alone. "Savanah, you look so pale. You have dark circles beneath your eyes. You haven't been sleeping well, have you? Have the dream states worsened?" he asked upon seeing her.
"I'm not certain," she admitted. "I thought my problem was caused by the hypnotism, yet now I'm not so sure."
"Then, please, come in and tell me your symptoms. Together, we might be able to figure it out. There is no need for alarm."
"I have had dizzy spells several times a day for a while now. This morning I became quite nauseous and lost all my food while I was in the shower. I'm so tired all the time, despite the fact that I really am sleeping just fine. The waking dreams don't always happen when I have these new symptoms. They're not connected. So, I don't understand what they mean. Could it be my body fighting off the dreams? Is it a form of mental healing?" Savanah inquired.
"The only way to know for sure is to rule out an illness. I don't have access to a lot of equipment, but I'll do what limited testing I can. How are you feeling now that your stomach was purged? Is the nausea gone?"
"Not really. I tried to drink some coffee, and it didn't settle well. That's why I came straight to you. I haven't told anyone else."
"Then, we'll start with the basics and work our way up to the scary stuff. Why panic when it might be a simple virus?" the doctor replied.
He put an ancient thermometer in her mouth and wrapped her arm with a blood pressure cuff. "I realize this equipment is antiquated, but it works. I hope that one day we'll be able to confiscate some of the new technology off a spaceship, or at least something newer than this. I found this equipment in an abandoned doctor's office on Earth. It was so old, no one else bothered to steal it," he told her conversationally to calm her down.
"I guess they didn't know what a treasure they were leaving behind," she replied after he removed the thermometer. When she saw the doctor's frown, she added, "Is there something that's perplexing you? Did your equipment stop working?"
"It works fine, but you don't have a fever. Without one, I can rule out it being a virus or an infection of any sort. Your blood pressure is quite elevated. It could be from nerves or a more concerning condition. To get a plausible answer, I'll need to take some vials of blood and ask for some bodily fluid. I have a suspicion that I need to confirm.”
“What is it? Am I dying or just crazy?" Savanah asked in a panic.
"You're not dying or crazy. However, I'd rather not mention what my suspicion is until the tests are complete. There's no need to upset you if I'm wrong, which is entirely possible. I'm only making a guess according to your specific symptoms, so bear with me. I'll bring you some tea and crackers to settle your stomach while I run the tests. Will you be able to wait here, or do you have a pressing meeting with the others to attend?" he inquired.
"I can wait, although I'll be terrified until you give me the answers," Savanah admitted. "You've gotten me more concerned than ever."
"I'll do this as fast as possible. If I rule out what I'm thinking is the issue, then you're going to need sophisticated testing that I can't do. I've told you that once before."
"I trust you to help me. It will be enough."
The doctor took two vials of blood, frowning the entire time. He handed her a cup and sent her to the nearest bathroom, a modified outhouse built behind a rock formation. When she returned, he had some tepid tea and stale crackers he hoped would ease her nausea. She was left to contemplate his reluctance to tell her his suspicions.
She could hear the pirates laughing and going about their daily business and was glad Kyllian wasn't there. He would have been searching for her by now or even seen her morning trauma. Thankfully, Irene was involved with Aisaak and wouldn't miss her around the fire. His sister's empath ability was annoying at times, especially when Savanah was frightened and trying to keep a secret.
She had forced down the tea and three crackers by the time the doctor came back. They had eased her stomach woes for the moment. She didn't need empath abilities or mind reading to see that the doctor had disturbing news for her. His face was pallid, and his usual grin was absent.
"Just tell me, doc. It's obvious the news is bad," she told him.
"Savanah, depending on what you have to tell me, the news could be wonderful or awful. There is no illness, and the symptoms don't match with the mind control issue. The tests show exactly what I suspected. You are carrying a child. I know you and Kyllian have become quite close. Could the baby be his?"
Savanah had gone as white as snow. A baby! Please, God, no! The tears fell without her realizing it, and her knuckles turned white from clutching at the table she sat on.
"It's impossible for it to be his," she exclaimed. "It's only been a week, and the dizziness started before that. I can't be having Kyllian's child. Are you sure about the results? You said yourself the equipment is ancient."
"I ran the tests three times, Savanah. There is no mistake. The identifying markers for pregnancy are all there. In fact, you're several weeks along," he answered sadly.
"This can't be happening! It means the child belongs to a random man who used me while I was captive: someone I submitted to under hypnosis. I don't want it. It stands for all the pain and humiliation I endured. What am I going to do?" Savanah protested.
"The first thing you need to do is calm down. This is your child, and it will always be yours. Whoever the father is, he will have no idea it exists and have no say in its upbringing. None of what occurred is the child's fault or yours. It will grow up loving you and your family. If that includes Kyllian, then the baby will be the better for it.”
"I can't tell Kyllian. We've only just begun our relationship. I can't burden him with another man's baby. He wouldn't want me anyway. You're right, the child has no fault in this, and I will do my best not to transfer the blame to it. I'll have to back away from Kyllian. I'll find an excuse that's believable. He'll never have to know my shameful secret," Savanah declared.
"Soon there will be no way to hide your condition. It's a better idea for all involved to know about it early on. They can have a chance to adjust to the situation as can you. Holding such a life-altering secret inside will worsen your conditions. The illness you feel will get unbearable, and I'm scared of what it would cause your already confused mind to do. It could break you, not to mention what kind of effect it could have on the unborn baby. Your blood pressure is high and will grow higher the more stressed you become. It could damage or destroy the child. You don't wish to be responsible for that outcome, do you? Your future and the child's depend on how you handle this moment in time," the doctor explained.
"If I speak up now,it will be obvious to everyone that the pregnancy came about from the sex trafficking. How can I face them knowing they will either pity me or despise me? What will Irene say? Poor Kyllian will try to be kind and comforting because that's the kind of man he is. But in the end, he will run away. I won't blame him at all. So, I will at least break things off with him. It's only right to give him his freedom to find another woman he can care for."
"The people out there, the pirates, derelicts, and weredragons, will be on your side. Many of them have gone through far worse messes. They aren't judgmental. They will stand by you and help in any way they can. Some of them lost children when Earth became intolerable. A few left them behind in slavery. Do you really think they would despise you for sheltering your own child? They will protect it and dote on it. Irene will adore it. I can't answer for what Kyllian will do, but I don't see him running no matter how hard you try to rid yourself of him. Give him credit for being the honorable man he is. First, though, take a few hours to absorb the news yourself. It was a shock to your system and decisions are almost always wrong when made in haste," the doctor advised.
