Page 33 of His to Mate

She’d come out and been a little more direct about it, just in case.

“Yes, I’ve heard some of the soldiers aren’t happy about you,” Mary said and got up to dry the dishes Ann rinsed off. “We’re both concerned about that, and we hope they’re just rumors.”

“So far, but a few men have gone too far in public. Rager has dealt with them.” She missed him now and wanted to be in his arms, but she knew he had a lot to deal with. “Besides, I’m hidden away in that compound. Between that and the aliens that stand guard everywhere I go, I think I’m alright.”

There was one outside now. They were on rotation, and Ann had learned to tell them to wait for her outside of where she was if she wanted privacy. Today, her guard stood watch outside her mother’s front door.

“Good, I’m glad he’s taking it seriously,” Mary said, pecked a kiss on Ann’s cheek again, and put the glasses away in a cupboard. “Now, what would you like to call your little brother or sister?”

Ann thought about it for a little while, plates and glasses were cleaned and then she spoke up. “Sarah if it’s a girl, or Alistair if it’s a boy.”

“Okay, I can see Sarah, honey, but Alistair? Where on earth did you get that?” Mary looked at Ann astounded.

“I read it in a book once. I like the sound of it. We could call him Ally for short. I like it.” Ann feigned hurt over the rejection of the name, but smiled. “It’s not for everyone, I suppose.”

“No, maybe not.” Mary patted her arm and took the plates away. “Maybe Marcus, or Amos. I like those.”

“Amos, Mom? You can’t do that to a kid.” Ann laughed and placed forks and knives in the sink to rinse. “That’s a terrible name.”

“It’s a little old-fashioned, but I can’t name him Ann, or Hans. That would be worse. Amos is at least an A-name. I’d like to name him with you in mind.” Mary looked sentimental as she walked back to the sink. “My first baby needs to be part of my next baby.”

“Then what about the girl’s name?” Ann was confused, but that seemed to be her perpetual state lately, so much so she was almost used to it now.

“I’ll name her Sarah for you and give her your name as a middle name.”

“Mom! That’s so sweet!” She was the one to lean over to kiss a cheek this time. “Thank you.”

“Well, I don’t want you to feel left out or unloved. It will be odd enough for you having a baby brother or sister as an adult.”

Ann didn’t add that she might have a baby of her own on the way. She’d come to ask for her mother’s guidance on the matter, and a few other things, but her mom’s news had changed her direction. She’d let her mom have this day, and talk to her about her own concerns later.

“I just want you both to be healthy, that’s all I care about. Oh, go see Meg at the hospital. She’s got a clinic and she’s reviving stuff at the hospital. She might even be able to take an ultrasound of the baby.” Which sparked her own idea. Maybe Meg would be able to do one on her? “Do you know how far you have to be to see the baby?”

“Around 6 weeks, I think. I was two months along when I saw you on a scan for the first time. They had to do the one that they put up in you though. I hate those, so disgusting.” Mary shivered, and then saw Ann’s face. “Right, you weren’t old enough for those when we went underground, and then you’ve not had any tests or anything. How do I explain this, Amanda?”

“It’s like a wand, they put it up, ahem, inside you, and have a look around from below.” Amanda’s cheeks were as red as her mom’s and Ann laughed a little at them.

“I don’t think I like the sound of it either. It sounds invasive!”

“It is, but it does the job.”

“I’m almost glad I’ve missed all of that,” Ann said and let the soapy water drain from the sink. She doubted she was far enough along to have a normal ultrasound if you had to be that far along to see the baby. That wouldn’t tell her anything then. Unless Meg had that device her mom mentioned. As far as she knew, it was the normal version of an ultrasound. She’d had one done on her stomach once when she was a child and had a very bad infection, so she was familiar with them.

“I would say you should be, but those exams are good to have, or were. They caught a lot of cancer and other problems women have,” Mary said softly, and looked at Amanda. “It’s not all roses, without our technology.”

“No, it’s not, but we’re working on it,” Ann told them, and leaned back against the sink, the dishes done. “We’re trying to find out what women need, in one of my groups. What kind of care we need that isn’t being provided. You’ve just told me one of those services.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear that,” Mary said and sat down again. “We’ll need them, even if there’s not a lot we can do about them.”

“What about those health scanners they used on us when they took us on the ships?” Amanda said and both Mary and Ann looked at her. “Don’t you remember? They scanned us to check to see if we were healthy or not? I bet they have stuff up there we’d give an arm and a leg for down here.”

Ann’s eyes widened as she remembered that day. “They did scan us with something, didn’t they? I’ll talk to Rager about it.”

That might just be the perfect way to find out if she was pregnant or not for sure. “In fact, I’m going to head home and see if I can get in touch with him. I think we could use that scanner sooner rather than later, don’t you?” Ann kissed each woman on the cheek and started to leave. She paused before she made it to the kitchen door. “If I get hold of one, I’ll let you know. You can come over and we’ll check you over, shall we?”

“Of course, Ann. Love you, baby, and thanks for helping.”

Ann waved and almost ran to the door. She heard her guard behind her and waited for him to climb into the transporter before she started it. The drive home was quick, but she felt as if it took far too long. She tried to call Rager, but he didn’t answer. It was early afternoon, he was probably in meetings, but she finally left him a message and asked him to call her back. She added the word urgent and hoped that would get his attention.

She sat there in their bedroom, with a book in her lap as she waited. Her boobs were still sore, and she felt a little nauseous, so she didn’t bother with dinner. She didn’t know she’d fallen asleep until later when Rager slid into bed beside her. She barely woke up, but she felt him there and knew he was home.

“What was wrong, my love?” he asked as he felt her stir.

“I need one of those health scanners. The dog is pregnant,” she muttered to him but fell asleep before she heard his reply or even realized that she’d said something totally off the wall. Exhaustion pulled at her and she couldn’t resist, not even a little bit. She didn’t feel the way his hand cupped at her stomach, or the way he kissed her hair before he rested his head on his pillow. All she knew was the pull of sleep and knowing he was there.