Jessie Read online

  All the women giggled at Sloane’s confession, but started laughing hysterically when Lyon asked, “What’s a vibrator?”

  Jessie finally piped up, “Look in all seriousness, Sloane is very sick. Is there anything you can do for her?”

  Immediately the room was deathly quiet when Lyon and Lian rushed to Sloane’s side. Lian rushed to ask, “How are you sick? What can we do? Please forgive us; our excitement of finding our ayah has clouded our judgment. Now I see you’re a different shade of color than the rest and your concern for Jessie has masked your pain. Our ayah is in pain, Lyon.”

  Lyon roared just like Looch had done in the healing bay. All the women were startled and started moving away from Lyon. Lyon realized his mistake and quickly apologized. “How are you sick Sloane? Tell us, please. We’re healers and can help you.”

  Sloane was awestruck with the concern in both Lian’s and Lyon’s eyes. How could she tell them she was broken? With tears forming in her eyes, she quickly blinked them back. “I have stage four ovarian cancer. It has metastasized to my liver. What you’re seeing is what Earthlings call jaundice. My liver isn’t functioning properly, and it turns my skin and eyes a yellowish color. Jessie was helping in the hospital I was at, and we spoke many times about MEDS before it hit our town. In fact, it was only two days after the incident at Mac’s bar that Jessie came to the hospital to get me. She convinced one of the doctors to give her the medicine we needed for all my treatments knowing MEDS would soon take over. Jessie had pleaded with several women to come with her and hide at the ranch, but I was the only one who came with her. We heard the next day one of the male interns came into the hospital with several semi-automatic weapons and shot everyone including the doctor who had helped us. They were all sitting in their beds, and he shot them one by one. I don’t know what’s worse? Dying quickly with a gunshot to the head or slowly dying of cancer.” Sloane softly cried.

  “We won’t let you walk with the Goddess, Sloane. You’re our ayah. You’re our responsibility now, and we cherish our duty to care for you. Come, we will take you to the healing unit.” Lian held out his hand to Sloane.

  “I’m dying Lian, do you think the machine can help?”

  “Not only will it help you, but it will also cure this cancer you speak of,” Lyon said while sweeping Sloane off her feet and cradling her to his chest.

  Lian turned to speak softly with Leigh. Leigh nodded, and after Lyon and Lian left the room with Sloane, Leigh announced, “Sloane’s sickness is different from healing wounds. The healing unit takes the body’s natural ability to heal itself and amplifies it. Her body is fatigued and this process although the same as when Jessie was healed will take a considerable amount of time. She’ll be in stasis for at least an Earth month if not longer. With that said, Lyon and Lian will be by Sloane’s side the entire time. Commander Looch will assign you all to new males. They will take care of you all just as Lyon and Lian have. All will be well.”

  “I’m so happy you’re staying with us, Jessie.” Riley blurted out.

  Commander Looch’s response was quick and clipped, “Jessie will remain with my brother and I. End of discussion.”

  Looch noticed Jessie visibly bristled with his declaration. He could see she wasn’t happy about with the situation but didn’t voice her displeasure.

  Chapter Seven

  After Looch assigned new warriors to stay with Jessie’s friends, Looch and Leigh took Jessie back to their cabin for some bonding. They ordered food to be brought to their cabin. Leigh thought eating in the common room was too tempting for the remaining warriors aboard the ship to try and win Jessie’s favor for a night or two. All the males desired a female to love. Arenian males knew who their one true ayah was just by her alluring scent alone, but until they found her, it didn’t mean they couldn’t have fun with a female if one was willing.

  They all sat in silence as they ate. Jessie was overwhelmed by all the different foods there were, but became almost terrified when Looch thrust a weird purple piece of food at her intending to hand feed her. “Eat. It’s good.” Looch dictated.

  Jessie grabbed the purple mango looking thing out of Looch’s fingers and plopped it to her nose to smell it. It smelled somewhat like pineapple. Jessie popped the purple food into her mouth and audibly moaned with the delectable taste. She noticed both men tensed with her moan. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. This stuff is yummy.”

  Leigh smiled, “It’s not rude Jessie. Looch and I always want to bring you pleasure.”

  Looch looked at Leigh with surprise at his bold words. Quickly he looked back to Jessie, hiding his shock and tried to smile.

  Jessie stared at the strange look on Looch’s face. “Was he trying to smile?” She thought. Looking back to Leigh she murmured, “Okay then. What’s it called?”

  “It’s called Meekie fruit. It comes from a Meekie tree.” Leigh responded.

  With a pained expression on his face, Looch rose from his seat and announced he was needed on the bridge. He abruptly turned and stormed out the door.

  “Don’t mind him, Jessie. He believes you find him to be a monster since he terminated your male friend. He’s a proud man and due to his and my elevated station on our planet he resigned himself to a loveless bonding. He never imagined finding our ayah. He’s confused and in turmoil over this situation.” Leigh quietly drawled.

  Jessie looked at Leigh with surprise on her face. “I don’t think Looch is a monster, maybe a little overbearing, but a monster? No. He saved me. Mac was a good man before he contracted MEDS. Looch did what he had to do. I wouldn’t have liked it, but if the roles were reversed, I would have done the same thing.”

  “Jessie, what’s MEDS?” Leigh asked in a somber tone.

  “About eight months ago rumors of the sickness surfaced. The sickness affected every male on Earth. No one knows where it came from, but at least someone named it before most of the population died out from all the violence. It was the male version of Episodic Dyscontrol Syndrome or MEDS for short. It wasn’t a virus, bacteria or even a parasite. No one could pinpoint a source. They looked at pollutants, air and water quality and biological terrorism. Once the sickness took hold there was no reversing it; it just got progressively worse. At first, men became increasingly agitated to the point they seemed to all be on massive doses of steroids. Then the worse behavior imaginable started happening. It seemed all men turned into violent zombies, possessed by the devil himself. Husbands raped their wives, fathers killed their whole families, and even little boys tried to kill but were overtaken by larger men. Each guy was different in a way. Some would rape and kill; some would keep you alive just to torture you. Some men would turn on each other and kill one another.” After a long sigh Jessie continued. “Some men would move in packs like wolves. Packs were harder to escape since those men were elite killing machines. I’m not an angel Leigh. It was kill or be killed. I’ve killed countless men in the last several months. If anyone is a monster, it’s me.”

  “You’re not a monster Jessie. You’re a warrior, a leader, and a survivor. You saved female lives. Your world changed. You may not see it this way, but Earth’s population was already dead. You just needed to accept it. I can’t imagine the things you’ve seen. I’m so sorry ayah.” Leigh said with regret as he brushed his fingers over Jessie’s cheek.

  A chirp from Leigh’s comlink interrupted them. “Forgive me Master Healer, but we have a situation in the healing ward needing your expertise.” Said the unfamiliar voice.

  “It’s all right. What’s the situation?”

  “An Earth female was brought to the healing bay after discovering she was in labor.”

  Jessie saw Leigh visibly tense before answering in a low tone. “I see. I’ll be right there.”

  Perplexed, Jessie asked, “What’s the issue, Leigh? Why can’t they help the woman?”

  “Two things are worrying me about the situation. One, I worry the woman carries male offspring. Two, although we’re all healers and know
the mechanics of delivering young, it’s something usually passed down from mother to daughter. The bonded males are not even permitted to be there during births, and from what I’ve derived, most females don’t want males in their presence when birthing.”

  “Are you serious? I assure you Earth women want you there. They need support.” Jessie continued. “Well, it’s a good thing I’m here then. I’ve helped deliver countless babies.”

  “You have?”

  “They were all of the four-legged, furry, variety but yes, I’ve delivered a lot of babies. The secret with any mom’s delivery is to go in with confidence. If she sees weakness, she’ll be nervous and not concentrate on what needs to happen which is bringing a beautiful baby into the world.”

  “So you’re a healer then too. Another reason I want to bond with you, ayah. Let us go and help the female.” Leigh said with a smile.

  They both rushed to the healing ward. Leigh was excited at the prospect of delivering a babe. Apparently, all the excitement of aliens falling from the sky sent the poor female into labor. Leigh just hoped the woman carries a female.

  When they arrived at the healing ward, Leigh saw the woman with a huge rounded belly in distress. She was breathing in pants and sweat was beaded on her face. The healers on duty were at a loss as to what to do. They looked to Leigh for guidance. Leigh finally announced, “Healer Jessie will be delivering the babe.”

  Jessie didn’t miss a beat and went straight to work. “What’s your name hon?” Jessie asked as she dresses in a protective covering.

  “Monica…my name is Monica. I’m scared. This is my first time.” The woman panted out.

  “Do you know if you’re having a girl or a boy? How far along are you? Did your doctor say there was anything I need to be aware of?” Jessie rattled off.

  Monica moaned in pain, “I’m having twin girls. I’m thirty-seven weeks along, and I haven’t had the best prenatal care if you know what I mean.”

  Jessie looked at Leigh then back to Monica with a smile. “I understand. I’m so glad you said twins, Monica. I was afraid you had one big baby in there. Thirty-seven weeks for twins is perfect. If twins are what you have then this will be a piece of cake. You’ve got this.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Monica said in between pants. “Are you even old enough to deliver babies?”

  “I’ve done this lots of times Monica.”

  “You don’t look old enough to have done this even once.”

  “Don’t you worry about me, Monica. I guess you know this whole situation is a little jacked up since you’re delivering babies on an alien ship. We don’t have equipment up here as we would on Earth, so you’re going to have to do this the old-fashioned way. I need you to listen to me and follow my instructions, and we’ll get through this fine. Okay?” Jessie continued, “You and you. What are your names?”

  “Zaw and Nopal,” Leigh answered for them.

  “Monica is scared and needs help delivering these beautiful babies. I want both of you on each side of her and grab her legs at the knee and gently hold them back towards her head.” Jessie barked out. Zaw and Nopal didn’t hesitate and did what Jessie asked.

  Monica screamed out, “They’re coming. I need to push…I need to push.”

  As Monica was screaming in pain, Jessie noticed Zaw and Nopal’s usual glowing tan skin tone was stark white. “Are you with me guys?” Jessie said a little more harshly than intended.

  Their pleading eyes targeted hers. “Forgive us healer Jessie; we’re not accustomed to a female in so much pain and not being able to do anything about it. It’s overwhelming.”

  Nodding to them both Jessie said, “You’re doing fine guys. Just concentrate on helping her.”

  Jessie turned her attention back to Monica “See Monica? Mother Nature is taking over. Your body knows what to do. In fact, I can already see the head, Monica. You are doing fine. Give me a long controlled push.”

  Leigh stood by Jessie and watched in awe as she helped Monica bare the first babe. When the first female was born Jessie cleaned the child quickly and wrapped her up in a blanket. Jessie then turned to Leigh and said, “Your turn. The other one will be along in a few minutes. You just need to do the same thing I did. I’m here supervising if you need any help. Monica, you did so well. She’s healthy and absolutely stunning. Do you feel like you need to push yet? The quicker we get your other precious gift out, the quicker you can rest.”

  Leigh was apprehensive, but what an enjoyable learning experience. He took a deep breath while getting into position. Monica nodded at Jessie groaning with another contraction. “Yes, I need to push. Are you sure you know what you’re doing down there buddy?”

  With a wry smile and a chuckle, Leigh replied, “No, but Jessie is right here to help me, and it seems you’ll be doing most of the work.”

  Zaw and Nopal once again helped Monica get into position to start pushing. Monica grunted and moaned then finally started pushing. Baby number two seemed to come a little easier. Jessie was right there guiding Leigh on what to do. “Leigh is a natural.” Jessie thought. As soon as the second baby was free from her mother, Jessie showed Leigh how to clean the baby, and she took care of the afterbirth.

  Jessie pulled Leigh aside. “Is the healing unit capable of tending to her? The reason I ask is that she’s lost the father of her children and probably went through hell down there. I would hate for her to have to recuperate on her own.”

  Leigh thought for a moment before responding. “The healing unit would heal her, and she’d wake feeling rested. She’ll be ready to take care of her delightful females.” Turning to Monica, Leigh presented both tiny females. “Thank you for trusting me, Monica,” Leigh said.

  “Thank you for helping me. I just wish Robert was here to see his little girls.” Monica said with tears freely flowing down her cheeks.

  Although Leigh knew Monica wasn’t Zaw and Nopal’s ayah, he knew them to be fierce protectors and knew they would take care of Monica until she found her bonded males. “If you don’t mind, Zaw and Nopal will be your honorary guardians. They will care for you and your offspring. This experience has changed them as much as it has changed me. In our culture, knowledge of birthing is passed from mother to daughter. If the mother isn’t available, then another female will step in to help.” Leigh stated.

  After Jessie explained to Monica what the healing unit would do for her and she needed to save her strength to keep up with these two bundles of joy Monica consented if Jessie stayed with the babies until she woke. Jessie assured Monica, she wasn’t going anywhere and would be right by her side.

  After Monica fell asleep in the healing unit, Zaw and Nopal asked an extensive amount of questions about labor and babies. Jessie was a little taken aback with all the questions, but she could understand why they had so many of them. Zaw and Nopal held the babies in their arms smiling at them. When Monica woke a short time later, Zaw and Nopal gave the babies over to Monica to try and feed. Although this was Monica’s first time being a mom, she was a pro. The babies latched on immediately and started sucking. Just when all the excitement had died down, Looch crashed through the door startling everyone, roaring. “Where is she?”

  Chapter Eight

  Looch looked around the room and saw his brother, two healers, a female with babes and finally, Jessie. Zaw and Nopal automatically shielded the female and babes from danger. His brother sat there looking at him with sympathy and Jessie immediately took a fighting stance, then looked angry. “Why did you not answer your comlink brother?” Looch barked.

  “As you can see, she’s fine. Calm, brother and see the wonderment of life. Monica just gave birth to not one, but two females. Are they not beautiful?” Leigh said.

  Leigh was used to Looch’s outbursts, but everyone else in the room was still frozen in place. Looch looked at the tears in Monica’s eyes and knew he’d made a huge mistake. He bowed his head and took a deep breath then exhaled while squaring his shoulders. Looch then said, “Forgive me. I
did not mean to startle you. Two females? The Goddess has truly blessed you.” Monica just nodded very slowly.

  “Brother, I will speak to you privately,” Looch said in a stern tone.

  Looch and Leigh moved to a back room, away from anyone listening. “The other ships have arrived. They have come with the absolute minimum crew, so we’re able to take as many females as possible. We will be redistributing the crew of the Solace and start transporting as many females on Earth between the five ships.”

  “What is it you’re not telling me Looch?”

  “There seems to be a large number of females who wish to stay. I can’t convince them to come to our planet. These females are impossible.” Looch spat. “How did these Earth males keep them under control?”

  Leigh skipped over the last question and stated, “We will ask Jessie for help. She’ll know what to do.”

  Sticking his head out the door, Leigh asked Jessie to join them. “Looch and I need your assistance Jessie.” When Jessies was finally situated in the small supply room, Leigh continued, “There seems to be several of the females who want to stay on Earth.”

  “What? Why?” Jessie asked with shock.

  “They’re exasperating females that’s why!” Looch shouted.

  Jessie jumped a little at Looch’s outburst, then was instantly pissed. “Look here ass hat! These women have been through a lot, and now you’re asking them to leave the only home they have ever known. How would you feel?”

  “My apologies Jessie. My only thought is to protect every last female on this planet. I can’t do that if they don’t come with us.”

  “I understand what you’re saying Looch. I know you want to help, but you need to be more understanding. Earth women don’t follow orders blindly. We have a brain and free will which we exert on a regular basis.” Jessie said with a chuckle.

  “What do you propose we do Jessie?”