Page 25 of Kranow (Brides of the Mylos #4)
Her mind still reeling from this revelation, she quickly began running through a list of people. The two men she ’ d hired were back on Earth, serving time for their roles in the botched kidnapping. Could it be someone related to them in some way? She voiced her thought, but Sachuu quickly shot that theory down.
“ After your apprehension, my men and I ran down every possible social tie to them to make sure there were no sympathizers and to ensure they did not have a third accomplice we knew nothing of, ” he explained. “ All have been accounted for and security services have been keeping tabs on those who raised red flags for potential trouble. ”
“ Then I have no idea. If I ’ d seen anyone I ’ d recognized from my HR days, I ’ d have mentioned it, I swear. ”
“ I believe you. But, there ’ s another complication, ” Gundar said, grimly. “ Jackie O ’ Hannigan ’ s production assistant is onboard. She and Jackie ’ s personal assistant were waiting for a table at Rosie ’ s when the blast occurred. The personal assistant is in sick bay recovering from surgery while the production assistant has been released. Ms. O ’ Hannigan and her network are, as Darla puts it, raising a ruckus over the matter. They wish to come and film a special report and are demanding we allow a special human investigation team from earth onboard to track down the culprit. ”
“ They think it ’ s me, don ’ t they? ”
“ They think you ’ re involved, yes, ” Sachuu admitted.
“ I thought Jackie O ’ Hannigan was busy doing a special on the Mylos worlds and the human brides living there, ” Marley said.
“ She is. She sent her people here to look at doing a feature on the special program we have for military veterans, ” Gundar explained.
“ Oh, well, that would have been good. “
“ Indeed. Such a program would have helped publicize the opportunities being offered and given us much need positive press, ” Gundar agreed. “ Bride scholarship numbers are currently in a slump. After your matching aired, we saw a spike but we ’ d hoped to keep the momentum going. ”
She swayed as a memory assailed her, causing her hands to flutter to her stomach. “ Oh God, I ’ d just found out that I ’ m pregnant. The baby? ” she asked, dreading the answer. How could I forget such a thing? Barely even pregnant and I ’ m already a crap mom. Tears welled in her eyes.
Gundar stood even straighter than his usual military perfect posture. “ My apologies. I was so intent on speaking to you about the attack that I completely overlooked the fact that Dr. Litrelp had possibly not fully briefed you on your condition. ”
Sachuu looked thunderous. “ That should have been the first thing he did before coming to let us know she was conscious. ” He stalked from the room, intent on rectifying the matter. Marley decided that she ’ d rather not be in the doctor ’ s shoes given the ill-concealed anger Sachuu displayed. She could have sworn that she saw the faint flushed outlines of scales along his neck, even.
The commander moved closer and awkwardly patted her hand. “ I am certain that if anything was amiss, the doctor would have mentioned it immediately. ”
The door opened once more and a disgruntled Dr. Litrelp entered with Sachuu hard on his heels. “ Yes, yes, my apologies. I thought it would be understood that nothing was seriously amiss physically, ” he said testily, looking at Commander Gundar. “ I assumed that a full report on her health could wait until after you got the security issue handled. ” He turned his gaze towards Marley, his gaze gentling. “ There ’ s nothing to worry about. You have a mild concussion and some bruising to your upper back and ribs. You friend took the brunt of the debris, I ’ m afraid. You really were quite lucky. Other than the bruising and a cut that I ’ ve already sealed on the back of your head, as well as a bit of a lump, you ’ re right as rain. We ’ ll keep an eye on your head and the fetus for a couple of days, just to be on the safe side. ”
“ Oh, ” she breathed out. She blinked, feeling the tears fall as they made wet tracks down her cheek. “ Thank God. I ’ d only just found out and I was already starting to get excited about it. I was looking forward to surprising Kranow with the news when he commed me this evening. ”
The doctor ’ s expression became tinged with guilt. “ I, ah, already told him you and the young were fine when we contacted him about the accident. ”
Disappointment swamped her. She had been looking forward to seeing the look on his face when she revealed the news. “ Oh, right, ” she said faintly. She cleared her throat. “ Yeah, I can see that you ’ d have to let him know how I was doing, him being my next of kin and all that. ”
Dr. Litrelp beamed at her. “ Indeed. In fact, while the Commander was talking with you, I sent your mate a comm to let him know you were now conscious and fully cognizant. He ’ s been most anxious, contacting the ship every few hours since news of the explosion reached him. ”
“ How long was I out? ”
“ Well, now, here ’ s the thing, ” he hedged. “ You ’ ve been out for three days. At first we kept you sedated, so we could run cranial scans and repair the damage to one of the disks in your spine. ”
Marley sat up straighter, glaring at the doctor. “ But you said I only had bruising, a cut on my head, and a minor concussion! ”
“ Yes, that ’ s all that remains. The other damage was easily repaired. Just some bruising left behind, and ah, minor memory loss it seems. That ’ s quite normal after a trauma of this nature, ” he hastened to reassure her.
“ Memory loss? ”
Doctor Litrelp gave a small sigh. “ Once he knew you were alive and in no immediate danger, your mate asked about the pregnancy. I ’ d hoped you ’ d remember telling him yourself, eventually. ”
“ I ’ve already told him? ”
“ Seemingly so. ” Marley blinked, trying to make sense of this new information. “ What is the last thing you remember? ”
“ Going to dinner and then a couple of big banging noises, and hitting the floor. ”
“ And before that? ”
“ Getting ready to go, of course. ”
“ Mmmhmm. How about the day before? ”
Marley thought hard. “ Oh! Yes! The baby! Melissa had her baby. He ’ s the cutest little guy, ” she gushed.
“ Okay. Your memory just seems a bit spotty for now. The memories should come back just fine. Try not to worry about it, it ’ s not unusual given the circumstances. Just let them return on their own, in their own time. ”
“ Okay. “ Marley knew this would be easier said than done, but knew she had to try.
Dr. Litrelp beamed at her. “ He looked like the happiest male alive when I informed him that you and the young were both just fine. ” A sense of warmth and well-being enveloped Marley at this news. He must be so excited that ’ s he ’ s going to be a dad.