Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar or Pandora and I don't make any profit by writing this.
Chapter 11
After his short talk with Max, Jake felt relived. At first, Max had been quite upset about Neytiri taking such risks being with child. He fetched one of the medics of the avatar program, Dr. Brenda Smith and she asked Jake some questions about the state of Neytiri's pregnancy. Dr. Smith was, in addition to about a dozen other medical qualifications, a certified gynecologist. And, as she had reassured Jake, there weren't too much differences between a human and a Na'vi pregnancy. Just at this moment Norm , Max and Dr. Smith, were preparing the Samson for the flight.
Jake arrived at the improvised ikran rookery and , after a sharp whistle, there was Boy, eager to fly wherever Jake wanted him to. With no effort the new Na'vi hopped on his back and they took air.
Soon they were flying high over the path the hunters on their Pa'li would take and then Jake finally got sight of them.
Looking small like ants from this height, they were heading slowly but steadily to the point where they would have to dismount the Pa'li and start climbing.
Jake instructed Boy to stay at this height and let him fly wide circles, but never so wide that they would lose sight of the hunters.
Then finally the riders did reach the high cliff which Jake remembered and the hunters dismounted the Pa'li. Seemingly there was a discussion among them and Jake grinned.
He knew all to well what the discusssion was about, but finally the leader of the group asserted himself and the hunters sat down for a short rest, while the two other Na'vi did lead the Pa'li back to the Tree of Souls. After ten minutes or so the hunting party did run over the big bridge, made of mighty twines, interspersed with rocks, which connected the cliff with the first flying mountain.
The climbing of Iknimaya seemed to went without any problems, exept some discussions which were followed by short rests of the group.
Then, finally the hunters arrived at Mons Veritatis and disappeared into a cave.
Jake led Boy on the other side of the biggest of the Halleluja mountains and waited there, still circling above them.
When he saw the group of hunters reappearing again in the cave he remembered from his own Iknimaya, he instructed Boy to land at the edge of the cave.
Neytiri was definetely not amused when she discovered the surprise.
"Jake, what you are doing here?", she hissed angrily, "This isn't my first Inknimaya and I can for sure..."
"Neytiri, my love, please...I'm just doing the same for you as you did for me. You remember my Iknimaya? I would be dead now without your help.", he pleaded patiently.
"So, well...may it be. But I dare you to interrupt my challenge!" she snarled at him, barely able to suppress her anger. Jake nodded: " I will stay behind you." and hopped easily from Boy's back.
Of course Neytiri was insistent that she went first to challenge an Ikran.
The first two Ikrans she challenged avoided the confrontation by flying away, but the third one, a big female with yellow and purple stripes, accepted, hissing furiously, the challenge. And seemingly she didn't accept any rules.
While Neytiri was making her Ikran catcher ready, she snapped at her and, much to Jake's horror, Neytiri saved her life by letting herself fall on the rocky ground, her belly hitting a big stone. She gasped, but before Jake could do anything, his mate was again on her feet.
The Ikran snapped at her for a second time, but then Neytiri managed to secure the Ikran's snout safely with her Ikran catcher and within a second, she was on her back an made Tsahaylu.
Of course Neytiri wasn't only well prepared about what to come, she was experienced and so the first flight went rather undisturbed by the Ikran's waywardness.
Not even two hours later, they - Jake on Boy and Neytiri and the other hunters on their new Ikran - reached the camp at the Tree of Souls.
While the other hunters were in good spirits when thy dismounted their Ikran, Neytiri looked kind of tense.
"Neytiri! Neytiri, are you ok?" queried Jake, when she finally managed to land and slowly glided from her Ikran's back.
She looked tense and suddenly Jake saw the reason. Between her thighs was blood. He whispered: "No! Oh no, please, Eywa.."
In the next moment, he carried her in his arms, running like the wind to the place where the Samson would have landed, screaming hysterically after Mo'at and Max, until a pair of strong arms stopped his maniac run.
"Ok, Jake, we've got her...ok, slow down...". It was the voice of Louise Lafleur, one of the avatar drivers. Jake steadied himself, sobbing." She's dying, she's losing our child...Resque her, please, resque her at least..!"
The next thing he felt were Mo'at's hands on his shoulders. " Jakesully, my son! Give your mate into the care of them...Please, Brendasmith told me that she knows what to do in such a case...Please, now, give her to the dreamwalker.."
And with that reassuring voice in his ears, Jake let go of his mate and everything went dark around him.
He lost every feeling for time. Everything around him was dark and frightening, but then after a time, he saw again some light...and he heard an encouraging voice: "Jake, my son, wake up! Don't care, Neytiri and your child are safe!"
He opened his eyes and at first he saw Mo'ats smiling face hovering over him. Then there were Max's and Norm's faces, slightly blurred because they were wearing exopacks, but smiling nonetheless.
Max spoke up: " Jake! Neytiri and the child are safe! Brenda could stop the abort."
Jake murmured weakly: " They are safe? They are both safe?" and sat up himself slowly.
"Yes!", stated Max, " But of course, both of them are in need of medical care now. But don't worry, Brenda did arrange everything for mother and child even before we left Hell's Gate."
"Are they really safe?", asked Jake, regaining full consciousness again now.
"Yes, Jake," said Norm's voice over his shoulder, " They're both safe. They just need a close medical monitoring over the next three or four days."
Within the next moments Jake regained again full awareness and looked at Max: " Ok, so can I speak with Neytiri right now?"
"No. She's fast asleep. Brenda gave her not only tocolytics against the threatening abort, but some calmatives too. But it's necessary that we bring Neytiri to Hell's Gate. She needs to be watched closely over the next days.", said Norm
"I want to be with her!", stated Jake, now fully aware and raising himself to his feet again
"Of course you may come with us.", said Max, "You won't need to care about Neytiri and the baby, but there are some interesting news we got only yesterday we would like to share with you."
Whe they approached the Samson, Brenda was running towards Jake: " Jake, Jake! Do you want to hear the heartbeat of your child?"
Jake gasped:" Yes, yes, of course! I really everything ok with them?"
"Yes," said the medic," Everything is ok now, though it was very close... But mother and child are well. And, as Neytiri is in the seventh week now, you may hear the heartbeat of your baby!"
"It's my son," murmured Jake when he entered the cargo area where lied his sleeping mate. And the he heard the heartbeat. Jake had a lump in his throat when he whispered; " Hello. little Tsu'tey! I'm so sorry you won't ever meet your uncle."
The flight to Hell's Gate was calm and undisturbed. During the whole time, Jake was watching sleeping Neytiri, watching the infusion slowly dripping it's healing effect into Neytiri's bloodstream.
One time, when he was looking ot of the Samson's cargo area, he saw Toruk soaring freely over Pandora's surface. Then he finally knew that everything would turn out well.
