Eek, I forgot to update yesterday! Sorry for that.


Chapter 16: Morning sickness

The door to the Centre slid open and Ayesha ran straight to the 'fresher to throw up. "Nothing to worry about, Eighty-Seven," Simon told Thrawn with a grin. "They call it morning sickness but it can happen anytime. And I find it reassuring that the noble aroma of the Underlevels doesn't agree with her, maybe that'll convince her to stop coming."

Thrawn never got to answer because two massive hands slapped him on the back, causing the air to flee his lungs. "Congrats, Eighty-Seven," Dex barked behind him. "C'm'on to the lounge now, we shipped everyone to wherever they were goin' this mornin' 'n' we got some downtime."

Ayesha joined them minutes later and curled up on the sofa next to Uumana, who was staring at the table with her blank expression. She planted a peck on the Twi'lek's cheek and took her hand to lay it on her belly. "Everythin' okay now, lil' one?" Dex asked.

"I'm good," she said with a smile. "I'm almost hungry already." Dex vanished to the kitchen to cook something and Thrawn shook his head in disbelief. "What? I just emptied my stomach against my will. I need to fill it."

Thrawn shook his head again as he sat on the other sofa next to Simon. "Get used to it," the doctor told him. "Between the appetite, the nausea, the cravings, the mood swings and the hormones in general, knowing Ayesha, you're in for a helluva ride."

"Tell him not to worry so much," Ayesha interjected. "He's been handling me like a fragile doll since I told him. I want my love life to remain the way it was."

Simon laughed and stood up. "See, what was I telling you? Come with me, I'll examine Ayesha while Dex is cooking, and you can even get a sneak peek at whatever there is to see of your child." He led them to his lab and took Ayesha's vitals before having her remove her clothes and lie down. He then wheeled over a table with a holoprojector and activated the scanner hanging from the ceiling above her. The three-dimensional image flickered to life. "There. This is Ayesha's uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries, and this here" – he pointed at a tiny shape nestled against the uterine wall – "is your baby. As you can see, it's settling in quite comfortably." He stopped for a second, as if something had caught his attention, and raised the sound to maximum. A soft, rhythmic thud echoed across the room. "What you hear is its heartbeat," he said with a wide smile. "It's a bit earlier than I expected it, but it's not unusual either." He rotated the image a little, then glanced at a monitor. "Implantation good, axis good, brain activity good. We need to discuss a few things, but it really looks like everything's okay."

He turned back to them to find Thrawn staring at the holo and Ayesha lying back against the headrest with her eyes closed. "It's the Lifeform," she whispered. "It's actually alive." Her finger was tapping on the back of Thrawn's hand, following the thuds of the embryo's heart.

"Of course it is," Simon said. "It's a new life, what did you expect?" She stuck out her tongue at him, making him laugh. "Come on, get up. I want to have a look at Eighty-Seven here."

"Why, is he pregnant too?" she asked as she started pulling her jumpsuit back on.

"I may be," Thrawn countered. "A block of duracrete seems to have settled in my lower abdomen since this morning."

Simon laughed again. "The duracrete sensation should fade away at some point, science says so, or at least my grandmother does. Now tell me a few things. I've never seen anyone else from your species, are there any more of you around?"

"As far as I know, I am the only Chiss in this part of the Galaxy."

Simon grimaced. "Do you know if there are any differences between you and baseline humans, aside from the obvious ones? Do you have, for instance, two stomachs or three livers?"

"My physician has told me that my physiology is remarkably close to a baseline human's, with the exception of my skin and eyes. It also appears that there are some differences in our vocal systems." His lips twitched. "As for two stomachs, I believe that there is someone else to whom you should address the question."

Ayesha was about to let out an indignant reply when Dex's booming voice announced that their meal was ready. Both men chuckled at the greedy expression that flashed across her face. "Eighty-Seven has a point," Simon said wryly. "Now off you go, Ayesha, we'll catch up with you. I want to check out his eyes and throat."

They returned to the lounge to find Ayesha sharing a massive mound of food with Uumana. Dex brought more plates and sat in his reinforced armchair, and Simon spent the meal asking Thrawn questions about his species's physiology and reproduction. He listened carefully as Thrawn explained that his people had an accelerated growth cycle and that they reached full maturity in thirteen standard years, then asked about the duration of Chiss pregnancies. "Six standard months. The embryonic stage lasts approximately ten weeks, and a foetus is considered viable after twenty."

Simon finally put down his plate. "I take it that there are no known cases of a Chiss conceiving with a Human?"

"Not that I am aware of," Thrawn replied. "Even less so with a half-Kiffar."

Simon shrugged. "The Kiffar bit doesn't matter, there are no real differences in terms of reproduction and gestation. For all intents and purposes, we can consider Ayesha to be a human here. Which is good, we don't need any extra complications."

Ayesha gave him a worried look. "Complications? You said everything was okay."

Simon smiled. "Everything is okay. It was just a bad choice of words." He looked at her carefully and then at Thrawn. "Listen to me, you two. What you are doing is something that all living beings have been doing since the dawn of time, to great success, I may add, if the population of this Galaxy is any indication. So first baby jitters aside, it's really not that difficult. This is our starting point, all right?" Ayesha and Thrawn nodded. "However," Simon went on, "there are certain risks involved with this pregnancy, as with any other pregnancy. The first sixteen weeks are the most tricky period, and this is when you, Ayesha, should be particularly careful. No extreme sports, no heavy lifting, no exhausting yourself, no alcohol and so on. We discussed this already last time and I think we're on the same wavelength here. And yes, as I told you, sex is okay," he added with a chuckle. "I don't know what you do in bed but it can't possibly qualify as heavy lifting."

Ayesha bit back the reply that came to her lips, but there was a sparkle of mischief in her eyes. The doctor ignored it and continued. "Now, let's get to the serious stuff. There's one important aspect of your pregnancy that sets it apart. Inter-species breeding is not that common, but it's not unheard of either. I did quite a bit of research about it when..." – his voice faltered a little – "when Uumana and I were hoping to have children, and if two beings as different as a human and a Twi'lek can conceive together and bring a healthy child into this Galaxy, there is no reason you two can't, given how similar you are." He looked at Thrawn. "One thing I am a little concerned about is the difference in the physiology of your eyes. It's totally different from ours and this could possibly lead to some defect in your child's eyesight. However, this is only speculation on my behalf, and in any case it's something modern medicine can easily remedy should it happen." He turned back to Ayesha. "Another thing that may cause problems, not so much for your child but mainly for you, is the fact that the baby may grow faster than usual given what Eighty-Seven told us about the Chiss gestation cycle. I don't expect it to be anything dramatic, since the differences are not that big, but it might put quite a strain on your body. I want you to promise that you'll be going for a check-up twice a month and that you'll take it easy. And," he added with a deep breath, "I don't want you to come back here after today. Not until after the baby is born."

Ayesha pouted her lips with genuine sadness. "Already?"

"Dintcha hear the man, lil' one?" Dex barked. "He said the first sixteen weeks. That's now."

She bowed her head and took Uumana's hand in hers. "I know, Old Dex," she mumbled. "I was just hoping to have some time to say goodbye."

"You make it sound like you're never comin' back," the Besalisk grumbled. "It's only a few months, lil' one."

There was a silence. Thrawn finally cleared his throat. "In fact, it is highly likely that Ayesha will not be returning here for quite a long time. By this I mean well beyond the birth of our child."

Dex's gaze went from Ayesha to Thrawn and back. "I thought you two 'ad an agreement that 'e wouldn't mess up with what you're doin' here?"

"It's not about here, Old Dex. We..."

"For a number of reasons that we cannot discuss with you, we will be leaving Coruscant," Thrawn interrupted. "Ayesha's well-being and safety are at stake. And now, our child's as well. This is not to say that we will never return, of course; however, for the immediate future, she will not be around. Please believe that I regret having to take this decision as much as you do."

There was another silence. Simon turned to Thrawn. "You spoke of your physician. Will he be wherever it is you are going?" Thrawn nodded. "Is this someone who would not only know your medical history but also have some experience with xenobiology and non-human species in general?" The Chiss nodded again. "What about gynaecology, obstetrics?"

"I fear not," Thrawn answered. "There is not much of that in his line of work. I am certain that he knows what every doctor knows and that he would be willing to learn more, but I did not expect this miracle" – he gestured towards Ayesha – "to happen so soon."

He paused again. "And?" Simon asked. "Are your reasons to leave Coruscant so compelling that you'd rather take Ayesha to a place with no adequate medical care?"

Thrawn glanced at Ayesha, whose eyes were now clouded with concern, before returning to the doctor. "No. I will be establishing proper facilities for her. What I would like to hear is your thoughts about the competence of Wookiee healers to monitor her pregnancy in the meantime."

Ayesha's entire face lit up. "I could go and stay with Ada' Yakooboo for a while?" she asked eagerly. "He's going to be so happy about it. And Rumpy too."

Simon sank into meditative silence. "This sounds like an excellent solution," he finally said. "Wookiee healers are extremely knowledgeable and should be able to look after you just fine. When are you planning to leave?"

Ayesha looked at Thrawn questioningly. "By the end of this month," he said. "At latest, after New Year Fete."

The doctor did some quick mental math. "Eighty days into the pregnancy. That's good timing to plan a trip. Until then, I can recommend one of my former colleagues from Coruscant General Hospital. And of course, if necessary you can always contact me. Either you could bring Ayesha here, or I could come to the surface."

Thrawn frowned. "You never come to the surface."

"I would for Ayesha," the doctor said simply. "But only if it's really important," he added with a grin. "Make sure you don't call me for a bout of morning sickness, or I'll have your hide."