CHAPTER THREE: DISCOVERY PART THREE…Maybe It's Normal…
Isolated from the hands-on wonders of the ships, Vash and Vanessa passed the weeks in their room, accepting visits from Meryl and Millie from time to time. The girls' extra rations were graciously accepted every afternoon, and though they still failed to feed Vanessa's hunger, at least she had begun to show obvious signs of growth.
Vanessa's appearance was that of a human woman late in her second trimester, breasts and belly visibly swollen. Her pregnancy was advancing faster than a human's, yet not so fast that it seemed obviously freakish. Nevertheless, factors such as this immense, unrelenting hunger, the amazingly brief period of morning sickness, lack of growing pains or general discomfort, and lack of weight gain in all other areas of the body caused Vanessa to hide from the public eye.
As hopeful as they were, they felt that things would only become stranger, and they couldn't be prepared for everything. After all, this was a first for their species, as far as they knew.
"Hello, Mr., I mean, Professor Vash!" Millie called out, jogging towards him with an armful of ration trays.
Vash stepped fully from the doorway of his classroom and waved. "Afternoon, ladies! How are things?"
"Oh, just great! Data management is easier than I thought!" Millie replied happily, catching her breath as Meryl caught up. She leaned in to whisper. "And Meryl's got big news."
Meryl stepped beside her friend and smiled. "Hi."
"Go ahead and tell him," Millie insisted.
Clearing her throat, Meryl hid a smirk. She shifted her weight onto the other leg and crossed her arms. "I've met someone-"
"She's got a boyfriend!" Millie exclaimed, bursting with excitement.
Meryl slapped her own forehead.
"But that's what Mr. Salem is, Meryl!" Millie argued. "That's what we call a guy back home, if you've sle-"
"Millie, shut up," Meryl sneered quietly. "He doesn't have to know that."
"But don't act like it's not true, I know what you're doing in there when you lock your-"
Meryl held her hand over Millie's mouth until she quit. "Anyhow, I'd like to introduce him to you and Vanessa, since he's heard so much already. Nothing secret, I'm not going to tell him about…you know."
Vash nodded, giggling. "Well, I'm happy for you."
"Mr…Professor Vash, can we walk you home?" Millie asked cheerily, adjusting the stack of trays she was juggling. "We couldn't get to Miss Vanessa all afternoon, till now, so we'd like to get her these."
Looking a little uncomfortable, Vash held up his hands. "Um, no, I'd better take them myself. Thanks a lot, you guys!" he replied, accepting the stacks into his own arms.
The girls waved goodbye as Vash sauntered towards his room. He sighed relief. There was a good chance that Vanessa would be 'in the mood' when he got home; she'd been exhaustingly affectionate lately. He didn't want to disappoint her by arriving home with guests.
"Sorry, Vanessa, the food's late, but there's plenty now," Vash called into the dimmed quarters, stopping when he saw her.
Silently, he entered the main room, the door sliding silently closed behind him. He set down the trays and stepped towards the bed, wondering why she was asleep. She'd been asleep when he'd gotten up that morning, and remained so while he got ready for work. He'd tried to kiss her goodbye, but she wouldn't stir. And there she still slept, dressed and positioned the same, all those hours later.
He sat beside the bed and smiled. She looked lovely in this soft light, her curves accentuated. She was carrying their child, he reminded himself, as he placed a hand gently on her womb. "Vanessa," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her. "Wake up, Vanessa…"
Still she lay there, silent and unmoving, statuesque. Not one movement or sound came from her, and in this dead silence Vash heard the faint, high-pitched ring of nothingness.
His heart sank. He nudged her and again called her name, voice growing more urgent and frightened with each syllable.
Her pulse was low, but still safe. Her breath was faint, but present. Her skin was warm, strangely warm, and her pupils, once he gently lifted her scarred eyelids to check, reacted very slowly to light.
Vash's mind raced. "Relax, Vash," he commanded, breathing deeply as he palmed the projection wall. He adjusted the volume slowly higher, until it was definitely too loud to sleep through.
From the corner of his eye he noticed the newest painting she had started the night before. She still had paint under her fingernails. He gripped her hand and held it beneath his chin. A tear rolled down his face.
In his mind, her medical instructions repeated themselves. She wasn't below the levels. He agreed not to ask for medical assistance unless she was as unhealthy as she'd indicated. Her vitals were fine, if a little weak, and besides the fact that she wouldn't come to consciousness she was fine. Just fine.
Running a sweaty hand through his mussed hair, Vash gritted his teeth. He thought a little, then crawled onto the bed behind her and held her. For a while, he just lay there, holding her, as he cried. The projection wall was babbling about clothing styles, jumping from voice to voice in such a loud volume. Sobbing, Vash lifted her body into a sitting position and shook her for a bit. He propped her up with pillows on the bed, and went to splash a cup of water on her face. "What else can I do to wake you up?" he asked.
After once more checking her vitals, and receiving the same results, he looked at her sadly. "You told me not to call them. As you are, I'm not supposed to," he thought aloud. "You said, 'no medical attention.' And you meant it."
Vash took a moment to compose himself, at least enough to speak calmly, and opened the communications circuit. With trembling fingers he selected a line, and waited for someone to respond on the other end.
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