Chapter 14

Kendall's POV

I've been sitting outside of this room for over three hours now. I don't like to wait, but since I'm not family, they've been keeping me out of the room with the ambassador the whole time she's been here.

Sydney went in just a few minutes ago.

The door opens and I look up. She's standing in the doorway; her hand bandaged slightly.

"What happened?" I ask.

"We've got a problem."

"What is it?"

"I don't know how to explain it, but she…" Sydney says, gesturing with her head toward the room, "she's getting my injuries. She's from about four and a half years in the past, but yet, her eggs have been extracted and she's pregnant, neither of which has happened to me until now."

The words start to sink in. "Is that why you…" I trail off and nod toward her hand.

"We had to test our theory to make sure it was accurate."

Suddenly, another realization hits me. "You said she was pregnant? You're indicating she got that from you, right?"

"Yeah," she says, and my eyes go wide. "You're going to be a grandpa."

"Male? Female? Hermaphrodite?" I don't know why I said that last part, but it causes Sydney to smirk ever so slightly, and I look at her expectantly.

"I…I don't know."

"It is Vaughn's right?"

She nods somberly, and looks at me. An unnatural silence hangs in the air. We've said all we really need to say, but yet it feels like there's still stuff left to be said.

"I'm going to go call Jessica. I dislike her, but she deserves to know."

Sydney smiles again, and I turn and walk away.

As I'm walking down the hall, several doctors rush by me, and in the short amount of time that my eyes rested on the patient, I recognized him immediately. "Michael," I mutter quietly.

I want to follow them; I want to know what's wrong with them, but Sydney's remarks about how parallel versions seem to share ailments echoes in my mind, and the next thing I know, I find myself running down the steps to my car.

I arrive at the landing site a few minutes later. I can clearly make out a body lying on the ground, a small puddle of blood forming around his head. Running over, I turn the limp body over.

He has a pulse, and his breaths are ragged, but steady. I work hard to maneuver Vaughn to a position that will allow me to move him better.

When I finally get him into my car, I spray gravel as I speed out of the parking lot.

On my way back to the hospital, I hear an announcement on the radio that the "accident" from this morning has been cleaned up, and that travel can be resumed.

I know that I should quickly flip a U-turn and head back to the ship to conceal evidence of it, but I continue on the path to the hospital. I need to save him.

The doctors take over when I finally arrive at the hospital, and once again I can relax. I remember that I'm supposed to call Jessica, but as I head for a payphone, I see the spaceship on the TV.

I can't hear the newswoman, but I already know it's too late. We've been exposed.

One word comes to mind as this realization sinks in. "S!"

…TBC…