Anything with /'s inside quotes is being spoken in Czech.

Chapter 5

The next few weeks were remarkably uneventful. Quietly, everyone told their immediate staff about Radek's situation. Radek felt an upswing in the general unease around him but he tried to convince himself it was largely his own perception. To his surprise, Kavenaugh hadn't made a fuss, though he heard the man trying to shout Rodney into giving him Zelenka's job once Zelenka was unable to keep at it.

He flew to the mainland once a week with Carson during his checkups. The women were wary at first at the idea of a man having a child, but they soon relaxed into the idea. He did live in the city of the ancestors after all, and many miraculous thinks happened there, so why not this as well? They talked to him, giving him a tea to help with the one problem that was already manifesting itself – morning sickness. They gave him practical advice that, since it came from women who reminded Radek of his sister and mother and grandmother, felt more real to him than articles read only on his laptop.

At Beckett's insistence, Radek was eating in the mess hall more often – or at least he was forbidden to eat in the labs. He was somewhat surprised when Lt. Cadman sat with him one day. "Hiya," she smiled, plunking her tray down across from him.

"Good afternoon, Lieutenant," he said politely with a bit of a smile. He was unused to any but the science team, or occasionally John's team joining him for a meal, those few times before this when he ate in the mess hall.

"I never did thank you for helping to get me out of Rodney's head," she said cheerfully.

"It was Rodney who did it, really."

"But you told him to shove it when he was getting things wrong. If you hadn't done that I might not be here today, so ... thanks."

"You're more than welcome." The two continued talking as they ate, and it occurred to Radek that Cadman and Rodney might be the two people in the city to have even the remotest idea what he was going through. The sudden imposition of a second life entirely dependent upon his own well being.

It wasn't the only time Radek had a surprising guests. Several women, mainly from the science teams but more than one or two marines, stopped by to share a meal. Radek began to wonder if his pregnancy had somehow granted him access to a secret society of women. It was an interesting notion. They seemed to relax with him, and he found he could relax with them. Like the Athosian women, they all had advice and stories to share, some from their own experiences, many from siblings or friends.

Radek knew on the other hand, three people had put in requests for transfers back to Earth the same day his pregnancy was made public. Several more had come in between that day and when the Daedalus left a week later. Radek was surprised they only lost fifteen people over it.

It was a month after they told Elizabeth. Radek had loosened his belt by a notch but there were no other outward signs of his pregnancy except he drank Athosian tea now instead of coffee, which kept the nausea mostly at bay.

He and Kavenaugh had been repairing an air cycling station in one of the newly opened sectors of the city when Radek heard several voices coming in their direction. His heart thudded in his chest but he kept walking, trying not to let his fear show, though he couldn't imagine why they would be there at this time of night. He thought he'd heard echoes of 'right down here' and 'freak' in the hollow corridors, but again he convinced himself it was just his imagination.

His worst fear was confirmed when he felt Kavanaugh reach over and pluck the radio off his ear. "Get him!" the other man howled once Radek was out of communication with anyone.

The Marine footsteps increased and Radek tried to run, tripping over Kavenaugh and grunting with the impact as he fell. He managed to get himself up, but a blow to his head knocked him to his knees and he felt the pain stabbing into his body as the marines surrounded him and began their beating. Knowing he couldn't escape, Radek curled up, wrapping his arms around his stomach to protect the child there. His glasses fell off at some point and Radek tried to scream as he felt hands and boots on him, trying to wrestle him out of his ball, kicking him when they couldn't. In the distance, he heard insults hurled at him and he found himself pleading in Czech, doing everything he could to protect the child he carried.

He heard more footsteps, and a lot of shouting and curled up tighter, fearing reinforcements. He wished he hadn't been so foolish, so arrogant when he'd declined the bodyguard.

Even when no more blows came, he couldn't bring himself to relax, yet. He wasn't being hit, but he could hear the clear and distict sounds of a fight around him.

"Dr. Zelenka?" The voice was familiar, feminine. Radek couldn't place it yet, and curled up tighter, worried for the child. He knew they had kicked him a few times there, and in his sides where he couldn't protect himself.

"Lt. Cadman to the infirmary, we have a situation ..." She gave the location. "Dr. Zelenka's been attacked, and we need backup here as well. Three marines down, they're being watched now but they need to be put in the brig." As she spoke, she kicked one of Zelenka's assailants who seemed to be waking up.

"Kavenaugh," Zelenka said quietly, his mind unwrapping, realizing he was at least a little bit safe. "They need to ... he was ..." Radek tried to sit up but the corridor spun, his stomach lurched and he lay back down, eyes closing.