Alys burrowed in closer. “I’ll have to go back to the house tomorrow to help Wendy get it ready for the funeral.”
“I don’t want you working too hard,” Swift warned. “You’re pregnant, Alys. You have to be more careful.”
“I will be.” She kissed his jaw, smiling in the darkness at his over-protectiveness.
“Adam told me that he’s going to make the casket tomorrow. I offered to dig the grave.”
Surprised, she asked, “Why?”
“It’s our way,” he explained, shifting in bed to hold her in a more comfortable way. “I’m honor bound to dig the graves of my family members.”
She thought about trying to convince him there was no need, that one of her brothers or a family friend would handle it, but she knew better. Once Swift made his mind up about something traditional like this, he wasn’t going to be swayed. Besides, it would give him something useful to do. He wasn’t the sort of man to sit idly in a hospital hallway for long.
“Do you want to stay here after the funeral? With your family? I can make arrangements for you, make sure that you have sufficient money and anything else you’ll need.”
“When do you have to return to the Valiant?”
“The day after the funeral.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“Alys, you don’t have to—.”
“I want to, Swift.” She draped her arm across his waist and held tight. “I know if I stay I’ll fall back into old habits. Bonnie thinks Wendy will want to stay with Mama. Bonnie will probably end up back home, too.”
“Why?”
“Bonnie’s husband offered her an annulment. She’s going to take it.”
“Oh.” Surprise colored his voice. “I didn’t realize that was an option.”
“It’s a rare one, but it happens. I think it’s for the best.” She hadn’t told Swift what happened between Bonnie and Graham, and she wouldn’t either. That was a secret for her sister to share when she was ready, if she was ever ready.
“And Wendy? I thought she had a home.”
Alys yawned, suddenly sleepy. “She does, but her brother-in-law is getting married. Bonnie thinks Wendy will want to come back to live back on the family farm now that Father is gone.”
“We’ll figure this out tomorrow. Go to sleep, Alys. You have to rest.”
She really did need to sleep. The two little babies growing inside her womb took so much out of her. Between the tender breasts, running to the bathroom more often and her aching back, she found it difficult to sleep very long. Knowing that tomorrow would be a long and difficult day, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the sound of Swift’s breathing. Safe and secure with her husband, she fell asleep to visions of Swift grinning and holding two babies.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Swift winced and picked at the blister forming on his palm. He had yanked a splinter out of that spot earlier, but it hadn’t lessened the discomfort any. Digging the actual grave hadn’t been that difficult, but the wooden handled shovel was little more than a torture device.
“Stop,” Alys scolded softly. She frowned up at him and grasped his wounded hand, holding it to keep him from picking at it. “You’re going to get an infection!”
“Sorry,” he grumbled.
“I told you to wear gloves,” she grumpily reminded him.
“You did,” he replied, not at all happy about it. She had even given him a pair of well-worn work gloves from the barn, but he’d thought they were unnecessary. Clearly, he was wrong.
“Next!” The logistics officer for the outpost called from his desk.
“Wait here,” Swift said, leaving Alys with their luggage. He made his way to the desk and presented his credentials. “Two for a return flight to the Valiant.”
The officer frowned. “If you’d come two hours earlier, I could have gotten you both seats on a proper transport ship. Unless you want to wait for the scheduled shuttle tomorrow, your only options are riding cargo or medical evacuation.”
Swift didn’t mind either option. He had flown in much worse circumstances. Alys, however, was already tired and sore and desperate to get home. Squeezing into the hard-backed jump seats wouldn’t do any favors for her aching back. “What’s the medical evac ship situation?”
“You two would be in a patient cubicle.”
Swift grimaced. “And the cargo ship?”
“Jump seats.”
“And there’s nothing else available?”
“Not for a civilian,” the officer said, referring to Alys. “I can hold two seats for the shuttle tomorrow unless you’d rather—.”
“Swift?” Flint, the outpost commander, approached the logistics officer’s desk. “Is there a problem?”
“No, sir. We’re discussing options for a return flight.”
“Cargo only?” Flint addressed the logistics officer who nodded. He then glanced at Alys and back at Swift. “Your mate is pregnant?”
“She is.” It wasn’t strange for Flint to know that. As soon as Alys had stepped foot onto the outpost, he would have been alerted to her medical status.
“I’m sure she wants to get back home after this rather distressing visit,” Flint remarked, his expression one of concern. “Give me a few moments. I may have another option for you.”
“Thank you, sir.” Swift nodded at the logistics officer who had been helping him and then returned to Alys. “We may have to stay another night here at the outpost.”
“Oh. Well, that’s okay,” Alys said, quickly covering her obvious disappointment. “I don’t mind.”
She did, but she would never admit that to him unless pressed. She already felt guilty and embarrassed about everything that had happened at her family’s farm. Being back here seemed to have rolled back all of the progress she had made in advocating for her needs and voicing her displeasure. Hopefully, once they were back home, she would feel more comfortable with being assertive.
“Swift.” Flint strode toward them with a smile on his face. “I have a solution to your problem. We have a Dagger X1 returning to the Valiant. It carries four pilots and four crew, but we’re only sending it with two pilots and two crew. There’s plenty of room for you and your mate in the crew section. There’s even a bunk if she needs to sleep.”
“Perfect,” Swift said, relieved. “Thank you, sir.”
“You’re welcome.”
After explaining the situation to Alys, Swift gathered up their luggage and led her out to the tarmac. He enjoyed the look of wonder on her face as she took in the sleek black stealth ship that waited for them.
“Why does it look so different than the other ships?” she asked as they waited to be admitted.
“It’s a final prototype for a new ship that’s being rolled out fleet-wide in twenty months or so,” he explained. “There are two dozen or so of them in this sector right now. The pilots are basically using and abusing them to make identify any issues that might have been missed during the design and trial phase.”
“But it’s safe, right?”