“Healing Master Whelon!” Chashan called out, relief in his tone and his tense features softening. “Will you please tell this female that she needs to stay put and let us examine her properly?”
Whelon smiled as Melissa’s eyes swiveled to him with a warning look.
Smiling warmly, he kept his voice soft as he approached the group. “I know enough by now not to ‘tell’ a human woman anything.”
Female was the correct term for her sex, but Whelon had learned that humans preferred to be referred to as women, not females. Bothersome, as he preferred being accurate, but he would acquiesce to his patients’ desires to be sure of their happiness.
Melissa smiled back, rolling her eyes at both her mate and her healer. “Whelon, will you please tell these men I don’t need to be watched over like an invalid?”
Jarek straightened and his wings ruffled as if her words stung. “Melissa, you fainted this morning. Now is not the time to be stubborn. The health of you and my dragonlet is at stake. If you think I will simply let you walk out of here—”
“Walk!” she snapped and glared at her mate. Whelon did not envy the male at that moment. “With the weight of this child, I don’t walk. I stagger and waddle. Besides, I didn’t faint. I simply felt a bit dizzy. It’s entirely normal in the late stages of pregnancy.”
Whelon stepped forward and gently touched Melissa’s wrist. Yes, he had fancy instruments at his disposal, but sometimes feeling the rush of blood directly through the skin with his own fingertips was a far more useful tool. Through his years as a healing warrior and eventually a healing master, he had learned that bearing females preferred a light touch to a barrage of medical equipment. Even though all of the mated females accepted the medical advancements of the Preor, instinctively they preferred face-to-face contact with their healer. It was even more important to treat them gently at this late stage of pregnancy, when their blood pressure was high, and their patience was stretched taut like their massive bellies.
“Whelon, tell me you’re on my side,” Melissa muttered.
He laughed softly. “I’m always on the side of a distraught woman,” he whispered. “There is no other place to be.” He let go of her wrist and gently rubbed her huge belly.
Chashan frowned, stepping closer to observe Whelon. “I’ve already checked on the baby, Whelon.” Chashan’s words held a hint of annoyance. “I’ve determined that they are well with the very best equipment that human and Preor technology can provide.”
“Of course,” Whelon answered, smiling when his right hand received a strong kick from the dragonlet within its dam. “I wanted to ask the little dragonlet, personally.” He shot Melissa a wink and she smiled back gratefully. “What were you arguing about when I entered?”
“My mate has gone mad,” Jarek stated firmly, crossing his arms over his chest and spreading his wings slightly to affirm his seriousness. “Pregnancy has stolen her good sense. She needs to be in the clinic—”
“I need to go home and rest.” Melissa snapped in return, eyes blazing with fury. Not good for a bearing female. Not good at all. “I’ll rest far better in my own bed!”
Whelon observed with some concern that her heart rate and blood pressure increased with their argument. He could see why Chashan and Jarek wished her to remain, but he also knew she would do far better in her own quarters. He’d argued with human women too many times—and failed in his arguments—to try and do it again with Melissa.
“How about we send you home with a human nurse?” he asked carefully. He would prefer a healing warrior, but mated males preferred to keep other males at bay—especially when their female was bearing. “They can stay nearby or with you at your apartment. It will be someone who can administer immediate care if needed. I’m sure Chashan has told you that your vital signs are slightly… erratic.”
Melissa rubbed her extended belly, staring down at herself somewhat bashfully. “Well… Yes…”
“So, we can let you go home, for now, and you are happy to have a human nurse go with you?”
“Yes,” she grumbled.
Whelon stepped away and Chashan followed, scowl firmly in place. “What are you about here, Whelon?” Chashan whispered furiously. “She needs to stay in the clinic. You know this!”
“I know she will not stay no matter what you say to her.” Whelon whispered back. “She will work herself into an agitated state. She is not at full term yet and we wish for her to reach the full forty weeks.”
“That is exactly my point. I asked you here to help me with the women, not to argue!”
“I’m not arguing with you!” Whelon murmured, intent on net letting Melissa overhear their argument. “I am trying to compromise.”
Chashan rolled his eyes skyward and shook his head. “Fine. I will assign one of the human nurses to her. You better not give me trouble with the others!”
“Where are they? I expected them to be here when I arrived.”
“We had trouble coordinating this afternoon,” Chashan muttered and ran a hand through his hair. “They will be in tomorrow.”
Whelon looked over at Jarek stroking Melissa’s hair, touched by the tenderness the previous war master showed his mate.
“Should I go and get settled in my quarters until then?” Whelon raised his eyebrows. “I assume you secured space for me?”
“We did, of course.” Chashan started walking toward the entrance to the clinic, Whelon by his side. “Why don’t you leave your bag here and we can grab something to eat? I’d like to go over the files with you before the females come in tomorrow. All of them have an extreme possibility of complications due to their enhancements and medical history.”
Whelon nodded with some concern, thinking about the horrible circumstances that had changed the bodies of the other women. He was eager to help in any way possible to ensure the healthy delivery of the dragonlets and the survival of the dams.
Through one of the many windows on the first floor, Whelon spied the long lines of Preor warriors heading into Choosing Station Tau. Even though he was repulsed by what went on during these Choosings, he found himself drifting toward the doorway that would lead to the path to the Choosing station.
“Are you going into the Choosing, Whelon?”
“I have never witnessed a Choosing,” he spoke thoughtfully. “I believe I will take a quick look. I will meet you in the dining hall.”
“Very well. I will get us some food. You won’t be long?”
“No.” Whelon shook his head as he drifted to the door. He was so distracted he barely noticed the others around him as he crossed the concrete walkway to Choosing Station Tau and entered the large building.
As he moved into the main area, a stranger nervousness overtook him. His dragon, always lurking beneath the surface of his skin, practically took control and forced a shift while warming his throat with dragon’s breath. It was almost as if the beast felt threatened by Whelon’s actions, and he had to admit, he felt as if he had reason to be a little anxious. He knew with every scrap of sense in his head that if he had a mate, she wouldn’t be presenting herself to any and all Preor. He also knew he couldn’t leave the Choosing station without fully surrounding himself by the Preor-mate hopefuls. As much as his dragon wished to fly away as fast as his strong wings could take him, it also was desperate to remain.