When I finally stopped, there was a cold, damp cloth on the back of my neck. Vawn took the bowl away then held another cloth to my forehead as he guided me to the stairs at the back of the bakery that led up to my apartment.
“You’re going to lie down, and I will take care of the prep work tonight.”
“But I still have a lot to do.” I tried to halt myself, but I barely had enough energy to stand. “You have your own job. And a family. I can’t expect you to do anything for me.”
He ignored me, instead walking me up the stairs and setting me on my couch. “Ojo is home and is fully capable of taking care of the kids.” After disappearing for a moment, Vawn returned with a bucket, crackers, and a glass of water. “Now, wanna tell me why you’re sick? Should I quarantine from my family for the next few days, or is it not contagious?”
I sighed, knowing I wouldn’t be able to hide anything from my best friend. But I couldn’t go through the same pain as the last time I’d been with child. “You can’t tell Genj.”
Vawn shook his head and sat beside me. “You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”
I nodded, sensing his disappointment. Why couldn’t I do anything right? Between relationships, running a bakery, and being pregnant, I always seemed to fuck everything up.
Wrapping his arms around me, Vawn rested his chin on my shoulder. “I’m happy for you. But I wish you’d told me sooner, so I didn’t have to walk in and find you like this.”
“But—”
“Shh.” He held a cracker to my lips. “And I won’t tell Genj. You will when you’re ready. But don’t ignore him until then, either. He’s worried about you. Thinks he did something wrong.”
Guilt washed through me as I ate the cracker. I’d really screwed up. “I really haven’t had much time lately.”
“I see that.” Vawn rested a hand on my lap. “That’s why I’m going to help you in the store for a bit. I’m in between projects, and my fathers have been begging for more time with their granddaughters.”
“Vawn, I can’t.” He had many other people depending on him. I couldn’t ask for all of his time.
“You’re even more stubborn than I am.” He wiped my face with one of the cloths. “Think of how many times you helped me out after Akdan passed away.”
I shrugged. “It wasn’t a big deal. You needed help.”
“Exactly. You need help now. It’s my duty as your best friend, and uncle to that precious bundle inside you, to help you. Now, tell me what still needs to be prepared for tomorrow and then go rest.”
It hurt my pride to need his help. Yet, I was too worn out to argue. I made him a list before heading to bed. The throwing up seemed to be over for the day, but I had no energy left in me to do anything other than let sleep take over, hoping tomorrow would be a better day.
Chapter Nine
Genj
Grit scratched my eyes as I shielded my face with my forearm and clutched onto the closest body. I needed to get myself, and anyone else I could find along the way, indoors to escape the sudden sandstorm. Out on the tarmac with my team, I’d been watching the acrobatics show that often preceded the second round of preliminary races during race weekends. ORIXA had easily won the first round the day before, and we had nothing to do except wait until the final race the following day. Finally, we’d get a chance to perform a new maneuver where I was going to take the lead. It involved some rolls we’d just seen the smaller acrobatic jets perform. The sandstorm had come out of nowhere, not part of any weather forecast for Harasa that we’d seen before or since we’d arrived.
Knowing how difficult it was to land in such conditions, I’d remained outside to try and help the incoming pilots. The storm was now to the point where I couldn’t catch sight of anything beyond millions of particles of sand whipping past my face. I’d closed my eyes and reached out for anybody I could grasp, pulling them in the direction where I thought and hoped the closest hangar was.
The being stumbled along at my side, perhaps with more sand in their eyes than me. We’d likely only been walking for a few minutes, but it had felt like hours when I couldn’t see, and I wasn’t familiar with this area. Eventually I heard someone shouting over the constant roar of the wind. A welcome sound. As long as it wasn’t my imagination playing tricks on me.
My ears popped as I was grabbed and yanked into a building.
“We got you. Both of you.”
I finally let go of the being I had dragged along with me and caught my balance, a surprising feat considering my usual ungraceful ways. I couldn’t see a thing, my eyes burning and watering from all the particles that had been whipped at my face. If I’d had my helmet, I could have avoided the feeling of tiny shards of glass tearing at my eyeballs, but it was sitting in the cockpit of my jet.
A particle wash helmet was plopped onto my head. I quickly sucked in a breath before the wash sprayed at me from several directions. I tried to open my eyelids to help the process, though my body’s natural instinct was to keep them closed. The process was repeated a few times before the contraption was removed, and I got my first blurry view of the building I’d escaped to. Not a hangar, but a small shed only large enough for one jet. And the jet happened to be in there with us. There were a few mechanics scrambling around the area, trying to care for the handful of beings they’d managed to pull inside.
I blinked a few more times then went over to the nearest mechanic to offer my help.
She jerked her thumb over her shoulder, pointing to the small room behind her. “All our personal communicators are offline, but you can use the comm unit in there to try to get hold of the USRA and anyone else you can reach. Let them know we’re all okay here and that we have a bunch of rescues. I’ll bring you names soon.”
“Got it.”
The comm unit was slightly different than those I’d used before but easy to figure out. After connecting with the USRA system, I waited for someone to appear on the other end.
