AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I check her diaper and find it wet. Shit, we barely have room to breathe. How are we going to change a diaper?
“Here,” Isa says, pulling one out of the bag containing baby supplies that Drex had been carrying.
Before I can take it, Drex snatches it from me. “I’ll do it. People will make space for me.”
And they do. Because it’s either that or get hit by a prehensile tail. With a soldier’s efficiency, he sets Bianca down, cleans her, changes her, and discards the diaper in the garbage bag we’d brought on the trip.
All this just in time for Azel to start crying. I sigh, but Drex and Isa are already on it like a well-oiled machine. What would I do without them?
Our trip is uncomfortable but otherwise uneventful. My legs ache from standing for so long, and the lower half of my body is reminding me that I gave birth three weeks ago and have not fully bounced back.
It doesn’t feel real. A part of me is still convinced that I’ll wake up and everything will have all been a dream. I haven’t let myself hope for a future in so long, and now it feels like everything is coming together.
And that’s terrifying. In my experience, as soon as things start to look better, the other shoe drops and I’m back to where I started.
But then I see the way Drex plays peek-a-boo with the kids, much to their delight, and the way that Isa double and triple checks that we have everything we need. No matter what happens, I’m not alone.
The twins start crying again as the ship descends, but there’s nothing we can do for their ears except wait for it to land. We disembark quickly, everyone onboard eager for breathing space.
“I booked a room at the UOQ,” Drex says, skipping past refugee accommodations everyone else is being herded to.
“UOQ?” I ask.
“Unaccompanied Officer’s Quarters. Basically, a military hotel. I have some errands to run, but you can wash up, order room service, take a nap, do whatever you gotta do.”
The room is spartan but comfortable. While Isa showers, I feed the twins, put them down for a nap in the stroller, and order us a quick bite to eat.
We devour the food, and once I shower, we lie down for a nap ourselves. I’m exhausted, but also a bit too wired to rest, and judging by the way Isa tosses and turns in the bed beside me, she feels the same way.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Is this real?” she whispers. “Because it doesn’t feel real at all.”
“It’s real,” I reply, though I’m not entirely sure myself. Life on Armstrong already feels like a distant nightmare. “But it feels like a dream. Or like I just woke up from one. I haven’t decided yet.”
“Do you know if Kalei has any therapists?” Isa giggles almost hysterically. “Because once we’re there, I’m going to need so much therapy.”
We both devolve into giggles at that, and for a moment, I feel like we’re children again, telling each other about our deepest secrets under the cover of darkness during a sleepover.
I must have fallen asleep because I’m awoken by the door opening. Moving with a surprising silence for his size, Drex slips into the room.
“Hey,” I whisper. “Did you get everything done?”
He grins. “I’ve officially resigned from my post and bought us tickets for the next flight to Kalei. It’ll be a couple of hours until we have to go, so you two should get some more rest.”
“I’m okay,” I say, sitting up. “Do you need anything?”
He wrinkles his nose adorably. “Just a shower mostly. I’m feeling pretty ripe.”
“I like your smell,” I say, batting my eyelashes. “It’s kind of hot.”
“I disagree.” Isa groans sleepily and throws a pillow at Drex. “I can smell you from across the room. Go take a shower, soldier boy.”
“Ex-soldier boy,” he retorts. Drex and I both laugh just a little too loud. The twins begin to stir, so I soothe them while Isa falls back asleep and Drex showers.
Compared to the refugee evacuation ship, the commercial starcraft is pure luxury. We have our own small cabin that allows us to spread out a bit. Not too much, though, because Drex’s size makes the place a bit cramped. He spends most of his time in the lounge because there, at least, he won’t be literally and figuratively stepping on any toes.
The journey takes three days. In that time, I get used to the idea that this is really happening. I have my family, and I’m free from Armstrong. Everything has worked out for the best.
