✅ Project SETI Trilogy

Chapter One - Part XXII: Ready or Not

          On their way to the delivery room, the pair passed Caleb in the hallway. Gabriel told him to pass it on to Julia that Nova was in the beginning stages of labor, and to notify the higher-ups that they would have another offspring to give to the Daxut officials on the routine pickup that was scheduled to happen later that day.

          When they arrived, Gabriel wasted no time in rigging him up properly. He placed three small electrodes on his chest; one over each clavicle, one near the apex of his heart. He followed that up with a blood pressure cuff and pulse oximeter, and then he strategically placed twelve flat tab-like electrodes all over his swollen belly. He took his time doing this and palpated him with each electrode he pressed into place. And even though he did it for both of their pleasures, he could see the sheer and potent enjoyment on clear display on Nova's face and in his body language, and he derived even greater contentment from it.

          "How you doin', sweetheart?" Gabriel asked. He glanced at the vital signs monitor at the same time and saw his vitals had filled out:

          HR: 103 BPM
          SP02: 95%
          SYS: 125
          DIA: 78
          TEMP: 37.1C / 98.8F
          RR: 15

          "Good, I think—" he stopped to brace for another contraction—the strongest yet—and he gasped when he felt his water break along with it. "Oh, shit."

          Gabriel pulled his now-soiled garment off when he saw the spreading wet spot on it and threw him another clean one from the storage closet nearby. He smirked when he set it beside him and remained naked.

          "I just want you to know this is normal," Gabriel reassured him as he found the stirrup attachments for the bed and affixed them to it. He lifted one of his legs into it, and he did the other. "It's a quick labor. Not nearly as all drawn out as a human live birth."

         "That's a—a relief," he said between increasingly deep and deliberate respirations.

         "I'm gonna strap your legs down, since you seem to like that so much," he teased as he pulled the thick fabric strips over Nova's shins. His breathing continued to steadily grow more labored as he was doing this, so he glanced over to the monitor and saw that his heart rate had breached 120 BPM, and even despite his now higher-than-normal respiratory rate, his oxygen saturation had ticked down to 92%. "And I'm gonna put you on oxygen again."

          Nova nodded, and he returned to his side just a few moments later with the oxygenated mask. Before he put it in place, he leaned down and breathed into him, in hopes of interrupting his increasingly strained respirations. Nova seemed to relax a little more at that, so he did it again, and then he delicately lifted his head to get the thin elastic band of the mask in position.

          "Take some deep breaths for me," Gabriel said when it was securely in place over his mouth and nose. "Need to get that oh-two number back up. You can do that, right baby?"

          "Just for you," Nova cooed back and did as instructed.

          "Good boy."

          Gabriel turned his attention to the sonogram and saw that the Daxut offspring was very much ready to come out; it was the right size and in the correct position. A very slight layer of down was beginning to sprout from its skin, which was the sure mark that it was ready to be delivered.

          "These things... they aren't the most pleasant to birth," Gabriel said frankly. He moved away again, this time to the pharmaceutical counter to draw up two syringes. "I should have done this before I restrained you, but... I'm going to create a little port at the base of your spine, okay?"