✅ Project SETI Trilogy

Chapter One - Part XXIII: Postpartum

          Nova jerked and cried out when he was cardioverted, this time at the maximum setting of 360J. He took several fast and deep breaths afterward, and both doctors blew out a sigh of relief when sinus appeared on the monitor again.

          "You're doing so good, Nova," Gabriel said. He shot him a smile when he opened his eyes again and looked at him. "It's almost over. You need to push, okay, sweetheart?"

          Nova, with his wits a little more about him, pushed along with the next contraction that hit just a few seconds after Gabriel finished speaking. He felt the creature move a considerable amount down his vaginal canal with Gabriel's help, and he could also feel where his skin had been separated to accommodate its large size. It was an odd sensation, to be completely aware of it, but feel only a fraction of the pain.

          "It's crowned," Julia said, in the same reassuring lilt that Gabriel spoke in. "Give us another push!"

          He cringed and groaned as he strained through another contraction, and it gave out into a loud yell when he felt the widest part of it pass through his opening. He panted and instinctively looked for something to grab onto, and he quickly found Gabriel's hand when he took a hand off of his belly to offer it to him. He gripped it tight, tighter than he meant to, but Gabriel didn't seem to notice or mind.

          "Just one more," Julia said as she rushed to grab the incubator behind her on the counter.

          "Push," Gabriel said when she returned to the gurney. "Come on, baby."

          Nova braced for another long rippling contraction and he tried his hardest to push along with it. He let out a long and relieved sigh when he felt the creature exit his vaginal canal completely.

          "I'm so proud of you," Gabriel cooed as Nova began to recover. "You were just perfect."

          Julia hastily deposited the child into the incubator and brought it over to the counter. She opened the cylindrical case she'd brought along with it and connected the tube to a port on the incubator. The port on the inside of the chamber then extended and found the Daxut's beak and wormed itself inside. It instinctively began to eat, and the lipid-lactose postnatal fluid started to flow through the tube and into their digestive system.

          "Another success," Julia said as she turned to face Nova and Gabriel again. She was beaming with satisfaction. "Thank you so much, Nova."

          "You're... you're welcome..." Nova said distantly.

          "I need to rush this thing out," Julia said to Gabriel as she picked up the incubator and accompanying food. "Those Daxut officials are due in here any time now for the scheduled meeting-pickup-thing, and they'll want this one too."

          "Alright, I've got it handled from here."

          Gabriel found a mending laser and quickly closed the incision between Nova's legs. He followed it up by undoing the restraints and taking down the stirrups. "If you could just lean over a little bit, I'll take that shitty needle out of your back."

          Nova silently shifted off to the side and Gabriel gently held him up for a moment while he slipped the sharp out and dabbed the mending laser over the small puncture wound. When he was lying down again, he looked up at him and watched quietly as he observed his vital signs. He suddenly realized that he couldn't do much more than that—his head was swimming, and it was only becoming more intense with each passing moment.

          HR: 49 BPM
          SP02: 92%
          SYS: 110
          DIA: 68
          TEMP: 37.2C / 98.9F
          RR: 8