Shockball Read Online Free PDF

right, get a gurney.”
    “Signal Medical,” he said to Vlaav. “Have them prepare for her.”
    His voice had turned positively glacial. Belatedly I realized the Meridae’s “help” must have scared him, too. I reached up and awkwardly touched my husband’s face.
    “I’ll be okay, Duncan. But the baby”—my throat tightened—“we’re going to lose the baby.”
    “We can have other children.” Now he looked at me, and his eyes were anything but cold. “I will not lose you.”
    A team of nurses helped Reever get me on a trauma berth when we reached Medical, and Vlaav and Squilyp took over. I tried to relax as the Omorr performed the necessary pelvic scan, but discomfort and fear made me bite the inside of my cheek. Duncan never let go of my hand, even when Vlaav asked him to.
    “Residual fetal tissue?” I asked.
    “Placental matter, yes.” The Omorr looked at me over his mask. “No residual fetal tissue detected, Healer.”
    We’d talked about what we’d do, Squilyp and I, in a worst-case scenario. This was as bad as it got, and I had no options.
    I tried to let go of Reever’s hand. “All right, Squilyp. Get me prepped.”
    The Omorr glanced at Reever. “Did you tell him?”
    Reever’s hand tightened on mine. “Tell me what?”
    In that moment, I could have cheerfully cut Squilyp’s heart out with a blunt probe. “No time like the present, I guess.” I took a deep breath and addressed my husband. “Duncan, things started to go wrong with the baby a few days ago. We tried a couple of drugs to stop it. But… nothing worked.”
    His eyes never left mine. “What happens now?”
    “Squilyp is going to have to perform a dilatation and curettage on me.” I ignored the small sound the Omorr made. “It has to be done, to prevent infection. I’ll be fine.”
    Reever touched my face. “I’ll go in with you.”
    “No.” I put my hand over his. “No, you can’t. It won’t be pretty and you know how squeamish you are about surgery.” Before he could say anything else, I closed my eyes. “Please. Please do this for me. Please wait for me in recovery.”
    A few minutes later, Squilyp leaned over me as I was being wheeled into the surgical suite. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
    “Don’t worry about me.” The effects of the sedation made me miss him when I swatted at him. “Worry about being perfect, because that’s what I need you to be. Right now.”
     
    The operation went off without a hitch. An hour after it was over, I woke up in recovery, with Duncan at the side of my berth. His coloring looked grayish, and dark half-circles bruised the skin beneath his eyes.
    I wasn’t feeling too great myself. “Hey. Haven’t they chased you out of here yet?”
    “You’re awake.” He stood up, and signaled for a nurse. “How do you feel?”
    “About as good as you look.” I tried to sit up, but some Doctor who was going to get my fist in his gildrells had put me in full limb restraints. “Where’s my chart?”
    Squilyp came in, released me, and picked up a syrin-press. “Shall I sedate you now, or will you behave yourself?”
    Without a word I held out an arm.
    He put the instrument down on a tray table with a thump—Omorr are lousy bluffers—and turned to Reever. “Captain, would you give me a few moments alone with your wife so I can examine her?”
    Reever hesitated, then nodded and left the room.
    As soon as the door was closed, I tried to sit up again. “Let me up. I’ll do the scans myself.”
    “You will stay in that berth and let me scan you, or I will go out there and tell that man exactly what happened in surgery.”
    I scowled. “You try, and I’ll spray your face with skin seal.”
    “Cherijo.” He heaved a sigh. “At least allow me to perform the postop examination. There is much we have to discuss. Particularly the reasons why you are lying to your husband.”
    “I’m not lying. I’m just not volunteering information,” I said through gritted teeth,