Star Side

Chapter 52

I clicked back to reality for a short time when Naomi stopped supporting me while I walked. I blinked and recognized my bathroom, since it was missing a matt and all its towels. I turned my head in time to see Naomi drop a folded pile of new clothes on the counter.

"Can you seal walk yourself into the shower or do I need to help you?" she asked.

I shook my head with a little spritz of horror. I was exhausted, yes. Every part of me ached, yes. But I still had my pride.

"I'll wait for you outside," she said. "When you're done we'll get you over to the medical wing."

I couldn't help but notice how stiff her expression was.

Then she was gone and I was left alone in my bathroom, having gone full circle to where I'd given birth.

I managed to pull myself into the shower, almost zoned out completely when the hot water hit me, washed off the blood, then oozed out and painstakingly dressed my done body. I had to dig out a pad because the bleeding between my legs didn't stop. I would have mistaken it for a late period if it wasn't for my soft, loose stomach. And that I felt like an over baked hot dog.

Then Naomi was back and I got to struggle to support myself while leaning heavily on her to the medical wing. It really was a blessing that they made it a requirement for us to work out. Otherwise, I don't think Naomi would have made it.

Once on the examination table, bad thoughts started to return to my head so I blanked out once again. There was nothing one could do about the last humans of her life deciding they were too disgusted and done to be friends anymore. Or betrayed. Or whatever details went into that drama. I just kept repeating my mantra, "This is why I came out to space."

So I wasn't dealing with this really well. Shoot me. I'd be a more capable, reasonable adult after I took a nap. Yeah. Leave this to tomorrow's me. For now, I let myself disconnect from my surroundings and float about in a ball somewhere.

Naomi's various prodding and scanning came to a conclusion with her unceremoniously sticking me with a syringe.

"You're seriously enemic, among other things," she said. "Those eggs must have sucked you dry of nutrients. You're worse than the last time I checked your blood. I'm going to have to give you a shot a day if food isn't doing the trick, but since you aren't having to support any other life but your own, you should recover quickly enough."

I blinked at her blearily. Then went back to staring at the ceiling. I'd almost been asleep when she'd stabbed me. Kind of bitchy of her not to warn me, but, well, she was entitled to be a bit bitchy after the stunt I'd pulled.

"You're bleeding is normal for post delivery, even a bit light. We'll keep an eye on that. You're uterus is shrinking up nicely. You're sore because you strained yourself while malnourished, that's all. Stress can do that too, though I'd imagine stressed is the least of it."

"I'm sorry." I was half asleep and some part of me reasoned that she wouldn't be punishing me by keeping me up talking unless I'd done something horribly wrong.

She snorted. "You are not the one who has to be sorry."

She went quiet for a bit. I sunk deeper. A bit of me piped up to check on my eggs, to make sure they were warm, but then I reminded myself that Gilrack had them and was allowed to continue my descent.

A rustle of clothes made me pause. Than a tap of something.

I peeked out beneath my lashes just to get my edgy self a reason to ignore whatever else Naomi was doing. When I saw a flash of blue, my eyes opened up wider.