Falling Skies Invasion Alone

New Normal

My hands roamed over Anne's protruding stomach. She was almost due.

"Few months ago, I didn't even know what I was looking for, now I can practically feel their fingers." I smiled, applying slight pressure. Anne smiled with her eyes closed. "You suit pregnancy."

And she really did; she was glowing, her skin looked better than ever her long dark hair was incredibly healthy, splaying out of the pillow her head was rested on.

She moaned softly, but happily. "It just feels good to get all this weight off my feet."

I slid the stethoscope off from around my neck and gave it back to her. "Well, get back on them and walk you butt to your room and go to bed."

Anne latched her hands onto my outstretched palms and I pulled her up off of the bed. I didn't know how long she had been awake for, longer than me anyway. I had only gotten up when a new lot of harnessed kids had been brought in, hours before. Anne needed me at that point- apart from her, I was the only one who knew how to operate the deharnessing machine from the Volm.

A lot had changed in seven months. A lot. I collapsed when they arrived on the planet. It was shock and weariness but I was out for another two days. In those two days, negotiations went on with the Volm. And when I woke up, I had to explain and get some explanations. I thought, maybe, they would be able to take away my 'powers' as easily as I had gotten them. But they couldn't. The one who had healed me, his name was Qa'm apparently. And he arrived on planet earth a little earlier than the rest of them. The way I was told, it sounded like Qa'm was on our equivalent of an advanced scouting trip. He was never supposed to heal me. It was against their rules; they never interfered on an individual basis. They acted like it was a gift.

It had taken me a while to warm up to them, the Volm, I mean. But it seemed they trusted me, they felt connected to me, and I felt connected to them. Not in a Ben and the Espheni kind of way though. I had control over myself, they had no reach in that. But I could kind of...feel their presences and their truths. So I had reached an acceptance of it. I was gonna just carry on with my life as normal. I was going to, somewhat reluctantly, be the go-to for the Volm and in return they would teach us how to help ourselves. Hence both Anne and myself being trained in the harness extraction and them generously donating some Volm tech weapons.

"Can you make sure you write all of that-" Anne went to say. I interrupted her.

"Anne. Every single, miniscule time that Lourdes or I have examined you, we have written it down in here." I waved the file in her face. "And we keep it in the same place so you know where it is."

She nodded. "I know, I know. I just want to make sure it's all documented so I can see if anything's wrong."

I rolled my eyes at her worry. "Get to bed, mama." I nudged her away and watched as she gripped her back and headed to her bed, ready to sleep for the rest of the day. I stayed true to my word and moved to lean on the worktop whilst I wrote up everything for Anne.

I was just finishing when half-gloved hands slid around my waist. I turned my head to see Ben's face close to mine. "Hello."

Ben and I were going swimmingly. Charleston wasn't just a stop in the road for us anymore. It was our new normal. Tom had been voted in to take over leadership from Manchester and everything seemed to be working well, better. And because it was a more permanent place, almost home, we had all developed routines. Ben and I were settled in them. It felt kinda domestic, actually. We both worked, did whatever we needed to do but went back to each other every day. I switched from going out, guns blazing with the rest of them, to working in the hospital unit. I enjoyed both, I felt like I was contributing with both. I could help Anne save people and make patients feel better, but I could also protect people.