Lummatii
Lothian League
Marian Hegemony
The Periphery
31 January, 3150
The doctor closed the door behind him, and Gunnar Logan, Ned, and Clarissa Bakker all stood expectantly as he walked toward them. He nodded reassuringly at them.
"She is going to be alright. She is sleeping now and we have her on fluids. Her core temperature is fine, and her oxygen levels seem to be normal. It appears that you got her out and recovered in time. We've done only preliminary tests, but it looks as though she avoided any permanent damage. It's too early to tell how it will affect her condition, but other than that, she will be fine."
The three of them looked at each other confusedly. It was Gunnar who spoke up. "What condition are you referring to?"
The doctor looked puzzled for a moment, then seemed to retreat into himself. "I may have said too much. Just know, she will be ok." He patted Gunnar on the shoulder and left. The three assembled people glanced back and forth at each other.
"Does anyone know what he's talking about?" Gunnar asked. The Bakkers shook their heads in the negative.
After a few moments of confused discussions, Clarissa Bakker, it was decided, would take a glance at Freyja's medical chart that sat outside the door to the hospital room where she lay sound asleep. After glancing over the papers for a few moments, the former combat medic returned and pulled the two men closer.
"They did all sorts of routine blood tests. When a few of them returned elevated results, they ordered another round. The second round included one that shows an elevated level of hormones indicative of pregnancy."
None of them spoke at first. Finally it was Gunnar who broke the silence. "How far along is she?"
Clarissa thought for a moment before responding. "Based on the levels, she's very early on, probably 6 to 8 weeks. That would put conception about a month ago, maybe a little more. Probably around Christmas." She paused and looked at Ned. Gunnar caught the look, but remained confused.
"Why wouldn't she have told me about this?" he asked.
"She probably doesn't even know yet herself, Gunnar. I'm sure she would have told you if she did." something in Clarissa's tone left Gunnar uneasy. He looked back and forth between the two Bakkers.
"There's something else, isn't there? What's wrong?" he demanded.
Clarissa Bakker touched his arm. "Gunnar, you have to understand, it's reasonable that she might not have wanted to tell you."
He narrowed his eyes. "Tell me what? I didn't know there was anyone else, but it doesn't matter."
"Two days after the Solstice Ball, Raiden Trogg came to our estate to levy his new payment requirements. He came with two battlemechs, he practically held the house hostage. He stayed the night, and in that time..." she paused. "He attacked Freyja."
Gunnar clenched his jaw. "Attacked her? You mean...."
Clarissa nodded. "She didn't talk about what exactly happened with any of us. But it's safe to assume that yes, he raped her."
Gunnar pulled away from her grip and slammed his hand against the wall, eliciting glances from several of the nearby staff. He breathed angrily for several seconds before turning to the Bakkers again. "So what you're saying is that she's laying in there now, probably not knowing that there's a child growing inside her, and we don't even know who the father is? It could be me, or that bastard of a pirate that's going to drop on us in a few days time? How the hell do we break this to her?"
After another long pause, Ned Bakker spoke up. "We don't." Clarissa and Gunnar both stared at him.
"What do you mean we don't? How can we not?" Gunnar asked in disbelief.
Ned put his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Listen to me. You've not been in combat before, have you?" When Gunnar nodded a negative, Ned continued. "From what she tells me, she's only been in combat once. And now, in two days time, she's going to be leading people into battle with the fate of all of us at stake. She's been through too much already, and now you're going to spring on her not only that she has to worry about another life other than her own, but that for all we know, the father may be the very scum who's out there shooting back at her? You put those sort of distractions on her, she is liable to crack. At the very least, she's likely to hesitate in battle, and that's liable to get her hurt or killed."
Gunnar shook his head in frustration. "Is there any way to determine paternity this early?"
Clarissa shook her head. "On a core world, at a top hospital, yes. But here, not for a good month or two."
He paced back and forth for several anxious minutes. He stopped at the door to her room and peered in through the glass, watching her chest rise and fall rhythmically with her breathing. "If she finds out that we held this back from her, she will never forgive us. You realize that?"
Ned Bakker placed his hand on Gunnar's shoulder. "But at least she'll be alive to hold a grudge."
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