“Three…Two…One,” Martinez groaned before standing up in time with Ezol. Both lifted the bed with their legs and moved toward the door leading out of Martinez’s soon-to-be old apartment.

  “By Urla, is this the last of it?” Ezol strained, a bead of sweat dripping down his long snout.

  Martinez didn’t give his pangolin-like friend a direct answer. Instead, he grunted and nodded, focusing on stepping down the stairs in time with Ezol.

  Today was the day. A day Martinez had known was coming, and one he felt an odd amount of dread about. Martinez was at long last moving in entirely with Lysa.

  All of the trinkets and luxuries Doctor Harnsis had purchased for him were loaded into the rent-a-hauler. While his clothes, toiletries and any cooking supplies were at her house, being tucked away by Verni and Lysa while their men handled the heavy lifting.

  The bed that they were finagling through the halls and doors was the last item. The final thing linking Martinez to this apartment having ever been where he lived—save for the memories.

  Just yesterday Martinez had bit the bullet and spoke to the Director about what was going on. The man’s reaction was, surprising; in fact even now Martinez was unsure how he should feel about the actions of the man.

  The miniature Godzilla-like alien had gone quiet, and only looked more and more concerned as Martinez caught him up on what was going on. Initially, Martinez tried to only explain that his girlfriend was pregnant, and he was moving in with her, so the hospital should cancel his lodging, but that did not last long.

  The Director immediately jumped down Martinez’s throat about the stop-loss order, and that he was leaving in less than six months. Any attempts at assuring the Director were ripped apart by the almighty questions of who and how did they assure you of that.

  The Director was smart, and knew who Martinez was in contact with, and was well aware of the snake in the grass at Draun—well, the Human one that was. Other species spooks, he did not keep tabs on.

  Because he was getting no answers from Martinez, he did the only logical thing: he called Chloe for answers.

  Chloe, a woman he hated. The Human he was rightly cautious about. For gods sake, the last time Martinez had seen the Director and Chloe interact he treated the comparatively small woman like a coiled viper, ready to strike at any slight.

  Today however, seemed to mark the dawn of a new era, one where the Director was done dealing with Chloe. For the next few minutes the Director, well directed. He overpowered the conversation, steam practically erupting from his ears in fury. He was no longer asking for her to answer for her actions, no, he damned she dropped everything and get in is office now.

  To Martinez’s mixed horror and respect, Chloe followed what might as well have been an order. Martinez suspected it was because the Director made it very clear that Martinez wouldn’t be leaving until “That vile snake gets in here and explains what she is trying to do with my worker.”

  That was probably the first time Martinez ever felt glad someone was saying they owned him. He was essentially all alone when dealing with Chloe, and would take all the help he could get; even if it was just the Director's help due to the man hating the cloak and dagger act Chloe had shown since their first interaction.

  It only took Chloe a few minutes to arrive, her usual eerie preparedness for the conversation on full display with her speed at responding, despite the Director’s voice booming across the hospital, she walked in as if nothing was amiss.

  For nearly an hour Martinez had to sit there like a little kid while his parents argued; each moment that passed made him consider the viability of a lobotomy via soup spoon more seriously. For Gods sake, getting shot at was more pleasant than whatever this surreal experience was.

  The Director made his stance of hating Chloe easy for everyone in Draun to understand. She was lying, manipulating and doing all she could to achieve her own ends; Chloe on the other hand was obfuscating everything going on in the background through clever doublespeak, nigh incomprehensible rhetoric and the silvered tongue of a trained politician.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Due to the Director’s main role within the hospital being wielding political tools to interact with the public, and local government he could easily see through Chloe's facade and was more than happy to call her out on each attempt to have him let her do what she wanted.

  While Chloe never admitted all the finer details to the man, she did manage to convey to the director that Martinez will be fine, and that he will not be taken by the military. Instead he will have a new life to live here with Lysa— after Martinez meets his end of their bargain.

  The one thing about it all, and likely the only thing that Chloe was not honeying her words for was the last thing she said before leaving. The Director needs to drop this subject, and just stay out of her way—for his own good.

  The threat being well recieved, the Director let the subject drop, and dismissed Martinez, congratulating him on becoming a father and wishing him the best of luck on whatever was happening.

  The words might have been well wishes, but the man's cold yellow-green eyes conveyed nothing but pity for Martinez, his mind likely pondering what the Human would have to do to have a devil like Chloe do anything to benefit him.

  “Ease it in there,” Ezol said, stepping onto the ramp, and shifting out of the way so he would not be crushed against the back wall.

  “Thanks for the help, Ez,” Martinez said, whiping sweat free of his brow, the last few months of slacking on physical training really starting to show.

  “It’s no issue,” Ezol smiled, brushing off the apron-like garment his species tended to wear, the well beaten cloth looking no better after he cleaned it. “Urla knows Verni and I would have loved the help when we were getting ready for our firsts arrival.”

  “Still, it is appreciated,” Martinez replied.

  “Don’t worry about it. Besides you know, normally this stuff is planned for. But you and Lysa decided to jump headlong into parent hood, after what is it…nearly a year?” Ezol continued elbowing Martinez in the side and giving him a teasing grin.

  “Yeah yeah, I know I should have wrapped up,” Martinez rolled his eyes, looking away to hide his blush.

  Martinez was well aware how crazy the situation was, and from Ezols point of view, he had set all of this in motion; in a way he did. Without Martinez asking Ezol to show him around town, he never would have gone to the specialty shop, and met Lysa.

  Ezol had nothing to do with the other parts, but still. The man had directly lead to Martinez meeting the most beautiful woman in the universe. The only woman that he wanted to wake up with.

  “Well, now you know,” Ezol chuckled, turning toward the truck. “Come on, lover boy, we still have work to do and dinner after that.”

  Without protest, Martinez climbed into the cab after him. As Ezol turned over the engine Martinez looked at the side of the old brick building he had called home. It was the first place he had lived in since joining the military.

  It was nothing special, but it beat the hell out of the barracks, ship, or a hole in the ground. It was a slice of Human culture in Draun, that Harnsis had made so much effort to create. It was a little piece of his history, that Martinez would never forget. A thought that drove home as the car rolled forward, and the building faded into the distance.

  As the streets of Draun rolled by Martinez watched the towering spires reach high into the sky, he accepted that another portion of his life was closing, a feeling he was familiar with after having been moved around the galaxy by the military.

  In his usual ritual, Martinez reflected upon his time within that section of his ever growing story. He believed he had grown much; he had more friends than ever. Gained a woman who was about to give birth to their child and would still be able to continue his training as a multispecies nurse once all was said and done.

  He sighed and looked down at the people in the street and nearly choked. There was a woman who for the briefest moment he could have sworn was a ghost of his past. Until he focused more.

  Her feline features, while similar, were to different. She lacked the eyes a deep blue as the sea, nor did she have the subtle smile that clawed at his mind, filling him with guilt for what he did to her.

  Martinez looked away, trying to ignore the pang of guilt the near doppelg?nger made him feel about Shiksie.

  Chloe had promised him details about where Shiksie had gone once all was said and done, but that portion of their deal had been completely forgotten. Martinez had even forgotten that his sacrifice was getting Dee out of stoploss.

  The hecticness of the last few months had just occupied his entire mind, that along with the dread of what would be if he failed on Chloe’s mission. Lysa would be all alone again, and their children would live without a father—both fates Martinez wouldn’t wish on anyone, least of all his beloved.

  As they pulled down the road toward his new home, Martinez had one question in his head. Not one about Lysa, or the future, but one about his devilish deal.

  Did he even want to know where Shiksie was at this point?

  He thought his did, but when he tried to logic it out; he could not see how knowing that would help him at all.

  It was not like him ever seeing Shiksie again would help either of them. It would only take his attention from his family, and hers from healing. He was unsure, and would be until it was time to burn that bridge. For now he had to focus on what was before him, what he could control. And what would keep his future secure—even if it meant leaving Shiksie in the past.