“That’s not funny.”

“I’m not laughing.” Becca hesitated. “It’s true and I am afraid to go to a doctor, considering who the father is. Will a doctor be able to tell that right off? I know they take tests and give ultrasounds. Is it safe for me to go see someone or do I have to avoid that to prevent them from finding out?”

“Don’t you have better things to do than make prank phone calls? I do.” Trisha sighed. “I’m hanging up now.”

Panic gripped Becca again. She knew the doctor didn’t believe her but she needed to. “His sperm is noticeably hotter than other men. They are also well endowed, at least he was and he growls a lot during sex. He has sharp teeth, likes to grip skin with them and enjoys sex on the rough side.” She hesitated. “This isn’t a joke and he was circumcised.”

“Who is this?” Trisha’s voice came out soft. “Is this for real?”

“Yes.”

“You need to come to Homeland, just tell them you need to see me and they’ll escort you in. I’ll personally examine you. I don’t believe you since Species can’t breed but it will end this nonsense.”

“I am pregnant, the father is New Species and no way am I coming there. Just please answer my questions.” Becca hated the desperation she heard in her own voice. “Can it hurt the baby if I eat chocolate? I crave it but I’ve avoided having it. I’m taking over-the-counter prenatal vitamins but I’d like to see a doctor. Will he know if he examines me that something is off? It’s two questions, two answers and that’s all I need.”

The silence made Becca realize she’d wasted money on a disposable phone and making the call. No New Species baby had ever been conceived before, everyone knew it was impossible and the doctor didn’t believe her. She’d risked it though since she was on her own without medical help. It terrified her not knowing if the baby was okay.

Trisha finally spoke again. “That’s not possible.”

“Well, it is. I’m definitely pregnant and too afraid to go see a doctor. I didn’t want to risk a test coming back weird and them figuring out my baby is mixed race. Please just answer the question. I have to get off the phone soon. I don’t want you to trace the call. I know y’all can do that.”

“Why don’t you come to Homeland? I’ll personally examine you myself. It’s free if you’re worried about money.”

“I can’t do that.”

Trisha spoke fast. “This is a prank, right?”

Becca fought tears. “I wish it were but no. I’m scared,” she admitted. “I know about the hate groups and I’m the first woman to get pregnant by one of them, which would be huge news. I don’t want my baby to be the center of a freak show or to be targeted by idiots. I’ve rented a remote cabin. No one but you knows about this. I don’t trust anyone.”

“You need to see a doctor. Come to Homeland. It will be safe. No one will hurt you.” Trisha took a deep breath. “Or I’ll come to you if this is real. Just tell me where you are. No one has to know.”

“It’s not happening.” Becca hesitated. “I can’t let my family find out. It’s hard to explain and complicated but that’s how it is. The baby’s father is New Species. Is there anything special I can’t eat or drink besides the regular stuff? Do I need to consume more meat? I know they eat a lot of it.”

“Tell me something else so I know this is real.”

Becca bit her lip. “I’m gaining weight fast and showing already when I shouldn’t be. I had morning sickness within a few weeks of getting pregnant but I thought I caught the flu until I started gaining weight and my br**sts grew tender. I’ve had friends who had babies and remembered them complaining about that when they were pregnant.”

“Tell me where you are and I’ll come to you. You need medical supervision immediately if you are pregnant and it’s a New Species. How far along are you?”

“I’d rather not say. You could ask who’s slept with a human woman and narrow it down to find me. I won’t take that risk.”

A soft curse issued from the doctor. “You don’t know how dangerous this could be if you are alone. Are you really going to a remote cabin? You can’t do that. You need medical help close by. I need to know how far along you are.”

“I have to go. Do I need to eat more meat or avoid any foods? Can I see a doctor safely without it ending up on the evening news? Just answer that. I don’t want to harm the baby by not giving it what it needs or eating something it can’t tolerate.”

The doctor softly swore. “Yes. Eat more red meat. Some New Species get sick on chocolate. I don’t know if it would affect a baby but it can make some of them really ill. Don’t chance it. A doctor would get odd results right away if it were a Species baby and think something was wrong with your pregnancy. He’d run more tests and they would figure it out quickly. Come to Homeland. You—”

“That’s never going to happen. I’m sorry but forget that. I won’t see you.”

“Can you at least call me every day? Do you have a pen? I’m going to give you my cell phone number. We’ll talk and you’ll get to know you can trust me.”

Becca hesitated. “You won’t try to trace the call or anything?”

“I swear.”

Becca reached into her purse, knew it was a bad idea, the doctor was probably lying, but she was desperate. “Give it to me.” She wrote down the number. “I’ll call you in a few days. This isn’t a prank. I really am pregnant and it really is by a New Species.”

“Please, I’m begging you,” Doctor Trisha urged softly. “Let me come to you or you come to Homeland. Just walk up to the gate and tell them to page me. No one but me needs to know right now. Please just—”

Becca had hung up the cell phone and slid the back off to remove the battery. Two miles later she’d ditched the phone in a trash can and continued on her drive to her rented cabin. She pulled her thoughts from that conversation and stood from the couch. She stretched and knew she needed to run errands soon. She had to make one more call first. Yesterday something had happened that left her no choice. She needed to talk to Doctor Trisha again.

The new disposable phone lay on the dining room table. She bit her lip, debated taking a long drive to hide her location better, but her father would know if something were up. He never said anything in his emails, she felt safe no one suspected her of anything and she probably was safe. Doctor Trisha might honestly be trustworthy when she said she’d never try to track the phone calls. Some people were.

The number she’d scribbled down lay next to the phone. Her hands trembled a little as she reached for both. I need to make this call. She bit her lip. Another flutter in her belly made her gasp. She dropped the paper and rested her hand over the curved mound of her belly. Hot tears surfaced, caused by worry and confusion. She could feel the baby move. How is that possible?

She stood there debating what to do. The smart thing would be to rush to Doctor Trisha and let the woman take care of her and the baby. Of course reality prevented that. Her dad would kill Brawn. He’d end up going to prison instead of leading the task team and she’d have to explain to her child why he didn’t have any family besides her. She couldn’t do that, no matter how terrified she was. Tim Oberto was a lot of things but rational and controlled weren’t two of them when it came to his daughter. He’d never believe Brawn hadn’t forced her and he’d see blood. Brawn’s.

Thinking about the big New Species made her feel guilty. He had a right to know he was going to be a father. She knew right from wrong but that was one hurdle she wasn’t ready to take on yet. After the baby was born, she’d face that issue. First she needed to have it, keep it safe and figure out a way to deal with her dad. Hopefully meeting his grandchild would go a long way toward muffling his murderous rage.

Guilt turned to anger in the next moment. She chalked it up to her hormones but if Brawn had called her he might know he was going to be a father. It took both of them to get her in the mess but it was up to her to try to contain the fallout. She’d been tempted plenty of times to try to reach him but had no idea how without having to go through the NSO switchboard. They’d ask why she wanted to talk to him, might investigate her to make sure she wasn’t a threat and that meant having her father and his team come after her. It was just too risky. Calling a human was one thing, they might figure she was a friend of Doctor Trisha’s, but a human woman calling a Species male would be odd.

The flutter happened again, more of a tiny kick and she closed her eyes, amazed at the feeling and frightened. Brawn was a big guy and she’d hoped she was gaining weight so fast because the baby might be as large as the father but she couldn’t forget he wasn’t totally human. She might not know much about pregnancy since she’d never experienced it before but she had friends who had children. She shouldn’t feel the baby stir for months. The baby might be growing faster than a purely human one, thanks to Brawn’s altered genes, and like it or not, she was in over her head. She needed to have a conversation with the New Species doctor to figure it out.

She opened her eyes and reached for the paper again. Her hands shook as she dialed the number. Her heart pounded as the phone rang. A woman’s voice answered on the second ring.

“Hello?”

“Doctor Trisha?” Becca remembered to use the same Texas accent. “It’s me again. The pregnant lady.”

“You promised to call me and it’s been three weeks,” the doctor accused, sounding out of breath and maybe excited. “How are you?”

“Scared and alarmed. I’m feeling the baby move. How can that be? It’s way too early.”

“How far along are you?”

“We’ve been over this. I am not telling you that. Is it possible that the baby could be developing faster than normal? I mean, is that nuts to even consider? New Species are part animal and I’ve been researching on the internet. The gestation period is shorter in animals than in humans. I’m gaining weight too fast and now I’ve got movement. It’s not gas either.” She shorted a laugh at that one, glad for some humor. “It’s definitely the baby.”

“You need to come to Homeland. What is your name?”

“Pregnant lady.”

“Are you really living in a cabin by yourself?”

“Yes.” Becca figured that was safe information to give out.

“Do you have a friend or someone who checks on you at least?”

She hesitated. “What is the point of asking me this?”

“You’re alone, you told me you don’t trust anyone and you need help if you really are pregnant. What are you afraid of? No one is going to hurt you. You can walk right up to the gates, tell them you’re there to see me and I swear I’ll rush right out. If you don’t want anyone to see you, I can meet you anywhere you want. I’ll bring my bag and some equipment that is mobile. I can even come to your cabin.”

“That’s not going to happen. I got lost for a reason. I don’t want anyone to find me.”

“I can tell you if your baby is all right. Don’t you want to make sure? I have a son and I know I was worried sick about his health when I was pregnant. I swear I gave myself an ultrasound almost daily just to check on him. I could do that for you if you came here. I’ll come to you if you don’t want to be seen. I know there are protesters out there. We have a helicopter and could fly you in to prevent anyone from seeing you.”

“I appreciate that but as I said, I don’t trust anyone.”

Trisha hesitated. “Are you afraid of the father? Is that it? Do you think if you let him know that he’ll react badly?”

“I try not to think about him.” Becca leaned forward and sighed. “I know he has a right to know and I plan to tell him one day but not until it’s safe. You don’t know what is at stake.”

“Then tell me. Just tell me something.”

Becca hesitated. “My family would go insane if they found out and they would hurt the father. That’s all I can tell you.”

“So you are protecting the father of your baby? That’s why you won’t come in? Your family doesn’t have to know. Your family can’t get to him or you if you come here. I swear you will be safe. All of you will be.”

That might be the case for the average person but not for Becca. Her father had to know everything that happened at Homeland and Reservation. Having a pregnant woman show up would be a security risk. He’d be notified and she still winced over the memories of him asking her a hundred times if anyone had touched her when she’d been held prisoner. The rage that threatened in his eyes assured her he’d stop at nothing until Brawn was dead. It’s why she’d never told him about her marriage. He’d have murdered Bradley in a heartbeat. Her dad was a dick at times but he became downright insane when someone hurt her.

“Are you still there?”

Becca realized she’d drifted in her thoughts. “Yes. Do you think the baby is growing faster than normal? Is it possible? Just answer me that because that’s all I can figure and I’m worried.”

“Are you more than four months along?”

“No.”

“Good.” Trisha hesitated. “Don’t you want to know the sex of the baby? If you let me see you I could bring a portable ultrasound machine and tell you the sex.”