Victoria and the Alien Doctor (Intergalactic Brides 2) Read Free

“Mate?”
    He nodded, looking around again.
    “But… why?”
    “I can’t sit back and do nothing when there’s a chance I could help your daughter.”
    “Evie.”
    “Pardon?” he asked.
    “Evie. Her name is Evie. And how is it we’re having this conversation outside of the station? Don’t I need a translator to understand you?”
    His smile broadened. “I wasn’t using the translator systems at the station, either. I learned your language when I realized I would be stationed here.”
    “So you’re doing this for Evie?” she clarified. “And because you want children? What happens if I can’t have any more children? I had a difficult pregnancy with Evie. The doctor said it might be better if I didn’t have another baby.”
    He frowned. “I hadn’t counted on that. There are medical tests you’ll have to undergo before you could be approved as a mate. If you carry the cancer gene, or the genes for any illness we might not be able to cure, the request will be denied. If you are unable to have more children, you will also be denied. What kind of complications did you have?”
    “I was put on bed rest the last three months of my pregnancy because of preeclampsia. I know it’s a common enough condition, but I was severely underweight during my pregnancy and that just added to the problem. I wasn’t really in a good situation and couldn’t afford to eat more than twice a day, and even those meals weren’t as nutritious as they should have been. Evie arrived early with underdeveloped lungs and had to stay at the hospital for a few weeks after she was born.”
    He rubbed his chin and began to pace. “But it’s possible, if you were in a home where food was plentiful and healthy, that if the stresses in your life were removed, that you could carry a baby full-term without issue and have a healthy child. I think the problems you faced were due to your circumstances and not because you’re unable to have a normal pregnancy. Tests would give me decisive answers, but you’d have to agree to be my mate first.”
    “And if I’m your mate, you’ll heal Evie? Or at least try to?” she asked.
    Xonos nodded. “I give you my word. She’ll become my daughter the moment we’re mated, and I’ll do everything in my power to save her life.”
    Victoria bit her bottom lip to stop its quivering. “She’s never had a father before,” she said softly. “Maybe knowing that someone else cares about her would give her the strength to keep fighting.”
    “What type of cancer does she have? Perhaps if I did some research…”
    “Osteosarcoma. It affects children. Usually it doesn’t show until they are around ten or older, but Evie’s showed up when she was two. It’s practically unheard of for it to happen so soon. And hers has spread like wildfire, starting in her right leg and now it’s in her arms and the last tests she had done showed it had moved into her lungs. She has maybe a month, two tops, to live.”
    Xonos studied her with a grim expression. “I hadn’t realized it had progressed so far. I’ll see what I can do, but it isn’t likely I’ll be able to cure her. There’s a scientist here from my world. His name is Syl. I’ll call him tonight to get his help with this. I know I won’t be able to do it alone.”
    Her heart sank, but she tried to stay optimistic. Just because Xonos hadn’t been able to cure the mate who had died from cancer, it didn’t mean he didn’t have the power to cure Evie. Miracles happened all the time, and Victoria had been praying hard for one for Evie. Her little girl was due for some good news, and maybe telling her she would have a daddy would be enough for the moment.
    “What happened to Evie’s father?” Xonos asked. “If he’s still around, he might protest my claiming her.”
    “I don’t know who Evie’s father is,” she admitted. “I was at a party and was quite drunk. I remember I walked off with two men and by morning I could tell we’d had sex,