CHAPTER 197: THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS

The brothers were having a great conversation when there came a knock at their door. Earl got up to answer it only to find his brother Nordstrom, a.k.a. Stormy due to the fights him and his dad used to get into, standing there.

"Come on in Stormy; Walter is here and we haven’t sat down for a talk in a while," Earl said as he could tell there was something weighing on his younger brother’s mind as he sat down.

Nordstrom took a seat and began wringing his hands nervously. Walter grumbled, "Okay enough, what’s up little brother?"

Nordstrom started and everything came out like a dam had burst. "I’m almost 5 months spoiled and I don’t know where his father is. I don’t guess he made it off the orbiter. I don’t know what to do with Stockton, he’s okay he is getting around now and won’t be any problem by the time I go into labor."

Earl and Walter wrapped their arms around their little brother and told him it would be all right—they would take care of him and the babies. "But first we need to know a little bit about what happened. You were unhappy when you were carrying Stockton the entire time and not much happier when you had him, then you changed. Talk to us and tell us the whole story so that we may help," Earl said gently.

"I love my son, don’t ever doubt that, and he is a joy—it was not my choice to carry him." Nordstrom’s voice trembled as he began his story. "I met a young human on the station; he was in navigations and I fell deeply in love. I transitioned and was waiting on my time of cycle so that we could conceive a child together, but dad had other plans. I introduced Sheridan O’Shannon to dad and he hit the roof. I told him that we were in love and that I wished to have his child when I came into cycle. Sheridan assured dad that we had a very nice place to live and that he loved me very much, his job was a good paying job on the orbiter—he was highly trained and very well respected throughout the ranks. Nothing could change dad’s one-sided opinion on anyone Irish."

He paused, gathering strength to continue. "My time was getting close and we had made arrangements to meet up so that I could conceive without dad’s knowledge. One morning dad came and woke me just as my cramps were beginning at the start of my cycle. He walked me through the corridors to a crew quarters for the upper rank. He rang the intercom and announced that he had the package for delivery. When the door opened, he shoved me inside and it closed behind me."

Nordstrom’s hands shook as he recalled the memory. "I came face-to-face with a huge man. He grabbed me and kissed me and attempted to take off my clothing. I was totally freaking out and started to yell when he hit me, knocking me down. He picked me up and carried me to the bedroom and he ripped my clothes off, threw me upon the bed, and within seconds his naked body was on top of mine. He restrained me, then was inside of me, ripping my innocence away—the innocence that I had saved for Sheridan."

"About an hour later he removed himself and locked me so that no other man could get to me, then he left the bed, took a shower, dressed and walked out of the quarters." His voice grew bitter. "Dad walked in and told me to clean up the mess that I had become. I cried all the way back to our quarters and I cried again when I failed the pregnancy test and realized that I was carrying that stranger’s child and not Sheridan’s."

"I cried as I told Sheridan what happened—first he wanted to break dad’s neck and the man that had played the part and impregnated me with his child. I found out later that he had paid a hefty price for a pure Goran hybrid virgin. I didn’t blame the child that I carried within me because he was innocent, but that’s when dad and I started to fight constantly. Nobody could ever figure it out other than us; he told them I was just a difficult pregnant whore."

Nordstrom’s voice strengthened slightly. "After giving birth to Stockton I met up with Sheridan and he impregnated me three days after, and he locked me off just as the other man had. When dad discovered what I had done it was a horrible fight—he claimed he knew how to hit me so that I would expel the child out of my system and I fought to protect my child."

His voice broke completely then. "We were fighting when the orbiter was boarded by whoever it was. He was distracted and left Stephen alone, so the reason our baby brother was taken was my fault, not dad’s. This is something that I’ve lived with and it’s eating me alive. I don’t want father to ever find out—it was my fault Stephen was taken from us."

"Stormy, it isn’t your fault," Earl said firmly. "If anybody’s fault, it’s mine because I went behind dad’s back and conceived every one of my children with Shannon, and I rubbed it in his face that his grandchildren were half Irish human and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. It wasn’t like he didn’t try, because I found that trick out too, and the only person that can lock and unlock a pregnant Goran or hybrid is the impregnating father. What do you think we fought about so much? I’m not crying any tears over him—he was my dad and I loved him. I respected him, but he made my life a living hell. He refused to sign off so that Shannon and I could be joined and we could live as a family; he considered the Irish Humans to be trash and beneath any Goran or Goran hybrid."

Walter smiled sadly. "My mate wasn’t my choice—it was arranged by dad. I was dutiful to him and bore children by his choice, not mine. I love all the children that I’ve had because they were a gift. I did not want my mate; in fact, I couldn’t stand it when he touched me because I knew that he had bought me from the very start from dad. But now I’m not letting anyone get between me and Curtis and the children that we’re going to have together as a bonded pair."

Earl took up his phone and called Lex, asking him to look at the remaining pods and see if any of them contained a person by the name of Sheridan O’Shannon, and if it did, what was the schedule for release.

A few minutes later Lex’s communicator phone rang into Earl’s, and Earl picked it up and placed it on speaker for all could hear. "Earl, I’ve checked all the lists and I went back and checked all of the pods. I do have one that is labeled simply Sheridan—the rest of the name is just like Shannon’s, it’s empty of any more information."

"Two of my brothers and I are on our way over to check out the extra pod to see if it might be Nordstrom’s mate," Earl smiled and took his little brother’s hand. "We will be there in a few minutes."

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When Zack arrived back at Homer and Clayton’s place, there were several people in the yard replanting the rosebushes that had been ripped out and installing new ones. The front gate was gone and there was a new one ready to be hung up in its place. The front post had already been replaced on the porch and Whalen was carefully painting it. Gone also was the busted-in front door.

"Don’t worry Mr. Zack, that front door’s been taken care of," one of the workers called out. "Right now at the construction shop they are making another one just the way Clayton wanted it. Besides, you didn’t think we’d remotely leave this place a disaster area for when Homer comes back—it just wouldn’t seem right. He takes pride in his place and he loves his house; he deserves better."

Zack looked at Whalen and told the men that were working to keep up the good work, and they would all be rewarded for their kindness.

Whalen approached Mr. Zack and cleared his throat. "Sir, we have been talking about the way this place looks and the way our places look—this is nice, ours are not. We have just lived here and not given anything back, not shown any pride in what we have to offer the Z1. We would like to know if we could requisition paint from the construction department to paint our homes befitting of Mr. Homer’s, and if we can talk to the horticulturist about making our places more presentable to the next round of incoming carriers and breeders so that we may start a life like Homer has here. We’ll do all the work—don’t have to worry about that—we just need a little help with the supplies."

"Requisition ahead," Zack smiled in his caring way. "Do whatever you need to make your home fitting for you and those that you might attract as mates for the future."

All the men working wore big smiles—they were going to show Homer what it meant to be neighbors.