Chdrtlsy: A Short Story 6 Help?

When she woke again, Resetarits had his head resting on her back between her shoulder blades. His hand ran up and down her arm. Lottatna took a deeper breath and s.h.i.+fted beneath him a little. She got up long enough to use the bathroom. When she came out she sat a few feet from the bathroom door. The smell of death came off her stronger.

"I'm sorry, Resetarits," she said.

Resetarits padded over to her and held her tightly. "Please don't kill yourself. Please don't kill our children."

"It wasn't a dream?" Her body trembled.

"No. You mated me."

Her head lowered to Resetarits' shoulder. Her arms held him tighter as she cried. She mourned. Mourned the loss of the being she once was. "I wondered why my belly hurts. Why I could no longer smell the arousing scent you put off."

Resetarits nodded.

"How many children am I carrying?" she squeaked.

"Because you've conceived in the spring, it can be anywhere from two to six."

"How soon before we know?"

"Four months. How evenly your pouch expands will tell us how many children we'll have next spring."

"A year long pregnancy?" she checked surprised.

"Yes."

She felt a little nauseated.

"Let's get you some food," Resetarits said, pulling away slightly.

Lottatna's head hung further, but she nodded. She followed him into the kitchen where he put together some quick grits. They ate together before Lottatna returned to the beanbag. She lay on her side. Her hand ran over her abdomen. She cried. She slept. Did she remember that she had clients tomorrow? She had told him she could do her work off the body, but how was she to keep working with those she needed to touch? Resetarits opened her bag again. He pulled out her schedule and her phone.

He called her clients telling them she was going to be away from the office for a while, but she would call them back as soon as she was back. He did this for all the clients she had for the next three days. Then he checked to see if she had an emergency contact. Someone he could talk to that might know more about Lottatna. Someone who could help him know how to help her. There was a Jason listed. Resetarits called him.

"I was wondering when you were going to call me, Lottatna," Jason answered.

"This is about Lottatna," Resetarits said.

There was a paused on the other side. "Can I ask who this is?"

"My name is Resetarits. I'm…."

"Lottatna's neighbor. She speaks often of you. What's going on with Lottatna?"

"She's not what she once was. She…." Resetarits tried to blink back his tears. "She wants to commit suicide."

"I'll be right there. You're in her apartment, right?"

"Mine."

"Be there in five."

"O…."

Jason hung up before he could finish.

Resetarits hung up the phone and frowned. Who was Jason? What kind of relations.h.i.+p did Lottatna have with him? She had talked about work a.s.sociates, but no one of significance. Resetarits checked on Lottatna. She was sleeping deeply. He kissed her forehead then dressed. He made sure he had his keys before he left the apartment. He was just stepping into the lobby when a man stepped up to the door with purpose.

"Resetarits?" he called through the door.

Resetarits let him in. "You must be Jason."

"Yes." Jason held out his hand.

"It's best if you don't touch me."

"Alright."

Resetarits led him up the stairs to his apartment.

"Best if you can help Lottatna without touching her either," he said, as he unlocked his apartment door.

"Why?" Jason followed him inside.

Resetarits let his mask fall. "You will become as we are, if you touch us."

Jason looked at Resetarits confused.

Lottatna moaned.

Resetarits stepped to her side, making sure she was covered. Jason stepped to where he could see her face.

"What's happened to her?" Jason asked, seeing the same sea lion muzzle on her as Resetarits had.

"Wednesday, she asked me out to get to know me better. We had gone to the Snow Dragon. We ate. We talked. I told her my touch changes people. We left. We were walking side by side when someone knocked her against me." His sea lion muzzle twitched. "She wasn't going to touch me. She just wanted to be friends. But the contact changed her to be as I am. She's slept much, struggling to accept she's changed."

Jason knelt beside the beanbag. "And it because of the change that she wants to commit suicide."

Resetarits nodded.

"What has she said or done to indicate that is what she wants?"

Tears filled Resetarits eyes. "It's a smell."

"Smell?"

"A horrible smell. Usually only the old put it off before they take their last breaths."

"And because Lottatna's not old, you're thinking suicide."

"I know it is."

Jason studied Resetarits expression then nodded. He swept his eyes over Lottatna. "…She's not giving me permission to work on her," he said after a moment.

"What prevents someone from getting worked on?" Resetarits asked.

"Could be several things. Too much processing, dehydration. For women, it can also be because of pregnancy."

Resetarits frowned.

Jason's jaw hardened. "She's pregnant?!"

"Yes," Resetarits said softly. "She initiated it."

"What?"

"She brought our mating tails together. I…."

"Tails?"

Resetarits sighed. He took his clothes off so Jason could see everything.

"So, Lottatna looks exactly as you do now?"

"She has more tails than I do, but yes."

Jason closed his eyes and covered his mouth. He took a couple shaky breaths. His hand came back down. "That would be a lot to accept. But why would she add a pregnancy to that?"

"That's what I was wondering."

Jason turned his eyes back to Lottatna. He seemed to stare at her longer this time. "Do you have Lottatna's keys?" he asked.

"They're in her bag."

"Will you get them for me?"

Resetarits nodded then s.h.i.+fted through her small handbag for her keys. He tossed them to Jason. Jason caught them.

"I'll be right back."

"Okay."

Jason left the apartment. He unlocked and entered Lottatna's. He came back later with several small boxes. He opened them. He picked up one.

"Can you open her mouth for me, Resetarits?" Jason asked.

Resetarits very gently drew her jaw open.

Jason gave her four drops. Lottatna's energy s.h.i.+fted a little and the death smell decreased a little.

"What is that?" Resetarits asked.

"Shooting Star flower essence."

"What does that do?"

"Helps the soul feel at home where it's at."

Resetarits nodded.

Jason held the bottle in his hand as he studied Lottatna. Then he set the bottle on the floor closer to Resetarits. "You want to give that to her three times a day."

"The four drops each time?"

"Yes."

"Okay. What of her clients?"

"Does she have appointments today?"

"No. I called those she had this weekend and told them she would be out for a while."

"Well, hopefully the shooting star will help stabilize her enough that she can talk to her clients. She'll know what to do."

Resetarits nodded, his expression conveying mild disbelief.

"Call me in a couple days if nothing changes."

"I will. Thank you for coming over, Jason."

He nodded then left.

Resetarits climbed under the blanket next to Lottatna. He was grateful she had enough strength of will to keep living. He caressed her cheek with the backs of his fingers. A smile lifted her lips and she purred. Waves of happiness moved through her tails, s.h.i.+fted the blankets just a little. She wrapped one of her arms around to his back. He purred with her, relaxing in the love he felt emanating from his mate. It was enough for him to set aside notice of the death smell for now.