Chocolate Rewards: The Sweetness of Two Worlds Colliding Together (19 page)

“
Then I
registered her at court. The King's wife is also from Earth. They
king was pleased with my work. He gave my friend and I a planet where
we could grow cocoa beans. I had never been to that planet. I didn't
know much about it.

“
Amber
tried to run away. She was scared and she didn't look where she was
going. She got bit by a wetu. They're poisonous creatures. I thought
I was going to lose her. I held her most of the time. Her fever broke
and she was able to talk to me. By then our heartbeats were
connected. Now that they have joined they can't be separated again.
It pains me to be away from her. I need her closeness and she needs
mine. Even right now she is starting to get restless. Her heart
misses mine.” Rokai was watching her sleep through the sliding
glass door. She was tossing and turning.

“
What
are you going to do with her once you leave here?” Kulani asked.

“
I'm
going to take her home. Our workers will be glad to see the baby.
They will love it. We will live on our planet together. Perhaps we
will have another child. She still has to go through labor. She may
decide that one child is enough.”

“
You
would let her decide something like that?”

“
Yes,
of course. I don't know how I will endure the sight of her being in
pain. I may not be able to go through it again.”

“
I
understand. I almost lost Emily when she was giving birth to Amber. I
couldn't bare to lose her. She's my soul mate. I felt it the second I
saw her. I was at the beach with my friends when I noticed her
sitting on a green towel. She was reading a book and her blond hair
was in an adorable ponytail. Women like her don't fall for men like
me. They marry the richest best-looking men. My Emily could have had
anyone she wanted.

“
I
tried not to look at her, but I couldn't look away. I felt a pull
towards her. She just read in her book. I never saw her looking my
way.

“
My
friends and I had been playing soccer. The ball rolled close to the
water. I hurried to get it so it wouldn't get wet. Then I saw
something in the sand. I threw the ball back to the other guys and
picked it up. My mother had taken me amber hunting when I was child,
as a means to bring in a little extra money. I recognized what it was
right away. It was a large one, one that would pay my rent for the
month. I saw the stone and I looked at Emily. I felt that they just
belonged together. The ocean had given forth this treasure just for
her to have.

“
I sat
down next to her and explained about the stone. I told her that it
needed to be sanded and polished and then it would be a thing f
beauty. She listened and didn't chase me away. We talked for a long
time and when it started to get dark I invited her out to dinner with
me. She said yes in a heartbeat. We have been together ever since.
Like I said, soul mates.”

Rokai
nodded. He felt the same way about Amber. “That's why you named her
Amber?”

“
Yes.
The stone I found is hanging around her neck. We thought that it
would be fitting for her to have it because she is the greatest proof
of our love. The stone is said to be magical. It eases pain and helps
reduce fever. She will need it when she gives birth to your baby.”
Kulani looked at his large son-in-law and feared for his daughter.

“
Of
course. I'll do anything that will help her.”

“
I can
see that you love her, but I worry about her. I always will.”

“
Rokai.
Wake up. It's time.” Amber shook his shoulder hard.

Rokai
jumped to his feet and quickly dressed. “Okay, tell me what you
need.”

“
We
have to go to the hospital. Wake my dad. He'll drive us.”

Rokai
left so fast to do her bidding that Amber had to smile. She slowly
got and placed her hand on her back. She was having another
contraction. “But it hasn't even been two minutes since the last
time. Rokai!” she screamed out.

Rokai
took held of her, trying to get her to walk to the door.

“
I
think something is wrong. This is going too quickly.”

“
Everything
is going to be okay. I'm right here.” He picked up their bag and
walked her out to the driveway. Her parents were waiting there. Rokai
helped her into the back seat and moved in close to her. He moved her
head so it was lying over his heart.

Amber
doubled over in pain. “Another one?” Emily asked. Her eyes moved
from her daughter to her husband. “Get us there fast, Kulani.”

He gave
her a nod and sped to the hospital.

As soon
as one contraction was over Amber was only able to take a hasty
breath before she once again had to scream in pain.

Rokai
hadn't believed that the ugly stone could have healing powers as
Kulani had told him, but now he checked to make sure that it was in
place.

At the
hospital nurses got Amber into a wheelchair and briskly took off with
her. Rokai was told that he had to fill out papers.

“
Now? I
don't have any time.”

“
We
need proof of insurance.”

“
Insurance?”

“
Health
insurance,” the nurse clarified.

“
She
wants money.” Kulani explained, he took out his wallet but Rokai
stopped him. “I'll pay for my wife. How much do you want, woman.
Spit it out, my wife needs me.”

Kulani
couldn't help but smile. The nurse looked completely appalled. She
stood there with her jaw hanging opening. Rokai pulled out a wad of
money and laid it on the desk before he picked up the suitcase and
ran after his wife.

When they
caught up with her, she was lying in a bed attached to a machine.

“
What's
all this?” Rokai asked.

“
They
are checking the contractions and listening to the baby's heartbeat.
That's the noise we are hearing. Isn't it lovely?” she sighed.

Rokai
cuddled into the bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her like
they always did. Amber buried her face in his chest as the next
contraction hit. It was a pain so intense that she figured bones were
breaking.

Rokai
held onto her tightly. It felt wrong to have so many people in here.
This was a moment for just the two of them. He figured that Zufu
would come and go to see if she could help. He knew that she
regretted not being able to help her mistress.

Amber was
taking this on herself so her parents could meet their grandchild.

“
Are
all of these people necessary?” he asked Emily.

“
I am.
I'm the doctor. I need to check your wife over.” A man came in and
went right to the printouts. “How many centimeters dilated is she?”
he asked the nurse.

“
She
just got here. We couldn't check yet.”

The
doctor washed his hands and put on plastic gloves. “Your baby seems
to be in a hurry.”

Rokai
watched a strange man sit down at the end of the bed and move his
wife's legs so they were opening open.

“
What
are you doing?”

First
then did the doctor look up and notice Rokai size and skin color. He
rolled away from Amber a little. “I am just checking to see how
close she is. I'm not going to hurt her.” The doctor was talking
down to Rokai, thinking that a man his size, and who had burned his
skin in the sun so stupidly couldn't be smart.

“
Is
that normal?” Rokai looked to Kulani for the truth.

“
Yes.”
Kulani hadn't liked that back then either. “Would you rather have a
female doctor? Surely that could be arranged.”

Amber
screamed out again.

“
Sorry
folks. It's too late. The baby is coming now. What's her name?” the
doctor asked Emily.

“
Amber.”

“
Okay
Amber, this is the big moment. I can see blood. I need to look to see
if everything is normal. Tell your husband to just hold onto you.”
He tried to move her legs open but Amber wouldn't let him. She was
having yet another contraction.

Rokai let
go of her and pushed the doctor to the side. “I can see the baby's
head, precious one. You just have to push when you can. Give me your
hands.” Rokai sat down between her legs and held her hands.

Amber
screamed out loudly again.

Emily
parents went to her and tried to help her.

Rokai let
go of her hands after the contraction. “The baby will be born soon.
Hold onto your parents. I'll take our baby. The father is the first
person to touch his child. The wife gives the child to the father.”

Amber
nodded and obeyed him.

The
doctor muttered words like 'highly unconventional, stupid nonsense'
as he looked over Rokai's shoulder, ready to step in.

Amber sat
up and pushed when the next contraction came.

“
It's a
boy. You gave me a son,” Rokai declared as he held the baby in his
hands. He lifted the baby up so Amber could see him.

“
He's
so pink.” Amber couldn't think of anything else to say.

A nurse
took the baby and cut the cord quickly before this odd family could
do anything more bizarre. She wrapped him in a light blue blanket and
gave him to Amber.

Rokai
followed them. He was spellbound looking at his child.

“
Is he
healthy?” Amber asked, moving the blanket so her child wouldn't get
cold.

“
He got
all of his Apgar points. He seems to be very healthy,” the nurse
answered. The doctor wanted to get close to Amber again and check her
over.

“
Just
leave,” Rokai told him.

“
Amber,
do you want me to leave?”

“
Sure
we would like a moment. I feel fine.”

“
I
really can't leave you just yet. If something happens to you, your
family could sue us. This is our insurance.”

“
Insurance.”
Rokai repeated. “I have insurance.” He gave him some money and
turned him to the door.

“
Fine,
I'll just go file out the birth certificate.”

The
nurses slowly left too. Once they were alone Rokai got out the laser.

Kulani
and Emily were worried what he was up to.

“
This
is going to heal me. It won't hurt me. We can go home then.”

Rokai
slowly moved the beam up her legs. Emily could hardly believe her
eyes. Her daughter was healing right before her eyes. Two minutes
later her daughter was sitting up and smiling.

Rokai
took the baby so Amber could get dressed, again. “Look it fits
already.”

“
You
look fantastic.” Rokai planted a lingering kiss on her lips.

They both
moved to leave. Kulani and Emily just followed them awestruck.

They
happily walked out of the hospital.

“
Don't
you two want the birth certificate?” Kulani asked.

Amber
looked at Rokai. He shook his head. “We will register the baby when
we get home.”

The happy
couple got back into the car with their baby in their arms.

Kulani
got the car seat that he had bought out of the trunk. All four of
them worked on placing the baby in it. Kulani drove away wondering if
they could get arrested for something like this. It just felt so
wrong. He could see that his daughter and grandchild were healthy but
still this wasn't how things were done.