form of endearment.”
She felt heat rise to her cheeks. “He was calling me miss because he knew that Quinn hated for anyone to call me Squirrel. Tagar asked what he could call me and I told him the only thing I could think of, which was what Quinn calls me. Was that wrong?”
“No, I was merely curious. Let me scan you to see if you were injured.”
She sat up on the exam table and waited while he scanned her. “You have a few bruises but otherwise you are doing really well. I’ll give you a booster shot to help with your healing.” He pressed a pressurized needleless air pen up to her arm. There was no pain involved. “All done.”
“Thank you, Jared.” She was already feeling better.
“It’s my pleasure to aid you. Don’t listen to what Mediko Romer said.”
“How can I not? I thought it was the human rebels that were bigots but that kind of hate isn’t just tied to humans.”
“What is a bigot?”
“It means he’s prejudiced against me because I am human. It means if he had a gun in his hands I would be dead and he would be thrilled about it.”
“I agree he spoke out of line but that could be that Tagar almost squeezed the life out of him. Don’t take it personally.”
“How can I not when he hates humans like me?”
Tagar stuck his head back inside with concern. “Do you have need of me?”
She had to work to calm herself down. “I’m fine, thank you, Tagar.”
Tagar nodded and went back out. Jared gave her a pointed look. “Not all of us feel that way, just like not all humans hate us for being aliens.”
That was true. She looked up when the door opened again, and this time it was Lily. She was smiling until she saw their expressions. “What’s wrong?”
Squirrel tried to give her a smile. “Nothing.”
Lily didn’t look like she believed her but she let it drop. She turned her eyes to Jared. “Have you told her yet?”
“I was waiting for you to come.”
“Tell me what?”
“I was able to track your DNA with Earth’s database,” Jared told her.
“Did you find my family? What my name is?” She would love to have a different name to go by than using Squirrel. She never liked that nickname anyway.
Lily came closer. “We found a name: Natalie Fanning.” There was a long pause as Lily looked at Jared.
The name meant nothing to her, it didn’t ring any memories from her. She suspected there was more. “What are you not telling me?”
Lily motioned for Jared to leave them alone. Once he’d gone to the back where his office was located, Lily put a hand on her shoulder. “You were given up when you were a baby. Your mother was a --sixteen-year-old girl named April Fanning. There was no father’s name listed on your birth certificate.”
She felt like she had suffered an extreme blow to her gut. She had stood up but now she sat back down on the exam table. “So I’m a fatherless, unwanted bastard?”
“Natalie—”
“Don’t call me that name. I don’t know that name.”
“You’re not unwanted. We want you here. Quinn wants you here. It doesn’t matter where you came from; it matters where you choose to go next.”
“I need some time to process this.”
“Talk to Quinn, honey. He’ll be worried about you.”
“Maybe.” She left the mediko without glancing at Tagar. She knew he followed but he gave her the space and silence she needed. Soon she realized she wasn’t going in any real direction. She stopped and turned to Tagar. “Could you take me to the room with the windows that looks out over space?”
“Of course. It’s this way.”
She followed Tagar to the lift. They went up several floors before getting off. Tagar entered the room with the windows first. No one was there and she was grateful. She went to the window and stared out into space. Tagar stood next to her silently and stared out the window too. Then he spoke softly, she almost didn’t hear him.
“My younger sister and I were abandoned when we were just children. We had
She felt heat rise to her cheeks. “He was calling me miss because he knew that Quinn hated for anyone to call me Squirrel. Tagar asked what he could call me and I told him the only thing I could think of, which was what Quinn calls me. Was that wrong?”
“No, I was merely curious. Let me scan you to see if you were injured.”
She sat up on the exam table and waited while he scanned her. “You have a few bruises but otherwise you are doing really well. I’ll give you a booster shot to help with your healing.” He pressed a pressurized needleless air pen up to her arm. There was no pain involved. “All done.”
“Thank you, Jared.” She was already feeling better.
“It’s my pleasure to aid you. Don’t listen to what Mediko Romer said.”
“How can I not? I thought it was the human rebels that were bigots but that kind of hate isn’t just tied to humans.”
“What is a bigot?”
“It means he’s prejudiced against me because I am human. It means if he had a gun in his hands I would be dead and he would be thrilled about it.”
“I agree he spoke out of line but that could be that Tagar almost squeezed the life out of him. Don’t take it personally.”
“How can I not when he hates humans like me?”
Tagar stuck his head back inside with concern. “Do you have need of me?”
She had to work to calm herself down. “I’m fine, thank you, Tagar.”
Tagar nodded and went back out. Jared gave her a pointed look. “Not all of us feel that way, just like not all humans hate us for being aliens.”
That was true. She looked up when the door opened again, and this time it was Lily. She was smiling until she saw their expressions. “What’s wrong?”
Squirrel tried to give her a smile. “Nothing.”
Lily didn’t look like she believed her but she let it drop. She turned her eyes to Jared. “Have you told her yet?”
“I was waiting for you to come.”
“Tell me what?”
“I was able to track your DNA with Earth’s database,” Jared told her.
“Did you find my family? What my name is?” She would love to have a different name to go by than using Squirrel. She never liked that nickname anyway.
Lily came closer. “We found a name: Natalie Fanning.” There was a long pause as Lily looked at Jared.
The name meant nothing to her, it didn’t ring any memories from her. She suspected there was more. “What are you not telling me?”
Lily motioned for Jared to leave them alone. Once he’d gone to the back where his office was located, Lily put a hand on her shoulder. “You were given up when you were a baby. Your mother was a --sixteen-year-old girl named April Fanning. There was no father’s name listed on your birth certificate.”
She felt like she had suffered an extreme blow to her gut. She had stood up but now she sat back down on the exam table. “So I’m a fatherless, unwanted bastard?”
“Natalie—”
“Don’t call me that name. I don’t know that name.”
“You’re not unwanted. We want you here. Quinn wants you here. It doesn’t matter where you came from; it matters where you choose to go next.”
“I need some time to process this.”
“Talk to Quinn, honey. He’ll be worried about you.”
“Maybe.” She left the mediko without glancing at Tagar. She knew he followed but he gave her the space and silence she needed. Soon she realized she wasn’t going in any real direction. She stopped and turned to Tagar. “Could you take me to the room with the windows that looks out over space?”
“Of course. It’s this way.”
She followed Tagar to the lift. They went up several floors before getting off. Tagar entered the room with the windows first. No one was there and she was grateful. She went to the window and stared out into space. Tagar stood next to her silently and stared out the window too. Then he spoke softly, she almost didn’t hear him.
“My younger sister and I were abandoned when we were just children. We had
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