Alien vs. Alien

about it. I also noted that Nurse Carter was standing near White. And she’d sounded pretty calm. The only one who’d been calmer had been White. Because he’d understood how to handle the birds. And he’d been the one to tell me we had twelve pairs, when we really should have had thirteen, based on room occupancy.
    “Magdalena, did you get a set of birds?”
    She looked uncomfortable. “No, I didn’t. At least, I don’t believe I did.”
    “All the birds are here, Chief,” Walter said. “I verified before I came up.”
    Chuckie looked like he was really trying not to laugh. I looked at Jeff. He looked surprised but rather pleased. Suspicions confirmed. “Safe to say you were likely included in the gift and the note, is that right, Magdalena?”
    “Ah . . .” She looked up at White.
    Who took her hand in his. “Yes, Magdalena was definitely included in the note.”
    Christopher looked shocked. “You’re dating Nurse Carter?”
    White rolled his eyes. “Pardon me.”
    Christopher’s expression went to supershock. “You’re kidding! You only knew her a couple of weeks before you left for Florida.” He seemed borderline losing it.
    “Some things move swiftly,” White said, pointedly looking at Amy.
    “But . . .”
    I cleared my throat, and he looked at me. “Christopher, twenty-three years of mourning is pretty much considered about twenty to twenty-two too long. She wouldn’t have wanted him alone this long. Why would she want him alone forever? Why do you want him alone?”
    “I . . . I don’t.” He looked hurt and confused.
    White sighed, kissed Nurse Carter on the cheek, dropped her hand, went over, and put his arm around Christopher’s shoulders. “Son, let’s go have a chat, shall we? Excuse us, please.” He led Christopher out of our rooms.
    Amy looked at me. “You are not allowed to die.”
    “Come again?”
    She shook her head. “See how he is about hhe is abis mother? He’s that way about you, to a sort of scary degree. He’s never gotten over losing her, and for whatever reason, you’re one of her stand-ins. So’s your mother.”
    “Ames, I told you. Mom and I look like Terry. Not a hundred percent, but enough.”
    Jeff jerked and stared at me. “I guess you do.”
    “You never saw it?”
    He grinned. “No, not until this moment. Not with your mother, either.” He laughed. “Terry thought like you, but she didn’t act like you, or Angela.”
    “See?” I said to Amy. “I told you. Stop worrying. I don’t need to have a jealousy chat with you, do I?”
    She shook her head. “No. I just don’t think he’s ever dealt with losing his mother.”
    Jeff shrugged. “He didn’t. My parents had to take us after Aunt Terry died. Richard was too heartbroken to be able to help either one of us. And my mother was still too jealous of Terry to deal with her death as well as we could have wanted. We both had to pretend nothing was wrong.”
    I hated hearing about their childhoods. Or rather, their brief moments of childhood interspersed with pain, horror, and adult responsibilities.
    Jeff took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “No one’s perfect, baby. Other than you,” he added with a grin. I snorted. “I’ve had some long talks with my mother, and father. They’ve both talked to Christopher, too.”
    “It hasn’t sunk in,” Amy said with a sigh. “He’s still messed up about it.”
    “The brooding types are always brooding for a reason, Ames.”
    She laughed. “Yeah. And I don’t mind helping him through it. But, seriously, you almost dying in childbirth? I know Jeff was a mess, but Christopher was, too.”
    “It was going on five months ago.”
    “Seems like yesterday to me, baby.” Jeff stroked the back of my neck. I managed not to arch into his hand, but it did take some serious effort.
    Nurse Carter sighed. “I should move back to Paraguay, shouldn’t I?”
    “That seems a little drastic. Christopher’s just surprised, is all. He’ll get over it.”
    Amy put her arm around Nurse Carter’s shoulders. “You’re not going anywhere. Those of us with no one else but the family we’ve chosen to join have to stick together.”
    One of the birds, the male I was fairly sure had walked in with White, went over and rubbed up against Nurse Carter.
    “The bird says you’re good to stick around.” All the Peregrines looked at me. They seemed remarkably pleased. The one that had cozied up to Nurse Carter rejoined the flock. “Well, until we buy the