Tejara hesitated but when Madam Minn’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly she let the man go and stepped back. Still, she crossed her arms, squared her shoulders, and glared.
“I’m afraid I won’t be sticking around any longer,” the old man sniffed and started to shoulder his way past Madam Minn, who stopped him by sliding into the doorway.
“Our physician isn’t the only one with secrets... And a man like you can’t hide yours in a town like this.”
*
Tejara spent that evening pouting in the darkness. After Madam Minn had shown up, she spoke privately with the man and eventually let him go after his half-hearted promise of silence and kicked Tejara out of Keh’dor’rin’s room and office, telling her she had work to do. And she did. She spent all day with questions and protective instincts swirling around in her head.
Tonight her eyes were open and she saw when the door opened and Mei’nin’sa crept in. She sat up and climbed down from her bed as quietly as she could, scurrying over to meet Mei’nin’sa at the door, “how’s Keh’dor’rin? Has anything else happened?” she whispered frantically, taking Mei’nin’sa’s hands in hers. A lit hallway lamp behind her cast a soft glow on Mei’nin’sa as she stood in the doorway. She squeezed Tejara’s hands, “let’s go to my room.”
In the low light of Mei’nin’sa’s room the two women curled against each other. Mei’nin’sa’s hands idly played with Tejara’s shirt collar as the two spoke.
“Keh’s fine... so is the baby... Keh and Val are probably still fighting about whether that is a good thing... I don’t think that physician will cause trouble, at least not yet.”
Tejara was quiet for a minute, then asked in a soft voice, “is Keh’dor’rin really a woman?”
Mei’nin’sa’s hands stopped moving, “no, not really... He may have come out of the womb looking the same way you or I did on the days of our births but his heart has always been that of a man.”
“Why did he collapse? Something to do with the pregnancy?”
Mei’nin’sa’s forehead was pressed against Tejara’s collarbone and Tejara could feel her shaking her head, “Val’s family.... Tried to beat the baby out of him.”
White-hot anger instantly filled Tejara’s heart and she almost stood up. But Mei’nin’sa’s cool hand on her cheek doused her flames. “Let’s just sit here together. Please. No revenge, not tonight.”
Tejara closed her eyes and put her hand over Mei’nin’sa’s, “alright.”
For a short time the two of them sat in comfortable silence.
Eventually, Tejara asked, “Is Val’lin’r the one that is glad the baby is okay and Keh’dor’rin the one that wishes it wasn’t?”
“Kinda... on the surface, at least. I think both of their feelings are a bit more complicated than that though.”
“Are they talking it out?”
“In fits and bursts.”
Two lapsed into silence once more and that was how the rest of the night went, comfortable silence occasionally broken by just a few words as they held each other until finally... they slept.
