five

"You keep Sana up half the night again," Kevin teased Romero.

Romero blushed as he answered sheepishly, "Yes."

"So, how is Sana doing," Kevin asked Romero, "She's been here for nearly two months now and none of us knows her any better. She spends all her time with you."

"I am a little concerned for her wellbeing," Romero shared with Kevin and the others. "She was vomiting this morning."

"Vomiting," repeated Tony, "Did she eat anything unusual?"

Romero shook his head, "No, but she seems to think she either ate something that didn't agree with her or has a stomach virus; both of which, are highly unlikely here."

"Has she missed a period," Donna asked Romero.

"Period???" questioned Romero confused. Then he realized what Donna was asking, "You mean her menstrual cycle. She has not had a cycle. Yet she has been here long enough that she should have had a cycle by now. But I am not aware of any birth control she may be utilizing. I am aware that some forms of birth control may stop the menstrual cycle. Yet we have not discussed such things."

"From what I understand," Donna shared, "Sana's been alone a long time. Usually when a woman has been alone a long time, she doesn't bother with birth control unless there's a medical reason for it."

Kevin smiled at Donna, "But it's not like he could get her pregnant."

"You don't know that," Donna told Kevin, "I was stuck in there with Adena a long time. Sometimes she left things laying out where I could see them while she went to the bathroom or took a shower. They're not robots. Some of them have some electrical implants, but they're flesh and blood. Human DNA is used."

"So did you see anything that could help us," Kevin asked Donna.

Donna shrugged, "This is some sort of training facility for them, to help them operate out in the world at large, something to do with a dramatic drop in the human population due to over use of birth control by women. They spend too many years on birth control and when they finally go off it to have a baby they have trouble getting pregnant, increased miscarriages and birth defects. When they discover a severe birth defect, they terminate and try again. It can take several tries to get a healthy child.

Romero and the others like him are made to add to the human population and improve the human race. Their DNA is souped-up so that they are healthier, stronger, faster and live longer. The military loves them. They make excellent soldiers."

Many thoughts were running through Romero's mind. He knew he had human emotions, but he liked knowing he was human. That meant he could have a life with Sana. He said out loud, "I can marry Sana."

"There's no one who can marry you here," Jeremy told Romero.

"But we can marry and spend our lives together," responded Romero.

"You'll need to get engaged first," Anthony told Romero, "like me and Gina. And when you ask her to marry you, you give her an engagement ring like I gave Gina."

Gina held out her left hand to show Romero her engagement ring, "See?"

"Yes, it's lovely, thank you," Romero told Gina, then looked at his watch. "Thank you all very much. But I've talked longer than I intended. I must take Sana some lunch."

They watch Romero order food. He knew the order would take a few minutes to prepare and told the food attendant he would be back to pick it up in a few minutes.

"I wonder what he's up to," said Ellen as she watched him walk off without any food.

"That man's in love," stated Kevin.

"They're not really human are they," asked Anthony, "You don't think they can get pregnant do you?"

"We'll know if Sana's pregnant," said Jeremy. "If Romero can get her pregnant, then the women can get pregnant.

"You should stop messing with them anyway," Gina told Anthony, "They're people. They have thoughts and feelings."

"I don't know what you mean," Anthony told Gina.

Gina smacked Anthony in the back of the head, "I'm not dumb, Anthony. Playing dumb with me isn't going to work. I know you're screwing more than one of them behind my back."

"I'm a man, Gina. I have needs," Anthony told her. "What am I supposed to do when you don't want to be bothered with me?"

"Use your hand," Gina told him angrily.

"My hand," said Anthony outraged, "I'm a grown ass man, not some teen with a wet dream."

Gina pulled off her engagement ring and tossed it at Anthony, "It's cheating, Tony! You're a cheater, and I'm sick of it. Even here, you manage to cheat on me. I thought it was just something you needed to get out of your system, but you just can't keep it in your pants." She walked away from Anthony.

Anthony went after her. "But Gina!" he called.

"No, Tony! We're done!" Gina informed him.

"But Gina, I love you," he insisted.

"No, Tony, you obviously don't," responded Gina, "I'm going to start talking to them. Maybe I'll get lucky like Sana. Just leave me alone, Tony. You can have the room. I'll move onto another one."

"What do I do," Tony asked the other men.

"I don't think there's anything you can do now," Jeremy told Tony, "It sounds like her mind is made up."

Kevin felt sorry for Tony, but he didn't have any helpful advice for the younger man, "You should have been as faithful to her as she's been to you."

Romero returned carrying a small shopping bag to pick up the food he'd ordered for himself and Sana. He felt tension from the others. He paused by Kevin with the tray of food and the bag to ask, "What's going on?"

"Gina just gave Tony back her engagement ring and broke off their engagement," explained Kevin.

"Why," asked Romero shocked.

"Tony's a cheater," Kevin told Romero, "and Gina's decided she can't and won't live with it."

"I do not understand," Romero responded, "cheater? She is ending their engagement and refusing to marry him because during a game he did not play fairly?" Romero looked over at Anthony, who was standing too far away to hear them talking and looking very distraught.

"Not that kind of cheating," Kevin explained, "Think of it this way. You and Sana have an intimate relationship now, and you remember how it made you feel when I gave her bottom an innocent pat?"

Romero's face reddened at the memory, "Yes, I did not like it at all."

Kevin nodded, "Now, imagine how you would feel if Sana was intimate with someone else like me or Tony or one of your buddies."

The blood drained from Romero's face. "I would feel betrayed. I would be very hurt. I do not want Sana to be intimate with anyone but me."

"Well, when a person is in a committed relationship, yet has intimate contact with other people, it's referred to as cheating," explained Kevin. "It's also known as infidelity or adultery."

"I understand," responded Romero, "I know what adultery is. This would upset me too."

"Unfortunately, this isn't a new problem for Tony and Gina," shared Kevin. "He expects her to be true to him and overlook his indiscretions. But Gina's tired of putting up with his inability to keep it in his pants and has decided she's not going to marry him and gave him the ring back. Now, you remember not to make this same mistake with Sana. She hasn't talked about it, but I can tell she's been hurt before. You've found yourself a very special lady. Be good to her, because I'm waiting to pick up the pieces if you screw up."

Fear flitted through Romero and made his stomach flip-flop. He saw the way Kevin looked at Sana and knew he was attracted to her too. Sana didn't seem to realize it, but Romero was very aware it.

"I will never be untrue to Sana," Romero told Kevin. "I want no one but her and do not plan on giving you or any other male an opportunity to take her from me. I do not understand why Tony cannot be faithful to Gina."

"I don't think Tony understands it either," Kevin told Romero. "I know he loves Gina. I'm sure every time he's promised it would never happen again, he meant it. Yet he just can't seem to help himself."

Romero felt sorry for both Tony and Gina, but he couldn't help them. "I need to get back to Sana. If she's not awake yet, she will be soon." Romero headed for the room he'ld been sharing with Sana. He stepped into the room, but Sana wasn't in bed. Then he heard her retching into the toilet in the bathroom. He sat the tray of food on the dinette table and sat the bag of things on his dinette chair. Then he hurried into the bathroom that was still humid from her shower. Her hair was wet and she was wrapped in a thick fluffy bath sheet as she leaned over the toilet catching her breath.

Romero knelt beside her and rubbed her back as he asked, "Are you alright?"

In a slightly strained voice, Sana answered, "I think I saw my shoes."

Romero was confused. Her feet were bare. "I do not understand. Your shoes are in the other room. Would you like me to get them for you?"

Sana laughed, "No, it was a bad joke." She stood up and hugged him. She could hear his heart beating. She wanted to tell him she loved him, but she was afraid to say it. Instead she said, "You're the best boyfriend ever."

Romero kissed her forehead, "I just want to make you happy."

Sana had never had anyone that wanted that before. She smiled as she turned toward the sink, "I'll be much happier after I brush my teeth and gargle." She picked up her toothbrush and smiled at him in the mirror as she put toothpaste on her toothbrush. "Don't look so worried. I'm fine. I'm starting to feel better already. It was probably just something I ate."

Romero messaged her shoulders gently as she brushed her teeth, "I still think you should stop into the health care center."

Sana rolled her eyes. She gargled and spit into the sink. "I don't care how well trained they are, they're not real doctors and nurses."

"Fine," Romero conceded, "but I insist you take it easy today. We're not going to search or research any stores today."

"I'm not going to argue with you," Sana told him as she walked over to the bed and flopped face down onto it. They had been through every store at least once already.

"Do you want to try to eat," Romero asked her. "You need nourishment."

"I don't know," answered Sana. "I'm not sure what I can keep down if I can keep anything down."

"I read that crackers can help settle an upset stomach," Romero told her, "so I grabbed a package from the food store, and I brought you a bowl of vegetable soup, that shouldn't be too heavy for your stomach."

Sana smiled. That was her Romero, always reading. If he was reading for pleasure, he took his time. If he was reading for information, then he read at record breaking speeds. And he was so thoughtful. "The crackers, I think I'll try the crackers. If I can handle the crackers, then I'll try the soup."

Sana sat at the table as Romero opened the box of cracker and pulled out one of the four packs of saltines and opened it for her.

"I should probably put on some clothes," Sana told Romero as she sat there wrapped in the bath sheet slowly eating crackers.

"I prefer you naked," Romero told her matter-of-factly.

Sana smiled nefariously, "I know you do... So what's all in the bag? You look like you've been shopping."

"I sort of did do a little shopping," admitted Romero.

Romero wrapped his large hand completely around the small velvet box as he took it from the bag. His stomach flip-flopped wildly. It was different from the way his stomach had flip-flopped earlier and he recognized that he was nervous. He had read that it was an old custom for the man to get down on one knee before the woman he was proposing to.

Sana didn't know what to think when Romero got down on one knee in front of her. "Romero, are you feeling faint? ..." she asked concerned, "You've gone pale."

"Sana," Romero started with a slight tremor in his voice. He cleared his throat. "Sana, I know we have not known each other long. But I know how I feel about you. I know that I love you."

Sana's heart skipped a beat. He said he loved her. And she knew he meant it because Romero didn't say anything he didn't mean.

Romero continued, "I know that I want us to spend our lives together, and I hope you want that too. You've been so patient with me. And this may not seem the time or the place to ask such a question, and please try to have an open mind." Romero took a deep breath, "Will you marry me?" He opened the velvet box and showed her the engagement ring he'd picked out for her.

Sana sat there speechless staring at the ring as a tear ran down her cheek. Romero gently wiped the tear from her cheek as he asked, "Are you alright?"

Sana said a simple, "Yes." Then she added, "I mean yes I'm alright, but yes, I'll marry you... I love you and I'll marry you."

She hugged Romero tightly and kissed him deeply. She had never felt so right about anything before in her life.

"I guess, I get to put this on your finger now," said Romero taking the ring from its box.

"Yes," said Sana excitedly as she held her hand out and let him slip the ring on her finger.

"It's a perfect fit," she said pleasantly surprised.

Romero cupped her face in his hands and kissed her again. "Now, there's something else I wish to discuss with you."

Sana nodded, "Okay."

"Donna was sometimes able to view information Dr. Goldmen was working on," Romero shared. "She saw that I and the others have human DNA. We are human."

"But I've seen you lift a couch over your head and carry it by yourself like it was nothing," Sana reminded him.

"Apparently," Romero explained, "we have been engineered to be faster and stronger than typical human beings. It has something to do with a significant drop in the human population and increased birth defects and failed pregnancies and we are designed to combat this. And this is our training ground to help us prepare to be integrated into the world."

Sana nodded. She was listening, "Okay." Human or not, she loved Romero and she didn't care.

"Are you on any type of birth control," inquired Romero.

The question surprised Sana. "No," she answered, "I've been alone for years and I wasn't sexually active."

Romero reached into the bag and pulled out a rectangular shaped white box. "I think you should take this pregnancy test," he told her.

Sana blinked at the test, "You don't really think it's possible for me to be pregnant, do you?"

"You have been here for nearly two months and have not had a menstrual cycle," Romero informed her.

"I miss when I'm stressed," Sana informed him. "I've missed as many as six months in a row before." She really didn't believe Romero could possibly get her pregnant.

"What can it hurt to take the test," asked Romero. "You have been nauseous for days and today you're vomiting. I'm very worried about you."

Sana rolled her eyes and took the test from Romero. "Fine, fine, I'll pee on the stick." She stepped into the bathroom and began to read the instructions

Romero stood in the doorway leaning against the door jam. His eyes were shining with love as he watched Sana. He hoped the test was positive. He wanted Sana to be pregnant. He wanted everything life had to offer with Sana.

Sana sat the test on the bathroom sink. "There, I peed on the stick. In three minutes, it'll tell us I'm not pregnant."

Romero smiled, "Want to try some soup?"

Sana nodded, "Yeah, I feel fine now. Told you it was just something I ate. Now that I've got it out of my system, I'm fine." She threw some clothes on and sat back at the table. Romero sat with her and they began to eat. Sana asked him a couple of questions about what Donna said she saw while she was in Adena's quarters. Then Romero got up.

"You're not finished eating," Sana told Romero.

"It's been three minutes," he told Sana as he stepped into the bathroom.

"It's not going anywhere," Sana called to him.

Romero chuckled at her as he picked up the test to view the results. He was smiling as he walked back to the table and sat the test on the table by Sana.

"Ewe, I peed on that. We eat off this table."

"It's your pee so it's fine. Just look at the results," he told her.

Sana sighed and picked the test up. She looked in the little result window and blinked. She looked again. Her brain was having trouble accepting what it saw. She rubbed her eyes and looked again.

Sana looked up at Romero with tears in her eyes. "But... I can't be... I mean..." She looked at the test again.

Romero crouched down by her, not sure what her reaction meant. "I think this is wonderful."

"I..." Sana looked at the test again. "Could it be wrong?"

"It's highly unlikely that the results are incorrect," Romero told her. "But we could go to the health care center and ask them to confirm it."

"No," Sana refused, "I don't want them poking at me. Besides, I'm sure Adena has access to that information."

"You are not upset are you," asked Romero. "I think it is a good thing. A piece of me and a piece of you have united. Did you not ever want children? Or do you just not want to have my baby?"

"Oh, Romero, I'm so sorry my reaction is confusing you," Sana apologized. "Yes, I want our baby." She kissed him reassuringly. "I've always wanted a family. I guess I had just given up hope that it would ever happen for me. Out there, in the real world, beautiful men like you don't notice me. And the few men and couple of women that I did attract... they just weren't good for me."

"They hurt you," stated Romero.

Sana nodded, "Yes, they did."

Romero kissed her deeply. "I will always do my best to make you happy."

Sana started to cry softly.

"Sana, what's wrong," asked Romero.

"When they feel you're ready," Sana told him, "they'll come and take you away."

"I will not leave you," Romero insisted, "They cannot make me leave you. If you can't come with me, I won't go."

"We have to get out of here," Sana told him. "If we're here when our baby is born, they'll take it away like they did Jeremy and Donna's baby."

"I won't let that happen," Romero assured her. "No one is going to take our baby from us."

They held each other for a long time, both wondering what the future held for them and their unborn child. They decided not to tell the others they were pregnant. The nausea and vomiting subsided after about a month.