My stomach sank but I stayed quiet and let Robert finish his story.
"There was this event at QL," he continued. "I passed out after drinking a little too much. I didn't remember what happened after, but when I woke up... Charlotte was there."
I didn't need to ask any more questions to know what had happened. "So basically everything you told me about you were not in a position to be with someone, not even casually, is a lie," I looked at Robert.
"No! That was always my intention. I didn't even know Charlotte was at that same event. Everything was just a blur. The last thing I remember was the bar..."
"So when you saw her again today, it must have all come back. That's why you guys couldn't wait to 'catch up'," I snickered.
"Lou, no! That's not what happened! When we got to Castillon's stateroom, he was not there. We waited for a while before Charlotte suggested we headed back, so we did. We actually got here not long before you guys. Then she suddenly kissed me and..."
Robert suddenly stopped and looked down at his hands. They were shaking.
"Well?" I raised my eyebrows.
"Charlotte said," Robert took a long, deep breath. "She was pregnant. It's mine."
As the sentence faded into silence, I continued staring at Robert. My eyes were as big as my mouth. Somewhere nearby, I heard Vince's "Oh my god." That was about right. My throat became so dry that the air I breathed in tasted like sand.
"Well... Congratulations, I guess... That's one thing you've always wanted."
My voice got smaller and smaller. My tough exterior was slipping away. Fast. I could feel it.
"The baby is not mine! It can't be, Lou!"
"Why can't it be?" I swallowed and blinked as hard as I could so no tears would come out. "Because you don't want it? Come on, Robert... Don't be ridiculous! As I said before, you're free to do whatever and whoever you want."
I dodged his hands as he attempted to hold me back and jumped out of the bed. I had forgotten how high the top bunk was. As the result, I almost face-planted on the floor. I swayed on my feet until Vince held my arm and steadied me.
"Why don't you sit over here?" Vince guided me toward a chair by the desk. "Robert, let's talk."
Robert blinked, must have been taken aback by Vince's icy tone. To be honest, so did I. I had never heard my brother talk to anyone like that, much less his best friend.
The sight of Robert filled me with dread so I sat down facing the other way. Part of me would always care about him, I couldn't help it, but the pain he had caused me, intentionally or not, was just too much.
Vince's cornflower-blue eyes turned to me, then Robert, twinkling with something I didn't fully understand. They reminded me of Dad's.
"So we've learned that general Castillon will go ahead and use Zedlum," Vince cleared his throat. "He has prepared not one, but two bombs, and will release them on Nalka. Did you know anything about that?"
Robert got down from the top bunk. His eyebrows were tightly knitted together. "He said the bombs are in place as an extra measure. 'Just in case.' He knows the consequences. I didn't know anything about Nalka or other parts of his plan, of course. That should be highly classified information."
Vince nodded, "Castillon still needs a few more Federation generals to get on board with his plan. Our dad is one of them. Castillon lured us here to use us as leverage. He wants to force our dad to sign the release package for the bombs."
He stopped and looked at Robert. The silence hung heavily in the air.
"On my life, Vince! I swear I would never do anything to put you and Lou in harm's way," Robert raised his hands. "Please believe me! You guys are the only people I care about in this world, the only family I have. If I knew Castillon's intention, I would never let him know my whereabouts... Never pick up his call."
I could feel Robert's eyes on my back, but Vince stepped in between us.
"We want to trust you, man. At the end of the day, you're the only person we can trust here. I just hope you can offer something, anything that might help our situation. Then... You should come with us! Leave all this shit behind. Leave that man. I know he's your dad, but..."
"Vince, shut up!" I hissed and slapped my brother's arm. I told him the information not for him to casually throw it back at Robert like that. I wasn't sure how it would make him feel, not that any of it mattered anymore.
I heard Robert sigh. He walked around Vince and kneeled in front of me. Robert stared at the shoelace knot he had tied for me earlier before whipping his head up.
"I know I hurt you, Lou. Again. I didn't mean to, but it was my fault regardless. Give me a chance... I don't know how yet, but I will make it right."
Robert quickly scanned all four corners of the compartment, then pulled out his phone. He typed something and put it on my lap, face up. Big letters flashed across the screen.
I know someone who can help, but we have to go now.