Notes: This is a series of deleted scenes and alternate scenes. All characters are owned by ABC and Warner Bros. Any other quotes and references are copy written to Bill Cosby, Disney, Nickelodeon and many others. Thanks to AmyDonvan525 for beta reading this chapter. Any who, on with the story!
Alternate scene #1: "Take a Look"
About: After releasing Sarita Malik, the gang gets quite a surprise when they find out what they thought was an illness turns out to be something entirely different.
The ticking of a nearby clock on the wall at the local Starbucks was beginning to bother a certain journalist. Chad Decker had been waiting in line for the last fifteen minutes.
"Come on, I'm gonna be late," Chad muttered. "Hey! What's the hold up?" he asked.
"Yeah, come on," said a woman who was in front of Chad.
"Hurry it up! I only have one lunch break," someone in the back of the line yelled.
"This is ridiculous," Chad said to himself. "Oy," he groaned, glancing at his watch.
Meanwhile, across town, Chad wasn't the only one having a hard time. Sarita Malik struggled to get herself loose from the chains wrapped around her hands and ankles. Letting out a few grunts, she wasn't having much success.
"Let me out, please." She begged.
"Sorry, no can do." said Hobbes.
"Please! I don't want to be a pair of shoes and a purse!" Sarita exclaimed. She panted heavily as she continued to try to escape.
"Pair of shoes? How about a wallet and a belt?" Hobbes asked. Upon hearing this, Sarita panicked and continued to struggle once more.
"Leave her alone, Hobbes. She's been through enough," said Sid, who had been sitting at his desk.
"Short stuff, she's a V." Hobbes pointed out.
"Yeah, but she has feelings too, look at her," Sid replied. Sarita continued to pant from her efforts to free herself. Hobbes glanced at her and could see how scared she really was.
"I'm going out for a bit, you guys can sit here and chat," he said before heading up the stairs.
"That wasn't right, Hobbes," said Ryan, regarding the wallet and belt comment. He had been watching the whole thing from the far end of the room. Hobbes stopped in his tracks and simply scoffed in reply.
"I'm a V too, ya know." Ryan added.
"Yes, but she…" Hobbes was cut off.
"Save it!" Ryan told him. After a few seconds, the conversation was over. Hobbes continued to scoff before leaving the room.
The next thing that could be heard was the sound of the door closing.
"Sorry about that," Ryan apologized.
"It's ok, I've been called worse," Sarita replied.
"No, it's not ok, that was disrespectful." Ryan continued.
"Yeah it was," Sid agreed.
Sarita let out a loud sigh and didn't say anything more.
"Thanks," said a female voice.
Both Ryan and Sid turned around only to see Sarita looking away. Ryan frowned. Was she thanking them for standing up for her?
1 hour later…
After some time Ryan had left, leaving Sid alone with Malik. Both of them had hardly said anything to each other. The only sounds that could be heard were the clock ticking on the wall, Sid typing on his laptop, and his and Malik's breathing. Looking away from his laptop, Sid glanced at Sarita. "You ok?" he asked.
At hearing this, the female V looked up. She was surprised he was concerned about her. Sarita coughed. "I'm thirsty," she said.
"No problem." Sid replied.
He got out of his chair and went to the fridge. Grabbing a bottle of water, he then opened it, placed a straw inside, and walked over to Sarita. "Here," he said to her. Sarita stared at the water, not sure how to react.
"It's ok, trust me," Sid assured her. Judging by the look on her face, he figured she might've thought the water was contaminated or poisoned. Malik sniffed the bottle curiously before taking a sip.
"That's it," Sid said softly. After a couple minutes, Sarita stopped.
"Better?" Sid asked.
Sarita swallowed before answering. "Yeah,"
"Good," said Sid who gently patted her on the back.
"Don't touch me," Sarita snapped.
"Sorry," Sid sputtered and backed off.
A short time later, Sid was back at his desk but was alerted by a faint growling noise. "Was that you?" he asked. Sarita lowered her head in response, her stomach growled once more.
"I can fix that," Sid told her.
"You don't have to do that. I can go for days without food and water," she replied.
No sooner did she finish her sentence, Sarita groaned. She hadn't eaten anything in the last few hours and hunger was starting to get the better of her.
"Stop bluffing," said Sid, who unwrapped a granola bar that was sitting on his desk. "Here. I know it's not much but you won't starve."
"Why are you being so nice to me?" Sarita asked.
"That's how I am. Plus, I can't sit back and do nothing," Sid answered.
"Uh-huh," Sarita said in a dull tone. Letting out a small sigh, Sid decided to try something else; it was obvious Sarita was rather stubborn.
"Look, when I was in college I saw two kids picking on some stray cat. I paid them five bucks each and took the cat home. Now, she didn't trust me brought her to my dorm but over time, she came around and even waited outside for me when I got out of English class," Sid explained. He took a small photo out of his wallet and showed it to Sarita. "That's her. Her name's Glacier."
Sarita looked at the picture. The cat had a solid white fur coat, a bushy tail and bright green eyes. Seeing the photo made Sarita smile, and Sid noticed. "You like animals, don't you?" he asked.
Upon hearing this, Sarita quickly turned away from Sid.
"I knew it," he said.
Sarita blinked for a brief moment.
"Come' on you gotta eat something."
Sarita glanced at the granola bar before taking a bite.
"Good," said Sid.
Sarita swallowed the first part of the bar before going back for seconds.
"Go on," Sid encouraged.
He could tell by the look on Malik's face that she was enjoying it. Smiling briefly, he continued to stare at her. "Wow."
Eager to polish off the last of the granola bar, Sarita leaned over and snapped at Sid.
"Watch it! Slow down," he exclaimed.
"Sorry," said Sarita, realizing she almost nipped him. She tried a second time and managed to grab the rest of the bar. Just as Sarita was finishing the last of Sid's granola, the door opened.
"Hey! This isn't a petting zoo," said Hobbes.
"Hobbes, she was starving! What was I supposed to do?" Sid replied.
Just then, Sarita licked her lips and looked at Sid eagerly.
"I don't have any more. Sorry about that," he said.
Though she was disappointed that Sid didn't have anything else to offer her, Sarita decided to show her appreciation anyway. She moved closer to him which made Sid nervous.
"Uh, uh… whoa! Back off, I'm warning you," he sputtered.
The young blond whined and shut his eyes. Was Sarita going to eat him? Sarita's face was now a couple inches away from Sid's. He opened his eyes and could hear what sounded like a low growl. "Huh?" he wondered, realizing Sarita wasn't showing any aggression whatsoever. "Ryan?"
"Yeah?" was his reply. He had walked in the same time as Hobbes.
"What's up with the growling?" Sid asked.
"That's not growling, that's purring," Ryan answered.
"Purring? You mean like a cat?" Sid asked once more.
"Yes, Vs purr when they're happy or if they like somebody," Ryan explained. He glanced at Malik and noticed she looked more relaxed than she did the last time he saw her. "What did you do?"
"Nothing much, I was just nice to her and gave her food and water," Sid answered.
"Sid, she's not a pet," said Hobbes.
"Look, I know that, but I don't know about you guys. I can't sit back and watch her suffer. She has feelings too. I know what she tried to do, but this is too much!" said Sid. He then walked off in a huff, passing by Malik, who nudged him affectionately and purred.
"You're welcome," Sid said quietly, realizing the nudge was a silent "Thank you".
Later that day…
The sound of water dripping from a nearby faucet drove Sarita crazy until she finally snapped. Letting out a groan, she then spoke up. "All right! All right! I'll tell you what I know. Now can you get this thing off me? I gotta go to the bathroom!"
"Well, you heard her, boys," said Erica.
"I'll get the keys," Hobbes offered. He wasn't sure about letting Sarita go but she did sound sincere.
Examining her cuts, Sid had an idea. "I can patch these up if you want," he offered.
Sarita snarled in response and snapped at Sid.
"Why are you being so difficult?" he asked
"I don't understand! Why would you want to help me?" Sarita replied.
"Listen, I know you're a Visitor and I know about 2 hours ago you were ready to snap at anyone that came near you but…I hate to see you suffer," Sid explained.
Sarita's eyes bucked. First this human had fed her, now he was offering to clean and bandage her cuts. What was that all about? "Really?" she asked.
"Yeah, really. I've seen documentaries where people treat their dogs like dirt," Sid answered.
"I hear you, but I'm not a dog or a pet. I don't belong to anyone," Sarita pointed out.
"I know, humor me," Sid said to her. "I'll fix you up but you have to promise not to bite me. If this works, it'll help everybody."
At that moment, Sarita gave Sid look as if to say: "Oh really?"
"You know what I mean, promise?"
"Promise," was Sarita's reply.
"All right," said Sid.
He grabbed a plastic brown bottle off a nearby shelf and shook it up. "This is rubbing alcohol. Now this might hurt," Sid warned. Pouring a small amount of alcohol on a cotton ball, Sid went to work on Malik's cuts. The female V roared in pain, startling everyone in the room.
"Ouch! It burns!" she yelled.
"Sorry about that, but it'll make you feel better," said Sid.
He continued to wipe the blood off Malik's arm and face and tended to her cuts. Sarita yelped. The burn from the alcohol was rather painful, and having a high tolerance for pain didn't matter in this case. After cleaning her arm, Sid began wiping her cheek. Malik growled, exposing some of her pearly white teeth.
"Hey, you promised," Sid said firmly.
"I apologize…" Sarita replied. Sid reminded her of their agreement. He would bandage her up and she promised not to bite him.
"Reflex," she sputtered.
"I understand," was all Sid said at the moment. He had watched enough nature shows and documentaries to know how to handle animals. Although Malik was no wild animal from a zoo or reserve, Sid still treated her as such.
A few minutes later…
"'Kay, all clean." Sid announced.
Sarita was relieved that he was finished with the rubbing alcohol, but Sid wasn't finished just yet. Taking a roll of bandaging tape, he then began wrapping up Malik's arm. She continued to yelp in pain.
"Almost done," Sid assured her.
Once a decent amount had been wrapped around her right arm, Sid cut the tape.
"There. How is it?" he asked.
Malik moved her arm a little and quickly noticed a difference.
"Feels good, thanks," she said to him.
"Don't mention it," he replied and patted her on the back. "Oh! I forgot."
"It's fine," said Sarita.
"Really?" Sid asked,
Malik nodded. At that moment, Sid grinned. Sarita then allowed him to touch her. As Sid started to pet the fully grown Visitor, she purred. Seeing her reaction made him chuckle.
"Ok, got the keys," said Hobbes. "Congratulations, you've earned your 'Get out jail FREE' card."
Sarita ignored Hobbes' monopoly reference and waited patiently for him to remove the chains.
Sid smiled at Hobbes. "See? These guys aren't so bad. I don't know why you folks were so worried about..."
"Watch out!" Hobbes warned.
Just then, Sid felt something warm and slimy on the back of his hand.
"What was that?" he asked out loud before looking down. "Yuck!" Seeing the back of his hand covered with V saliva unnerved him. While Sid didn't mind interacting with the Visitors, this was too much. Next thing he knew, Sarita began licking his face.
"Wha…? Cut it out." he said with a laugh.
"Get a load of this."
"Pfft, Oh yeah, very cute." Hobbes said sarcastically.
The sound of Sid's laughter could be heard in the room. "I think she likes me."
"She does," said Ryan. He and the others had been quiet this whole time and were surprised at how calm and patient Malik was when Sid bandaged her up.
"Ya mind letting me out? Seriously, I have to go real bad," Sarita said.
"Say no more," Ryan told her before he went and unlocked the lock on Sarita's chains.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Sarita quickly headed towards the bathroom. "Outta my way! Outta my way!" she said to Ryan and Hobbes before slamming the door behind her.
"Woman's got some roadrunner in her," Hobbes half joked.
"I'll say," Ryan agreed.
Later…
"Guys, I think something's wrong with Malik. Her breathing is really weird," said Erica. She noticed that Malik was lying on her side and panting heavily.
"So what?" Hobbes asked.
"I think she needs to see a doctor," Erica answered.
She placed her hand on Sarita's forehead and was surprised that her skin felt cooler than usual but at the same time, she was sweating.
"Ok," Sid replied,
"What doctor? If we take her to a regular office, they'll know something's up," Ryan pointed out. He did have a point, going to a normal doctor for a flu shot was one thing, but going for a checkup that would possibly require a blood test was different.
Just then, Erica had an idea. "How about Dr. Pearlman?"
"That'll work," said Ryan.
"She's a V doctor," Erica added.
"We got nothing to lose, I'll call her," said Ryan, who went to grab his cell phone.
"Let's go."
Erica looked back at Malik for a minute.
"We'll be back."
Sarita nodded and lay back down on Hobbes' bed. The last thing she heard was the sound of footsteps going up the stairs and Erica closing the door.
Sometime later they arrived back at Hobbes' hideout with Dr. Leah Pearlman.
"What's the problem?" she asked.
"It's Sarita Malik," Erica replied.
"Yeah, we think she's really sick," Sid explained.
"I thought you told me Ryan fell down the stairs again." said Leah, regarding the conversation she and Erica had on the car ride back.
"My fault, I think you misunderstood," Erica answered.
"Look, we'll push him down the stairs later, now could you go check on her, please?" Sid asked, referring to Sarita.
"Sure, grab that hotdog," Leah replied.
"For the V?" Hobbes asked.
"No, I'm hungry," Leah answered. The group had found her taking a break outside her office which would explain the hotdog, Seven Up, and bag of Doritos she brought with her.
As they all walked in, there was an awkward silence in the room.
"She's right over here, Dr. Pearlman," said Ryan as they walked down the stairs.
Halfway down the stairs, Erica and the others stopped in their tracks. "What in the world?" she sputtered.
Everyone looked over at Sarita and was alerted by the sound of a newborn baby's cry.
"So that's why she was acting so weird," Hobbes concluded.
"Yeah," said Ryan.
"Well…" Leah started to say before clearing her throat. "If you still want my diagnosis, I'd say that Sarita was… pregnant. Was pregnant… not anymore."
Lisa, who Erica offered a ride home, walked around Ryan and Leah in an attempt to get a better look. "Oh, look at the baby. Aww." She then walked up to Sarita who was holding the newborn.
"Can you do us a favor and not…" Sid started to say.
"Tell anyone about this?" Ryan finished for him.
"No problem, but this visit is gonna cost you $150." Leah replied.
"$150?" Ryan and Sid said simultaneously.
The two of them sighed, if that was the price they had to pay then that's what they had to pay. Both of them had assumed it was mostly to cover the cost of the check up and the rest was more than likely hush money. "We'll write you a check," Ryan told her.
"'Kay…" Leah replied. "Let's take a look." She went over to Sarita to examine her. "Excuse me."
Lisa looked up and moved without saying a word.
"Hey," Leah greeted the other V.
"Hi," said Sarita who sounded somewhat out of breath.
Aside from the fact she had sweat stains on her shirt, Malik looked fine. Exhausted, yes, but all right. "How are you feeling?" Leah asked.
"Tired," Sarita answered.
"I can tell. Mind if I take a look?" Leah continued.
"Uh, sure," said Malik.
She placed the baby between her and Leah allowing her to get a better look.
The newborn whimpered a little. "It's ok, girl," Sarita said calmly.
"How old is she?" Leah asked.
"I had her about… twenty minutes ago," Sarita replied.
"Oh, she's brand new," Leah concluded.
Sarita grinned sheepishly. "Yeah."
Her daughter whined. She didn't like being exposed to the cold.
Leah noticed the baby was a bit smaller than the average infant. "She seems to be a little premature."
Sarita looked down and saw what Leah meant. "Yes… I wasn't due for two more weeks."
"Well, that explains it," said Leah.
She picked up the baby and went over to Sid. "Sid, do you have a scale?" she asked.
"Uh, yes right here," he replied, showing Leah where it was.
She gently placed Malik's daughter on the scale and waited. "Four pounds, two ounces," Leah read.
"Golly," Sid said in shock.
"Let's see…" Leah trailed off as she continued to examine the newborn.
It was easy to see she was her mother's daughter; silky black hair, brown eyes and a golden brown complexion.
This wasn't the only thing Leah noticed. Sarita's daughter kicked her legs, almost as if she was trying to defend herself. Leah chuckled, "Stop it," She said.
The baby girl continued to struggle. Being born had been the biggest ordeal in her short life. Having been taken away from her mother and held in strange hands didn't make things any better.
Leah could tell this little one was different than other babies. Most of the ones she had been around didn't put up much of a struggle during a physical, but this little girl did. "It's ok," Leah said softy and stroked the girl's hair.
Within a few seconds she stopped struggling, realizing that Dr. Pearlman wasn't going to hurt her. A few minutes later, Leah wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed her back to Sarita. "All done." She had finished giving her a full exam and checked her mother as well. "She's pretty healthy for a preemie. Once you feed her, that'll help." Leah explained.
Sarita nodded, "Got it."
"Get some rest," Leah told her and pushed back some of Sarita's hair. Turning to Erica, she explained, "They just need some rest. I want check on them in couple days to make sure they're holding up ok."
"All right," Erica sighed.
"One question, Doc. If the kid is Malik's, how come it looks like a normal baby?" Hobbes asked.
"That's because she's not," said a voice.
Everyone in the room turned their heads, looking toward Sarita.
"Say what?" Hobbes asked in a shocked tone.
"She's a mixed breed. Her dad's a human," Malik explained.
"Wow, that pretty much sums it up," said Erica.
"Sure does," Hobbes agreed.
Feeling curious, Erica walked over to the bed, making eye contact with her co-worker. "So, this whole time you were pregnant?" she asked.
"Yeah," was Sarita's reply.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Erica said angrily.
Sarita looked her in the eye, obviously scared. Something about her partner's tone made her nervous. "I was afraid, ok?" Malik confessed. She sniffled and made an effort to hold back the tears that had built up in her eyes. "If Hobbes found out, he'd…"
Erica cut her off. "I understand,"
Sarita let out a loud sigh. Normally, she wasn't this emotional in front of others, particularly her friends and anyone else she knew, but this time she couldn't hold it in.
"Malik, I didn't even know you were married." Erica admitted.
"Briefly… by the time I found I was pregnant, he left," said Sarita.
"Left? Like how?" Erica asked.
"Well, maybe that's not the best word," Sarita replied.
(Flashback begins)
"I came home from the doctor to tell him."
Sarita opened the door to her apartment with a smile on her face. She called out to her husband saying she has some "exciting news" to tell him.
"And… he left a note saying he went out."
Sarita found a note on her coffee table. Written on the note was:
"Went to the store, be back in an hour."
"I tried calling his cell phone but it had been shut off."
Sarita picked up her phone, pressed two on speed dial and listened. The phone rang, but she then heard a message that said the line had been disconnected. She hung up, looking disappointed.
(Flashback ends)
"And… that's all I know," she concluded.
Erica had switched from being angry to sympathetic. "I'm sorry to hear that."
Sarita sniffled once more.
"You miss him, huh?" Erica asked. She gently patted Sarita on the shoulder. A couple tears ran down the female visitor's face. "So, what do you call her, anyway?" Erica continued, regarding the baby.
"Her name's Georgia," Sarita answered.
"Hey Georgia… hello little girl," Erica greeted her. As she stroked Georgia's soft hair the newborn mixed breed cooed happily. "Gosh, you're a tiny thing, aren't you?"
"That she is," said Sarita who was now smiling. She kissed Georgia on her forehead and purred.
Erica couldn't help but smile back, Malik did look happy and it was obvious that she loved Georgia. "Could you excuse me for a moment?" Erica asked.
Sarita nodded.
After being excused, Erica walked back over to Hobbes, Ryan and Sid.
"Let's call it a day," she said.
"What?" Hobbes asked.
Erica glanced at Sid who was watching Sarita and her baby. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Erica asked.
"Care to elaborate?" Hobbes continued. He was still in the dark.
Erica then whispered into his ear.
"Let her go? Are you crazy?" he exclaimed.
"Hobbes, look at her; we can't leave them locked up like this, she's a mother now." Erica pointed out.
"Exactly," Ryan agreed.
"Are you daft?" Hobbes asked.
"No. Newborn Vs have to stay with their mothers for several months, if something happens to Malik, then we're all that kid's got," Ryan continued.
"Look, I'll leave you alone. I'll go anywhere, it's fine… I just don't want my baby to be threatened," said Sarita. She glanced at Georgia who had now fallen asleep.
"All right, listen we'll give you a ride back to your place. Right now you should get some rest," Erica told Sarita.
Without saying a word, she laid down with Georgia next to her.
"Come on, you guys," said Erica, telling everyone to leave the room. The six of them headed up the stairs. Ryan carefully closed the door behind him, making sure not to slam it.
"I can't believe it," Erica said in shock.
"Me neither. We left to go get help and while we were gone, she had a baby," said Sid.
"Yeah, in my bed! Do you know how long it's gonna take me to get rid of those stains?" Hobbes added.
"Hobbes please, we'll buy new sheets," Erica replied. When they came back earlier that day, the stained bedding, remnants of the amniotic sac and… other evidence made it obvious Malik gave birth.
"She needed a place to give birth, where else could she go?" Ryan pointed out.
"I don't know. The zoo?" Hobbes answered.
"Ha-ha, very funny," Ryan said in a sarcastic tone.
As he scratched the back of his head, Sid thought of something. "What do you think she'll do now?" he asked.
"Probably sleep, but then again, Dr. Pearlman did say something about feeding her daughter." Erica replied.
"And girl Vs do that, how?" Hobbes asked.
Both Ryan and Lisa looked at each other, and then back at Hobbes.
"You don't wanna know," they said simultaneously.
While the six of them sat around talking, Sarita had her hands full at the moment. Georgia didn't sleep for long. After a while she woke up and started whimpering. "Hey, hey… calm down," she said.
It wasn't long before Georgia switched from a whimper to a full-fledged cry.
"Shh, shh, I know you're hungry. Give me a second, ok?" Sarita continued. She lowered the strap on the left side of her shirt and brought Georgia closer to her. The little mixed breed struggled at first.
"Here," Sarita told her, trying to speak softly.
Within a couple seconds, Georgia stopped struggling and grabbed a nipple. The next thing Sarita could hear was her daughter suckling, she flinched at the feeling.
The female V chuckled, "That's my girl," she said sweetly and rubbed Georgia's back briefly. Feeling tired, Sarita turned onto her left side and lay down. She closed her eyes and purred as Georgia continued to nurse. The whole thing made her relax.
Sometime later…
Sarita woke up when she noticed Georgia had stopped suckling. "Huh?" she muttered. Glancing at the newborn she noticed her daughter looked rather full and content. "Aww."
At that moment, Georgia yawned.
Sarita then covered herself up.
"You full?" she asked.
Georgia squeaked in response, her mother smiled and giggled. Sarita then began licking Georgia's forehead but stopped when she heard the door slam.
Georgia whined at hearing the noise. "Shh, it's all right, I got you," Sarita assured her.
She pulled her daughter closer to her body and watched Erica and the others. She growled once they got to the bottom of the stairs.
"Easy tiger," said Ryan.
"What was that about?" Hobbes asked.
"Yeah," Sid agreed.
"It's ok, guys," Ryan assured them.
"Yes, she's just protecting her daughter," Leah explained.
"Mothers are like that when they have newborns," Lisa added.
"True, they are. Don't worry. Malik knows we're not a threat to her," Ryan continued.
"I got an idea," Erica said quietly.
"Here, take this," Ryan told her, handing Erica a bag of beef jerky.
"'Kay," Erica replied.
She then walked over to the bed.
Right at the moment, Malik was busy licking Georgia. She spotted Erica, stopped what she was doing and growled.
"Hold up, I just came to talk," the blond explained. She grabbed a piece of jerky and held it out to Sarita. "Go on, take a bite," she encouraged her.
At hearing this Sarita took the jerky from Erica's hand, like a dog. She took a couple minutes to chew and swallow the dry meat.
"Thanks, I needed that, this kid cleaned me out," Sarita admitted.
"She looks happy," Erica pointed out.
"Yeah, she is, now that I fed her." said Sarita.
Georgia sucked her thumb and cooed. She looked at her mother and ceiling. Being only an hour old, her new surroundings took some getting used to.
"How do you feel?" Erica asked.
"Weak and exhausted but… I'm happy," Sarita answered. She then began to groom Georgia, starting with the top of her head.
"You're grooming her," Leah pointed out.
Sarita paused briefly. "Yeah, I am."
Hobbes groaned and looked away.
"That's sick," he said.
"Hobbes, come' on. She's just showing her affection," Ryan told him.
"He's right, it's how female Vs bond with their offspring," Leah explained.
"Uh-huh," Hobbes said in a dull tone.
"My mother used to groom me when I was a baby," Sarita confessed.
"Same here," Lisa added.
"I'll admit, it's kind of cute," said Erica as she watched Sarita grooming her daughter.
"We'll be back to check on you soon," Leah told Sarita.
"'Kay," the female V replied, glad that now she was getting some privacy.
"One more for the road?" Erica asked, offering Malik another piece of jerky.
She quickly grabbed the jerky with her teeth and wolfed it down. Mailk licked Ercia's hand in an attempt to lap up the beef flavored seasoning and crumbs.
"Yowch!" Erica yelled when Malik nipped her.
"Sorry," said Sarita.
"Just watch the teeth, no biting ok?" Erica replied.
"Got it," was Sarita's reply before settled down to rest.
That night…
"Why'd you pick my bed? Of all places, huh?" Hobbes asked.
He then noticed Sarita had her back to him and was fast asleep. She was also snoring.
"Oh! Sorry," Hobbes apologized.
Sarita continued to snore, exhausted from giving birth and caring for her baby.
Georgia let out a muffled squeak. She too was asleep and was curled up next to Sarita, whose arms were wrapped protectively around her. Hearing her mother's heartbeat was comforting as well as feeling her body heat. Not only had birth worn her mother out, but it was also tiring for Georgia as well.
While the two of them slept, back on the mother ship, it was another story.
"Did you find Malik?" Anna asked as Marcus walked into her office.
Her assistant sighed. "No I didn't," he said.
"Ryan hasn't called me either," Anna announced.
"Worried?" Marcus asked.
"Me? Of course I'm n…" Anna stopped short when she saw the look on Marcus' face.
The alpha female V swallowed hard. "A little," she admitted, realizing she couldn't fool Marcus.
"I understand." he said.
Anna lowered her head, resting it between her arms on her desk.
"Hey," said Marcus, he then put his hand on Anna's shoulder.
She looked up and smiled. "Thanks Marcus."
"Anytime," he replied before he left.
Anna groaned, it was obvious she wasn't in the best mood. "Maybe it's high time I took my mother's advice and loosen up…" she said to herself. "Ohh, I don't know." Anna put her head on her desk once more.
Standing just outside Anna's office door was Lisa. She looked for a moment before walking in. "Mother?" she asked.
At hearing this, Anna looked up.
"I… found out what happened to Sarita Malik." Lisa announced.
Anna quickly sat up at hearing this. "You did?" she asked.
Lisa nodded.
"Well, where is she?" Anna asked.
"About that…" Lisa rubbed the back of her neck nervously.
She explained what happened in a short ten minute version.
"She what?" Anna yelled. Anyone within a five foot radius more than likely heard her.
"It's true." said Lisa.
"Oy…" Anna groaned and began rubbing the sides of her head.
"I need to lie down, Excuse me," she said and left her office.
"What have I done?" Lisa asked herself.
At the office...
Around this time of the night a few employees had gone home. As Erica walked in, she noticed that the cubicles and offices were empty…except for the one that was just up ahead.
"Find Malik?" Erica asked.
"Nope, I thought you were at home," said her boss, Paul.
"Look Paul I…" Erica stopped short when Paul looked up. "It's about Malik, I know where she is," Erica continued.
"You do?" Paul asked.
Erica nodded.
"Evans, I thought…" Paul was cut off.
"I know, I know, it's a long story. Let me tell you. Malik… she's… she's a mother," Erica sputtered.
"That's funny, she never mentioned having kids," Paul said.
"About that…she gave birth three hours ago," Erica continued.
Paul nearly fell out of his seat. Was he hearing things? "Three hours? But… how can that be? She didn't look pregnant," he sputtered.
"You're right, but some women don't show as much. Have you seen the show, 'I didn't know I was pregnant'?" Erica replied.
"I've heard of it. This sounds like one of those cases," said Paul.
"Well, not exactly," Erica answered.
"You know what I mean… so, is this little home wrecker a boy or a girl?" Paul joked.
Erica chuckled.
"It's a girl. She came a couple weeks before her due date."
"Wow, what'd Malik do to the kid?" Paul asked.
"Oh you know Mal, she's always ready to go somewhere," Erica said.
"Sounds like her daughter takes after her," Paul concluded.
"I doubt it, but she looks like her mother," said Erica.
"She does, huh? So, does this kid have a name?" Paul continued.
"Yes, it's Georgia," Erica replied.
Paul moved aside some papers on his desk before he spoke. "I'm guessing Malik is over the moon about this."
"Yeah, she's on cloud nine," said Erica.
"And how's the father taking all this?" Paul asked.
"He doesn't know. Malik said when she found out she was pregnant, he had gone out and… didn't come back," Erica explained.
Paul dropped the pen he was holding.
"What?" he exclaimed.
"I was shocked myself, Paul… Guy didn't even pick up his cell phone," Erica added.
"Oy, that's rough," Paul groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Look, tell Malik if it makes her feel better, I'll try to help her find this guy."
"Really?" Erica said in surprised tone.
"Sure, the man deserves to know about his wife and kid," Paul pointed out. "All I need is his name."
"Ok, I'll tell her," said Erica. She started to leave but turned around when Paul spoke up.
"Oh! And tell her I said congratulations on the kid and to give me a call to discuss taking a maternity leave."
"Will do, Paul," Erica replied before she closed the door.
There was an awkward silence, but it only lasted a few seconds.
Paul picked up a photo that was sitting on the right hand side of his desk. The picture was taken at a book festival a few months back, and in the photo were Erica and Malik. Both of them were smiling. "Wow," was all Paul could say. The news about Sarita giving birth was a lot to take in. But the night wasn't over yet…
MORE TO COME…
What's next?
Just some notes:
As for the loose ends and questions at the end of this half such as who's Georgia's father?
That'll be explained in part 2.
There's a few quotes and references from the following: Open Season 1 and 2, Shiloh, Full House, Drake and Josh, Spongebob Sqaurepants, How to Train Your Dragon, Toy Story, Lady and the Tramp 2: Scamp's adventure, Jungle Emperor: Leo, Tom and Jerry, The Land before time 2: The Great Valley adventure, The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue and Fatherhood.
Also the TV show "I didn't know I was pregnant" is a real series that airs on Discovery Health.
Some of the quotes and references here might be easier to spot than others.
Chapter title is based on "Against All Odds(Take a look at me now)" by Phil Collins.
It can be found a youtube if anybody wants to listen to it.
Part 2 will be up in a week or two.
Reviews are appreciated.