By
Sakura Courage Solo
Chapter 2:
"Mixed Feelings"
Shadow was in mild shock as he stood there, his usually sturdy legs now wobbling under him. Amy and Tails immediately went to him and helped him sit down, about a million thoughts running through the Hedgehog's mind.
"Shadow? Shadow, come on! Snap out of it! "
Amy prompted as the one in question just sat there in silent shock. Tails finally snapped his fingers right in front of Shadow's face, causing said Hedgehog to blink in surprise as he came back to reality.
Even Sonic was becoming concerned now by the way Shadow was reacting, Amy taking the Red Highlighted Hedgehog's hand and telling him,
"Shadow, try to relax. I know it must be hitting you like a ton of bricks, but... "
Shadow just nodded a little, too speechless right now to say anything as he looked down to the floor. Sonic decided to try and be optomistic, now feeling guilty about laughing like he had.
"Hey, don't worry, Shadow. Maybe it's just coincidence you were experiencing all that stuff. I mean, it doesn't necessarily mean you're... uh... "
Sonic found the word a little hard to say, or maybe the thought just freaked him out a little too much.
Shadow looked back up at Sonic and sighed.
"Coincidence... I doubt that. "
He murmured, Tails gently patting the Hedgehog's back a little and saying,
"Well... just to be sure, maybe we oughtta get one of those tests. I mean... y'know... "
"Right... "
Shadow said, sighing slightly and leaning back, closing his eyes.
"All though I very seriously doubt this is all just coincidence... "
"Well, we should make sure either way. "
Amy added, reaching into a shopping bag on the counter, soon producing a pregnancy test from it.
"I went out and got one while you were passed out. I did my best to find the most accurate one for you. "
She handed the test to Shadow, who looked at the box a moment before standing on his shaky legs and heading to the bathroom. He closed the door behind himself and locked it as soon as he was in, the others all standing outside said door as they waited for some word.
A few minutes passed after that. A good half an hour really, and yet not a peep was heard from the Hedgehog in the bathroom. Sonic finally tapped on the door.
"Shadow? You all right in there? "
There was a bit of hesitation, but finally came the reply,
"Y-yeah, I-I'm fine... "
"You don't sound fine... "
Amy noted, standing behind Sonic.
"Did the colour change yet? "
"Yeah, i-it did... "
"... well? "
"It turned blue... "
Sonic huffed and said,
"You're the one with the instructions, Shadow. We don't know what blue means. "
"It... it means I'm pregnant... "
Everyone was silent for a moment, and Tails could have sworn his sharp Fox Ears had picked up the muffled sound of Shadow crying.
Amy finally spoke up again, leaning against the outside of the bathroom door as she said,
"Oh gosh Shadow, I'm so sorry... c-can we come in? "
Shadow didn't answer verbally, but after wiping the tears from his face, he finally got up and unlocked the door. Amy didn't hesitate to open it, walking inside and softly hugging Shadow in an attempt to comfort him. It took Shadow a moment, but he hugged back.
"Th-thanks Amy... "
He managed to say, his voice rather shakey. Sonic softly put a hand on Shadow's shoulder and said,
"I'm... sorry about laughing before, Shadow. I guess I didn't realize how you feel about this whole thing and what you're going through. "
"It's... it's okay, Sonic. I undertand how the thought of it could make one laugh at first... "
Sonic nodded a little, the solemn and sad expression on his face letting Shadow know that he really was sorry for how he had acted.
Amy finally pulled back from hugging Shadow.
"Well... what do you think we should do then, Shadow? "
She asked, the Hedgehog in question looking down in thought of his answer. Sonic then made comment,
"Shadow, maybe you oughtta have an abortion done. I mean... well... you kinda lack the right equipment to have the kid with, if you know what I mean. "
Shadow cringed at the thought and replied,
"No... I can't just kill it. That'd be like murder, and I'm supposed to help people. Besides, I can... probably have a C-Section done. Furthermore, the kid's probably immortal like me, so an abortion probably wouldn't work anyway. "
"Good points, Shadow... "
Amy agreed, then having a thought.
"But if you're gonna need a C-Section, you'll need a doctor to do it, but you can't go to a doctor because they'd try to experiment, like you said. "
"What choice do we have, Amy? "
Tails asked, his tails swaying back and forth behind him in thought. The Pink Hedgie sighed, wondering how to answer that question. Shadow finally spoke,
"Tails is right, there isn't another option. I'm gonna have to see a doctor for the kid's sake. "
No one could argue with that. Shadow would have to see a doctor about this eventually. Sonic then looked back to Shadow and said,
"We'll stick with you while you're there, okay? So if anyone tries anything, we'll be there to back you up. "
"Thanks... "
Shadow later found himself laid up in a soft bed at the hospital as Sonic, Tails and Amy stood nearby. The Black Hedgehog seemed a bit nervous, but tried to hide it. He didn't want anyone knowing that 'The Ultimate Life Form' felt any form of fear or nervousness.
"Don't worry, Shadow. "
Amy spoke, gently patting his shoulder.
"It'll be fine, I promise. "
Shadow nodded a little, though her words didn't help his inward shaking much. It was then that the door opened, a female doctor stepping in. She had dark blue hair pulled up into two cat-ear type ponytails and a pair of ruby chocolate coloured eyes, her name tag reading the name " Jade Deveraugh ". Under her white coat, she wore a simple red shirt and a khaki, pleated skirt. She didn't REALLY look like a doctor, but she had a trusting enough face, so Shadow stayed generally silent as she made her way over to him.
"So, you must be Shadow, correct? I'm Doctor Deveraugh, but you can just call me Jade. Believe me, I hate my last name. So, your friends tell me you're experiencing an ' unusual condition '. "
Shadow nodded in response to Jade, the Doctoress smiling warmly to him as she pulled out a stethoscope and set the tiny receivers in her ears, then gently pressing the bell against Shadow's chest.
"Well, not to worry. I'm here to take care of you. We'll be starting off with a general check-up to make sure you yourself are in good condition, then we'll check the condition of the little on, all right? "
"All right... "
The Hedgehog agreed, starting to feel safe around this Doctor as she started checking all his vitals and general condition. Jade had soon come to the conclusion that other than the general symptoms of pregnancy, such as the morning sickness, Shadow was in perfect health.
"Well Shadow, you're the perfect vision of health. Now we'll be checking on the little one, all right? I'll try to determine just how far along you are while I'm at it. "
Jade told him, softly starting to press her fingers around the Hedgehog's stomach, her touch so gentle that Shadow could barely feel it. The Doctor smiled a bit and said,
"You're feeling a bit more firm in the stomach than you normally should. I expect you've been carrying a while and only recently started feeling the symptoms as it all set in. "
Shadow just nodded again, not really wanting to speak right now. Jade took notice to his silence and looked to him.
"You're most certainly quiet. I can't really say I blame you though. It must all be a pretty violent shock to you, but I'm here to help you get through this, okay? It won't be as bad as you probably think it will. "
"If you say so... "
The Black Hedgehog said, Jade nodding and pulling his covers back over him.
"Now, you just relax and wait here. I think there might be enough development as to where we can get a scan. "
The Doctoress left the room with that, Shadow sighing and laying his head back, closing his ruby eyes. Sonic scratched his head a little behind his right ear, walking over to the pregnant one.
"... You gonna be all right, Shadow? "
"I really don't know how to answer that, Sonic. I really don't. "
The Blue Hedgie tilted his head, wondering just what that was supposed to mean. He opened his mouh to question further, but Jade walked back in at that moment, dragging along an Ultrasound machine behind her.
"All right now Shadow, lets see if we can get a look at the little one, okay? "
"Okay... "
"Okay, now I just need you to reveal your tummy and hold still while I do the rest. "
Jade told him,setting up the machine. Shadow complied with the slightest hesitance, wondering in the back of his mind if this was going to hurt. He mentally colded himself for worrying over a little pain as the Doctor came back over to him with a strip of broad, white cloth with some intricate electronics set into it. She softly sat Shadow up and wrapped said cloth around his midsection, the Hedgehog feeling just the slightest vibration as soon as the strip was secured. Jade laid Shadow back and turned on a small screen nearby, smiling slightly as she said,
"Yeah, there we go. Looks like he or she is developing well, Shadow. I'd say this little on is about... two months into development, all aspects of Hedgehog Gestation considered. "
"Two months? Already? "
Shadow asked in surprise, Jade nodding as she stepped away from the screen. The Black Hedgehog looked on with curiosity at the tiny being that was inside of him, suddenly feeling both scared and comforted. Even though the baby didn't look much like a Hedgehog yet, one could tell he or she was starting to develop into one. The slightest of smiles tugged itself across Shadow's muzzle, the others around him looking slightly surprised at his sudden smile at this, but saying nothing.
Jade just smiled softly as she saw Shadow smile, feeling he didn't feel so unnerved by this now. She went over to him and said,
"Well, he or she seems to be in good health. I guess we're done for this visit. "
She started to turn off the screen, but surprisingly, Shadow reached out and laid a hand on her wrist to stop her.
"No, not yet, just... a minute more. "
He said, looking back at the screen again, his smile hanging on his face. He was... actually starting to feel comfortable with this.
Shadow looked ready to fall asleep by the time the gang had gotten him back to Amy's apartment. He yawned and promptly flopped down onto the couch the minute they got inside, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Amy couldn't help but sweatdrops slightly at the Black Hedgie's unusual behavious, but finally said,
"Well... Jade did say he'd be feeling a lot more tired now, since the baby is taking so much of his energy for development. "
"Y'know... "
Sonic began.
"It's not as much the fact that he's... well... pregnant... as it is the fact that he actually seems so comfortable with the whole thing all of a sudden! "
"Maybe this is what they call a mood swing? "
Tails asked.
"Scared as heck one minute, happy as if he had good sense the next? "
"I guess... "
Amy replied, looking back to Shadow's sleeping form on the couch.
"Well, according to Jade, he'll be carrying for about four more months according to the timeline of normal Hedgehog Gestation. I wonder what Shadow's gonna do when the baby is born? "
"That's a good question Amy. "
Sonic stated with a shrug.
"Shadow's not exactly the caring-for-kids type. He might put the kid up for adoption. "
"I dunno, Sonic. "
Tails replied, his twin tails swaying back and forth in thought.
"Shadow suddenly seems pretty attached to the kid... "
"Well... "
Amy began.
"Guess we'll see in a few months... until then, Shadow's gonna need all the help he can get. "
End Chapter 2
Heh, hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Thanks for the review Leevee, I appreciate it! But really, it was my friend Vahn's idea in the RP we did, I just wrote the story off the idea. He's the really insane one. 'gets fwapped by Vahn with a rubber mallet' ... okay, I had that coming.
Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and I'll post the next chappie soon! See ya, people!
