Chapter 9
Dr. Adrian instructed Sebastian to lie down. The raven demon had led him into a spare bedroom and were flanked by Vincent and Tanaka following closely behind. The two humans were confused as to how this strange man would be able to do any better than a human doctor. Then again they both figured it was far easier to explain the situation to someone who was familiar with male pregnancies, rather than try to get a mere mortal to understand something of the supernatural.
Sebastian laid down on the bed, with nothing but a crisp white sheet to separate him and the bare mattress. This room had no plans on being used in the near future, so there were no comfy pillows or blankets or anything to make the room slightly more livable in any way, but it was the closest bedroom from the study and had enough for Dr. Adrian to work with.
"Lord Phantomhive," Dr. Adrian piped up as he opened his black doctor's bag, "I do hope you're not the defensive type."
Vincent's head tilted curiously, "What do you mean?"
Sebastian turned to him, "He's merely asking if you're going to tear his face off for having to touch me."
"Oh, no. No, I won't. I just want to be sure that there is a pregnancy and that both of you will be all right."
Dr. Adrian nodded, "Then, let's begin, shall we?"
The doctor began by lifting Sebastian's white dress shirt so his abdomen was exposed. Rather than focusing more towards the top of the gut, Adrian's hands moved to Sebastian sides. His fingers gently pushed inward towards the center of the raven demon's core. This hands inch downward as is fingers seem to search for something. He was only to Sebastian's navel before his hands pulled away and he reached for a stethoscope that was in his bag.
"I have a question," Vincent piped up, "how exactly is it possible for a man – even if he is a demon – to carry a child? I've studied anatomy before, and I have enough knowledge of it to know that Sebastian is nowhere near female."
"And you would be right about that, Lord Phantomhive," Dr. Adrian confirmed, "while you are right in the fact that Sebastian was born predominately male, all male demons are born with a less noticeable feminine side. You see, in Hell families don't wish for any of their children to be born female, so most female demons are murdered at birth. While most families aren't so cruel and will keep any child born after the first born son, it still doesn't make up for the lack of females to build our numbers. Eventually, a mutation developed where males were born bearing wombs, while at the same time having fully functional male parts. This was first discovered by accident by a particular male, who had no knowledge of this pregnancy until giving birth. All of his male descendents wound up being born with wombs. It's more acceptable in Hell, now, for a male demon to become pregnant, as most of the generations born without them are nearly extinct."
Vincent nodded in understanding, "I see. So if impregnation works just as it would with a female, I'd imagine that childbirth would work just the same way."
Dr. Adrian nodded, "It would, but it's much more difficult and dangerous. While the wombs have evolved to a near-perfect replica of that of a woman, a man is still a man. Most men's hips aren't made for delivering a child, so it's a common occurrence for the head or a shoulder to get caught during delivery. Although this can be corrected, there are other issues. Premature delivery, tearing, breached births, and stillbirths are also common occurrences."
Sebastian felt a pang of fear hit him, "What exactly are the chances of that happening?"
"In your case, Mikkeri, I'd say it's a fairly slim chance. Your hips don't appear to be too narrow. We may have to worry about tearing and a premature delivery, but that's only if you were to be attacked in someway before the baby was born."
"So . . . does this mean you've confirmed a pregnancy?" Vincent asked.
Dr. Adrian shrugged, "His womb didn't feel like one that was unoccupied. It had some fullness to it. Sebastian, do you recall experiencing any symptoms. Morning sickness? Fullness? Mood swings? Cravings?"
"I was sick earlier this morning, and I'll admit I have been feeling some fullness over the course of the past few days, but I wrote it off as nothing."
Adrian nodded and pressed the disc of the stethoscope against Sebastian's abdomen. He was silent for several long moments without moving before he pulled away.
"Well?" Sebastian inquired, "What's the verdict?"
Dr. Adrian let out a sigh, "You are definitely pregnant, Mikkeri."
A silence fell over the room as the three exchange glances with each other.
"And . . . this is without any doubt? A full confirmation?" Vincent asked.
Adrian nodded once more, "Unless he mysteriously sprouted a second, smaller heart." He passed the stethoscope to the earl, "Here, I'll let you listen for yourself."
Vincent put on the earpieces to the stethoscope and pressed the disk to where Dr. Adrian had placed it before. Over the steady drumming of Sebastian's own heart, he could hear the tiny thumping of another echoing demon's.
"What does it sound like, Vincent?" Sebastian asked with a smirk, knowing how amused his mate's expression appeared.
The earl let out a small laugh "Like a little drumming sound. Thumpity - thumpity - thumpity - thumpity . . ."
The pregnancy had finally been confirmed, and with that fact came the task of informing the rest of the household. There was just one issue with that: how on earth where they going to explain a pregnant man to the rest of the household? Sebastian was going to have to eat food to sustain the child as well as himself, there'd have to be an explanation as to why Dr. Adrian was there to regularly check up on the demon, and eventually there would have to be an explanation as to why there was a child running about the manor. While Sebastian's secret of being a demon had spread to Vincent and Tanaka, the rest of the household – cooks and maids – had no clue just how different he was to everyone else.
Sebastian considered leaving the manor and staying elsewhere until the child had been born, and then making up a story about how he had adopted the child, but there was a problem. No matter what, the baby would bear some sort of resemblance to Sebastian, no matter how minute it was. And if the child was Vincent's, he was sure all of the similarities would be there.
It would seem that there would be no easy way to go about this, the easiest solution being having to tell the household of Sebastian's demonic nature. While these were people who might have varying reactions to the news, they were also servants that were bound by loyalty and trust to the family. Revealing this news would be a test of that loyalty and trust.
Vincent presented this to Sebastian, who had to agree. There were some he wasn't concerned about, such as Rachel. But there were others, like her sister Angelina, that had a bad habit of gossiping and trying to stick their nose where it didn't belong. Both Vincent and Sebastian agreed that the servants' loyalties needed to lie with the family, and that meant with Sebastian's inhuman nature, as well.
No servant really enjoyed a lineup; where every servant from the head butler, Tanaka, to the lowly hallboy was called into the lobby by Vincent. This meant one of two things: either there was big news to be shared that was going to impact all of their jobs, or someone had done something wrong and somebody was about to be fired; a result nobody liked as that would leave the servant fired without a home or anyplace to go.
The only one that was concerned about that awful possibility was Angelina. She would never admit it to anyone, but she had been flirting with a few noblemen in an attempt to win herself an easier life sitting on the lap of a wealthy man with no worries of winding up homeless or penniless. Had she been found out and reported to Vincent? Had a gentleman she'd talk to outed her? Or had she and making it too obvious and Vincent had caught her? No . . . that couldn't be it. Otherwise, why would Vincent and Sebastian go through the trouble of rounding up the entire household for something that revolved solely around her?
Every servant stood and waited in anticipation for the nobles of the house. Most of them were anxious for the news. Some had seen Dr. Adrian in the house, and as per usual rumors began to spread like wildfire. There were many theories; Vincent or Sebastian was sick, injured, or just in need of a regular check up, but most just suspected that it was Sebastian who was sick, as Angelina had been the one to clean the earl's private bathroom and had noted that there was vomit. She had seen that Vincent looked perfectly fine and healthy, but Sebastian looked slightly nauseous and appeared to have been worried about something.
At last Vincent made his way from the upstairs down to the lobby, followed by Sebastian, who looked less sickly than Angelina had described, but still worried.
"Everyone, I have some news for you all," Vincent began, "the Phantomhive family is expecting a child."
There were many surprised gasps, as well as a few confused looks.
"Who's the lucky woman?" a cook inquired.
Vincent and Sebastian exchange glances. Sebastian tried to keep his expressions neutral, trying to avoid blushing or growing pale at the question.
Vincent let out a small sigh.
"All of you, I want you to keep open minds. You are loyal to this family, meaning anything being discussed here and now shall not venture outside of these walls, and shall be given to no one else. You are free to discuss it amongst yourselves and no one else."
Tanaka approached from the end of the line, "I'll be more than happy to continue it from here."
Vincent nodded and allowed the butler to continue.
"As the master has said already, I ask that you all keep an open mind. Sebastian Michaelis is not a man of human origins, rather those of a more demonic nature."
"How can you say that?" Angelina blurted out in an offended tone, "Mr. Sebastian is an equal to Lord Vincent, and you dare insult him like that?"
Rachel nudged her, "Anne . . . I don't think it was an insult."
Angelina went silent as her eyes met Sebastian's. The raven-haired man still stood there with the same neutral expression.
"Is it true?" She asked, "Are you a . . ."
"A demon?!"
The exclamation came from a cook, who stepped out of line and took a few threatening steps toward Sebastian.
"You mean to say that the strange man you brought into this home, the man you've been shagging all this time, he's a demon?! Have you gone mad?"
Vincent stalked towards the outspoken cook, separating him from Sebastian.
"Have you gone mad?" The earl inquired, "What gives you the right to insult the one I love?"
The cook was silent for a moment before slowly backing up back into his place in the line up.
Tanaka glared at him through the lenses of his spectacles, "I'll speak with you in my office later."
And then Rachel daringly stepped out of line.
"I think I understand it now, sir. It isn't a woman, is it? It's Mr. Sebastian."
Tanaka nodded, "That's correct, Rachel."
"And it's his otherworldly origins that make this possible, correct?"
"Do you have a problem with this, as well?"
"No, sir. I'm just saying. If this is the case, then why should it matter so much? I mean, Mr. Vincent has been happy with Sebastian ever since he came here. And a child in any family is a wonderful thing, isn't it? If this is seen as a good thing by our masters, then I will be supportive, too."
Angelina stepped forward standing beside her sister, "I agree with her. I'm supportive, too."
The head chef of the kitchen stepped forward, "It's been a while since I've seen a baby born in this family. I'll be supportive, too."
Three more cooks, two more maids, each of the footmen, and even the lowly hallboy stepped forward, symbolizing their support in the matter. All eyes veered back towards the one cook that had spoken out before.
The cook ran a hand across the back of his neck.
"Alright, I'll admit what I said was pretty stupid. But, I'm over it now and I'm sorry. I'll be supportive, too."
With that the servants were dismissed, although everyone knew that they would be discussing this amongst themselves for a while longer.