Part V

Part V

She was groggy and her head was pounding. Jack opened her eyes slowly as she heard voices she couldn't make out. She forced herself to get out of the fogginess in her mind.

"What's goin' on?," her voice cracked a bit.

The doctor turned to her and smiled. "I'm glad you are back with us Ms. Reed. You've been unconscious for days."

Jack blinked as she soaked in the information. Poor Sil must be frantic thinking she's dead. "I'd like to go back to my cell."

"You will. You will.," the doctor moved to her side. "I must ask you something Ms. Reed. Were you sexually active before you came here?"

She blinked at him. "Why the hell does it matter if I was or not?," her tone was annoyed.

The doctor pushed his glasses up on his pudgy nose. "Well Ms. Reed,… you are pregnant. And from the tests I've conducted well before your departure to here."

Jack was stunned into silence. A baby? She was carrying his baby? She wanted to scream for joy but the happiness faded when she realized where she was. Slam. If she were allowed to have the baby, as most women were, it would be sent away for adoption. Jack felt her chest tighten at the thought of never being able to see her child.

"Others involved with this experiment will be meeting later to discuss that. You will be brought back here afterwards."

Jack just nodded numbly to him. She was still caught up in the fact that she was going to be a mother and Riddick a father.

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When the guards brought her back to the cell Sil was sobbing. When Sil saw Jack she ran to her and hugged her tightly, unable to speak as she continued to sob. Jack rubbed her back, "Shhh… it's okay. Didn't I tell ya I'd be fine?"

Sil sniffled and looked up to her nodding. Jack smiled warmly down at her and wiped her tears away and kissed the top of her head. "Lay down and rest, kitty-cat. I know you've been worried but it's okay now."

Jack slipped to the window where Ren's eyes waited. She watched as Sil layed down and she looked back to Ren. "I don't know if this is the best or worst day of my life."

"What do you mean?," Ren looked at her confused.

"Well… I'm pregnant. I… I don't want my kid to be born here but I can't betray my dad or Riddick…"

"Whoa! Wait a second honey! Riddick? As in Richard B. Riddick?"

"None other." Jack smirked to her.

"Then…" Ren finally put two and two together, "You mean that's *his* kid?!!"

Jack laughed at her tone. "I told you that you'd think I was crazy when you knew who I parted with unwillingly."

"Damn… You're right. I do think you're crazy. So Riddick's alive…?" Ren whistled softly, "Can't believe no one else knows."

"Well only you and Mel know. …I feel so strange. The Doc told me he was goin' to be having a meeting then he'd see me again.," Jack looked down feeling afraid for the first time since the planet, "I'm scared I'm gonna lose my baby… our baby…" Her hands went to caress her stomach.

Ren frowned as she looked at Jack, wishing she could offer some sort of comfort but she knew she couldn't. Ren felt helpless as she watched Jack stand there with tears slipping down her cheeks.

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Jack stepped thorough the door where she had been brought for her sessions with Mel. She was a bit puzzled about why she was there. Mel walked in the other room with the doctor.

"I have to advise you against this! Doing that could cause her to snap! She'd go psycho!!"

Jack's heart sank in her chest as she put a hand over her stomach protectively. "You're not taking my baby.," her tone was venomous.

Her voice startled them both and they looked to the other room. They obviously weren't expecting her to already have been there.

"Now Ms. Reed… you have to understand-"

She cut him off, "No you better fuckin' understand that *you're* not taking my baby. I'll kill anyone who tries to!!"

Mel peered at her sadly wishing he could do something, but he had no say in this. He looked as if he was about to cry.

"Are you willing to carry the child even through the testing? As I see it you are putting it in danger… if it's even still alive that is."

Jack paled a bit and cradled her stomach. The beating… all the pain from the 'first session,' how did it affect the baby? Was her baby still alive? She closed her eyes wishing Riddick was here to tell her their baby was fine and everything would be okay. That he'd get them out of here. But the fact of the matter was that he wasn't here. He'd have no clue which Slam she was sent to. She opened her eyes and turned abruptly to the door as she heard it open. She fought back the tears that wanted to fall. She glared at Trent who had his gun leveled at her.

"Time for your operation, sweetheart." He grinned at her.

"Never!" She hissed back at him.

"Oh I beg to differ." He pulled the trigger and a dart caught her in the shoulder. She looked to it and flinched as she pulled it out. They were drugging her so she wouldn't be able to fight them. She brought it up and sniffed at it slowly, trying to remember the scent. She staggered to the side slightly and let her shoulder slump against the glass.

Mel moved to where Jack was leaning against the glass. He peered sadly at her, a tear slipping down his cheek. Jack looked to him slowly, her blue eyes pleading for him to help her.

"Mel…" She slid down the glass wall slowly, trying to fight off the drug to no avail. She kept her head tilted up to him as tears glinted in her eyes. It took everything Mel had to not break down and cry then and there. He mouthed two silent words to her as he put a hand against the glass. 'I'm sorry.'