by: iluvaqt@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: As per default chapter.
iluvaqt's Notes: Ladies, thank you for your comments. Is this update soon enough? ;) Black Rose9, upon reading your review I felt obligated to do a rewrite of the last chapter. You won't be reading the end yet, it's still a little way off. I finished writing most of this story before I started posting it, and it's actually the first time a reader's comments have inspired me to change something. :) I'm glad you're all responding to it positively so far. Keep the thoughts coming, I love reading them.
Chapter 4 -
The Blue 47, Las Vegas
Friday, February 28, 2020
Blue and silver lights flashed at continuous intervals. The beams hitting the floor and the clubs occupants, at varying angles, from globes rotating on the ceiling. The heavy pulsing beats and bright flashes of light had disturbed her senses at first, but now it had become so habitual, she hardly noticed. She'd had a job in San Francisco working at a bar called, Gate Crashers. It was an all-night bar, tips were average but the pay was good. Nobody like the graveyard shift, which worked well for her, she never slept. Well, at least not at night. Something about the after dark and the moon did strange things to her mood. She couldn't relax long enough to keep her eyes closed for more than five minutes. Aside from that, she'd concluded that Manticore must have put some shark or fish DNA in her soup'd up genetics. Catnaps during the afternoon were all she ever needed, unless her seizures started up. That was a whole other story.
The Blue 47 was a very different scene to Gate Crashers. She worked odd jobs during the day, but from 10 to 2 a.m. she was the Blue's show kitten, Diamond D. With different costumes and routines every night, by week's end she was always threatening to get find a new gig. The money was great, but the sleazy guys, and all the ogling and salivating faces were getting to be too much. She thought she'd be fine with it. After all, wasn't it what she'd been made for? To be an object of perfection, manufactured for distraction and tactical advantage. Although, the only advantages she'd consoled herself with were the rent, living expenses and great clothes she could afford with the money she was earning. Not to mention the expensive phone bills she ran up with her cell phone. She called Syl every chance she got. Confiding in her sister was the only thing keeping her sane, since she'd found out about her surprise package.
Two weeks earlier
She sat in the bathroom, staring at the two little lines in the small window of a plastic stick. The realization was setting in. It had taken four of those sticks, three different brands and trip to the doctor to convince her, that she was in fact, what the boxes had said, pregnant.
Earlier that morning, Jondy had awoken to find herself sprawled on her bed, still fully clothed. Her body felt hot and sweaty and her hair and been a lopsided bird's nest. Sitting up, she'd walked to the bathroom, to wash her face, all the while wondering just how and when she'd come home.
"Mornin' Dee. Whoa! What happened to you?" Carmen recoiled in surprise. Her friend had dark circles around her eyes. Her skin didn't have its usual rosy pallor, and she looked like she'd just woken up after the binge from hell.
"What time did I get home?" Jondy mumbled, before rinsing out her mouth. After splashing water on her face, she reached for her towel.
Carmen watched her in the mirror. "I don't know. I think I heard the door…maybe around 3.30? It's could have been four. You know me. Nearly blind as a bat, can hardly see the bedside clock…you feeling okay?" Jondy had begun to look a little green.
Jondy just made it to the toilet bowel before she lost her supper. It wasn't long before she felt completely empty. She had been feeling put off food lately. Especially some of the hors d'oeuvres they served at the club. The smell made her want to puke on the spot. She'd never been a big fan of seafood, and it couldn't have been at a better time to develop a serious aversion to it. They served, prawns, caviar and salmon every night. And the smoke had become more of an issue than usual too. Her eyes were watering and she couldn't stand the cigars. One night she'd had to stay away from the high rollers, because it had been almost impossible to breathe around them.
Reaching for the toilet paper, she yanked off a strip and wiped her face. She needed to rinse out her mouth again. Jondy wanted to get off the floor, but her legs didn't want to function. She felt like jelly all over. Just moving her head forward made her want to be sick all over again.
Carmen stepped around her. "Don't move. I'll be right back." Going to the kitchen, she came back with a donut and a glass of water. Passing the glass to Jondy, she said, "Rinse, then eat this. I promise you, you'll feel a little better."
Jondy took the glass, gargled and spit. She stood slowly and washed her hands in the basin. Hesitantly, she accepted the donut and took a bite. She felt the motion of wanting to honk again but Carmen urged her to finish. After a minute, she did feel better. The nausea was still there, but she didn't feel as sick as before.
"Your blood sugar was probably low and you looked like you hadn't eaten in awhile." Carmen passed her, her bathroom. "Maybe you should get a check up too. I know you're not diabetic…is it that time of the month?" She knew her body played havoc with her when her rags were around. She ate like a horse and she'd felt like never leaving bed, and the cramps drove her crazy. She didn't want to imagine what childbirth would be like. Carmen had been so preoccupied with her thoughts she hadn't noticed how quiet Jondy had gotten.
Gripping the edge of the vanity, she squeezed till her knuckles turned white. It had been about three months since her last heat cycle. That wasn't odd, it wasn't summer yet. In the summer she would go into heat maybe every 11-13 weeks. In the winter, she usually got through gratefully unaffected. What was worrying her was that about three months ago, she had been in heat and she'd gotten a lot of action. The more she thought about it, the more freaked out she got.
She had stewed over it for the rest of the day. That afternoon, she bought a pregnancy test from the pharmacist and sat in the bathroom, for four hours before using it. It was positive. She couldn't believe it, so she tried the second test in the same cup. It was still positive. "It's only one brand. Damn it, I should have asked which was the most accurate."
Throwing the tests in the trash, she'd gotten ready for work and left the apartment at 8 p.m. Before starting at the club, she bought two more tests, both of which resulted in positives. By 10.30 p.m., Xander had asked Carmen to take her home. Fainting mid-routine and landing ungracefully in the Governer's lap, had been enough for even Jondy to realize something was very wrong. She'd allowed Carmen to convince her into seeing her doctor. They went to see her at 11 p.m.
"No needles. You made sure…" Jondy asked as she waiting for the doctor to return.
"Yes, she said she could check you without a blood test. But she said if you are pregnant, you should have one. Just to make sure you're healthy…" Carmen said, putting a hand on Jondy's knee, effectively stilling her. When she was nervous or edgy she always bounced on her toes, it was annoyingly distracting.
"No blood test," Jondy said, sending her friend a stubborn look. "I hate needles. Nobody's poking me with anything."
"Okay. You tell her. I'll be right here if you need me."
Jondy kept her nerves to herself. She was about to protest that she'd like company, when she decided against it. If something did go sideways in the surgery, she could make a run for it and Carmen wouldn't have to get hurt. Reminding herself to breathe, she went into the room to wait for the doctor.
"There's a robe behind the curtain, put it on and lie down on the bed," the doctor said over her shoulder, as she washed her hands. "Have you ever had a pelvic exam before?"
"Ah, no," Jondy said, shrugging off her jacket. She took slipped off her pants and unbuttoned her shirt. Putting her arms through the short sleeves of the robe, she easily did the ties behind her back. Stepping out from behind the curtain, she went to lie on the table.
"It'll feel a little strange, but if you relax, I promise you it won't take more than a few minutes." The doctor wheeled a little cart towards the table, covered with a few instruments.
Jondy swore that she'd have no poking, but in the end it had proven necessary. Maybe if she'd kept her legs crossed three months ago, she wouldn't be enduring the procedure she was having now.
When the doctor had confirmed what she'd already begun to suspect, her heart had began thumping erratically.
"You're about three months pregnant."
Jondy thanked the doctor. She had been a really sweet lady. Everything Carmen had promised she'd be. Gentle, friendly and non-intrusive.
Carmen was waiting for her outside. She got up as soon as Jondy approached.
"So?" The look on Jondy's face was enough of an answer. "Do you know who the father is?"
Jondy looked stunned and her bottom lip trembled a little. Carmen immediately regretted her question, wishing for once she'd been more tactful. Saying the right thing had never her strong suite.
"Everything will be okay, Dee…"
A tear slipped down her check and Jondy wiped it away. She laughed in what she hoped was a lighthearted manner. "I know. Can we go home?"
"Sure, Dee." Carmen wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "You know I'm here for you right?"
"Yeah." This time Jondy gave her a real smile and she leaned into her friend.
Jondy was really glad to have Carmen. Leaving San Francisco three months ago, she'd left behind a place she'd called home for the past five years. Her cosy apartment, a decent job and good friends she would probably never see again. She'd met Carmen while waitressing at Socrates'. They'd talked on her lunch break and hit it off immediately. A few days later, she'd moved in with her and the rest was history.
Making a cup of cocoa, she said goodnight to Carmen and retreated to her bedroom. Flipping open her cell, she dialled a number by heart. It was picked up after the second ring.
"Hey."
At her sister's voice, she crumbled. Soon she was a blubbering mess and she couldn't - for the life of her - piece together anything more than, "Syl?"
Syl had never heard her sister like this. Her voice was wobbly and she could definitely hear sniffles. "Jondy, what's wrong?"
"I'm… preg…Syl?"
"Yeah, I'm still here."
"I'm…pregnant." Jondy fell back onto the bed, a fresh wave of tears flooding down her face. She could still hear Syl on the other side. But she'd stopped tossing whatever she was making noise with. Syl always toyed with something if she wasn't walking around or busy with a task.
"When?"
"I only found out about an hour ago…okay, technically I knew yesterday, but who believes those stupid do-it-yourself tests anyway?"
"Ah, Dee, most people."
Syl couldn't believe her sister was in denial. Then again, if she got pregnant and was in Jondy's situation, she'd probably be in denial too. No worse. She'd castrate Krit and then accidentally fall down the stairs of the school football grandstand. Good thing they were supremely careful, she thought as she considered how to respond to Jondy's news. "How far gone are you?"
"Three months…" Jondy stopped short, wondering if her sister would able to put it together. She wanted the mattress to swallow her whole and held her breath the whole five seconds it took Syl to reply.
"Three…so it's someone in San Fran?" Syl asked.
Desperate to avoid answering, Jondy sat up and walked to the window. "I don't know what to do, sis. I'm so scared. What if we weren't meant to have kids? What if it's a freak? Or what if it's absolutely perfect and I just turn up being a screwed up mom? What if Zack finds out and makes me get rid of it?" Jondy paled at the thought and her heart skipped a beat.
"Like hell he will," Syl interjected. She could hear the immediate relief in her sister's breathing.
Jondy sank to the floor. It had been too close. The comment had just slipped out. She knew that Syl had taken the comment, as she would have four months ago. I mean, Zack? None of their siblings would ever believe it. They all thought he had a heart of stone. Who'd have thought he could make love, let alone produce offspring? What chilled her thought was remembering the look on his face. It was as if he was looking at someone he despised. It would have been better if he'd been angry, if he said that he blamed her for everything. But he'd been cold and distant. Without saying anything he'd made her feel like to worst and lowliest being on the planet. And he'd acted as though nothing had happened.
How could he accept a child? Their child, if he couldn't accept what they'd shared?
That night, she felt love for the first time in her life. She had seen Zack in a whole new light. Something she'd never thought possible. She knew despite the heat, she wanted him. She knew without a doubt her feelings were real. Clearly it had been all one sided. It was obviously he hadn't felt that way at all.
"Jondy?" Her sister had gone very quiet and not quite knowing just what happened to a woman in her condition, Syl was concerned. "I swear, I won't tell a soul."
More tears streamed down her face. "I know you won't. Love you, sis." Jondy sniffed as she went back to the bed.
"Love you too, Dee. Get some sleep and I'll call you in the morning."
They never said goodbye. It was sounded so final. It must have been something they'd started along time ago. "Tomorrow?" Jondy asked.
Syl's house, Wallace, Idaho
"Bet on it." Syl smiled as she put the phone back in its cradle. Arms wrapped around her shoulders and she was pulled into a warm embrace.
"Jondy?" a masculine voice said.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Syl grinned up at his down turned face.
Krit scowled. "She's my sister too."
Getting off the chair, Syl turned in his arms and tapped him on the nose. "The less you know, the safer you are, soldier."
"Right," Krit mumbled into her hair. His kissed her forehead and hugged her tighter. At least she wasn't throwing things at him today. Honestly, with the verbal and physical sparring matches, coupled with the dodging projectiles on a frequent basis, you'd think they were still at Manticore. But he couldn't picture himself with anyone else. Her strength, passion, memories and her desires reflected his. The only one they had to fool was Zack. If he knew they loved each other, he would have separated them.
"Phony sentimentality will cloud your judgment. It'll get you killed."
Wrong, bro. Stronger together, than when we're apart…