When Brooklyn awoke the next night, he felt a lot better. He had taken his meds last night and just rested. He had needed it to be well rested. He was alone at the moment. He saw his loincloth on a chair, and he pushed himself up and off the bed. He felt a little weak after last night.

He got his loincloth off the chair and put it back on. When he got it on, he was about to strap the belt in place. But when he snapped it on, he felt like he had to loosen it. He loosened the strap a bit. He just didn't want to feel it was too tight. At least none of his clan had taken advantage of him like the way that Ray had.

The clan were glad he was up and about tonight but he still wasn't ready for patrolling. Sato saw to that. He needed another night of relaxing.

Brooklyn was getting his bearings back in the castle. He was more than glad to be able to rest his wings for a few nights. They had been stressed for far too long.

Goliath had taken it under advisement that his Second could have a week off to rest and get stronger before he resumed his regular Second duties.

Now that he was home again, Brooklyn was so happy to just be home. He was eating and drinking like normal. He knew there was nothing he could do about Elaine and he missed her, hoping she would be alright.

When the week ended and Goliath had him start patrolling again, the leader gently told him that he shouldn't go out alone anymore. Not after what happened. Brooklyn didn't want to be alone as it was, now. He had learned his lesson.

…..

Brooklyn did well on his patrols, but there were still times of dizziness and nausea that got to him. Over the next month, Brooklyn ate well and felt sick later. He tried to keep it to himself but little did he know that he wouldn't be able to hide this for much longer.

His stomach was getting bigger. He didn't notice it just yet, but Brook thought he felt some weight inside him, but not a whole lot just yet. His appetite was also getting bigger and he was eating more at mealtimes.

Because of the nausea that he still felt at times, he had a feeling there was just something that he had to protect his stomach for when he was fighting bad guys. Most of the time, they were simple punks and were easily afraid of him. He still remembered what the punks had done to Elaine and would sometimes use that to inspire him to get mad enough to scare them or beat them up.

The clan had noticed the change in Brooklyn's moods. There was something different about him in some ways. He had been through a life-altering experience. He obviously had PTSD himself too from his kidnapping.

Brooklyn didn't want to talk about some things, about what he was feeling. He often wanted to be alone when he was home. He still felt sad about Elaine. It was like she had died because of him.

….

As the weeks passed, Brooklyn passed into his fifth month of pregnancy. His stomach was really starting to show now.

Brooklyn's appetite had grown more intense and the clan was shocked at what he was eating at times. Mixed foods that didn't sound good. He was having cravings.

Broadway was surprised that Brooklyn was eating as much as he was. Him and Lexington were noticing something else too that perhaps even the others were noticing as well. Brooklyn seemed to be getting fat. Why was he eating so much? Was he really that depressed, or was he really that hungry?

Brooklyn wasn't feeling quite as nauseated as he used to be. He had some energy and he wanted to use it out on bad guys. Before long though, for some reason, he started feeling some strange feelings inside his stomach. It would happen a few times a night.

Brooklyn took to rubbing his stomach when he felt the strange stirrings inside him. What was going on in there? Even digesting his food didn't feel like this.

One night, he and Lex were assigned to patrol together. Lex wanted to get to the bottom of what was disturbing his brother.

They were flying along peacefully, looking down on the streets, looking for trouble.

"Brooklyn?" Lex began.

"What, Lex?" Brook replied a bit grumpily.

"I wanted to talk to you alone anyway." Lex said.

"What about?"

"How are you feeling these days?" Lex stated.

"I feel fine, Lex."

"No, you're not fine. We have noticed that you aren't acting like your old self. You are miserable. You're mad a lot, you eat a lot, eat crazy mixed-up foods, and sometimes don't feel well. What's going on with you? We want to help you." Lex explained his concerns.

Brooklyn sighed. He was right. "I guess Elaine's problems affected me that bad, Lex. I loved her. Plus my kidnapping." He explained.

"But Brooklyn, why are you eating all the time? I noticed you're gaining weight." Lex pointed to his more rounded belly.

The two of them came to a landing on a rooftop. Brooklyn looked down and saw that his little brother was right. He was gaining weight. That was strange. "I just feel… hungry a lot lately, Lex. I can't help it." He said.

"Maybe you should tone it down a bit. You never used to eat that much at all." Lex declared.

"I'll try." Brook replied. Then he felt a strange sensation again inside him. He rubbed his belly. There had to be more to what was happening to him. He might need to get in touch with Dr. Sato again.

Brooklyn was glad he was home with the clan again and he so hoped that Ray never found him back here again. He would make him pay for what he had done to him if he did. But whatever he was feeling inside him move about was probably something to do with what Ray had operated on him for months ago. He hoped not.

Brooklyn was over eighteen weeks along in his pregnancy now. He was close to the halfway point. If he had been carrying an egg, he might have been showing over two months ago. But he was going to get to the bottom of what was going on with himself. This might also have been a good cause to worry about. Was it something bad?

"I'll see Dr. Sato soon. Please don't tell the others." Brooklyn said.

"They will want to know what he would find out." Lex retorted.

"I know. And I'll tell as soon as I know anything." Brook declared.

They went on their patrol. There were a few bank robberies that they stopped together but Brooklyn held his own. They were just ordinary street thugs. But it was vital that he found out what was going on with himself.

…..

The clan had been noticing how Brooklyn was seeming to gain weight. Brooklyn wondered if Ray had given him something that would make him gain weight. Being his usual skinny self-made him more acrobatic and faster. He didn't want to be as big bodied as Broadway. He had to find a way to stop this gaining weight.

Brooklyn went out of the castle one night and went to Elisa's apartment. It was unusual for him to be knocking on her window to be let inside. "Hi, Brooklyn. This is unusual. What do I owe this honor?" she asked.

"Elisa, I know I seem different since I came back, but that's because of what I went through on the road. But now that I'm home again, I have noticed that I seem to be gaining weight that shouldn't be piling on." Brooklyn explained.

Elisa looked at Brooklyn's stomach and indeed, it seemed to be bigger than what he normally was. There was a bulge in his lower belly.

"I'm also worried if Ray put something inside me while he had me." Brooklyn said, a hand on his belly.

"What makes you say that?"

"He uh, opened up my stomach once while I was there." Brook stated.

Elisa knew this was cause for alarm. He could have put anything inside him, but something to make him gain weight?

"Wouldn't you have started gaining weight while you were there instead of now? But then, you were under constant stress while you were traveling to get back here." Elisa tried to analyze it. "Maybe Dr. Sato should examine you to see what's causing this unexpected weight gain."

"Yeah, I had thought about it, but I wanted to talk to someone else first. I'm glad to be home, but just really stressed about what I went through." Brooklyn explained.

"Do you want to see him?"

"Yes. I have other concerns as well that I wish to discuss with him." Brook said.

Elisa gave Sato a call right after. While he waited to know if the doc would see him tonight or another night, Brooklyn felt that stirring inside him again. This was scaring him. He gave his belly a rub again.

Brooklyn went to sit on the couch to wait to hear of when the doc could see him. Doctors were often busy people just like cops on the force were too. They had to arrange a good time to come and see their patients.

It took a while for Elisa to get through to him but she talked to him and said that Dr. Sato would be willing to see him, but not for another two nights. His schedule was booked until then and if this wasn't an emergency, it could wait.

"Would I be able to see him at the hospital? I just have issues I want to discuss in private and I don't want my clan to know about them." Brooklyn declared.

Elisa still held the phone in her hands. Sato was still on the line. The woman was stunned that Brooklyn wouldn't want to see him at the castle. She asked Sato if Brooklyn could come to the hospital.

"If he comes in here, it will have to be at a rather late hour. He would have to come to my office window, but also come with a cloak to cover up in so we can go to an exam room." Sato said on the line. Brooklyn heard him.

"I agree to that." Brook said. Elisa told him. Sato agreed.

It was a Tuesday now. It would be on Friday morning at three am that Sato could see him. He wanted to make sure that all the other major doctors and nurses had gone home or were on other floors.

Brooklyn thanked Elisa for her help. She wasn't to tell the clan until there were some answers. He left her place right after to get back before someone worried about him.