The rest of the week was so disheartening. They would go out and look every night, and nothing would turn up. Brooklyn wasn't allowed to leave the castle.
Owen finally woke up and would be allowed to come home soon.
David was finally called into his secret society, the Illuminati. He had found out where the missing three gargoyles were. They were being subjected to horrendous tests like lab rats.
The head of the society had finally brainwashed Goliath enough to nail a President that lived across the ocean that was coming for a peaceful speech at the United Nations.
Xanatos was finally able to rescue Lex and Broadway from their cells. They had to hurry up and stop Goliath before he did something awful.
In the end, Goliath was stopped, and the evil Illuminati's plan didn't work out to harm the President Packs.
The clan was glad to be reunited that night. Brooklyn had really begun to worry if he would have to step up and be leader again. But he wasn't in any shape to lead at the moment.
The nursery had still needed setting up, but it could still take a back seat for the moment. The clan's safety was more important at the moment.
Lex, Broadway, and Goliath were allowed to get something to eat, as they didn't have anything all week. Broadway was the most hungry and he was happy to have Angela to come home to. She was thrilled he was back.
"It was definitely good you weren't with us, Brooklyn. Who knows what they would have done to you knowing you were pregnant." Lex exclaimed.
"I'm glad I wasn't, but I'm glad you are all back. I had to babysit Alex by myself a couple of times because Owen was in the hospital. Demona escaped the night that you all went missing." Brooklyn explained.
"How did she escape?" Goliath demanded.
"Apparently, she picked the lock with a fork she had saved." Brooklyn replied. "Owen comes home later today, I heard."
"All we can do is start over tomorrow night in our relationship with the humans." Goliath declared.
…
More trouble continued in the city with the Quarrymen numbers continuing to pile up. There was more anti-gargoyle propaganda than they all liked to hear.
As time was moving on and the due date was getting nearer, Brooklyn was still worried for the sake of his children. Would they even be safe living in this city? They would be targets for their enemies. But Brooklyn would never dream of taking their lives, no matter who their mother was, or how they came into being. Their clan desperately needed new life in it.
The Christmas season was soon in full swing in the city despite all the worries. This year, the holiday meant a little something more for Brooklyn because of his babies on the way.
The new cribs and nursery had been set up by now. The room had been chosen for them at a later date in time, but for now, they were going to be in their father's room.
Dr. Trowsky came and did another ultrasound. The twins were doing fine, but still not ready to live in the outside world. Brooklyn was at his 30th week now.
He began to want to clean and make sure the castle was clean enough to meet the babies' standards for their birth. It was just nesting instincts taking over, but he couldn't be putting that kind of stress on his back at this stage.
"Brooklyn, your blood pressure is a little raised. That raises concern for me. I know you don't want to think about going on bed rest, but with you having twins that weren't meant to be born this way, you might need to consider it carefully." Dr. Trowsky warned him.
"Why? Could something happen?"
"Yes. There is a risk for preeclampsia, or eclampsia, and other health conditions. I don't want you to develop seizures. This is all a big health risk for you and the twins." the man warned.
"I know. Everything I do is a risk at this point."
"You've come very far in this pregnancy that wasn't meant to happen this way, and yet it did. If you want healthy babies, I'm sorry, Brooklyn, but I am going to have to stress that you start spending most of your time in bed, or on couches. No more exercises. Breathing ones are okay, but you need to relax all the more up until it's time for the birth to happen." Dr. Trowsky explained.
Brooklyn hated that idea, but perhaps his doc was right. He didn't want to risk harming his babies any.
"My clan just keeps facing hard times, and it worries me that I can't be out there to help." Brooklyn said.
"I get that you care about the human citizens as well as your clan. But right now, you need to concentrate on this. You have to let your body finish growing the twins so they will be able to live outside your body." the man stated.
The red gargoyle agreed with him.
"But maybe your clan could start being here for you more. If they patrolled a little bit less would help ease some stress a little more. I'll talk to them." Trowsky said. "I'd rather you start tonight, Brooklyn, on the bed rest."
He hated it, but he nodded.
Brooklyn went to his room after the exam while Trowsky stayed longer to talk to Goliath. As the leader, it was up to him what his clan did, and Goliath was understanding that Brooklyn needed the bed rest and that he shouldn't be stressing.
It would only be for a couple of months. The clan would patrol a bit less during the weeks, but still patrol a little bit. It was all for Brooklyn's sake so he wouldn't stress worrying about his clan returning safely to him every morning.
Brooklyn had to end up being in bed on Christmas Eve and Day. His clan however were glad to be with him. They stayed home that night.
The babies were due around February 14th, Valentine's Day. The very day that Brooklyn didn't want anything to do with right now, with the lack of a female mate in his life. But he would have something to celebrate. He would have two loves of his life around that time to care for.
David ended up buying a smaller TV for Brooklyn to enjoy educational programming and other shows when he didn't feel like reading or sleeping. He was only allowed up for standing up at his bedtime at sunrise. At sunset, he had to go right back into bed.
All of Brooklyn's needs were given to him in his room. His food, activities, even bathtime. He had to take more baths now. He even felt the need to have coconut oil on his dried out, itchy skin. Rubbing it onto his stomach felt so good.
The massage lady, Jan also started coming to the castle twice a week now to give him massages, to help ease some of the aches and pains that he went through. It was definitely for the better that Brooklyn was staying off his feet more so now. His back was aching so badly. His ankles swelled something bad too.
Brooklyn was trying to be as informed as he could in the last weeks of his pregnancy. He was more than ready for the twins to be born. He was tired of being treated like an invalid. His hormones were also driving him crazy as well.
Even though he had felt some slight changes in his chest, Brooklyn wasn't going to have any part of breastfeeding. The babies would be fed on formula after birth. His male ego just wouldn't allow it.
The clan patrolled less indefinitely, unless they were really needed out there by Elisa. Brooklyn needed them all here to help care for him as much as possible.
Brooklyn was allowed maybe five minutes out of bed a night. It killed his back to stand up.
Dr. Trowsky and Dr. Paula tried some acupuncture on various parts of his body to help with some of the aches and pains without him lying on his rounded stomach. At first, Brooklyn had been put off by it because of the needles, but he found they weren't as bad as real needles.
He and Dr. Paula were also talking to each other on the phone at times too and a little more, intimately. Brooklyn began to get a feeling that he had a connection to her, maybe. She was a special woman in that she would find him so attractive when she obviously shouldn't. He was her patient at the moment, but she couldn't help herself either. There was nothing wrong with being friends though.
….
The doctors were now coming once weekly to make sure the twins and Brooklyn were alright.
He was more than ready to get the babies out of his body and start to lose the fat he had gained during the pregnancy. He wanted to be skinny again. He didn't want to be pregnant anymore.
Brooklyn began looking through the choices of names he had been offered, and even through the baby name book he had gotten at the baby shower. He was so ready to meet his babies.
The clan needed some more females. He hoped he was having at least one daughter.
From the names that he had looked at, for one of the girl names he picked, he chose to honor Angela's brother's name, but with naming her Gabrielle. They could call her Gabby, or Briella for short. He also chose Kayla. For boys, he had chosen Randolph and Tony.
Now, all he could do was wait for the special day. His stomach was super big at the stage of 35 weeks. Just a few more weeks.
….
Since Brooklyn's twins were being carried in an artificial womb, it wouldn't tell him when the kids were ready to be born. Only his doctor would tell him when they were ready to come out, hence the weekly ultrasound visits.
Brooklyn read as many books as possible and watched educational videos on baby care. Fox even allowed him to hold Alex sometimes. He did his deep breathing to help stabilize his breathing when he felt nauseous or nervous, or if the babies were kicking into his ribs.
The closer the birth got, the more scared Brooklyn got. He was so worried if he was going to be a good parent, or if something would go wrong. Did he have the patience to be a good father? He still aimed to find the love of his life that would make a good mother for the twins. She would have to accept the twins as they were if she would love him.
He also worried about Demona coming after the kids. One of them was hers too, after all, but he would make sure that she didn't get her hands on either one. Living her life was no way to live at all. His kids would be raised into thinking of how to protect humans one day, no matter how they were treated. Goliath would also see to it that way.
Brooklyn was beyond glad that even though he didn't have a mate yet, he had his clan there to help him raise his twins. In a way, he was lucky he was having twins because they would need a playmate their own age to play with as they came of age. And more baby gargoyles were likely years away from being born.
Even though it had been unorthodox from the very beginning, Dr. Sevarius had actually created a miracle way of having more gargoyle kids, if any of them had cared to use it that way. Gargoyle numbers would never increase the usual way. It took too long of the usual gargoyle breeding way. But likely, the males wouldn't volunteer right away either. Of course, this had been forced on Brooklyn too.
….
Brooklyn mainly sat up in his bed when he was awake. His clan was finding it harder to keep him entertained. His mood swings and cravings began to get ridiculous sometimes. His body was just aching all over. He was also moody about that too.
Dr. Trowsky said that the best position for him to lie in was on his left side when he tried to sleep. Brooklyn wasn't used to sleeping so much, but he didn't have much choice. Being in bed so much while dealing with two squirming babies in his stomach took it out of him. Most of his energy was being used up for them. Right now, he needed as much rest as he could get.
Despite how the pregnancy and bed rest was taking its toll on Brooklyn, he and the clan needed to relish these last days of what was considered normal, because when the twins came into the world, all their lives would be changed forever. They all needed to start acting like the babies were already here, but only looking after Brooklyn for the time being.
Brooklyn was glad to have his own TV for viewing to entertain him when his clan didn't feel like being around him. He was also using his ear phone more too. Everyone in the castle had one on as well in case he needed something. It sure beat having to use to a bell.
The due date couldn't come soon enough.
…..
Brooklyn had made it two more weeks in bed, making it to his 37th week. At least by human standards, Dr. Trowsky deemed the twins capable of living outside his body now.
On his next exam, it was in his own room. Brooklyn lodged his complaint.
"Oh! Doctor, I can't take much more of this! The babies are killing me! My body hurts so much and I just want to get out of bed more. I want to be active again. Please, get them out of me!" he begged desperately. "They kick up into my ribs to where I can't breathe. They put pressure on my bladder and they press on my internal organs. It hurts me. Please!"
Dr. Trowsky could see the sad, pleading look in Brooklyn's eyes.
"Brooklyn, I get what you're saying, but they should stay in there at least another week." the doc advised.
"Why? Are their lungs developed enough? The books say that babies' lungs are developed enough by the ninth month. Please, I'm ready." Brooklyn explained.
"I agree with you. I have some other business tonight, and the next two nights. Can you try to make it at least three more days at least?" Dr. Trowsky asked of him.
"Oh!" Brooklyn winced at a big kick in the belly. "I suppose. I just want this over." he said.
"I know. You're tough. Be strong. Just a few more days, son. But I do want you to start wearing heart monitors for the babies. We need to know if they get stressed or anything." the man advised.
"What are those?" Brooklyn asked.
"I'll show you."
The doc reached into his doctor bag and brought out two long tan belts and some pads. "These will go onto your stomach where the babies hearts are located at the best spots. They'll keep tabs on their heartbeats. They don't hurt, I assure you." he explained.
"Alright." the red gargoyle declared.
The heartbeats were located and the belts were attached around Brooklyn's middle. He couldn't help but glare at them. A machine in the room beeped, letting them know that the babies were fine. But if it were to drop or change, Brooklyn was to let them know.
But then, maybe it was better that one of the doctors stayed here, just in case of an emergency. Dr. Trowsky still had other patients to see. Dr. Paula was called in to stay over the next few days. She said she would be happy to do so.
The doc explained to Goliath on the way out that none of them should leave the next few days in case something went wrong. All of them needed to be there for Brooklyn while he waited the three days for the c-section.
The clan was getting antsy themselves about the surgery coming up. They hoped the second-in-command would make it through the surgery.
Brooklyn was also pleased that Paula would be here with him.
Getting close to the birth.