Chapter 5
The flock leans over the counter, studying Jeb's documents. Looking for an address, phone number, anything.
They were all tired from restless nights, stressed about what could be happening to the boys and Max, for the first time ever, didn't know how to help them.
"What if we never find them?" The small innocent voice of Angel interrupts the others concentration.
"Sweetie, we can't think like that. We will." Max puts her hands on her hips, assuring her comment she scoops up the file she was reading. "This has an address, I'm not sure to where, but we should start with that."
Keeping Jeb in my peripheral vision, I focus on the Whitecoats currently checking on Iggy. Harmless things like blood pressure and monitoring his heartbeat, but when one takes out a needle I attach my hip to Iggy's and glare at the scrawny Whitecoat. His sewer green eyes evaluate me, like his "medical knowledge" will decide if I'm about to snap his wrist.
"Fang, its fine." Jeb orders, using the tone he did when one of us lied or wouldn't clean up after ourselves.
My body reacts before my mind does, like if I didn't listen I would be sent to my room.
"What is it?" I ask to no one in particular, keeping my gaze focused on the needle's fluid going into the most important person in my world. Iggy's hand squeezes mine; I rub my thumb over it in a soothing manner.
Jeb answers
"Its just to avoid any chance of him getting sick, there are many diseases traveling through this place. No matter how hard we try to contain their hosts."
Fang knows that "contain" means kill. If an experiment got sick from anything, they would be taken away and never seen again.
When Iggy's needle is safely deposited the doctor brings out another, this time turning to Fang.
"Maaaaxxx" Nudge whines for the umpteenth time.
"No Nudge! We need to ration the food, who knows how long it will be until we find Fang and Iggy."
After the chorus of grumbles (and the grumbling of her stomach), Max sighs in defeat and descends. The flock following right behind her in perfect formation.
As soon as they all land, Max drops the backpack on the forest floor. Spreading the food out fairly, they each take their piece with grumbled thank you's.
Max looks and sees the sun close to setting; in winter hours that would mean its 4pm. She needs to find a warm place for them to sleep.
Max sighs; this would be easier with Fang. He was her right hand; or better wing, man.
She needs to get him back, not just from the School, but also from Iggy.
Jeb sat us down at the small table in our room, the other Whitecoats and guards left. Jeb insisted that we should be alone, making me both relieved and anxious.
"So, how have you been?" His eyes move over both of us.
"Really? That's what you say to us, after we all thought you were dead? Instead you're here, back in your white coat! You can't expect us to go back to normal, can you?" It came out as a plea, rather than the anger boiling inside of me.
"I understand, you must feel betrayed-"
I scoff.
"But I'm not going to hurt either of you. No one is, we're helping."
Before I can respond Iggy leans forward, his unseeing eyes glued to the tabletop.
"Helping us wouldn't be trapping us in a room, or whatever you did to me." His voice is surprisingly stoic, given the circumstances.
"Iggy, I know what this seems. It's for your own good, and remaining unaggressive about the situation will help greatly."
"That doesn't answer why were here and what you did to me."
Finally, I look Jeb in the eyes, waiting for the answer.
He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. He did that when he was feeling a headache coming on.
"I know you two wont like this, but don't do anything brash. Its only going to make it worse, You're lucky I convinced them to let you stay together. I told them since it will be less likely you will try to harm your selves if we comprim-"
"Get to the point!" I'm losing my patience, quickly.
"Iggy,' he breathes in 'you're pregnant, and it's the first child to be born with two males DNA." He looks to me, suddenly I feel sick.
The first signs that what Jeb said was true came just a week after he told us.
Almost every morning the rustling of sheets, and the door to the bathroom closing wakes me. I try my best to comfort Iggy, he's still not use to the fact that he has something growing inside him; our child.
The only thing we know is that he is pregnant; when the Whitecoats come in and give him an ultra sound, all our questions are ignored.
Jeb had said that the surgery was to implant a "womb", its man made and suppose to work as a natural one would. He also informed us that it had to be a successful mutant with super healing, as a males body isn't built to hold a child; ours can repair fast enough that the child wont be harmed.
That doesn't mean Iggy won't be; that basically insures that he will be going trough immense pain for the next 8 months or so.
As Iggy makes his way from the bathroom back to the bed, I gently grab him around the waist and spin him downward so that his stomach is lying on top of mine. I press my forehead to his; I can feel it crinkle the way it does when he smiles.
"You good?" I know Iggy doesn't like it when I throw a pity party, but I cant help the concern dripping at the end of the question.
"For now." Iggy whispers, pressing his lips against mine.
I know he's trying to squander any chance of me questioning why he said that, but I can't let it slide.
"What do you mean?"
He brings his eyes up to mine, it scares me how accurate he can get sometimes.
"I know it's going to get worse, and its pretty uncomfortable now. But really I'm fine… it's just,"
"Just what?"
"We're only 14, Fang, we aren't ready for this. The flock isn't, that is if the flock finds us." He drops his head to my chest, I lean mine into his shoulder.
"They will, we'll be ready. You just worry about you and the baby, I'll figure everything else out." I whisper, rubbing his back.
"If they don't, the Whitecoats will take the baby away and we'll never see it again."
Iggy starts sobbing, he is worrying about the baby.
"Shhhh, I wouldn't let that happen."
Iggy nods, seeming satisfied with that for now.
He and I both know that promise might not be kept; I just hope Max makes it in time.