Second draft

chapter 4

Hearing Stiles throwing up the following morning, only served to reaffirm what had kept the sheriff up most of last night. When she hadn't thought anyone was looking, the sheriff caught Malia fusing over Stiles.

"I need to talk to my son" he said coldly, as he walked into their room like he owned the house. Malia could smell the tension building in the room. Stiles had stunk of anxiety all night but it seemed to peek at his father's presence. 'Oh God' Malia thought 'what has Stiles done this time'. She elected it would be easier to just leave them to it. So she squeezed his hand and left for school. She threw her bag over her shoulder and made Stiles promise to socialize more at school today. Having no idea how long this would take or if his dad was gonna tell him to stay home, she decided to just take the bus instead of waiting for her boyfriend.

Tom had a million questions about his son's sexuality and what the hell was so wrong with a normal, healthy relationship with a damn human, that he didn't even have time to think about yet. Stiles sat down on the edge of the bed and braced himself for whatever was going to happen next. His Dad sat down next him, gingerly.

"You know" he began after a few tense seconds, neither one of them making eye contact "your mother never threw up, or even felt sick. I'd always thought it was a standard...reaction. Just something that every wo-one done. You get up, be sick and that it. Get on life, till the next morning. But nope. Apparently not"

Shocked that his dad was actually talking to him about this like it wasn't the most fucked up thing that had ever happened them, Stiles forced a smile. "It's kinda constant". Which wasn't a lie, it was. It wasn't that he was constantly throwing up, on the contrary, some days he didn't. But he constantly felt nauseas and almost lived in the boys bathrooms, having memorised which ones actually had stalls because fuck trying to throw up in a urinal. He had even pretended he didn't know the answers to stupidly easy question purely because he felt if he was to open his mouth, more than words would come out. Gym was literally the worst.

His dad nodded with no readable expression on his face, looking at Stiles. Who couldn't help but wonder why his dad had thought that bringing up his dead mother was a step in the right direction.

Tom broke the awkward connection and looked straight ahead to the computer desk opposite the double bed they were sitting on. The laptop sat open on paused anime while school books and crumbled papers were scattered around. A giant Star Wars poster was hung above with a few local punk bands flyers and old tickets were pasted around it.

"I did some research." his dad finally said "obviously, a surgical abortion is out of the question but they do these...tablets. The information was a bit confusing but I think they're some sort of medical equivalent."

Stiles was nodding intently

"Yeah, I know, daddy"

Thomaz was silently relieved that his son had finally started to take responsibility for his actions and was trying to do something about it; the fact that he was hopefully more clued up on the matter also helped. He watched his son ready himself as they both knew whose turn it was to talk.

"Look. It's two sets of pills. The first ones are taken orally. Now they are the actual abortion pill and they, supposedly, stops this hormone which is super important and makes the uterus break down or something" He meant the lining of the uterus

Tom nodded listening very carefully, making a mental note to double cheek this with the internet or possibly Melissa, if he could do it without causing her any suspicion.

"But here's the problem" Stiles had stopped speaking like he was reciting Latin and looked at his dad dead in the eyes.

"What?" the sheriff squinted

"Well, the second set of pills are- I think they're called misi-mis-misoprotol or prostol? Anyway, the internet said they cause like the womb to contract" he was reciting again "and then you cramp up and bleed a lot. You basically have a miscarriage" The sheriff looked at his son with a blank expression.

"And?"

"Well, yeah. The thing is they are inserted...vaginally. Like you don't swallow them you put them…like annally but-"

"YES, thank you Stiles. I know what you mean" he snapped. All Stiles could do was force a weak smile that neither of them was buying then say.

"What's gonna happen, Dad?"

There was no way the sheriff could be mad anymore. He should though, he should be absolutely furious but maybe he was just tired of being angry at Stiles. Or maybe it was how he had sounded in that last question. So small, so scared. He was just a kid really, he acted the part of an adult well, especially since his mother had passed, but he was still just a kid. And Derek better start praying to whatever Gods his kind believed in. But that can come later because right now, his son was in trouble and scared and needed his help. He could murder Derek when this was all over with.

"Well" Thomaz began not knowing what he was going to say until he actually said it "We don't exactly know what is even going on here. To be honest. With your body I mean. So, the best thing to do would probably be to find out."

Stiles knew his father was just 'winging' it and trying act like he had it all under control for his sake. So he nodded and hung on every word he said.

"You should get a physical examination. By someone who knows about this sort of stuff, there must be someone. I'll drop in and see Deaton today, see what he says."

The sheriff pulled his son into a long, tight hug, then playfully slapped his back and told him to get to school before he's late.

Once Stiles arrived at school, he decided to go look for his friends and at least attempt a normal day, maybe even talk to Scott; he did miss him, after all. He'd thought he was going to be late but thanks to a short detour he actually managed to be a few minutes early. He checked all the usual places where they would hang out before school; the big Oak tree, the picnic benches, Lydia's locker but to no avail. He was just about to give up but decided to try one last time and call Kira, at least they could walk to History together. He took his phone out and it started ringing, as if someone was watching him. He looked down and saw Derek's name and picture, hoping he hadn't started sneaking round the school, creeping him out again. But all jokes aside, Stiles hadn't actually spoken to him since he had told him that he could get him pregnant; which he had, not that he knew. Dose he answer it? What would he say? Does he tell him? These and a thousand other question like them where running through his mind when a familiar voice made him jump.

"You gonna answer that?" Kira asked, leaning over his shoulder, trying to see who it was. She made them both jump and scream in turn. She apologised through giggles, as she picked her books back up and hugged them to her chest. Stiles let his rucksack hang, half way down his arms and looked back at his phone but Derek had already hung up. He watched the screen fade back to a picture of him and Malia and let it slowly lock itself. Kira followed his gaze.

"Blimey Stites" she made him look back up at her "You're not arguing with Derek as well, are ya?"

"No" he snapped defensively, pulling his rucksack back up.

"What is going on, Stiñes? And I swear to God if you tell me to fuck off." Kira never failed to make Stiles laugh. He smiled weakly at her then decided to let her in a small part of his secret. Stiles liked how Kira still knew almost nothing about him, it meant that he could tell her almost anything and she wouldn't be able to judge him too much because maybe that's just who he is. Who knows? She certainly doesn't.

"I slept with Derek" he confessed.

Her eyes widened at the news and she grabbed his arm, leaning in close to him.

"What? Like sex? Like S-E-X, SEX? She kept her voice low but he hushed her all the same.

"When?" She demanded and he told her about his night with Derek. Obviously keeping as many details to himself as possible and made her promise not to tell anyone, and that included Scott. She agreed of course. They finally made it to class, not really caring that they were almost five minutes late. It didn't really matter to them as they weren't likely to get called out for it, Kira's father was the teacher, but either way Stile's didn't care because he was starting to feel like him again; he didn't even feel sick for once.

Stiles texted Derek when he sat down, apologising for missing his call.

Scott smiled at him and gestured towards an empty space on his left. They both acted like nothing happened yesterday but no doubt they would be talking about it later.

He almost instantly got a reassuring reply from Derek with a Snapchat worthy selfie of him pretending to be hurt, as was his habit. Stiles stifled a laugh and smirked at his phone, which quickly resulted in his phone being confiscated. But Kira would just get it back for him later, plus he'd missed being silly with Derek.

Stiles found himself being pulled out of English by his dad under the cover of a 'hospital appointment'. The school brought this quite easily considering his 'health scare' last year when everyone thought he had developed dementia; the school has been lenient with his attendance since.

A few hours later, they were sitting in thick traffic, his dad cursing everyone he could find, using every unsavoury word under the sun and a few he'd made up. The sheriff bashed his head on his head rest and groaned at the traffic lights.

"I suppose this is a bad time to tell you that I need to be back for a detention today?" Stiles tested, still not sure what he could get away with his father since he'd told him about the unplanned child.

"What?" the sheriff almost growled. He turned his attention back to the road, honking his horn and cursing in Polish this time. "What did you do this time?"

"Hey, I'm bloated and threw up twice this morning, I'm not running unless something's chasing me" Stiles' voice had been an octave higher than usual as he defended his actions. He all but held his breath, not sure if he had taken things a bit too far too fast. But Stiles could breathe easy as the sheriff's reaction was not what he had expected. Tom had laughed.

"Well, I guess that's fair enough" Said before speeding through the barely amber traffic lights.

"Err, where are we going anyway?" Stiles mused

"I already told you"

"No, you didn't"

"Yes, I did"

"Dad. Honestly you didn't-"

"WHAT-ever" he sighed, not believing his son for a second. I did fucking tell you. "I spoke to Deaton earlier. He put me in contact with this woman. She was a midwife but now runs a clinic, of sorts, out of her house for this sorta' thing. Well, for non-humans 'in trouble'. But she's the best we've got. This is kind of her thing" He gestured to Stiles stomach as he drove.

"Right..." Stiles spoke quietly as he let his hands find his stomach or whatever the lower portion of it was called. His dad half watched his son frowning and pressing down on his stomach as if that would solve anything. The sheriff put the radio on, trying to distract them both. The whole scene only seemed to reaffirm the notion in Tom's mind that he needed to do something about this; sooner rather than later.

It took them a good three hours to get the woman's house. They had to drive right across state to get there. The time of year evident by how dark it had already gotten. Tom parked in front of someone's drive way, blocking them in. They both walked against the wind to her door, Stiles pulled his jacket round tighter, shivering. He really hoped they wouldn't have to keep doing these trips across state, long car journeys made him feel sick at the best of times. His dad shot him a concerned glance but Stiles brushed him off.

"Are you sure? I don't want you throwing up on the poor woman or ruining her carpet."

It turned out that his dad was more worried about Stiles' embarrassing him, rather than his wellbeing, thought Stiles with bitter.

The woman who answered was definitely not who they came to see; she wasn't even really a woman, in fact she was more of a girl. Thomaz explained who they were and she let out a high pitched screech for her mum to come to the door before replacing her skull candy's and jumping up the stairs. Stiles couldn't help but watch her cute little bum as she had bounced upstairs. She wore a pair of black yoga pants that were probably crafted by the Gods themselves, specifically for her.

Her mother soon appeared, snapping Stiles' attention back to them. She may have looked like her daughter once but those days where long gone. She was slightly chubby and mumsy looking, her blonde hair in a fine bob contrasted to her daughter's thick, messy bun that had sat on top of her head. Thomaz repeated himself and she ushered them through the house.

She led them down a large hallway and through a grand dining room; obviously accustomed to entertaining big groups of people who knew what good food was and how to eat it. The grandeur of the place made Stiles feel uncomfortable and out of place. He felt like he was going to break something that was more expensive than college fees. The woman apologised for her daughter's attitude and her yelling and the sheriff made a joke about how he knew fair well how annoying children could be.

"Trust me, Miss. If people took someone's child as a truthful reflection of their parents, I would have been out of the job long ago" he chuckled.

Miss? Laughing? Is he flirting with her? Surely not...

The woman led them both into the most homely looking doctor's office either of them had ever seen. It had a thick carpet and large violet coloured drapes that trailed on the ground. Stiles walked in and looked around, not attempting to hid his curiosity. The walls were painted 'Rose Dust' and there was a wooden desk kept neat with all kinds of quirky pierces of stationary. To the back of the room there was a large screen, patterned with cherry blossom. Stiles could half see a bunch of shiny machines, whose functions escaped him; they were seated around a plush hospital bed.

She gestured for them to sit down on the opposite side to her desk.

"I would offer you a drink but I take it you just want answers?" she began, referencing to Stiles trying to hide himself yawning.

"If you could, that would be beyond great" The sheriff felt suddenly very eager for her to open his eyes.

"Okay" she nodded. "Just bear with me a second" she walked over to a book shelf and pulled out a thin file and then she laid it out before her and picked up a pen.

"Right. Stiles?" she checked and he nodded. She wrote.

"Now, what I have been told is that you are a human boy who found that he has become pregnant after sleeping with a werewolf in your pack. Is this correct?"

"Yeah…" Stiles fiddled nervously with his scarf, dreading the verdict. What if she can't abort his baby?

"Okay. How old are you?"

"17"

"And the Beta you had relations with?"

"...19, I think...no! ."

"20?" she seemed to be particularly interested in Derek's age.

"Is that important?" his dad asked, leaning in. She put her pen down and spoke.

"If he is, then yes. You see, werewolves' lives spans are notoriously shorter than humans', so they come to the age of reproducing quite young. It helps prolong their pack's survival. Therefore it would make sense for someone in your pack to be carrying his child, only you're not a girl of any description, right?"

"No!" Stiles answered embarrassingly fast, as if being pregnant wasn't emasculating enough without people querying his gender. She was silent for a moment, thinking possibilities over before squinting at Stiles and his father in turn.

"There is a phenomenon in humans. But it's only a theory."

"What?" Stiles almost whispered and their eyes locked as if his father wasn't there.

"The theory is that within some humans there is a rogue gene within the DNA spectrum that allows for mutations in order to prolong an individual's life and improve your health"

"Okay, just pretending that makes any logical sense, what has it got to do with my son being pregnant?" his father made himself known again.

"Well, if this Beta was entering into this period of heat as his instincts kick in for survival, your son may have developed the necessary equipment to provide for the pack. Being a human in a wolf pack is very unusual and therefore, Stiles here may have unintentionally asserted himself as... a florence nightingale figure. Therefore it makes sense that he would be the one to father to the packs children. Their future offspring"

The sheriff sat back in his chair, very skeptical about the whole situation. He wouldn't have believed a word she was saying if it wasn't for the fact that he knew his son was pregnant.

"With all due respect, doc, that sounds like bullshit too me"

"Well officer, I can only tell what I know. Whether you chose to believe it or not is up to you." she looked back at Stiles, somewhat intensely.

"I think you should know that within he werewolf community, children (or cubs) are considered a holly gift and they take priority over everything, whatever the circumstances may be. If you intend to do away with the child then I would advise you not to tell your mate. I assume you haven't or else he'd be here with you".

She looked at him for confirmation and he nodded slowly. Very slowly. It had all become a bit sudden. Sure he knew he was pregnant with Derek's werewolf child. However now he was expected to make a decision, and this decision would alter his entire life one way or another and it will also have a tremendous effect on his relationship with Derek. Both the doctor and Thomaz were looking at him for an answer to the unspoken question.

Obviously his father was expecting him to say that he did want to 'do away' with his baby and that would be that. She would perform a physical examination on him and find a way about doing so. But then there was Derek, could he do this to him? Murder his child without even telling him? As much as he had always hated Peter, upon learning how Malia's life had been kept from him until only a few months ago, he decided that he could never do something like that. Unbeknownst to him then that he would be making that very decision.

"Stiles?" his father prompted him with raised eyebrows

"Do you want to keep it?" she clarified, in case he hadn't know what they were talking about. But all Stiles could think was his baby is not an "it". He had almost said it, which would have been a mistake. But it was the truth. It was-is his baby, his child, his little girl or boy; cub or not.

Stiles moved his hands, hovering them over his stomach. It still felt weird, holding his child through his skin. He could feel his father's glare at him with a red hot intensity. Stiles opened his mouth then closed it again, biting down on his tongue before finally letting his arms fall to his sides.

"I think it's a girl" he finally said, shocking both the nurse and his father.

"How can you tell?" she humoured him.

"I don't know" his laughed nervously, waiting for his dad to interrupt them "it's just a feeling". When the sheriff didn't say anything for a long while, Stiles decided to declare

"Sorry dad, but I don't think I can get rid of her"