Hey. I know. I suck. I'm so slow. But you know how it is with all the homework. Plus, now I've got laryngitis, which seriously sucks. A lot.

This is the first chapter I've written in which I've introduced the POV of a character that isn't Max/Fang. I hope you like it. It's pretty good, so you should ;)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Dr. Martinez

I hung the phone up on the receiver, still shocked by all of Max's symptoms. Individually, I would have turned the other cheek. Fainting could simply be explained as low blood sugar. Sudden mood swings, PMS. Vomiting, influenza. But all together they formed a suspicious formula with a questionable solution. I turned to Ella, who was sitting at the island, peeling a banana.

"Ella," I said sharply. "Pack a few changes of clothes. We're going to Colorado."

Ella looked up from her banana. "What for?" she asked, her mouth half full.

"Max needs a quick...check-up," I explained quickly, rushing up the stairs to pack my own clothes. Ella was a few steps behind me. I stuffed some clothes and toiletries into my bag, checked Ella's bag, and tossed them in the car.

"Can I drive?" Ella asked as I closed the trunk.

"Absolutely not, Ella," I said. "Maybe next time. I just don't have time for this right now."

"Why? What's wrong?" Ella asked suspiciously. Ella was training to be an animal doctor as well. This was as good a time as ever to see how much she knew.

"Max is experiencing fainting and dizziness, hyper-active urination, and nausea. What does that sound like, in your opinion?"

"Uh, I dunno," Ella said slowly. This meant she had an idea but was certain it was wrong.

"It doesn't matter what you answer. There is no wrong answer to the question," I prompted as we hopped in the car and I stuck my key in the ignition.

"Well, uh, she sounds like she's...pregnant to me. I don't know," Ella deduced nervously. I closed my eyes. That's what I was worried about.

"That's what it sounds like to me, too," I said. Ella shook her head, watching the road.

"It doesn't make sense, though," she said. "I mean, how could Max be pregnant?"

"Ella, most people can be pregnant," I stated.

"Yeah, but Max is smarter than that. She wouldn't just sleep around like that," Ella reasoned.

"Who's to say that she was sleeping around?" I asked reasonably.

"I...I don't know. I just can't see her being pregnant."

I pulled into my clinic's parking lot. "Just stay here for a second, okay?" I told Ella as I hopped out of the car. Ella nodded.

I ran through the lobby up to my office. I didn't know why I was in such a hurry to get to Max. Maybe I just wanted to get there before dark. I grabbed a few simple things from my office and put them in my travel-bag. I couldn't bring anything useful with me. It was too big and wasn't meant to leave the clinic. I hurried back out to the car and drove over to the drug store down the street.

"What are we here for?" Ella asked me.

"Just a few portable tests. Just in case."

I was in and out with those in a flash, though I did receive a few strange looks from the staff. I started the car up again and jumped on the freeway for Colorado.