While he waited for Friday, Brooklyn was extremely anxious. David still gave him the hormones every night. It definitely helped keep more nausea at bay. He didn't have too many issues with it really.
He reluctantly still went on patrol duty as he was instructed to do. He was doing the best he could without letting on about his condition right now.
On Wednesday, Brook was patrolling reluctantly with Broadway. The aqua male wanted some pretzels and they got some. When the red male ate his first one that night, he said, "Hmm! This is so good. Do you think we could get more?"
Broadway looked at his brother quizzically. "That's unusual for you to be asking for more than one."
"I just feel like I want to have some more." Brooklyn replied.
"Alright. I can get us some more if you want some that bad." Broadway stated. He went down to the stand and got out a good dozen of them out of the cart.
Brooklyn gladly took up to six of them from his bro when he got them back up to the rooftop. He began scarfing like he was starved to death. Broadway watched him in surprise to see his red brother eating like he was starving. Brook never ate like that.
"Are you sure you want to eat that many, Brooklyn? I can take back two of them." Broadway offered, thinking it would be too much for him.
Brooklyn growled; eyes glowing. "Okay, okay. I won't." Broadway stepped back. Then he went on eating his own. The red male was having a craving and he was inclined to fulfill that need.
When they were done having their snacks, it was time to set off again. Broadway then asked him, "What was with you back there?"
"You were going to take my food and I wasn't having that." Brook replied grumpily.
"It's just you normally don't eat that many pretzels when we have them. You eat more like only two or three."
"I just felt a little more hungry tonight." Brook declared.
"Okay. If you say so." Broadway said. Then there was an explosion heard a few streets away. They both went to investigate what was going on.
There was a store that had gotten broken into and the alarm was blaring away. "Let's go see who's shopping after hours." Brooklyn declared. He would make sure to be careful.
The two of them went into the store and there were up to six men looting the place, wearing masks. Some were grabbing food and drinks. Another was raiding the cash register.
"Well, well, what do we have here? We have some crooks who are in for a major butt kickin'." Broadway shouted out.
It made the robbers stop what they were doing. "And we have some nosy monsters sticking their noses where they don't belong!" One of the men exclaimed. "Get them!"
Three men moved in on Broadway while there were two that moved in on Brooklyn.
Both of them made short work of the robbers. But the one that had grabbed some money from the register ran out the door. Brooklyn saw him and took off after him. He was faster than his brother. It didn't take him long to catch up with the man and he knocked him over.
"You shouldn't take things that don't belong to you, pal." Brooklyn declared to him.
"Stay out of my business, Monster! Or I'll see that you're dead meat!" The man growled as he got up. He took out a knife.
For a moment, Brooklyn seemed a little too close and the man nearly took a swipe at his stomach and he jumped back just in time. But then he turned and swept the man's feet out from under him again and he fell back this time. Tripping him this time knocked him out. That was a close call. He carried the robber back to the store and left him with the others.
Sirens were heard coming and Brook knew he had to get to higher ground. He did so with Broadway. Then they left the crime scene when the cops pulled in.
"That was so awesome taking those guys down." Brooklyn laughed.
"It always is." Broadway added.
Shortly after that, a wave of dizziness overcame Brooklyn and he groaned. "Oh!" His vision blurred on him, and it suddenly made him lose consciousness. He started to fall.
"Brooklyn!" Broadway cried out and he dived down to catch his brother's arms and he flapped his wings to take him to a nearby rooftop. He laid him gently on the ground. "Brooklyn, you alright?" he asked in concern.
Brook moaned. "Oh, what happened? How did we get here?" he asked.
"You suddenly lost consciousness and fell. Lucky I was with you." Broadway stated.
"I don't know. I felt dizzy all too suddenly." Brooklyn replied. Then he remembered reading about dizziness in the book. Likely the pregnancy might have caused it. Now he knew he shouldn't be out here patrolling. Though he was still early, the side effects were going to get worse before they got better.
Brooklyn got to his feet slowly. "Thanks for saving me." He said gratefully.
"No problem. You think you can glide home on your own?" Broadway asked.
"Yeah, just give me a few minutes to make sure the spell has passed." Brook replied. He stood up and walked around the rooftop to make sure his head wasn't spinning or anything. When he felt he was ready, he said, "Let's go home."
Broadway was concerned. His brother never did that without a good reason. But he would let it slide for now. They both took to the air again and went home so that Brooklyn wouldn't likely have another of those spells.
When they got home, Brooklyn was glad to be home and he went to see David. He still had yet to take the hormones for the night.
"You really shouldn't be patrolling right now, Brooklyn." David said.
"I got dizzy after fighting some men earlier."
"That's bad. Likely it was due to the exertion you did. You see, things like that can happen for someone in your condition. The fighting isn't good for your pregnancy." David explained.
"I get it. Tomorrow they will all know when Elisa comes over."
"Alright. But you shouldn't patrol anymore." David urged.
"I'll see what I can do." Brook said. Then he left the office to go to his room to read some more before it would be time for breakfast. Broadway was cooking it now.
Goliath and Lexington had returned not long ago. So had Angela and Hudson and Bronx.
When Brooklyn got to his room and looked for his book to read, he found it was gone, not in its usual spot. He began looking all over the room for it, thinking he had misplaced it. But it was nowhere to be found in there. That made him panic. Had someone come in to take it?
It made him go flying out of the room and running for the library to see if he could find it there. If his leader was back, likely it would be in there. He found Goliath waiting for him in there.
"Goliath, I lost a book I was reading. You wouldn't happen to have seen it would you?" Brook asked tentatively.
"Brooklyn, I found this book in your room when I was looking through there earlier. What's this about? You reading about pregnancy?" Goliath asked. "Is there someone who is pregnant?"
"Uh, no. I just wanted a new thing of something to read about. Please, can I have it back?" Brook asked warily. "I found it in here the other night and was curious about it."
"I never would have thought you would want to read something like this unless there's a good reason." Goliath said.
Brooklyn gulped. The way his leader was looking at him was like judging him, like he knew something. He almost felt the urge to tell him but no. "I have something to tell everyone tomorrow night. Elisa says she'll be here too, and I want to tell everyone at the same time tomorrow night, Goliath." Brook explained.
"Very well. You may have your book back, Brooklyn." Goliath stated as he handed it back to him.
"Thank you." Brooklyn replied and took it and went back to his room until breakfast was ready. Brook ate some crackers before he went to eat with the clan. He was going to keep the pregnancy secret for only one more night, this one. Tomorrow, he would need to be strong for telling his secret.
Some of the food smells from the food were making Brooklyn a little not so hungry anymore but he was trying to show that there was nothing wrong with him. He saw that Goliath was eyeing him and so was Broadway. The others all ate their food without noticing.
Brooklyn had grabbed many foods and was mixing some in a strange way. He was also going for the pickles something strong. He normally never ate those so much. This was really tipping the ones watching that something was off about the Second in Command.
The red male wasn't eating so much meat right now. Just the looks of some of the redness in the hamburgers on the plate made him want to barf. When he saw Lex eat down to the bone on a chicken thigh, seeing the blood in there suddenly made him feel sick.
"Omph!" Brooklyn felt his food come up as he held his mouth as he pushed himself out of the chair and go running to a bathroom as fast as he could.
"What was that all about?" Angela asked.
"I don't know but I think something's up with Brooklyn that he's not telling us." Broadway said. "He got dizzy while gliding after facing some robbers earlier."
"Something is off about the lad. He has been acting off lately." Hudson declared.
"He said that there is something he has to tell us tomorrow night." Goliath said. "And how could he know that Elisa is coming over? Very odd."
"We should go check on him." Lex stated.
The clan left the dining room and went in search of the red male, hoping he was alright.
Brooklyn had thrown up a good portion of his meal. He was trying hard to stop but evidently, the babies were wanting to make him push everything out of his guts. He blamed it on the sight of the blood in the chicken. It made him feel sick to his stomach.
"Maybe I shouldn't eat with the clan for some time." Brooklyn mumbled. "I just can't stand the sight of meat right now, or blood in the meat."
Then there was a knock at the door. "Oh, who is it?" He managed to say weakly.
"It's us, Brooklyn. Are you alright?" Angela's voice came.
Brook was about to answer when he had to throw up again. When would this stop?
On the other side of the door, the clan could hear vomiting taking place. Brooklyn must have had a bug they didn't know about.
"I knew something was going on tonight." Broadway declared.
"He must just have a one-night bug." Lex suggested. "We all get them here and there."
"I think this has been going on for more than one night, Lexington." Goliath proclaimed. "There is something going on that we don't know."
When the vomiting stopped, there was a flush finally. It took a few minutes for the red gargoyle to come out of the bathroom. He was holding his stomach. He looked rather pale.
"What's wrong, Brooklyn?" Lex asked.
"I… I don't feel good guys. I need to lay down." Brooklyn replied.
"Eat something that didn't agree with ya?" Hudson asked.
"No. It was just the sight of the blood in the chicken. I'm sorry, I just can't be around meat right now." Brooklyn insisted. "I'm going to go rest."
"You do that, Brooklyn. We will need you out there with us on patrol tomorrow after you tell us what you want to tell us." Goliath declared. "Hopefully, your illness will be gone by tomorrow night."
"Not really." Brook muttered on his way to his room. He just had to watch what he ate for some time, and what foods he could stand being around.
Tomorrow was the big night. They would need to know about his condition.
…
The next night couldn't come soon enough. Elisa was there first thing that evening like she said she would be.
Goliath and she gave each other a hug upon his awakening and then it was time to go find Brooklyn. He was in his room still.
There was a knock and all the clan filed into his room when he said they could come in. He was on his feet for the sun greeting that morning anyway. He was now sitting on the bed. Brooklyn gave Elisa a scared look in his eyes. She knew this was her cue to go and sit next to him.
"It's alright, Brooklyn. You can do this. Just take some deep breaths." Elisa coaxed him.
Brook took some deep breaths. It helped him to calm down more.
The clan all wondered what it was that had the red male so worried. "How are you feeling tonight, Brooklyn?" Goliath asked him.
"A little better. But, Goliath, this condition isn't going to go away for a long time yet." Brooklyn glanced up at the lavender leader.
"What condition?" Goliath asked in alarm.
Elisa kept her hand on his arm. She even put her hand into his for him to squeeze it for comfort.
Brooklyn flattened his ears in worry. He looked at the others warily. He also put a hand on his belly. "Guys, oh, you know how I had experiments done on me while in the lab." He began.
"Yes. What did they do to ya, lad?" Hudson asked.
"I told Elisa a few days ago when I found out about it. I needed her here with me to help tell you what it is. I know it won't be easy to hear." Brook said.
"What is it?" Lex asked.
"That sickness you witnessed last night was part of this condition. At the lab, they did something to me that I can't explain how it happened exactly, but they operated on me. I uh… I'm pregnant." Brooklyn finally admitted.
The clan had been telling themselves that they wanted their Second to just blurt it out already but didn't expect to hear that. He was a male. That just didn't happen to males.
"How could they have done that?" Angela asked.
"I don't know." Brook replied.
"Are you sure they didn't just put something inside you?" Broadway asked.
"Very funny. No. I've had an ultrasound. Here, see for yourselves." Brooklyn stated as he took the sonogram out of his belt. "Hold it up to the light. You'll see them."
Lex took the picture and held it up to the light. Indeed, he saw two little blobs in there. "There's two in there." He pointed out.
"Two?" The others looked down at Brooklyn.
Brook nodded. "I have two embryos inside me." He held a hand over his belly. "Dr. Sato examined me. You all were out on patrol that night. I have been taking hormones to maintain what's going on."
"This so can't be possible." Hudson declared in worry.
"I'm sorry, but it is, Hudson. Everyone." David said from the hallway, stepping into the room. "I was there when he had the exam."
"So, he's really… really… pregnant…?" Broadway could barely say the words.
"Yes, he is, Broadway." David answered.
"How could you know and not tell him or us?" Goliath demanded angrily.
"I wasn't there when they impregnated him, Goliath. I was only trying to fool the other Illuminati to care for Brooklyn to get him out of that lab. I had to help him out for a few days. He has to take hormones to maintain this pregnancy, yes, as it's not normal." David explained.
"But did Dr. Sato say anything of the results, if this could be a risk to his health?" Lex asked.
"Yes, he did, but Brooklyn wanted more time to think about this. He was worried about telling you guys about this. So, what are you thinking of doing, Brooklyn?" David asked.
"I know there will be some temporary sacrifices I have to make while I'm pregnant, and yes, it is a high risk for what it is, but with how small our clan is, I think I want to keep this going." Brooklyn replied. "I want to bring these little miracles of life into our clan. What do you all say?"
The clan were all still shocked at what they were hearing, hoping it was a joke that a male of their kind was pregnant. They saw he had a hand on his belly, but he didn't look pregnant.
"How far along are you, Brooklyn?" Elisa asked.
"Almost seven weeks, I believe." Brook replied.
"That's still really early." Elisa said. "Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"
"Elisa, you said you supported me. Why are you asking me this now?"
"Because she is worried for your health." Goliath stepped in. "This poses some serious risks, Brooklyn."
"I know, and I'll be careful. That's why I have to be taken off patrol and fighting, Goliath. I have to stay away from stress. This is a very risky thing for me, but I'm willing to do it to give our small clan some new members. And I know I'll have to have surgery to get them out when it's time."
The others were all silent for a few moments but then, Goliath said, "Brooklyn, we want to thank you for telling us of your condition. And we all need to consider this more too. For now, we will leave you alone."
Goliath was summoning the others out of the room to talk to them. He wanted to know more about this and talk to Xanatos of what he knew.
Brooklyn was still concerned if his clan was accepting of this. He hoped they were. It was easy to be concerned when this pregnancy had started out from being in a laboratory. He didn't have to accept this pregnancy. He had never asked for it, but the scientists had made it happen. However, they had made it happen; it was a miracle.
The clan and David all went to the library to talk more of what was going on. Elisa had come too. She had to know what was going on and what were the chances that Brooklyn would be alright to carry these babies.
In his room, Brooklyn rubbed his belly. "I hope the clan all comes to an understanding that I can keep you two going." He told his unborn twins.
After a while, he felt a little hungry and he was going to go to the kitchen to get some food that he knew he wouldn't get sick to. He had some crackers first. But then, he made a detour and headed toward the library. He could hear their voices talking.
From a distance, Brooklyn could hear. "This pregnancy is not right for him. It's too risky for his health."
"I really think an abortion is necessary for him."
"He shouldn't be carrying babies that were started by this experimentation."
There were so many words he was hearing that he wasn't liking. He had heard abortion and he gasped. That wasn't going to happen! 'No! I won't let this happen to you two." Brooklyn thought to himself.
"We need to call Dr. Sato to come and do the abortion." He heard a female voice say that.
"Or he stops taking the hormones and the embryos will break down and get absorbed into his body again."
'NO!" Brooklyn screamed in his mind. It was obvious his clan wasn't accepting of this pregnancy. Tears welled up in his eyes. His ears flattened. It was obvious his clan didn't want him to have these babies. Sure, it was a risk, but he wasn't about to give up on them.
Brooklyn instantly began packing. He packed his book, crackers, vitamins, and now he had to get one more thing. He went to David's office and looked through his drawers and such.
"Are you looking for something, Brooklyn?" Owen asked.
"Stay away from me! Do you know where the hormones are right now? I need them. All of them." Brooklyn gave the blonde man a glare.
"Yes, I do. What do you want them for?" Owen asked.
"The clan is going to make me get rid of my babies. I have to get out of here. Please, hurry. Get them for me." Brooklyn pleaded.
"I doubt your clan will make you get an abortion." Owen said.
"That's not what I heard. Now hurry up!" Brooklyn was on the verge of a panic attack.
"Very well." Owen said and left, only to return moments later with the bag.
"Thank you." Brooklyn said and he left in a hurry. He wasn't going to risk anything happening to his children. If his clan wasn't behind his decision, then he would leave. He didn't want to run away again, but this time, he had to do it.
Brooklyn headed toward the south and he would find a place to hide and eventually, hopefully, a place to stay while waiting out this pregnancy. But he would also need prenatal care too.
In the library, when the others were finished, they were going to respect Brooklyn's decision to keep his pregnancy going, but when they went to talk to him, they found he was nowhere in sight. He wasn't in his room or anywhere in the castle. He was gone.
He must have heard them talking and he got mixed up that they thought that they didn't want the babies. Elisa had helped to sort out the issue fast enough. Like with Thailog, it didn't matter how the babies were coming into being. Even this early, they were still living beings. The clan deserved new members.
But Brooklyn was now on his own out there. He had some secret places where he could stay, and he knew of some good places to get food out here too. He would just have to be ultra careful about where he stayed and slept. He wished he had more human allies.
Likely his clan would go to check on Dave and Bobbi, so he needed to stay away from them for a while. He would just have to make it on his own. He didn't want to do this but if his babies' lives were threatened, he didn't want to risk it.
