Contains some sensitive information.
Brooklyn turned to stone in the bed. He hoped his twins were okay. He was too tired to notice if they woke up or not before.
Quincy had to leave, and he would be back that night to see Brooklyn and how he was doing. He was going to do another ultrasound on the fetus with the weak heart.
Pauline was beside Brooklyn. "I wish you had told me you were pregnant, Brooklyn. I might have taken some convincing since you're a male gargoyle, but if I had known, I wouldn't have made you lift hay bales." She said to his stone form. "For now, just get the rest you need. I'm going to call your friend, Elisa."
She left him to sleep peacefully while she went out to the living room and dialed Collect to make contact with Elisa.
…..
Elisa had gotten home not too long ago and was preparing to go to bed. She fed Cagney her cat and was crawling into bed when her phone rang.
"Hello." Elisa picked up.
"Hello? Is this Elisa Maza?" A feminine voice asked.
"Yes."
"You don't know me. My name is Pauline, but I have your friend Brooklyn staying with me."
Those words snapped Elisa upright. "What do you mean you have Brooklyn with you?!" She exclaimed.
"Brooklyn came to me a few days ago exhausted, and he's been resting at my house. He says he escaped from some scientists in Tampa, Florida and has been making his way up the coastline since his escape. He ruptured his appendix last night and had surgery to get it out. He's asleep in stone right now." Pauline explained.
Elisa was shocked at what she was hearing but was glad to hear that Brooklyn was on his way home. "Where are you at?" She asked.
"I'm down near Virginia Beach, Virginia." Pauline replied. She went on to give her the full address. "It would be better if you guys came to get Brooklyn rather than let him finish the trip home by exhausting himself again by flying home."
"True. Can you have him call me tonight when he wakes up? I want to talk to him for real." Elisa declared.
"Of course. I promise." Pauline replied. Elisa gave her the phone number too.
They hung up after saying goodbye. It was time for Brooklyn to talk to Elisa.
…
That night, Brooklyn awoke again, and he felt much more relieved. He was pain free after waking and there were no more stitches.
Dr. Quincy was there to examine his belly and he saw the healed injury. He was amazed. He also brought along a portable ultrasound, and he checked on the weaker baby. It was still alive. "I really hope that hole in the heart closes like the other one's did. But if it doesn't by birth, the fetus will either die or it needs heart surgery right after birth."
"I hope it doesn't die." Brooklyn stated.
"Of course not." Pauline said.
"You're going to have to do very light activities for a while." Quincy advised. "You don't want to take any chances."
"I will." Brook said.
Then they called Elisa's number this time.
Elisa picked up. "Hello?" She sounded desperate on the line.
"Elisa? It's me, Brooklyn." The gargoyle said.
"It's so good to hear your voice." Elisa stated.
"Yours too." Brooklyn replied. "Look, can you come get me?"
"Yes, of course. I have to tell Goliath and the others too." Elisa was excited.
"Wait, no! Elisa, there's something I have to tell you, but I don't want the clan to know until I've returned." Brook exclaimed.
"Brooklyn, they have to know." Elisa declared.
"And we will tell them, but I just want to talk to you first. When you get here. I can't talk about it over the phone. Has Pauline given you her address?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Good. Look, I just want to talk about the state of my health in person." Brooklyn said. "I look forward to you coming to get me. I want to see them all again most desperately."
"And they want to see you. Alright, I'll come get ya. It might be a couple days."
"It's alright. Just get here when you can. I had surgery last night." Brook stated.
"I heard. What could have made your appendix burst?"
"Possibly some heavy lifting and not supposed to in my state of health." Brook replied.
"Tell me this: Are you sick?" Elisa asked.
"No, I am not. It's a special delicate condition though." Brook replied.
"Okay. Well, I'll be on my way soon. It was nice to talk to you." Elisa said.
"The same. Thank you. Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Brooklyn hung up. He sighed.
"Is she coming?" Pauline asked.
"Yes. In a couple of days." Brook replied.
"That's great." Pauline said.
"Yeah. But I know she'll be skeptical at first of knowing I am pregnant. Everyone would be." Brooklyn looked down forlornly.
"Don't the babies move around?"
"Yes. That's the best way for them to know for sure." Brook guessed. "But for now, how about some chow for me and my babies?" He suggested.
"Sure." Pauline said and cooked up some breakfast for him. "Have you taken any prenatal vitamins before?"
"Oh crap!" Brooklyn smacked a hand to his forehead.
"What?" Quincy asked.
"I haven't taken any vitamins since my escape, but I was taking them before my escape." Brook explained.
"We need to get you back on them, pronto." Quincy stated. "Stay here. I'll go to the store and get some."
"Thank you." Brooklyn said.
"You're welcome." Quincy replied and left to go get the vitamins.
Pauline finished cooking the dinner and Brooklyn was happy to eat it. He felt some movements inside him. "My kids sure are hungry too." He chuckled.
Pauline was curious. "May I?" she asked.
Brooklyn looked up at her. "What?"
"Feel them?"
"Okay." He said. He let his lady friend put her hand on top of his belly.
"Where are they moving most?" She asked. Brooklyn guided her hand to the left side and there was some good movement from inside him. "Wow! I felt this one move." She smiled.
"Yep. He's hungry."
"Do you know if it's a boy or girl?" she asked.
"No, I don't. Just a saying." Brook replied.
"Have you started thinking of names for them?"
"No. Just haven't had time to, I guess. I have been doing the reading but haven't had time since I got here. Been helping you with Dolly."
"And I thank you, but now that her foal is here, he'll be fine. Surely, you weren't expecting those scientists to get you pregnant?" Pauline asked.
"No, I didn't. I know they wanted information on my kind though. I could only give up so much. They seemed nice to talk to and didn't get information from me by trying to torture me, but tried to work with me on exercise tests and didn't force food down my throat if I didn't want to eat. Irene was the first one. She seemed respectable enough. I even told her about my kind's way of reproduction, and she ended up doing what nature never intended." Brooklyn explained. "How she it, I don't know."
"And she did this without your consent?"
"Yes." He nodded.
"Did any of the scientists ever touch you inappropriately?" Pauline asked.
"They did an ultrasound on my heart, lungs, and stomach. But in other ways, no. I would have been knocked out if they did." Brook frowned.
"In order to get you pregnant, they obviously raped you. Such a nice young man such as yourself didn't deserve that." Pauline exclaimed.
"I'm not a man at all." Brook rectified her.
"It's just a figure of speech, Brooklyn. A young male like you didn't deserve such a fate. But how do you really feel about this." She asked, concerned.
"When I thought about it a while back, yes, I felt violated. I was shocked even when I found out. But it wasn't like I had much of a choice. I was already four months pregnant when I found out. I had been taken by Vick from Irene's lab and he took me somewhere else in Tampa and hid me. He made the diagnosis when I woke up and he kept me sedated for three months. I was shocked because my belly was already getting bigger." Brook explained. He rubbed his belly.
"But after getting over the shock of it, feeling alone, and when I thought of it, when I felt their movements inside me, it made me have a realization. I wasn't alone anymore. I'm sure my clan will welcome them. We are so low in numbers that we need some new life to be born."
"It's great you feel that way. Humans wouldn't always feel that way about unwanted pregnancies, and one that came from rape." Pauline proclaimed. "But this is a thing that never happens to males. But rape does happen."
He knew what she was saying. "Despite how these scientists were treating me nicely otherwise, they obviously still saw me as an animal."
"I think they did. Humans force animals to breed all the time. Usually in the breeding business for animals that we eat like cattle and pigs. Scientists breed endangered species too. From what you say about your numbers, your kind are an endangered species, but it hasn't been recognized yet." Pauline explained.
"Would it do us any good?" Brooklyn asked.
"I think it would. It would make hunting your clan a crime. You might be able to go out in public more often and be welcomed rather than hated. But know that you can count on me as an ally." Pauline stated.
"Thank you. You've done so much for me already." Brook smiled.
"You saved my life and Dolly's life and the life of her son." Pauline replied. "It means so much to have you here and I am helping you go home without exhausting yourself for the sake of the babies. I think you'll make a fantastic father." She complimented him.
Those words hit him like a ton of bricks. Father? His smile dropped. He looked down at his stomach. Pauline saw his expression change.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"What you just said."
"I didn't mean to offend you."
"No. It just took me by surprise. Even up until now, I hadn't thought of calling myself a father. Among my kind, I would be too young for this. I'm barely out of childhood and already expecting my first children. I'm only thirty-eight."
"That's old enough to be a parent." Pauline said.
"Not among gargoyles. We age half as fast as humans." Brooklyn corrected her.
"So, in reality, you're nineteen equivalent?"
"Yes."
"It is mighty young, but you are still an adult." Pauline assured him.
"Our usual breeding cycle with a mate of our choice would be when we're forty-nine and fifty. And sixty when we get to hold our own babies because they're usually born after a ten-year incubation from eggs." Brook explained.
"That is unusual." Pauline was shocked to hear that. "And you don't have a mate."
"No. Not yet." Brooklyn replied sadly.
"I'm sure you'll find someone who loves you someday. You are a real gentleman. You have been to me." She smiled at him, putting a hand on his.
"Thank you." Brook smiled in return.
It wasn't long that Dr. Quincy returned and got the jar open, and he gave Brook two prenatal vitamins. "You need to keep on taking these until those babies are born." He declared.
"I know. And I will. Thanks for getting them." Brook replied.
"You're welcome, Brooklyn. Well, if there's nothing else needed, I'll head home now." Quincy said.
"Thank you for your help." Pauline said.
The vet was grateful to help, and he left the two friends to have their dinner, though he left with a plate of it. After he was gone, Brooklyn and Pauline ate for in silence for a while. Brook soon broke the silence.
"I hope Elisa gets here soon. I just wonder how I'm going to get home. I mean, she could drive down here and that will take a while. Or even Xanatos could fly her down here in his helicopter." Brooklyn declared.
"Hard telling." Pauline said.
After dinner, they washed dishes and went out to check on Dolly and Lightning. They were still in the stall. The mare still watched Brooklyn warily. The colt looked up at the two watchers.
"Isn't he cute?" Pauline said.
Brooklyn hadn't been too fond of horses since he got thrown off of the horse he once liked a long time ago. But after last night, and seeing those little eyes looking over at him, and with the pregnancy hormones surging, it brought a smile to his face. "Yeah. He's a cutie. But what breed of horses are they?"
"Morgans." She replied. "Not too big or small. Can do nearly anything that's needed of them."
"Good. So, when are you going to let them out of this stall?"
"Now that Lightning is dry and walking, I'll let him and Dolly out in the other smaller pasture tomorrow. Dolly won't want the other horses near him just yet. They could try to hurt him. Horses always test new ones by running them around being mean, even young ones. When they seem to ignore him, then I'll know he's ready to join the others. But they will be curious too." Pauline explained.
"Okay."
They went back inside and watched some tv for a while before Pauline had to go to bed. Brooklyn went on watching tv for longer until he felt like he wanted to go for a glide outside. He hadn't been gliding since he got here. He just wanted to get a look around. He turned the tv off but kept the kitchen light on as he went outside quietly. He climbed one of the trees and leapt off of it.
From this viewpoint, Brooklyn still felt a little pain in his lower stomach from the surgery last night, but it was minor. He was so lucky that he had found a human friend who he could trust. A doctor he didn't even know was also able to help him when he was injured. And he had gotten a hold of Elisa.
He glided around the acres of pasture of Pauline's property. It was a beautiful place to live. It was also near a beach too. He landed there and went for a walk on the beach, even walking in the surf. The waters were calm and still came ashore. As he walked along in the water as it came up to his ankles, Brooklyn looked up at the moon. It was a full moon again.
If only he had a mate, this could have been a romantic night scene. But it was still a sweet moment for him. He walked along in the surf, holding and rubbing his belly. "We'll soon be home and you'll both soon be in my arms. I just wonder how much longer you need time to grow to come out of my belly?" He talked to the twins. They were quiet for the time being. "I also wish I could find you a mother. Someday I will. You two are my first priority, especially you, little one." Brook was feeling the one on his right. He felt it move a bit and it made him smile. He was so happy. This one was a fighter.
With the waters so calm, Brooklyn wanted to take a swim, but he didn't want to worry about being attacked or something. There could have been sharks in the water. Walking in the surf was enough. He went back to a tree and glided back to Pauline's acreage.
He landed and decided to go see Lightning again. He caped his wings to make himself not appear too frightening to the horses. Dolly saw him while her son nursed. She snorted, making her son stop nursing.
"Wish you wouldn't be so afraid of me, Dolly. I helped you give birth to your son." Brooklyn talked softly. He saw the colt look up at him. The little horse was curious about his savior and came over to check him out. Brooklyn put a hand through the fence of the stall to let him sniff his hand.
Lightning sniffed his hand then started sucking on one of his talons, looking for a snack. It made Brook giggle. The colt didn't have any teeth right now, it was just gums. He then used his other hand to stroke the colt. He was super soft. "Sorry little guy, I don't have any milk for ya." Brook told him.
Lightning let go of his finger and still sniffed more of him, even just letting himself be petted. Brooklyn petted his shoulders and neck. He also petted his hindquarters when he turned his back to him. But he soon went back to his mom where he nursed again before eventually laying down for a nap.
Brooklyn yawned too. "I get what you mean. My own little ones take a lot of energy out of me too. I still have a few months to go before I see mine. Take good care of him, Dolly. I'm going home soon." Then he left the barn.
Dolly came up to the gate and watched him go. That creature didn't seem too bad.
…
Brook went back to the house and took out his book and read some more of it. There were so many amazing things to learn from it. Most of everything was about singletons but there were some mentions of multiples too. It might have been about human babies, but his pregnancy wasn't that different.
He read until he felt asleep on the bed. His supplies were there with him, including the new prenatal vitamins. He slept most of the rest of the night up until it was close to sunrise.
Pauline was up just before sunrise to give him another meal. Some pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausages, and toast.
"Thanks, but isn't this a bit much?" He asked.
"This is to celebrate you having made contact and going home. I think your twins would want it too." Pauline smiled at him.
"Thanks. Yeah, they seem to." Brooklyn replied. The food was tantalizing him. He was happy to dive into it. After his dinner, he went to his room to turn to stone.
Pauline later went to the barn to get Dolly in a halter and led her out to the smaller pasture with Lightning following her. He was very playful in how he walked. When they were released, Dolly was so happy to be loose outside again. She also pranced around playfully and kept up with Lightning as he was more playful.
Pauline loved watching her horses move. The other three horses were also curious about the colt and watched him. Cattle were also watching. Dolly pinned her ears and gave kicking motions to the other horses to stay away from her foal. She was doing what any good horse mother would do to protect her foal. Pauline went on to do more barn chores.