by Lisa Oliver
You’re not the one about to explode, a mass of writhing snakes chewing their way out of your belly, threatening the pack….
“Cut it out,” Darwin hissed. “Let’s see what’s inside you before you start stressing. For all we know, it could be a harmless bowel blockage or something.”
Bowel blockage? Really? That’s what he’s hoping for? Simon shook his head at his mate but climbed up on the table when Farriday asked, tugging his t-shirt over his head and laying down on a table not wide enough to fit his shoulders. Darwin sat beside him, clutching his hand, his smile forced.
“Honestly, you guys act as though you’re about to be tortured. The only thing uncomfortable about this machine is the coldness of the lube and you both know how quickly that warms up.” Farriday squirted a gel substance onto Simon’s abs and Simon jumped.
“Now, we just turn the screen on,” Farriday picked up a blunt wand like instrument, “and let’s see what we’ve got here.” Over Farriday’s shoulder, Simon could see a mass of black, white and grey flickering across the screen as Farriday ran the wand across his abs. Up to his rib cage, down to his navel and across again.
“Huh. Fascinating,” Farriday clicked a few buttons on a keyboard and pressed the wand a little harder on Simon’s belly. “See there,” he pointed to what looked like a bulge. “You’ll be pleased to know your species, whatever it is, appears to be viviparous. No eggs. No snakes for that matter. If you’d mated with another snake that might have been different.”
“Er, not wanting to interrupt Doc, but what’s viviparous?” Simon wanted to know the same thing, but didn’t want to look like an idiot asking. Thank goodness for Darwin.
“All snakes come under three different groups when it comes to giving birth: viviparous, oviparous, and ovoviviparous. Oviparous lay eggs, viviparous have live young and ovoviviparous snakes originally come from eggs but those eggs hatch in the womb and the mother gives birth to live young. You’re not carrying eggs, Simon.”
“So, I just have a belly full of live snakes?” Simon wasn’t sure how that made him feel.
“No. Look. I’m trying to show you. You have babies, human-looking babies.” Farriday pointed at the screen but all Simon saw was more blobs on a screen.
Darwin tilted his head and squinted, then bounced up and down in excitement. “Two of them, right? Look. Head there,” he pointed to the screen, “and there’s the spine and look, that’s the second head. They are curled around each other.”
“They are,” Farriday agreed while Simon tried to see what Darwin was seeing. He could see the blobs, one on top of the other as though opposite sides of a yin and yang symbol. There was a lighter line running from both blobs down – that must be the spine his mate was so excited about. “Here you have fingers; I can only see one leg each as they are wrapped around each other, but I’d say they are perfectly healthy.”
“They’re so tiny.” Simon finally found his voice. He stared at the screen then down at his stomach. He only had an itty-bitty bulge and could still get his jeans on, although they were snugger than usual.
“Let me take a picture of this, so you can keep it and then I’ll tell you what I think is going on.” Farriday clicked a couple of buttons again and there was a slight whirring sound as a picture slid from a box attached to the machine. Darwin reached out, Simon noted his hands were trembling and took the picture Farriday gave him.
“Can you see what we’ve done? Twins.” Darwin’s lashes were wet and he sniffed.
Simon didn’t know what to think. He just wanted to know how he came to have two babies, not snakes, not little mice, but human looking babies in his belly. He grabbed the wet wipes Farriday handed him and cleaned off his belly and then reached for his shirt. Farriday waited until he was sitting up and dressed before speaking.
“I have zero experience with snake shifters, you understand.”
That’s not reassuring.
“However, a couple of colleagues and I talked about it, no names of course. You said you were hatched in snake form and didn’t realize you had a human half until you shifted for the first time some years after birth, is that right?”
Simon nodded. “Snakes are fully functional from birth. I never met my mother and I got away from my siblings as soon as I could. I spent all of my time alone, until I developed feet.”
“How did you find out you were venomous?”
“I was chasing a rat, trying to crush it like I usually did and it slipped out of my coils. I lashed out and bit it and it sort of shuddered and died.”
“See, this is where you’re slightly different than others.” Farriday looked positively animated, leaning forward on his stool. “Venomous snakes bite. They’re fast, usually smaller and they rely on their venom to catch prey. Constrictors, like the larger snakes can have venom, but they rely on their power to crush to kill their prey and rarely use their venom. It is possible to have both aspects in the one snake, but what’s more fascinating is that you were hatched from an egg and lived as a snake for so long. I can only assume one of your parents was a shifter, but not necessarily both of them. One of them could’ve been a natural snake.”
“I’m not really worried about my parentage,” Simon snapped. “I’m worried about these…these…babies in my belly. Surely, if they are fully formed, they should be bigger by now?”
“What can I say?” Farriday smiled. “You’re carrying a jumble of genetics. You’re big; Darwin not so much. You could be mixed heritage; Darwin, I presume your parents were both mouse shifters?”
Darwin nodded, still clutching the photograph. Simon wished he knew what his mate was thinking, but promised himself they would talk once they were alone.
“So, the size of the babies isn’t necessarily an issue,” Farriday said calmly. “If you’re carrying mouse shifters, then I’d expect your babies to be small. They always are. Snakes come in a variety of sizes so if you’re a hybrid then despite your human build, you could still end up with small babies. I honestly wouldn’t worry about it. Now, how long ago do you think you conceived?”
“Five weeks. It happened just before I brought Darwin to live here.” Simon looked at Darwin who nodded.
“Hmm…fully formed…five weeks….” Farriday pulled out a pad and started scribbling. “Fully formed is usually ten to twelve…one has genitalia, so that makes it more like twelve to fourteen. Three times faster than a human pregnancy…meaning…you will probably have these little ones in roughly three months. But that’s only an educated guess.” Farriday slapped his pad and pen down on a bedside table and grinned. “One more thing. I need you to drop your pants and bend over.”
“What for?” Darwin jumped up, putting himself between Simon and the doctor, his stance protective.
“I’ve got no designs on your mate’s ass,” Farriday said firmly. “I need to see if there’s any swelling, softness or changes from the scrotum to the anus. One of my colleagues suggested Simon might be able to give birth naturally; apparently some reptiles and cold-blooded males do. But there should be signs of that on his body already. If there isn’t then we have to consider a cesarean birth.”
“There aren’t any changes.” Darwin said, his cheeks bright red. “I’d have noticed.”
“You’re not a doctor, hon. Make it quick, Doc.” Simon guided Darwin around the other side of the bed, holding one wrist firmly while he undid his jeans with the other. Darwin’s nostril’s flared and Simon caught the sweet scent of arousal, his body responding. “Make it damn quick,” he added as he bent over.
Darwin growled as Farriday got closer. Simon cupped his face, forcing Darwin to look into his eyes. “We’re shifters, I’m pregnant and believe me, this is a lot better than lying on some table with my ankles in stirrups.”
Letting out a loud huff, Darwin closed his eyes, leaning his forehead on Simon’s as Simon felt Farriday’s fingers prodding on his perineum, resisting the urge to pull away as his cock hardened. This is not an external prostate massage, damn it. Go do
wn. But, of course, Darwin’s nearness didn’t help and neither did the bulge Simon could see in his mate’s pant.
“All done. You can pull your pants up,” Farriday said at last, going over to wash his hands.
Dropping a kiss on Darwin’s head, Simon straightened and pulled up his jeans. “What’s the verdict?”
“Your mate has a good eye,” Farriday managed to say with a straight face. “I’m not noticing any indication you’re developing a birth canal which means we’ll have to keep a close eye on how quickly your babies grow. They will become stressed if they’re left too long, so I want to see you back every week so we can get some idea on how fast they are growing. I’m going to have to find the funds for one of these machines.” He eyed the ultrasound ruefully. “Having to borrow one for this sort of thing is getting too much of a hassle.”
“We could have a fundraiser at Cam’s,” Darwin offered, apparently happier now Simon had his pants on. “How much would something like this cost?”
“I can get a home-based model for about two grand,” Farriday said. “But to get something of this quality is probably closer to ten K.”
“Leave it with me,” Darwin said. “You need it for the community, right? So why shouldn’t the community help pay for it. I’m sure Cam will help.”
“You’ve got a good mate there,” Farriday nodded. “If you can, that’d be great. So, same time next week?”
There were a dozen questions Simon wanted to ask, but his need for shower was stronger. A hot, soapy, Darwin-included shower before his mate went running off to work again. Thanking Farriday, the two men left the office.
“I really need to get Farriday’s scent off your ass,” Darwin growled as he climbed behind Simon on the bike.
“Great minds think alike.” Simon turned the key and the bike roared into life. “Hang on,” he yelled as he opened up the throttle and they flew down the road.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Hi, Boss, any chance I can have a word before we open?” Darwin wiped his clammy hands on his jeans as he peered into Cam’s office. He’d come in early after taking three days off; his head buzzing with plans for a fundraiser and the fact he was going to be a father. He wasn’t sure what was rattling him more.
“Don’t tell me you’re leaving me so soon?” Cam sat back in his chair. “Come in. Sit down.”
“No. Not leaving, although I might need some time off in about three months. Simon’s pregnant. We’re having twins.” The look on Cam’s face was priceless although the big man quickly recovered.
“Good work, I mean…yeah, slap on the back material, honestly. Congratulations. I didn’t think Simon would…yeah, not going there.” Cam put his hands up as Darwin glared. “You have my heartfelt congratulations and anytime you need to take off, you just let me know.”
Darwin huffed silently. I don’t know why freaking predators think just because one man’s bigger than…He quickly put a stop to his internal mini-rant. Truth be told, he was quietly proud. One time. I only did it that one time and boom, twins. Mind you, he thought to himself, after this pregnancy I probably won’t be allowed near that ass again. Shame.
Cam’s amused voice broke into his errant thoughts and Darwin realized his arousal was probably stinking up the room. “Did you want to see me about anything else?”
“Yeah, umm, a fundraiser for Doc Farriday. Simon needs to be checked with an ultrasound every week because Doc’s not sure how fast the babies will grow. Seth mentioned Farriday borrows one from a human hospital and his friend is getting suspicious about it. I thought, seeing as he uses it for the community, maybe we could come up with a way to get the people in town to help pay for it.”
“Good idea. Doc’s a decent man. I don’t think he’s had a holiday since he moved here and that was at least ten years ago. Day or night, he’s always available and yeah, I agree. It would be nice to give something back. He never charges people who can’t afford it and never turns anyone away, no matter who they are. I like it. What did you have in mind?”
“I was thinking of a karaoke competition. Maybe throw in a few dance performances.” Darwin looked Cam straight in the eye. “I was a stripper in Jackson before I came here.” He dared Cam to say something about it, but the bigger man just nodded. “I’ve convinced Ra and the others to do a bit of a show. Not too risqué; just flexing muscles with their shirts off type thing. It would be a bit of light entertainment to give the singers a bit of a break. I thought you might know of a few businesses in town who might want to sponsor prizes for the karaoke winners. Trent at the garage has already said he’ll throw in five hundred bucks and Seth’s parents are doing the same and trying to get some of the other rabbit businesses to cough up too.”
“Freaking brilliant,” Cam slapped his knee. “I’d pay good money to see Ra and his friends shake their asses and there’re a lot of others in town who would too. It’s going to be a good night. When were you thinking of having it?”
“Couple of weeks? Is that enough time for people to know about it?”
“I’ll mention it to Mrs. Hooper and everyone will know about it by tomorrow, but yep, two weeks give us time to get in a Karaoke machine, put up flyers and get some sponsors. You leave all that up to me. You just get those boys you live with into shape. You know their little routine is going on YouTube, don’t you?”
“I’ll probably forget to mention that bit.” Darwin saw from the clock it was time to open. “I’ll go get the doors open. Thanks.”
“I know it’s not something you’re used to, little mouse,” Cam said kindly, “but in this town people watch out for each other. You’re doing a good thing and you’ll be amazed at how many of the townsfolk will jump on board to help.”
Unsure how what to say, Darwin nodded his thanks and went to open the bar. As usual two old-timers, Lenny and John, were already propping up the wall, arguing loudly. Putting on a smile, Darwin said, “Come in gentleman. You must be parched. It’s been eight hours since your last beer.”
“Nah, Marie gave me a bottle for breakfast,” Lenny and John lurched passed. “It’s good for my back, you know.” Lenny put his hand on the affected body part and winced. “The cold seeps into my bones and gives me hell at night.”
I’m not sure it ever gets that cold here. Resigning himself to a long morning listening to the two men argue about everything from politics to who had the prettiest legs in town, Darwin got to work. Ten hours and he’d be back in Simon’s arms. Humming softly, Darwin poured a couple of beers and started washing glasses.
~~~~/
“What are you doing?” Simon looked up to see Ra standing at the bedroom door. He huffed and gave the couch he was moving another shove. It really didn’t have anywhere else to go.
“I’m trying to figure out how the hell we’re going to get two freaking cribs in here, not to mention all the other stuff babies need.”
“We knock a hole through that wall there, same as we did when Seth was pregnant. You’ve got a spare room on this side,” Ra thumped the wall in question, “we’ll just put a door through and you’re golden.”
“That cuts us down to only one spare room,” Simon slumped on the couch he was moving. “I didn’t want to be taking over your whole house.”
“It’s not my house,” Ra joined Simon on the couch. “It’s always been our house. We’re a pack, a club, whatever you want to call it, but this house is as much yours as it is mine, Seth’s or anyone else who lives here. Now, tell me why you’re burning up calories your babies need. Have you and Darwin had another argument?”
“No. We’re good.” Simon sighed. “There’re a lot of changes coming up.”
“Ah,” Ra popped his feet up on a convenient coffee table. “You’re not keen on change. Is it the babies, Darwin or something else?”
“None of it, all of it.” Simon tried to put his thoughts into words. “Darwin and I are solid. After that last misunderstanding, I know I have to talk to him rather than let things fester. But how can I tell
him how worried I am about birthing and all that shit?”
“I thought you were having an operation?”
“I am. One quick flick of a scalpel and bam, instant parenthood. I’m not sure I’m cut out to be a dad. It’s not as though I had parents of my own; shit, I wasn’t even born human. From the little Darwin told me, his experiences growing up weren’t that hot either. How the hell are we going to know what these babies need?”
“You do fine with Michael, Sage and Annabelle. Hell, you love my kids as much as I do.”
“They’re cute,” Simon admitted. “But if something goes wrong….”
“You’d cope. Simon, you always cope. And if you do struggle, then we’re all here to help you. You know that. You’re not doing this alone. Even if you didn’t have Darwin, you’d have us.”
“I know.” Simon hung his head.
“How is Darwin taking the news about being a daddy? Is he pleased?”
“I guess so. We haven’t talked much about it. He was almost in tears when he saw the ultrasound picture. He carries it with him everywhere.”
“There you go. That’s one problem solved. I’ve come up with a solution to your space issue. What else can the wise old Ra help you with?”
Wise is not a word I’d use to describe you, Simon thought, chuckling. But then he sobered up. He had to tell someone and out of all his friends, Ra was the one he was closest to. “I’m not sure I want to be pregnant,” he whispered, finally confessing his inner demons out loud. “My body’s not my own anymore. I have things growing inside of me. I had to go through three pairs of pants this morning until I could find a pair I could zip up. Soon, I’m going to be like Seth was. Unable to see my feet. Relying on people to pull me out of the couch. I don’t think I can cope with that. I wish I hadn’t…I should have never…I never even considered the idea I’d get pregnant. It was one time.”
“Which I am sure you enjoyed.” Ra’s arm settled across Simon’s shoulders. “We probably should have had this discussion when Seth got pregnant. Out of all of us, you’re the only non-furry shifter in our little family. But hey, Seth’s furry and pregnancy wasn’t something I’d considered at all, until Farriday confirmed it and you remember what a shit I was to Seth after we heard. I wasn’t even the one carrying the little tykes. You were the one who not only kept an eye on Seth, which was my job, but forced me to see how badly I was hurting Seth before it was too late.”