Unplanned Surprises

By Donna and Abby

Doctor Jack Stewart was getting along very nicely in Edan, much to his surprise.  He got along well with Neal Kassel and Terrance Shepherd, the two doctors who lived at the clinic, and was delighted by Ancelin and the baby, Nightingale.  He worked well with the other doctors, Helm and Taylor, and with the nurse, Sarah Jo.

He came down the stairs to start the day, whistling a merry tune. Sarah Jo was at the front desk, rubbing her expanding belly as she looked over the day's schedule.

"Anything interesting today, SJ?" he asked, smiling boyishly at her.

"You have a Gyn exam waiting for you," Sarah Jo chuckled. "Have you met Kasumi? The one that runs the Oriental Kitchen and Bathhouse?"

"I've eaten there," said Jack.  "Is it a well-woman exam, or should I be looking for a problem?"

Sarah Jo shrugged. "She didn't say. This is the first time she has been in. Healthy girl! Hasn’t even burned herself while cooking!"

"Good.  I would hate to lose such a good place to eat!"  And he went on in to the exam room.

He knocked on the door first before entering. Sitting on the exam table was the pretty Japanese girl that ran his favorite place to eat. She looked younger than the 19 years old that the file he had been given said she was.

"Well, good morning," he said brightly.  "How are we feeling today?"

She looked up at him with trusting eyes. "Paulsan said I was to come to you," she said. "I do not want to be a bother."

"It's no bother!  Is there something wrong?  Why did Paulsan send you?"

She looked embarrassed. "I am late," she said in a tiny whisper.

Jack's eyebrows went up.  Then he smiled.  "A common problem in these parts, I understand," he said reassuringly.  "Are you happy?"

She looked up at him and smiled brightly. "I am happy, yes. Paulsan is good to me. And Hop Sing is like father to me."

"You will be happy with a baby?" Jack clarified.

She looked thoughtful. "Yes. Very happy," she said. "Paul happy too. But I late before. I tell Paulsan that, he still want me to come."

"Then let's find out for sure, shall we?"  After he took some blood, Jack examined her, and was pretty sure she was pregnant.

The only thing that concerned him was the fact that she was so tiny, and Paul Racine was a good-sized man. If she was with child, he would have to keep a close eye on her! And the baby.  It could be a small child, or they could have problems.  C-sections were not unheard of, but Jack was afraid of it in such primitive conditions.

After the exam, he left Kasumi to get dressed and went to see if Shepherd had the results yet.

"Aren't you lucky I wasn't busy," snorted the other doctor.  "Yes, yes, she is expecting.  Couldn't you tell from a pelvic?"

Jack just grinned. "Of course. But I had to give you something to do so you could earn your pay!" He ducked as Shepherd tossed something at him, and then went back down the hall, whistling a happy tune once more.

****

Usually the members of the House of Pleasure slept late.  They were always up to the wee hours, if not dawn itself, and they had earned a rest.  This night Quentin Collins had remained all night with Nerissa, and was just leaving as the sun peeked over the horizon.

Candi, the hostess of the House, saw him to the door, and then closed it behind him. She was tired, and it wasn't from entertaining clients. In fact, as of late, Grayson had not even let her entertain any of the vampires!

He was making enough money, and the few vamps who came now (most had girls of their own) were getting a bit dangerous.  The main one was that Trask fellow, and Grayson did not like him one bit!

So, Candi was kept busy playing the Hostess. Turning from the front door, she went upstairs to the private chamber she shared with her husband, hoping that he wouldn't want her for one of his extended sessions. She felt too tired to do one of those. Tired and a little nauseous, as if she had eaten something that had not agreed with her stomach!

She had been feeling this way for a while now. But how could she be ill? She was Immortal!  And because of the tainted chocolate she had eaten so long ago, she could not be pregnant!

She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth, but instead, she threw up.  As she sat on the floor, shaking, she felt Grayson wrap his arms around her.

"Are you all right?" he asked gently.

Candi moaned and shook her head. "Oh Dan! I don't know what's happening to me! When I lived on the streets and was eating out of dumpsters, I never got this sick!"

"Did you know the wolf's woman is with child?" he asked carefully.  "Richard Zeeman's girl.  She was a handmaiden."

Candi looked up at him, white faced. "Do you think… could I be too?"

"With her, she had an overload of Quickenings, and when she died during some rough sex, the potion was negated.  Candi, you've died more than once since being here!"

The young immortal buried her face against Grayson's chest. "Would it please you if I was?" she asked, her voice muffled.

"I suppose, though I wonder at raising a child here," he said honestly.

Candi was silent for a moment. If Grayson didn't want the child, he could very easily take care of the problem simply by *killing* her. Even though she was married to him, Grayson still was a puzzle to her. She was just 19, and he was almost two thousand years old! "We will just have to cross that bridge when we come to it," she said softly.