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Barters N Garters Library
Lovers & Other Strangers
by
Moon Mistress
a/k/a
Lisa Beth Darling

Chapter Five

Two hours spent in Adams’ office while the good doctor examined all three of them and finally pronounced Daniel and David healthy as could be. Calla, of course, was another story. While Dr. Adams was astounded and very pleased to see that all of her physical wounds of the other day had mended he was very unhappy with the amount of Xerinium in her system. “It is less than when you were here before,” he said in a comforting manner, “but, if it’s anything like that last time it will begin to multiply again. Any ideas why….” He stumbled and his cheeks puffed out with air, “why what you tried before doesn’t seem to have worked?” Adams finally managed to inquire about the threesome he assumed was had when they disappeared from the infirmary.

“We think it did.” Daniel said and then went on to explain the theory of someone intentionally poisoning her rather than it being some type of side effect of the weapons used by Aphrodite, Eros and their crew. “What we don’t know is how they’re getting her to ingest it. Any ideas how or what we should test?”

Adams thought it over but came up empty. “No. If you suspect something in particular bring it in and I’ll test it. What about Colleen? Nicholas? Either of them showing any symptoms?”

That was an interesting question and the three of them pondered it before coming with the uniform consensus that Colleen—at least—was fine. Nicholas, they explained, was spending time with his Grandfather. “So then it’s something only you are ingesting.” Adams said thoughtfully. “What do you suppose it might be?”

Again they came up empty. Calla didn’t eat much of anything and what she did was junk food and everyone in the house ate from the same supply of it. Calla lived on the Three C’s; Coke, Chips and Cookies. “You know,” Adams cleared his throat, “the only way to,” another loud ahem, “see if your very interesting theory is correct is to,” (ahem) he shifted in his chair.

“Sleep with them again.” Calla finished so he didn’t have to. “Yes, I believe we understand.” The thought brought her no pleasure at all. I just want to make love with my Husband.

Daniel smiled and leaned in close, “I want make love with you too, just us.” Well, it seemed he hadn’t been replaced or even upgraded after all. Of course it was stupid of him to even entertain the thought, Calla loved him and that love was strong, it got them through a lot of shit the type that would have made some one else give up long ago.

“Yes, please. When?” She whispered back. But before he could answer her Adams started talking again.

“That’s good,” he sighed still wrapping his head around the idea of the two men who looked just like each other and the one small woman between them in bed and…well, it both excited and repelled the good doctor just as it tended to do to the good doctor Jackson. “Come back, what, tomorrow? After you’ve….” He made a rolling gesture with his hand. “Any chance I could get you to tape it?” Adams asked hurriedly. “For research purposes of course.”

“Of course,” Daniel agreed, “I don’t think so.”

Adams grimaced; he’d really like to see what was happening. The three of them had described the blue energy to him and he had seen it with his own eyes once or twice but, well, not like this. “If you change your mind let me know. In the meantime Calla, Daniel, there’s something else.”

“What?” Daniel asked. Not liking the tone in Adams’ voice he reached for her hand.

“You might want to call David into the office for this part.” Adams advised.

Daniel didn’t like the sound of that either but he got up, opened the office door and beckoned his brother inside. Both men took a seat on either side of her. “Good, there we go, now,” Adams had warned them about this, warned them to be careful but in the light of recent events it was certainly understandable how this came to pass. The good doctor began again, “I really can’t say just how far, you understand because the presence of hormone in your system is so low, Calla that I would have to say it can’t be more than a few days….”

“I’m pregnant.” Calla cut him off and squeezed Daniel’s hand. Something big, hunched and dark ran across her mind just beyond her reach. It was swift and it was ugly and she never wanted to see it again. “That’s what you’re going to say.” Once more that dark shadowy thing in her mind ran behind her eyes only this time it went back the way it had come. “The Xerinium is killing my baby. Daniel? Daniel?” Her feet began pushing her body from the chair.

“It’s all right, Kitty.” Oh Christ she had the worst timing for getting pregnant! What he’d told David the other night when this very subject came up echoed in his mind; Any baby she has is mine; so long as she’s my Wife, it’s my child. “It’s our baby, Kitty, yours and mine. It’s all right, I’m not angry.” Daniel meant it, every syllable. He’d told David that and he meant then and he meant it now. No ifs, ands or buts, no questions. She was pregnant and that meant that they were going to have a baby. “We’re going to heal you and you’ll be strong and the baby will be too you don’t have to worry or be afraid.”

Calla didn’t hear anything he said. “I want…I want…” she stuttered.

“What, Cal? What do you want?” Daniel asked expecting to hear her say something mundane. So then what she said and what followed took him very much by surprise.

“An abortion.” She finished without looking at anyone. “I want an abortion.”

Even Adams was astounded and dumbstruck by what she’d said. He’d gone over her file a million times or more and though she had the worst luck when it came to getting pregnant she’d always been adamant about bringing her children to term and devastated when she hadn’t been able to.

Daniel dropped her hand and shook his head. “What did you say? I know I didn’t hear that right. You want….a what?”

Calla didn’t say the word again. “It’s my right,” she said quickly. “In this state it’s my right, I don’t even have to tell you, I know…” each words got a louder and little closer to the next one until they weren’t separated at all, “myrightsinthiscountryIdon’thavetogetyourpermissionIdon’t…”

“Stop, Kitty. Stop.” He grabbed her shoulders and shook her a little her eyes turned away from the floor and to him. “Do you know what you’re saying? Why would you want to do this?”

The wheels in her head turned very quickly to find sensible answers. “It’s defective.”

“Oh, now, Calla, we don’t know that at all.” Adams tried to reassure her in a very professionally soothing voice. “At this point we have no reason to believe the Xerinium is crossing through the placenta. The baby could be just as healthy as can be. Knowing you it probably…..”

“It’s defective.” She asserted again.

“And it might be mine.” David said from behind them. “That it Callie? Yew don’t wanna take the chance of that. I’m good enough to bed yew now but ah, not ta make babies with yew, huh? Just Danny.”

She didn’t hear anything after the words ‘it might be mine’; those wheels were turning too spryly for that. Suddenly Calla stood up from the chair looked at each one in turn and repeated her request. “This is what I want, it’s my right, and I don’t have to answer to any of you. If you won’t help me I know who will.” Calla stormed out of the office with Daniel hot on her heels.

In the two and a half seconds it took him to follow her the hallway was empty. Where’d she go? Daniel started down the hall at a brisk pace.

“Daniel, good to see ya!” Jack said from behind him. “We gotta talk.”

“Not now, Jack.” Daniel brushed him off.

“Yeah, now, I need you to get back to work. Any idea when that might happen?”

“Not now.” Daniel repeated and took off down the hall.

**

“David,” Adams said sharply as to draw the man’s attention. “I know this is a bone of contention between the three of you. These days, it is possible to determine which one of you is the Father of Nicholas and Colleen, to know for sure and not just on a gut reaction or a whim. I’ve told Calla this but she doesn’t seem…”

“Ta wanna know.” David said sharply. Well I do. I wanna know.

“Is that something you’d be interested in? I have all of your DNA on file here in fact I have everything I need.”

David thought about it for a moment. “Well, git to it doc and let me know how it comes out.” He too left Adams’ office but he didn’t go after Calla instead he made his way to the exit and walked out in the winter’s day. There was no bite in the air today in fact the sun was rather warm and every where it touched it melted the thick layer of snow so that the ground was covered with puddles small and large as well as miniature running rivers on the sides of some roads. He sunk out of the heavy coat and tossed it over his shoulder as he walked down the winding mountain road.

Nick’s gotta be my son, he’s just gotta. They told me he was; why wudd they tell me dat if’n it wasn’t true?

It looked like Danny was right and he’d never play anything more than Second Banana to his younger brother for as long as whatever this was lasted. If she couldn’t even entertain the thought of baring his children then he had no business in their bed and she’d just have to do without for the foreseeable future. Yep, Callie’d just have to wait, ‘cause there was a strip joint outside of town, Rosie’s Cantina where the booze flowed like water and the women were looser and a sweet little honey named Kerry that he intended to go enjoy. Why not? Looking up he saw that sun had past the yard arm, a good stiff drink or two and a good stiff fuck might be just the ticket he was looking for. Anything and everything else could wait.

Fishing around in the pocket of the jacket slung over his shoulder, David came back with a pack of Marlboro Red and a lighter. He stuck the cancer stick between his lips, lit it and inhaled deeply. There was no smoking in Callie and Danny’s house now that the Lord and Lady were back home, well that was except for smoking the occasional joint in the bedroom. As such, he’d been unable to indulge his habit as much as he would have liked over the last few days.

David stuck his thumb out when he reached the main road a few cars passed him by but the fourth or fifth one stopped to pick him up. A guy around 20 with a bright shock of red hair and scruffy length of growth on his face pulled over in his pick-up truck to give him ride. Nice guy too, he had some pot so they smoked a bowl and shot the shit during the ride, just two guys with nothing better to do than kill time. Patrick, that was the pick-up truck driver’s name, was on his way over to Golden Springs for a hockey match but other than that and he was going to go right past Rosie’s Cantina and drop David off at the front door. “I’m a student over at UCSP, your wife is one of my professors.”

My wife? It took David a second but he caught on. “She ain’t my wife, you’re thinking of my brother,” David informed him taking another hit off the bowl. The weed inside was exceptionally good and strong.

“Oh, you’re not doctor Jackson. I’ll admit I picked you up because I thought you were you look just like him.” Patrick however was a little relieved that the man currently riding with him was not Dr. Jackson. He didn’t like the idea of Colleen’s father going off to a strip club—especially not before sundown and certainly not when he had such a pretty little woman at home!—or the idea of Dr. Jackson sitting here smoking pot with him even though it was legal now.

“Twins tend ta do dat.” David remarked handing the bowl over to Patrick. “Wot do you want wit Danny?”

“Nothing.” Patrick said. He really hoped the guy was doctor Jackson and that doctor Jackson was so cool as to not only not mind a little pot smoking but to actually engage in it himself. “It’s just that, aw hell, maybe you’ve met my sister, Terry?” Patrick finished his hit, handed the bowl back and watch David shake his head. “Haven’t been in town long, huh?” He didn’t think so in fact he was surprised to know that Colleen had an Uncle, so far as Patrick knew it was just the four of them in the close-knit Jackson family.

“Not too long.” David agreed. “I’m stayin’ wit Danny and his family for the time bein’, we’re, ah, sorta mendin’ fences, if ya know what I mean.”

“I do, Mr. Jackson.” Patrick agreed. “Anyway, see, I kinda like Cole and I know she just lost Sandy and all but I was thinking….”

“Yew wanna date my niece?” David asked. “Scratch that, are you tellin’ me dat in dis day ‘n age, you actually wanna ask Danny’s permission to date his daughter?”

“Yeah, what do you think?” Patrick said sheepishly. “I don’t have a prayer do I?”

Well don’t dat jus’ beat all? “I didn’t say dat. Yew jus’ surprised me, that’s all.” Well, Coley didn’t seem to grieving too hard over the loss of her baby’s Daddy. She was a pretty girl and a bright one. “Seein’ as how I don’t know you I don’t know if’n it’s ok that you date my niece but, ah, if’n you’re worried about steppin’ on dat boy….Sandy’s memory, I think you’re pretty safe there.” It looked like the boy had manners and a good up bringing to boot.

“He wasn’t all that nice to her some times.” Patrick agreed. “I was kinda hoping she wasn’t crying over him.”

“Nossir, I don’t believe she is.” David handed the almost empty bowl back. “Wot about Lilly? Ya kain’t have one without da other. It’s a package deal; ya know dat, don’cha boy?”

“Oh, yes, sir, I do. You know, as long as I’ve known Cole—she and Terry have been bestest friends forever—I don’t think I ever saw her look so beautiful as she did when she was pregnant with Lilly.” The young man remarked with wide sparkling eyes.

“You’d be willin’ ta be Lilly’s Daddy?”

“I believe I would, Mr. Jackson.”

“Even though you ain’t?”

“What difference does it make? She’s just a little baby she’s never known a Daddy and, yeah, if Cole would be of a mind to let me I think I’d like to take a shot at that. I think I’d make a good Dad and later, if she wanted, Cole and me could have our own baby, I wouldn’t love it any more than Lilly, I wouldn’t treat ‘em any different.”

The boy was so earnest and young and full of good intentions that David couldn’t help but smile. “Well, best of luck ta ya.” David said. “I won’t say nuttin’ to Colleen about dis here conversation.”

“Thank you Mr. Jackson.”

“No problem, son and its David, not Mr. Jackson. So it jus’ don’t matter ta you? Raisin’ some other guys’ baby.”

“No. Should it?”

David pondered that idea for a moment. Once or twice some chick had come to him before his motorcycle accident and said she was late and he was the father but he never believed them. Those women fucked anything and everything with a dick so why he should he have believed them when they broke The News? Never once did he think the way this young man did which was probably the same way Danny thought about the whole thing. Callie’s twins were, well, they were delivered into this world by one Daniel Jackson who’d fought the good fight for Callie and them, why shouldn’t Danny feel that way? He must have felt that way even before he went sailing around Greece looking for her. Maybe he should have felt that way when those other women said ‘I’m late’

Maybe...well, maybe a lot of things. “Nope, I reckon not. You’re a good man, Patrick. Good man.” For David it didn’t matter, none those women ended up having babies. They either got their period or had an abortion so, unlike Daniel; David never had to stand in those shoes. Right now he was wondering just how well he would fill them if given the chance. Being somebody’s Dad, it was a big job and it wasn’t like he—or Danny for that matter—had a whole hell of a lot to go on in that department seeing as how they’d lost their own parents so young. Maybe it was best if Callie didn’t have this baby.

“Ya know what, Paddy; maybe you should just drop me off here. I think I’ll head back home instead of to Rosie’s after all. I got something I gotta take care of.”

“Well, if you don’t want to go watch the ladies dance I can take you to Cole’s house.” Patrick offered. “It’s not far; I know a good back road. Here,” he reached into his pants pocket and produced a tin which should have contained mints. “Put a little more in that.”

“You’re a good man, Paddy me-boy.” David took the weed and filled the bowl.

“Any chance Cole’s at home?” Patrick asked hopefully.

Yeah, he’s got it real bad! David smiled. “I suppose she might be, wot ‘bout your hockey game?”

“It can wait.”

End Of Chapter Five
Lovers & Other Strangers
Continue to
Chapter Six

This story and all stories in the Barters N Garters Library are copyrighted to Lisa Beth Darling these stories may not be transferred outside of this URL in any fashion.