Beautiful Creatures Series

The weeks passed quickly, and the crisp autumn was upon them. Soon the Colorado mountains would be blanketed in snow, and the ski resorts would be firing up for the busy season. It also means the wedding season was over. The business was about to drop off, and Mackenzie would have to live off her savings. It was not that people did not get married in the winter. Just fewer did. Mackenzie would be able to work but not as much as she would like.

Unfortunately, work was the farthest thing from her mind lately. The anniversary of her parents’ murder was nearing, and each year it left her feeling anxious, haunted, and on edge. On top of that annual nightmare, Mackenzie had been just all-around ill for over a week. Gordon had been great. Each day after work, he came over and made her homemade soups and stocked the fridge with ginger ale. He would spend the night and lend a hand by cleaning up and doing her laundry. Then they would cuddle on the couch and watch TV. Even as sick as she was, Mackenzie enjoyed the times when she could fall asleep in his arms on the couch.

Mackenzie shot out of bed and into the washroom, where she dropped to her knees, hugging the bowl and vomiting. It was not long before Gordon stood beside her. Sitting down on the edge of the tub, he swept her long hair up and out of her way to keep it clean. “You’ve been sick for a long time,” he commented.

“It is flu season,” she reminded him. People always got sick when the weather turned cold.

“I guess, but maybe a doctor could give you something to help settle your stomach and help you sleep better. If you could sleep better, you might recover faster. The body heals itself faster if you can sleep,” she just groaned at his comment. “What if I take the day off? I can drive you to the doctor.”

“There is no need. I can drive myself.”

“Are you sure,” he asked.

Mackenzie smiled up at him weakly. “I’m a big girl; I can tie my own shoes and everything.”

He grinned at her. “Alright. Do you want me to make you some coffee before I leave?”

She frowned. “I don’t think I could keep it down.”

“You are going to go to the doctor, right?”

“Yes.”

“Promise?”

“Yes,” she laughed, getting up. “You nag worse than a woman.”

“I nag because I care,” he said as they left the washroom.

“I think I’m just going to try and get a little more sleep,” she said, crawling back into bed. “I’ll go when I get up,” she promised.

Gordon took hold of the blanket and pulled it up around her tucking her in, so she was nice and cozy, then he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “I’ll see you tonight,” she listened to him leave as she dozed off once more.

As promised, when she woke from her nap, Mackenzie showered and got dressed. Then she drove herself to the doctor’s office, where she had to wait an hour to been seen. As she sat in the uncomfortable chairs in the packed waiting room watching as a mother with three sick young children, do her best to entertain them in the agonizingly long wait. She was playing a cute little game she called “What am I?” Where she would give her children three clues as to what she was thinking of, and they had to guess what it was. The winner of each round got to start the next. It was extremely cute, and even some of the other waiting patents had joined in the game. Mackenzie could not help but think it was an ingenious way to keep bored children from going stir-crazy.

When she was finally called, Mackenzie followed the nurse to a private room where she sat and looked at the medical posters on the wall. One was an example of COPD, another of sleep apnea, and a third appeared to be colon cancer. There were also signs posted about the fees the doctor charged for filling out forms, doctor's notes, and copying or transfers of files. Mackenzie was so bored as she wanted she read each wall three times before the doctor finally came in.

He asked her why she had come, and she told him. He asked the usual questions then told her he wished to rule things out, so he was sending her for some lab work. Complete blood work and a urinalysis. He told her to go next door to the lab and get it done, then to come back tomorrow for the results.

hours waiting in the lab. Once she completed her testing, she went home to nap again. She had no idea how long she had been asleep when her phone rang.

“Mackenzie Starr?”

“Speaking.”

Office. The doctor would like you to come back in. Can you be here in

I have to

will

concerned. If they were willing to fast-track

hanging up. Mackenzie was scared, so she called Gordon and asked if he could close up early and go with her; she did not want to go alone. When he heard the fear

her door in thirty minutes. Though they had not done the typical get-to-know-you conversations, Mackenzie had come to enjoy her time with Gordon and having him close made her feel safe. Over the last month, Mackenzie had grown attached to Gordon, and she

to the doctor’s office. With the weather cooling, he had retired his bike until spring. Mackenzie enjoyed his car; it was a gorgeous Camaro, and it was just like new right off the lot. He certainly knew how to care for it. Not wanting to be

nurse walked them back into one of the private rooms. She sat up on the exam table while Gordon leaned against the walk next to the table. They did not wait long before Dr. Chow came in with a tablet in his hands. “Welcome back, Miss. Starr. We have your test results

“Concerning?” Mackenzie asked.

“Yes.”

how?” Gordon

white blood cell count is off the charts. We expect to

Gordon snapped. “Did you just

is two to three weeks pregnant,”

not possible that she is

Mackenzie explained Gordon’s confusion. “Is it possible to still get pregnant with

done properly, it could fail. It is an oddity, but it

at the doctor. “It’s not possible that I got her pregnant. It’s just not,”

shocked; he would suggest she was seeing more than him. “No one. Your stupid vasectomy must

he was so certain he could not be

have never seen before. Honestly, I don’t even think there is a name for this hormone. Normally pregnant women produce a lot of human growth hormones to help build the baby, but this growth hormone that is surging through your body… it’s not human. I don’t know what it is,” Mackenzie saw the question and then a look of panic. He knew something they did not. “I would

necessary?” Mackenzie

and he took Mackenzie by the arm and helped her down off the exam table. “Thank you, doctor, but I think we will be fine. Come on, let’s go,” Gordon ushered Mackenzie out of the office and out to his car. They drove home, and Gordon never

the apartment, Mackenzie wanted answers. “Don’t you

and you can’t go to

hell not?” He looked anxious, like he did not know how to tell her what he knew. “Gordon.

think it was possible. This has never happened in the entire history of my kind. How is this even possible?” He

vasectomy?” Gordon cringed with a guilty look on his face. “You did have

“No.”

“No!”

I just didn’t want to

damn it, Gordon!” She