Blood Is Thicker...
By
Christine
Part Three
Chapter 22
Madeleine looked sternly over at Pik when he parked as a bawdy-looking roadhouse.
"We need a place to stay for the night," he explained. "Wait here, I'll see if they have a room."
He returned a few minutes later and she followed him as he carried their bags around the back of the establishment and up a set of outside stairs. He showed her into a dimly lit room with a double bed and a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling it's only embellishments. The sound of a man's and woman's loud, drunken laughter was approaching from the hall way, and Pik calmly closed and locked the door.
"Will we be safe here?" she asked him, looking around the lodgings uncertainly.
"Safer then someplace you father could track us down to." He set their bags down next to the bed and looked at his watch. "Let's get some rest."
She began to pull the coverings down on the bed when he stopped her, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"Why?"
"This is the type of room that usually rents by the hour."
She quickly pulled the covers back up and wiped her hands off distastefully on her jeans. She watched as he opened his bag, put the revolver inside, and pulled out a different type of pistol. He tucked it into the back of his pants and lay on his side on the bed, patting the space in front of him. She curled up alongside him, and he nuzzled her neck with small kisses.
"I'm sorry about this room, but I'll make it up to you tomorrow."
"How?" She was beginning to drift off.
"It's a surprise. Now go to sleep." Pik didn't bother to turn the light out. They both fell into an exhausted slumber, fully dressed down to their shoes, oblivious to the merry sounds of revelry coming from the tavern below.
The morning sun woke Pik, and he looked at his watch again. He gently shook Madeleine awake, and she groggily tried to tidy herself as best she could using her small compact mirror and a comb. Pik opened his bag again, and showed her the passports that they would be using for a while. Their photos were attached, but the names were not theirs. Madeleine wondered how he so easily obtained such items, but decided not to question him about it.
"You're a real professional, huh?" she commented, looking over the ID's.
He smiled playfully, "I've been called that before. Now, it's time to go."
A short time later, Madeleine almost squealed as she threw herself back onto the soft, enormous bed in their cabin. A three-day cruise to Cancun, and then two weeks at vacation resort there after that, it would be an incredible honeymoon. She heard Pik asking the steward for a first aid kit.
"Is everything allright?" the steward asked. "We do have a doctor on board."
"A real doctor?" Pik questioned.
"Of course. Just dial 'star 18' if you need to speak with him."
"Thank you, I think I'll do that. But I would still like a first aid kit, right away."
"I'll be right back with it."
Pik turned to Madeleine, "Go ahead and take a shower first, it's too small for both of us in there."
Not long afterward, Madeleine was on her back on the bed, bath robe hiked up, wincing as Pik applied antiseptic and dressings to her injuries. Pik, also freshly showered, hovered over her legs, a towel wrapped around his waist. She could clearly see his cuts and scrapes as well, and mischievously looked forward to disinfecting his shoulder.
The little first aid kit was sufficient to take care of such a small matter, but when she was finished attending to him, he insisted they dress and visit the ship's doctor.
"What for?" she asked a bit childishly.
"You know. I want to make sure everything is allright."
But the infirmary had very little equipment as far as prenatal care went. The doctor performed a simple urine analysis to confirm her pregnancy, and said her blood pressure was slightly elevated, however, and that she should try to relax and enjoy herself. "Do you think you can do that?" he joked and she smiled back at him. Then he addressed Pik, but so Madeleine could hear. "From what she tells me, she is well over three months along. It's well past time she begins prenatal care…I'll send your wife's information to a physician I'm familiar with in Cancun, to help keep an eye on her blood pressure. But, as soon as your stay there is over, she needs to begin visiting an obstetrician."
"Okay, do you need to see her back here again?"
"No, not really, she seems to be doing perfectly fine. But do see my associate in Cancun."
Madeleine chimed in, "Oh, don't worry, we will."
But Pik still felt uneasy about the pregnancy, and the trauma she had just been through, she still seemed so exhausted. They had only two nights on the ship, and he wanted her to get all the rest she could. When it came time for bed, he simply pulled her up against him and held her closely. When she attempted intimacy with him, he halted her, reluctantly, and told her they would have to wait until they visited the doctor once they landed. Knowing it was useless to argue with him, she acquiesced, loving him more deeply for his concern.
After docking in Cancun, they carried their two meager bags into the immense hotel resort. Pik had arranged everything ahead of time, and Madeleine was thrilled with their suite. Enormous rooms, oversized tub, ocean view, and a closet filled with new clothes for both of them.
"Lunch is at noon, dinner is at six, and the entertainment begins at seven," the bellboy informed them while holding his hand out. Pik tipped him generously and closed the door behind him.
"Let's go, your appointment with Dr. Sol is in half an hour." He rushed her out the door.
"You are starting to be really annoying about this," she complained.
Truthfully, he was frightened beyond anything else he'd ever encountered. Even in times of danger, such as their flight from Fouchon, he wasn't scared, his adrenaline surged and brought excitement, not fear. But his wife's pregnancy and his own impending fatherhood were truly terrifying to him. He was utterly unprepared and clueless. It unease would have worsened had he known that Madeleine's own fears equaled his, but instead of pondering over it as Pik did, she simply avoided thinking about it.
Dr. Sol's offices were stationed in the hospital. She gave Madeleine a thorough exam and took her complete medical history, puzzling how she neglected to notice how late her cycle had been.
"I had a lot of stuff going on at the time, a lot of things on my mind," she tried to explain. She noted Madeleine's blood pressure had improved. Once Pik assured her money would be no object, Dr. Sol happily performed the sonogram herself right away. Pik was awestruck to see the black and white form of a tiny infant on the screen. Madeleine asked if she could determine the baby's gender, but the doctor informed them it wasn't positioned correctly for them to see. He pulled the doctor aside and almost shyly asked her if it was safe for a woman to have "marital relations" during a pregnancy. She was able to reassure him it was perfectly normal and safe for them to continue their usual habits.
"I can forward your information to your obstetrician immediately, so he will have your records as soon as your vacation is over," the doctor informed them.
"We…haven't decided on that yet," Madeleine admitted.
"We will be taking the records with us when we leave Cancun," Pik stated firmly.
"Very well. But decide soon. Here." She handed them her card. "In case your doctor wishes to contact me. Also, come back if you experience any of the symptoms we discussed."
They both thanked her and headed silently back to the hotel.
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