The Squad

Jason

No sooner had the word left my lips than the women descended like sharks scenting blood in the water. I didn’t think I’d spoken that loud, and where the hell did they come from. “Are you sure, Jason?” My brother asked from behind me, and I nodded. I know it’s stupid, and I can’t explain it, but I know that she’s carrying my seed, which is all it is at this point.

There was a fire starting under my palm, a kind of electric buzz running up my arm where we touched. My head spun with emotion, and I felt the connection deep. Like something inside her, my son or daughter, holding me there by her side. I caught her when she faltered, her eyes never leaving mine. “Pregnant?” The word was a mere whisper from her lips, and I nodded, too choked up for words.

I picked her up while she was still in a daze and less apt to strike. “Ash!” I looked around for my sister and saw a line of women watching us with smiles on their faces. “You and the others follow me.” I haven’t the first clue what to do for her, but these women will. “Jason, stop it; it’s only been a day you can’t possibly tell.” She gritted the words through her teeth, but I ignored her as I bypassed the stairs and went to the elevator. I was trembling so hard I thought I might drop her.

There was a riot of emotions going on inside my head and heart. She’s right, I shouldn’t possibly know this soon, but as with everything else where she’s concerned, my senses are on overdrive. It was as if I could sense my child somehow; its life force, as young as it is, was still strong enough to reach out to me.

I have no premise for this shit, no way of knowing exactly what was going on with me, so there was no way for me to put it into words enough for everyone else to believe me. There was no surprise that Gideon and Ash took my word for it without question, but I was a bit taken aback by the other women who all but pushed me out of the way when we reached our room to fawn over her.

I stood back out of the way and watched them pamper her like she was about to give birth before turning to leave the room. “Jason!” There was panic and awe in her voice. I turned and went back to her, climbing onto the bed beside her. “It’s okay, baby; I’ll be right back. Ash is here.” I took my sister’s hand and pulled her close. “And so are the others.” I smiled at the other women, but my face felt brittle like it was going to break apart.

I got up from the bed again and left the room to head back upstairs where the men were in their usual place; the conference room. “Gideon!” I stood just inside the door of the room and couldn’t go any further. My feet felt like lead, and the room began to spin.

“Jason!” I heard my brother call out to me, but his voice sounded as if it was coming from a distance instead of right in front of me.

“Oh, he’s fucked.” Those were the last words I heard Lyon say before I toppled over and everything went dark.

I don’t know how much time had passed when I finally opened my eyes to find most of them leaning over me. “No one tells the women about this shit.” Tyler grouched before walking away.

“What happened?” I looked at my brother, who was hovering next to Dr. Lyon, who was taking my pulse. “Emotional overload, son, nothing to worry about.”

“You fainted, kid, dropped like a lodestone in front of this bunch; you’ll never live it down. How’s he doing, dad? Do we need the smelling salts?”

“Boy, didn’t you faint when Kat gave birth?”

“You hitting the pipe too hard old man; it’s fucking with your memory.” The two of them bickering actually brought me out of my haze, and I sat up.

It dawned on me then that the room looked much like the one I’d left downstairs, only this time it was the men standing around me like nervous hens. The thought made me smile, and then I remembered why I was here. “She can’t work with me anymore.”

“That’s a given kid.” Lyon always sounds like he has all the answers. He hasn’t dealt with my little pain in the ass yet, though.

“She still hasn’t given up the name of the town, and believe me, I’ve tried everything.” No way in hell is she getting anywhere near that shit now, not with my kid growing inside her. She’d be lucky if I let her get too far out of bed for the next ten months.