"O, are you still sulking?" the professor asked as we left his brother-in-law's house. "As you can see, Nathan's doing much better now, he's not trying to run away anymore, and he's no longer trying to start a fight with everyone. In short, the suppressants we gave him are effective. He's no longer showing any pair withdrawal symptoms."
"Be that as it may, I still need to give him a full check-up, particularly an MRI. According to my calculations, he has already developed an ovary and may even be pregnant right now."
"There's plenty of time for that next time, though I'm still hoping that you're wrong," he told me. "God knows what Nathan would do if he finds out that he's actually pregnant. Especially now that Reubert's already left him."
"It is inevitable, he would have to face it sooner or later."
"IF he really is pregnant," he insisted.
I gave Eric a quick glance.
I know that he still refuses to accept that his nephew might actually have developed a womb. I was not able to conclude my research since I could not acquire new blood samples from his nephew, but with all the evidence present – the rise in female hormones, the physical changes in Nathan's body, even his moodiness, it is enough to suggest that changes have indeed taken place.
"O, why the sudden silence?"
"I was just thinking how nice it would be to see you apologize when I prove that you are wrong."
Eric merely laughed.
"Haven't I been doing that too often lately? I always lose when ever I go against you! But seriously," his voice became serious as well, "I just don't want to think about that stuff actually happening. Nathan already has his plate full. I don't want him to have even more problems to think about."
"It is true that he may not be able to accept it, but if we don't take samples and tell him soon..."
"Yes, I know, it would only piss him off more." He took a deep sigh. "That's why it's even harder to tell him now. I'm worried about how we're supposed to break the news to him."
"We can talk to Louie first."
"I'm actually thinking that. The two of them seem to have gotten closer after that heart-to-heart talk at the hospital. He might be able to accept it better with Louie as back up – that is IF there really is a womb."
"Then let us talk to Louie later."
"Let me do it," he said with a sigh. "Nathan's birthday is coming up soon. Let's talk about it then, for now, let's enjoy some peace and quiet. Even if it could be our last one."
"Happy birthday Nat-Nat!"
Eric greeted his nephew as soon as he opened the gate. "Congrats! You're not a brat anymore!"
"Thanks Tito Eric, where's my gift?" Nathan asked with a big grin.
"Here `ya go, I made you your favorite kalamay1. There's jackfruit there, like you've always requested."
"Tito Eric! How old was I when I last asked you to make me kalamay?" he laughed, "Anyway thanks! I kinda missed eating this."
He smiled gently at his uncle who looked fondly at him. I guess he really has sobered up since we last saw him a week ago.
We went straight to the kitchen where Eric placed his kalamay on the kitchen counter. Bless served it to us later, with the help of her boyfriend Miles. It was just a simple celebration. We ate, sang songs, and later on, waved the family goodbye as I left unfulfilled.
"Did you get to talk to Louie about Nathan?" I asked Eric as we drove home.
"Nope," he replied, rubbing his bulging tummy, "why would I want to ruin such a perfect occasion? I just mentioned that I needed to talk to him soon," he added with a burp. "Ahh, I think I ate too much. My nieces are really great cooks, I guess they take after their Tito," he chuckled. "Did you see how fat they're all getting?"
"Joshua is also a good cook," I pointed out. "Though the fat in Nathan's body, if you noticed, are mostly in the hip and chest area."
"Yeah, I noticed..." he fell silent. "Do you still have his blood samples back home?"
"I'm afraid I have used them all up."
"I guess we should have taken some earlier..." he mumbled.
"But you told me not to mention anything about the experiment to Nathan today."
"I know... haay... I guess I'll have to make do with your findings."
Eric did just that.
He meticulously checked my notes and studied my theories when we got home, making conclusions of his own.
"I still think the possibility of an adult alpha to grow a womb is too small, considering they didn't even last a month together..."
"On the contrary, it only takes 2 weeks for a male eel to develop a uterus. Also, the two of them were already in a sexual relationship even before they started cohabiting."
"Well, it's not like we're studying eels!" he pouted.
"Regardless, It takes a newly manifested omega three weeks to fully develop one. I merely placed the time line at four weeks."
"Ugh... from the results you got, it really shows that his sex chromosomes are undergoing a heteromorphic process. I guess your hypothesis is not impossible... his secondary gender really might change..."
"Yet his alpha genes are still present."
"In that case, this would be a new mutation..."
"See?" I look at him smugly.
"I see alright," Eric wiped the palm of his hand across his weary face. "I could just see Nathan now, flipping out when he learns that he just grew a womb!"
"And may actually be pregnant already."
Eric gave a long sigh.
"I'll call Louie up. I'll schedule a check-up in Universal Labs for Nathan."
And so, I eagerly await the day I can finally conclude my experiment.
I have already taken care of everything; the MRI schedule, the equipment, the convenient excuse as to how he acquired it, as well as why I was expecting it. Luck was also on my side, for the schedule came earlier than expected.
"I just called Louie, it seems Nathan dropped out of school so he could rest for the rest of the semester."
"Then, we can ask them to come over anytime?" I asked, delighted.
"Right, Nathan even asked a favor. Seems like a friend of his needs a check up as well. Apparently, the kid's starting to go through withdrawal.""
"A marked friend?" I looked at Eric. "Alpha or omega?"
Eric answered with a sigh. "Apparently, it's an omega rape victim. He's starting to show withdrawal symptoms after being bitten about a month ago."
"Four weeks? Isn't that a bit too long for pair withdrawal to manifest?"
"Regrettably, the kid got pregnant," Eric continued, "the symptoms probably showed up late due to the change in his hormonal levels."
"Come to think of it, this is fairly common in omega pregnancy," I said thoughtfully. "In some cases, couples can stay apart for the duration of the omega's pregnancy."
"Right, it's because alphas dump a ton of pheromones on their omegas during conception, enough to last the omega for months. Though, it's still healthier for omegas to get regular pheromone showers during pregnancy."
"So, when can we meet them?"
"They're dropping by at ten," answered Eric. "Both of them dropped out of school so they're pretty much free the whole semester."
"Both?"
"They're classmates."
"But it's already 9:45!" I stood up and placed my notes away, "I need to re-schedule the use of the MRI machine!"
"No worries, I already told Pedro to reschedule it."
"I need to prepare additional materials for samples..."
"All done." Eric held up two specimen bags.
"Thank you, I guess you have everything prepared."
"Of course, since I've been noticing you glaring at me more often than necessary," he chuckled.
"I do not," I quickly denied. "I simply felt a little impatient about things. And a little disappointed. This is an on-going experiment after all."
"Then stop making me feel guilty!" he leaned on my shoulder and sighed. "Having a friend with him could also help Nathan face the situation better," he added, "not to mention, his friend is also pregnant – not that I'm saying Nathan is actually pregnant..."
I looked at Eric and sighed. He is really trying hard to deny this pregnancy for his nephew's sake. Well, I cannot blame him, though I also cannot wait to prove him wrong.
And I soon will.
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1Kalamay – dark, chewy, sweet rice cake