Knight finally got the nerve to go into work on Monday morning. Scott had talked to him, saying that work probably knew that he was pregnant just from seeing the news. He hadn’t answered the phone, even the calls from work, so he didn’t know what he was getting into.
At around 7:30 in the morning he pulled up to the alleyway and parked his bike. He went around front, unlocked the door, and went to the alarm panel. Someone had already shut it off.
“Paulie?” he called.
“Yeah, Knight,” came his voice from his office. Most people would have heard a voice, but Knight’s cat senses picked up the words. Knight crossed the hard wood floor of the pub to the bar. Paulie had stepped out of his office and met him there at the bar.
Paulie glanced at Knight’s abdomen. “You don’t look pregnant to me.”
Knight hung his head. “Yeah, about that…” He kind of let that hang in the air, hoping he wouldn’t have to explain.
“Is there anything else I should know about you that you’ve lied to me about?”
Knight winced. There was the word he had hoped he wouldn’t hear: Lie. “Paulie, I…”
“Out with it, or I’ll fire you here and now.”
Knight looked up at Paulie. He was pissed off, it was plain and blatant, with his arms crossed and his eyes boring into Knight.
Knight took a breath. “I’m a shifter. I c’n change into a leopard.”
“And a woman?”
“No, tha’s diff’rent. There’s a ritual – we did a ritual. Mal – we wanted kids. Kids of our blood.”
Paulie uncrossed his arms. “Knight. A shifter, I can handle. Look at the town we’re in. Half of my patrons probably have super powers.”
“But a pregnant man?”
“I can even handle that, Knight. Why didn’t you tell me? Tell us? We had to find out on the news.” He motioned to the big screen TV that was above the bar.
“I thought that you’d…all think…that…it was…I was…”
“What? I can’t fire you for being pregnant or a shifter. Just like I can’t fire you for being gay. I can fire you if you’re a danger to me, my business, and my clientele.”
Knight thought it best not to mention the killing he was exonerated from. If Paulie wanted to forget about it, then he could, too.
“So are you?”
“No,” Knight said quickly. “Hell, no.”
“Good. Now get in that kitchen, and do that magic that you do.” Paulie smiled just a tad. “No more lies, Knight. I mean it.”
Going forward, Knight thought. “No more lies, Paulie.”
Knight busied himself in the kitchen. He lifted his head as he heard people come in, but nobody popped in and said hello. Knight sighed, concentrating on his work, wondering if he should make the first move. Lunch time was all-business, unusual for the waitresses on. They seemed to avoid wanting to talk to him.
After lunch, he started clean up, when Paulie poked his head in. “Knight,” he said, “I need to talk to you.”
Knight wiped his hands on his apron and followed Paulie out to the front end of the pub. He turned the corner, and saw pastel blue and light yellow crepe paper hung from the ceiling.
“Surprise!” a bunch of voices yelled, and he saw all the waitresses, the bartenders, and even some patrons gathered around a table. The table was nearly bulging with gifts, all wrapped in light colors and baby wrapping paper.
He stared at the people. He stared at the gifts. His eyes welled up. “Goddamn,” he whispered. “Shit, you din’t have t’ do this.” He looked at Paulie.
“Wasn’t my idea,” he said, and looked at the waitresses, Lynn in particular.
“Come on!” said Trish, as she and Brittany grabbed him by the upper arms and guided him to a chair that had been covered over with light blue and yellow ribbon. One of the female frequent patrons came forward. “Here, open this. My husband’s outside waiting.”
Knight laughed, and took the box from her. It fit on his lap, so he unwrapped it. “A baby food warmer,” he said, and looked up at her. Now the tears came. “Shit. Shit, thank you.”
The woman smiled. All the women smiled. The waiters smiled, and the bartenders looked away. “It’ll come in handy. It did for me.” Then she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Good luck, honey.”
Knight wiped his eyes as the woman left. “Shit.”
“Here you go,” said Lynn, handing him a tiny packet of tissues. “If you were like Tina here, you’ll need this. She cried at every present.”
Tina said, “I did not!”
“Well, maybe not at the high chair.”
Knight laughed, and wiped the tears.
“Just one thing,” said Lynn. She smiled warmly. “You don’t have much of a belly.”
Knight looked down, then up at her, and the small crowd. He stood up slowly, and took out Scott’s magic rose from his pocket. He walked over, set it down on the table of gifts, then turned to face them, standing proudly.