Page 42 of The Monsters Within

“Why weren’t we invited?” Blade asked as he led Beck over and pulled a chair for her to sit in. I quickly pushed Cash out of the booth and gave her my spot instead. I couldn’t see her sitting on those uncomfortable chairs as heavily pregnant as she was.

“How much longer do you have?”

“About a month. As soon as we hit May, I am doing all the old wives tales to get this baby out,” she whined.

“What are they?” I asked. I knew a lot about pregnancy and had delivered a baby once. But folklore wasn’t my thing.

“Things like eating spicy foods, driving down bumpy roads. Lots of sex.” Beck chuckled, and Blade spoke up, “Damn right.”

“Then the last resort is castor oil.”

“Oh, that’s not an old wives tale. There is science behind that,” I offered.

“What science?” Ryder asked. I could tell he was skeptical.

“Um, it’s a bit graphic, but if you really want to know,” I hedged.

“I want to know. I’m not far behind Beck,” Ellie insisted.

“Well castor oil gives you the shits. And when you have the shits, your bowels release the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin is the hormone that makes your uterus contract.”

Ryder, Cash, and Blade stared at me, their mouths hanging open. Ellie and Beck seemed intrigued. “So, it works?” Ellie asked.

“Not always. Your body still has to be ready. Otherwise, women would be constantly going into labor when they get a stomach bug, which can happen.”

“So you mean, if I drink castor oil I will get the shits and it might not even work?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Well, we can scratch that off the list. I’m not going through the shits without a guarantee.” Everyone at the table snickered and laughed.

The bell over the door jingled again, and Jack and Sam entered. “What the fuck?” Jack called out.

“Jackass!” the woman behind the counter yelled, and Jack winced.

“Sorry, Joellen!” Jack narrowed his eyes at the table. “You guys know I don’t like being left out!”

Sam shook her head and smacked the back of his head. “I told you they were on a date.”

“Without us,” he whined.

“Sit here, Sam.” I jumped up from the booth and made room next to Beck. Instead of grabbing a chair, Cash pulled me down on his lap.

“I think we need another table,” Ryder said.

“Make that two,” Blade countered as the door jingled again, and Gunner and Ghost walked in with Haizley and Dr. Jefferson.

Joellen, the woman who yelled at Jack, hurried over. “If you had called ahead, I could’ve put you in the back room,” she huffed as Gunner and Ghost grabbed another table and pulled it over.

“We didn’t know,” Cash told her as he glared at the newcomers. “Sorry, baby.”

I turned to look at him. “For what?”

“Our double date turned into a... I don’t even know what you would call this.”

“A sextuple,” Jack offered with a grin.

“Jackass,” Cash muttered, and I laughed out loud. I was having fun. I didn’t even mind having Dr. Jefferson here.