Unconventional Love

The next few weeks passed uneventfully, blissfully, and the young couple grew closer still. It wasn’t hard for Chris and Amy to figure out that they’d become intimate, although they never said a thing to avoid embarrassing the young boy. He still blushed furiously when he realized that his in-laws knew what they’d been up to late at night and early in the morning, but was glad they had the class not to mention it.

On the morning of September eighth, not more than two days longer than four months after their wedding, Ash awoke at dawn feeling ill. It was the second morning in a row he’d woken thus, and had spent all of the previous day abed. If he felt like he couldn’t make it to the water closet in time, he’d grab the chamber pot on the bottom shelf of his nightstand.

He quickly fought his way about of his husband’s arms, knowing that he was going to get sick again, but had enough time to make it. Andy woke with a groan, particularly when he pressed his hand too hard into his abdomen, but still let him go since he knew he wasn’t feeling well. The young boy didn’t care that he ran through their suite in his birthday suit, even though one of the maids could’ve walked in and had a heart attack. He had no time to grab his dressing gown, much less get it on, before getting sick.

“It is okay, my love,” his husband whispered in his ear, holding his hair back and rubbing his back soothingly. “I am sure it is just the influenza.”

He couldn’t answer because when he opened his mouth to try, his stomach lurched uncomfortably once again.

“I can send Father out to fetch the doctor, if you wish,” he told him.

“Mmm mmm,” Ash murmured, finally able to lean back against his chest. He panted as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Does the doctor not know you are male?” the young man asked.

He shook his head miserably. His parents had never told the man, preferring to care for him themselves when he took ill so their secret was never exposed.

“Mother was trained by Grandmother in the art of healing,” Andy said softly. “Would you like me to go get her?”

“If you…think…she can…help me,” he panted, his breathing slowing down a bit.

“Of course I think she can help you,” his husband told him, kissing his forehead as he picked him up. “Why would I suggest such a thing if I thought otherwise?”

Too delirious to answer, Ash merely cuddled into his chest and allowed him to carry him back to their bedchamber. He quickly got a night gown on him to cover his nudity, knowing that he was still sensitive toward the thought of anyone but him seeing him nude. Once his bride was dressed as well as he could be, the young man grabbed his own dressing gown and pulled it over his nightshirt, tightening the sash around his waist as he left the room.

Andy quickly made his way down the hall to his parents’ suite, knowing that if they were awake yet, they’d only be relaxing in their sitting room. He doubted either of them would be dressed for the day, most likely just lounging in their nightclothes and dressing gowns as they awoke fully.

He gingerly entered the sitting room that was the entrance room to their suite, much like his own sitting room was the entrance to his suite. Their bedchamber door was still closed, but he thought he heard rustling on the other side of it. Tentatively, he lifted his fist and rapped his knuckles against the mahogany panel, trying to do so gingerly, but urgently. His love was quite ill, and he wasn’t sure what to do, but since his mother was trained in the art of healing, he knew she probably would.

“Good morning, Andy,” his father said, tightening the sash of his dressing gown as he opened the door.

“Morning, Father,” he answered. “Is Mother awake yet?”

“She is. What do you need her for?” Chris asked curiously.

“Ash is unwell. I thought maybe she could help,” the young man answered, sounding worried and nervous.

“Amy, Andy is requesting your assistance,” the older man said, turning to face his wife.

“What is amiss, dear?” Amy asked, pulling her dressing gown on over her night gown as she approached the door.

“Ash is unwell,” Andy repeated. “He woke up ill yesterday morn, and it has carried over into today.”

“What is wrong?” she asked, concerned.

“Everything he tries to eat comes right back up,” he explained as she tightened her sash and slid her feet into her slippers. “I think it may be the influenza, but I am unsure.”

“Am I to assume the town doctor does not know of his secret?” his mother asked as she followed him to their suite.

“He shook his head when I asked him the same thing, so I presume not,” he answered. “I think his parents may have taken care of him themselves when he took ill to keep their secret from accidentally getting out.”

“Possibly so,” the older woman agreed, nodding.

When they entered the young couple’s bedchamber, they found Ash leaning over the edge of the bed, chamber pot in hand and wretching uncontrollably. The young man immediately rushed to his side, grabbing his hair to hold it aside while rubbing soothing circles into his back again. He thought nothing of being on his knees on the hardwood floor, only caring about his young bride and his health.

Amy gasped softly as she took in her young son-in-law’s condition, her hand covering her gaping mouth as she regained her composure. She told her son that she was returning to her suite to grab her medical bag, thinking their might be something in there that could help him.

Once his stomach stopped lurching again, the young boy flopped back onto the pillows, his breathing rapid and shallow once again. Andy pressed his hand to his forehead to check for a fever, knowing that could kill him if his temperature wasn’t brought down soon if he had one. He was relieved to feel no excess heat radiating from his forehead, but was at a loss as to what could be causing his misery and illness, as well as how to help him aside from getting his mother.

The older woman soon returned, her medical bag in hand, and gingerly sat down on the bed beside the young boy. She didn’t want to jostle him around and upset his stomach again, knowing that he needed to be able to hold something down soon. She rummaged through her bag quickly before finding a specific jar, telling her son she needed a pot of hot water to brew a tea from it with. He nodded his assent and rose from where he knelt, assuring Ash that he would be right back before leaving the room. His young bride whimpered miserably as he left, wanting only husband at his side.

“Shhh. It is okay, Ashley,” Amy whispered, gently brushing his hair back. “I know you do not feel well.”

“My tummy hurts,” he whimpered, gingerly holding onto his side right above his stomach. “My ribs hurt, too.”

“It is from the wretching, no doubt,” she told him. “I remember wretching this violently while expecting Andy, although I do not see why you are unless you have caught the influenza.”

“Here, Mother,” Andy said, returning with a tray that held a steaming teapot of water and a teacup.

“Thank you, son,” the older woman returned, immediately dropping several leaves into the steaming water. “This may not taste very good once it is done steeping, but it will help settle your stomach.”

“Mmm,” Ash moaned. “Anything to help.”

A few minutes later, she poured the tea into the cup on the tray, taking a small spoon she always kept in her bag and dipping up a spoonful. She blew on it gently to insure that it wasn’t too hot for the young boy, then got him to open his mouth. He diligently took each spoonful she gave him until it was cool enough to drink, never once complaining.

Now that the tea was cool enough to drink, Andy crawled onto the opposite side of the bed and moved to sit behind him. He allowed his young bride to lean back against him as he used his own body to prop him up, making sure he didn’t drink the tea too fast and choke. Amy took the cup and placed it aside once he was finished with it, watching him warily as he released a soft burp. It didn’t sound too distressed, but she still didn’t like the sound that she heard since he was so ill.

Despite his modesty and reluctance to allow it, Ash soon let his husband strip his night gown off so she could perform a thorough physical examination. While she might not be a doctor, she’d still been trained in the art of natural healing and herbal remedies for many years. She might be able to help him in ways that not even the town doctor would think to try since modern medicine often left out old remedies she knew.

“Ouch!” he cried softly, wincing and shrinking back when she pressed on his chest.

“That is not…expected,” Amy said softly, a puzzled look on her face. “You have not been treating him too roughly, have you, son?”

“Never!” Andy denied, shaking his head furiously. “I often stop before he tells me to just to be sure that I am not!”

“Calm down, son,” she soothed. “Most boys and men do not react thusly. I was just curious.”

The young man cocked a brow at her in confusion and curiosity.

“Girls and women are known to experience tenderness in our…feminine attributes,” she told him, choosing her words wisely. “It is part of the monthlies we have to suffer through, but gets worse when a woman is expecting.”

“Ah, I see. No wonder you think it odd,” he agreed, now confused himself.

“I am going to go consult the medical textbooks your grandmother gave me many years ago,” his mother told him. “Maybe I can find something in there to explain his illness and tenderness.”

Andy nodded his agreement, promising to do everything he could to help him in her absence. She suggested going to get him some crackers for him to nibble on, knowing that while the tea she’d brewed would help, it wouldn’t be enough. The young boy needed solid nourishment to stay healthy, and he hadn’t been able to hold down anything he tried to eat in at least two days.

* * *

Over the course of the next three days, Amy poured over her textbooks to the point of giving herself headaches and she searched for an explanation to her son-in-law’s illness. She hadn’t been able to find anything that fit aside from pregnancy as of yet, but she’d thrown that explanation out the window long ago. He was male; surely there was no way that he could possibly be carrying her grandchild, as it was well known that only women carried and bore young.

Still, she had no other choice but to do an even more thorough physical examination of him since nothing else made sense. Ash was a bit apprehensive about this, especially since she thought it best that her son wait in their sitting room. She promised not to hurt him, but told him it was in the best interest of his health.

The young boy laid still on the bed he shared with his husband, letting his mother-in-law run her hands over his body, pressing down in some places. He was mortified when she had him roll over and gently prodded his entrance the way his husband did, giving a startled and indignant yelp as he tried to pull away. The older woman soothed him with a few soft words and a gentle squeeze of the hand resting on his shoulder, telling him that it was necessary or she wouldn’t do it. Still, he was barely able to relax so that she wouldn’t hurt him, especially when she gasped in shock moments later.

Amy removed her fingers from her son-in-law’s rear and took a soft towel to gently clean him up since she’d rubbed corn oil on her fingers. Once he’d been cleaned up, Ash rolled onto his back once more, looking at her with fear in his eyes as she said that she was stepping out to get Andy. She didn’t want to have to repeat her findings and chose to tell them both at once, knowing they’d be just as shocked as she.

“So what is amiss, Mother?” the young man asked, grasping his hand as he sat on the bed beside him.

“Do not get angry at me for such a thing, but I was forced to give him an internal examination,” she said.

“Mother!” Andy gasped indignantly.

“It was in the better interest of his health,” the older woman said sternly. “You know I would never do such a thing otherwise.”

“True enough,” he conceded. “So what did you find that has you paler than a ghost?”

“While giving him the internal examination, I felt something that I have only felt in laboring mothers,” Amy began, trying to break the news gently. “One does not normally find the mouth of a womb in a man, and that is exactly what my fingers came into contact with during the examination.”

“What?” he gasped, his bride’s eyes widening in shock.

“Yes. I believe that he has the same reproductive organs as a female, despite being male,” she told them. “If that is so, he could very well be carrying your child.”

The two of them turned beet red in embarrassment.

“I am not stupid. I know you have long since consummated your marriage,” she chuckled. “I was just not so crass as to remark upon it. However, this could be very serious.”

“How so?” Ash finally spoke up.

“Male bodies were never designed to bear children; it is just not what Nature had in mind. If you are, indeed, carrying my grandchild, you could have many complications that women do not,” Amy explained. “Then again, your body may actually think that it is female while you are carrying the child and adapt accordingly, thus leaving you with no complications or lingering health affects.”

“What if his body does not adapt accordingly?” Andy asked, fear in his eyes.

“Then the child he carries could very well kill him,” she answered. “I am not saying that he is actually with child; I will need to observe him for a while longer to be certain. But this is the only explanation that fits with his illness, tenderness, and the slight hardened area in his lower abdomen that I felt during the external examination.”

The young man wrapped his arms tightly around his bride, fearful for his life now. “What will happen if his body does adapt accordingly, should that be the case?”

“Then he should carry the child for around nine months, just like a woman would,” his mother told him. “I am not sure how he would give birth, aside from me removing the infant surgically. But I do not have that kind of training, and you said the town doctor knows not of your true gender.”

“He does not. My parents kept it a secret from everyone, the doctor included,” Ash told her, nodding. “They said he was not the original doctor who delivered me, who died about a year after my birth.”

“Well, you get some rest, dear. Chris and I will go over the medical textbooks one more time, and I will be observing you closely over the coming days, just to be sure,” his mother-in-law told him. “I still am not certain that you are really with child, but I will never lie to you, especially when your health, and possibly life, could be at stake.”

“Thank you, Mother,” Andy said. “I will see to his comfort the best I can, in the meantime.”

“Make sure you get some rest, too, Andy,” she told him. “You will need to keep your strength up and make sure you are in good health, if you wish to help him.”

“I will, Mother,” he assured her, seeing her out.

As they disappeared out the bedchamber door, Ash rested his hands on his belly. It was unheard of for a man to have the ability to carry children, but there was no other explanation aside from him being a medical miracle. Not only did she have training in the art of healing and many textbooks to consult, but Amy’d obviously had a child before. If anyone should know the symptoms of expecting, it was she.

He sighed as he caressed is belly, gently prodding it to see if he could feel the same hardness she’d told them about as he awaited his husband’s return. Sure enough, he felt a slight hard spot he hadn’t noticed before in his lower belly, just beneath his navel, that suggested he might very well have the proper organs for and be carrying a child.

The young man he’d married soon returned, his face screaming that he was overwhelmed by the news. If anyone should be overwhelmed, it should be the young boy who cross-dressed, given that he was the walking freak show capable of carrying children, despite being a male. Something instinctive, down at a bone-deep level, told him that his mother-in-law was right, but he wasn’t going to tell his husband that. He didn’t need him thinking he was crazy unnecessarily, when in fact, he was of sound mind. Hell, he’d be lucky if he still wanted him as his husband, especially if Amy turned out to be right.

Andy crawled onto the bed beside him and gently took him into his arms. He pressed his head against the crook of his neck, gently rocking him back and forth as he sang to him to ensure that he was calm. Their nerves were both wracked at the possibility his mother’d suggested, and it was going to stress them out, no matter what. Still, they needed to stay calm, lest they get locked in an asylum, or worse, the young boy and their possible child die from the stress.

“Do not worry about my love for you,” he said softly. “Nothing will change the fact that I love you, even if you are a medical miracle.”

“You are certain of that?” Ash asked softly, still a bit scared.

“I am. Even if you do possess the ability to carry children like a woman, that does not change who you are in here,” Andy answered. He gently laid his hand over his heart. “That is who I fell in love with; the man you are, and are going to continue being as you age. I did not fall in love with your body, or any hidden abilities it has.”

“I love you so much, Andy,” the young boy said, sighing. “Forever and always.”

“I love you more than I can ever scream, Ashes,” he answered, kissing his temple. “Always and forever.”

Notes