“You’ll have Avery to tell,” I suggested. “Seems like the two of you are close.”
“We are close. It’s nice having another human around, but I wish she wasn’t so frightened by Sol. We know he isn’t going to do anything to her, but she can’t get past whatever happened between them at Vincent’s.” She hesitated and asked, “How much longer will Jenn and Avery be at the compound with us?”
“I’m not sure. Jenn is doing great, but she needs a little longer to be sure she doesn’t relapse.” I debated if I should tell Chansey about Sol’s plan to leave because of Avery and decided she had the right to know. “Sol is going to leave the Savannah compound.”
“Why? He can’t leave. Savannah is his to run.” She shook her head and added, “No. I’m sorry, but he’s not doing that. We have babies on the way and judging by their record growth, they’re not going to wait until April.”
“I think I know when they’ll be born.”
“How could you know that?”
Chansey’s birth during the eclipse could have been a coincidence, but I doubted it and since it seems that at least one of these babies was conceived during an eclipse, it was predictable to expect them to be born during one. “I looked to see when the next eclipse is predicted. It’s very slight, but there will be a lunar in early January. Since the babies are growing so rapidly, it seems likely that is when it will happen.”
“January babies.”
“That’s my guess.”
“What are we going to do about seeing the specialist?”
“I want the babies to be healthy, but it feels like it’s too big of a risk. Dr. Knight wasn’t handling what she found very well. This isn’t a natural pregnancy and they’re going to find something unnatural about it. What do we do when that happens?” She looked out the window and said, “I need a vampire that delivered babies before he was turned,” she laughed.
She was kidding when she said it, but that is exactly what she needed. Why had I not thought of that already? “You’re right. That’s a brilliant idea.”
I saw her in my peripheral vision turn to stare at me. “I was kidding.”
“I know, but it is exactly what you need. It might take a little digging, but I know we can find one out there somewhere. It’s better than taking the risk with a human doctor that will ask too many questions.”
I think reality was beginning to set in for Chansey because I felt a twinge of fear take lead of her emotions as she considered the possibility. “Do you think Sebastian will know one?”
“I bet that if he doesn’t know one, he can find one. He was once a council member on the board of census.”
Chansey started laughing. “Say it isn’t so. A census record is kept for vampires?”
I felt her mood shift to something a little less stressed. “Yeah. Why is that so funny?”
“I don’t know. I guess it’s because a census is such a mundane thing to do.”
“We did it before humans started doing it,” I informed her. “They stole the idea from us.”
“Is that so?” she laughed and it was beautiful to hear after the stressful morning we had.
We reached the drive to the compound and I said, “It’s true, no joke,” as I pulled to the keypad and entered the passcode.
I pulled through the opened gates and Chansey said, “I’m not going to tell Avery right now. I want everyone to know at the same time because I’m afraid Gia and Lairah will be hurt if I tell Avery before them.”
“I think that is a wonderful idea, but will you let me talk with Sebastian before the announcement?”
“So he can be thinking about a doctor for us?”
“Yes,” I said as I tried to convince myself that that was my reasoning so Chansey wouldn’t see through my deception.
28 Fear Of The Unknown
The minute Sebastian was up; I was knocking on his door.
I heard him from the other side of the door, “You may enter, Curry.”
He saw the flustered look on my face and immediately asked, “What has happened? Is Chansey and the baby alright?”
“May I speak with you in the office?” I asked.
“Of course,” he replied as he got up from the bed.
We entered the office and Sebastian shut the soundproof door behind him. “What’s wrong, Curry?”
“As you know, Chansey had a doctor’s appointment this morning and Dr. Knight found some unusual things about her pregnancy. The growth is very rapid, but I wasn’t surprised by that considering the way I can see changes in Chansey’s body from one day to the next. The shocker was that the doctor found a second baby that wasn’t there when she had her ultrasound a month ago.”
Sebastian reached for his face and ran his hand across the stubble on his chin, but said nothing.
“Could this second baby be a Fylgia?” I asked.
“I suppose it’s possible, which would explain its sudden appearance, but we know this isn’t a regular human pregnancy. Perhaps the second baby was there a month ago and its growth was delayed and now it’s catching up with its twin. Maybe it’s possible that they weren’t conceived at the same time and that explains the sudden appearance, but it doesn’t explain why they are the same size now.” Sebastian shrugged and said, “Who knows? Anything is possible.
I wanted to hear that it wasn’t a possibility, but that wasn’t the case. “If one of the babies is a Fylgia, then that means the other is a girl and she is an Agápe.” I slammed my fist on the desk and caved it in. “I won’t hand my daughter over to a vampire. That’s not the life I want for her.”
“Curry, we don’t know anything for certain,” he reassured. “You could have two beautiful, healthy babies with neither of them being an Agápe or a Fylgia.”
“I need to tell Chansey about your Fylgia theory. I have to prepare her.” I ran my hands through my hair. “She has to know that one could be an Agápe and we could lose the other one so it isn’t so devastating if it happens.”
“My theory doesn’t hold much water if you don’t tell her about Ella, so I’m guessing you asked me in here so you could get my consent to tell Chansey about my Agápe.”
“I am. I would never ask if I didn’t feel it was necessary,” I pleaded.
“You may tell Chansey about Ella,” he consented. “I think I may tell the others as well.”
That wasn’t necessary. “You don’t have to do that. Chansey will keep your secret.”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while and I’ve decided that I don’t want to keep Ella a secret any longer. I want to talk about her. I want to share her with my family. I think it will help me to heal from the pain of losing her.”
“I think you’re right,” I agreed. “You’ll be glad you did it.”
“I think so, too.” He nodded and his face became solemn. “I don’t envy what you are about to do.”
God, it was going to be terrible. “I know. Chansey is so happy about this second baby and she isn’t going to take this news well, but I don’t feel like I have a choice. I’m obligated to tell her.”
“You’re right. You don’t have a choice.”
“Chansey said something in passing and I think it’s worth a try. Do you know of a vampire that would have been a doctor or Obstetrician prior to being turned? We think we would like to pursue that avenue because Dr. Knight wants Chansey to see a specialist about the pregnancy because of her bizarre findings. We don’t think that’s a good idea. They wouldn’t be able to treat any complications, so it’s just asking for trouble.”
“I agree. She can no longer see a human doctor. Let me check with the council and I’ll see what I can come up with.”
I left that office with the deepest sinking feeling in my gut. I was about to give my wife the most devastating news she would ever receive and I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it.
I walked into our quarters and she was in her sitting room that she now referred to as the nursery. Who knew a pregnancy would end up being the re
ason for that nagging suspicion I had about her needing her own room within our quarters?
“What are you doing?” I asked from where I stood in the doorway.