I looked at Sol and he said, “I told you that old lady knew something. Do you think Chansey knows?”
I shook my head. “No way. She would have told me if she did.”
“Are you going to tell her?” Sol asked.
“Are you kidding me? Sharing this super bond extraordinaire with her leaves me no choice. I have to tell her.”
I looked up and saw her standing in the doorway. “He can’t keep anything from me, Solomon. What’s going on?”
Sol leaned back in his office chair amused and rubbed his hand across his chin. “Wow, that bond thing between the two of you is some kind of wicked.”
Chansey didn’t take her eyes from mine. “What did you find?”
“We lucked out. Dr. Knight is a Black Swan.”
“That’s good news, but we both know that isn’t what I’m feeling from you.”
“Sol, I think it’s time for us to go,” Avery suggested.
Sol? Since when did Avery call him that?
Sol smiled his cocky smile the way only he could do it. “No way, this is just about to get interesting.”
Chansey turned on him and gave him the look. Sol put his hands up and said, “Okay. we’re going. You didn’t have to do the eyes. Save those for Curry.”
When they were out the door, I said, “Don’t get upset. You have to think about the babies.”
“I’m fine, but I won’t be for much longer if you don’t tell me what has happened,” she warned.
“Come around here and I’ll show you,” I told her. I pulled the chair out and said, “Sit. I don’t want you to fall out when you see this.
She sat and looked at the profiles in front of her. “Yes, that is Dr. Knight.”
“Look at the next profile,” I directed.
“What the heh? That’s Granna,” she whispered as she stared at the screen. “My Granna wasn’t just a Black Swan, she was a Blood Swan. That’s why she was saying those things to us on our wedding night. She knows what you are and she was trying to tell us she knew.”
“Before we were married, she always had these all knowing little looks and grins for me. I think she knew all along,” I laughed.
“I don’t know if I should be shocked or thrilled. I never pegged my grandmother for a Black Swan. No, excuse me...make that a Blood Swan. I wonder if Granddaddy is in on it.”
“I don’t see Grady being a vampire sympathist,” I laughed.
“No, I don’t think so either. I think this a secret that little Anna Knowles has kept from everyone. Do I say anything to her? She’s still an active Black Swan.”
I leaned over and kissed the top of her beautiful, dark hair. “That’s up to you, Love.”
“Incredible! She knows I’m having a vampire’s baby and she hasn’t said a word about it. I don’t even know what to think about that.”
“This is a good thing. We don’t have to hide our life from her. You have a family member you can share these things with now. Doesn’t that make you happy? It makes me happy.”
“It does, but I don’t think I can talk to Granna about this over the phone. I need to see her in person to discuss this and I won’t be going to Pascagoula anytime soon because of this unpredictable pregnancy. I guess it will have to wait until after the babies are born, even if I’m dying to know.”
“Can you believe how we lucked out with Dr. Knight?”
“I know. How lucky are we? I bet it will make her feel better when she finds out that she didn’t make some kind of medical error. She was more than a little rattled by her discovery this morning. I’m going to call and make an appointment with her for my next checkup so we can discuss a plan for delivering these babies.”
29 Making A Plan
It had been a month since we saw Dr. Knight and Chansey had an appointment for a checkup with her this morning. We planned on addressing the Black Swan issue immediately because we didn’t want her to freak out when she saw the growth of the babies from the previous month. An ultrasound wasn’t necessary to confirm how rapidly the babies were growing because anyone could see it from one day to the next.
I woke before Chansey, as I always did, and decided to give her the extra hour of sleep she needed. The rapid growth of the babies was taxing for her body and caused her to often be tired, but she glowed at the same time because pregnancy agreed with her.
I looked at her and did that thing I loved to do-watch her sleep. During her sleep, her gown had shifted above her swollen belly and I propped my head on palm with my elbow pressed into the mattress and watched the bumping game the babies were playing inside her tummy.
I lightly laid my ear against her bump and listened in on the wrestling match going on inside of Chansey while she unknowingly slept. I placed my hand on her belly, only to have it tag teamed by the two I couldn’t wait to meet...the two I prayed to meet.
I had spent a lot of time over the last month on my knees praying for our babies to anyone willing to hear me. I pleaded for their health and safe delivery, but I also asked that they wouldn’t be like me. I pleaded for them to be completely like Chansey and all of her goodness.
“Hey, you,” I heard and it stole my attention from the babies to their mother. Chansey stretched and said, “What are you doing?”
“I’ve been watching these wrestlers try to fight their way out of you for the last hour. I don’t know how you sleep through all of that commotion.”
“It’s not difficult when you’re stay as tired as I do and I hope they’re not looking for the exit because it’s too early. The eclipse is eight weeks away and that will still be three months before their original due date. I’m ready for Dr. Knight to look today and see how much they’ve grown.”
I rubbed my palm over her tummy above her low riding black panties. “I don’t need to look with the ultrasound to tell you that they are a lot bigger than they were the last time we looked.”
I leaned over and gave her kiss. “I’m getting my shower. You lay here a little longer and if you fall asleep, I’ll get you up in time for your appointment.”
Chansey was up when I came out of the bathroom and while she got ready, I went into the nursery to look at the decor she had chosen with my sisters’ help. Everything was done in black and white patterns and gender specific hot pink and/or turquoise would be added after the babies arrived.
I sat on the twin bed that now replaced the big fluffy couch and looked around the room. There was two of everything. I didn’t agree with Chansey on doing that, but it was the way she wanted it and I wasn’t known for my ability to deny her anything that she wanted.
“What are you doing in here?” she asked as she stood in the doorway.
“I’m admiring your work. It’s a really beautiful nursery,” I complimented.
“I know you don’t think it was a good idea to do two of everything, but we should be prepared. We don’t know that we won’t bring home two babies.”
I simply nodded because I didn’t want to talk about it. “Are you ready to go?”
“I am, now let’s go look at these babies so we can admire your work,” she laughed.
˜ ˜ ˜
Chansey was sitting on the exam table when Dr. Knight walked into the room. She appeared a little surprised to see us back after her referral to the specialists. “Mr. and Mrs. Brennan? I wasn’t expecting to see you again.”
“Yes, we understand you intended for us to see the specialist, but we chose to not keep that appointment,” Chansey informed her.
“Why would you do that? Don’t you want what is in the best interest of your children?” she asked.
“Of course, we do and we think you are in the best interest of our babies,” Chansey explained.
“Why would you think that? I don’t have an explanation for what is going on with your pregnancy and that’s why I referred you to the maternal-fetal specialists,” Dr. Knight argued.
Chansey leaned forward and whispered, “Because you are a Black Swan.”
Dr. Knight sat up
a little straighter and her eyes grew large. “Excuse me?”