by Tamsin Baker
Then again, the way I felt about Kadie was stronger than I had ever considered possible, and it was just as real. Miracles were more common than I understood.
“Is she all right, Tabitha?” I choked out around my swollen throat. My whole body felt like it was on fire, even against the cool sheets. My only reprieve, besides Kadie’s safety, was that we were out of immediate danger so I did not have to worry about anything unexpected taking place. At least, not right now.
That said, my arms, my shoulders all cried out in despair. I glanced down and one of my ankles was black.
“I think so.” Tabitha’s sharp gaze fell on Kadie, her brow furrowed, her lips pressed into a thin line. Gently, she moved Kadie’s arms and then legs before finally tilting Kadie’s head from side to side, just to observe Kadie and truly make sure she was all right. Her eyes locked with Kadie’s. “But what are these marks?” She gestured towards the marks on the crease of each arm.
“They injected me with strange things,” Kadie murmured. “I don’t know. Made me feel dizzy.”
There was deathly silence in the room as Tabitha processed it all.
“Tabitha?” I asked when I could stand the silence no longer.
“Who did?” Tabitha asked, ignoring me. I bit my lip to push.
“Some men.” Kadie shifted on the bed and I could tell the conversation had turned uncomfortable for her.
“The ones who took you?”
Kadie nodded. “Yeah,” she said. Tabitha had her hand on Kadie’s shoulder and sat on the edge of the bed. I wondered if Tabitha was trying to ease Kadie’s discomfort with her touch. “I wasn’t expecting humans to be on their side. They came into my house in the middle of the day. I thought I recognized them from the soup kitchen. I was going to let them know I’d be more than happy to help there, but they attacked me before I could get a word out.” She clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth. “Stupid assholes. I hurt one or two of them in the fight, but they knocked me out.” She sighed and laid back against the pillows, staring up at the ceiling. “I woke up in that dark room being smacked around and injected with shit. No idea what for.”
Tabitha rubbed some salve on Kadie’s wounds and her palms and then moved over to me. I did not like that she hadn’t said anything in response to Kadie’s story. I opened my mouth, ready to ask her what she thought, when she frowned and gave me a sharp shake of her head. The gesture alone was enough to silence me. “You need water. Now.”
I closed my mouth and gave her a long gaze. I knew not to argue with her. At least, not right now.
“I know,” I finally said. Perhaps agreeing with her would appease her and she’d be more than happy to tell me what was going on in her head once I acquiesced to her order. Water, the purest water you could find, was the best cure-all for an Angel. But it was the last thing I was looking for after I rescued Kadie.
Tabitha left the room, then came back with a bucket and a bottle of something green. I eyed the bucket suspiciously. Surely, she wasn’t going to...
Tabitha lifted the bucket up, stepped forward, and tipped the cold water all over my head and chest.
I nearly jumped up even though my muscles were filled with the intoxicating contradiction of both pain and pleasure.
“Oh, fuck!” I could not help but cry out. I knew Tabitha did not like it when I used such language, but considering she just doused me with angel-created purified water, I was certain she would forgive me.
The pain was incredible, like stabbing needles that had been injected with the heat of hell and yet, there was a dull sense of relief that began to thrum through my bones. I bit my tongue to stop myself from crying out again. I was certain Kadie was watching me, and the last thing I wanted to do was add to her stress by causing her to worry about me. She needed to worry about getting better, about our child.
I tasted blood and swallowed as the pain began to back away. When my vision returned from the inky depths it had receded to, I realized Tabitha had gone away and she was back with more water, dousing my wings and legs with new buckets.
The pain intensified. I did not feel pleasure when the water hit my wings, but the pain let me know this purification was working. It burned, and made me scream against the agony, despite my attempt to keep my screaming to myself, then it disappeared like the tide receding, as my body began to heal.
“How did you fly with so much damage, Gabriel?” she asked, clucking her tongue. She dropped the bucket carelessly to the floor and placed her hands on her hips, giving me a raised eyebrow. I did not know how it was possible, but Tabitha had this ability to make me feel like I was some kind of naughty school child and she was contemplating whether or not she wanted to slap my knuckles with a ruler.
I coughed through the wave of pain, and then when it disappeared, I managed to sit up. The pain slowly began to fade. I could feel it slip off me, like a shirt that was glued to my body.
That is so much better. Oh, thank you, God.
“I don’t know,” I answered. “But I had to get Kadie to safety.”
“Hmm.” She said nothing more on the subject and turned to a small nightstand I had not noticed before. “Now, drink this.” She handed me the bottle of green. “I can’t restore your wings, but this should heal most of your body and make flying easier for you.”
I reached out and took the potion. “Thank you, Tabitha,” I told her. I hoped she knew I meant it.
I lifted the green liquid to my lips, smelling of vile coal, and drank. It burned my nose and throat and I gasped for air after swallowing it all. What was she trying to do? Kill me faster?
But very soon after, I could feel a new warmth in my muscles, a deadening of the pain in my wings. It felt like relief.
“That’s incredible.” I collapsed back onto my pillow, my body sticky with cold sweat.
Kadie waved her hand as though to get our attention. Tabitha and I turned towards her.
She cleared her throat and I saw her shift due to the sudden attention. “So...um...can anyone explain this to me?” Kadie asked, her hands encircling her huge belly. “I know how to make a baby, mind you, but the last time I checked, it takes roughly eight to nine months for me to be carrying a child this size. Granted, I’ve never been pregnant before so I can’t tell you one hundred percent from experience, but that’s just based on what I remember from my high school health class.”
I glanced towards Tabitha and then back to the woman carrying my child. A child that looked like it was going to be born much sooner than was normally humanly possible.
“Tabitha?” I invited my Agent to explain. Because the truth of the matter was, I did not know of this either.
The woman rolled her eyes at me and handed Kadie a bag of candy. Jelly beans, if I was correct.
“Eat,” she instructed. “You need some sugar.”
Kadie dug her hand into the bag, pulled some multi-colored candies out, and threw them in her mouth. She did not even hesitate. My lips lifted up at how easily she trusted Tabitha to the point where Kadie did not even question her.
Tabitha sat down on the end of Kadie’s bed and put a hand on her leg. “I believe you’re pregnant with Gabriel’s baby,” she explained. I could tell she took great care in saying such a thing, as though she wasn’t quite sure how Kadie was going to respond.
It was Kadie’s turn to roll her eyes. “Of course, I am,” she said. I had to bite my bottom lip to contain a smile. I did not think I knew anyone who was so flippant with Tabitha before. It humored me more than I initially believed it would.
Kadie continued. “But how is that possible? And why am I like...full term in a week?”
“I agree. How is that possible, Tabitha?” I asked, surprised by how relaxed she seemed. I sat up in bed and winced at how the muscles strained against my body. I was not aware that she knew. I was not aware that knowing would compel her to be as calm as she was. She was handling it much better than I did.
Tabitha sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. I was not
sure she was as comfortable as I was listening to someone discuss their sex life. “There isn’t much I can tell you, unfortunately, Kadie,” she said, dropping her hand. “I’m the only other half-Witch, half-Angel creation that I know of, and I’ve never conceived a child myself.”
Tabitha appeared human. She had long flowing blonde hair, pale blue eyes and wore glasses. Why, I wasn’t sure exactly.
But now I knew that she was so much more than I’d thought! Wow. Perhaps if I’d asked her sooner, we could have avoided all of this. But how could I know? Perhaps that was why Tabitha was so insistent on me protecting Kadie. Because she felt some kind of kinship between them.
Kadie groaned in apparent frustration. “So, I’m half a witch now?” she asked, throwing her arms out. “This is so confusing. So being with an angel makes me half-Angel? I don’t understand. Seriously, I wish my parents had stuck around long enough to explain some of this to me.” Kadie pouted, then shoved another mouthful of candy past her lips, as though this was going to help her feel better about her current circumstances.
Tabitha smiled with real affection. “Well, you’re something special, that’s for sure.” I hadn’t seen Tabitha smile like that in a long time, and it made my own lips twitch. It was nice to see that Tabitha genuinely cared about Kadie the same way I did. Well, perhaps not the same way. But there was an affection between them that I appreciated.
Kadie nodded, her hands going back to her belly. I could not help but start thinking about her pregnancy and what this would mean for her. For me. Perhaps Tabitha could help us understand. At least maybe it would help prepare us for her impending birth.
“So, how long, Tabitha?” I asked gesturing to the baby in her rounded belly. I didn’t know everything about human physiology, but from the people I’d observed, Kadie didn’t look like she had more than a few weeks to go. And that was in human time. And that was if the baby went full-term. I knew that that did not always happen. I did not know much about babies but I knew that they dictated when they would come – most of the time. I hoped there was some way to know when this one would come.
“Oh. Damn, he moves a lot,” Kadie said as she arched her back. Her face contorted into one of slight discomfort, but her hand continued to affectionately rub her belly. I glanced over and there was an obvious shift of flesh beneath her stretched t-shirt. It was so strange to see something like this. I knew it, of course, but seeing such a miracle on earth in person was stunning.
“He?” I croaked, suddenly letting her words sink in. I’d never thought of having a child, but a son would be...incredible.
“Well, I don’t know what he is, technically,” Kadie pointed out. “I haven’t even seen a doctor. Besides the fact that it’s only been a week, I wouldn’t even know what I would even tell them. I had sex with an Angel a week ago, got pregnant, and I’m going to have a baby, like, now.”
She gave me a tentative smile and hope fluttered in my chest. Perhaps eternal servitude in limbo was not my destiny? Could I have a real life on Earth? With a family and the love I’d always coveted?
My mind started swimming with possibility. I did not know what this would mean for us, but I wanted to explore all possibilities because, why not? Perhaps this was why I had been here for nearly five hundred years. Because I would eventually meet Kadie. Because we would be together and she would get pregnant. Because I would have the opportunity to be with a human... as a human.
I had never heard of something like this happening to an angel, of course. But I could not help but wonder if it was possible for me. If this was what I wanted. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was.
“So, you mean....” Kadie froze suddenly and held her breath, grimacing.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her, wanting to reach out and touch her, but still feeling the tremors of pain in every cell of my body. I could not hold onto her until I felt better myself. I hoped the vile drink Tabitha forced me to take would allow me to do so quickly.
Kadie dropped her head, inhaled slowly, and then exhaled just as slowly. Her breath was shaky.
Finally, she lifted her head and smiled. “Oh, that’s better,” she said. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was in... Oh!” She bent right over again, wrapping her arms around her belly as she groaned in pain. This time, she wasn’t simply breathing. She was letting out her pain.
“Tabitha,” I said, ignoring the pain and standing up. I nearly stumbled over to her, needing to place my hand on her shoulder to let her know I was here, I would be here, in order to hopefully soothe her. “Is the baby coming?”
Tabitha jumped up as well. “Lay down, Kadie.” Suddenly, any warmth and gentleness was gone. This was the Tabitha I knew – no nonsense and ready to go for anything that was about to happen. She was always reliable under pressure.
Kadie groaned and rolled to the side. Tabitha grabbed Kadie’s old, bedraggled skirt in her hands and ripped it asunder. I heard the tear in my head. I don’t think I would ever forget that sound.
“Look,” she whispered as we both stared at Kadie’s swollen belly, the obvious shift of the child beneath her skin as he moved into place.
He.
If her instincts were correct, my son was getting ready to come into this world.
“What do we do?” I asked Tabitha. I did not like feeling unprepared. I did not like feeling overwhelmed and ignorant and completely helpless. I was a warrior. I was trained to always be ready for battle. But now, I felt myself swept up in something I had never experienced in the centuries I had been confined to earth. I had watched the miracle that was childbirth a handful of times, but watching it and experiencing it were two very different things. There was no amount of watching, observing, or reading that could ever prepare you for this.
Panic rose in my throat, hot and painful. My hands started to sweat and I removed the hand from Kadie shoulder so I could wipe it on my shirt. I did not know what to do. I did not know what to do and that bothered me more than I cared to admit. If I could not help Kadie, what good was I for?
“Argh!” Kadie called out, her fingers reaching out for me.
I took both of her hands in mine and lowered my face to hers. “I’m so sorry, Kadie,” I told her, unsure that I was saying the right thing. The words continued to spill out of me and I could not stop them even if I tried. “So sorry. I had no idea this could happen. I would never make you endure this by choice. You must know I would never want you to experience any kind of pain.”
She arched her back up, her eyes closing tightly as sweat dotted her brow. When she relaxed again, her eyes opened and her lips kinked in a smile. “I know.” Her voice shook, but it still sounded like my Kadie. “But I don’t regret it. I’ve always wanted a child. And one with your face would be a wonder, I’m sure.”
I felt my heart react to her comment, and warmth began to spread through me. It was very similar to the warmth one felt at learning they would be placed in Heaven for all eternity, but different. “As long as you don’t mind the wings as well,” I forced myself to say.
Her eyes flew open wide. “Wings?” she all but yelped. Her hand squeezed mine with a grip I did not realize was possible. “Are you serious? He can’t possibly have.... Argh....”
She squeezed my hands even more and screamed as blood-stained water gushed between her thighs. I did not think it was possible for a human to have such strength. Then again, Kadie was not a typical human. If Tabitha was right, she was a half-Witch, half-Angel, after all. Perhaps that added to her strength.
I took a breath, trying to calm me as much as I wanted to calm Kadie. But how was I supposed to do that when I was just as nervous, if not more so, than she was. “I think the baby’s coming, Kadie.” I forced my voice to stay relaxed and calm. I did not think it worked. At least I was trying.
My mind started whirring with possible scenarios, scenarios that were not necessarily good. I should be more hopeful. I should be happy. But there were too many things we didn’t know. I wa
s an Angel. She was a some kind of supernatural being. Her pregnancy commenced a week ago and now she was going to give birth. So much could go wrong. What would we do if she couldn’t birth him safely? A hospital was definitely the best place for her. They could save both of them if there were complications.
“No. No hospitals,” Kadie cried. Another contraction seemed to be taking on her body. Her voice got strained with each word. I did not know how it was possible that she could talk through this, but she pushed herself to do so.“In case he’s...not human. I do not want anything to happen to him.”
“What could happen to him?” I asked. Perhaps I should know this but I didn’t.
“I just...” She caught her breath as the contraction passed. “If they knew what he was, if they could somehow find out, they might take him from me and run experiments in the name of science. I just, I don’t want that life for my child. I don’t want to risk him.”
Tabitha caught my gaze and nodded. The last thing she wanted was any questions about my babe, at best. But I couldn’t have Kadie die either. I loved my child – I did not know how it was possible to love someone I didn’t know, but I did – but I could not risk Kadie for my child.
I hoped I would never have to make a choice between the two of them.
“I’ll be fine,” she panted, responding to my panicked thoughts. “I’m strong, Gabriel. You know this. You know me. Get my panties off. Now!”
She screamed out against the pain and I ripped the material from her. Tabitha took her ankles in her hands and spread them apart to give my child better access at exiting Kadie’s womb.
Kadie pushed herself up to a seated position, her hair slick and stuck to her forehead. I had never seen her look more beautiful than in that moment. “I think he’s coming.” She began to pant and Tabitha moved again to the place beside her bent thighs.