Charlotte watched the clock intensely. She had gone to bed feeling fine and had been in such a deep slumber that she forgot she was pregnant until the sharp gouging reminders woke her. She was nine months and within a week of her due date.
Her eyes flickered at the digital clock display lit with the numbers:
2:14 A.M.
Exhausted by the last labor pain’s huge wave of intensity that was much too close to the previous one, she dialed Victor’s and Stefan’s cell phone again. Where could he be?
She hoped he wasn’t buried in the wine cellar taking inventory or somewhere else without service. She also hoped that he wasn’t with the heart-shaped writing contractor but rapidly pushed that thought to the side as she feverishly dialed the numbers again.
Another contraction was beginning to surge and she couldn’t wait for Stefan any longer. She had to get to the hospital immediately. Her last voicemail to him expressed the urgency of her situation.
* ~ *
Stefan never heard Charlotte’s urgent calls as he lounged back on the patio chaise absently staring up at the sky. He and Lisa had spent the past several hours in bed so the fresh air was a needed intermission.
“Thinking about me?” Lisa coyly laced her fingers against his arm and snuggled next to him.
Actually, he was thinking about his club. It was all he thought about these days with exception of a few breaks with Charlotte regarding the baby and sex with Lisa.
He rolled on his side and flashed a smile at her. She was enticing in her own way and she craved his company, which made him feel wanted and special. They were more alike than he and Charlotte.
Dear Charlotte, he thought. He loved her adoration and devotion to him although he did tire of the frequent demands she made.
He had lived through a couple of centuries to know that women today didn’t realize how good they had it. They should be lavishing more praise upon their spouses the way he saw it.
“Is it true?” he asked her.
“What’s it?”
“You’re a free ranger?”
Lisa looked at him without expression. “And what if it was?”
Stefan didn’t care. He found it all rather exhilarating. “I wouldn’t be surprised, you wicked woman.”
They shared an immortal understanding followed by a dark laugh that echoed into the barren night.
Before dawn, Stefan left Lisa’s to go home. He had grown bored with the chit-chat and wanted to catch a re-run of Baywatch before turning in.
* ~ *
At the hospital, Charles stepped out into the hallway from the birthing room to phone Charlotte’s house for the fifth time. The baby had arrived.
Charlotte’s delivery was fast but not without some grueling pain that was too much for a dad to watch. He had stepped out during the final moments appreciating June’s presence as she stayed by Charlotte’s side and witnessed the birth. Stefan had missed it all. Even Victor had rushed to the hospital when Charles had phoned him earlier looking for the absentee father.
“Stefan, this is Charles. Charlotte’s had the baby.” Charles’ message on the Babson voicemail was curt. “Victor’s here,” he added with frustration. “Where are you?”
* ~ *
As Stefan stepped into the house, he heard the beep of the answering machine. Replaying Charles’ stern message, he gathered that he was home alone. Charlotte was at the hospital and the baby had arrived, which surprisingly brought a smile to his face.
Rarely did he think of his youth but the birth had sparked nostalgia he hadn’t had in years as he thought back to his 1792 baby portrait with cherub features, golden wavy hair and brilliant blue eyes. He hoped that the baby looked like him.
Unfortunately, he had a present situation to deal with in explaining where he had been to miss taking his wife to the hospital. A slight complication that he would have twelve hours to think about, although he knew that he was always good for coming up with a speedy alibi.
He was a dad. After more than 200 years, he would have the mortal experience of fatherhood. Snapshot memories like the ones he saw on TV came to mind – where fathers taught their kids how to ride a bike or in the case of a little girl, walked their daughter down the aisle.
Sentimental feelings of having an offspring who resembled him made him glad that he had married Charlotte. She had made life a little more interesting, at times more challenging, although overall more comfortable. He had everything he wanted except his club and now that the baby had arrived, it was next.
Stefan had slept well that day. When he awoke at the sunset hour, he decided to drop by the shop first to pick up flowers for Charlotte. With an expansive bouquet, he was sure that a plausible storyline would surface on his way to the hospital. In all his years, he’d learned a valuable lesson: things always worked out better when not forced. Besides, he thought, it was a tremendous expenditure of energy not required.
Stefan was relieved that Tammy had already closed for the day when he had arrived. Occasionally, she would work nights and he found their routine conversations awkward. Tammy was one of those people of the light. Stefan had been around the Southeast for centuries to know that she disapproved of him although she had never said anything to Charlotte. He also knew to stay clear of her – and people like her – as much as possible. The light singed.
He mulled around the gift area and found a basket filled with multitudes of soft, pink and blue stuffed animals for babies. Selecting a small teddy bear, he carried it with him to the refrigerator doors and matched the color of its synthetic fur to the rose petals. He pulled a dozen pale pink long-stemmed roses, then another dozen since it was a special occasion and thoughtfully wrapped the bouquet with greenery and baby breath stems for the final touch.
Just as he was leaving, he instinctively ducked and missed the old sign that Charlotte was always warning him about. The scrolled wrought iron had faded to what appeared to be nouveau shabby chic. What wasn’t chic was the razor sharp edge until Stefan eyeballed it closer. Voilà. His excuse was in sight.
Instead of going directly to the hospital maternity ward, Stefan walked into the busy ER unit. He’d left the bouquet in the car in hopes that he would spot his former acquaintance. Luck was on his side as he found the blonde pixie RN standing at the admitting desk ready to take an elderly patient back behind the double doors. Stefan disregarded the geriatric in the wheelchair and flashed a wide smile at her.
“I was hoping I’d find you here,” Stefan said as he greeted her.
“Oh?” The nurse showed mild surprise behind her repressed smile.
“I need some help and since you never came by Victor’s, I thought I’d come here.” He hovered near her.
As the older gentleman prepared to protest, Stefan took the bars of his chair and swiveled him sharply towards the back. “I’ll help you if you help me.”
“And what help do you need?” She flirted with her choice of words.
“It requires art and imagination.”
“Sorry, creativity will have to wait. I don’t get off until eleven,” she said.
“Another night,” Stefan said mournfully. “My art need is for a community play. I need to appear as though I’ve suffered a major wound to the head. You know, something realistic.”
“A play?” Now grinning, the ailing patient displayed his spindle-like teeth. “I’m a former thespian myself.”
“Really?” Stefan finally acknowledged him. “I’m one of the main characters in this drama.”
* ~ *
It was after seven when Stefan appeared at Charlotte’s door. When she saw the thick bandage wrapped around his head, she was reassured. She knew there had to have been a logical explanation as to why he hadn’t returned the calls.
With a huge bouquet of cotton candy roses and a pink teddy bear, he held out his arms for a soul-touching embrace. “Where’s our baby girl?” he asked.
Charlotte’s eyes glistened with tears. Everything had happened so fast that she hadn’t
had a moment to absorb the drastic change in their lives: she and Stefan were parents of a beautiful baby girl.
“Sara’s waiting to see her Daddy.”
“Sara Elizabeth,” Stefan repeated the infant’s name. “I had a proposal that I wanted to discuss with you.”
Charlotte held Stefan tight. The gentle flow of tears turned to heartfelt sobs. She was a wife and a mother – living the life she had always dreamed – well, sort of.
“A proposal?”
He leaned over and delicately kissed her cheek, then ear. “What do you think about naming the baby after my mother and your grandmother?”
The suggestion threw her off. Since she was young, she had planned to name her daughter after her grandmother Sara Elizabeth. It was hard to think about a new name but she realized after hearing Stefan’s tender request that she shouldn’t be so selfish.
“What was your mother’s name?” Charlotte asked.
He paused and smiled. “Stephanie.”
* ~ *
Chapter Sixteen: A Stephanie is Born
Charlotte was glad that she and Stefan were able to spend time alone with the baby before her Dad and June arrived at the hospital.
Even Victor had stopped by for a visit. He had apologized for any intrusion but had a genuine interest in welcoming the baby into the world as well as congratulating Charlotte and Stefan.
Charlotte didn’t miss the look of disdain the others cast towards Stefan when they entered.
“You’re not going to believe what happened to my husband because I failed to fix that sign at the shop.” Charlotte hastily came to Stefan’s defense before anyone mentioned his absenteeism.
She animatedly retold the story that Stefan shared with her about how he accidentally gouged himself by running into the sign at the shop. He was in a hurry to get to the hospital then back to his chambers. Instead, he barely escaped daylight and only made it back to the house within minutes of the deadly rays that could have caused him a seizure. He was so disoriented that he didn’t think to call.
Charlotte noticed that the ramblings of her story yielded little sympathy through the narrowed eyes of her father, or Victor’s.
When Stephanie stirred, Stefan’s relaxed demeanor tensed. Everyone zeroed in on the baby whom he now held with outstretched arms.
“Here, Charlotte, take Stephanie.”
Charlotte caught her breath and prepared herself for what she knew would be an uncomfortable moment.
“Stephanie?” The incredulous sound of her father’s voice boomed.
June looked mortified and even Victor who rarely picked up on personal queues was startled. Everyone was surprised but Stefan.
Victor was first to step in. “May I hold her? I’ve been studying how to do this.” He steadied his stance and held out his oversized hands as if he was preparing to catch a sack of flour.
As Stefan handed the baby to Victor, it gave Charlotte a chance to give her father the news.
“Daddy, we’ve decided to name the baby Stephanie Elizabeth.” She may as well have stabbed him with an ice pick or asked the nurse to ready the bed next to hers.
“What happened to your grandmother’s name Sara Elizabeth?” The hurt in his voice was apparent.
“We decided on a combination of Grandma’s name and Stefan’s mother’s name.”
If Charles’ eyes could have emitted laser particles, Stefan would have been beamed dead.
“I didn’t know Stefan had a mother,” Charles mumbled. “I mean with that name.”
Stefan remained nonplussed as June twined her arm around Charles’ arm as a sign of comfort.
“She sure is beautiful,” Victor said, captivated by the tiny bundle.
Charlotte wanted to hug him. Victor’s presence helped diffuse the tension between her father and Stefan – well, mostly her father. Stefan rarely, if at all, interpreted how others felt.
Charles, however, was convinced that something was going on with Stefan, and that meant trouble for Charlotte and now the baby. Stephanie. It was hard to say the name without a vision of the man who wasn’t good enough for his daughter. Charles stopped the rampant thoughts swirling in his mind. His gut had had it. This guy was a phony but now what?
He looked over to June who pretended to read a magazine. She was fervently praying with her head bowed. Thank God for June in his life. Otherwise, he would have ripped that ridiculous bandage off Stefan’s head. Probably a wound no bigger than a paper cut, he thought. The talk was past due. He needed to have some time alone with Stefan and since the nurse had shooed everyone out of the room, now was that time.
“June, why don’t you show Victor the nursery,” Charles suggested. “I’ll stay with Stefan.”
June smiled. “Victor, would you like to see the baby in the nursery?”
“Oh, sure,” he answered and gladly followed June down the corridor.
Charles paced the lounge area for several minutes before glancing inside Charlotte’s room. She was busy with the nurse. Stefan who had lingered behind, was now missing from his view.
He turned the hall corner when he spied Stefan languidly walking towards the elevator bank.
“Stefan.” Charles called out to his son-in-law who reluctantly stopped – obvious that their feeling of contention was mutual. “Where you headed?”
Stefan lifted the straw in his hand. “I’m on my way to the cafeteria to get Charlotte juice.”
“The cafeteria is on this floor,” Charles said pointing in the opposite direction. Juice my foot, he thought.
“Care to join me?” Stefan asked.
“Sure, there’s something I want to discuss with you.”
“Thanks for understanding that we wanted to combine names for Stephanie,” Stefan told Charles with almost plausible sincerity and a pat on the back.
“Stefan, this has nothing to do with the name. That decision is yours and Charlotte’s,” Charles said although he wanted to say that it had only been Charlotte’s intent since she was a young girl. “This is about Charlotte.”
Stefan shrugged as if it were no big deal, which infuriated Charles more. God help me have restraint and mercy, he silently prayed. He resisted the other thoughts because they weren’t as charitable.
* ~ *
On the other end of the hospital floor, June and Victor stood outside the nursery window where swaddling newborns adorned in pink and blue blankets with matching stocking caps unknowingly showed off for admiring fans.
Victor’s observation of the babies, particularly Stephanie, amused June.
“You haven’t been around babies too much,” she noted.
“Nah, I’m just an old bachelor,” Victor said.
“Babies are special. They can capture your heart.”
In awe, Victor pressed his face closer against the glass for a closer look. “She’s got mine.”
* ~ *
Chapter Seventeen: The Bloodsuckers
Months later, the excitement of Stephanie’s birth had subsided but not before Charles shared the personal loss of Charlotte’s own mother with Stefan that first night. Charles had wanted to emphasize to Stefan that Charlotte had suffered enough in her younger years and deserved a life of happiness. Since Stefan would be part of that happiness, Charles implied that Stefan should be a better husband than he’d been.
Stefan had been stung by the confrontation. He thought he was an ideal spouse. He always slept in his own chamber at home, worked a steady job, and planned to build a better financial future with his new club.
In addition, Lisa had left town when she heard the news of the baby’s arrival – however, not before she took a victim near Victor’s place fulfilling Vic’s anticipated nightmare. A pity Stefan thought. Victor had been furious but he was relieved. Together, Lisa and the baby had proved to be too much drama for him. He needed his focus to be on building his business. With Lisa gone, Charlotte could manage the baby and he could get back to taking care of things that mattered most – himself and the club.
/> It was a slow night at work as Stefan watched Charlotte enter the bar area toting Stephanie in the carrier. Almost four months old, Stefan marveled at how Stephanie proved to have more stamina than any vampire he knew on the coast. She could stay up all night rarely with any sleep then repeat the same pattern during the day with Charlotte.
“Look who’s here Daddy,” Victor said as he cooed to Stephanie upon their arrival.
“Like mother, like daughter,” Stefan muttered. If they’d been vampires, they would have been bloodsuckers on steroids. As it was, their demands couldn’t be stolen from the blood bank. Stefan was the nighttime ATM and he was drained. Thank House Depot for his remodeled and heavily insulated sleeping chamber. Quiet was now a state easier to come by these days.
“How’s my husband this evening?” Charlotte was a bit more cheerful since the baby had arrived, despite the added work Stephanie required.
“Hanging in there,” Stefan strategically said. It would be better to give her the news after he made her feel guilty about his dead-end job. The subject had been the theme of many long conversations where Stefan did all the talking about his woes and Charlotte listened as the duly sympathetic wife.
She gave him that “oh, poor you” look, which he hated even though it meant he scored high on the sympathy meter.
“I found a place,” he whispered to her as Victor continued to baby talk to an entertained Stephanie further away.
“What?” she asked Stefan. Her attention was clearly on the baby.
“The club,” he repeated.
“Oh, right, the club,” she said non-enthused.
Stefan didn’t understand why Charlotte had never been supportive of his idea from the beginning. She would placate him as he laboriously went over the details but her brain was elsewhere: Stephanie.
He looked over at the baby. Stephanie’s newborn tufts of hair had grown to fawn-colored ringlets. Her lips and cheeks were as sculpted as any porcelain doll. Enamored that the infant looked just like him, he was equally dismayed because she got all the attention.
Charlotte Marries a Vampire Page 7