Out of Darkness

by Billie Turner

  “Honestly, it terrifies me.” Emma tensed and tried to pull back. Kai tightened his arms around her. “Hey, before you pull away let me explain. I’ve never once considered becoming a father. I never thought it was an option for me. I had my duty and all that entails but aside from that I’m not the type to leave a string of children behind. If I were to have a child I would want to be there. For the child and the mother and I couldn’t imagine ever loving someone enough to step away from my duty. So I’ve never even considered the possibility. I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to. This immortality business is tricky. There’s still so much that’s unknown to me. As far as I know, until now I was the only human to drink from the fountain that’s been allowed to live as an immortal.”

  “That doesn’t tell me how you feel about having our child.”

  “I’m not gonna lie. That’s what scares me. In the past, every time I’ve cared for someone they’ve died. That’s why I avoid connecting. I’ve never fallen in love before. So I never once considered the possibilities. With you, there was no choice. I felt drawn to you from the first moment. Now all I can think is we have an eternity of possibilities. I admit the idea of fatherhood terrifies me. I’ve had no exposure to guide me.”

  “What about Aiden? You said he was a father. Was he a good one?”

  “The best.”

  “Then you have a point of reference.” Kai seemed pleased at the thought.

  “I’m also extraordinarily proud and profoundly moved that you and I have created a miracle.” Kai stretched his arm down and placed his palm over her flat belly. “I’m happy we're in this together even though it scares the hell out of me. I promise I’ll do everything in my power to be the best father that he or she could want.”

  Why can’t I stop these damn tears? She dabbed at her eyes. He was in it with her all the way. She kissed him again. “Thank you. I was terrified you wouldn’t want this. That you’d send us away.”

  “Never. I love you. I’ll always want you. I can’t bear the thought of my world without you. I love you, and I’ll love this baby too.”

  Emma swallowed the lump in her throat. “I love you too.”Tears streamed down her cheeks. Damn hormones. “You won’t regret it.”

  “I’ll never regret this. Whatever happens, we’ll face it together.”

  Emma’s heart skipped. She rested her head on his shoulder. He entwined her fingers with his and kissed her hand. The two sat together like this for the remainder of the flight cautiously discussing the future. Emma noticed neither of them mentioned a future that didn’t include the tiny life they’d created.

  The plane landed and they travelled by land rover for another day and a half. Kai led Emma on foot through a beautiful ancient forest. She was in awe of the magnificently proportioned trees. Their thick branches blocked most of the sunlight from reaching the interior. There was no breeze yet they swayed with a life of their own. Kai helped Emma navigate the intricate labyrinth. It took several hours of hiking before a break in the trees finally revealed their destination. Dappled light filtered through the leafy foliage to dance along the shimmering surface of the pool.

  The graceful silvery figure of the Guardian glided towards them. Emma saw a smile of welcome light her face as she came closer. Emma liked the sound of her layered voice. It was strange and melodious.

  “Welcome my friend. I see you’ve succeeded.” Kai held the borrowed sword in his outstretched hands. She took the sword from Kai’s hands then turned to Emma. Emma straightened her spine and stood as tall and proud as she could muster. “I never doubted you for a moment.” She tilted her head in Emma’s direction.“She is a surprise though. Much smaller than I imagined your mate to be. Although I can see why she appeals to you. She is both beautiful and brave. I can feel her strength.”

  “I’m standing right here you know.” Emma hated being talked about like she wasn’t there. No matter who it was and even if they were saying nice things.

  The Guardian laughed like tinkling bells. “Yes. Now I see you have chosen well.” The Guardian turned to Emma and smiled. “Welcome, Emma. Please come with me where you can rest from your journey, then we can talk.”

  She led them in the direction from which she’d entered the meadow. They followed her to a door tucked into a grass and moss covered hill. Emma held Kai's hand they followed her through the doorway. The inside was much larger than Emma expected and more rustic. For some reason, she thought everything would be white and ethereal like the figured they’d followed. Instead, the inside of the hillside cottage was homey, warm and inviting.

  The Guardian placed the sword in its sheath and hung it on the wall.

  “Please sit down.”She gestured to the two chairs at the little wooden table. She brought some simple refreshments to the table. Emma couldn’t wait. She blurted the whole story of the unusual predicament she and Kai faced.

  “I’m sorry I don’t have the answers you’re seeking. If you’d become pregnant afterward I’d feel confident in saying that the child would be normal and would lead a normal human lifespan. The spring only affects a person who’s drank the water. Your child also consumes what you do therefore it’s unknown. Nothing like this has ever happened before. There’re no others like you or Kai. There’s nothing you can do but wait.”

  “No! I refuse to accept this. There has to be someone who knows.” Emma didn’t give up.

  “I’m afraid there’s no one. I’m sorry. Only time will tell. If the child continues to grow inside you, I’d take that as a good sign. Once you drink from the spring, aging stops. It stands to reason the child’s development in the womb would also stop.”

  It wasn’t the news that Emma was looking for but it was better than she expected. She’d been plagued by too many different scenarios. Her imagination was her worst enemy. She could tell herself not to worry, but when the life of their child hung in the balance, that was next to impossible.

  Emma saw no need to delay any further. The faster they returned, the faster Emma could book an appointment with a doctor. Someone had to have answers for her.

  “Emma, as soon as we get back we’ll find a doctor and get some tests done. I don’t know much about modern medicine, but in this day and age surely there are ways to check on the baby.” It was like he read her mind.

  Emma looked at Kai and burst into laughter. It amazed her that he’d lived in this century and still had no idea about ultrasounds and other miracles of modern invention. “Oh Kai, you really have kept yourself apart from the rest of the world.”

  “I haven’t had much reason to keep up on medicine. I don’t need medical services.”

  “I know it just amazes me how you can be so modern in some ways and so uniformed in others. It’s a curious mix.” She was grateful for his ignorance. It made the trip easier to spend her time educating him on the advances made in medicine in the last century. It gave her something else to focus her attention on while they travelled.

  “So where do we go from here? When we get back to the city, we can’t go back to my apartment.”

  “We'll check into a hotel. I've already made the arrangements. After that, we'll find a doctor.”

  “I don't just mean now. I meant where do we go from here? I feel a bit lost. I can't go back to my old life. Things have changed too much.” It was hard to think about, but it was true. She couldn’t go back to the life she’d led before and honestly she didn’t want to. Emma had changed so much already, and there were still changes ahead of her. She needed time to adjust to her newfound life. She wasn't the same person that walked out of that restaurant on that fateful night. It seemed like a lifetime ago. It kind of was. Despite everything that had happened, she was happy. She had Kai, and that counted for a lot.

  “We’ll find a place we can call our own and create a new life together. Regardless of what happens, I want to be with you always. We’ll find a way to make it work.” Despite all the obstacles she saw looming between them and happy life, Emma wanted to accept what he said
was true. They just had one hurtle left before she’d believe everything would be alright.

  * * *

  Kai checked them into a luxury hotel then took Emma straight to the hospital, the same one he'd taken her to when she’d lost her sight. The busy doctor entered the room with his head down as he perused Emma’s chart.

  “Hello, I’m Dr. Herrington.” The doctor held out his hand before he lifted his gaze from her chart. Surprised recognition flared in his eyes. He remembered Kai. His hand dropped just a bit. He stiffened his spine and offered his hand to Kai. “I see we meet again.” Kai refrained from glaring at him like he had the last time they’d met. “I take it you've regained your sight.” He directed his inquiry to Emma this time. Smart man. He remembered them well.

  “Yes, Dr. Herrington I did. Thank you for all your help.”

  “I’m afraid I wasn’t able to do much. So, what brings you here today?”

  “She’s pregnant.”

  “Congratulations, although I hardly think that warrants a trip to the emergency room.”

  “She was in an accident, and we want to make sure everything’s okay.” They’d decided on their way to the hospital to keep it simple.

  “What kind of accident?”

  “The kind that might jeopardize the baby.”

  “Kai.”Emma placed her hand on his arm.

  “Sorry doc. I’m just worried. She fell and she also drank something she shouldn’t before we knew she was pregnant.” That was the story they decided on. The doctor would assume alcohol.

  “Okay then. It might be too early to tell about the drinking, but let's run some tests.” Dr. Herrington left the room. A few minutes later a nurse came into the little cubicle to lead Emma away.

  “You can wait for her here sir. This won’t take long.”

  Kai watched Emma follow the nurse from the room. Stupid hospital! Why wouldn’t they let him stay with her? Part of him wanted to demand they include him but that would only add to Emma’s anxiety. He’s rather be in there to support her while the hospital staff ran tests. Even this short separation made him anxious. He hated waiting. He kicked the chair against the wall. It seemed like he’d waited hours before the nurse popped into the room again. It’d only been fifteen minutes.

  “Sir, would you mind coming with me?” She asked then left without waiting to see if he followed.

  “Why? Where are we going?” Kai demanded.

  “She refused to let us do the sonogram unless you’re there.” Yes! That’s my girl. Relieved, Kai followed the nurse down the long hallway. She turned left down a shorter passage and entered the second door on the right.

  Emma was lying in a hospital bed wearing a paper gown and covered with a thin white blanket from the waist down. Kai moved to her side and took her hand.

  “I wanted you here for this. You shouldn’t miss out because of some stupid hospital policy,” Kai raised her hand to his lips.

  “Thank you. I was ready to charge down the hall when she came for me.”

  “I don’t doubt it.”

  “Shall we get started?” The technician lifted the gown and tucked it under Emma’s bra. The blanket draped over her lower half was pushed down to expose her belly. The tech squeezed clear blue gel onto the still flat surface before pressing the wand against Emma’s tummy.

  “Ooh, I wasn’t expecting that to be warm.”

  “We keep it in a warmer now. We never used to but patients kept complaining.”

  “Well, I’m grateful.”

  Impatient for answers, Kai shifted from one foot to the other listening to but not engaging in the conversation. He was anxious for the tech to get started. He watched the tech slide the wand over Emma’s lower abdomen and click away on her keyboard with her other hand. A grey and black image appeared on the monitor screen.

  “What is that?” He pointed to a portion at the bottom of the screen that appeared to flicker.

  “She’s not very far along, but that’s your baby’s heart beating.” Kai’s chest swelled with emotion, too much emotion for him to handle. Overwhelmed by the emotional tide, Kai did something he’d never done before. He slipped to the floor in a dead faint.

  Chapter 27

  Kai felt like a damned fool when he came around a few seconds later. Emma looked concerned as she peered down at him from the exam table. He’d feinted! “Kai are you alright?”

  “Besides embarrassed, I’m fine. I don’t know what happened. I've never done that before in my life.”

  “You'd be surprised at how many times I've heard that,” the tech said dryly. She hopped off her chair. “We’re all done here anyway. You can get dressed if you like. The doctor will be in to see you in just a few minutes.” She stepped out of the room and closed the door leaving the couple alone in the room.

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t know. When I saw that tiny little heartbeat, it hit me like a hammer. I'm gonna be a father. I didn’t think my heart could be any fuller since meeting you and then…”

  “I know what you mean. Seeing that little flutter… My heart breaks thinking that we might never get to know that little being.” Tears filled her eyes, and Kai knelt down beside where she perched on the bed.

  “It’s going to be okay.”

  “How can you say that?”

  “Because I refuse to believe we’ve gone through everything we have just t…”

  “So everything looks fine,” Dr. Herrington interrupted Kai as he entered the room. “Your ultrasound was normal. It is too early to tell much by the ultrasound. We’ll want to check the growth in about four to six weeks. I would suggest you follow up with your family doctor.” Kai released the breath he’d held unknowingly. The next ultrasound would tell them more about the baby’s growth but at least for now the baby and Emma were fine.

  * * *

  “Everything looks good. Your ultrasound is good, no abnormalities, the baby looks healthy. Heartbeat is fast but nothing abnormal. How far are you along? Your measurements are a bit big. Although with the size of the baby’s father I’m not surprised or concerned. How is the morning sickness?”

  “I'm hardly feeling sick at all anymore.”

  “Good. So unless you have any other questions, we'll see you in another month.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Spencer,” Emma said. “I can't wait to get home and tell Kai. He’ll be so thrilled and relieved. The only thing that he gets anxious and worked up about is me and this baby. We haven’t stopped worrying since my accident,” Emma said sticking to the story they’d devised. Kai had been with her at the ultrasound appointment, but the snooty lab tech wouldn't give them any information. She’d told them her family doctor would have the results within a few days and that they’d have to follow up with her. Kai was livid. It was all she could do to get him out of there without causing a scene.

  “That’s understandable. He seems like someone who is used to being in control of a situation.”

  “You have no idea.” Emma laughed. “He has no clue how to wait patiently.”

  “Well you can tell him everything is fine”

  “Don’t worry, I will. Thank you again Dr. Spencer.”

  Emma left the office feeling lighter in spirit. She’d been just as worried as Kai. Now they could both breathe easy.

  Emma took Dr. Herrington’s advice and found another doctor right away. Kai wanted her to have the best, so they looked for a specialist to take over her prenatal care. He didn’t want to take any chances. Emma was lucky to have found a female ob-gyn willing to take her on. She wasn’t high risk. She was pretty sure Dr. Spencer took her on because she was more worried about Kai making it through the pregnancy and delivery than Emma. He attended her appointments, and despite his naturally intimidating presence, Dr. Spencer seemed unaffected by his glowering. She reassured him Emma was progressing fine and answered all his questions dispelled his fears. Unfortunately, Kai wasn't able to be there for the follow-up appointment. He had some things he had some things that couldn't w
ait for his attention, so Emma was unable to share the good news until later that night.

  ***

  “What happened with your appointment?” Kai barely made it through the door to their suite before asking the question burning in his brain.

  “And how was your day?”

  “Sorry, I’ve hardly been able to concentrate. I should have left work for later and came with you today.”

  “No. What you do is important. You did the right thing.”

  “You are important. Now tell me what happened before I lose my mind!”

  “The doctor said everything is fine. The baby is a little big but come on, look at you.”

  “My blood work looked good. The baby looks healthy.”

  “So when’s your next appointment?”

  “I go once a month now until it gets closer to my delivery date.”

  Kai placed his hand over her stomach. “I promise I’ll be there for all your appointments.”

  “It’s alright. I know you wanted to be there.”

  “The next couple months might be hell. I’m not good at waiting.”

  “I know. You’ll be fine. We’re not the first anxious parents to be and we won’t be the last. Relax. I was worried at first too. The doctor says everything looks fine and I choose to believe that. You’re worrying yourself crazy for nothing.”

  “So much can go wrong.”

  “You forget I’m immortal now. And I know in my heart that our baby is protected too.” Kai knew she was right. Emma and the baby just meant so much to him. He’d never once considered being a husband or father yet here he was anxiously awaiting the birth of his child. It was a miracle he’d never expected and he planned to be there for it all.

  They still had tons of things to figure out. Kai had responsibilities which he took very seriously and Emma supported him. They still hadn’t worked out the logistics of melding Kai’s duty with their new life and they’d yet to find a place to call home. They’d found a few interesting prospects although they hadn’t committed to a specific location. Kai didn’t have to choose between the two and Emma vowed to herself that she would never ask him to. It would be tough, and there were sacrifices that each would have to make, but they had all the time in the world to work it out.