by J. E Hanson
Joey pecks my cheek, “I have no problems taming the wild beast. Come on Gabe… time to keep Chris under control, dude.”
The castle staff waits at the end of the corridor with fear. Some of them are crying tears of blood for me. I can hear televisions breaking in for a special report. They are discussing my medical condition.
Papa says goodbye to me one last time, “I love you very much, and I will be here when you wake up. Everyone is thinking of you tonight.”
I weakly glance at him, “I love you too, Papa, and either way… I promise to fight for my humanity in case I turn into a full vampire tonight.”
I give him one last peck, and they wheel me inside the operating room. Grandpa Oberon snaps me from the hospital gurney to the operating table. I am okay until I see all the instruments they are about to use on me. They hook my IV bags, and they hook up my heart monitor. The fluid begins to diffluence through my veins.
Grandpa Oberon props me up, “I will have to put you under. Here are a couple of medicines to take the edge off.”
I take both medicines, and feel weird.
Zane orders from behind, “I need you to curl up like a cat, and lean on your grandfather.”
I do what he orders. My grandfather stole a chance to hold me in his arms, “I love you Jeannie, and I am also proud of you. You should know that I loved your grandmother very much, but we came from two completely different worlds. My world will never accept any relationships outside the fairy realm. I have to marry another fairy. I really wanted to marry your grandmother, but it would have never been fair to see that I am unable to age, and she ages. She was the one who broke it off with me. She should have told me that she was pregnant. Things could have been much different, if she just told me. I will never regret her—or our son.”
My lips lightly peck his cheek, “I love you too, and I understand perfectly. I am not upset either.”
There are four doctors suited up and sterilized. They brought in my husband, and his two friends. Everyone waits patiently for this caesarian section to begin. I finally remember her name.
I lift my head to Chris, “I know what her name is. Please stop worrying, and Feather Zorelle Hunter will be just fine.”
Christian grins, and he appears relieved for the first time in months. He mashes my lips with his, “I should have known her name. The stress made us forget. We are about to be proud parents to our anticipated, Feather Hunter.”
“I love you, Chris. It is time to say hi to our new daughter now,” I kiss him one last time, and that seems to calm him.
My grandfather places a mask over my face, “We will see you in the morning. Count back from ten to one.”
I nod yes, and count to myself. I never thought I fell asleep. I saw the room one minute, and the next minute, everything turns to a crepuscular abyss.
Chapter 25
The room changes from a crepuscular abyss, to a bright flare of transparent light. I stand alone in a room. My skin appears chalky. I thought I was in a room, but it is more like a bright tunnel. My hands try to shield my eyes from the blinding light.
A familiar voice echoes, “How are you feeling, Jeannie? You are beautiful. I am so glad that you are my daughter.”
My hand drops to see daddy standing right in front of me in a shimmering flare of light. He smiles at me. The very first thing, I want to do is run over, and hug him, “I miss you so much daddy!”
Daddy holds me in his arms, “I miss you too, kiddo. Your mom is right here, and she wants to say hi to you too.”
My mom steps forward in the perfect shimmering light, “I miss you, Jeannie. There are a few things we need to discuss. First, I am sorry for the way you were treated over the years. I was afraid of the unknown, and the unknown led to our deaths. I should have listened to our great-grandfather. I am so ashamed for refusing to listen to his warnings.”
Two more people walk into focus, daddy smiles, “These are special people, who I would like you to meet. That beautiful ginger is your Great-Aunt Rosebud with her husband Blaze Ocean. They would like to mention a few things, kiddo.”
Rosebud walks over to me, and she seems exactly like Rosalie, “You are our last hope. All three of you girls are our last hope! You have to put a stop to Julius, before he destroys everyone and everything. We worked very hard to try, and stop him. Unfortunately, my older brother made our task impossible.”
I glance at her clear blues, “You have my word, Rosebud. Rosalie is so much like you.”
“You tell my buddy Joe that he better take care of my baby. You tell him that I trust him fully with our daughter. We are pleased that they are finally together,” Great-Uncle Blaze hugs me, and he pecks my cheek.
Rosebud chuckles just like Rosalie, “I am thankful Rosalie finally put him in his place. Tell my daughter that I love her very much, and we will always be a part of her. Please take care of them. Please kill Julius, before he hurts more people.”
Tears of joy falls, and we hug each other tightly. My mom places her hands over my cheeks, “You have to take your sister out. There will come a time, when you have to decide who your true family is. Do not, and I repeat DO NOT accept her lies as the gospel truth. She did this to herself. You will have to make an important decision, between who is more important soon. I love you, and please take care of yourself.”
My parents hug me one last time, and they make me leave. I shot through a bright tunnel, and snap.
There are panics, and screams in the air.
“I have a pulse! She is still with us! She is back!” Alexander shouts.
“We tried to catch the bleed in time! I am so thankful that I double-checked everything!” Grandpa Oberon sounds relieved.
The noises stop, and I fall asleep. My body relaxes, and the next few hours are blissful. I can feel someone tugging on me until I open my eyes.
Alexander stands right by my side, “I am glad you are still with us. We have some good news to report. We are able to save your uterus, but a miniscule piece of your placenta will remain there. Your uterus should shed it next month. You also remain in the land of the living.”
I glance around the room, and realize there are monitors, and tubes all over me. Alexander takes the ventilator from my throat.
“You were out of it for a good week,” Alexander points to the calendar on the wall, and it is now reveals February the twenty first.
“Where is my baby?” I hoarsely spoke.
Alexander points upstairs, “Chris is right by her side. She is tiny, but she is under the lights to stabilize her bilirubin levels. Ian is reading to her to keep her calm.”
I try to sit up, but Alexander pins me down. I try to fight him off, “I have to see my daughter! LET ME GO!” I shout.
I can feel my husband, as he barges into my room, “Jeannie, you have to stay down! Our daughter is in capable hands, and she is okay. You need to worry about yourself for a change!”
Alexander unhooks the machines one by one, “You may heal your wife now.”
Christian walks over to me, and he bites into his wrist. He forces his wrist over my mouth. I take a few sips from him. The pain throughout my body ceases. I fall back on the mattress perfectly content.
Dr. Li also joins my room to take out the catheter. Chris picks me up, after the doctors finish unhooking me from everything. He mashes my lips with his passionately.
I hold on tightly to his neck, “Now would you like to meet our daughter?” Christian asks. I nod my head a quick yes, and he carries me upstairs.
The BIB stands outside with smiles, and relief on their faces. Erik opens the double doors to reveal a delicate pink bedroom. I can hear Ian’s soft voice reading his fairy tales again. He looks up with his piercing blues, smiling at me. Chris puts me on my feet. I carefully take his hand as he escorts me to her side. She is laying there, and I see how beautiful she really is. Her eyes have a blindfold over them, because she is underneath the lights right now. She flinches her tiny legs, and hands every now, and then. My eyes
swell, but Ian stands up to hug me, “Feather is doing great. She is breathing on her own, and she is gaining weight.”
I walk over to her side. I sterilize my hands well. I am able to reach my hand inside to see that she has his blonde hair, but she has my curls. I try not to cry at how beautiful, and perfect she is.
“There you are Feather, and I am so happy you are finally here. You are so beautiful. I love you so much,” I talk to her calmly.
I quickly peck on the incubator she is in, as of right now. We watch her heart rate spike. She turns her tiny head slightly in my direction.
Ian reaches his hand inside to hold her tiny hand, “She remembers our voices.”
I fight even harder to suppress the tears, “I promise to spoil you rotten. I fought so hard for you. I wanted to have you so bad, and I am so happy that you are finally here. Chris look at her, she is so beautiful.”
Chris takes my side, and he holds me, “She is more than what I could have ever imagined. She is the most beautiful little girl in the world. We are truly blessed by the gods.”
My husband reaches in, and he strokes her tiny arm with his finger, “I love you, Feather Zorelle. I have to steal your mommy to make sure she eats. You know how stubborn she can be. I am making sure she gives you enough nourishment to break you free from this contraption.”
“I promise that once I finish eating, to return to your side. I love you Feather, and your uncles will watch you until I return.”
Christian picks me up, and I blow Feather a kiss. He carries me to our bedroom. Ember and Rosalie smile at me, as they are both waiting patiently for me. They are happy that I will remain in my human form for now. Violet already waits inside with a huge plate of food for me, “There’s my girl! You need to build up your appetite!”
She makes healthy foods, which promote breastfeeding. Feather needs every drop of nourishment from me. The girls listen to Dr. Li explain a breast pump for me. I extract a small amount from each breast. Christian takes the small amount from me for her feedings.
Violet hands me another drink, “This will stimulate your milk supply. We always have this special fairy herb, ready for you to drink for energy, along with other herbs to build your supply up. Our little girl needs all the milk from you that she can stand.”
My hand touches Rosalie’s hand, “I have to tell you something really important.”
Rosalie sits on my bed, “What is wrong, Jeannie? You don’t have to tell us anything right now. You need all your strength for your daughter.”
Ember hands me more food, “You can wait to tell her later. It is not that big of a deal.”
My fork falls on my plate, “We have to take Ava out.”
Rosalie shakes her head no, “You should focus on your daughter. Let the Enforcers worry about Ava.”
“While I was out of it, your parents sent me a message.” I can no longer hold anything back. She has to hear her message.
They stop dead in their tracks. Rosalie stands up, “What do you mean, they gave you messages?”
“Your parents are happy that you are with Joey. They said they fought to try to put an end to Reno and Khan, but Everest put a stop to their cause. They want us to keep fighting for them. Our parents told me, to tell you, that they love you, and even my mom wants us to bring Ava to justice.”
Ember blinks at me strangely, “Did you see my mom at all?”
I shake a quick no, and Ember appears upset.
Rosalie stares at me with disbelief, “What do my parents look like, if you saw them?”
“Rosebud looks exactly like you, Rosalie, and she even laughs like you. Your dad has a crimson Mohawk with tattoos, and body piercings all over him. Your mom is happy to see that you are with Joey, and the fact that you beat him at his dance competition,” I inform her.
Rosalie covers her mouth in shock. She walks over to me, and she opens her locket. There inside her locket, are pictures of her parents. She instantly cries in my arms.
Joey joins us in my bedroom, and he seems surprised. “Blaze wants you to take care of his daughter for him, and he is glad you two are together. He trusts you above all others.”
His jaw drops. I can tell that he is in shock. Rosalie nods yes, “This has to be true! Jeannie never knew what my parents looked like until now. She must have died, only to return with a message.”
Violet hands me her concoction to drink. About an hour later, I have to pump badly. Rosalie dries her tears, “You will be pumping for a very long time. That stuff is extremely potent. She gave that same potion to Skyler, and she was in sheer hell pumping. I have to remember that potion when our baby comes.”
I have to keep pumping, to remove all the excess milk. The bottles of milk are filling up quickly. The BIB is relieved that I can sustain her diet on my own. After ten hours, the only problem is that I have expressed so much milk, and my nipples begin to crack.
I am in agony, but Sophia smiles warmly, “I have a cure for that too. I used to be a milkmaid in my days. I will return with a solution in a minute.”
I manage to keep my human side full. Christian hands me bottles of blood to replenish my fangs. After an hour, I am able to keep both sides happy. Sophia makes a special cream for my nipples. Unfortunately, I make a rookie mistake, by taking a hot shower. Now I realize why hot water is not a great idea. The milk keeps pouring from me, making me cry. Christian walks inside our bathroom to see what is wrong, “You are okay, but you might want to avoid the hot baths and showers for now—or until your milk supply is under control. This is perfectly normal.”
I step out of the shower freshly washed. He hands me a towel, and he nibbles on my neck, “I am trying to behave, but I want you badly right now. I am trying my best, to resist the urge to make love to you again.”
The idea of having sex again, scares me, “I want to make love to you, but not right now. We have a daughter, who needs us.”
He hands my clothes to me, “I know, but I am so thankful that you are still among the living. We almost lost you a few times.”
I put on my tank, and slid into my jeans, “How many times did I crash on the table?”
Christian blinks, “You crashed at least five times on the table. We managed to get you back this last time to stabilize you. Oberon caught a small vein spitting out blood. He was able to seal it, and restore your life. I am eternally grateful that he saved you. I guess we are even now.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I saved his niece from a certain death many years ago. As a small child, your cousin was left for dead in a forest. Rosalie barely survived herself.”
I wrap my arms around his neck. I stand on my toes, just to try to peck his cheek. He chuckles, and leans down. I brush his lips with mine, “I am grateful that I have a wonderful white knight like you. I love you, Chris. Can we see our daughter?”
He nods yes, and he hands me my house slippers. I keep the breast pump with me. We return to see that Ian is still reading to her. He pauses when he notices me.
I hug Ian, and peck his cheek, “Thank you for staying with our daughter. I love you very much, Ian.”
Ian stares at me, and then he smiles, “I love little kids. I wish one day that I could have my own kids. I will always have a soft spot for children.”
“You will make an excellent father one day, Ian. I know that for sure.”
Ian moves to the side so I can sit next to Feather. I hold her tiny little hand with my index finger. She can barely wrap her fragile hand around it. Christian gives me another comfortable chair to sit beside her. Alexander and Zane enter the room, and they administer her feeding through a tube in her stomach. She seems pleased with my milk.
~~~***~~~
I will remain by her side for weeks. I only leave her side, long enough to take a shower or eat. I lost track of so much time. It was once February, but now it is April. I glance to see that she is gaining weight.
Ian walks over to us, “How is my favorite little girl doing?”
; Feather smiles at me, as I pick her up. I place her next to me in a wrap. She roots for my nipple, and she starts to suckle.
“The nightmare is finally over. I believe we are out of the woods for a change. I guess I can catch up on my homework.” I am tired from the sleep deprivation. But, taking care of Feather is my top priority.
I stand up, and then move out of the room. Almost all the BIB members are standing there smiling at us. I am able to nurse Feather, and walk around the castle freely.
Brannon points, “Your husband is in his office, if you want to pay him a visit, love. I believe he is in a business meeting, but he will gladly stop it for his favorite girls.”
We walk inside his office. The office door opens, and my husband is in the middle of a business meeting. He is standing in a grey double-breasted suit. I listen to him, as he speaks French to vampires in charcoal business suits. He smiles, and gestures for me to walk over. I make sure my wrap keeps Feather hidden. He conveys a few more phrases, and the executives leave his office.
He sits down on his desk, “What brings my beautiful wife by my office?”
I inch even closer to him to show a nursing Feather, “I thought you might want to see our daughter.”
He bends over, and he kisses her hair, “My beautiful daughter. I have to steal your mommy for one of these nights though.”
“I know I have been neglecting your needs, but I have to stay around our daughter just a little while longer.”
He places his index finger over his lips, and then he closes his eyes. He is thinking of the right words to say to me. I manage to move Feather to the other side, so she can empty the other breast. He waits until I move her, “How about I place a bassinet right beside our bed? I want to bond with my wife. You are an excellent mother. I want to show you my appreciation for being such a wonderful woman.”
I know what he wants, and I am still uncomfortable with it, “I don’t think the doctors gave me clearance for that. I think we need to wait a little longer for sex.”