I nodded thankfully and was almost instantly by Lara’s side, grabbing her hand, brushing back her hair, and smiling gently at her. Dr. Green quickly left, closing the door behind her. I knelt by the bedside. Lara and I made out, relieved by the news. “Painful?” Lara repeated to me questioningly, with a laugh.
I shrugged, leaning forward, giving her another kiss. “That’s what she said,” I told her, just as confused as she was. “I’m just glad you’re both all right.”
She nodded in agreement. “I love you so much, Lance. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She winced and then smiled.
“I love you more,” I whispered.
Lara lay in silence for a moment and then, without warning, she grabbed my hand, squeezing it gently as she flinched in pain. “Sorry,” she whispered, seeing the shock on my face.
“Don’t be,” I muttered nervously, kind of getting scared.
“The … ungh … the pills are starting to work,” she informed me.
I nodded understandingly as she took in a deep breath. “What’s it feel like?” I asked.
She opened one eye and then winked at me. “I feel all tingly,” she said. Suddenly, she screamed and curled up her body. “Ouch! Oh, geesh! Ouch!”
I was spooked by her sudden moaning as she recoiled in pain, while Rashellia unleashed a barrage of kicks inside her belly that I could see against her stomach. It looked like Rashellia was about to stand up and rip herself through Lara’s stomach.
“I’ll be all right,” she said softly through clenched teeth, trying to divert my attention away from the pain. I brought my hand to her stomach so I could feel the constant kicks.
I felt so sorry for her, yet I was completely useless. I kissed her belly, and she tried to smile but was attacked by another surge of pain that caused her to curl back into a ball. After about half an hour, the pain started to go away—to our relief.
“You were so scared,” she whispered, teasing me and giving me a playful punch, even as she winced as the light pains continued.
“Whatever. Sorry for being worried about you.”
She laughed, trying to lighten the mood. “You’re going to be a real mess when I have the baby,” she teased.
I patted her shoulder reassuringly and then went to the kitchen to make her chicken soup. I fed it to her, as a mother would do for a sick child.
“You’re going to be a great father, though,” she said when I had finished feeding her.
“Thanks. You’re not going to be a half-bad mother, either,” I replied, rubbing her stomach gently.
“Yeah, right,” she muttered unhappily.
“This is entirely my fault. I never should have taken you to that party.” I stared down at the floor, ashamed.
“Hey, don’t you dare blame yourself. I’m a grown women. I decided for myself to go, and believe me, it wasn’t you. I mean, yes, after a couple hours of dancing, I was having a bit of bleeding, but it would have patched itself on its own, so don’t you dare blame yourself.” She paused for a moment as a wave of pain surged through her. “Besides, yesterday you actually made me feel like a normal teenage girl again—something I hadn’t felt for a long time,” she whispered gently, patting my hand affectionately.
“What happened to you, then, to make you bleed so much?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” She glanced away from me with a shrug, so I couldn’t figure out if she was telling the truth.
Dr. Green arrived back at our place about twenty minutes later to examine Lara and listen to the baby’s heartbeat. “Well, like I said before, your baby is going to be fine,” she said.
“Thank God!” I exclaimed happily, hugging Lara. Lara patted my back happily, whispering she was sorry into my ear.
“You’re lucky you have a husband who cares about you, because even though you didn’t think there was anything to be worried about, you were wrong. If you would have gotten up, there was a chance that you could have punctured something and bled out internally, dying without warning. Now, I know you’re a pure-blood, so you would be reborn, but do you really want to repeat nineteen years all over again and lose two good things going on in your life?” Dr. Green scolded Lara.
“Of course not,” Lara told her.
“This wound wasn’t inflicted by physically straining yourself either. Your body can heal those types of injuries; this was definitely caused by another person pushing against your stomach. Tell me who it was, and I’ll make sure he or she is sent to jail for jeopardizing the life of your child,” Dr. Green told her.
“No one did it,” Lara said, a stubborn expression spreading across her face.
“Fine, but if you change your mind, call me with the name.” Dr. Green handed me her card and then told Lara, “Before I go, you’re going to need to do a couple things for me. First, get up.” Lara did so obediently. “Walk back and forth a couple times,” Green told her, and again, Lara did so obediently. Next Dr. Green told Lara to bend down and touch her toes, then reach for the sky, and finally, to squat up and down five times. After Lara complied, Dr. Green nodded her head, satisfied, and allowed Lara to sit back down on the bed—Lara looked exhausted from the workout. “Okay, just take it easy for the rest of the day, and no sex tonight,” she instructed Lara.
“Aw, poor Lance,” Lara teased.
“Agh! Don’t worry, Doc. I knew that her bending over was the most action I was going to see today anyway,” I shot back.
Not even Dr. Green could help smiling as she gathered up all her stuff and left a few moments later. As Lara and I lay there that night, I thought about what the doctor had said, and Lara knew that I was thinking about it as well.
“Listen, Lance, the girl who did this to me could have just killed me and the baby, but she didn’t. I had broken a law of Dracona by showing affection in public while pregnant, so in her mind, she was doing the right thing,” Lara told me calmly.
I stared at her for a second. Revenge seemed to plague my mind. “She?” I repeated, my voice filled with bitterness. I stared blankly at the wall, resting my head on Lara’s belly as she stroked my head in silence. I knew that she probably realized there was nothing she could do or say to stop me from plotting my revenge on this mystery girl.
Chapter 15
About two and a half months later, Lara had to quit her job—she had hit nine months, and being on her feet for the entire day was a bit too much for her. I knew she felt guilty, because she kept telling me she would find a job where she didn’t have to move so much. But I convinced her that staying at home and relaxing for the last little bit of her pregnancy was a good idea. Anyway, I knew that no company would hire a pregnant chick who would be leaving them in a month or so.
In order to make up for her not working, I was forced to get another job, which I didn’t mind since I had been working my entire life anyway. Tracy hooked me up with a day job at the city maintenance bureau, shoveling snow, making sure streetlights were working, and stuff like that. After work, Tracy and I would go play some indoor basketball to rack in roughly as much money as Lara and I used to make, so we could still live comfortably.
“Good games today, Tracy,” I told her one night, splitting the money we had won between us.
“Yeah, those were some nice air balls you were throwing,” she said, packing up her stuff to go home.
“At least I was throwing something,” I teased.
She laughed, shouldering her gym bag. Lara came out of the stands and gave me a high-five and hugged Tracy. She was pretty big now, at nine and a half months pregnant, but she kept a good mood about it, especially after the incident with the mystery girl two months ago. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Peace,” Tracy called to us, waving good-bye.
“You came over to watch some games?” I asked Lara, giving her a kiss, along with one on her belly.
“Ye
ah, I got tired of tidying up the house, so I decided to come over and watch my professional superstar shoot some hoops.” She snatched the ball from me and dribbled it playfully, trying to provoke me to play with her. I took a step forward with my hand out, pretending to block her. She shot the ball, missing the basket—the ball landed five feet short of the net and bounced to the sideline. I jogged over to it and dribbled it out to Lara so she could shoot a couple of times.
I stood by the net, teasing her as she missed and then chucking the ball back out to her. She jumped up excitedly as her last shot sailed through the air and hit nothing but net. “Nice shot!” I said. I dribbled out to center court and gave her a high-five. She cradled her belly, looking exhausted already.
“Phew, I have to take a break,” she said. She leaned against my chest and placed my hand on her stomach—I could feel Rashellia kicking. “She missed her daddy,” Lara told me in a babyish voice, causing me to blush. We sat down in the middle of the court, and I offered her some water. Lara seemed to be really excited that her pregnancy was coming to an end. She tried to stay active so Rashellia would come earlier, as opposed to dragging it out to a full year, which was normal for a fiend to have her baby. Lara was being smart about it, though. She took breaks whenever she got tired so she wouldn’t push herself too hard and bleed.
“Have you had any contractions today?” I asked as we got up to leave.
“I had a couple after you left for work, but I think they were from that little present I gave you this morning,” she told me with a giggle. She took my gym bag from me and grabbed my hand as we walked home together.
“Yeah, probably. Thanks again,” I said, giving her a peck on the cheek.
“I hear it’s better at night,” she told me playfully.
When we got home, she set my bag down and kissed me while stripping down to a new pink bra and underwear. “Do you like it?” she asked hopefully.
“I love it,” I replied with a nod of approval.
Now that she couldn’t work, she was always eager to please me. I guess she was insecure about what I thought about her sitting at home all day. She ran her hand along my shirt, getting on her tiptoes to make out with me. “Whoa, whoa, slow down, girl,” I said. “I’m all sweaty and stuff from work. I got to take a shower first.”
She went into the bathroom and started the shower, returning a moment later, naked. “It’s ready, sweetie,” she told me, grabbing my hand and leading me into the shower with her.
I kissed her and wrapped my arms around her. I rubbed her back as she hugged me close, and the water gently sprayed off us. Her belly was resting against mine. I laughed when Rashellia started moving around, which I could feel against my stomach. “Are you scared about going into labor?” I asked her.
“A little bit nervous; that’s all,” she said, reaching for a bottle of shampoo and doing my hair. “I always have random contractions now, so I’m used to them. I’m even a little crampy right now, just from that walk home.”
“Really?” I asked nervously.
She laughed. “Are you scared of my giving birth?” When I nodded, she said, “Don’t be; we will be fine.” She gave me another kiss, adding, “Whatever I do or say, just remember that I love you.”
“I know but—”
“I still have up to two and a half months until it happens, so don’t worry,” she reassured me, taking my hand and running it along her belly.
“True, but you could give birth any day now,” I reminded her.
She just laughed and shrugged away the possibility. “I’m going to at least make it to ten months. I feel fine.”
“You think so? You look like you’re going to explode.”
“Gee, thanks. You’re the one who did this to me.” She gave me a light punch against my chest, pretending to be offended. “How about we dry off and have some fun in the bedroom?” she suggested, turning off the water.
We got out of the shower, and I dried myself off and then her. “Let’s just relax tonight,” I said, nodding toward her pink underwear on the floor.
She stared at me, confused, but I lovingly picked up her items and helped her put her bra on and then her pretty pink underwear. I kissed the back of her neck in her favorite spot, once I was done.
“Really? I’m fine now. The cramps are gone,” she reassured me, looking disappointed that I was turning her down.
“I’m exhausted from work,” I lied.
“Aw, come on. It’ll be fun!” she promised me.
“I just want to spend some time with you tonight and chat a bit. We never do that anymore,” I told her, going over to the bed and flicking on the TV. It illuminated the dark room as the holographic figures sprang to life in front of us.
She placed her hands on her hips, letting out a defeated sigh before coming over and snuggling with me in bed.
“Sorry,” I whispered guiltily.
“It’s cool; don’t worry about it,” she told me. I think she understood that I didn’t want to push her into an early labor.
We lay there watching the news for a bit. I was about to flick it off when a headline caught my eye: Mutiny against top leaders spreads.
“Shhh,” I told Lara as she was about to say something. “Let’s listen to this report.”
“In the recent days,” the fiend broadcaster began, “there has been a power struggle as a radical group of fiends, those opposed to their leader’s strategy for peace, has emerged, mysteriously deserting the bases all across the region. The group of dangerously well-trained fiends seems to be led by General McGrey, one of the first deserters. If you stumble across the hidden whereabouts of these radical fiends, please inform your local authorities, who will handle the situation.” The fiend broadcaster then moved on to how the war was progressing in Dublin City.
“That’s interesting,” I said.
Lara nodded in agreement, taking the remote and flicking the television off. “You have work early tomorrow morning,” she reminded me.
I sighed, realizing she was right. I had to get up an hour earlier to take care of some stupid, finicky streetlight.
She gently shook me awake the next morning, offering me a cup of coffee and a bagel for breakfast, which I accepted gratefully.
“How are you feeling today?” I asked as she sat down with me to eat her bagel.
“Fat,” she joked.
I smiled, chugging the remainder of my coffee. I got dressed into my snow gear in preparation for work. “What’s up?” I asked, noticing that Lara was putting on her jacket and boots.
“Nothing. I just want to walk with you to work.”
“All right. Cool.” I knew she was probably bored of sitting around the house all day.
She held out her hand to me, which I accepted as we went outside and headed to the city’s maintenance bureau where I worked now. She leaned her head against my shoulder as we walked along the sidewalk. We were about five minutes from work when a group of fiends rounded a corner and walked drunkenly toward us.
“Damn, it’s only, like, seven in the morning, and those fools are wasted already,” I said. Lara stopped dead in her tracks, giving me an urgent tug on my arm. “What?” I asked. She seemed paralyzed with fear.
“That girl in the middle is the one who threatened me at the bar,” she whispered.
“Go get help,” I ordered her. The group of fiends stopped a couple of yards away as they spotted us. Lara waddled away, back to our house, as fast as she could. The group laughed at her and advanced a little closer to me. They flashed their fangs threateningly.
“What’s up? You look a bit scared,” a girl fiend said as her group surrounded me.
Finally, I was looking at the mystery girl I had dreamed so vividly of killing. “I don’t want any trouble,” I lied, clenching my fists and getting ready for the inevitable fight.
“Neither do we,” she said. “What do you think we are? Monsters?” She offered me a sip of her beer.
Her entourage chuckled as she taunted me a bit more, trying to provoke me to throw a punch. “So you like banging fiends, hey?” she asked, sticking a finger in her mouth and sucking on it, toying with me. “You think he likes me, Rial?” she asked one of her friends. She smiled devilishly, turning to face me. “I bet you want to screw me, don’t you,” she said bluntly.
That set me off, and I swung my fist at her. She nimbly avoided it.
“Oh, we got a feisty one,” a guy laughed.
The female fiend waved her finger at me playfully. “Tsk, tsk. That wasn’t very nice,” she taunted me, as her two fingers formed into a jagged blade.
I swung again, connecting with her this time, square against the side of her face. It knocked her back in surprise, and her nose cracked open, spilling her purplish fiend blood and staining the snow around her feet. Her friends piled on top of me, beating the shit out of me, and then one stabbed me in the chest. I let out a surprised gasp as he smiled victoriously, pulling his blade out of my chest. In shock, I clutched my chest, feeling my warm blood soak my shirt.
One of the fiends dragged me across the street and propped me up against a tree. Another guy pulled out a gun, but the girl grabbed it from him angrily. She wiped away the blood from her face and knelt down beside me, shoving the gun into my mouth. “You have until tonight to leave Monatello, or I’m going to strangle that bitch in front of you and personally rip that filthy half-blood human out of her stomach,” she told me, clicking off the safety and flashing a deranged smile. “Bang,” she whispered into my ear.
She pulled the gun out of my mouth, and they all laughed, scattering as they ran away. I fell over in the snow, watching it turn bright red as I helplessly felt my life slipping away. My body began convulsing uncontrollably as the shock set in.
“Lance!” David yelled, appearing beside me, followed soon after by Lara, Carana, and Tracy.
The Unexpected War Page 17