The Reckoning

by S. L. Morgan

  “Pregnant women are not crazy—”

  “They’re wildly insane!” Harrison called out, interrupting Levi as he strolled into their dining hall.

  Levi blotted each corner of his mouth and stood when Harrison and a mildly embarrassed Angeline walked into the room. “Harrison. Angie! Would you care to join us for breakfast, or should I even extend an invitation, since you never seem to abide by them?”

  “Forgive us, Levi,” Angeline said as she nudged Harrison’s side. “He mentioned that it would be lovely to stop by and pay you both a visit. I had no idea he planned to so rudely bypass your servants—”

  “Angie, have a seat, my sweet gem,” Harrison said as he pulled out a chair across from Reece. “It’s Levi and Reece, we’re all family, and Levi always enjoys the pleasure of my company.” He sat next to Angeline. “Especially when he’s avoided us for far too long.”

  The house servants brought out plates of freshly made food and filled Harrison and Angeline’s cups with tea. After draping a napkin over his leg, Harrison wasted no time indulging himself in the breakfast before him.

  Reece laughed aloud when she saw the reprimanding look on Angeline’s face as his wife continued to watch him.

  “What?” Harrison said after he swallowed a large bite of food.

  “Harry, sometimes I do not understand your incivility.”

  “No one does,” Levi said with a grin. “Angie, we are truly delighted that you have joined us, and if Harrison didn’t practically break down our dining room doors to do so, I would be concerned that something was wrong with him.”

  Angeline sighed and delicately began to eat.

  “I’m certainly thrilled you are here,” Reece said as she finished the last of her tea. “I was just telling Levi that it feels really strange for us to be sitting in this large room by ourselves.”

  “Let me guess,” Harrison looked at Levi, “another room to be painted and altered?”

  “Precisely.”

  “Why haven’t you hired the decorators to do such things?” Harrison said, looking at Reece as if she were insane.

  “Because we’re not completely helpless!” Reece lashed back.

  “My, aren’t we quite feisty this morning,” Harrison said with a laugh.

  Levi brushed his napkin over his mouth. “You have no idea.”

  “Angie and I have a suggestion for the two of you.”

  “Do you, now?” Levi answered. “Would this suggestion cause my wife to throw you out of the house because it didn’t agree with her?”

  “I’m about to throw you out of the house.” Her mood and energy levels were all over the place, and as every day passed, she struggled to keep it all under control. She knew she should apologize to Levi, but the thought of doing so annoyed her.

  Harrison erupted into laughter as Angeline smiled sympathetically at Reece. “Harrison has taken a reprieve from the command center, and we would like for you to join us on a visit to Casititor.”

  The Anders’ soup! Reece thought, forcing a laugh from Levi.

  “By the size of Reece’s eyes at the moment, I’m fairly sure the answer is yes?”

  “Harrison, we would love to go.” She reached for Levi’s hand. “We can pick out a new color for the baby’s room as well.”

  “Indeed.” Levi sighed.

  The afternoon with Harrison and Angeline was exactly what Reece needed. Her mood changed into a more loving and agreeable one, making the day pass pleasantly. The four toured through shops when not being interrupted by the civilians in the town. Reece was pleasantly surprised to find that the loud musicians playing in the street and the flags strung throughout the town were all in celebration of the new heir to Pemdas. Levi informed her that various kingdoms celebrate in their own unique ways, but it is a great celebration for the civilians, and they will revel until weeks after the child is born.

  To be in the company of all of these people should have overwhelmed her, but instead, it had quite the opposite effect. When they walked into their room that evening, Reece was filled with joy and excitement.

  “Levi,” she called out as he began pulling off his long black boots.

  “Yes, love.”

  She walked over to him and kissed the top of his head. “I’m so sorry for being weird.”

  Levi looked up at her. “You do not need to apologize.”

  “You really need to stop being so nice.”

  “Do I have any other option?” He grinned.

  “No,” she teased. “I love the color of the baby’s room. And instead of complaining about our large dining room, I should be grateful that we have such a beautiful home and that I get to share it with you.”

  Levi stood and brought his arms around her. “My love, you do not need to make excuses. I agree the dining hall is quite large, and we could easily remedy that.” He kissed her forehead. “Now, would you care to unwind with some hot tea out on our balcony tonight?”

  “That sounds wonderful.”

  As Levi started to guide Reece out onto the balcony, a spasm in Reece’s stomach radiated through her so violently that she dropped her tea cup and collapsed into Levi while gripping her stomach tightly.

  “No!” Reece bellowed. “Not again.”

  Levi swept her up into his arms. “You will be fine, my love. I must send for the doctor immediately. There is blood present on your gown.”

  Levi disappeared from the room, and the strong spasm ripped through Reece again. “Hold on, little one,” Reece said through her sobs.

  Reece screamed again as the attacks from these horrible spasms continued to assault her. “Levi!” she screamed.

  Levi was directly at her side. “I’m here,” he said as he looked into Reece’s eyes. “Reece, I need you to control your breathing. Your shallow breaths could be starving our child of oxygen.”

  Reece followed Levi’s example and breathed along with him. It seemed like forever as Reece suffered through this unimaginable pain before she saw the horror in Levi’s eyes, knowing something was severely wrong. “Levi,” she growled through another agonizing spasm.

  Levi placed his hand on his forehead. “Everything will be fine,” he said with determination before looking away. “Henry!” Levi roared for his butler.

  “Sir?”

  “Where is the doctor?”

  “He and his staff arrived only moments ago.”

  “Send them in immediately! I no longer hear our child’s heartbeat, and he must take action this instant.”

  Reece became weak with the internal pain she was enduring. She strained to keep her eyes open, but her vision blurred and she collapsed in Levi’s arms. “You and our child must fight! Fight through this, my beloved!” It was the last thing she had heard before darkness consumed her.

  Reece’s eyes flickered open. Her mind and body were so relaxed that she felt as though she were floating on air. Her lips felt parched, but she was too numb to say anything. She struggled to focus and think straight.

  “She’s waking,” she heard Levi call out.

  “She is fully healed,” another deep voice returned. “I shall give her the injection to pull her out of this sedated state.”

  Reece tried to focus her eyes on the shadows of Levi and Doctor Fletcher, but it was pointless. She felt a sting on her upper arm, and she felt her strength return to her within seconds, and her mind became clear. She shot up in bed, prompting Levi to place his arms on each of her shoulders and kiss her forehead. “Easy, love,” he said with relief in his voice.

  Reece looked into his jewel eyes, more brilliant and dazzling than she had ever seen them before. Reece shot up in bed. “Our baby?” she shouted in a panic. She glanced around the room, seeing no signs of their child. “Levi! What happened? Please tell me we didn’t lose our child. Where’s our baby?” she cried out.

  A kiss to her forehead soothed her. “Calm yourself, everything is fine.”

  She ran a hand over her stomach. “Fine?” she questioned. “Where’s our baby?
” Tears started to pool in her eyes.

  Levi tenderly caressed her cheek. “You and our child fell victim to a severe case of placenta abruption. Doctor Fletcher was able to quickly stop the hemorrhaging, preventing you from going into hypovolemic shock.”

  “And the baby?”

  “Our child is perfectly well,” Levi said as he placed a kiss on her forehead. “Give me a moment.”

  Reece collapsed into the pillows in relief after Levi stood and walked out into their sitting room. Before Reece could take another breath, Levi reappeared with a tiny bundle of blankets cradled in his arms. He beamed as he approached her side. “Meet your daughter,” Levi proudly said as he placed the sleeping infant in Reece’s arms.

  Reece cradled their swaddled daughter in her arms, eyes locked on the perfection of her face. “She’s so tiny and beautiful,” she said with tears in her eyes. “You’re sure she’s okay?” She looked at Doctor Fletcher and back to Levi.

  “She is perfectly healthy. I believe I shall wait with the others so as to allow you both to bond and enjoy your new blessing,” Doctor Fletcher said as he finished packing the last of his medical equipment.

  “I believe you should wake her and allow her to nurse,” Levi said as he ran his long fingers over their daughter’s curly black hair.

  The baby grunted in protest, but as soon as Reece encouraged her to nurse, she instantly latched on and two brilliant emerald eyes locked with Reece’s. “Wow,” Reece responded, “not only are you the most precious and beautiful little girl, but you have quite the appetite as well.”

  “She is as beautiful as her mother,” Levi proclaimed. “I cannot express how truly amazed I am at this moment.”

  Their daughter’s eyes lazily closed as she continued to nurse. “I feel the same way,” Reece said as she looked at Levi and brought a hand to his cheek. “It is surreal to see what you and I created. To hold her in my arms and have her take to me without any trouble is an experience I can’t describe.”

  “She is a treasured gift, indeed.”

  Levi sat further onto the bed, allowing Reece to recline back into his embrace. “How long was I out for?” she asked as she continued to trace the lines of their daughter’s soft face.

  “Doctor Fletcher and his staff worked quickly to sedate you and surgically remove our child from your womb. You were in a sedated state for over an hour before you began to wake.” He kissed the top of her head. “You and our daughter both fought viciously past the traumatic situation you faced. It is quite intriguing to see that neither one of you shows any signs of what occurred.”

  “My only concern is that she is healthy,” Reece said as she shifted their daughter to her other breast. “This is so amazing,” Reece said as the infant didn’t hesitate to latch on and continue nursing. She looked up at Levi and kissed his chin. “Well, I guess I won our little wager! Thanks to my blacking out, I managed to not feel a thing while delivering her, so I didn’t have to ask for medicine.”

  Levi grinned. “You should know that any bet you place with me, I will gladly allow you to win.”

  Reece studied their daughter’s face. “You have your daddy’s nose,” Reece said with a laugh, “and his lips,” she finished as she placed a tender kiss to her new daughter’s forehead. “She’s so tiny and perfect.”

  “My love, you have honored Pemdas with the most beautiful princess in the land. Have you decided on a name for our daughter?” Levi said as he ran a hand along the infant’s face.

  Reece smiled at Levi. “You know how I am with names.” She laughed. “Arrow, Mozart?” She looked down at her daughter. “I think it’s best if we let your father name you.”

  Levi chuckled. “You did all the work, and you know that I adore the names you choose.”

  “Not happening. I seriously can’t think of anything, and I’m not having our child growing up hating me for giving her some weird name.”

  Levi gazed intently into Reece’s eyes. “I believe it was the power of the stone that you still carry within you that served to protect you while giving birth to our child. If it weren’t for your lineage and the stone, this entire situation could have ended differently.”

  “Where are you going with this?” Reece asked in confusion.

  “I am unsure if we have ever had the discussion, but before you were born, your mother was the last living descendant of Paul Xylander.” He smiled lovingly at her. “I know you have no memories of her, but I think it would be perfect to name our daughter after your mother. To honor her and everything that being The Key truly is.”

  “Marian?” Reece tilted her head as a tear slipped down her cheek. “That is perfect. My father would have loved that.”

  “Do you have any ideas for her second name?”

  “How about we decide on a name from your family? The ring that you gave me and the jewels from your grandmother are so precious to me, I feel it would honor her if we name her after your grandmother, too. How does Marian Elisia sound?”

  Levi’s eyes glistened as he brought his lips to hers. After the short, yet soothing kiss ended, Levi looked down at their daughter. “Your name has been officially sealed with a kiss, my sweet one. Princess Marian Elisia Oxley shall be announced to every kingdom throughout Pemdas.”

  “It looks like we have a full little belly,” Reece said as she leaned forward and kissed Marian on her head. “She smells so good.”

  “After she was delivered and assessed by the physicians, my mother insisted on personally cleaning her up,” Levi said as he reached for Marian.

  Reece watched Levi as he held their daughter, and seeing the happiness that radiated from him sent joy flooding through her. They were a complete family now, and the thought that she and Levi together created such a precious life was overwhelming.

  Reece studied the gown she wore, realizing that somehow all of her bedding and clothes had been changed. “Who managed to replace all of the bedding and my clothes?”

  “My mother assisted me after Doctor Fletcher assured us you were stable and healthy enough to be moved. While I ensured that your body would show no signs of the trauma you had suffered before Marian was born, she helped to change the bedding and dress you in this gown.”

  Reece leaned into Levi and brought a finger to Marian’s tiny fingers. “They’re so small,” she marveled. Marian reflexively gripped Reece’s finger. “Wow, strong little thing, aren’t you?”

  Marian’s eyes reopened as Levi brought a cloth to his shoulder and placed her against it. He softly began massaging her back. “Time to get those stubborn air bubbles out so that our little gem remains happy and content.”

  “You’ve got this whole thing down,” Reece said, peering behind Levi to see her daughter’s vivid green eyes. “Your daddy is a pro, isn’t he?”

  Levi looked over his shoulder. “I made sure that I was prepared for this day.”

  “You mentioned your mother helped to clean everything up. Is she still here?”

  “She and everyone else,” Levi said as Marian let out a tiny burp, forcing Reece and Levi both to laugh. “When you and Marian are comfortable, we can either join them out in the sitting room or have them join us in here. They are here for support and do not wish to intrude upon our first moments with Marian.”

  Reece sat up. “If Doctor Fletcher gave us both a clean bill of health, I think it would be nice to stretch my legs some.” Reece kissed Levi’s cheek and the top of Marian’s head. “Let me change into a more conservative gown, and we’ll surprise them.”

  Levi stood with Reece and shifted Marian into one arm, offering Reece his other. “We shall assist you.”

  When Reece pulled off her nightgown, she noticed a paste smeared over her lower abdomen.

  “The cream has sealed the incision the doctor had to make and is working to heal the wound even now,” Levi said as he studied her abdomen.

  Reece thought about how she healed Levi’s scrapes from his face and decided to test her powers once again. She focused intently on t
he wound while running her fingers along the paste. A shimmering green trail followed as the paste dissolved and the wound disappeared.

  “Reece?” Levi questioned with disillusionment.

  “Just checking to see if my super powers still work,” she teased. She looked at her body in the mirror and laughed. “If only I had enough juice to wave my hand and have my normal body back again.”

  Levi kissed her shoulder. “I’ve never seen you more beautiful.” He reached for a soft and lightweight dress. “Will this work?”

  Reece took the gown. “No corset? Perfect.”

  Marian started to cry and show signs that she wasn’t pleased with her current situation. Levi held her up, trying to placate her while Reece pulled on her gown. “I think someone wants her mother,” Levi said as Marian’s cries grew louder.

  Reece was instantly at Levi’s side, taking Marian. “Come here, sweetheart.” Reece kissed her cheek. “Daddy might think he knows everything, but your little diaper is telling me that you need to freshen up too!”

  They walked into the nursery, and Reece gently unfolded the blanket that swaddled Marian. She ran her hands down the glistening, smooth fabric of the dress Marian wore. “This is so beautiful,” Reece said as she looked back at Levi.

  He brought Reece’s free hand to his lips, eyes darting from Marian to her. “Just a special gift from her father. I had the outfit fashioned, along with the blanket. Does it agree with you?”

  Reece kissed Levi’s cheek. “You are always full of surprises, and our daughter will be the most spoiled child in all of Pemdas because you are her father.” She looked back at Marian. “This is so beautiful and perfect, but there is one thing that we have to fix before we formally introduce her to our family.”

  “And that would be?”

  Reece tugged at Marian’s toes before reaching for a fresh diaper. “She doesn’t have the one blanket that you treasured the most.” Reece turned to Levi. “Can you get your baby blanket for her?”

  Levi smirked. “You prefer that old thing over the luxurious blanket that was designed to match her first outfit?”