by Robin M Helm
Xander held Elizabeth’s seat for her, and after they were both seated, they bowed their heads together as he thanked God for their food. When he lifted his head, he noticed that Elizabeth’s nose was wrinkled as if she smelled something unpleasant. He looked at her plate and saw that there was nothing unusual in her choices.
“Is anything wrong, Elizabeth?” he asked, concerned.
“Something doesn’t smell right to me. It makes me feel a little nauseated,” she answered, turning her head away.
Michael watched her closely.
“Elizabeth, you have oatmeal and toast. There is no way that it can be spoiled. Is it perhaps something on my plate?” Xander queried.
She leaned over and sniffed delicately.
“Ugh!” she said, sitting up quickly. “It’s your sausage. Maybe you shouldn’t eat it.”
I have always thought sausage was nasty stuff. Do you know how it is made? Disgusting, thought Michael.
You feel that way about nearly all food, Michael, thought Gabriel.
True, he answered. But sausage is particularly offensive.
Xander lifted the offending sausage patty to his nose with his fork and smelled it. “It seems fine to me, but if the odor bothers you, I’ll throw it away. I probably shouldn’t eat it anyway. Too much fat.” He motioned to a passing waiter and asked him to remove the plate. Then he went back through the buffet line, filling his plate with fruit and waffles.
As he sat back down, he smiled at his wife. “Is this better?”
“Yes,” Elizabeth answered, though she still had not eaten anything. She sipped at her coffee.
Xander watched her as he slowly ate, his concern mounting.
Michael and Gabriel stood protectively at her shoulders.
The rest of the party entered the room with their guardians, went through the line, and joined the couple at the table. As they all sat down and Jonathan led them in blessing the food, Elizabeth put her elbows on the table and placed her head into her hands.
Are you ill? Xander asked.
I don’t know. I think I’m going to throw up if I don’t leave right now, she thought.
He glanced at their plates and saw sausage, bacon, and ham. Is it the meat again?
I think so. I’ve got to go! she answered.
As Elizabeth fled the room, Michael and Gabriel raced after her. Xander paused just long enough to say that Elizabeth felt sick, and then he quickly followed them.
She was leaning on the wall in the hallway just outside the dining room, breathing deeply. “I’m sorry. I feel better away from all those smells. You should go back in and finish your breakfast.”
“Absolutely not, Elizabeth. Wait right here, and I will go handle everything. We will eat in our room.” He spoke firmly.
She nodded at him, and he strode back into the restaurant, told the others where he and Elizabeth were going, and arranged to have room service deliver their breakfast to their room.
As Xander approached her, he noticed that she had both hands on her stomach. It made other memories come to his mind.
Impossible, thought Michael. There would be another guardian here.
Normally there would be, answered Xander, but we are not normal.
That is true enough, said Gabriel, wrinkling his brow.
Xander led his wife to the elevator, barely able to contain his excitement. He wanted to tell her his suspicions, but he did not wish to disappoint her if he was not right.
He held her hand as they exited the elevator and made their way to the room. As soon as they were inside, she went to the bed and stretched out on it. Michael and Gabriel stood on one side of the bed, looking down at her, and, after closing the curtains, Xander lay down beside her, turning on his side and propping his head on his elbow.
After thinking for a moment, he sat up and shifted his position, and then he leaned over her and put his ear against her stomach. Xander smiled as he heard it – a faint, rapid thudding.
Elizabeth drew her brows together and watched him. “What are you doing?”
“I am listening,” he answered, turning his head to see her face and grinning widely. “You are not ill, Elizabeth.”
“Really? I feel sick. How do you know?” she asked.
“You are with child. I am listening to the heartbeat of our baby,” he said, and his smile was glorious. He radiated joy.
She leaned her head back on the pillow, stunned into silence for a moment. Then she sat straight up and held her husband’s head against her stomach.
“How can you hear that? Even a doctor probably wouldn’t pick it up this early. I’ve missed only one period,” she said, her eyes beginning to brim with tears of joy.
“All of my senses are much stronger than a normal human’s. I can also reach out to the child’s mind. Why did you not tell me that you had missed your period?” he asked.
“Because it’s happened occasionally before, and I didn’t want to raise your hopes only to disappoint you later. Now, please let me hear what you’re hearing. Put it in my mind,” she whispered.
“I have never tried to do that, but I suppose if I let the sound into my thoughts it will work. Be very still.” He concentrated on hearing the heartbeat and thinking about it, projecting it all into her mind.
Amazing, thought Gabriel. I can hear it through your mind, too.
Her brown eyes widened. “It’s true! I’m pregnant! Oh, Xander, this is wonderful!” she said, both crying and laughing at the same time.
Xander sat up, puzzled, bending his knees and crossing his legs, and drew her into his lap, holding her against his chest. “Why are you crying, my love? Are you not happy?”
She laughed and sobbed at the same time. “I am deliriously happy. But how have you not known this earlier? Doesn’t our baby have a guardian?”
He considered her question, and then spoke. “From the moment you were conceived, I joined your family as your guardian. When Lucifer’s demons saw me with your mother, they began to attack immediately because they knew you were important. I think that Jehovah might be avoiding that as long as possible with our child. As soon as another guardian joins us, the entire spiritual realm will know that you are pregnant. Perhaps our Father will have Asim send our child’s guardian when He is ready, and if He chooses to do so. Michael can call for extra warriors if he thinks they are required.”
She will have a phalanx at all times if she needs it, thought Michael.
Xander stroked her hair absently as another idea occurred to him.
Elizabeth looked at his face. “I know that expression. What are you thinking?”
“That there is another possibility,” he answered.
Interesting, thought Gabriel.
“Another possibility?” she asked, turning his face towards hers with her fingertips.
“Perhaps I am our child’s guardian – at least for right now. I am still Chief of Guardians, you know. I can protect you and our child without raising the suspicions of Lucifer or Gregory. No one will know until you begin to increase, and by that time we will be nearly through with the tour,” he said, and then looked sharply at her face, his eyes focused on her like lasers.
“What now?” she said, a little alarmed.
“Maybe we should return home. Perhaps you should not overtax yourself, Elizabeth. We should not risk your health or that of our child.” His eyes held worry.
Elizabeth smiled. “You know you shouldn’t be anxious; it is a sin. I’m young and healthy. I promise to rest all that I can and try to eat, but I really should see a doctor and start taking pre-natal vitamins. Maybe Amy could find a doctor for me.”
He cradled her more closely to himself. “I am not certain that we should tell Amy. After you see a doctor, we can share the news with Charlotte, Jonathan, your parents, Janna, and Charles, asking them to keep our secret, but we risk letting the whole world know if we expand that circle of trust.”
“You don’t trust Amy, Dave, and Mark?” Elizabeth asked.
�
��Yes, I do, but the more people we tell, the more likely it is that the news will become common knowledge. I cannot forget that there is a reason why our child has no guardian yet. God has a purpose in that,” Xander replied somberly. “I will ask one of the local pastors to recommend a gynecologist for you. He must be a believer in whom we can confide. I remember the doctor who tried to get Mom to have a test which could have caused her to miscarry you. Demons followed him around. I will not have that with our child,” he said with determination.
Michael took human form and spoke aloud so that Elizabeth could hear him. “Why not let me ask the guardian of a pastor for the name of the doctor who attends the pastor’s wife? No human has to be involved in this.”
Elizabeth showed surprise at Michael’s gesture, but she remained silent.
A knock sounded on the door.
“It must be room service. I will answer it,” said Xander, beginning to move Elizabeth from his lap.
“No, brother,” said Michael. “Allow me. Hold your wife.”
Michael opened the door, startling the waiter who stood behind the cart. Michael accepted the bill from him, signed Xander’s name to it. Adding a tip, he handed it back, saying, “I can take the cart. We will leave it outside the door when we are finished. Thank you.”
As soon as the cart was in the room and Michael had closed the door, Gabriel also took human form. He wheeled the cart across the room and moved the covered plates from the cart to the table. “Come and eat,” he said, looking at Elizabeth and Xander with kind eyes.
Xander gently moved her from his lap, slid from the bed, and stood before her with his hand extended. “Let me help you up.”
Elizabeth laughed lightly. “I am not made of porcelain, guys. Millions of women are pregnant and doing very well.” Even as she said the words, she gave her hand to her husband and allowed him to assist her to her feet.
As they ate, Gabriel spoke again. “Xander, we could send scouts to find a Christian gynecologist right now. Elizabeth could go this afternoon. Would it not be better if she did not wait until tomorrow? The meetings start tomorrow night, and she should see a doctor before she overexerts herself.”
“Agreed,” said Michael.
Xander wanted to agree as well, but he knew his wife. Looking at her, he asked, “Elizabeth, what do you think?”
“I was beginning to wonder if I would be allowed to say anything about what I will and won’t do during this pregnancy. However, I think Gabriel has a good idea. No one has to know what kind of a doctor I’m going to see, and they all knew that I was sick at breakfast. They will not question it if I see a doctor this afternoon. We can rehearse tomorrow. All we really need is a sound check; everything is ready.”
As soon as Elizabeth agreed, Michael dispatched scouts throughout Vancouver, and within minutes, they were reporting back to him. He took the yellow pages from the bedside table, opened the book to “Gynecologists,” and began to mark names in the listing. He then directed the scouts to speak with the guardians of the doctors, asking questions to ascertain their level of commitment to the Father as well as their trustworthiness and skill level. Within an hour, a doctor named Scott Sanders was selected, and Xander had his private cell phone number.
Xander called the doctor, identified himself, and explained that he had obtained his number from a mutual friend. He then continued, “My wife and I are here in Vancouver for the SoulFire rallies, and she is unwell this morning. We have good reason to suspect that she may be pregnant. Could you see her privately today? We wish to keep the pregnancy a secret as long as possible.”
The doctor thought a moment, and then replied, “I know who you and your wife are, Mr. Darcy. I was there for your wife’s classical concert in Toronto as well as your rallies in Chicago. Come to my office at 12:10. All of us normally go to lunch at noon, but I’ll have something brought in today. Knock on the office door, and I’ll let you in. There will be no one else in the office.”
Relief showed on his face. “Thank you so much, Dr. Sanders. Please call us Xander and Elizabeth. We really appreciate your help. If Elizabeth is pregnant, she will need to see a doctor every four weeks. At those times, we will be in London, Manila, Cape Town, and Sydney. Is there any way that you can help us?”
Dr. Sanders answered, “Let me think about it. I have many contacts, and I’ll see what I can do. I look forward to seeing you and your wife at 12:10.”
“Again, thank you. We will be there.”
As Xander hung up and sat down heavily at the table, Michael spoke. “He is a very good man, and he is active in his church. The scout said that he travels nearly every year with Doctors Without Borders and that he has been on several mission trips. His practice is quite successful because he is an excellent physician.”
Elizabeth smiled at her husband and reached across the table to take his hand. “Everything will be fine, my love. Though the timing may seem inconvenient for us, God’s timing is always perfect. I’m sure that my biggest problem will be finding the time to shop for larger clothing on our tight schedule. In three more months, my fitted jeans may show the baby bump too much. I’ll need loser clothing that will hide the presence of our child. If I’m extremely lucky, I won’t be big enough for real maternity clothes until we’re back home. Then we can go to my own doctor, buy clothes, and get everything else ready for the baby.”
He returned her smile and stroked her hand. “If all is as we think it to be, you will deliver in January. We will be home by mid-November, and I should have plenty of time to prepare the nursery. I know that your parents and our friends will help us. As for shopping for your clothes, we will make time for whatever you need. If you are too tired to go to every rehearsal, you will remain at the hotels, and I will cover for you. The rallies are more important.” Xander’s mind was spinning with organizational details.
Elizabeth knew him too well to miss the signs of his stress. She leaned over, cupped his face in her hand, and kissed him gently on the lips. “This pregnancy will be a time of joy for the two of us. There will never be a nine-month stretch in which we aren’t traveling. This will be a trial run for us. By the time we have our second child, all of this will come naturally to us, and we’ll have contacts all around the world.”
He searched her mind. “You are not afraid. I should be the strong one, yet I am drawing strength from you.” Xander had seen thousands of pregnancies, and he knew how many things could go wrong. He worried that she would need medical attention, and that they would be unable to find it in a foreign country, but he would not burden her with his concerns.
He heard a familiar Voice in his mind, saying, Cast all your cares upon Me, because I care for you.
He took both of Elizabeth’s hands in his, bowed his head and prayed aloud, “Father, I know that You love Elizabeth, and You love our child. I know that You will take care of us. Please forgive my lack of faith. I ask You for guidance, deliverance, and wisdom. Please show me the way, Lord. Teach me to love my wife and child as You love them. Help me to trust You for all things. Thank you for Your love, and thank You for our child. Your ways are perfect, and Your timing is always right. I love you, Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
He stood and leaned over his beautiful wife, took her face between his hands, and kissed her with passion, putting all of his love for her in his kiss. Pulling away just enough to rest his forehead on hers, he said, “I am a father, and you are the mother of our child. It is nearly beyond my understanding, but I know that God will lead me when I need to know what to do.”
Xander stood, dialed Jonathan’s number, and told him that Elizabeth had a doctor’s appointment at noon, promising that he and Elizabeth would meet them at the arena in the afternoon if she felt up to doing so.
~~oo~~
Because Dr. Sanders had sent his nurses to lunch, Xander was in the room while the doctor examined Elizabeth, performing a transvaginal ultrasound to check the baby’s heartbeat. Xander was fascinated, watching the images on the computer scree
n, Michael and Gabriel on either side of him. Branko, the doctor’s guardian who stood behind him, acknowledged the archangels with a palm forward. They nodded in response. When Dr. Sanders finished, he and Branko left the room so that Elizabeth could dress, saying that he would return promptly.
After Elizabeth was fully clothed, Xander opened the door slightly, letting the doctor know they were ready.
Dr. Sanders, followed by his guardian, re-entered the room with a huge smile. “Congratulations. You were correct. I estimate that Elizabeth is about six weeks into her pregnancy, and everything is normal. Because you are asking for complete secrecy, and I know who you are, I am not putting this on our books or in our computers. So many people have access to those records that there would be no way to guarantee absolute privacy. This is unorthodox, to say the least, so I ask that you don’t tell anyone that you came to me. I am giving you a six month’s supply of pre-natal vitamins so that you won’t have a prescription which can be tracked. Fortunately, we have plenty of sample packs. You haven’t told me why you require secrecy, but I have traveled and seen enough to be a strong believer in spiritual warfare.”
Branko smiled as his charge spoke.
Xander nodded at the doctor. “The longer we can keep Elizabeth’s pregnancy a secret, the better for all three of us. The attacks against her would fail, but it would be preferable not to have to deal with them while we are touring. In short, we do not wish to draw attention when there is no need to do so. Thank you for your understanding.”
Elizabeth smiled at the young doctor. “Since you are not billing us, will you let us repay you in some other way? Is there anything we can do for you?”
Dr. Sanders laughed. “Actually, there is. The rallies have been sold out for at least six months, and I was out of the country at the time the tickets were available.”
Xander held up his hand. “Say no more. There will be tickets for you and your family for the entire week of the rally delivered here today. Will five be enough?”