I'm so sorry about this late update! School has been a bitch, and this summer heat is sending my already bad enough migraines into overdrive. But it's done! So is June infected, or is it something else? Read to find out...
I don't own Legend, and thanks again shadowhuntingdauntlessdemigod for your help cuz ;)
Chapter 2
Shocking Results
~June~
0637 hours, it's still early. I'm sitting in the hospital waiting room, well waiting, for any updates on Day's condition. Lately it's been the same thing: "Not much change today, I'm afraid, but at least he's still stable." I have no doubt I'll be met with the same conclusion today, but there's always the chance I could be wrong. My impatience is getting the best of me, and looking around the room isn't helping. By now, I am positive I've memorized every square inch of this floor.
Marble tiles. Roughly 4x4in each, .5 mm of spacing, imported from Seattle. Walls are most likely old sheetrock, recently repainted, cobwebs are gathering in the corners near the roof. Counting the seconds in my head is only steadily increasing my anxiety. What's taking so long?
The quiet typing of the receptionist's keyboard and furious tapping of my boot was interrupted by the ding of the hospital doors opening. Tess immediately walked in and rushed to my side. Even after the time that's passed, she never lost hope that Day would improve or wake soon. It was one of many things I admired about her, yet I wish I had her optimism. Lately I've been fearing the worst...
She sat in the seat next to mine and hung her head. Her posture and shifting brown eyes easily showed her worry, though she was getting better at hiding it. Tess finally looked at me and spoke, "Is he doing any better?" I shake my head, silently answering the question that is on the Republic's mind on a daily basis.
"The operation was a success, and his brainwave activity is exceptional. He's...he's just really deep under. The doctors don't know when he might come out of it...if he might come out of it." The words felt unreal coming out of my throat, like someone else was speaking them from a much darker part of my mind. Day was much stronger than that, we knew that better than anyone. Then where the hell is all this doubt coming from?
Tess narrowed her eyes at me. "Don't even think that," she scolded. "He'll pull through. I know he will." I've never been more scared in my entire life. I wanted to believe her, I wanted to trust her words, but I couldn't. What is wrong with me? My emotions are starting to get the best of me, I need to control them. But the numerous possibilities continued to swim through my mind. What if more damage than help was done? What if the tumor spread? What if he flat-lines?...
"June, are you alright? You just went really pale." Before I could even register what I wanted to say, my stomach once again violently flipped. I was out of my chair, across the lobby, and into the nearby restroom before Tess could speak again. The vomit came up so hard I had tears running down my cheeks. Tess ran in seconds later and lay her hand on my shoulder. My knuckles were nearly white from my tight grip on the porcelain bowl.
"I'm getting a nurse." She told me, her doe eyes wide in alarm. She turned and ran out the door before I could refuse. It's probably just a stomach bug, people get them all the time! Then I started thinking again...What if it's another mutated plague? That couldn't be it. After we were able to create a cure for the last virus, vaccinations were immediately given to everyone in the Republic. Getting to my feet, I stared at my reflection in the mirror above the sink. My skin was flushed, sweat dripped down my forehead, hair that fell from my ponytail clung to my face, and dark circles hung under my eyes. What is happening to me?
Tess returned a minute later with a nurse, whom escorted us both to an empty examination room. After the initial check routine, a team came in and took a blood sample to ensure I didn't catch another virus. Sure enough, an hour later my blood came up clean. However, I noticed some of the doctors giving me odd looks after viewing my charts. Some were surprised, others shocked, the rest remained neutral. Tess noticed their weird behavior as well, I could see the gears in her head turning. I wish I knew what she was thinking. The nurse walked back in scribbling on a clipboard in her hand. I couldn't help but note she was left-handed.
"Well, it's safe to say we won't have to worry about another outbreak anytime soon." Her friendly smile is genuine, but her eyes are saying otherwise. She's not telling me everything.
"But...?" I pushed. She sighed before looking me in the eyes, business written all over her face.
"Although your blood is clear of plague, or any illness for that matter, we did find something else," she paused for a few seconds before continuing. "We found high levels of human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG. This is a hormone produced by the synctiotrophoblast, a portion of the placenta, following ovulation and implantation." While I tried to register what she just told us, I heard Tess catch her breath. Glancing to my left, her eyes were wide with surprise and disbelief, no doubt she understood. I turned back to the nurse, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"What are you saying?" I asked, lost. She took a deep breath before answering,
"You're pregnant."
...
...
What?
I couldn't move, or speak. I'm not even sure if I was breathing.
A baby?...How in the goddy hell did this happen! I scoffed irritably at myself in my head. Of course I knew how this happened! I just never thought...and it was only one time...how...? Oh crap. How am I gonna tell Day?
"Ms. Iparis," I shook myself from my stupor and gave the kind nurse my attention again. "We'd like to perform an ultrasound to determine how far along you are and a possible due date."
I cleared my throat. "Sure." I managed to stand from the bed, then removed the damp cloth from the back of my neck. Tess rose from her chair and joined me and the nurse out the door. We walked quietly down the long corridor before making a left down a different hallway. I couldn't help but stare at the sign above our heads as we passed it.
Maternity Wing
Never thought I'd walk in this part of the hospital so soon. I always thought I'd meet someone who wouldn't be constantly held at gunpoint by my brother, then we'd have a few years to ourselves before we settled down. Unfortunately, Metias didn't exactly meet Day on the best of terms. Even though things went horribly that night, I couldn't help but smile at the thought. My older brother was overprotective and overbearing as hell, but I couldn't ask for anyone better.
The nurse lead us into a room at the end of the hall. Like the rest of the hospital, the walls were a blinding white. Posters lined the room, each showing something to do with pregnancy. One depicted what occurs in the uterus during ovulation, another showed the process from fertilized egg to embryo to fetus, and one other was a diagram of the three trimesters. The last one caught my interest; under the first trimester, the woman's stomach had a barely noticeable bump. That was, what - the first three months? The second trimester shot was a lot bigger than the first. Looking at the third shot made me really nervous; the woman's stomach was swollen to a point that couldn't possibly be comfortable. I also noticed the fully developed fetus was upside down, unlike the previous two. Is that how it...came out? Upside down! I swallowed a lump forming in the back of my throat, and turned away from the terrifying images.
I sat on the cushioned examination table, reclined at a 45 degree angle, and Tess took a seat next to me. The nurse walked out, promising to come back soon with a doctor. The second the door closed, my body sagged and I fell back against the raised platform with a groan. What the hell did I get myself into? Tess remained quiet for a few minutes before she finally spoke,
"Is it his?" Is Day the baby's father, she meant. The thickening tension around us prevented me from voicing my answer. I simply nodded in response. This didn't seem to faze her, "What are you gonna do?"
What am I gonna do? Good question. For the first time in a long time, I had no idea what to do. "What are my options?" I asked. She exhaled, deeply in thought. There aren't that many, are there?
"Well...the obvious one is you could keep it. You're financially secure and one of the best fighters I've ever seen, so you can protect and provide for the child. If you don't want to raise it yourself, you can carry it full term and give it up for adoption after it's born."
Could I live with that? Someone else loving and caring for my son or daughter? My heart ached at the thought.
"And I really don't want to mention this one, but...if you really don't want to go through with this, you can have the pregnancy terminated." Terminated? You mean have the baby killed! I visibly flinched and my hand unconsciously slid over my stomach. I was surprised at my action, but I knew every bone in my body was screaming, Hell. NO. "I had a feeling that would be your reaction."
"Then why'd you bring it up?" That came out harsher than I meant for it to. Her expression didn't change, she actually seemed understanding. This confused me, considering I just bit her head off.
"I just wanted to lay out all your choices, even the worst possible ones. Truthfully, I wouldn't stoop that low either. I would never forgive myself." So that one's off the list for sure. I noticed as I considered the second option, the hand laying on my stomach clenched a little. For a second, I imagined a tiny little hand wrapped tightly around my index finger. Immediately, a wave of warmth surged through me and my index finger curled further under my palm at the thought of holding my baby's hand. Was this my way of telling the baby I would always be here? That I would never leave him or her? The more I thought about it, the more determined I became at making that a promise I'd take to my grave.
I looked back at Tess, whom was watching me with a small smile. "Is it normal that I feel repulsed at the idea of anyone but me taking care of the baby?" She chuckled lightly.
"That's age old instinct, June. It's completely natural. Now, I've had absolutely no experience in this field, but I do know there's no stronger bond than a mother and her offspring." I smiled, my heart swelling with pride at the truth in her words. I did feel it, the new yet familiar tug deep in my gut. I knew deep down I would do anything to protect my child. But...
"Do you think Day would feel the same?"
She looked at me as if I grew a second head. "That has to be the dumbest question I've ever heard. Of course he will," she scolded. "June, you know as well as I do that his family means everything to him. He took two bullets for Eden. He'd stand in front of an entire firing squad just to make sure a scratch doesn't land on that baby! That is his flesh and blood, how could he not?" She wasn't wrong.
I heard footsteps approaching outside. The door opened and a tall, dark man walked in. He smiled kindly as he shook our hands in greeting. "Good morning, Ms Iparis," Deep voice, but gentle tone. Heavy British accent. "I'm Dr Joseph Sinbad, I'll be your OB/GYN for the duration of your pregnancy. Let's take a look at your baby, shall we?" He took a seat near a large machine to the left of the table I sat on. Fairly big console, many buttons and dials, and a small monitor. Must be an older model from the last century. "Lie back and lift your top to just below your ribs." He instructed as he fiddled with a few switches. With my stomach now bare, I took a moment to observe the area before glancing back at the trimester poster. Not even a small, abnormal bulge.
The machine made a quiet humming sound as it powered up. Dr Sinbad looked up from the screen. "Can you think back to a possible date of conception?" I couldn't stop the blush creeping into my cheeks, and the dozens of images in my head were not helping. I cleared my throat to avoid sounding husky,
"Four weeks ago." He nodded before reaching for a long tube in a pocket of the machine. He rolled his chair closer to me before popping the top open.
"Fair warning, this is gonna be cold." A trail of clear paste squirted from the tube and onto my lower abdomen, and damn that is freezing! Chills ran up and down my spine as soon as it touched my skin. Reaching back towards the machine, Sinbad grabbed a T-shaped wand attached to a long cord. He smiled with encouragement, "Alright, let's begin." He placed the wand onto my stomach, smearing the cold paste as he adjusted its position several times. Our eyes were glued to the monitor, which now showed a gaping, dark shape.
"Here's the uterus," he mumbled softly to us. As he continue to carefully shift the wand, I watched with fascination as the grayscale shades formed the contours of my interior. Sinbad moved the wand more to the right, then up a few centimeters. His hand stilled as another shape appeared in the larger one. He pressed a button on the console, freezing the image. "There we are."
The little blip on the screen couldn't be any bigger than half my thumb, almost the shape of a kidney bean. I was in complete awe. That's my baby? It's so tiny...and actually, pretty adorable. Dr Sinbad gave a small grin at my stunned face. He pressed two buttons on the console and gently turned a large dial.
Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...
"Heartbeat's strong and steady." He noted. I gasped inaudibly and felt tears building at the back of my eyes. I don't think I've ever heard a more beautiful sound. The fact that I was carrying new life inside me just grew more real. I felt Tess squeeze my shoulder, and I found she was misty-eyed too. Listening to my baby's heart beat a soothing rhythm made me come to a sudden conclusion:
I'm not even 17 yet, but I smiled at the thought of soon being a mom. I lost my parents, I don't want that for my baby. I want to watch him or her grow bigger and stronger everyday. I want to teach him or her everything I've learned; how to fight and protect himself or herself. To tell him or her every day how much I love them. And that their father does, too. Very much.
And anyone who tries to hurt my family...will be staring down the barrel of my rifle before they can even blink.
How's that for a visit to the doctor's office! :D Finally this chapter is finished! I thought I'd never get it done X) Thank you all for being awesome and reviewing, following, and favoriting this story.
Now I'm gonna warn you guys, I want to put as much into this story as I can. But for now, the next few chapters will be time skips. So Chapter 3 will be Day waking from his coma (pretty obvious), and 4 and 5 will be a surprise ;)
I'm not gonna say the next chapter will be up in a few weeks, cuz then I would be lying. Karma and writer's block have been on my tail a lot lately XP The next chapter is easy so it shouldn't be too long before I upload it.
Comments, complaints, questions? I'm here all week! So once again, thank you Shade for your help, and thank you guys for being awesome! I'll update when I can ;)
Laters!
~Luna
