CHAPTER 7
Lissa walked through the palace grounds, being as regal and elegant as if she wasn't four months pregnant. She had just returned back to the palace for the weekend. She had only been at LeHigh for a week and I still hadn't gone along with her. However, next time, I would.
I trailed at the front of her small group of personal guards, just steps behind her. Graciously, she smiled and waved at anyone we passed, and they all seemed eager to return the gesture. They all loved her.
The church's tall frame rose up in front of us as we approached. Because it was Sunday, there was a regular service. Everyone respectively stood as soon as the queen stepped onto the church grounds and she smiled warmly at all of them. She slowly made her way up to the front of the room until she reached the throne that she was to sit on. The one beside hers was empty still; Christian hadn't arrived yet.
Just as the thought had passed through my brain, the door opened once more and Christian with his guards (Dimitri included) entered. Dutifully, the dhampir guards, including myself, took up their spots around the room, our backs pressed to the walls of the church. Unfortunately, Dimitri was forced to stand on the opposite side of the room but we never took our eyes off each other. I also couldn't help but notice the concern that was hidden in his brown eyes.
"I'm fine." I mouthed to him and he nodded, but he didn't look quite convinced.
The priest started speaking, addressing the reason why we were all gathered today and how we wanted God to join us. As he spoke, I couldn't help but feel guilty. Dimitri had once said that going to church relaxed him, however today he wasn't. In fact, he never would be again. Whenever he came to church, he would always be on duty, forced to be Christian's guardian. He would be forced to always be on edge, to be ready for anything, even during church, during the moments that made him relax slightly, even for just a few moments.
I had been so consumed in my thoughts that I hadn't even realised that the service was closing up and that Lissa and Christian were already rising to their feet, their hands clasped in the gap between them. Seeing them touching like that, made my fingers ache with longing at the thought of them closing around Dimitri's.
We shuffled out of the church and Christian and Lissa seemed intent to stay near each other for a while so without us realising it, Dimitri and I gradually drifted towards each other. I felt him first before I saw him, as he took my hand in his and squeezed it lightly. From the corner of my eye, I glanced at him, only to see him doing the same to me.
Obediently, we followed the royal moroi to where they settled in a large family room inside the palace. I felt Dimitri's hand slip from mine, instantly replaced by cold air, as he walked to join the rest of Christian's guardians. On one of the plush sofas, Christian and Lissa were quietly talking. I watched as Lissa fondly patted her boyfriend's hand and stood to face in my direction. Like some of the other guardians around me, I straightened up a little bit more as she approached.
"Guardian Hathaway," She said regally, though I could hear the underlining annoyance. She disliked calling me by my guardian name, but she knew it was improper to call me by my general name when I was on duty and when there were other guardians in the room. "May I speak with you for a moment?" She didn't give me a chance to answer, just turned on her heel and sauntered out of the room. I followed shortly behind, barely giving myself a chance to glance at Christian or Dimitri.
"How are you feeling?" She asked me with concern in her voice once we were alone.
I shifted my weight, wondering whether Dimitri had said something to Christian who had then in turn slipped it to Lissa. "I'm great, never better. How are you feeling?" I countered and grimaced at her. Sometimes I really hated how I had lost my bond with her, I hated how I couldn't tell how she was.
"Pregnant." She answered with a shrug and smiled. "Actually it's not too bad. It's actually kind of amazing." She let her hand rest on her small bump before glancing up and blushing. "Rose, I want you to have a day off tomorrow, Dimitri too."
I gaped at her for a moment. "Lissa. No, I'm fine, really. I—"
She cut me off with a look that said that there would be no negotiating, the decision was made. "You've forgotten that tomorrow is our last day, haven't you? The last day before I have to return to LeHigh." I felt like I was a balloon that had just being pricked by a pin, the air all but evaporating out of me. It was true, I had forgotten. I hadn't realised how fast these past few months had gone. She smiled sympathetically at me and reached out to squeeze my hand. "Sorry, Rose, I can extend your leave of absence. I completely understand if you want me to do that."
"No, no, don't do that. I'll come with you." Suddenly I wanted to get back to Dimitri and spend as much time with him before I had to leave.
"We'll come back every second weekend or something. Besides, I can't stay away from Christian for long, not now." Absentmindedly, her thumb started stroking the tight skin of her belly. I nodded and she enveloped me into a hug. "Please just take the day off tomorrow. I'm not going to be doing anything myself except spending time with Christian."
"Okay," I whispered reluctantly and we went back into the room to join the rest of the guardians and Christian. Dimitri was waiting for me when we returned and instantly I could tell that he had had a similar conversation with Christian.
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I woke the next morning to the same queasy feeling in my stomach. Only this time it was at some ungodly hour and had me awake until the sun began to rise. Eventually I fell asleep and into a nightmare filled sleep.
I woke to someone shaking my shoulder and jolted awake with a start. Sweat forced my hair to cling to my temples and neck, the sheets were tangled around my limbs, and my breathing was shallow. My body was shivering as if I was freezing or had a fever and I couldn't contain it. As my brain began to awaken from its dream state and back into reality, Dimitri's concerned expression came into focus.
He brushed some of my loose, sweaty hair out of my face. "Rose? Are you okay?"
I didn't get to reply because I was running to the bathroom. I felt a warm pressure on my back and automatically knew Dimitri was standing behind me. I had never been so grateful for this man, but he was always so patient and caring with me.
"Should we get a check-up from the doctors?"
"I think it's just morning sickness, Dimitri."
I stood no chance. Once I had forced some food into my stomach and we had both gotten changed, Dimitri literally dragged me to the doctors to have a check-up.
I jumped as the cold gel was placed onto my stomach and Dimitri squeezed my hand gently. I returned the pressure and turned my attention to the screen where my baby would soon be on display.
"So?" I questioned as the doctor silently analysed our baby. The silence was driving me crazy; I was never much of a fan of silence, especially not in this situation. Silence scared me into thinking that something was wrong, that I had done something wrong. If I had, I would never be able to forgive myself. This baby depended on me, and in a way, I depended on it too.
Before I even knew it, I was squeezing Dimitri's hand until both of our hands were turning white. I felt his spare hand caress my head and let go some of the pressure.
"Well, everything looks to be all right to me." I breathed a sigh of relief that I hadn't realised I had been holding. "Your baby looks to be a healthy size; it looks to have every single one of its fingers and toes. I think everything is perfectly fine." He switched off the monitor and my heart sank a little as the image of my baby disappeared. "Will you please explain your symptoms to me again?"
"I've had severe morning sickness and nightmares. Fatigue, a little bit of dizziness."
He glanced down at his paper work and then back up at my face, then to Dimitri, then back to mine. The flickering gaze made me nervous. "What is it?" Dimitri questioned for me while squeezing my hand once more.
"I got the test results of your blood back the other day. I am actually glad you called and made an appointment for today. The test results showed that some of your blood cells, Dimitri, have been slightly altered for some reason. While I do not believe that you are still a Strigoi, I believe that this may have happened since your transformation. Now, I am not entirely sure of this as this is an extremely rare case but that is my best bet. And as for your nausea, Rose, I would say that the baby having two dhampirs as parents is affecting your health."
"In a negative way?"
"Not necessarily. Like I said, the baby appears to be fine to me, but I can give you some prenatal vitamins and some tablets to help the nausea. Some people are just unlucky and get bad nausea through their pregnancy. Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot we can do, but hopefully the tablets will help a little bit. As for your next appointment, I would like to schedule you in again for two weeks' time, just to assess how your nausea is improving and how your baby is. Is that okay?"
"I'm sorry but I can't do that. I leave for LeHigh with Lissa tomorrow. I won't be back for two months."
"Well, then two months it will be then. However, if anything worsens, don't hesitate to take some time off to come and see me."
***PAGE BREAK***
For the rest of the day, we vegged out on the couch and watched a whole bunch of chic flicks. Dimitri's hand rested over my belly the whole time, his thumb stroking my skin. Eventually I drifted off to sleep in Dimitri's arms with the TV still blaring in the background. Vaguely I was aware of him carrying me over to the bed, the TV switching off and his body curling around mine with his hand once again against my stomach. I really was going to miss this: falling asleep in someone's arms every night.
