I do NOT own Twilight or any of its characters; NO copyright intended. Twilight and its characters belongs to Stephenie Meyer, my characters belong to me. Please keep up with the amazing reviews, they really drive me to keep writing; especially the long and detailed reviews! Do remember: This story has been going on longer than I really wanted it to but I once again got carried away and as they say all great things must come to an end. I am going to be wrapping this story up in about 3-4 more chapters (the countdown has begun) and then this story is done (but don't worry it will have a happy ending). Enjoy and comment! Thanks to everyone who read and commented.
The constant ticking of the cloak above the patient bed was starting to grate on my nerves. But having some personal time with the doctor instead of being swamped and watched over by my mates was a little reprieve. Having to convince them to stay in the blacked out car whilst I attended my appointment was like trying to convince a rock to dance. I snapped so viciously to let me have my own time to figure things out made them pause.
My legs gently swayed to and fro; a heavily sinking feeling grew over the room as the solemn but kind eyed elderly woman gently put a bandage over the needle mark on my elbow. She shook the three vials filled with blood and placed them in a small plastic box to be sent to the labs. Cold sweat gathered on my skin in a thin layer as the silence of the room thickened with tension.
"How long have these joint aches and stages of fatigue occurred?" A calm voice pierced my thoughts; a thick Italian accent flowing smoothly with experience. The doctor lifted a grey brow as she dotted her hands with a clip board and pen.
I swallowed thickly, "A few weeks but they've gotten more periodically throughout the last few days." She nods her head slightly and scribbles some notes down.
"Any other symptoms that don't normally happen chronically?" I look up to the white ceiling for a few seconds thinking back.
"I've been having abdominal pains around my liver, pancreas and lower abdomen. The general weakness and high heart beat has always been a constant with Hemochromatosis…" I run off in thought. Lilac eyes stare deeply into my lap as a heavy blanket of nervousness settled over my whole being when she stopped suddenly writing.
She tilted her head to the side; her deep weathered green eyes gazed at me with hesitance.
"Have you been experiencing back pains? Having a larger appetite? Hyperemesis Gravidarum?" I stopped short in my upcoming words.
'Back pains, morning sickness… not possible.'
Hesitantly, I nod a little.
"No sickness, but yes to the others."
"When was your last menstruation cycle, Dr. Abernathy?" My eyes widened and my whole body shook.
A long silence followed the question.
My brows pinched together and I could feel my face pale; a cold feeling washed over my body.
'That's not possible. They're dead and I'm alive… they couldn't possibly still be fertile…right?' My thoughts raced miles a minute.
"You are sexually active, correct?" She asked with a small smile.
I nod with darkening cheeks. My hands twisted in my lap as the doctor reached into a cupboard above; she pulled out both a white and blue box and a clear cup.
I held my breath with subtle horror.
A pregnancy test.
"I would like you to void your bladder into the cup please and use this test as instructed on the box, please. The possibility of being pregnant could be the cause of some of your symptoms or…" I could hear her swallow nervously as she paused. I knew what she was going to say.
I finished her sentence with a cold tone, "…it could be the cause of my Hemochromatosis progressing faster."
A frown pulled at her thinned lips and she solemnly nodded.
"We'll run these tests as our first priority as directed by Mr. Volturi on the phone. Would you like us to run a pregnancy confirmation as well?" I nodded deftly; her voice sounding far away and my vision swam a little.
She directed me to the bathroom in the office. My stomach twisted violently and I felt myself trying to hold in the gagging reflex. I tilted my head forward, brown strands blocking the irritatingly bright fluorescent lights from my sensitive eyes.
I couldn't hold it as I retched into the toilet violently. My knees connected with the hard tile and my hands scrambled for purchase on the toilet lid.
'Oh God, help me.'
My eyes tried very hard to focus on anything else but the constant gaze Aro was directing at me from across his brothers. I didn't allow him to touch me once since after the doctor's office; I couldn't allow him to see what I feared.
This wasn't the plan.
I was to die soon via vampirism and this news would most definitely stop any advancement on it.
This couldn't possibly be happening. If I was… how? The dead aren't exactly known to be fertile. Thinking back, Bella and Edward had a child long ago. I thought at first they were both humans before but could have Bella been human when she became pregnant?
If I was with child, would they be both human and vampire? Would they be strong enough to not inherit my defective genes? Would they live past infancy? Would I get to hold them? Would they be safe here with vampires roaming everywhere constantly in Volterra?
"Mia amore, you've been very quiet. Are you alright?" Marcus gently coaxed me out of my tirade of endless questions. My hand squeezed his tightly, the chill of his skin seeping into my balmy flesh.
"Honestly…no." Marcus's calm demeanor made my anxiousness dull a little and he kissed my knuckles with a soft hum.
"Whatever the results say in a week, we will deal with them, mia amore. Even if they are bad, you have an alternative lined up." My stomach sank at his calm words. The pregnancy test results would come in with the lab results for Hemochromatosis in about a week even with it being on paid priority.
'What good would that do if I have another living being growing inside me?'
Aro, who had remained calm and quiet the whole time, unfolded his hands from below his chin and extended a hand to me. I froze and felt my breath pick up in panic.
"I can't, Aro. Not until the end of the week." All three men stopped at my whispered words. The tension in the car grew; a pin could drop and we could probably hear it. I looked out the window at the familiar sight of Volterra coming up.
"I don't want to scare anyone without really knowing." Caius gripped at my thigh. His thumb brushed gently along my skin. Cold lips pressed against my temple.
"You're scaring us, mia amore. What is wrong?" I couldn't look at them; their crimson eyes all pleaded for me to tell them.
"Just know that you can confide anything to us, Avalon." Marcus pressed kiss to my knuckles with a convicted love.
'I know, but will the others?'
9 Days later….
A deep breath was violently inhaled every other second; I tried to catch my own breathing rhythm after the violent onslaught of morning sickness overtook me at seven in the morning.
I groaned into the toilet with a deep setting agony.
'I want to die.'
At this point, there was no denying that I was in fact pregnant. Ever since the doctor's appointment, the aches, pains and sickness have gotten worse. Damp strands of hair clung to my forehead and skewed my blurry vision as I pulled down my glasses from the crown of my head.
I laid down on the marble floor; the chill of the rock floor felt amazing on the hot flesh of my face and neck.
A deep tenor bleed through the bathroom door with a small knock. "Lady Avalon, are you alright? Should I alert the masters of your ailment?"
I sat up quickly with panic running in my veins and yelled out, "No! I mean, no, I'm fine Demetri."
I laid back down on my side and could see the black shadows of Demetri's shoes shuffle in hesitance.
My back ached but this was so far the most comfortable position I could find lately. Demetri's shoes and shadows faded from the door and I sighed in relief.
My eyes kept fluttering with drowsiness and fatigue- every joint ached, my stomach felt like it punching bag, and I was seriously craving…something. I wasn't sure yet. My tired eyes looked at the floor and traced along my curving and waving strands that haloed out from my head. Fingers twitched anxiously then they poked and prodded the chilled metal bone necklace around my throat. I focused along my arms; the skin was a lot more pale than usual considering the fact I had too much iron in my blood not a lack there of.
With a shuttering breath, my hand reach down and splayed over my belly. There was a considerable underlining harness under the skin of my lower abdomen. My eyes fluttered shut and my teeth tagged the side of my chapped lips in concentration.
'C-come on.' I begged.
'Show me you're there.'
Nothing.
'Please, just a little sign.'
Unknowingly, a greenish white light emitted dully over my fingers and onto my belly. I pushed a little harder onto the hidden bump. A twitch from below my fingers caused me to gasp.
Tears gathered in my eyes and I stared down at my hand. Another small twitch made a smile grow over my face; I could feel that perfectly in my lower abdomen.
A burst of almost icy air swept over my face as the wooden door to the bathroom opened, nearly missing my face by a few inches. Lazily, my eyes traveled up to the long black fitted legs of my new guest. The figure bent down with a frantic aura around them. Two more sets of legs came into my vision.
A ragged gasp escaped from one of them in horror.
A head of dark mahogany hair swallowed my vision; Marcus bent down and picked me up off the ground.
"Mia amore, what are you doing on the floor? Did you fall?" I couldn't help but keep the small smile on my lips at his question. I shook my head and felt a euphoric sensation nestle into my chest as I looked at all three of their worried faces.
A flush overtook my skin when Marcus laid me upon my cream colored bed sheets. Caius gently laid his head along my neck; he was scenting my pulse. His brows pinched tightly and the frown on his lips twitched in confusion.
I watched Aro stand, almost dejectedly, to the side of the bed. He hadn't been able to touch me for over a week with gloves on and I could tell it was taking a toll on his mental and emotional state.
"The results are in, darling," stated Marcus as he held up a white envelope. My smile faltered for a second; this could go either way.
My hand grasped the paper parcel, then I ripped the seal off with eagerness. My eyes scanned the contents and I could feel my heart speeding up with both fear and joy.
"What does it say?" Aro nearly begged as he came to my side, kneeling down beside me searching over the results.
"My condition has worsened. The iron build up had suffocated and attacked a large part of my liver. These results are showing that there are extremely high levels of my liver's enzymes being in my blood. I'm at a stage where my liver is starting to fail." The words dropped a heavy weight on all of us. My knuckles tightened around the papers; I was trying not to show my fear.
I placed the papers down in my lap only for Marcus and Caius to grab them and look over them with confusion and anger. I looked to Aro with half-mast eyes and smiled softly when his crimson eyes met mine. My fingers gently touch along the crown of his head, moving his ebony locks back along his cheeks.
I grabbed his wrist gently and placed his large hand over my abdomen. His fingers splayed gently and twitched.
With a hostage breath, I placed mine over his. Crimson irises grew and his pupils contracted; his shoulders stiffened and brows twitched.
Caius and Marcus's small talk suddenly halted when they came across the second page.
"What is all this? First trimester? Approximately twelve weeks… is this-"
"Avalon…" Caius's voice spoke up with a whisper as he turned his gaze at me and Aro. I studied all the darkly dressed men; they were all so silent and held wide eyes.
"The catalyst of my progression was not of my own body's nature. It's the beginning of something wonderful." I told them with a small smile.
Marcus and Caius joined Aro beside the bed; we waited on baited breath as Aro came out of his trance.
"You're with child," Aro breathed out in awe. I nod with teary eyes; I had to expect the worse as the life they lived was dangerous and mine was in a delicate balance. I was expecting them to want me to terminate it from the way they treated vampires and humans, but their response was much different.
"Our queen is with child. We have an heir!"
Aro laughed with wide joyous eyes, clapping his hands together over his chest.
Marcus didn't seem to share Aro's ecstatic nature, instead his face was graver than before as he looked at the connection between them, me and my stomach. His robes dragged behind him as he shuffled closer to my side and laid his hand beside Caius' own on my belly.
His ruby gaze scanned over the deep red strands tied tightly together between all his brothers, him, and their mate. Though, faintly he could see a newly made tie, the color of a light rose,
"Aro, it is killing her." The excitement that seemed to emit from Aro was suddenly halted at his brother's words. I could feel my heart twisting with agony at what was going to be said next. I grabbed Marcus' wrist with desperation.
"Mia amore, day by day you're scent is being swallowed deeper by the aura of death. This child has made your already compromised condition weaker and it will kill you long before its due date." My shoulders shook violently at what Marcus was suggesting. Tears began to fall from my blurry eyes and I grit my teeth together.
Caius brought his head to my stomach and laid the side of his face into my warm skin; he was waiting for something. Listening for any sound.
"I can hear it; the heartbeat is strong and concealed well under her own." My unoccupied hand gently carded through the silken snow colored strands splaying over my abdomen.
"You are NOT killing my child nor am I going to abort them," I glare at Marcus's saddened face.
"We only want is best for you, mia amor-" I growl under my breath and snarl at Marcus causing him to step back.
"You don't get to make that decision about my body! You want what's best for you!"
A large crack made us all look up to see the far right chair halfway disintegrated and fell to the floor in ash and wooden splinters. My heart sunk in fear and I looked up hesitantly at all my wide eyed mates.
Aro gently placed his hands on my face, swiping the tears falling down my cheeks away with soft coos. His lips pulled into a small smile.
"My darling one, we would never do something to harm you. As we always have, we will respect your wishes but we must get someone who has experience in this field. I'm going to make some calls, as much as my brothers despise them. Carlisle is the only one who has the knowledge of this kind of situation." I nodded with a shaky breath. My eyes closed when he sealed his cold lips over mine.
"Hurry please."
7 Days later…
My eyes kept flickering up and back to Jane. I couldn't help but keep smiling at the beautiful décor and furnishings of the nursery that Aro had arranged to be done within such a short amount of time. The furniture was black, the walls were manually painted a trio of white, red and gold in stripes, and various clothing and baby supplies were already stocking the room ready to use. Marcus and Caius added their own touches with Caius painting the walls and detailing any artistic aspects. Marcus focused on the safety of the room as Aro made multiple errors in child safety. They really tried for me.
I focused back on task with a smile.
Jane's golden locks were gently falling through my fingers as she sat delicately on the floor pillow with crossed legs. I could hear an almost silent purr rumbling deep in her chest as I continued to braid the two sides of her hair into a delicate halo behind her head. She was much more vigilant and protective as time went on throughout the days.
The invisible bump that had laid behind my skin grew into a noticeable pregnancy. This pregnancy was most definitely not normal. It seemed everyday my belly grew a little larger than the last and it was starting to take a hold on me.
I felt just about everything. Every noise and scent was intensified, the aches in my back, joints and abdomen grew every day, and the cravings were unreal. I felt weaker than ever. Thank heavens for the pregnancy chair I was given by my loves; it did wonders on the back.
"All done, dear." I smiled at Jane as she stood. Her black painted nails gently ran over the delicately tied braids.
I leaned back with a huff and took a couple deep breaths as a small kick from below knocked the air out of me. Jane's blonde brows furrowed.
"Would you like me to call the masters?" I shook my head.
"No, it's alright. The baby just kicked. Do you want to feel them?" She froze in a subtle horror at the question. I smiled lightly and guided her hand to my belly. Her ruby gaze focused hard on the skin below her hand.
We waited for a few intense seconds until Jane almost stepped back in shock.
The baby gave a small kick right under her hand.
"They aren't that active but when I talk they tend to be a little more responsive. I like to think that they get their demure attitude from me." I watched Jane blink in confusion.
"You're going to be a great older sister, you know that?" I ask her and watch her head snap up. Eyes wide and lips parted. I smile joyfully.
The moment is unfortunately ruined as Demetri and Felix bound through the doors; the both of them darkly dressed and holding items to appease my fragile state.
Jane frowns in displeasure at them. Her glare makes Felix smirk at her as he places an ornate silver tray of various foods and a single glass of mouthwatering cranberry-mango juice on top of the changing station. I started to pick at some of the various dishes from the Greek yogurt with chilled berry medley on top, cooked salmon with an olive oil glaze to the medley of steamed greens in lemon sauce and a small seared seasoned (rare) steak with a whole grain roll on the side. It was just a miss-match of various pregnancy foods to help me and the baby…yet.
I wanted something. I wasn't sure what exactly but I wanted it. No food like these was going to cure it.
My spirits picked up tremendously as Demetri placed the dusty box in his hands in front of me. I reached for it but was frowned at by all three of them when Jane placed a hand on my shoulder to stop me.
"Dust is not healthy for inhalation; your system is already compromised and touching contaminated objects could make you and the baby's health worse." I frowned a little but watched silently as Demetri opened the box for me as I drank the provided juice.
All three of my kind hearted guards furrowed their brows at the contents in the old, battered box.
I smile when a pale yellow and well-loved stuffed elephant was lifted out of the box. Seeing the mighty and brave vampire, Demetri, hold the small toy in his gloved hands was so endearing.
"Toys?" Felix asks with a raised brow in question.
"These were mine when I was a baby. I want my child to have them too." I say with a nostalgic expression coming over my face as I grasped the soft toy in my hands.
Running my thumbs over the material, I said, "When I was little my grandparents tried everything to make me get rid of my little knick-knacks and toys that I had as a child, but I always dreamed of passing them on to my children because of how special they were to me. But that was before I found out that my genes were defective and I didn't have much of a chance to even carry a child; I kind of just kept them afterwards as what could've been. But I have a chance now, I can feel it. This baby is strong even if my body is not." My hand cradled the growing bump affectionately.
Felix reached into the box next and raised a dark brow at the circus themed carnival tent music box. I pointed at the shelf near the crib where the music box was to be placed and it fit perfectly with the décor like fate planned it. My grin doubled as they looked around the room, then back and forth between me and the box.
Felix and Demetri stared straight at the bump with small smiles; they were almost invisible to the naked eye but I knew they would care for my child. "Do you want to feel?"
They startle and look to one another, talking through their secrete vampire mind ways. I reach out for their larger hands and pull their chilled digits on top of my belly. Twinges and movement could be felt underneath the warm skin causing them to stare intensely at me.
"Do you know the child's gender, Lady Avalon?" My plum painted lips pulled up.
"It's going to be a surprise, but I have a hunch." All of the guards looked expectantly for me to continue.
"I have an inkling that it will be a boy; call it a mother's intuition. Just what this place needs: another male presence." I jest and get a small smile from Demetri and a large smirk and chuckle from Felix.
As the large men crowd around my stomach, my eyes keep drifting to the bleeding steak beside me. For a few days in the early trimester the smell of meat made me nauseous like crazy but it was starting to drive me crazy. My heart speed up and I could feel my heartbeat in my ears blocking out other sounds as the pooling crimson liquid kept my attention.
Saliva pooled in my mouth as I inched towards the steak only for my shoulder to be roused.
"Lady Avalon? Are you alright? Is something wrong?" I blinked and snapped at attention to Demetri's crimson gaze. I swallowed thickly and smiled.
"Sorry, I must have spaced out a little. Um, could I possibly be a lone for a little while? I want to relax and have some personal time." They were all clearly hesitant. I never ordered them to do anything but I really wanted to be alone right now.
"If it makes you feel better, you can call Aro, Marcus or Caius to replace yourselves. I just want some time, as little as it may be, to myself." They nodded in response and all exited the dark mahogany doors of the library and closed them with a soft thump. The second those doors shut my eyes snapped to the bleeding meat.
My teeth sunk into the tender flesh and I could involuntarily feel my mouth suck hard to get the blood from within it. It was nearly like shoe leather by the time I realized it had no more juice left in it.
It tasted amazing.
My eyes widened and I could feel myself pale in horror.
The craving I had been feeling but not relieving was finally answered. I shook as I stared at the plate of abandoned food.
I stood up and quickly wiped my lips and hands of the mess I created. Nausea rose in throat but the baby obviously enjoyed what I consumed and wouldn't let me vomit it out of my body.
"Isn't my blood enough, little one?" I pant out in a whisper. A small shift from within made me flinch.
Shaky hands shifted and pulled down my askew black coat as I stood.
"Mia amore, are you alright?" I spun around and found Marcus and Caius just opening the doors with small frowns of confusion. I smiled at them and received grins in return.
"I'm fine, I just am tired of not being able to see any of you anymore." Marcus and Caius surrounded me with deep purrs of content. Their chilled hands each grabbed a part of me but they placed one hand each on the bump we all helped create.
"We will change that; we promise."
Cold lips pressed against my pulse and I leaned into it. Another pair touched gently on the warm skin of my temple.
"Darling, I have been meaning to apologize to you for what I had said to you a week ago. I was being inconsiderate. We love you and this child with every ounce of our dead hearts. We just want you to be healthy and happy." Marcus whispered into my ear and then ran a thumb along the skin of my cheek.
"I will be. When the baby is born, I give you consent to turn me. I know…we all know, my body isn't going to last much longer trying to carry the baby to term but at the rate of progression they are making because of it being half of a vampire- they will make it out alive whilst I turn." My tone was sad and I knew what was going to happen. This was the only logical scenario where everyone made it out alive (kind of).
I swallowed thickly and continued, "I'm sorry this had to happen, Caius. I know your feelings on a hybrid, an abomination you called them, but I didn't know during the time I could actually get pregnant with one: my weak condition and two: you all are dead meaning you shouldn't technically be able to be fertile." I blushed heavily at the lusty growl coming from Caius as if he was thinking about the many times we had 'practiced' said fertile ritual. Then Caius made a noise between a growl and a choking-cough when the words finally hit him.
"I was wrong, mia amore. This is a blessing. We've received you and a child of our own within nearly three years out of many millennia. I couldn't ask for more. I love you and this child more than anything on this planet." Caius purred with a growing smirk on his plump lips.
I kissed Caius's delicate lips with a smile and he pulled me close to his chest. The cold golden Volturi emblem touched my warm skin lightly and I smiled at it. I would soon get one.
"Where's Aro?" I ask them as I grab the yellow elephant from the box and try to find the perfect place in the crib for it.
"That is the same question we ask all the time, mia dolce. The last thing I heard was him consulting with that traitorous Olympic coven and their ways of dealing with a similar pregnancy. The Swan girl has gone through what you are going through but from what I heard and seen, you are taking it a lot better than she fared."
Hmm.
"Well, I do have a lot more blood and iron than most people do, so I suppose the baby is faring better with that in mind." I offer as a suggestion and receive a snort of amusement from Caius. Marcus basically shadows me with a soft hand holding my back to prevent me from toppling over the crib like what almost happened a few days ago.
"My love, have you thought of a name?" I pause.
In all this chaos and rushing as this pregnancy sped by and my health declined just as quickly…I never considered a name.
"I have some suggestions. Did any of you think of some besides your own name?" I watched with a raised brow as Caius opened his mouth and then closed it. Marcus shook his head with amusement, dark strands swayed with the motion.
"Haven for a little girl." The whisper almost didn't make it to my ears.
I turned towards Marcus with a surprised look over my face. I smiled.
"Haven… it's a beautiful name, Marcus." My hand gently caressed the side of his handsome face. The name was wonderful.
"But if the child is a boy?" Caius asked with a smirk. His lean figure posed leaning against one of the three pillars of the room.
"Avery," I responded almost instantly. My eyes filled with tears unknowingly and they both gazed at me with soft expressions.
I repeated myself, sounding completely emotionally compromised, "His name will be Avery."
"Ah, what a wondrous name choice~" I turned in shock at the happy voice of the newcomer.
Aro in all his dark glory, and a mischievous and enigmatic smile to match.
My spirits perked up at Aro's final arrival from his meeting, but my smile fell short and eyes widened as a familiar golden blonde man stepped out from behind Aro. I could see Jane and Alec standing uncomfortably close to the blonde.
I breathe out, "Carlisle Cullen?"
Caius growls lowly from his spot in the room, and Marcus places a secure hand on my spine and completely towering over me in a protective haunch.
The wide amber colored hues stared at me in both shock and pity. I swallowed thickly and glanced over to Aro as he immediately came to my side with a soft coos of encouragement.
"Now, I know you despise him but-" I roll my eyes and sigh heavily.
"No, Aro, you and the Volturi do not like the Cullen's coven. I don't have much of an opinion on them anymore." I sass at him and receive a staggering smile from the ebony colored king. His chilled hands engulfed mine still holding the yellow elephant toy.
"How are you and the bambino piccolo feeling today, my darling one? Any cravings, aches, pains?" My lips pull into a smile and I shake my head, but I knew he could see what I did and craved through our skin contact.
"Carlisle, our dear friend." Aro's deep voice emphasized on the word friend with an underlined teeth gritting tone.
"You will help our dear queen and our heir won't you? You have gone through this with the Swan girl; surely you can make mia amore's fears and anxieties recede a little with your knowledge?" Aro's question didn't seem like much of a question, and I could tell that the pressure of my health and the baby's life were put upon Carlisle's shoulders that would result in him living or dying if anything negative happened.
I squeezed Aro's hand hard causing his merlot gaze to shift to me. I narrowed my violet stare to him with a small frown.
'Aro, that is not fair. He is not responsible for my life, don't threaten and put that kind of emotional weight him. This is not a request; it's an order. Do you hear me?' I raise a challenging brow at him. His smile grew as he listened to my thoughts with hidden grace. A small kiss was placed upon my knuckles and Aro chuckled.
"Of course, my darling."
I place the stuffed toy into Aro's hands delicately and gently pat his cheek with a smile. My footsteps echo the silent room till I stand in front of the tall blonde vampire.
"Shall we, Dr. Abernathy?" Carlisle asked with a steady voice. He directed his hand down the hall towards where my bedroom was. I nod with a few heavy breaths. Being pregnant with a hybrid and sick at the same time made my heart have to work extremely hard to pump more oxygen throughout my damaged heart, liver and depleting blood.
Carlisle offered his arm for me to take but was blocked almost immediately as Caius growled viciously and placed his own suede covered arm under my own to help me walk. I sigh exasperatedly at Caius but smiled at him to calm his irritated nerves.
With help, I was helped up and lowered into my bed as Carlisle pulled out a thick looking laptop with a smaller cord and a sonogram wand: a portable Ultrasound system. Carlisle then opened a thick case he came in with and my heart began to beat faster as I spotted the multiple blood bags, saline drips, needles, and a medley pill box inside.
Every vampire in the room from Carlisle and my mates to the guard detail held their breath when they heard the fast heartbeat overpower the subatomic sound of the room. I swallowed as my throat began to dry and become cottony-like. My eyes focused solely on the red filled bags.
"Dr. Abernathy?" Carlisle roused me from my intoxicating haze.
I blinked rapidly at first, then I was looking up slowly with half-mast eyes.
"I want to see our baby, Carlisle. I want to know they are healthy." Carlisle's eyes widened a little and a small smile grew on his lips.
"I understand."
With a held breath in the room, my jacket was removed, my black sweater was moved up to under my swollen breasts, and the cold conductive ultrasound gel coated my bump.
The machine pinged and the electronical wand moved along the gel, the only sound on the machine was static scratching as Carlisle searched for the baby.
No sound yet.
I felt my breath pick up in panic. Where was the heartbeat!? Where was the baby!?
Thump-Thump Thump-Thump Thump-Thump
The sound was loud, fast and steady. I felt tears in my eyes when I realized the baby's heartbeat was strong.
"There we are, he's were being a little shy. There's the child's head, spine, legs, and it looks like he's are sucking his thumb." I removed my glasses to wipe away the tears welling up as Carlisle traced a pale finger along the screen's image of a curled up fetus in an amniotic sac. It was sucking its thumb; it was precious already.
'Wait a minute… HE?'
"He?" Aro perked up with the question.
"Avery," I breathed out in awe.
"Did you not want to know the gender?" I hesitated. The answer in my mind was no but I could tell everyone, including Aro, Marcus and Caius, really wanted to know by the looks of suspense on their faces. A sigh of defeat escaped.
Didn't matter anymore; the surprise was ruined.
"Yes, but show us anyways." An apologetic look came from Carlisle; he zoomed and moved the wand around till he spotted something on the ultrasound.
"Ah, there we are. He's trying very hard to not being very shy today it seems." Carlisle pointed at the screen and froze it to show me the gender. A soft thump followed his words; my head fell back into the pillows with an internal groaning but a happy feeling.
"More boys, yay." I spin my finger in the air and say with a jesting lilt. My head looked up and smiled at the kings whom returned it. Glad to see they were excited for once.
"Is the child healthy?" Marcus spoke up with his usual quiet voice
"Very. Forewarning, hybrids are extremely strong. Bella nearly died from the internal wounds that Renesmee caused. In fact, I'm surprised how slowly your pregnancy is developing, in comparison to Bella's own. Her gestation period was about a month. How long has yours been viable?"
Slower? That's not good. A month? I mean that was real fucking quick, but to know mine was slower than hers made me take a moment to gather my thoughts.
"I found out a little over two weeks ago, yet I am only just showing into the second trimester. But the real issues started almost a month and a half ago."
"Hmm. Hemochromatosis makes normal pregnancy incredibly difficult as the iron can suffocate a normal fetus's organ system, so I would come to understand that to compensate for the overabundance of iron in your body is making the child's gestation period slower because it's the perfect condition for a vampire-human hybrid to grow in." I tilted my head to the side and nodded in understanding.
It really did make sense but that didn't mean it was necessarily a good thing also.
"But that compensation comes with a greater cost of your health and life expectancy. I took a look at your previous doctor's notes and saw that during the time of the pregnancy your condition worsened and acted like a catalyst for your liver failure and heart issues?" I nod.
His face was grim.
"If I were to take into account by how quickly you're gestating and the time of your worsening symptoms… I don't believe you will have much time left, Dr. Abernathy. These results are quite shocking as it is; I honestly don't understand how you are still functioning as well as you are."
"With great difficulty," I reply.
The next moments to follow was as if my very being was tempting fate to strike me down.
CRACK!
My eye widened and I screamed out in agony when a kick from within caused some of the most agonizing pain I have ever felt in my life. Hands grasped onto my belly. I think I one of my ribs just broke and punctured something.
I wasn't sure what happened next but my vision began to blur and blacken around the edges. I tried to keep my breathing steady but it started to come out as ragged gasps. My heartbeat overpowered whatever yelling I could see everyone throwing around in my darkening vision.
My hands shook and I reached out for something; Marcus's cold hand grasped mine in comfort but the heavy sheen of sweat that rose on my skin made my fingers glide out of his.
A metallic tang rose up from my lips and leaked down my chin. Three familiar faces crowded my face before they blurred into unrecognizable colored splotches.
Then nothing.
AN: Yes, Avalon is pregnant. Many questions in the end will be answered but more questions will occur. I will leave them up to you all. For now, many people already kind of suspected that one issue of Avalon's illness progression was her being pregnant. The sudden stress of a baby can do that to the body if it is already weakened. No, I am not going to change my mind for those who don't like the idea. It is true that Hemochromatosis can cause women who have it to have complicated pregnancies...the excess iron has a small chance of killing the baby but most of the time the baby leaches the excess iron for itself if there is enough; I have done a lot of research for my stories- always have and always will. You can all decide or discuss (comment please) who should be the baby's father but it will have Avalon's certain special trait. Thanks everyone who is still reading this piece of crap story I created. I love reading your comments, so go wild! More comments=more chapters! I'm working, I'm working! Review to me! PLEASE, REVIEW TO ME! I'll have the next chapter coming up soon! Ciao~
AN: We are almost done ya'll! Exciting isn't it?