Chapter 28 Are you ready for this

The look in his eyes told her everything. Peter was scared. He was scared for her. Claire swallowed hard and searched for his eyes.

'I can't get sick, can I?' Her voice sounded weakly and she saw him winced although he try to hide it. 'Please, tell me.'

'I don't know, beautiful. I wish I knew more, damn it!' He cursed, but Claire knew that this was only his defensive mechanism in front of her. He pawned on anger to protect himself. Peter just wanted to hide his true feelings. Claire reached hand and touched his face. She saw his eyes shut close for one moment. Yeah, he was scared.

'Peter!' Mel showed at the door and they both looked at her. 'They all went. The house is empty now.'

'Okay.' Peter grabbed Claire's hand on his face and placed soft kiss in the middle of her palm. 'I'm going for my medicine chest. I'll be back, okay?' His eyes softened.

'Okay.' Claire tried to smile and watched him leaving the room. Then her smile faded and her face got even paler than before. 'He is scared. I hate to see him like this.'

'Aren't you scared too?' Mel asked her and sat close to her on the bed.

'He is scared.' Claire repeated as if this was the most important thing now.

'You are sick, Claire!' Mel insisted and Claire looked at her. 'Start thinking for yourself now.'

'I am thinking, but…' Claire cut in the middle of her sentence and her face went green.

'Claire?' Mel got off the bed quickly staring at her friend. 'Are you okay?'

Claire did not answer. She covered her mouth and rushed into the bathroom. She bent over the toilet and her body shook. Soon the strains were so strong that she literally fell on her knees and grabbed the edges of the toilet, moaning painfully.

Peter found her like this and his heart ached. However, he acted quickly and rushed to her, placing one hand right over her stomach and other hand on her forehead for support. He held her tightly, trying to remember all of his medicine practice to help him with this. However, Peter felt like he had forgotten everything.

Soon her strains stopped and she coughed lightly, leaning back on him. She breathed heavily and her eyes closed from the pressure.

'Mel!' Peer called their friend. She showed up at the door immediately. 'I need one wet towel now.' He asked her and Mel just nodded, coming back and handing him the towel. 'Here you go.' Peter wetted Claire's face and saw the first signs of relief on it. 'Better?'

Claire just nodded, with head still lying back on his shoulder. She did not have enough strength even to talk with him. Peter looked up and met Mel's eyes. She looked worried. He could not hide his scare too.

'Let's get you back in the bed, okay?' His voice calmed her and he took her in his arms. Soon, Claire was lying in her own bed and Peter examined her. She was awake, although her eyes had still closed.

Peter checked her pulse, then her pupils and finally listened to her heart. He frowned. Everything looked normal and even her temperature was gone, but something still bothered him.

'Mind if I take some blood from you?' he asked and already pulled out the needle.

'You know that I hate needles!' Claire frowned and her eyes fluttered open.

'Do not look then, but I'm still going to take that blood form you!' Peter was already cleaning the exact place on her arm. Claire sighed and closed her eyes again. 'Okay. It's done.' He said and she opened her eyes looking at him with confusion.

'You did it already?'

'Yeah.' Peter pulled back and got off her bed. 'Why?'

'There was no pain.' She frowned and looked at her arm, but there was no sign of blood.

'Um, thank you.' Peter smiled and then looked at Mel. 'I'm going to the hospital. Be back soon. Watch her, okay?'

Mel nodded and Peter teleported away. She took his place and sat on the bed.

'I don't need to be watching from someone!' Claire frowned. 'He is so overprotective sometimes!'

'He is just worried, Claire.' Mel tilted her head. 'Try to understand him. You were really bad back in the bathroom.'

'I know.' Claire licked her cracked lips. 'I felt completely drained.'

'You want some water?' Mel asked her and helped her friend to drink. Claire lay back on her pillow with tired sigh.

'I don't know what is happening with me.' She tried to explain. 'I was fine last night.'

'But you weren't this morning.' Mel covered Claire with some warm blanket. 'You aren't now.'

'I'm not supposed to feel bad.' Claire yawned.

'You need to sleep now.' Mel saw how her eyes closed again.

'But Peter…' Claire murmured sleepily.

'I'm gonna wait for him.' Mel calmed her and sat on the bed again. 'You just sleep.'

Claire was too exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately. Peter teleported back few minutes later. His first look was fro Claire.

'She is okay and she's sleeping from thirty minutes.' Mel took his attention and Peter moved his look on her. She was sitting on the only armchair in the room, placed close to Claire's bed.

'Okay.' He ran fingers through his hair and sat near Claire's sleeping form on the bed. 'They'll call me with the results few hours later.' Peter leaned head on the headboard.

'What do you think it is?' Mel looked anxious.

'I don't know.' Peter looked down at Claire. 'She never got sick.'

'Never? Even as a child?' Mel looked surprised.

'I don't know that much about her childhood, because I wasn't here most of the time.' Peter shrugged. 'We became close since she was eight and I was eighteen. That was the time, when I finished my boarding school and my father allowed me to get home.'

'He allowed you? What was he, a despot?' Mel saw his pensive face and blushed. 'Sorry!'

'No, it's okay.' Peter shrugged again and looked back at Claire. He gently stroked her hair. 'My father was a cold man. He really was a despot. Nathan is like him at some points, but unlike our father, he loves his family.'

'Your father didn't love you?'

'My father wanted me as far as I can go.' Peter's face faded. 'I was weak kid. He hated the weakness. Nathan was his golden boy. His favorite son, but I'm not complaining.' Claire shifted under his touch and his face lit up immediately. 'Don't get me wrong, I loved my father, but I wasn't that close with him.'

'But you were with Claire.' Mel said carefully. 'Your family told me.'

'They told you?' Peter rose up his eyebrows and looked at Mel.

'Yeah and even why you're calling Claire, beautiful.'

'Oh that.' For Mel's surprise, Peter laughed quietly.

'Why she never called you 'uncle'?'

'Well, the story is short really.' Peter's face faded again and he looked back at Claire. 'Nathan and I were not very close back then. Thanks to our father, of course. So, when came back from the boarding school and I saw Claire running down the staircase I got an idea.' Peter chuckled again. 'She was so cute. Her face was small and her hair waved behind her when she ran to me. Then we made a deal how to teasing her father.'

'You called her beautiful?' Mel nodded with smile.

'And she called me Peter and that is how all started.' Peter shrugged and felt Claire's hand on his thigh. She sighed in her dream.

'But you became closer when she grown up?'

'We were closer than the normal in one family.' Peter frowned. 'There was a time when I thought that we are connected.'

'You still feel it?'

'We didn't want this.' Peter sighed and now felt Claire's head rested on his lap. He smiled and stroked her hair again. 'We never thought that we could end up like this.'

'Like what?' Mel tilted her head, but she already knew.

'In love.' Peter uttered. 'This was not supposed to happen!'

'I can understand you – the both of you.' Mel nodded at him. 'Sean and I didn't want that either, but it happened. Now we have to deal with it.'

'You are so honest!' Peter looked at her surprised.

'I know, but that is only, because you can understand me. Say impossible love and I can tell you that I'm an expert there.' Mel tried to smile. Just then, Claire woke up and Mel saw her smile when she looked at Peter.

'Hey, baby. You're back?' Her soft whisper was like a caress to him.

'I was quick, but you were sleeping.' He answered with the same voice.

'Any results yet?' Claire asked and sat on the bed. Peter helped her and her head rested on his shoulder.

'Nope.' He answered looking at his watch. They should've called by now!'

'Maybe there is a problem?' Mel's eyes stopped at Peter's face, but he shook his head.

'The bad news is quick.' Strangely, but he looked calmer than before.

'So you think that the news is good?' Claire looked up at him, but he smiled and touched her cheek.

'We have to wait and see, beautiful.'

They called him two hours later and Peter teleported to the Hospital. This time, Claire looked lot better. Mel even went down for some food. Claire was hungry and that was good sign for her recovery.

Mel was still downstairs when Peter came back from the Hospital. He held one white envelope in his hands and sat back to Claire.

'You haven't opened it yet?' She looked at his trembling hands.

'I wanted to do that with you.' He said and Claire touched his forearm when he finally opened it. 'Now, let's see…' Peter murmured under his nose. 'The blood results are in norm, which is good. There are no signs of infection or some kind of flue.'

'That's good.' Claire murmured too, reading with him. Her head rested on his arm, so she could read the results too.

'Okay, now the special tests.' Peter turned over to the second page of the letter.

'Special tests?' Claire frowned.

'Yeah, special tests!' He did not explain to her. His eyes ran thorough the paragraphs and everything was good until he did not reach to the last one. 'What?' His scream almost made her jump. She had not read the end of the letter yet, but Peter had. This is not true! Just can't be true!'

'What?' Claire grabbed his arm and looked up at him. He looked upset. Moreover, he looked shocked and that scared her even more. 'Tell me!' She insisted.

'This just can't be happening!' Peter moaned instead and grabbed his head, tugging his hair aback. 'Just can't!'

'Peter!' Claire screamed and took his attention. 'What is it?'

'You are not sick, Claire.' His voice was barely a whisper. 'You are pregnant!'

'What?' Claire's scream echoed in the room. She studied Peter's face for any signs that this news was not true and this was another bad joke from him. 'Tell me that this is not true!' She almost cried. 'Tell me!'

'I'm sorry Claire, but the results are clear.' Peter shook his head.

'I'm pregnant?' Her eyes widened and just then, she realized the news. Her life had changed in this minute.

'Yes.' He did not need to say anything. She saw his look fell on her belly and stopped there. His life had changed too.