Chapter 28 – Stuck in the Middle
Renessme's POV
I didn't even have time to process what Jake had said to me. Suddenly my father had him pinned against the wall, a growl filling the room.
"You Son of a Bitch." I had never seen my father act this way and I thought at that moment Jake's life was truly in danger.
"Daddy STOP!" I screamed and started towards them, determined to do what I had to keep them from hurting each other. Before I could make any progress, Seth was standing in front of me, blocking my path. I looked around him and saw my Dad step back, confused. Then I saw Jake's eyes and he was looking at Seth seething.
"Step away from Nessie. Clearwater I mean it. Stay away from her." Just as I had never seen my father react as he had, Jacob's reaction took me off guard as well.
"Jake, calm down, I was just keeping Nessie out of harms way. That's all." Seth took a step to the side, but placed his hand on my arm.
Jake closed the distance between us and came within inches of Seth, staring him down. "I said, step away."
Seth gently released my arm and took a few steps away from me. The look of hurt and confusion on his face, made me want to comfort him, but I knew that would just make matters worse. So I focused my attention on the immature shape shifter with a short memory span in front of me.
"Jacob Black. You of all people should appreciate what is going on here and cut Seth some slack. Behave yourself." He looked down at me and sighed. Then he very sheepishly looked between Seth and me. He put his hand on my face and kissed my forehead.
The short silence was broken by a very unexpected sound, my Father's laughter. Jake looked towards him and my Dad crossed to us. Dad took a deep breath, closed his eyes and when he opened them, they were shooting daggers again.
"I am not going to lie and say that I am not disappointed, in both of you." His eyes crossed to me and I felt my own eyes fill up with tears. "But now we just need to get through this with everyone, and I do mean everyone, healthy." Then a smile crossed his face and he slapped Jake on the back. "That being said, karma is a glorious thing." He walked over to my mother who was standing in the doorway with a confused look on her face.
"Would anyone care to share what is going on here?" She looked to my Dad and then back to Jake and me.
Daddy, I wanted to wait to say anything until Grandpa got back. Please. I sent my thoughts to my Dad and he nodded his head, still laughing.
"All will be revealed in time Love." Daddy kissed my Mother and started out the door. "Jake, Nessie, I will take your Aunts and Uncles downstairs, but I think you might need to have a discussion with Seth." Daddy crossed to us and looked back to make sure the others had left. He leaned in and whispered low enough for the others not to hear. "You were in his shoes once, remember what he is going through." Jake nodded and Daddy left the room, closing the door behind him, leaving just Jake, Seth and me.
"Jake I swear, I wasn't trying to hurt her, you know that right?" Seth looked like he was about to cry and I crossed to him. I gave him a big hug and he sighed. "What's going on Nessie? I feel really weird and you guys are acting strange..." He voice trailed off.
"Seth have a seat." Jake took my hand and went to sit in one of the brown leather wing back chairs, pulling me into his lap, while Seth sat on the matching sofa opposite. "I'm sorry for the way I acted. What is going on is not your fault. Trust me on that. I know from experience." Jake put his head on my shoulders and took a moment to collect his thoughts. "Seth do you remember how a while back we had that long talk about how Nessie and I couldn't start a family?" Seth nodded his head. "Well signs are pointing to the fact that we might not have had all the information. There is a good chance that Nessie and I are going to have a baby."
Seth jumped to his feet and wrapped us both in a hug. "That is great. I am so happy for you guys." But he pulled away and looked at us. "But wait a minute. I didn't think you two had..." he motioned with his hand, "yet."
I blushed and looked down, but then returned my gaze to him. "Well last night we..." I motioned with my hands. "Then when I saw you today, something was different. There was this pull between us."
Seth started nodding his head. "I know. It was so weird. I all of a sudden it felt like I needed to protect you. More than usual I mean." Suddenly understanding covered Seth's face. He fell back on the couch and a tear rolled down his cheek. "But it is so fast. How could we know so fast?" The look on Seth's face changed when he looked at me. Suddenly the love I saw there took my breath away. I heard Jake growl behind me and I elbowed him in the ribs.
"Sorry."
"We have so many questions yet to be answered. Lets face it, even for us this is fast. We don't even have confirmation that we are going to have a baby yet. And then there are the other questions that will arise if we get confirmation. This baby will be part vampire, part human and part shape shifter. We don't know how long the pregnancy is going to be. We don't know if I'll have complications like my mom did. We don't know any of it." I felt Jake's head rest on my shoulder again and the weight of the word I had just spoken hit me like a ton of bricks. I started to cry and Jake wrapped his arms around me trying to comfort me.
Seth came and knelt down in front of us. He looked older somehow. "I love you guys. I hope you know that. And I am here for you both no matter what. I won't get in the way, I just ask that you try to remember and understand what me and the little one are going through." I smiled at him and Jake patted him on the arm.
"Welcome to the party Brother. I promise I will do my best."
Just then my Grandfather returned. "Nessie, would you please follow me to the room down the hall? Gentlemen, stay here please." I kissed Jake and squeezed Seth's arm.
"You two behave yourselves." I looked back to them before I left the room. They both smiled at me and nodded their heads. I followed my Grandfather down the hall to a makeshift hospital room.
"Set on the bed please Nessie. Would you raise your sleeve please?" We found out during my childhood that I was capable of bleeding, and Grandpa had drawn my blood over the years for research purposes. He had to work quickly however, because my body healed at a remarkable speed. Once he had filled four test tubes, he removed the needle from my arm and went to work. I sat there is silence, watching as Grandpa put my blood through machines and under microscopes. I lay back on the bed and the warm light above me, pushed me into sleep. I found myself slipping into a dream.
I was setting in a large rocking chair. I had the most beautiful child in my arms. Her hair jet black had a small pink ribbon clinging to a few strands. The chair was turned towards large window that looked out over the creek. I was humming to her one of my father's compositions. I was happy. I was complete. Suddenly a shadow came into my vision. I turned to see Brian standing there. But not the Brian I knew. He was dressed in his normal, casual attire, but his eyes were bright red.
"Brian, what are you doing here?" Terror flooded through me and I held the baby tighter.
Brian smiled and my stomach lurched. "It is nothing personal Nessie. You were just a means to an end. Now be a good girl and give me the baby." I pulled the baby closer to me and ran. As I went through the door, which my mind told me would take us to the kitchen, I suddenly found myself in a stone cell. I looked down and the baby was gone, but I was now very pregnant. I slowly turned and took in my surrounding. The stone ceiling was high and the only light coming in was from a window high on one wall. The room contained a bed and a wash basin and that was all. As I turned Brian was standing in the door, the only exit from the room.
Brian's face turned hard and his lips pierced together. He just shook his head. "So be it." He stepped back and swung the large stone door in place.
I sat up quickly in bed and my Grandfather crossed to me. "Nessie are you alright?"
I smiled at him. "I don't know, you tell me." He gave me a stern look. "I'm fine, just a bad dream."
Grandpa took my hand and smiled. "Well I can't give you a definitive answer yet, it is too soon, but judging by the increased hormone levels in your blood, I would have to say that congratulations are in order. I would also have to say that we are going to have to monitor you very carefully. We have no idea how your body will react to this pregnancy or what the genetic make-up of the child will be. But one thing can be assumed from your and Seth's reactions to each other. It looks like you are having a girl."
I let the emotions overtake me; a mixture of joy and fear. Jake and I were going to have a family, but the stories of my mother's pregnancy kept filling my head. I would do anything for this baby, I was just afraid that I wouldn't be as strong as my mother. And everything was happening so quickly. Jake and I have had barely just a heartbeat of time together, now we were changing again.
And then there was Seth. He was one of my best friends. Would this change our friendship?
For so long I tried to convince everyone that I was a grown woman. But here I sat, feeling like a scared child.
