It was dark where Beth was. The atmosphere around her felt warm and heavy. It wasn't an entirely pleasant feeling. It was more like an annoyance. Like being wrapped in a blanket when you weren't cold. There were noises; sounds she couldn't quite make out. It raised some interesting questions; Was she alive? Was she dead?
She couldn't be alive. If her last conscious moments had been any indication, she was dead. She had felt death coming as Hayden overpowered her, wrestled her to the ground and slammed her head into the floor. Yes, she was dead. As frightening as the idea of death was to her, right now she felt oddly calm. Why wouldn't she be calm? Death was the end, literally. Right?
Was she in heaven? Hell? Somewhere in between? Had she ever done anything that was considered bad enough for her to end up in the fiery pits of Hell? Now that, was a scary thought. All she could do was wait in the inky darkness while the being responsible for her existence and the creation of the earth passed judgment on her.
It was unnerving. Beth had thought death was the thing to fear. Now she found that death wasn't as scary as what was going to happen next. She waited in the black void for what seemed like an eternity, nothing but the warmth and the faint sounds to comfort her. She wanted Mick. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him. How sorry she was for getting herself killed like this. But now she'd never have the chance.
The thought made her want to cry, but she couldn't cry. She couldn't feel her body. It was as if her body and her soul were two separate entities. That was the way it always was in movies wasn't it? Dead people could see themselves hovering over their bodies. But Beth, well, she couldn't see anything, though that didn't keep her from trying.
She struggled to focus on the simple task of opening her eyes. Nothing. She tried again. This time, the heavy feeling that had settled over her, wavered for a moment, lifting like a veil. The sounds and voices she heard were louder.
She listened for a few more moments before giving up and settling back into the darkness. Bridging the gap between life and death proved to be exhausting.
After a few moments she tried again. This time she could hear more. There was a steady, high pitched, beeping sound. Along with the continued warmth, she found that the beeping was just another thing that annoyed her. Oh how she wished she could kick off that blanket. A blanket? Dead people didn't need blankets. She could clearly feel a blanket over her legs and torso. She could feel. If she could hear and she could feel, she decided that she couldn't be dead. She clung to that hope.
The voices, although muffled, were not just voices anymore. They were voices she recognized. She couldn't understand the words, but she knew without a doubt that the voices belonged to Josef and Alana. There was one voice that Beth didn't recognize and then there was one that she didn't hear at all.
Try as she might, she was unable to see anything. She was relying on her sense of hearing to find him, to find out why she couldn't hear him.
Mick. Where was he?
She heard his name. Someone had said his name. It was the only clear word she had heard since the veil of darkness had been lifted. "Mick." she tried to call out, but found that she could not speak. 'Mick.' she thought to herself.
She could feel and hear, but she couldn't speak and she couldn't move. Was this some form of cruel torture? Maybe she really was dead. Maybe she was being punished. What was next? Was she going to be shown moments of her life that she wanted to forget? Was she going to see Mick in some milky memory; see him, but not be able to touch him or speak to him?
She strained against the heavy veil. 'Please Please.' she silently begged to whoever was holding her captive. 'Just let me hear his voice one last time. Please.'
The next thing she knew, the heavy feeling was gone, completely gone, only to be replaced by intense pain and more sounds; more talking. This time, she heard what her friends were saying plain as day.
"Beth, can ye hear me, Beth?" It was Alana. Her accent was a dead giveaway.
"C'mon Blondie. We know you can hear us." Josef added. "Wake up."
Wake up? Beth was confused. If Josef was pleading with her to wake up, she was most definitely, not dead.
"Everythin's okay, Beth. Josef and I are waitin' fer ye. Mick'll be here soon." Alana continued. "I tried ta warn ye ta be carful, but no, no one ever listens ta me. I'm jest a crazy, old witch."
"You are not a crazy old witch. You're just a crazy witch." Josef corrected the redhead with a smile.
"Do ye hear the way he's talkin' ta me Beth? He's callin' me crazy. Only I'm allowed ta call meself crazy. Ye'd better wake up now so ye can help me decide what ta do with him."
Beth listened to the conversation her friends were carrying on around her. She wasn't dead? She wasn't dead. She wasn't dead! She wanted to spring out of the darkness, throw her arms around Josef and Alana and cry to her friends that she was alive, but she still couldn't move. She tried the speaking thing again.
"Alana? Josef?" she called their names softly and waited for a response.
Alana scooted closer to Beth, who was starting to become aware of their presence. She took the blonde's hand in her own. "We're here Beth. We're here." The red head assured her. "Yer okay." she whispered.
"Alana?" Beth spoke again, her eyes still closed, her head suddenly feeling weighted.
Alana turned to Josef. "Go call him, now." she instructed adamantly.
Josef nodded and walked to the door of the room. He looked at Alana and then Beth, who was struggling to come back to consciousness, before he made his way down the hall to the room where nurse Rose had told him he could make his call.
"I'm here Beth. Josef jest went ta call Mick." Alana informed her friend. "He'll be here very soon."
Alana's soft voice comforted Beth and pulled her out of the murky dark she felt trapped in. She was finally able to open her eyes. She blinked a few times clearing her vision and saw Alana's face above hers. Her vision clouded again when she began to cry a moment later.
"Alana." Beth sobbed happily.
"There, there. Yer alright." The Irish woman soothed.
"I'm a-live. I'm a-live." Beth cried.
"Hush now. All that cryin' is goin' ta make yer head hurt worse." Alana informed the blonde with a warm smile.
Beth took a deep breath breaking her sobs. "I don't think my head could possibly hurt any worse." She tested her limbs making sure she could move everything.
"Lucky for you, pain is a sure sign that your alive." Josef remarked as he reentered the room. "What the hell were you thinking? Do you have any idea how close you came to being dead?" he asked her sounding more scared than angry with the blonde.
"Josef!" Alana scolded eyeing the vampire. "I know yer angry, but now is not the time!" she hissed.
Josef approached the gurney where Beth was laying and sat down at the bottom, near her feet. "What do you have to say for yourself?" he asked Beth taking on the role of overprotective parent.
Beth looked away from the vampire fresh tears filling her eyes. "I'm sorry." she managed. "I'm sor-ry!" she looked at Alana.
Alana sighed and rolled her eyes at Josef. "Ye." She wagged a finger at him. "Are not helpin'."
Josef ignored Alana's comment, scooted closer to Beth and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her for a moment.
"That's better." Alana praised.
Josef rose from the gurney, a grin on his face. "I apologize for being rude." he told the blonde.
"He's jest happy yer awake. Aren't ye, Josef?"
Josef nodded.
"We both are." Alana said with a smile. "I'm sure Mick will be happy ta see yer awake as well. He'll be here soon."
Beth stifled her cries and bit her bottom lip turning to Josef. "Is he as angry with me as you are?"
Josef opened his mouth to speak, but Alana spoke cutting him off.
"Let's not be worryin' about who's angry at who right now. There's plenty of time fer that later." Alana reminded them both. "Right now the important thin' is that everythin' is alright. Yer safe Beth, and despite a pretty painful concussion and some bumps and bruises yer goin' ta be fine."
"A concussion?" Beth asked.
"That's what the doctor said, a classic concussion." Josef explained. "Among other things."
Beth began to laugh giddily. "A concussion."
Josef looked at Beth and then to Alana. "Is she laughing?"
Alana nodded. "It appears so." She turned her attention to Beth. "Beth, are ye alright? Should I get the doctor?"
Beth stopped laughing and painfully shook her head. "I'm fine. I just… I thought I was a goner."
Josef sighed. "You're lucky I found you when I did."
"Y-ou found me?" Beth questioned.
"Oh please, don't thank me." Josef replied sarcastically. "Marrying me was enough thanks."
"Marr-ying you?" She looked at Alana. "How long have I been out? What time is it? What day is it?"
"Ye haven't been out long. Tis still Sunday." Alana sighed and shot Josef a look of disapproval. "What Josef is tryin' ta tell ye is that…well, he had ta tell the hospital staff a wee fib in order fer us ta see ye."
"You told the hospital that we're married?" Beth asked the vampire her eyes wide.
"This hospital is a poorly run business with stupid policies." Josef complained. "Visitors of patients have to be immediate family."
"So you told them you were my husband? You're not my husband." Beth reminded him. "Mick is the closest thing I have to a spouse. What is everyone going to say when he shows up?"
"Nothing. Because they're going to think he's your brother. Alana is your sister and I'm your husband. We should make sure we're all on the same page." Josef replied.
"My head hurts." Beth murmured lifting her hand to her forehead.
"Of course it does." The redhead commented knowing everything was a bit much for the blonde. "Would ye like me ta see if they'll give ye somethin' fer the pain?" Alana offered.
Beth nodded. "Yes, please."
Josef smiled. "I'll go ask." he said walking towards the door.
"Josef…" Alana gave the vampire a look of warning. "Be nice."
Josef smirked and smoothed his suit jacket. "Me? Be anything but nice?" he asked as he slipped out of the room.
"Heaven help the hospital staff." Alana commented with a sigh.
"Has he been giving them a hard time since I was admitted?" Beth wondered aloud.
"Ye don't know the half of it. But, since ye married him, he's yer problem now. Not mine." she said with a laugh. "Ye married me man and now I have ta spend the rest of me life alone with me cat. Not ta worry, I'll survive, somehow."
Beth laughed and looked at her friend. "Your man? I must have been out longer than you're letting on. When did this happen?"
"Before ye married him." Alana responded with a grin. "Ye should know that he told me earlier he's plannin' on havin' an affair with me." she giggled.
Beth chuckled softly. "Speaking of men, where is Mick? I know you said he's on his way, but I would have thought he'd be here when I woke up. Is he alright?" Beth asked nervously.
"I'm sure he's fine, otherwise Josef would've told me. He had ta take care of some thin's." Alana gave Beth an informative look.
Beth closed her eyes, took a breath and reopened them, fully understanding what Alana was telling her. "Shouldn't Josef be back by now?"
"The staff is probably bein' difficult. They haven't exactly been easy on him since he brought ye in. Jest so ye know, ye fell down the stairs, conked your head and landed on a barbecue fork. That's the story Josef told the nurse about how ye ended up here."
Beth quirked a brow at her friend. "I fell down the stairs, hit my head and landed on a barbecue fork?"
Alana nodded. "They didn't believe Josef. Of course, I wouldn't believe that story meself. They accused him of spousal abuse because of the bruises. Luckily, I came up with a pretty convincin' explanation fer yer bruises. We take kick boxin' three times a week."
"Bruises?" Beth questioned.
"Aye, bruises, upper arms, torso and face." Alana informed her friend.
"That would explain why I feel like I was hit by a truck." Beth said, her voice breaking. She bit her bottom lip to keep herself from crying again.
Alana looked at the blonde. "Oh Beth muirnín, none of that now. Ye don't want ta look a mess when Mick does get here now do ye?"
Beth shook her head. "No." she replied, tears rolling down her cheeks against her will. She brought a hand to her face, brushing away her tears and smiled at her friend. "I'm sorry. I'll get myself together before he gets here. I guess I'm just really overwhelmed."
"Aye and ye have a right ta be. Ye've had quite a scare." Alana reminded her.
"I'm so grateful to be alive. I honestly thought I was dead. I thought I was dead and I was never going to see anyone ever again. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."
"There's no reason ta apologize. What's done is done. Yer okay, that's what's important." Alana told the blonde.
"I am okay right? There isn't anything you guys aren't telling me?"
"Everythin' is goin' ta be fine." The red head assured her friend. "We can talk about everythin' later."
Josef returned to the examination room, an angry look on his face, the doctor who was taking care of Beth in tow. "The doctor would like to examine you, sweetheart." Josef informed Beth smiling through gritted teeth.
Beth wiped away the rest of her tears, took a breath, sat up and looked over at the woman who was her doctor. She was tall and slim. Her copper colored hair was pulled back in a tight bun. On her face was a serious look.
The doctor approached her patient, clipboard in hand. "Beth, I'm Dr. Randall." she introduced herself. "Like you're husband said, I need to examine you and I also have something I'd like to discuss with you."
"Sure. Of course." Beth replied.
"Would you like me to ask your husband and sister to step out of the room during the examination?"
Beth looked at Josef, who looked a little bit uncomfortable and then to Alana, who surprisingly, didn't seem to have any opinion on the subject. "I guess it depends on how invasive the examination is going to be."
"Oh it's just a standard neurological examination. I just want to test your reflexes, make sure there wasn't any other brain injury from your fall. It's the discussion of your test results that might be a little personal." Dr. Randall explained.
Beth swallowed past the anxiety that was building in her throat. "Anything you say to me can be said in front of my family."
Josef nodded in agreement, knowing that whatever the doctor told Beth, he'd find out about sooner or later.
"All right." the doctor replied. "Mrs. Kostan, I ran a series of blood tests upon your arrival. You were given some fluids for dehydration. Your sister tells me that you've had a touch of the stomach flu this week?"
Beth nodded. "Stomach flu, food poisoning…" She looked at the doctor, a scared look on her face. "Oh God. I'm dying right? You found something in my blood and now I'm dying?" she asked her voice shaky.
"No, it's nothing like that." Doctor Randall promised her patient.
Beth, who was confused, looked at Dr. Randall. "If I'm not dying, then what's going on? What did you find in my blood?"
"Do you know what Human chorionic gonadotropin is?" Dr. Randall questioned.
Beth shook her head. "No." She looked at Alana who was still sitting nearby.
Alana bit her bottom lip and looked at Josef. He could tell by the look on Alana's face that she knew what was going on.
"Human chorionic gonadotropin is a glycoprotein hormone that is produced by a developing embryo during pregnancy." The doctor informed her patient.
"Pregnancy?" Josef and Beth both chorused, matching looks of disbelief on their faces.
The doctor nodded. "It can also be a marker for a tumor. We check the levels of HCG to determine which it could be. A level of 5mIU/ml HCG or below is negative for pregnancy, and therefore would be a sure sign that there is a developing tumor."
Alana glanced at the doctor. She rolled her eyes. It was completely unnecessary to worry Beth over something that she didn't need to be concerned about. Alana looked past the doctor at the empty doorway, hoping Mick would walk through it at any moment.
"Beth, your blood serum test showed a result of 426 mIU/ml of HCG. "
"What does that mean?" Josef asked.
Alana turned and looked at Josef, a huge smile on her face. "It means yer goin' ta be a da!"
"Come again?" Josef asked looking at the doctor.
"Your wife is having a baby Mr. Kostan." Dr. Randall reiterated.
Josef stared at Beth as if she had twelve eyes. He was disgusted. She was pregnant? He would have never expected that Beth would be the kind of person to cheat on someone. He had suspected she could be with child when Mick had mentioned something about how Beth's blood had tasted. It didn't actually occur to him that she would not only cheat on his best friend, but be stupid enough to become pregnant by someone else.
Tears ran freely down Beth's cheeks. "I'm pregnant." she whispered.
"Yes." The serious doctor managed a small smile. "According to the HCG levels you're four weeks pregnant." she informed her patient.
Alana looked over at Josef. She could feel the anger radiating off of the vampire. She grabbed onto the arm of the chair to keep herself anchored, her body tense and rigid from Josef's overwhelming emotions.
Beth tried to process what the doctor was telling her. She was pregnant. It was an incredible, a miracle! She couldn't be happier. She was too caught up in her own thoughts to notice how angry Josef appeared to be. She looked at the doctor. "Wait a second. Did you say four weeks? That's impossible. It was two weeks ago. I'm sure of it, April 16th."
Josef's ears perked up. Blondie knew the exact night she had cheated on Mick? Had she planned this all along?
Alana smiled through gritted teeth. She was trying to be happy for Beth and concentrate on not absorbing all of Josef's anger at the same time. She took a breath and forced herself to smile and be happy. Despite her earlier fears about something happening to the baby resulting from Beth's injuries, Alana decided to remain optimistic.
"The way that pregnancy is measured, for the sake of finding out due dates and conception dates is tricky. Your HCG levels show that you are four weeks pregnant gestational age. Fetal age or the actual age of the fetus is two weeks." Dr. Randall explained.
Beth sat up and brought a hand to her flat stomach over the blanket that was covering her. She was pregnant. She had wondered about it, but would have never believed it, until now.
"You said conception was the 16th?" The doctor looked at the clipboard in her hand. "When was the date of your last menstrual period?"
Beth thought for a moment. "The first week of April." she answered looking around the room for the one person she wished was there.
"I am going to go ahead and predict that you and your husband will be parents the first week of January."
Rose stood in the hallway waiting with a wheelchair to move Dr. Randall's patient to a room upstairs.
"He's not the father." Beth managed.
Rose, overhearing the blonde woman speak, snuck close to the room. Mrs. Kostan was pregnant and the baby wasn't her husband's. Mr. Kostan was probably one of those husbands who traipsed across the world leaving their trophy wife to her own devises. It served him right the way he was all over his wife's sister.
Josef glared at Beth from across the room. "Oh honey. How could you?" he remarked sarcastically.
The doctor looked at the visibly angry man seated in a chair across the room and then back at her patient. "This pregnancy wasn't planned?"
Beth shook her head, more tears wetting her cheeks.
"There are options available for unplanned pregnancies." Dr. Randall reminded Beth.
Beth shook her head again, this time furiously. "No, I'm not interested in any other options. I want this baby. I don't need any other options." she told Dr. Randall adamantly.
Josef fumed in his chair. Beth was not only happy about the pregnancy, she wanted to keep the baby? He couldn't even imagine how Mick was going to feel when he found out.
The doctor was taken aback by her patient's reaction. "Alright then. I am going to write you out a prescription for prenatal vitamins and recommend a good OBGYN."
Beth brought a hand to her mouth to stifle her sobs. "Oh God! The baby. Is the baby going to be alright? Could I have hurt the baby?" She swallowed hard.
The concern Beth was showing for the bastard child she was carrying made Josef sick. He looked at the wall behind the gurney Beth was laying on. From the corner of his eye he saw Alana who was not happy with him.
"There's no way to know for sure right now if the fetus was harmed during the fall. You'll have an examination in the coming weeks. We'll know more then. For now, if you have any lower back pain, abdominal pain, cramping or bleeding, you'll need to let your doctor know. I'd like to keep you tonight for observation."
Beth nodded through her tears.
"Do you have any questions?" Dr. Randall asked.
Beth shook her head. Although, there were a million questions running through her mind, she wasn't sure at the moment if she could find the words to ask them.
Dr. Randall looked at her patient and then at Mr. Kostan. "I'm going to go ahead and check on my other patients." She turned back to the blonde. "Beth, I'm going to be leaving you in Rose's capable hands." She motioned to the nurse who was standing near the doorway. "She's going to bring you upstairs and get you settled in a room. I'll be by to check in on you a little later."
Beth wiped her eyes and nodded her response. "Thank you." she managed.
The doctor nodded and walked out of the room, giving Mr. Kostan a look as she exited.
Rose smiled at Dr. Randall as she passed and began walking into the exam room with the wheelchair that was meant for Beth. She knocked on the open door. "Are we ready to go upstairs?"
Josef rose from his chair and walked towards the door of the examination room. "No, we are not ready." he told Rose coldly as he forced her back away from the doorway.
Alana too rose from her seat ready to referee if necessary. "Could ye please give us a few minutes?"
Rose eyed Mr. Kostan curiously and nodded her head. "I'll just come back in a little while, no hurry. If you need anything just call the nurses' desk." she reminded her patient before disappearing down the hall.
Josef smirked at the nurse and closed the door behind her. He turned to Beth and began walking towards her. "You lying, cheating, whore." Josef stated accusingly.
"JOSEF!" Alana scolded.
Beth looked at Josef, confused and hurt by his words. "What did you just call me?"
"I called you a lying, cheating whore, Blondie!" Josef repeated. "Were you even going to tell Mick?"
Beth looked at Josef through blurred vision. "Of- course I'm going to tell Mick! Why wouldn't I tell him?!" she cried.
"Because it'll kill him, you selfish bitch." the vampire remarked.
Beth took a deep breath. She looked at Josef with disbelief. How could he say these things to her? She was sobbing hysterically now, which was making her head pound and her throat raw.
"Josef, you don't know what you're talking about!" Alana informed him.
Josef turned to Alana, fire in his eyes. "You're going to stand here and defend her?"
I- di-didn't chea-t on Mick." Beth managed. "This ba-by is his."
"It's impossible Beth!" Josef insisted angrily. "I won't let you do this to Mick!"
Beth brought her hand to her chest which heaved with each fresh sob. "Wh-y are you talk-ing to me this way? I didn't do an-y-thing wrong. The bab-y is Mick's." she insisted.
"The baby cannot be Mick's, Beth. You know just as well as I do, that it's not possible! So save your superficial tears!"
Beth took a deep breath, anger suddenly surging through her. "It is possible, Josef. Not that it's any of your business, but Mick is the only person I've been with in months."
"What about your human boyfriend?" Josef challenged.
"Josh? Are you talking about Josh? Josh has been dead since January. It's April." she informed him. Mick was human when it happened. He didn't think it could happen."
"It can't happen!" Josef growled.
Alana, sick of listening to Josef's ridiculous nonsense, turned and glared at the vampire. "That's enough!" she told him raising her voice. "Ye say one more word, Josef, and ye'll be spendin' the rest of yer very long life as a rodent companion ta Lysander!" the redhead hissed threateningly.
Josef just stared at Alana. She was not only challenging him, she was threatening him?
"Beth is yer friend! How could ye treat her this way?" Alana held back her own tears. "The galya is Mick's. Beth knows it, I know it and ye know it too. Ye know it's possible."
Josef was shocked by Alana's reaction. It was true. There was one other human vampire relationship that had resulted in pregnancy, but there was no way Alana could know that. It was a secret that only a handful of people knew.
Beth blinked away fresh tears and looked across the room at Josef. "I don't know how or why I'm pregnant Josef, but I won't be made to feel ashamed about it. This baby is a miracle and I couldn't be happier."
"Of course it's a miracle!" Alana agreed. "Mick is goin' ta be over the moon. Isn't that right, Josef?"
Josef returned to the chair he was sitting in. "He'll be thrilled." he muttered sarcastically.
"Ye have nothin' ta be ashamed of, Beth." The red head glared at Josef. "Tell her Josef. Tell her she has nothin' ta be ashamed about. That everythin' ye said was jest cruel and mean. Ye didn't mean any of it."
Beth shook her head. "No. I know why you said what you said and even though it hurt to hear you say those things to me, I can't blame you for your reaction. You're Mick's best friend it's only natural you'd come to his defense. I'm pregnant, his human girlfriend." She chuckled softly, her tear stained face lighting up. "It's supposed to be impossible. But, life after death is supposed to be impossible too. Yet you're standing here in front of me, proof that even that is possible."
"Congratulations." Josef uttered flatly as he stared at the wall behind Beth's head.
Alana stood, arms crossed in front of her chest. She was very disappointed in Josef's behavior. He was acting like a jealous, spoiled child, not the supportive friend that Beth needed right now. She sighed. She would have a talk with him later.
"Thank you Josef." Beth replied softly.
Josef nodded.
Beth looked over at the vampire who just a few moments ago was saying the most horrible things to her. She wasn't angry with him. Instead she was concerned. She could tell something was bothering Josef. Something that didn't have anything to do with him accusing her of cheating on Mick. Something she saw the moment the doctor told her she was pregnant.
She studied him for a moment. He was quiet and sullen, staring past her as if he didn't want to look at her. He wasn't angry with her. He was angry that she was pregnant. Was Josef jealous that she and Mick were going to have a baby? No. Josef couldn't be jealous. Why would Josef be jealous? He wasn't even a people person, never mind a kid person.
Alana turned her attention back to Beth. She uncrossed her arms, sat down in a chair beside the gurney and smiled at her friend. "Congratulations Beth. Yer goin' ta make a great ma."
Beth smiled at Alana.
Josef purposely rose from his chair again, this time he headed for the door.
Beth noticed immediately that Josef had gotten up and was walking to the door. "Josef, where are you going? Please don't leave." she pleaded.
"I'm going to go call Mick again. When I spoke to him earlier he said he was on his way. That was fifteen minutes ago. He's not even five minutes from the hospital. He probably stopped to get you flowers, candy and a balloon. Don't worry." Josef assured her.
"Oh." Beth answered. "Thanks. Please don't say anything about…"
"I won't say a word." Josef replied.
"Thank you Josef."
"Don't mention it." the vampire said as he opened the door and walked out of the room.
The door closed with a soft click as Josef exited the exam room.
Alana turned to Beth. "Don't mind him. He's jest cranky. He had ta drink bagged blood earlier. He went all day without eatin'. If I don't have me cheesecake bites in the mornin', I'm not pleasant ta be around either."
Beth smiled and reached for her friend's hand. "Thanks for being here, Alana."
"Where else would I be?" she asked squeezing the blonde's hand.
Beth squeezed back nervously, a concerned look on her face. She looked up at the redhead. "Everything's going to be okay right?"
"Everythin's goin' ta be fine." Alana assured her friend. "Yer worried about how Mick's goin' ta react?"
Beth nodded, tears forming in her eyes. "What if he reacts the same way Josef did?" She bit her bottom lip to keep from crying, but the tears ran down her cheeks anyway. "What if he thinks I cheated? What if he hates me? I have this fear that if things get to be too much between us again he's going to want out and this, a baby, might be considered too much. I want this baby. I didn't even know how much I wanted kids until just now…" she babbled.
"Mick is not Josef. Mick loves ye and he's not goin' ta jump ta the wrong conclusion. I have no doubt in me mind he's goin' ta be thrilled beyond belief. It might take some explainin'..." Alana replied.
Beth's lower lip quivered. "How do I tell him? How do I tell my vampire boyfriend that he's going to be a father?"
"Ye could start with, remember that night a few weeks ago, back when ye were human…?" Alana said with a laugh. "Ye'll figure it out Beth."
"I don't have to tell him right now do I? I mean I'm only a few weeks along, so it's not like I have to worry about telling him right away."
Alana brought her free hand to her head. "Oh Beth! Yer not goin' ta start off this new time in yer life with a lie are ye? What are ye goin' ta do, wait til ye've got this big belly and tell Mick 'Oh I'm jest gettin' fat. I always gain all me weight in me uterus. No more donuts fer me.' " She shook her head.
"I wasn't planning on waiting that long." Beth answered.
"Thank God fer that." Alana commented. "Ye tell him yer own way, in yer own time. Jest don't wait too long. I don't know how much longer I can keep it ta meself. I've been holdin' it in fer two days now. Ye don't have ta worry about Josef sayin' enythin'. I've heard from the freshies he only spills his juiciest secrets durin' sex and well, if he happens ta tell one of them, they're not goin' ta notice. They'll jest be cheesed off that he mentioned someone else's name."
Beth looked at Alana. "You've known that I'm pregnant for two days and you didn't tell me?"
"Aye, but I did try to tell ye…"
"How did you know? I just started suspecting something was wrong today. I bought a test just to prove to myself that I wasn't pregnant, but I didn't get a chance to take it." Beth told her friend.
Alana sighed. "The first time I met ye I noticed somethin' different about ye. One of me gifts is that I can read people's energies. Not in a hokey 'Madam Zandra can read yer auras at the fair fer two dollars sort of way', but I can see colors around people, vampires and sometimes animals."
Beth listened attentively to Alana's explanation.
"Every vampire I've ever come across has been an icy blue. Josef is that blue, Mick is that blue. I'm not sure why they're blue, I'm guessin' it's because they're undead." She brought her hand to her face and tapped her chin with her finger. "Maybe it's because they spend so much time in the freezer…" She turned her attention back to her friend. "Enyway, normally a person's color has ta do with their personality and their chemical makeup. When I first met ye, ye were pink, but yer color changed throughout the day. By lunch it had purple in it, which I found a bit odd. I'd never seen enythin' like it. It's very special." Alana smiled warmly. "I got ta thinkin' about it, yer pink, Mick is blue. Pink and blue make purple. Now ta look at ye, yer almost completely purple, a pale purple. Usually a pregnant woman's own color will jest intensify, but ye, yer different, because the galya's father is icy blue."
"You not only knew just by my color that I'm having a baby, but you knew Mick was the father? What other things can you tell by a person's color?" Beth questioned fascinated by her friend's gifts.
"Sometimes, I can tell whether a person is good or bad. For example, Brandon was a muddy brown, but it's not always the case. The worst man I ever met was some of the most beautiful colors I have ever seen. Twas like a rainbow." Alana explained. "I can tell if someone is ill. Their color changes, but not the same way yers did. I can tell someone's emotions, but I can sense them too, which is usually a lot stronger."
"Wow." Beth stated impressed by Alana's unique abilities. "What else can you do?"
Alana shook her head. "That's enough. I don't want ta fill yer head with all this and make yer headache worse."
"One more thing, please? Tell me just one more thing and I won't ask anymore stupid questions tonight." Beth pleaded like a child who didn't want to go to bed.
Alana sighed. "Ye really need ta be worryin' more about gettin' upstairs ta bed and restin', but fine. I'll tell ye one more thin'."
Beth smiled.
"The galya, when he or she is born, will probably be purple and as far as I can tell ye'll go back ta bein' pink."
Beth nodded, satisfied with her friend's interesting information. "Thank you for sharing all that with me."
Alana smiled at Beth. "Yer welcome. I want ta thank ye for bein' someone I can trust. I don't tell many people about me or me gifts."
Beth leaned towards the red head wrapped her arms around her and hugged her. Alana grinned and hugged her back. She released her after a few moments.
"I'm goin' ta go talk ta Rose and see if we can get ye moved upstairs. Ye must be thoroughly knackered."
Beth nodded. "I don't know how I'm going to sleep at the hospital tonight. I'm not even tired." she yawned.
Alana laughed a little as she rose from the chair beside the gurney. "Sure, yer not tired at all." she said with a wink as she walked to the door. "I bet ye stay up all night."
The door to the exam room opened just as Alana lifted her hand to the door handle revealing a very concerned looking Mick.