i hope that you all enjoy this new chapter and that you love the name that i have picked. !
"Are you sure?"I smiled up at Dimitri where he sat beside me on the hospital bed, I felt both exhausted and exhilarated.
Dimitri nodded his head and grinned.
"I absolutely love it. Everyone is going to love it." He hummed his finger ever so gently stroking our sons face.
I leant across and placed my lips softly against Dimitri's,I knew I probably tasted like sweat but I didn't think he would mind. He smiled against my lips and chuckled. Just as he went to talk someone walked through the door and cleared their throat lightly.
It was our nurse; Ember.
"I am very sorry to interrupt, but are you feeling up to having some visitors, if you're not, I'm going to have to send them away, they are filling up our waiting room." She smiled kindly giving a soft laugh.
"Oh! We have visitors already? Of course, send them in." I Grinned. I probably looked like shit but I felt like a million bucks, well apart from the awful after pain in my stomach and the aching fingernail in-prints in my palms.
I couldn't think of anyone other than Lissa and Christian who would be here that fast. We hadn't had time to tell anyone else in our mad dash to the clinic.
Moments after Ember left, a small group of people streamed into our little private room. It was Lissa and Christian, holding both Rhea and Andrea, Sydney and Adrian, sans their baby's and my mother and father.
Their eyes landed on me with kind smiles then immediately sought the little bundle resting in Dimiti and my joined arms. Almost if rehearsed they all 'Awwed.
"It's a boy." Dimitri announced. He stood up from the bed carefully shifting our little boy back into my full grasp. "He is perfect and healthy, Rose did such an amazing job. He was out in less than 20 minutes." Dimitri gleamed, fatherhood suited him already, he had this different atmosphere about him and it was sexy.
"Oh Rose, you're amazing I couldn't believe it when the nurse told us you had already had him, I barely had time to round everyone up. But we were here, right outside sending our love. Oh god and look at him he is perfect and look at his little fingers they look good enough to eat!"Lissa gushed. She turned to Christian her eyes alight. "let's have another baby!"
"No way, calm down, two is more than enough right now."Christan laughed.
"But don't you want to have a boy?" Lissa pleaded.
"I think I'd rather have a full night's sleep first Liss, calm down, you can play with this little guy until the longing fades." he said shaking his head.
My mum shaking her head came forward towing my dad, they were both beaming with smiles. Mum leant down and kissed my forehead, tucking my gross hair behind my hair, then leant down and placed a whisper of a kiss on the baby's head.
"He is as perfect as you Rosemarie." She whispered her eyes dancing with joy, she steped away allowing my dad to come forward. While my mother embraced Dimitri my father leant over and patted my cheek softly.
"Good job my little fighter, you make a fine mother already, and look at that thick hair, he gets that from my side of the family you know, that's where you got it from too obviously." Abe laughed and stepped back to allow Dimitri to retake his place beside me.
"Have you picked a name?" Adrian asked. His arms wrapped around Sydney as she stood in front of him.
"Yes, we have." Dimitri smiled, snuggling my son closer to me I let the blanket fall back a little bit more so all my friends and family could see his perfect little face. Dimitri put his hands gently on him.
"His name is Ozgur, Iosif Belikov." I said pronouncing his middle name the way Dimitri and his family taught me 'Eee-O-seef'.
"Ozgur" Abe smiled his hand coming down to cup Dimitri's shoulder. "Whose idea was that?" he laughed.
"Dimitri's picked it, and I picked Iosif." I smiled.
"That's very cleaver of the two of you." when the others looked confused Abe put his hands up and laughed. "Ozgur, is Turkish and it means to be free. To live one's life the way you want to not corrupted by others." Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Lissa frown slightly, her eyes growing sad.
"Yeah and it sounds similar to Oscar so if people can't pronounce his Turkish name then they can just call him that." I beamed down at my little bundle of joy, never in my life did I think I would love someone as much as I loved Dimitri.
"Lissa," Dimitri called lightly, his eyes still filled with joy but they held a warm kindness as he looked at my best friend. She looked up her lip tucked under her top teeth. "Would you like to hold him?" he asked as he scooped Ozgur into his arms.
"Oh" she exclaimed. "I'm sure Janie or Abe would like to be the first to hold him." She blushed, her hands already outstretching for him like she couldn't help herself.
The others around me shook their heads and chuckled as she lifted him up anyway, her eyes alighting as she tucked him safely into her arms.
"Wow," she breathed, her fingers very gently tracing the contours of his face. "He is prefect, and so alive." She whispered the last part. When everyone looked confused at Lisa's words she smiled crookedly. "I can feel the spirit coursing through his veins, it's like nothing I've ever felt before"
Dimitri and I shared a brief look, Dimitri's brow was furrowed with concern but I touched his cheek lightly with a reassuring smile. Lissa would never dare hurt our child, I could tell that she already loved him unconditionally. We had won in the battle again her friends or her country.
"Okay, no hogging. Let us have a hold of him too." Adrian demanded with a grin, Sydney was practically bouncing on her toes as Lissa moved closer to make the exchange.
Lissa made a noise like a sigh as she handed Ozgur over to Adrian, his eyes lit up instantly.
"Holy crap, you weren't joking Liss, this little guy feels like holding a firework, it makes me warm all over, I can feel so much more, I feel everything." Adrian gushed looking at our son like he was the most amazing thing that he had ever dreamed of. And to Dimitri and I, he was.
After a few moments Janie walked to where Adrian and Sydney were cooing over Ozgur and put her hands out with a look that read 'mine now' they obediently placed him in her arms and her face changed. She wasn't Guardian Janie Hathaway the woman who was as ruthless as they come, she was a doting grandmother. She melted as Ozgur held one of her fingers in his tiny little hands.
This child would melt even the toughest of hearts.
The next night when we were allowed to return home with our little bundle of perfection, there was a surprize waiting for us at our house.
Dimitri's family had flown over the minute Lissa had rang to say I was in labour. Viktoria's squeals pierced our ears as she flew into Dimitri, followed by his other two sisters, with a little bit less enthusiasm as the ever veracious Viktoria. Olena stood a few paces back her eyes fixed on me and Ozgur.
"он идеален,"Olena smiled as she embraced us both gently. "Motherhood becomes you my dear Rose. He is beautiful." By this time the girls had realised a grinning and ruffled looking Dimitri and were pawing over Ozgur.
"What did you call him Dimka, Rose?" Sonya said, patting his dark curls.
"Ozgur Iosif Belikov." Dimitri announced proudly. Viktoria clapped softly.
"That is beautiful my son." Olena said smiling up at her son, he bent down an placed a soft but adoring kiss on his mother's cheek. I hoped that when Ozgur was older he looked at me with the same love Dimitri shared with his mother.
"Its so good to see you all, I have missed you so much!" I said as I handed Ozgur over to Olena, the girls then surrounded her, touching his hair and playing with his fingers, he was awake and smiling back at them, they all 'awwed' continuously.
"Yes, we had intended to come visit before the little one was born but we have been so busy and we weren't sure if Rose was up to it." Dimitri said his arm wrapped around my torso.
"It is no trouble, "Olena said with a smile. "A visit out here was overdue. It's not fair that you are the ones that come to us everytime."
"You know we don't mind Ma'ma." Dimitri laughed. "Rose loves Russia." He chuckled.
"Its true, I'll use any excuse to get out of court these days. But I think things will settled down for a little bit now with this little man in our lives." I grinned leaning up an giving Dimitri a small kiss on the cheek.
Karolina came over an embraced us both, Dimitri's older sister hadn't been around much the last few times we had visited, she now had two children and was living with a moroi.
"I am so pleased that this miricale happened for you both, I couldn't think of two people more deserving of the joy this baby will bring, and if you need a hand or just some support, im just a phone call way Rose." Karolina smiled and hugged me tightly giving a soft kiss on my cheek. "you are my sister afterall." We both laughed.
"Are Paul, Zoya, Katya and the new baby here too?" Dimtri asked as he poured his sisters and mothers drinks.
"Yes, they are upstairs playing in Ozgurs room, Katya and Anatoly are both asleep though, or well they should be." Sonya laughed as she pulled herself up on the kitched stool beside her sisters and Dimitri.
"What about Yeva?" I asked softly.
Olena looked over at Dmitri and I where I stood beside him on the stool with a sad smile.
"Yeva was not well enough yet to come visit, but as soon as she is feeling up for it we will come." Olena said as she held a now peacefully sleeping Ozgur.
"No mother, don't be silly when she feels ready we will come to Baia for a visit." Dimitri said with a slight frown.
"How long will you be staying for?" I asked happy to have people in the house to help me.
"Just a few days my dear, we don't want to intrude to much on yours and Dimka's time with this precious boy." Olena whispered to us.
"You could never intrude mom, Rose and I want you here. Rose complained the whole pregnancy that you guys wouldn't be closer to see Ozgur grow up." Dimitri said with a sad smile.
I knew that I wasn't the only one who hated that his mother and family were so far away from us. I often thought about asking Dimitri if he would like us to move to Baia or close to there to raise Ozgur but the answer was always the same. – you're families here, Lissa is here, all your friends are here—but the more and more I thought about it, moving to Russia felt right.
I think it was time that Dimitri and I seriously thought about where we should raise this child, right in the eyes of the court who would love to poke and prod Ozgur like a science experiment or in Baia where he would grow up surrounded by other dhampirs and his family. How would we choose, there were pro's and con's in both places but I was being torn in half.
"Rose," Dimitri whispered. "are you okay hun?" nobody else was taking any notice of us, they were fixed on Ozgur.
"I'm just thinking about where were going to live again Dimitri." I sighed. Dimitri took my hand in his large familiar warm one and smiled softly down at me.
"Now isn't the time my love. Let's give it a few months. You will know what feels right for us. You always do." He kissed me lightly and I couldn't help but feel for the umpteenth time, that I was the fucking luckiest woman alive to be married to this god of a man.
how was that!? it was only a short chapter but i felt like we needed just a little time to introduce Ozgur to everyone.
what do you think?! should they stay at court, or should they move to russia? which would be best for Ozgur?!