Chapter 5 Declan's Awaking
18 Week
Kate hardly left Declan's side for two weeks. She wanted to be there when he woke to tell him that his was carrying his child and she wanted him to stay with her. When Declan woke up, he saw Kate on the bed beside him. She was sleeping on her side with her back to Declan. Magnus welcomed him back and he asked was wrong with Kate. Helen replied that she was there waiting for him to wake up. He walked over to the other side the bed to wake Kate up. The first thing he saw was her exhausted sleeping face and the next was Kate's belly. Kate's pregnant belly. Helen told him that Kate was pregnant with his baby. Helen, who was often very good at reading people, couldn't quite judge Declan's reaction as he sat down rapidly on the bed opposite to Kate.
"How long have I bloody well been gone for?" Declan said, clearly wanting to shout but equally he didn't want to wake Kate.
"16 weeks in Antarctica we think and then two weeks here in the infirmary" Helen replied calmingly. After thinking for minute he asked, "So, Nathaniel is the UK Head of House now?"
Helen nodded.
"Good. I…I want to stay here with Kate. And the baby. Our baby. Do we know if it's a boy or a girl? Oh God, I'm going to be a dad?! " Declan asked, now smiling as he trying to wrap his head around the flood of information presenting itself to him.
"Yes, you are. I think that Kate would like that, if stayed here. She hasn't really been coping all that well and she really could do with your support. And as for the baby's gender, it's undetermined as of yet, but Kate thinks it could be a girl. And she even has a name picked out, Maia." Magnus said, trying to answer Declan's question as best she could.
"Maia. Beautiful name." Declan smiled at Kate's belly. Magnus would have liked to leave him alone with Kate but something happened in Antarctica and, although the note said that Declan had sustained some head trauma, he could know what happened.
"I'm sorry but have to ask you what happened in Antarctica, do you remember anything?" Helen asked, remembering that a head injury that could cause amnesia.
"No, I remember following foot prints off I what I assumed was the dragon and the ground started to shake. Then everything goes blank"
"Nothing else?"
Declan thought for second, closing his eyes, and then looked uncomfortable. "Well. I sort of remember something but it must be a dream."
"Why do say that?"
Declan hesitated before answering, "Because Ashley was there."
"Ashley? Was she alright?" Magnus asked, full of hope that John truly was telling the truth about Ashley being alive.
"Um…I think she was, although she burn marks down the right side of her face and her right arm, but she hugging a girl who was very much not alright. She was hysterical and Ashley was trying to calm her down. She was badly beaten and bloody and she had a terrible gash in her left knee. We were in some kind of infirmary or operating theatre. The girl kept looking over to me and Ashley kept trying to stop her." Declan answered, eyeing Magnus suspiciously
"What did the girl look like?"
"Blonde hair. Well built but slim. About 16 or so years old. Pointy elf-like ears. One eye was blue and the other was green but around the pupil the iris was like tiger eye. And she had four scars diagonally across her face. But it was a dream"
"I'm not so sure about that.' Magnus replied. She was about to explain why when Kate started to moaning in pain and, still half-asleep, murmured, "Ow, Maia please stop kicking my kidneys. I need them. And I thought that you weren't supposed to kicking like this for another month."
"So, we are going to have a little fighter on our hands?" Declan said, as soon as the last word left his month, he realised how stupid he sounded. He planned to fall back on the defence that he was in shock from waking up and learning that Kate was pregnant with his baby.
Kate was now wide awake and she tried bolt upright but her belly prevented that. Declan caught her as she fell and she kissed him.
Once Helen had finished examining Declan, he and Kate made their back to her room. Declan knew that Kate will be more comfortable talking to him there. Plus he wanted to be alone with her for a while. After all, she was 18 weeks pregnant with his baby, which was a lot of time he had missed. Declan thought that the cot the Big Guy made Kate was very cute and beautiful. Kate told Declan all of what happened while he was missing. That her mum had effectively disowned her.
Kate cried as she told Declan this and Declan cuddled her and tried comfort her. How she loosed it at Henry after telling her Mum about Maia. And how she had to endure Abby's party even through she doesn't like Abby and spend most of the afternoon dreaming up ways to kill her. Declan said that he was sorry he was there to tell Abby to piss off. Kate told him that she had feeling both guilty about wanting to go out of missions and not being able to. Guilty that the others many be in more danger with her to help them. But guilty about possible risking Maia's life. Declan said that he hoped he could removed her feelings of guilt about possible putting the others in danger and eased her guilt about wanting to go on mission.
The baby kept moving while Kate and Declan spoke, Declan said that he had heard that it meant she was happy or excited. Kate said that Maia's kicks made her inside hurt a lot. Declan sang to the baby to see if it might quite her down or put her sleep. It worked, the baby settled down. Kate found herself not tired. Declan said he had to agree with her.
The next morning, Kate woke up to find Declan sitting up beside her with his hand on her belly. Because she was still half asleep and Declan had a strange look on his face, she asked, "Are you waiting for to kick or are you just trying to make sure that the bump is still there?" Declan smiled, "I was waiting for a kick just to conform I am not merely having a very good dream where I can freely live with the woman love and we are expecting a baby girl. I have to confess, I always want to have a little girl." He then lent forward to kiss Kate on the lips before kissing her belly.
He was still wearing the necklace because someone gave it to him and it would be rude to throw it away. Something in the back of Declan's mind told him that he might need that necklace someday.
