Sunset had already began to creep through the blinds as I peaked my head around the bedroom door to check on my ever sleeping wife. Since we'd been creeping towards the eighth month mark I knew if Tamsin wasn't to be found on the sofa complaining about all the reality shows on TV she was in bed napping with Sif tucked up under her arm, however since Sif went to her grandparents on Sunday our daughter had been replaced by the big stuffed teddy bear we bought for the baby's room. 'I can't nap without her little fidgeting ass next to me.' Tamsin had explained when I asked her about the new occupant of our bed.
"Mama's sleeping right now Kitten but when she's awake she'll call you and you can tell her all about your day with Grancacia." I softly explained into the phone as I heard Sif sigh on the other end, I could practically see her rolling her eyes just like Tamsin.
"Wake her up Mommy." she countered, adamant that all the fish she caught with Pappy was more important than a nap. Sif might be Tamsin's mini me but when it came to how fiery and hard headed she was - Sif was no doubt all mine.
"Mama has to sleep because the baby in her tummy makes her tired." I gently added, quickly trying to find another subject matter as I knew I was only seconds away from Sif having a meltdown at not being able to talk to her mama. "You've got a little sister or brother to look out for soon, do you think you'll be tired?" I laughed, listening to her ponder over the phone.
"No Mommy, when my little pop-pop's is here he'll be able to play birds with me too." she giggled, I heard Acacia moving around in the background as I imagined them baking cookies in the kitchen like I used to do with my grandma, however it was more likely that they were getting ready to practice self defense with foam swords - an activity I knew Tamsin wouldn't approve of.
'Can Grancacia speak to Mommy, Little Dude?' I heard Acacia add in the noise of the background. "Mommy, I have to go - will you give my pop-pop a pat?" she asked, keen for me to rub Tamsin's tummy in case the little brother she was praying for was missing her.
"Sure baby, be good for your grandparents - Mama will call you before bedtime okay?" I rushed, suddenly aware of how much I was beginning to miss my little girl before the pain weighed heavy on my heart that we had another three days to bear until she was home.
"Hey Bo, it's me." Acacia announced as I heard the phone passed over. "How's Tamsin doing?" she asked.
"She's doing great, I don't think she's been awake for more than a few hours at a time just lately but hey, a sleeping Valkyrie is a safe Valkyrie." I laughed, glancing back through the bedroom doorway to the blonde hair poking out of the duvet she'd wrapped herself in.
"Valkyries don't sleep much unless their bodies need the juice, probably best to let her snore this one off." she added, as I heard the crashing of metal in the background. "Sif, no! Not Pappy's battle re-enactment gear!" I heard Acacia call away from the receiver. "Bo, I need to go before your daughter destroys my entire house - keep me updated on Blondie, will ya kid?" she quickly finished.
"Sure, make sure Sif practices her reading tonight - Miss Murdoch says she's doing so good with her books." I smiled with pride, glad that my daughter was learning to read in Norwegian and English.
"Sure thing." she replied, I waited for a goodbye or some kind of sign off but instead all I heard was the click of the phone and the dial-tone.
'Speak to you later Bo, can't wait to see you guys Bo, miss you Bo.' I thought aloud, rolling my eyes before I put the phone in the holster on the bedside table and moved to the chair facing Tamsin's side of the bed.
"Hey sleepy-head, do you want some dinner?" I asked gently, pulling the duvet away from her face just enough to see stray hairs sticking to her sweaty, pale forehead. "Tamsin? Are you okay?" I urged, softly shaking her shoulder as she mumbled with exhaustion, I placed my hand across her forehead and the panic knocked me over from nowhere.
'Shit.' I growled, "Tamsin, you're burning up - wake up sweetie." I practically pleaded, shaking her as her eyes suddenly opened wide with fear and a gasp left her lungs as if she'd just woken from the worst nightmare.
"Bo I don't feel so good." she coughed, reaching out to grab my hand as I sat down next to her swaddled shape in the bed and smoothed over her blonde hair.
"It's okay, it's just a fever - I'm going to get you a cold compress and call Lauren okay?" I tried to remain upbeat, hoping she wouldn't pick up on how scared I was.
"Bo you don't understand." she coughed and spluttered, gripping my hand tighter. "Valkyries don't get sick, this isn't the flu." she stammered, her lips trembling as I kissed the white knuckles wrapped around my fingers.
"You're going to be fine, you're safe and sound at home and I am not going to let a damn thing happen to you, okay baby?" I smiled reassuringly, kissing her temple.
She loosened her stiff frame and curled back into the pillow, "Okay." she whispered quietly, bringing her knees to her chest under the duvet. I stood up from the bed to get a compress and call Lauren, but the fear and panic taking over my body made me feel dizzy again.
. . . . . . . .
I rinsed the towel under the cold tap and searched through the freezer to find ice or peas, or anything that was cold enough to break the fiery temperature Tamsin was burning away with.
"Lauren?" I immediately announced over the phone gripped in my palm as I heard someone pick up the receiver.
"Is everything okay? It's a little late…" she sighed, evidently waiting for one of my 'pregnant faux-emergencies' I'd been hounding her with lately.
"She's burning up a fever Lauren, she's been in bed all day and I think she might be really sick." I trailed into a whisper as my body began to tremble at the thought of my wife suffering.
"Just breath for a second..." Lauren tried to calm me as a whimper broke from my chest at the abyss of bad possibilities in front of me. "I know it's a really scary time for you guys, but remember what we said about Fae pregnancy being harder on the body? Remember how ill you felt when you were carrying Sif?" she tried to reason as I tried my hardest to believe her.
"This is different Lauren, Valkyries don't get sick…" I trailed off before she interjected me again.
"Valkyries are a proud race of warriors who see weakness as the biggest taboo." she reasoned again, her voice lulling me back down from my anxiety as I breathed deep breaths and told myself how over-dramatic I was being, before I heard female giggles in the background, the kind of giggles heard when you interrupt something slightly more intimate.
"Lauren, is there someone else there?" I lowered my voice.
"That's none of your concern Bo." the blonde quickly defended herself. "Give her a cold compress, help her take a cool bath, give her plenty of fluids and if the fever hasn't broke in a few hours - call me back, okay?" she cooly added, as I heard the familiar sounds of sloppy kisses which I imagined were being pressed against her throat. "I really have to go Bo, I have er- petri dishes to check on." she broke into a giggle as the phone went dead.
. . . . . .
I puffed the pillows behind Tamsin and helped her sit upright in bed as she hung like dead-weight against my arms, not even enough energy in her warrior body to sit up without help.
"Bo, is it gonna be okay?" she mumbled, her eyes glazed over as I pressed the compress to her forehead and attempted to pull the duvet away from her clutches. "No, it's too cold." she reasoned as she held on to the sheets.
"Tamsin you're burning up, come on." I urged her, trying to wean them out of her grasp until I noticed her teeth chattering.
"Do you want me to get you some soup? Maybe some tea?" I suggested, running my fingertips over the skin of her arm.
"Bo, Valkyries don't get sick - something is wrong with the baby." her eyes brimmed with tears as I wiped them away and crawled onto the mattress beside her, rubbing circles over the giant bump in the centre of her body as I hushed away any tears.
"Don't say that Tam." I reassured her, "Lauren says we need to try and break your fever, and if that doesn't work I'm taking you to the hospital - okay?" I reasoned with her, keeping the cool facade I knew she needed so desperately to see.
"Okay." she nodded, biting back her tears.
"Want to take a bath with me? See if we can get you cooled down?" I playfully added, so desperate to not let her see me crack.
"I think that would make me feel better." she broke into a half smile, wiping away the tears in the corners of her eyes.
. . . . . .
"It's okay, lean on my shoulders." I urged as I tried to shimmy Tamsin out of the yoga pants clinging to her legs, her arms draped around my neck as I gently let my hands cradle the curve of her stomach between taking each item of clothing off.
"I feel so pathetic." she tried to laugh, breaking into a cough as the sheen of sweat over her body didn't fade, I felt her arms tighten around my neck as she attempted to take a step closer towards me before her legs buckled underneath her, leaving me to hold her upright as she panted on my shoulder and winced from the the pain.
"It's okay." I reassured her, holding her up before I felt a sob break from her chest whilst her face pressing into my neck.
"I never get sick." she whispered as I gritted my teeth at the thought of Lauren leaving my wife like this.
"We're going to get you in the bath, and then I'm going to wring Lauren's fucking neck - okay?" I explained, kissing her softly as her lips parted to grant me entrance, before I picked her up wedding style.
"Oh god, this is a new low even for me." she tried to protest as I carried her through the corridor and towards the bathroom.
"If you have any other ideas I'd be glad to hear them?" I joked as I stepped over the threshold of the bathroom, closer to the cool pool of water, gently lowering her in until a sigh of relief reached my ears from the cool water lapping against her hot skin.
"If you ever tell anyone that just happened, I'll kick your ass." she joked as her head flopped back against the bath pillow.
"Sure thing Valkulips, I just need to grab some towels okay?" I excused myself as I stalked back into the bedroom towards the phone.
. . . . . . . .
'You're through to the answer phone of Dr Lauren Lewis, please leave your name, number and a brief message and I will get back to you at my earliest convenience. Thank you.'
"Bo Dennis - 666, Tamsin is burning up and she's really sick - you better get your boney ass over here before I have to hunt you down, and believe me Lauren, I will." I growled into the receiver before slamming it back down. I gave myself a moment to gather myself before grabbing the fluffy towels from the bed, I heard heeled footsteps race up the stairs, knowing exactly who the high heels belonged to before their owner so much as opened their mouth to announce themselves.
"Bo, I just got your text - what the Fae happened?" Kenzi tried to catch her breath as I handed her my cell phone.
"Tamsin is really sick Kenz, I need you to get Dyson over here and pack a hospital bag, I'm taking T in if her fever doesn't break soon." I explained through hushed-tone panic, aware that Tamsin was probably eavesdropping with her astute hearing.
"Dude are you crazy? It's a snow storm outside! I'm not sure how I even made it here without crashing." Kenzi added with a whisper.
"We'll figure something out, just get Dyson here." I reaffirmed, pulling her in for a hug that was more for my benefit than hers. "Thanks for getting her Kenz, I knew I could count on you." I quietly admitted as her arms held me equally tight.
"I'll always have your back, I'll worry about Dyson you just take care of T, now you go get her tiger!" she added, loosening her grip.
. . . . . . .
"What do you mean Kenzi and Dyson are here?" Tamsin growled through half opened eyes as I climbed into the tub behind her, rubbing her shoulders as I noted how hot and sticky she still was.
"I needed the extra man power, there is a storm outside and if I need to suddenly rush you to the hospital I'd sooner have a werewolf convoy protecting you and pop-pop's." I whispered against the skin of her neck as she leaned back into my chest.
I rinsed the cloth in my hand and pressed it against her warm body, relishing the gentle sigh that left her lips from the contact of the cool cloth, until the loud knock on the door interrupted our reverie.
"What a great idea inviting everyone over." Tamsin growled, shooting me a death glare as I rolled my eyes.
"Come in." I shouted, covering Tamsin's chest and pulling her tighter against me.
"Woah!" Kenzi boomed as she strolled in and caught us in the clinch, quickly averting her eyes. "Mama Valkyrie is on the phone and she is pissed." she explained, holding out the phone towards us as I bit my tongue.
"Shit." I quietly sighed as I shifted out of the bath and wrapped a towel around myself, taking the phone from Kenzi.
"Let me speak to Acacia, I'll calm her down." Tamsin feverishly offered as I hushed her with a kiss.
"The only thing you'll do is send your mom into overdrive and then we'll have Kenzi, Dyson, Trick AND your mother, father and Sif downstairs." I explained as she pondered for a moment, before quickly nodding her head in signal that I should take care of this one.
"You invited us over remember." Kenzi quietly huffed as I lifted the phone to my ear.
"Acacia! Is everything okay?" I announced, eager to try and maintain my calm facade.
"I could ask you the same question Succubus."
"What do you mean? Everything is fine?" I quickly retorted.
"It's 7.45pm - you said Tamsin would call before Sif's bedtime, Tamsin never misses Sif's bedtime." she growled, already aware that something was indeed wrong.
"Tamsin's burning a little bit of a fever, she's in the bath right now but as soon as we've figured out what to do - I'll make sure you're the first Fae who knows." I offered, waiting for her to go beserk that I didn't call sooner.
But it didn't come, instead her voice changed into one that I'd never heard her use before - it was unsure and quiet, until it occurred to me that Acacia was scared. "Bo, Valkyrie's don't get sick - call Lauren right now." she almost pleaded.
"I called Lauren, Lauren said we have to try and break her fever and if that doesn't work call her back later." I repeated what the blonde doctor had told me, they could well be the very last words she ever has the chance to speak to me after I get my hands on her.
"No, no, no." Acacia repeated, her voice lowering slightly. "Valkyrie's do not get sick, I'm coming over right now." she announced as I heard her move through the kitchen looking for her truck keys.
"Bo, give me the phone." Tamsin sighed as I finally relented and passed her over.
. . . . .
"Mama, it's me. I'm okay, I promise." I tried my hardest to sound normal as I spoke into the phone, aware that my cracking voice and stuffy nose probably gave me away.
"Bullshit Tamsin!" Acacia shouted loud enough for Bo and Kenzi to hear, her abrupt shout causing them to jump as I barely flinched.
"Okay, you got me - I'm burning a fever, I feel as if I'm about to throw up everything I've ever ate, I can barely move, every fiber of my being aches right now and to top it off, you're threatening to come over - how the hell is that supposed to make me feel better?" I growled down the phone, speaking with the kind of language only me and my mother could appreciate whilst Bo pressed a cold flannel to the back of my neck.
"Valkyries do not get sick Tamsin!" I heard Acacia begin to panic, before I heard cupboard doors slamming in the background.
"I know Mama - but remember when Bo was pregnant? How she got some of my power and strength from the bond? Maybe this is like that, except instead of her succublasting powers - I got her cooties instead." I tried to joke but no one laughed, including Kenzi or Bo.
"Fine! You're not going to let me come over? I'm calling Trick instead." Acacia threatened me as I rolled my eyes and mouthed to Bo not to let her grandpa in.
"Trick is a very short man, good luck if he can reach the knocker on the front door." I fired back as Acacia finally let out a brief laugh.
"You know he'll crawl through the catflap if it means keeping you safe." she acquiesced.
"I know Mama, it's going to be okay I promise - tell Sif how much I love her and that I'll call her first thing tomorrow. I need to go, I've got a pilates class I'm late for." I joked, knowing I was pushing it with how much dry humour Acacia could take in one night.
"I love you but I'm still calling Trick." she finished, hanging up the phone before I could protest.
"Shit." I announced, handing Bo the phone back.
. . . . . . .
"You better call your grandpa right now and tell him not to come over." Tamsin growled at me as Kenzi watched on quietly from the toilet seat.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I screwed my face in uncertainty.
"I managed to talk Acacia down, but she's calling Trick - I don't want everyone here Bo, fix it." she pleaded, her big green eyes softening as I leaned over to kiss her.
"I'll take care of it when he calls, Trick won't come in the snowstorm unless it's life or death." I offered. "I'm going to get you some more ice and if your fever hasn't broke - we're going to the hospital." I explained, pushing the sticky blonde hair away from her forehead.
"Great, does that mean I can tear Lauren's face off myself?" she growled as I rubbed her tummy, settling her down.
"Well, if you were to put the Valkyrie on her when I leave the room to call your mom - I think that would be more diplomatic," I smirked "do you want Kenzi to pick out some fresh clothes?" I offered.
"What to wear Tam-Tam, yoga pants or more yoga pants?" Kenzi joked.
"Have you seen how great her ass looks in yoga pants?" I quickly interrupted to stick up for her, much to Tamsin's amusement as a smirk broke out on her pale lips.
. . . . . .
"I'm not going back to bed, I want to be downstairs - at least then I don't have to worry about Woof Woof here peeing inside the house." Tamsin joked between painful coughs as I helped her climb into fresh clothes.
"Wow, your humour knows no bounds does it?" Dyson shot back as he stood at the door frame, his eyes fixed firmly to the floor whilst Tamsin's weight rested across my shoulders, helping to keep her upright. "The snowstorm should pass soon, the storm must have taken some of the phone lines down - I can't get through to The Dal." Dyson continued to explain as Tamsin's legs wobbled underneath her weight, forcing her to grab ahold of the sink as she breathed in a gasp for breath.
Until a pair of burly arms shot out to help keep her standing. "You okay partner?" Dyson added as Tamsin winced a little.
"I'm great, I'm thinking about doing some fucking bikram yoga now that you mention it." Tamsin sniffed, until her face practically turned a shade of green and the rumble in her gut rang out through the bathroom. "I don- I don't feel so great." Tamsin stuttered before her body lunged over the toilet bowl and retches filled the air.
"Dyson, go to the Dal right now and get Trick. Tell Kenzi to keep calling Lauren until she answers, something is definitely wrong." I finally admitted, gently stroking Tamsin's back as the Wolf in front of me nodded his head and practically flew downstairs.
"Will the baby be okay?" Tamsin whispered to me, her eyes laced with the kind of fear I'd only ever seen once before. 'I am never going back to that place again.' I thought to myself as I kneeled over Tamsin's frame and helped her stand up.
"The baby is going to be fine and so are you, Valkucooties." I tried to lighten the mood, pulling her arm over my shoulders as I resorted to carrying her again.
"I'm not an invalid you know." she quietly muttered as I carried her downstairs.
"I know, I just really like taking care of you." I confessed, cradling her gently as each step down the stairs made her face turn a deeper shade of pale as it dawned on me she was going to throw up again.
. . . . . . . . .
'You're through to the answer phone of Dr Lauren Lewis, please leave your name, number and a brief message and I will get back to you at my earliest convenience. Thank you.'
"Lauren, I swear to god - you better be dead or in a coma right now, she's getting worse and if anything happens to her or the baby, I will fucking kill you, slowly and painfu-" before I could finish illustrating how angry I was Kenzi snatched the phone from my hand and ended the call, throwing it on the kitchen counter as she grabbed my arms and stared into my eyes, making sure Dark Bo wasn't about to come to the surface.
"Bo, I know you're upset - but Tamsin needs you - let me handle Lauren, Dyson should be back soon with Trick." she reassured me, pulling me into a hug as I let my head rest on her shoulder for a lingering moment, praying that I'd wake up from this nightmare.
"If something happens to the baby, she'll never come back Kenzi - I'll lose her forever." I tried to stifle a sob as I remembered waiting and waiting last time for the Tamsin I knew to come back from the depths her grief held her in.
"Don't talk like that, she's going to be fine and so is pop-pop's, I think the colour is coming back into her cheeks so maybe we're out of the worst of it?" Kenzi tried to calm me as I nodded along, praying she was right.
. . . . . . . .
"Hey you, how are you feeling?" I offered, sitting on the sofa where she laid curled up with the blanket over her, her hands gently guarding the bump of her stomach.
"I feel fine." she lied, forcing a smile on her face as if she was trying to fool me.
"We've been married for five years, I know when you're lying Tamsin…" I furrowed my brow, lying beside her frame as her big green orbs stared back at mine.
"I'm just scared." she sighed, her eyes watering as I pulled her in close.
"It's going to be okay, I promise - do you want lay down in bed for a while?" I offered as she used my shoulders to pull herself up, before I knelt down and planted a kiss on the side of her stomach.
"Pop-pop, stop making Mama sick okay?" I whispered, grazing the skin with my fingertips as a familiar smirk crept up her face.
"Oh, it's nothing Dyson hasn't made Mama feel before." she shot back.
"Dyson was right, your sense of humour really does know no bounds." I smiled, leaning up to kiss her forehead as I put a cold compress back on her neck.
"Still got it, never lost it." she smirked, before a cough broke free from her chest.
I lifted her arm over my shoulder as we took gentle and small steps towards the stairs, before she stopped - short of breath.
"T- are you okay?" I asked, rubbing the small of her back.
"Pop-pop's is kicking like crazy tonight, I feel like I've got a cirque de soleil performer in my uterus." she winced as I pressed my hand gently to her bump.
"Sorry, am I hurting you?" I cautiously asked as I whipped my hand away.
"No, it just feels like my stomach is a pressure cooker right now." she explained, before we could walk closer towards the stairs the entire house was plunged into pitch black darkness.
"Kenz!" I shouted, tightening my grip around Tamsin's waist as we stood in the dark, waiting for our eyes to adjust.
"Snowstorm knocked the power out!" the smaller girl shouted back to me through the kitchen. "Where is your generator? Handy-woman Kenz will have this fixed in no time." she joked as I heard her open and close draws in the kitchen looking for a flashlight.
"Flashlights are in the cupboard under the sink, I forgot to put diesel in the generator - we'll have to use candles." I admitted, feeling Tamsin's jaw clench against my skin.
"You what?" she wrinkled her nose.
"Would now be a good time for 'sorry'?" I asked guiltily.
"Remind me never to send my wife to do my bidding." she complained. "Do we even have enough C-ah." she whimpered, the gasp from her lungs finishing her sentence as I felt her body double over.
"T-Tamsin? What's happening? Talk to me." I coaxed her, my arm holding her body up tightly around her waist as I screamed for Kenzi.
"Bo…" she whimpered, as I listened closely enough to hear a dribble of water hitting the wood.
"Please tell me you just wet yourself." I gasped, the air leaving my lungs as I suddenly forgot how to breathe.
Before I remembered how to use words again, strobes of light reached us from the kitchen as Kenzi ran with flashlights and tealight candles, lighting them and dotting them across the dining room table and surfaces, until the brightness from her torch revealed the situation - literally.
"Bo… please tell me that Tamsin peed herself?" she quietly asked, shining the torch to the puddle between the blonde's legs as I felt my wife tremble, words failing to leave her lips which were trying so desperately to form a sentence.
Until the words struck me down and made my blood run cold, the ones I had prayed not to hear.
"No Bo, this can't be happening… Pop-pop's is too little, we still have a month to go." she pleaded, her arms clinging to my neck as I threw caution to the wind and picked her up - placing her down gently on the sofa whilst Kenzi stood in shock.
"W-what do we do Bo? What should I do?" Tamsin asked, her big green eyes meeting mine through the dull light the burning candles provided.
"You're going to sit tight, I'm going to get you your bag and then we're going to the hospital." I promised, kissing her knuckles as I stumbled over my own words.
"Bo you stay here with Tamsin, I'll go get her bag ready." Kenzi offered, heading upstairs as I searched for my phone to call Lauren.
"Bo we need to take Tamsin to the hospital right now, the fever and the sickness? We looked it up - she's going into labour..." Dyson hurriedly explained as him and Trick burst through the front door, carrying old books with them.
"Oh gee, if only you had told us that -I don't know- maybe five minutes ago!" Tamsin shouted from her curled up position on the sofa before her voice betrayed her, wavering until her eyes met mine and we shared a silent moment. "Bo I'm really scared." she quietly sobbed as the two men busied themselves with helping Kenzi get everything together, giving us some privacy.
"It's going to be okay, I promise - everything is going to be fine. I won't lose you again." I assured her, sitting on the edge of the sofa as my fingertips grazed the large bump, feeling the baby inside kick. "I love you, you've always protected me - now it's time for me to protect you." I promised, kissing the curve of her stomach.
"I don't think I can do this Bo, I can't come back from the hospital without a baby again." she bit back a sob that threatened to rack her body as her lungs hyperventilated for a breath her body wouldn't accept.
"I've got you, I'll always have you." I reassured her, gently stroking the skin of her cheek as my chi melded with hers, mellowing the fear and panic until her eyes grew thick and heavy.
"What do you need me to do?" Dyson spoke up as I held Tamsin's hand, keeping my eyes focused on her as my chi kept her in a calm trance.
"I need you to carry her to the car and promise me you won't let a damn thing happen to her." I warned, shifting my eyes to stare at him as he nodded and stepped closer.
"Tamsin is family too, I'll never let anything happen to any of you." he promised, leaning down to take a look at her as she opened her eyes - the green orbs focusing on him slightly as my chi kept her a little disorientated. "Hey Tam, you ready to go partner?" he asked gently, his burly arms lifting her off the sofa as my chi left a cloud of hazy lust over her.
"You're really cute." she slurred, squinting her eyes as she touched his beard.
"Thanks, you're pretty handsome yourself." he joked back, walking towards the car.
"Guys, I'm right here." I growled at Dyson, knowing I wasn't really in a position to be jealous or angry right now.
. . . . . . . . .
"Where is Dr Lewis? I don't give a good god damn if the Ash himself sent you - I want to see Lauren." I growled towards the nurse, standing from my chair as Tamsin lay delirious in bed from another contraction.
"Dr Lewis is coming right away, she was held up due to the snowstorm." the nurse excused my ex, handing me yet more forms to sign before she stepped closer towards my wife. "Tamsin, can you give me an idea of how bad the pain is right now on a scale of one to ten?" the petite woman asked my wife.
"A solid three." Tamsin gritted her teeth, her eyes screwed shut as she breathed through her nose.
"Which means it's a twelve." Kenzi piped up. "If she say's she's in pain - times it by four and that's how much pain she's really in."
"Tamsin I can't give you any pain relief until Dr Lewis gets here-" before the nurse could finish her sentence, Tamsin grabbed her by the lapel and pulled her close - her face contorting into it's natural appearance as her eyes grew shallow and her cheekbones more prominent.
"That's not a good idea, your orders were to get me the strongest painkiller in your arsenal." Tamsin growled, releasing the younger woman as she stumbled out of the room disorientated.
"I thought it was only a 'solid three'?" I asked, kissing her temple.
"You should know by now that my daughter can be a terrible liar sometimes." Acacia spoke up as she entered through the door, placing down a weekend bag as she stared at us with intent. "What happened to you being okay?" she growled.
"Acacia now isn't the time for family arguments." Trick interjected, pulling an empty seat out as he gestured for Acacia to join them.
"Why is everyone here? Don't you people have better things to do?" Acacia addressed the room.
"They're here incase Dark Bo turns on Lauren." I peeped up, aware that it was a definite possibility given how angry and protective I am over Tamsin.
"If what Trick has told me is true, which I'm in no doubt it is - Lauren just fucked with the wrong Grancacia." Acacia growled, taking her seat next to Trick before pulling out a flick knife to sharpen.
"You can't kill her Mom." Tamsin spoke up, gritting her teeth as another contraction hit.
"Oh really? Can't I? What would you do if this was you and Sif?" Acacia fired back.
"Point taken." Tamsin conceded.
. . . . . . . .
"I am so, so sorry." the voice announced as Lauren cautiously entered the room, all of our eyes burning into her before a flick knife flew millimetres away from her face and landed in the cork board adjacent to her figure.
"Take that as a warning, I don't miss twice." Acacia coldly answered, whilst Lauren's cheeks burned red.
"Bo, I'm so sorry - I had no idea-" she tried to apologise before the rage began to pour out of me, my eyes turned blue and my feet took steps closer towards her without my consent as I shook with anger.
"You're sorry? Our baby is coming early and it's your fault - so how about instead of apologies, you promise that everything is going to be okay?" I growled, tilting my head as I analysed each pulse beneath her skin.
"You know it would be unethical for me to do that..." she stuttered, handing me more papers to sign.
"Unethical like leaving my pregnant wife without medical attention whilst she was delirious and burning a fever, so you could fuck your new piece?" I snarled, lunging for her as I felt Dark Bo start to come to the surface - until Dyson's burly arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me back, pressing me against the wall.
"Bo - if you attack her, they will throw us all out and Tamsin will be stuck in the Dark Fae medical centre and no one will be allowed to go with her except Acacia - don't do this to her." he pleaded. "We can worry about it tomorrow, let's just take care of Tamsin tonight - okay?" he offered as I slowly nodded my head.
"Well now Bo has gotten that out of her system, you're all going to have to wait in the waiting room - it's strictly immediate family." Lauren explained, lowering her eyes to the floor as Acacia, Trick, Kenzi and Dyson made an exit.
"Now that all of this has been dealt with, let's see how far you're dilated." Lauren huffed, sitting on the stool at the bottom of the bed whilst Tamsin spread her legs without an ounce of shame.
"I don't normally do this on a first date Dr Lewis." she joked with famous dry wit as I wiped the sheen of sweat from her brow. "But don't for a second think this has been 'dealt' with."
. . . . . . . .
"Tamsin, a few more pushes and you'll be there - you're so close!" Lauren shouted from the bottom of the table as the valkyrie squeezed my hand hard enough to pop a few knuckles out of place.
"Still a solid three babe?" I enquired, curious to see if she'd admit to the pain as she desperately stifled the screams that came with each push.
"Next time, it's your turn." she grunted, before a wave of pain crashed over her - the green orbs staring at me quickly screwing shut as she bit her lip.
"Tamsin I love you so much." I whispered next to her ear, squeezing her hand as the newest edition to our family was nearly ready to enter the world. "I can't wait to see you be a new mama again." I smiled, pushing the hair out of her face as I pushed some chi into her to alleviate the bone crushing pain I knew she was playing down.
"Tamsin I can see the head - you're almost there." Lauren called up again as I squeezed my wife's hand.
"Bo, I'm scared - she's too little, she's not ready." her voice cracked.
"I know it's scary, but I am here and over my dead body is anything happening to either of you." I promised, grazing my thumb over her cheek.
"Okay." she quietly nodded, before her face screwed shut again - blocking out the pain as another contraction ripped through her body, before a blood curdling scream like I've never heard before left her lungs - causing me to nearly jump out of the chair as my blood ran cold.
"One more push!" Lauren called again as the monitors attached to Tamsin grew crazy.
"You can do this T, one more push and we get our baby." I tearily smiled, kissing her knuckles as another pained scream left her lungs, turning my legs to jelly.
Until a new scream joined the noise of the room, the tiny pinched wail of our newborn.
"You did it!" I sobbed, practically throwing myself forward to kiss her as she breathed relieved sighs.
"Congratulations Mommies, she's a bouncing baby girl!" Lauren grinned, placing the tiny little pink baby on Tamsin's chest as my sight blurred from all the tears.
"She's so little." Tamsin cried, rocking the baby in her arms as I leaned over to take a closer look, noting the dark brown hair that fell over her head and the tiny little fingernails reaching out as she furiously cried. "Hi baby, you had us scared there for a while." Tamsin laughed, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Do you think Sif is going to be mad that Pop-pop's is a girl?" I joked, pulling Tamsin closer towards my body as I lay on the bed at her side.
"I think Sif is going to fall in love with her the minute they meet." Tamsin smiled, rocking the baby who now sat quietly content on her chest.
A few minutes had passed before Lauren had entered the room again with the incubator she was pushing. "Just a precaution to make sure Baby Dennis is nice and warm for the night." Lauren reassured us, immediately reading Tamsin's look of concern.
"How are you feeling now T?" I asked, noticing the fever still hadn't broke.
"It doesn't matter right now, we have this little Pop-pop to worry about." she smiled, tilting her face to gently cough as my brow furrowed with concern, noticing how exhausted and lazy her eyes were growing as they began to roll in the back of her head.
"Lauren, something's wrong." I stuttered, watching in slow motion as Tamsin's facial muscles grew slack and her head flopped to the side. "Tamsin, wake up!" I shouted, shoving her shoulder with enough force to wake up to dead as Lauren lifted the baby off of her chest and placed her in the incubator, pulling paper from one of the machine's as her face grew in concern.
"Page a code blue." Lauren ordered the nurse who peaked her head in the door.
"Lauren what is happening?" I cried, cradling Tamsin's slack head in my arms before I pulled away the blanket from her body. The colour drained from my face as I stared at the white sheet beneath her, suddenly tinted with an unmistakable pool of red between her thighs. "No, no, no." I sobbed, shaking Tamsin harder as Dyson entered the room at a running pace. "Don't die, please don't die - our baby doesn't even have a name yet Tamsin!" I begged and pleaded, suddenly noticing how pale her skin was, the lack of expression on her face breaking my heart even more.
"Dyson she needs to go." Lauren ordered the wolf at the door as she snapped on her gloves and doctors piled into the room - I refused to release my hold on Tamsin, pushing chi into her lips that her body wouldn't accept.
"You did this Lauren! You promised me she'd be okay!" I screamed through a gut wrenching sob as Dyson picked me up off the bed, holding me to his chest as he carried me out of the room. "Save her!" I screamed, begging Lauren and every far away god, in every far away world to allow my newborn daughter to know her wonderful, strong and kind mother, to hear every bedtime story crafted from the legends of previous lives in distant, long past times her mother's soul had wandered through. To know the woman who lived a thousand lives and died a thousand deaths just so she could raise her beloved daughters.
"It's going to be okay, it'll be okay." Dyson whispered to my temple as gut wrenching sobs left my chest.
And then a pair of eyes landed on my own, a pair of eyes that knew what was wrong as the tragic ending of the most beautiful story ever told passed between us on the flutter of an eyelid.
"No, no- not Tamsin." Acacia begged, her hard and war weathered eyes softening as she fell back into her chair. "I can't lose them both, it's not right." she whispered quietly, her heart fracturing into a million pieces as everyone else in the room suddenly became aware of the situation.
. . . . . . . . . .
"Mommy where's Mama?" Sif asked as Acacia held her hand through the waiting room, tiredly rubbing her eyes as Dyson held me close to his chest whilst I fought back a sob.
"Mama is in bed sleeping." I smiled, kissing her forehead as I pulled her close to my chest.
"Mama is always sleeping, can we go wake her up now?" she asked with big green eyes that belonged to her mother.
"We need to go and say goodnight to Mama baby." I gently weeped, as Kenzi left the room in a flood of tears. Unable to keep it together.
"Why do we need to say goodnight Mommy?" Sif asked with perplexion, looking towards her grandma for reassurance.
"...because sometimes when grown ups go to sleep, they don't wake up again." Acacia gently explained, stepping closer towards us - ready to swoop in as I tried my hardest not to crack.
"No Grancacia!" Sif growled, wrinkling her nose just like Tamsin. "I didn't get to tell Mama about the fish I caught! Mommy said I could tell Mama about the fish I caught!" she repeated adamantly until I finally broke and a floodgate of tears opened.
"You have a new baby sister, do you want to meet her?" Acacia quickly jumped in, trying her hardest to distract Sif from the grief around her as she desperately tried to hide that she was mourning the second loss of a child too.
"I don't want a little sister! I want my Mama!" she screamed, stomping her feet as I pulled her in for a hug.
"I want Mama too baby, and even though she can't tell us how much she loves us back - she can hear us, so we're going to tell Mama about all the fish you caught and then we can say goodnight." I nodded, trying to placate our four year old as her own eyes watered. "I think Mama would like that? Don't you?" I encouraged her.
"Can I see Pop-pop's first?" Sif asked with uncertainty as I nodded my head, unable to form sentences. Acacia picked her up and put her on her hip.
"I don't want to say goodnight to Mama either, but she's been awake for a very, very long time." Acacia tried to gently explain.
"But you've been awake longer Grancacia, you're Mama's Mama." Sif reasoned as I watched Acacia's heart splinter into a thousand pieces all over again.
"I know baby." she tearily smiled. "Sometimes things don't make sense, and they hurt and make us sad but it's no one's fault. Okay?" Acacia nodded as she carried her towards Pop-pop's room.
"Trick…" I whispered as my grandfather looked at me with sad eyes that told me he already knew what I was going to ask. "the Valkyrie life cycles... could she be reborn?" I asked, hope filled in my eyes.
"Valkyrie's are only reborn when they die a proud death, Tamsin's body was weakened by the pregnancy and her organs just gave up Bo… the only thing keeping her alive are the machines, when they're turned off - she'll move onto the next plane." Trick's lip trembled as a rogue tear fell from his eye.
"You're the Blood King!" I shouted before Dyson looked around to make sure no one else heard it. "You can change this." I lowered my voice. "I'm asking you as the grandfather to Tamsin's children to save her, write it into blood law." I glared, knowing what his answer would be.
"Isabeau, you know if I could save her I would have done it by now - if I spill my blood, the repercussions will be bigger than anything we can imagine." he frowned.
"I don't care! Save her!" I sobbed, leaning over to try to gasp in a breath my lungs wouldn't accept.
"Guys, we're ready for you." Lauren motioned for us to enter Tamsin's room, her eyes and cheeks stained red as it became obviously apparent she'd been sobbing too.
"I will never, ever forgive you for this." I spat, stalking past her towards Tamsin's pale figure.
. . . . . . . . .
"Mama, wake up." Sif whispered, nudging her cheek as Tamsin didn't budge. "Please Mama." she whispered again, before nestling up on her chest as Tamsin laid still, the only sound coming from the machines.
"I- I'm sorry, I can't do this." Acacia finally broke down, wiping tears away for possibly the first time in her life as we watched Tamsin's pale body lay lifeless whilst Sif sat guarding her.
"We love you so, so much Tamsin." I whispered, stroking her blonde hair as the feverish forehead had turned cold and clammy, I gently placed the sleeping baby on her chest next to Sif as our girls snuggled up to their mama.
"Sif tell Mama what you did at Grancacia's house?" I urged her.
"We went fishing Mama, and Pappy said I could use your fishing pole and we caught lots of fish and one of them was rainbow coloured and I drew a picture of it for you." she grinned as I silently begged Tamsin to wake up, to take a gasp of air, to find a way to come back to us - but the room stayed eerily silent except for the quiet tick of the machine.
"Mama if you don't wake up, I'll have no-one to play birdies with." Sif trailed off into a whisper, nudging Tamsin's face with her own as she revealed her valkyrie in front of company for the first time.
"Mommy, when will she wake up?" Sif turned to me with watering eyes as I whispered a barely audible 'She won't.'
"...Did I ever tell you the story about when me and your mama met?" Dyson quietly interjected, catching Sif's attention as she nestled back into Tamsin's limp side and focused her gaze on the dark haired man facing her.
"No, what happened Uncle Dyson?" she inquisitively enquired.
"Your mama beat me up!" he laughed, causing her to giggle too as I smiled at the memory. "Your mama was the best police officer I ever met, she kicked all the bad guys butts." he smiled kindly, squeezing Tamsin's hand.
"When Mommy and Mama got married, Mama was late because she was fighting a dragon…" I explained, laughing as I remembered her bursting into the hall's of Valhalla five minutes late with a split lip after arresting a Dark shifter.
"Did she win Mama?" Sif giggled.
"Your mama always won." Acacia joined in, a teary smile decorating her face.
"When Mama was little just like you, she beat up all of the boys." Acacia explained, "and a long, long time ago, your pappy and I got a call from the school and Mama had been suspended for a week because she beat up three of the teachers!" Acacia laughed, wiping a rogue tear from her eye.
"Why did she do that Grancacia?" Sif asked puzzled.
"...Because she was sticking up for her little sister." Acacia added, pausing as the memory ate away at what was left of her cold demeanor as rays of humanity shone from her like sunbeams and she broke into a whimper.
"I'm going to protect Pop-pop's just like Mama protected her sister." Sif nodded, leaning over to kiss the sleeping baby nuzzled into Tamsin's chest on the head.
"It's time Bo." Lauren whispered from the door.
"Just give us a little more time, just five more minutes." I begged, tears beginning to spring from my eyes as Trick pulled me into his chest.
"We have to say goodnight." Trick quietly challenged, aware that I'd stay here forever if given the choice.
"Acacia, wake her up." I commanded, focusing on her as her eyes shot back up at me incredulously.
"Do you really think that's appropriate?" she almost shouted, only taming her voice for Sif's benefit.
"It's what Tamsin would want, she'd want to be able to say goodbye to her children." I dug my heels in.
"You have no idea what you're asking me to do!" Acacia fired back. "Every neuron in her brain will burn, do you really want Sif's last memories of her mother be her screaming in agony?" Acacia lowered her voice.
"Just wake her up long enough for her to say goodbye, that's all I'm asking." I pleaded. "She never got to name her daughter, let her say goodbye Acacia - you know it's what she would of wanted."
"I would never be able to forgive myself Bo, every fibre of her being would shrivel in agony until every last iota of who and what Tamsin was burns away." she quietly explained, her face turning into a softer expression as she began to consider it.
"Acacia, your grandchildren will never forgive you if you don't." I countered.
Acacia nodded her head and conceded, stepping closer towards her daughter as she tilted her head - her face changing into it's natural valkyrie appearance as her gaze awoke something in Tamsin, first a twitch of the hand and then the flutter of an eyelid.
"Mama! You're awake!" Sif bounced with joy, peppering Tamsin's face with kisses as tears dripped down from mine.
"I don't have long do I?" Tamsin winced, staring at her mother.
"I will keep you awake for as long as I can Tam." Acacia nodded, leaning down to kiss her daughter on the head.
"Hey little bug." Tamsin tearily smiled, pulling Sif into a tight embrace with one arm as she cradled our baby with the other. "Hello you." she smiled adoringly down to the tiny sleeping newborn in the crook of her arm. "I am so, so sorry." she whimpered, her gaze flickering towards me as I pressed the deepest kiss against her lips.
"Tamsin I can't live without you." I sobbed.
"Bo, we have children together - a little piece of me is always in them." she tried to placate me, before the first wave of agony took over her mind and she screamed in pain - waking the baby on her chest as Dyson gently plucked her away and rocked her in the corner.
"Why is Mama crying?" Sif started to whimper, nestling into Tamsin's shoulder. "It'll be okay Mama, you're awake now." Sif justified, kissing Tamsin's cheek.
"Mama has to go back to sleep, but I couldn't say goodnight without saying I love you first." she tearily smiled. "Sif, I-" before the words left her lips another gut wrenching cry wracked her body, her head slamming against the pillow as the veins in her neck strained against the skin.
"Make it stop!" Sif whimpered, her little arms wrapping around Tamsin as if she could absorb all the pain in the world - and for a split second, she did.
"Don't." Tamsin stared at Acacia as her mother prepared to let her slip away, silently begging for more time - even if it did come at the cost of her own agony.
"Sif I love you so much, it's time to say goodnight." Tamsin whispered, pulling her in for a hug as the green orbs drifted up to me. "Will you still love me in the morning?" Tamsin tearily asked me, echoing the words that precluded her proposal.
"Every morning until the sun doesn't rise again." I replied, echoing my reply as her hand reached out to mine - but before her skin could graze against my own, her body contorted into an unnatural shape. "Give me more time." she growled, gritting her teeth as her eyes remained clenched.
'Mother you have failed, but where you have failed I shall succeed." a Dark voice boomed throughout the room as Sif sat upright, facing us all with her valkyrie face in full glory - except something was different, where sullen dark shades across her eyes should be - a brilliant shade of light blue shone out.
"I am born from wings that grace blessed air and the blood of unstoppable kings, I and I alone shall choose who lives and dies." she announced as we all stared in shock and awe, before she began to pull the life essence from every person in the room, stripping us all of our fire, the chi converged into one shining beam as she breathed it in, before leaning over Tamsin and forcing the chi into her body, a golden aura thickly coating Tamsin's skin as the machine's attached to her chest started to pick back up wildly.
"I love you too Mama." Sif quietly whispered, before passing out on Tamsin's chest.
"Bo! Do something!" Tamsin panicked as I sat dumbfounded at what just happened - slightly delirious from the all chi I lost, Tamsin rocked our daughter in her arms as she lay limp like her mother did moments before. "Give her the chi back! Save her!" Tamsin shouted, smoothing Sif's long blonde locks down her head. "It's okay baby, Mama's got you now." she whispered, holding Sif close to her chest before Lauren's stethoscope snaked its way over Sif's tiny body as adrenalin finally took over and I tried to push a stream of chi into her tiny lungs that her body just wouldn't accept.
"Don't worry, she's just fainted." Lauren explained. "Whatever it was that just came to the surface, it knocked it out of her - that's all, she just needs to sleep it off." Lauren assured us, before her stethoscope turned on Tamsin - listening for a heartbeat that was now healthy.
"I have never seen anything like this before." Lauren stared dumbfounded.
"You had us scared there for minute…" Dyson smiled, pulling Tamsin in for a hug.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again." Acacia laughed, joining the hug before Tamsin laid back down with Sif curled up on her chest.
"Mom have you been crying?" Tamsin asked inquisitively, noting the redness of Acacia's cheeks and eyes.
"Oh this? No." Acacia brushed off. "I tried this new AVON tester cream in the waiting room - I must of had an allergic reaction." she deadpanned, sniffing away any remnants of emotion.
"I love you so much." I whispered, pressing my forehead against Tamsin's as Sif snored away blissfully unaware pressed to Tamsin's side.
"I love you too." she smiled, leaning her face in for a kiss. "...but next time, you're carrying the baby." she laughed, noting the lack of laughter at her joke. "Too soon?" she surveyed the room.
"Speaking of babies, there's someone here who wants to meet their Mama." Dyson prompted as he stepped closer with the crying baby.
"There's my little girl." Tamsin's eyes watered with pride as she reached out to hold our daughter. "She's so little Bo." she cried with pride.
"But she's such a fighter, just like you." I grinned, letting my finger trace over the dark brown crown of her as we stared at the little person with adoration.
"It's okay little dude, Mama's here now - and I promise, I'm never going to leave you again." she assured, rocking the newborn against her chest with one arm as cries turned to whimpers, which then turned to gentle snores whilst Sif lay sleeping curled up underneath the other arm.
"And I'm never, ever going to leave you like that again either." Tamsin looked up at me with honest eyes.
"She still needs a name…" I acknowledged, instantly falling in love with the newborn babygirl the same way I did with Sif.
"Gee, let's leave some of the excitement for tomorrow don't you think guys?" Kenzi suggested.
"Pop-pop's can stay for another night before we give her a real name, don't you think?" Tamsin smirked.
"...What about Poppy?" Trick suggested, the smile rising to decorate his cheeks as he stared at us will a happy glint in his eye.
"Oh god no." me and Tamsin both chorused in unison.