Hey guys so here is the next chapter, I am starting college again on Monday so I am going to try to power through this week and get a couple of chapters out before I become consumed with homework, clinical, and actually having a job. I hope you enjoy it. Keep up the reviews. I said whoever was the 310 reviewer would get a chapter early but because it took me so long to get this one out it I will give Lillymayy-x a sneak peak at the next chapter once it is ready.
Characters are owned by Richelle Mead.
"Lissa wake up" Christian said shaking my body. My face was wet from the tears I had apparently cried as I slept. The dream felt so real I couldn't get the picture of Rose's lifeless body not moving and the color of her baby's eyes. I felt another sob rack through my body.
"Christian I don't know what I am going to do if we don't get her back" I sobbed into his chest. I could no longer recall how long Rose had been gone since it felt like every day had started to blend into one. Sleep never came easy for anyone especially Adrian the look on his face looked like he hadn't slept in over a week.
"We will get her back, look at all the people that care about her they will not give up until her and that baby are at home and safe. Plus Adrian said he has a plan, and I have never seen him so determined" he said leaning forward to kiss my forehead.
Closing my eyes I let the comfort that Christian was offering consume me, but refused to let my body go back to that awful nightmare.
Adrian never came out and told us what had happened between him and Rose inside her dream but from what Oksana had picked up from his brain we had a general idea that Rose was attempting to push Adrian away for some reason claiming her feelings for Dimitri was the cause. She didn't go into detail about what had been said stating that it was between Adrian and Rose and if he felt that it would help then he would tell us what had happened.
After Adrian had run off leaving me alone next to the lake I finally realized he wasn't coming back and walked back to the gym where everyone was still waiting for something that gave us a clue where Rose was to come through. I curled my body onto Christian's listening to his heart beat keeping in tune with my own.
I wasn't sure how long we sat there but someone busting through the gym doors grabbed everyone's attention.
"I think I know a way to track her down or at least her general location" Adrian said breathing heavily sweat on his face.
I jumped from Christian's lap.
"What" I yelled grabbing my bottle of water off the table next to us and handed it to Adrian.
"The recliner" he said making no sense. Christian gave me a questionable look but I shrugged my shoulders having no clue what Adrian was talking about.
"What about the recliner? What are you talking about Adrian?" Abe asked annoyance filling his voice. If there anyone that looked as bad as Adrian it was Abe and Janine, well I guess I should say they were a distance second.
"The dream everything in the cabin was the same but there was something extra there. I ran back to see if there was even a possibility that the cabin actually contained a recliner but there isn't one" he said stopping to take a deep breath. "I think it was a clue, I don't know maybe I am crazy or sleep deprived but we have to look into it" he stopped speaking gauging everyone's reaction.
"I think he has lost it" Eddy mumbled over to Christian and me. Christian nodded his head but the look on Adrian's face showed how much he believed what he was saying.
"How will that help us there are surely thousands if not more recliners that are sold daily" Janine said.
"Yeah if this was just any recliner, but do you really think I would buy Rose any recliner while she is pregnant with my baby. It took me two weeks to find two so we could have one in the living room and one in the bedroom. I have been told there were a limited number of them made, but I know they deliver. If she was trying to tell me something maybe we can track where the last ones were sold and go from there" he said finally taking a long swig from the bottle.
"It is a long shot but we have nothing right now" Abe said flipping his phone open to call someone.
Adrian moved to his laptop and started to type something in. His face showed determination as he worked silently.
"What can we do?" I finally asked not wanting to interrupt him but feeling like I needed to do something.
"Start looking at other websites bring up old sales and see if this recliner has been listed, sold, or bought" he said sliding over a piece of paper that had the name and model number of the recliner on it. I quickly retreated to my room grabbing my laptop and walking with Christian to grabs his too so he could also help.
RPOV
It had been five days since I saw Adrian in the dream. My ankles were so swollen that I stayed in bed or on the couch most of the time declining when Dimitri offered to take me on another walk. I enjoyed being outside but it was exhausting and my legs were killing me by the time we got back to the house the last time. He would allow me to sit on the porch which I was grateful for being cooped in the house was starting to make me go mad.
So I sat silently swinging on the porch swing wrapping a quilt around my swollen body as the cool breeze had chilled the last couple of days. I saw headlights and shot my head up from the book I had been reading. My body tensed praying to God that it was Adrian coming to take me home but also realizing there was a strong possibility that it was some more on Dimitri's friends coming for a visit.
"Rose go inside, go to our room and shut the door. Don't come out until I tell you to" he said walking onto the porch practically lifting me from the swing and pushing me toward the door.
Without a word I quickly walked into the house making my way up the stairs when I heard a door close and then another causing me to realize whoever it was there was more than one. I got to the room and shut the door walking toward the recliner curling my body into it the best I could.
I sat there for a minute closing my eyes but not wanting to fall asleep. Sleep was not the same anymore dreams never came just blackness unless Dimitri tried to enter them. I knew I could shift the dream to escape the blackness but I couldn't because every time I thought about it I pictured the beach, or Adrian's grandmother's garden, the lake, our apartment and as soon as one of the scenes started to come into focus my heart thudded in my chest and I felt it re-breaking all over again. So for now it was blackness that filled my nights or should I say days.
I heard foot steps down stairs because they clearly were not attempting to be quite. After a minute I heard yelling and tried to focus on something else. My baby and I had made it this far and I was terrified that at any minute that could change. The yelling stopped and then would pick up occasionally I would hear Dimitri yell something in Russian and then there was silence. My stomach rumbled from hunger, I stood up walking to the nightstand opening the top drawer where I keep a few snacks. Pulling out a bag of cookies I popped one in my mouth and leaned against the bed when an excruciating pain shot through my stomach taking my breath away.
I dropped the cookies and tried to sit forward to alleviate the pressure I was feeling in my stomach and lower back. The pain subsided and I stood moving to the recliner again figuring I could sit up better in the chair. Once I got comfortable I brought my hands to my stomach rubbing it gently.
"Whatever you just did baby that really hurt mommy lets not do it again" I said cooing at my own stomach I always felt stupid when Adrian would catch me doing it, but it never stopped me before.
"Sweetheart can you stop pushing on mommy's bladder."
"Do you think she can hear us when we talk to her?" Adrian asked walking into the nursery that so far consisted of very little but I still enjoyed sitting in the rocking chair. Although it was still pretty bare it made the realization that the baby would be here in less than two months stronger.
"Adrian you have been talking to the baby since the day we found out are you telling me that you didn't think that she could hear you? I saw you with the books were you just pretending to read them" I said staring up at him in the doorway.
"I read every single one of them, I know they say that they can but how do they really know" he said moving toward me leaning down to kiss me.
"Babe I think it is after the baby is born they realize the baby could hear you because it recognizes its parent's voice" I said grabbing his hand so he could help me up.
"I can't wait to meet her" he said wrapping his arms around my waist as much as he could get them around me.
"Don't squeeze to hard or I may pee on you" I murmured into his chest. His chest rocked from laughing.
"Thanks for the heads up" he said lightening the hold he had on me.
"Shouldn't you be at work?" I asked after a minute although I could have stood there the rest of the day just being held by Adrian he rarely missed work and when he did it was for one of my appointments or because I was sick.
"I took the day off so we could hang out, I know you have been going stir crazy here all day so I thought we could go and see a movie and do lunch. We haven't had a date in a while" he said looking down at me. "What do you think?" he asked lightly kissing my lips like he needed to persuade me to say yes.
"I think that sounds like a wonderful way to spend a Thursday, but I need to shower" I said letting my hands that I had wrapped around him fall to my side.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked removing his arms from my waist but grabbing my hand with his before pulling me out of the nursery.
"It looks like you already showered" I said glancing up at him.
"But not with you" he said turning to wink at me before pulling me into our bathroom.
Our shower routines had changed a lot the further along I had become. There was no legs wrapped around his waist sex against the wall, there was actually no sex in the shower anymore. Adrian and I both agreed that it was to dangerous and to much of a fall risk, we both realized the baby was more important that a little spur of the moment sex in the shower. Although I have to say I missed it and could not wait to sneak into the shower with him once the baby was born. Showering together now still had its purposes, Adrian had become my official back washer. But that didn't stop his hands from exploring and bringing me great pleasure when we showered together.
"You are truly beautiful" he said standing in the door of the closet buttoning his pants, his chest still bare.
"Your sight must be going with your old age" I said looking over my shoulder to see him move toward me.
"Oh you think I am old" he asked wrapping his arms around me kissing my bare shoulder.
"Clearly your sight is gone" I turned my body to face him.
"This would be a clear indicator that my sight is just fine" he said moving my hand to the growing bulge in his pants. The low moan that fell from his lips sent a shiver through my body exciting me to know he still found me attractive. I pulled my hand from his, he was about to protest until he felt the top button of his pant come undone and my hand slip into his boxers.
"You are amazing" he mumbled then moaned as my hand started moving. With my other hand I moved it to his neck pulling his lips to mine tightening my grip on him. He moaned running his mouth down my jaw line bringing his hand to my breast squeezing softly earning a moan from me.
"Be gentle" I said.
"What?" he asked a look on confusion on his face.
I pulled away from him moving to the bed waving my hand to him telling him to follow.
He moved to the bed hesitantly kicking the pants off of his legs as he walked over. I hadn't put any clothes on since leaving the shower so I had nothing to remove just dropping the small towel.
"Are you sure?" he asked standing at the side of the bed. I nodded my head and smiled as he climbed onto the bed between my legs. He pushed forward slowly almost to slowly. I reached my hands around him gripping his butt pushing him in further. Adrian stopped his movement and stared down at me. His face was blank before turning into a smile. "Impatient are we" he said finally starting to move again. We both moaned out when we meet our release. Still clinging to each other he rolled to his side.
"Can we take a nap before we go out?" I asked rolling toward him snuggling my head into his shoulder.
"Yeah" he said bringing his arms around me pulling my body closer to his.
We spent the rest of the day hanging out. We went to a movie and had lunch with Lissa and Christian and dinner we spent on our couch curled up eating pizza.
The pain that shot through my stomach again brought me out of the memory while I couldn't help but scream my hands shifting toward my stomach again while my hole body shifted with it attempting to get in a more comfortable position to make the pain lessen.
Oh my gosh it is finally here, I was going to have my baby and if that was not bad Dimitri seemed to not be the only one in the house. The pain seized once again but a tightness remained. I shifted out of the chair walking to the bed wondering if I laid on my side it would help any. I wobbled to the bed hoping that laying down would release some of the pressure but as soon as I went to climb onto the bed another shot of pain ripped through my stomach and I felt liquid running down my leg.
I glanced down to see a small puddle at my feet realizing that my water had just broke and that I was officially in labor. It was two weeks early but in one of the books I had read stated that first time pregnancies can come early and with the amount of stress I was in I wasn't surprised that it hadn't come earlier than this. Once the pain seized I pulled my body onto the bed laying my back against the pillows and let the tears roll down my cheeks. The pain was bearable but it was just getting started but the pain I felt in my heart knowing I would be doing this alone was so much worse than any physical pain I could ever feel.
I glanced at the clock as soon as the next contraction hit and started to time them. Surprised that they were only falling four minutes apart and slowly that time was slipping. I cried out when another contraction hit, squeezing my eyes shut and pulling a pillow to my face crying into it, trying to muffle out the noise so Dimitri would not attempt to see what was going on while he still had company.
By the time the contractions got to less than two minutes apart I couldn't even bring the pillow to my face because it hurt so much and I didn't have enough time to recover by the time I had another contraction. My face was covered in sweat and I felt like I was on fire. I knew I would have to call for Dimitri eventually because no matter how many times I had thought about it I didn't think I could deliver this baby without anyone's help and unfortunately the Dimitri was the only help I could get.
"OH MY GOSH" I screamed out sitting forward the sudden urge to push racking through my body.
"Roza what the hell is going on?" Dimitri asked flinging the door open his face contorted with anger.
When he noticed my position on the bed and the condition of my body his facial expression shifted to one of surprise and eagerness. Not only was I in pain but the nausea I felt from being around Dimitri was tripled knowing what was about to happen.
"I need a cold washrag" I said my voice hoarse and dry from screaming.
"Ok let me take care of our company and then I will be right back to help you deliver our baby" he said going to take a step out of the room.
"They are leaving right?" I asked my mind working through the pain to ask a very important question.
"Oh Roza it is far to late for them to leave the sun has already risen over three hours ago" he said shrugging his shoulders and walking out.
I was surprised that I had been in labor for over five hours now yet time was flying by. The overwhelming feeling of nausea hit me when I realized that we were not alone, I was bringing my baby into a home that was full of Strigoi that would want to kill me and my baby but my baby more. I turned my head quickly throwing up everything I had eaten earlier in the day, making most of in on the floor next to the bed but splattered onto the comforter. I shifted my body the best I could inching it toward the other side to get away from the vomit before it made me sick again. There was no stopping the sobs that racked through my chest.
Dimitri returned closing the door and dropping an armful of stuff on the bed stating we would need it for him to deliver the baby. He took a washrag and laid it across my forehead and then moved a few towels under my butt. I was in to much pain to feel uncomfortable with him being near me being so exposed but the fact was he was going to have to catch the baby once she came out and there was nothing I could do about that.
"Roza you are doing so well" he said pulling my legs up and spreading them open. "It looks like the baby is crowning already I think you are suppose to push now" he said looking up at me.
His eyes were a settle red not glowing as they had been when he first came in and there was no bloodlust in them. I sighed realizing this was usually the closest I got to the old Dimitri and that is all I could ask for of him now. I grabbed my knees and bared down as much as I could pushing for all that I was worth.
"I need Adrian" I cried out dropping my body back to the pillows attempting to catch my breath.
"No you don't you have me" Dimitri snapped but before I could respond another contraction ensued causing me to grab my knees once again baring down again to push. I closed my eyes while pushing thinking of Adrian's calm voice knowing that if he were here with me now he would be telling me how well I was doing and to keep breathing. I keep my eyes closed once the contraction ended not wanting to lose the picture of him smiling down at me.
"You are almost there, the baby's head is almost out one more push" Dimitri said sounding like one of the videos we had to watch which made me think he must have read some type of birthing book.
After two more pushes I felt the release of pressure.
"Is the baby ok?" I asked shutting my eyes for a second to rest them. My body was exhausted and I was feeling lightheaded and nauseous.
When Dimitri didn't respond I opened my eyes quickly to see what was going on. Dimitri held my tiny silent baby in his hands his eyes staring down with such concentration.
"Is the baby ok?" I asked again. When Dimitri looked up his eyes were all different. They were all wrong. The red was shining like I had never saw before he looked possessed there was no anger just bloodlust. My stomach tightened realizing a murderer was holding my baby. I leaned forward wanting to take it from him but the red danced around with flames and he flinched back his nostrils flaring as he stared me down.
The cry of the baby brought his attention back to the tiny thing he was holding in his hands.
"Dimitri give me my baby" I said before I started shouting it because the moment the baby moved his mouth was on it.
I lunged forward. His hand flying up hitting me straight in the chest. My body flew back hitting the headboard my head slamming against it. The last thing I saw was Dimitri looking at me with blood dripping down his chin before my world faded to silence and blackness.
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