Chapter 6

Dean

The look on the doctor's face concerned me as she left after examining Grace. She had told us that everything was "better than fine" as she hurried out the door, but I was still paranoid. Something was up. I exchanged glances with Grace a few minutes later and she made a face and nodded. The secret was out.

"What's next, Gracie?" I asked, moving closer to her as the door shut.

Taking a deep breath, she sighed. "That one is Dr. Alana. She's another one of Serra's doctor friends. She's freaking out because I'm already healed." Grace listened, extending her abilities, I was sure. "She's off to go find Serra to ask if I'm some sort of freak."

"Awesome," I said, glancing down at Glory. She was still asleep in my arms and my heart skipped a beat every time I looked at her. "Should we be packing?"

"What, for a quick getaway?" Grace laughed. "We couldn't get out of this hospital with two newborns if we tried. The alarms will go off if we try to cut off the bands."

"Even if they're ours?"

Grace nodded, swinging her feet forward and dropping them off the bed. She stood and laid Everett in the bassinet as she pulled off her hospital gown and started getting dressed. "Serra is taking the initiative and explaining what I am." She paused as she pulled on my old ACDC shirt. "They're not taking it well."

"Awesome," I repeated, bouncing Glory as she began to stir.

Moments passed and Grace took the time to gather her things and pack them in her overnight bag. As I watched her, half of my brain marveled at the fact that she looked better now, after giving birth to three children in less than two years, than she did when I met her. She smiled at me as she heard the thoughts come through my mind and winked. "Enough of that," she said, brushing past me and Glory. "Thoughts like that are what keep getting us into trouble." She hesitated, looking up at me, her blue eyes finding mine. "Speaking of which," she started. "What are we going to do? We've gotta find a better fix."

I shook my head. "I don't know. The Mark's not gonna let anything happen to me…" I said, grimacing at the idea of scissors coming anywhere near that area. "And do you really think you're not going to heal if they tie you up?"

Grace was shaking her head. "Yeah, I know," she said, "we've gotta figure something out, though. I refuse to be pregnant all my life. We're gonna end up with like twenty six kids."

I laughed, but secretly I was terrified. I knew Grace could read my moods as well, so I did everything I could to focus on Glory's face and hide what I was really feeling. The idea of any more kids was taxing, but together, we were a perfect storm of reproduction. It had to be stopped, but I really loved bedding my wife.

Grace finished packing and turned towards the door expectantly. I knew someone would be coming through it; Grace never made a mistake. The doors swung wide as I laid Glory next to Everett in the crib and I turned to see who our visitors would be. Serra walked in, making a face at Grace, whom I'm sure she was talking with telepathically as the two doctors followed behind. The anesthesiologist that had failed in giving Grace her epidural during delivery was behind Serra, watching nervously, and the OB delivery doctor stood in front, her hands in her pockets, waiting for something to happen.

"Hey, ladies," I started, getting the feel of the room. "What's going on?"

The anesthesiologist spoke first, "Is it true?"

Grace's eyes flicked to mine and at that moment I wished I could hear my wife telepathically. Her body language told me that we were about to have a long, difficult discussion, so I took the chair behind me, putting my boots up on the bed. She sat on the bed next to my legs and made a face. "Pull up a chair, ladies. What would you like to know?"

…

"You're telling me that an angel possessed your mother to have you?" the OB doctor, Alana, repeated yet again, "An angel?"

Grace sighed quietly. We had been at this almost twenty minutes, trying to explain Grace's abilities to the women that sat near Serra. "Yes."

This is utter bullshit.

"I know it sounds like bullshit, but it's true. Every word," Grace said to the silence in the room and I knew she had read someone's mind. I looked at the newcomers, watching their reactions, and judging by their faces, I knew that Alana had thought 'bullshit' first.

You can read my thoughts? Alana thought, leaning forward, her breath leaving her body in a huff of air.

Grace nodded again, "Yeah. It comes with the package."

Dr. Lindsey turned to watch Alana as she and Grace interacted. How are you reading thoughts? Can you hear everyone?

"I'm sure there's a name for it," Grace explained, obviously hearing another series of questions, "but we call it 'Angel Radio.' I can hear humans when I listen and they're in range and I can hear every angel. It's very loud, but I've learned to turn it down."

Serra was on the edge of her seat, smiling as she watched her sister explain the wonder that she was. I was fascinated as well; in awe of my wife and what she could do.

Lindsey finally spoke, "Why do you specify 'humans?'"

Grace glanced at me, her eyebrows up, asking permission for something, but I was really unsure of what. I pulled my boots off the bed and leaned towards her, my hand extended so she could speak her mind without scaring anyone. She held it momentarily and I could hear her ask, Hunting?

You want to tell them about everything?

Shrugging, Grace continued, While we're at it, why not? I mean, it would probably make it easier for them to understand if I wasn't the only freak they knew about.

I'm game, I thought, pulling my hand away and leaning back again, glancing over at the babies next to me.

"We—my family, I mean, are monster hunters. Or at least we used to be," Grace began. "There are a lot of things in the world that go bump in the night. We did our best to stop them."

"What kinds of monsters?"

Serra took over then; Grace got up and began walking to the crib where Everett and Glory lay, obviously knowing that one of them would begin to cry momentarily. "Every kind that you've ever heard about," Serra explained as Everett began to wail, "vampires, werewolves, demons, ghosts…they're all real. People like us keep them in check."

The doctors sat, mouths open, staring at us. It was my turn to step in. "Look," I started, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees, "this is a lot to take, I get it. It took us awhile to process too, but we're good people. And if Serra decided it was time to let you in on our little family secrets, then I'm fine with it. She trusts you, so I will too." I took a breath, watching my wife settle my son down, getting ready to nurse him, "But bottom line? Grace is the real deal. She can do it all."

"I don't know how to believe a story like this," Alana said, rubbing her face with her hands.

We all turned as Sam walked through the doors, holding coffee in one hand and a bag of baked goods in the other. He saw the visitors and glanced at me, questioning. I smiled sarcastically and gestured to the room, "We're telling secrets, Sammy. Join us."

"Secrets?" he asked, handing the bag of treats to Serra. She took the bag and opened it, taking a big whiff. He sat on the arm of her chair as she pulled out the chocolate muffin and started eating.

Alana stood and began pacing around the room, muttering to herself. "What am I supposed to do with this information? How am I supposed to believe all this, Serra?"

Sam motioned to her limp as she walked past. "Grace?" She looked up from nursing Everett. "Maybe it would help if you performed a little miracle?"

"Miracle?" Lindsey asked, "What are you talking about?"

Grace closed her eyes and smiled. "You hurt your knee recently, playing tennis with your boyfriend."

Alana's head whipped towards her faster than I was ready for. "How did you know that?"

"I told you," Serra said, through her mouthful of chocolate muffin. "She can read your mind."

Staring at Alana, Grace raised her eyebrows, tilting her head. "Will you let me heal you?"

Lindsey and Alana stared at each other momentarily and Lindsey eventually shrugged. "Her back spit out the epi tube, girl. I wanna see her heal you."

Sitting on the edge of the hospital bed next to Grace, she raised the pant leg of her scrubs to reveal the bruised and swollen injured knee. "Show me," she said, looking to Grace. With two fingers, Grace leaned forward, still nursing Everett, to touch Alana's forehead. There was a deafening silence as slowly, the bruising faded and the swelling receded. I grinned to myself. The look on Lindsey and Alana's face was priceless. We had them.

"Holy mother fucker," Alana said, staring at Grace.

Serra grinned. "Pretty much," she said.