Chapter XVIII: Symptoms
As soon as they got back to the farm house DG told them where to put the bags and rushed to the bathroom. Cain grabbed his bag of clothes from Azkadellia and walked to the closed bathroom door. He heard DG on the other side. It sounded like she was vomiting. He didn't think that the Jared character got to her that badly, but he was wrong. He knocked on the door and after a moment she opened it with a smile.
"Are you okay, kiddo?" he asked.
"Something didn't sit well with me is all," she rubbed her stomach and looked at the bag in his hand, "Let's see what you got."
"Let's go help with the food first," he pushed her along the hall since he knew she wasn't going to talk about it. The food was put away quickly and Glitch was surprised to find a small bulb in the refrigerator- not that the refrigerator wasn't a marvel in itself. All they had were cold freezer rooms at the palace. DG dug out her old text books and let him read through them while DG and Azkadellia went over what the guys bought for themselves on the floor of the front room. DG kind of hoped that Glitch could invent a type of electricity at Finaqua so she could bring her DVDs and CDs back.
"I'm proud of you boys, you did very well," DG smiled at the clothing choices. Her brother in law and fiancé won't stand out in the crowd and that's what they need at the moment. She turned to Cain and threw a pair of his new jeans at him, "Try them on."
"I did at the store," he threw them back at her.
"Not for me," she threw them back. She saw his arm move as if he was going to throw them at her again and she held up her hand, "I swear to God, Wyatt Cain, if you throw them back at me I will sweep up a wind that will slap them right back into that pretty face of yours."
His eyebrows shot up, "Really, princess?"
"You want to try me?" she asked and wiggled her fingers at him. He sighed and got up to put them on in the bathroom. DG smiled to herself and folded the rest of his clothes back into the bag until she could put them in the dresser upstairs.
Azkadellia laughed and held her stomach as Glitch chuckled and kept his nose in the text book, "I never knew a Tin Man who would take orders like that."
"Yeah, well get used to it, sister," DG laughed a long with her.
"There is something puzzling me," Glitch suddenly said as he lowered the book, "You're friends had said that you've only been gone for a month."
"I know, I caught that too," DG nodded and thought out loud, "I've been gone for at least- what? Seven or eight months?"
"Maybe there is a time flow difference," Cain suggested as he came from the bathroom. DG looked up and then down his lower half. She spun her finger in a small circle to tell him to turn which he did. She saw his backside and was pleased. He turned to face her and held his hands out to his sides, "Well?"
"Perfect," DG smiled. Cain sat back down next to her on the floor.
"Cain may have something there," Glitch nodded, "Didn't you say something about Dorothy after you met her DG?"
"Yeah, she looked like she grew up in the early nineteen hundreds," DG nodded, "But that's only a hundred years back from now."
"And she's your greatest grandmother in the O.Z.," Glitch finished for her, "Maybe time flows faster in the O.Z. then it does here. So a month here may be seven or eight in the O.Z. Maybe more."
"So the longer we stay here, even more time passes there," DG looked at Azkadellia who looked worried.
"Don't worry, Doll," Glitch tried to reassure her, "Your mother will have everything figured out before too much time has passed."
"I hope so. I just- Ah!" she gripped at her chest and leaned forward.
"DG?" Cain swung his legs to position himself in front of her and held her shoulders, "Talk to me, sweetheart. What's wrong?"
The tattoo on her chest began to glow again and she held her hands over it, "It- it feels like I'm being stabbed…"
Cain grabbed both of her hands in his and she looked up at him with pain written on her face even though she was trying to fight through it. His expressions matched hers and he tried to focus her eyes on his, "Work through it, DG. What do I do? Tell me what I need to do to help you."
"I don't know," she closed her eyes against the pain and pushed her head into his chest as she leaned forward, "It hurts."
"DG, keep looking at me," Cain warned her and tried to get her look back up at him. He dropped her hands and cupped her face with both of his hands, "No matter what, we have to keep you awake."
Azkadellia rushed to her sister's side and took one of DG's hands in her own. Immediately their power combined and the light brightened between them. Glitch looked on, unsure of what he could do but observe and see if he couldn't apply some of what he read about the blade to the incident.
"Az," DG groaned and tightened her grip on her older sister's hand.
"I'm here, Deeg," Azkadellia squeezed back, "And I'm not letting go."
DG and Azkadellia both concentrated and the pain began to lessen in DG's chest. DG began to breathe better and Cain could see her face begin to relax. He looked at her chest and could see a small part of the wound begin to open back up and he put his hand over the glowing tattoo.
"You're not taking her that easy," he growled and concentrated much like he had with the emerald.
DG looked in herself and found the pain immediately retreated once Cain had closed his eyes to concentrate. A sigh of relief came from her mouth and Azkadellia let go of her hand. Cain looked back into her eyes with a hesitant smile.
"You sure you don't have powers too?" she asked him with a small voice.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
She smiled back at him, laid her forehead against his, "I don't feel the stabbing anymore."
"Good, may-"
"But now I need to upchuck again," DG scrambled off of the floor and ran for the bathroom again. She slammed the door closed and immediately bent over the porcelain seat of the toilet.
"I don't remember reading about that in the books about the Slayer of Hearts," Glitch commented and looked in the direction DG left in, "Has she been complaining about anything else since we've been back, Cain?"
"Well, she looked like she was getting a headache when she got out of the cyclone yesterday," Cain thought and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Then this morning she was hugging herself and at the store right before she left she put her hand to her head like another headache or she was feeling faint."
Azkadellia sat in her chair and listened to all of her sister's symptoms. Glitch put a hand to his chin to think them over and tried to diagnose the problem as it came to the blade. Azkadellia looked to both men and then got out of her seat.
"Azkadee?" Glitch asked and looked up at her.
"I'm just going to check on DG," Azkadellia walked to the bathroom door and left the men to ponder over the possibilities. She lightly tapped on the wooden door and placed her ear to it.
"Go away, Cain…" DG mumbled from her position on the floor.
"If it was Cain do you think that the tapping would be so light?" Azkadellia mentioned and heard DG flush the toilet and then climb up to sit on the now closed toilet seat. She waited for a few moments and then tried again, "Are you going to let me in, or are you just going to keep me out in the cold."
"You're inside, Az. I think you'll survive," DG said sarcastically, "I don't want you to see me like this."
"I've seen you in worse shape," Azkadellia offered, "Come on, Deeg. I've seen you dead- twice. This can't be that bad."
She heard DG's feet shuffle along the floor and she cracked the door open to peek out at her sister. Azkadellia looked in at her sister and her face immediately changed from an encouraging smile to one of pity, "Oh Deeg."
DG immediately close the door again, "I told you."
"Deeg, come on, I'm sorry," Azkadellia smiled and opened the door with her magic. She squeezed into the small bathroom, placed a towel over the edge of the tub and looked at her sister who was sitting on the toilet once again.
"Using magic is not fair," DG pouted this time. Azkadellia swiped at her sister's bangs and looked into her eyes.
"You feeling any better?" she asked concerned.
"I still feel like I'm going to upchuck, but I don't think there is anything left," DG sighed and leaned against the side of the sink from the toilet. Azkadellia took a wash cloth and rinsed it with cold water before dabbing it on DG's forehead. The younger sister suddenly felt a rush of coolness go through her, "Thanks Az."
"You're welcome," she nodded and began to clean DG's face up a little better than it was before. DG watched her sister work and couldn't hold back a small laugh. Azkadellia furrowed her brows, but stayed intent on her work, "What's so funny?"
"You were so worried about being a mother and you're taking care of me so well," DG smiled and watched her sister.
"Well, I know how to handle you to a point," Azkadellia washed off the cloth again with some more cold water, "When mother was away, I took care of you when you ran from the healers."
"I ran from them?" she laughed a little.
"If you remember the remedies that they had lined up for us as children you would remember running as well," Azkadellia laughed along with her sister, "You're going to be okay."
"Why is the blade doing this to me, Az?" DG moaned and leaned back on the toilet.
"Let's go over what you've been feeling- other than the stabbing," Azkadellia started and handed DG the cloth which she held to her head.
"Well, lately I've been having random headaches, I've been going to the bathroom like crazy, the vomiting… not to mention I'm getting a little tender up here," she motioned to her breasts, "But that could be because of my period that should be any day now… why are you looking at me like that?"
Azkadellia's smile had just gotten wider the whole time that DG was listing off the symptoms she was having, "Deeg, everything that you've described- minus the stabbing pain- are all symptoms of something other than the blade…"
"What do you mean?" DG raised an eyebrow, "Are you telling me that I have some kind of Ozian disease now?"
Azkadellia giggled, "No, not at all."
"Then what?"
Cain and Glitch were now both sitting on the couch in the front room still going over what the problem could be with DG. She and Azkadellia were now both in the bathroom talking too low for either one of them to hear.
"Do you think Az knows something that she's not telling us?" Cain asked and looked at Glitch.
Glitch immediately shook his head, "Az tells me everything. Especially if it's important."
"WHAT?!"
Cain and Glitch's heads turned at DG's explosion from the bathroom and then looked at one another.
"She tells you everything, huh?" Cain asked and patted Glitch on the back.
"Well, she tells me most," he corrected himself.
DG charged out of the bathroom with Azkadellia in hand. She grabbed a jacket near the door and pulled it on. Cain looked up at her and was about to get out of his seat when DG pointed a jerky finger at him.
"I'm going to be back in a minute, Cain. If you so much as get off that couch I will make sure that you definitely won't be getting off the floor," she turned abruptly with Azkadellia right behind and headed for the truck.
Cain was half walk off the couch and then sat back down on the cushion.
Glitch looked after the fading brake lights of the truck, "Did you forget to mention her mood swings?"
"Are you sure it has to do with the blade, zipper-head?"
"Not so much anymore," Glitch shook his head, "The stabbing for sure, but the other things don't add up to anything that I've seen or read from the books."
The two sat in silence again and then looked at one another.
"Maybe we should have dinner ready for them," Glitch offered and Cain nodded in agreement.
They worked with the vegetables and meat that DG had bought from the store and made something close to steaks and fresh, steamed vegetables.
"I don't like this, Glitch," Cain mentioned while cutting up the meat.
"Neither do I," Glitch shook his head and turned down the heat on the stove and drained the water from some of the vegetables, "Not knowing just is not my cup of tea."
"You think that maybe the blade could be making her sick?"
"The only thing I could think of is that he's searching harder for her since he can't find her in the O.Z. Maybe he is trying to break through."
"Hm," Cain grunted as he put each serving on the four plates and looked out the window as the sun was setting and the truck came back up the bumpy driveway.
The girls walked in the door, DG with a plain paper bag in her hand and Azkadellia smiling behind her. They both stopped and looked into the kitchen where the guys stood next to the table. Cain had a small kitchen towel hanging out of the side of his jeans while Glitch had one over his shoulder. DG noticed that the counter was being wiped up and they didn't leave quite a mess, but it looked like Glitch got a little something on his face. Cain looked as clean as ever. She was glad that the house was still standing since neither of them knew how to work the oven in the O.Z., much less the ones on the other side. Both girls looked at one another and then back at the boys.
"What's all this for?" DG asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You shouldn't have to take care of us all the time, sweetheart," Cain moved a chair out for her to sit and she was about to when Azkadellia poked her in the side with her elbow.
"I have to do something really quick and then we'll be right back, I promise," DG put up a finger and she and Azkadellia went back into the bathroom.
Cain and Glitch sat down and waited for the girls to come back out. Cain looked at the hallway after close to ten minutes went by and then back at his dinner, "What could they be doing in there?"
"Whatever it is has to be-"
"You're shitting me!" DG yelled from the bathroom.
Cain walked to the hallway and looked down at the slightly opened door, "You two okay in there?"
"Fine," both girl's said and quickly closed the door, "Just some girl issues."
"Dinner's ready, don't let it get cold," he yelled back and heard an 'okay' from both princesses.
"They okay?" Glitch asked and poked at his food.
"They say they are," he nodded, "But they're hiding something behind their innocence."
"Aren't they always?"
After five more minutes both girls came into the kitchen and sat next to their guys. Azkadellia had a bright smile on her face and began to eat and talk with Glitch as if everything was normal. DG on the other hand sat a little stunned and silently shoveled food into her mouth.
"Is everything okay, kiddo?" Cain asked and began to eat now that she was at the table.
"Everything… is great," DG nodded with a huge, genuine DG smile.
"Everything check out?"
"Yeah, just wasn't expecting-"
Azkadellia snorted and almost spit out her corn that was in her mouth. She coughed as Glitch patted her on the back and she put up a hand, "I'm okay."
DG glared at her, "As I was saying, I just wasn't expecting a few things that were happening."
"Yeah, I bet getting back to this side is quite a shock after being gone for so long," Cain looked between the two sisters with curiosity.
"Yeah, I guess that's part of it," DG nudged her foot into her sister's leg and bulged her eyes out to get her to stop laughing.
After dinner Azkadellia and Glitch sat out in the front room and turned on the television. They were watching an old western and Glitch turned to Cain who just got up from cleaning the table and dishes with DG.
"Hey Cain, it's you," he pointed to the screen with the hand that wasn't wrapped around his wife.
"What are you talking about?" Cain wiped his hands on a small kitchen towel and threw it on the counter. He looked at the screen as the cowboy shot the bad guys with perfect aim from his horse and then climbed down to save the woman from danger. He leaned forward on the back of the couch to the side of Glitch and Azkadellia.
"Look at that, killed all the bad guys and still won the lady with gentlemanly demeanor," Glitch pointed again to the screen, "Definitely a parallel with you Cain."
"That's what I always thought," DG wrapped her arms around his waist and peered at the screen over his shoulder.
"You two are dreamin'," he said and stood straight again.
"I'm going to bed," DG said with a yawn, "I'm tired out."
"Okay," Cain nodded and waved at the other two, "Goodnight you two."
"Goodnight," the other two echoed.
"You two don't keep that on all night long," DG pointed at them, "That generator can only take so much."
They both nodded their heads. Cain followed her up the stairs and she looked back at him once he closed the door to her room.
"You didn't have to come to bed with me," she said and changed into a very large shirt and her underwear, "You could have watched some TV if you wanted to."
"I wanted to make sure that you are okay," he changed as well into a pair of fleece sleeper pants and looked back at her. He walked over and sat on the end of the bed and pulled her in front of him, "You threw Glitch and I off guard when you kept shouting from the bathroom. What's going on?"
She looked down in his eyes and tried to formulate something suave and smooth to tell him instead of being blunt and just telling him straight out, 'Guess what, Tin Man, we're having a kid!' She searched and wished that he knew what a pregnancy test was, then she could just hand it to him. Azkadellia had it easy. Glitch was there when the healers and doctors told her she was pregnant.
"DG?" he asked.
"This isn't something that I'd thought I'd say so soon," she admitted and she felt his hands tense on her hips. He looked worried and she shook her head, "Don't worry so much. It's a good thing. At least I think it is."
"Then what is it? You're going to end up giving me a heart attack if you have me guess anymore," Cain asked and held one of her hands while his other stayed on her hip.
She opened her mouth to go with the blunt approach, but thought better of it. Instead, she took his hand that was holding hers and put his palm flat on the front of her stomach. He looked up at her with a question on his face. She looked back down determined that he would understand the significance of his hand on her stomach. He looked from her eyes to her stomach and noticed that she had a slight bump beginning to form underneath the large shirt. He wasn't imagining it days prior.
"DG…" his heart began to race. He put his other hand on the other side of her small frame and a big smile came to his face. She put her hands over his and rubbed her thumbs over his knuckles, "A-are you sure?"
She nodded, "Az told me she had suspicions. Then we ran out and got a pregnancy test."
"What's that?" he frowned a little, "Did some one have to examine you?"
"No," she shook her head with a small laugh, "It's a type of test that tests my urine for hormones. No doctor needed."
"How far along?" he asked and the smile came back. His hands rubbed over her skin gently and then looked up at her.
"I don't know," she shook her head, "Usually women don't start showing until at least nine weeks. I'm barely getting a bump, although now I'm getting nausea and headaches more frequent. I must have had symptoms before and just pushed them off as something else."
Cain stood from the bed and spun DG in a circle. They both laughed and she hugged him around his neck. He placed her back on the ground and sat back on the bed, facing her stomach. DG watched as he leaned forward and kissed her stomach lightly and then leaned against it, his arms encircling her hips. She combed her fingers through his short hair and kissed the top of his head.
"Come on, Tin Man," she smiled and drew his head to look up at her, "You're growing soft on me."
"Remember, you're the only one I do," he opened his arms and she laid down with him. DG crawled up to the pillows while Cain stayed a little lower. She laid on her back and Cain looked at the lump on her lower stomach. She still played with his hair while he rubbed the skin, "I wonder why Raw didn't catch it when he examined you."
"He was looking for my chest wounds and my head," DG thought back, "He wasn't focused on a full body scan."
"Do you think that the blade damaged her?" Cain asked and remembered that Azkadellia told him that their first born would be a girl.
"I don't think so," she shook her head, "She feels like she's going to be just fine. She's going to be strong, just like her dad."
"You better have your mother's brains, kiddo," he talked to DG's stomach, "Your father didn't even recognize the signs of pregnancy."
"You've only been through it once and that was many annuals ago," DG laughed lightly. She combed her fingers through his hair as she began to fall to sleep. His voice was low and gentle while he talked to the small one inside her. He didn't know if the soon to be princess could hear him or not, but he was still going to tell her the story of how her mother saved a broken man without a heart.