V. The Raven
Once upon a midnight dreary,
while I pondered weak and weary,
Deep into that darkness peering,
long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no
mortal ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken,
and the darkness gave no token,
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore"
-Edgar Allan Poe
He waited for Ginger like he did every Monday…and Wednesday. It was all he could think about since he'd seen her at the park on Saturday. Her soft voice, her light russet skin, round eyes; eyes that held a wealth of wisdom and depth. Ginger's hair had golden highlights when in the sun, hair he longed to run his fingers through. There was something indefinable about Ginger. Ginger Collins. It wasn't her real surname. Just the last name of that…husband of hers. The man who had taken Ginger to his side possessively.
Jeffrey scoffed to himself. Like marking his territory, he thought. As if he had the right. From the little he knew, he gathered that Mr. Chase Collins wasn't too thrilled about his wife's pregnancy. Jeffrey knew that if Ginger were his wife, carrying his baby, he would be doting on her restlessly. Ginger was simply the sort of woman to be worshipped. Protected.
"Jeffrey."
His world lit up. He turned, having been so consumed in his thoughts he had not noticed Ginger's approach. Jeffrey got up and pulled out her chair for him. He engulfed himself in her kind smile of gratitude. She wore a long skirt, tan boots with a short heel, a double layered peasant top, and a matching scarf around her neck. Her silky hair framed her face.
"It's good to see you," Jeffrey said.
"You, too," she replied.
A waiter from the small restaurant came out and took their orders. When the waiter was gone they looked at one another.
Ginger thought Jeffrey was a very pleasant person. They had met not too long ago at the library as Jeffrey was a frequent visitor. They read a lot of the same books, shared so many things in common. It never occurred to Ginger to question her like for Jeffrey. For her, it was simply platonic. Other than Chase, Jeffrey was the first male friend she had had.
They talked of little things until their food came.
Jeffrey eventually couldn't help but inquire, "How have you been feeling? You know…"
Ginger's palm instinctively went to her tummy. "Good."
Now was the time, Jeffrey thought. Little by little he'd been insinuating himself into Ginger's life. Bits of personal information thrown in here or there, a light touch, overt invitation for socialization.
"I know we haven't been friends for very long…but…" Jeffrey took a pause for effect. "I can't help but tell that you seem…conflicted about something."
Ginger's eyes flickered in surprise before she half-grinned with resignation. "Oh, it's nothing. Being pregnant wreaks havoc on the hormones." She forced a small laugh.
Jeffrey wasn't buying it. Slowly, he reached over the table to take her hand in his. "You have such an open face. Sometimes I see you and it's like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders."
She bit her bottom lip, faced with such accurate scrutiny of her was disconcerting.
"I just want you to know," Jeffrey said softly, "that you can talk to me. Anytime."
Ginger had to clear her throat. Before she could say anything her phone rang. Her hands slipped out of his, and to Jeffrey it was like a connection being broken, strong adhesive tape being pulled from his very heart.
"Chase?" Ginger answered. She mouthed 'sorry' to Jeffrey.
Jeffrey's insides flared with jealousy and hatred but he managed to conceal it. He wanted to know what Chase was saying to her. The son of a bitch who didn't appreciate this exquisite creature he, Jeffrey, was sitting across from right now. But he couldn't let Ginger see his innermost feelings, not now. Soon.
Jeffrey, in his delusional mind, believed that Ginger had feelings for him. But ten years of marriage and a pregnancy made her loyal to Chase, and she felt (in his mind) that she could not simply just leave Chase. That would mean leaving Dottie, too. Because Jeffrey did not want Ginger associating with anyone from her soon-to-be previous life, no matter how nice.
He would make it up to her. Fill her life with wondrous things. Especially more love and devotion than she had ever experienced.
xx
"You have to be joking, Judy," Millicent Cromwell exclaimed. "A baby? Now?"
Judy was suspected she had spoken too soon. In the expectation of her conception she had blurted it out to her oldest (and one of her dearest) friends that she and Caleb were planning on becoming parents soon. Millicent was a headstrong woman. Even in high school she had exuded an iron confidence that no one could penetrate. When Judy and Caleb had first begun dating, Millicent was adamantly disapproving. It'd taken a long time for Millicent to accept that Caleb truly cared for Judy.
"Well, it's going to happen, Millie," Judy defended.
Millicent pursed her thin lips. She'd had the same hairstyle since she was ten, cut short to her chin with no accessories. She was a Pulitzer prize winning investigative journalist/reporter known for her in-depth and sometimes controversial stories, and was considered a 'ball-buster.' No one could call Millicent 'pretty' but she did have a presence about her. She was 5'10 with a narrow figure, no curves to speak of. Her wardrobe consisted of pantsuits and a short heel. When she was not working it was button down shirts and khaki pants with a comfortable shoe.
"Your career is just beginning, Judy. A baby will only slow you down." She shook her head, took a sip of her bottled mineral water.
She and Judy were sitting in the living room of the Danvers' estate. Millicent's house was being fumigated and at Judy's insistence was staying with her for the next two days.
"Not to mention, even after the baby is born you'll still have to take time off," Millie went on. "This was Caleb's idea, wasn't it? He'll be at the office making a name for himself while you sit at home in diapers and spit-up."
Judy couldn't help but chuckle. "It was a mutual decision." Sort of, she added to herself. "And Caleb doesn't expect me to have sole responsibility of the baby. He doesn't expect, or want, me to give up my career."
Millicent snorted.
"Ladies," Caleb said, hearing the tail end of his wife's comment. He smiled at her as he walked into the living room, bent down to kiss her.
"Women," Millicent corrected.
"Women, sorry," Caleb replied. Not use arguing with her, he knew. He told them that he'd leave them alone and headed upstairs.
Caleb needed to get out of his suit. Judy and him often took separate cars to work because their schedules sometimes flip-flopped around, and tonight she'd gotten home earlier than him. In his bedroom he divested himself of said suit and took a quick shower to wash off the heat of the day. As he lathered, he thought about what he'd heard between Millicent and Judy. Although his wife had been defending him, did she truly believe that Caleb did not want her to put her career on hold? A loving wife would automatically defend her husband. He knew Judy would.
And Judy would be right. He did not want her to stall or stop her career in the least. He had to make sure she knew that, hear it straight from him. That likely wouldn't stop Millicent from suspecting him. Caleb had been unfailingly polite to Judy's oldest friend over the years, and gradually the woman had become less icy towards him, but he couldn't say she was particularly warm to him.
Was she like that to all men, or just him? Millicent's girlfriend wasn't anything like her, in only that she was just as intelligent and gung-ho as she. Caleb hadn't been too surprised to find out Millicent was a lesbian. Naturally Reid was confident that that was the reason why Millicent was so adverse to men. And in particularly frustrating times having to do with Millicent, Caleb found himself concurring with Reid. Not because she was a lesbian, just simply that she disdained all men.
Caleb got out of the shower, the bathroom now steamed. He wiped the mirror with his hand, couldn't help inspecting himself although he was not conceited. His hair was a tad shorter, still dark. He had naturally thick hair and it would be wavy like his sister's if he allowed it to grow out. There was also no beard (although he often thought about growing one); overall his face was still young.
"Sweetie?" Judy appeared in the doorway, lips curving upwards. "You do look fantastic in a towel."
Caleb grinned and chuckled. "I'm always glad you think so."
His wife stood on tiptoes to kiss him, her finger tips lightly touching his chest. Which now had hair. No longer being in competitive swimming, he allowed it to grow back. Judy had never realized that he did have chest hair so used to seeing him without it. But two years after high school she asked him to leave it, and he had.
"Where's Millicent?" he asked, bending down to shuffle in the cabinet, but he noticed something else before he could find what he wanted. He paused, then set it aside, stood up, forgetting about his original purpose.
"Oh, she wanted to call Laurel and hit the sack early."
His lips settled in a wry curve. "Probably trying to avoid me."
She laughed lightly. "You're very good to tolerate her witticisms."
"Witticisms," he said, smiling. They headed back in the bedroom.
Caleb divested himself of the towel and was about to put on some sweats when his wife wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don't put those on yet." She turned him around. "Unless you have something else you need to do first."
He answered her by pulling her into a long, deep kiss that gravitated them towards their bed. "You always come first."
And an hour later the couple lay wrapped in one another. Her head lay in the crook of his shoulder, her fingers lightly stroking his chest. Caleb's own fingers were running through her hair.
"Hey," he finally said. "I saw the pregnancy kit in the cabinet."
She made a sound and lifted her head to look at him. "Yeah. Just wanted to be prepared."
"You know I don't expect you to give up your career right? I mean that."
"I know, Caleb."
"And you won't have to take care of our baby by yourself. Never that."
Judy propped herself on one elbow. She caressed his cheek. "I know that. And I love you for that and much more."
He exhaled relief. "I love you too."
xx
"Hey, Tyler."
He inwardly cringed. "Hi Serena." He took off his lab coat and put it in his locker.
Serena approached him, smiling. "I hear congrats are in order." When Tyler gave her a blank look she laughed and said, "Your wife is pregnant, right?"
"Oh, yeah, yeah, she is." Now a grin broke out on his face.
"When's the baby due?"
She was standing pretty close so when he went to get his wallet from the top shelf of his locker he stepped back. "Sometime in January."
"That's great. I'm happy for you."
"Thanks."
There was a moment of silence before Serena sighed. "Why do I get the feeling you're avoiding me?"
His brow furrowed. "I'm not."
"Yeah? Well whenever I enter a room you manage to find a reason to leave. Or when I get within five feet of you, you tense up."
He was running Reid's words through his mind. Don't let Serena get you alone anywhere. Don't get chummy with her.
"Is this about what happened a few years ago?" she asked.
"Nothing happened a few years ago," he retorted.
Her brow rose. "Then why are you acting like I have the plague?" Serena inched forward; she lowered her voice as if there were other people around. "It was just a kiss."
"We didn't kiss. You tried to kiss me." He closed his locker, the clang a resounding disturbance in the room.
"All right, fine," she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry. Is that what you want to hear?" She sighed. "I just…thought there was something there. You were going through something…so was I. Is it a crime to find comfort in someone?"
Tyler was tiring of this conversation. "I need to go. It's late."
"Why're you so mad?" she added. "Because I tried to kiss you? Or because you wanted to, but didn't, kiss me back?"
He had to take a breath to rein in his shot of anger. "I didn't want anything with you. Then or now. We have to work together, fine, but there's nothing beyond that." He stalked out of the room.
When he got to his vehicle he had to take deep breaths before he started the car. What the hell was that? Why had he let Serena provoke him? He wasn't lying to himself, or anyone. He and Serena had not kissed, but she had attempted to. When Tyler had gone to California to get Maria during their brief separation, she'd asked him if anything happened between him and Serena. Tyler looked her in the eyes and said 'no.' And that was the truth.
Tyler had only felt a momentary brush of Serena's lips on his before he'd turned his head away and backed up. The beer he had consumed had simply slowed his reflexes. His judgment too, obviously, because he'd let Serena in the house when she came over to give him a patient's file to look at. A ruse? Tyler didn't want to think about it anymore. He started the car and headed home. It was passed nine. He was supposed to be home by six. At least he'd had a moment to call Maria and tell her.
Forty-five minutes later he pulled up in the driveway. He went inside, heard humming coming from the kitchen, but the sight was what rendered him still. Maria was warming up dinner in a skimpy pink bikini.
"Going to the beach?" he asked, grinning.
She smiled, gave him a kiss. "No. Just getting use of my tight outfits before I get all round and convex." Maria was actually (and oddly) looking forward to her tummy getting larger and couldn't wait to be able to feel her baby kick.
"Well I don't have any objections."
Tyler and Maria lived a little out of the ways on the border of the city. Like the rest of their families it was preferable to have neighbors who didn't live too close. Being a part of the supernatural world, you never knew what could happen, and if something did happen it was likely something other people shouldn't see.
"Hungry?" she asked.
"I am, but I don't know how I'll eat with you wearing that in front of me."
She exhaled dramatically. "I'll have to change into something more demure then."
"You really don't."
"Tyler Bear," she said, standing close so her breasts brushed against his chest. "I've barely seen you all day, and after you're done eating, we're going to take a shower, and believe me, you'll be thankful you ate because you'll need the energy." With that, she sauntered away, curved hips unintentionally swaying with a seductive rhythm that never failed to make his heart beat erratically.
He sat down at the table and ate his food.
xx
After lunch with Ginger, Jeffrey had had to walk off his immense fury at Chase for interrupting their meal. The husband called to ask Ginger what she would like for dinner, and Jeffrey had to watch while her face lit up at the prospect.
"I'll make you dinner Ginger," Jeffrey muttered for the hundredth time.
He'd gotten in late, it was passed ten now. Jeffrey slammed the microwave shut and set it to the proper time for his TV dinner to warm. He got a beer from the fridge, pausing momentarily to look at the pictures of Ginger he had taped to the refrigerator. The microwave dinged. He went to sit in his living room. He had a couch, coffee table, TV and DVD player.
He pressed PLAY.
Footage of Ginger appeared. Secret recordings he'd taken of her while she was working at the library, while she shopped, or took outings with her friends. Behind him on the wall was entirely covered with pictures of Ginger. Not an inch of the white paint showed.
xx
Three in the morning. Rowan woke up, stomach in shambles. She threw up, dry heaved. She'd hoped the worst of it had been over. The vomiting began around seven the previous night. Did it help that she had intermittent headaches? Nope. 'Morning' sickness was not just exclusive towards the mornings. Rowan flushed the toilet, but when she tried to get up all she saw was a haze of white and the feel of falling. But she didn't hit the ground.
"Row," Reid said.
Christ, he'd gotten there just in time. He carried her to the bed. Her face was pale, and her skin clammy. All she had managed to get down was some water several hours ago before falling into a dead sleep. Something was wrong. She shouldn't be so light headed or plagued with this many headaches. He felt her head.
"Shit." He got the thermometer, it beeped in less than a minute.
"Reid?"
"I'm taking you to the hospital."
"What? Why?" she asked, voice faint.
With Reid calmly shuffling around, the animals were aware something was amiss but slightly put off by the togetherness of their male human. The blond said a few calming words, and they understood. Reid carried Rowan to the car, got her settled in comfortably. He called the hospital as he drove, wanting them to be aware that they were coming.
"Rowan." Reid had her hand in his. He squeezed it gently; she didn't respond.
He quickly looked at her, not good. The very fact that he had sped up and was over the speed limit with no protestations from Rowan was enough to heighten his worry.
xx
Rowan woke up the next morning. Antiseptic, beeping, the padding of orthopedic shoes against tile. The hospital. Her nose twitched; ah yes, the ever present cannula and the IV. And they had her hooked up to a cardiac monitor. Greatness. Her eyes flickered open.
Reid smiled at her. "Hey, beautiful."
She returned the smile, albeit weakly. Don't flatter me.
He chuckled. His chair was already as close as it was going to get. He kissed her forehead, gazing at her with concern.
"What's wrong?" she asked, voice scratchy.
Reid swallowed a lump in his throat. He didn't like what the doctor had had to say to him. They'd done some tests and…
"What tests?"
"The doctor wasn't clear." Asshole, he thought. "He was worried about preeclampsia."
She was silent for a moment. "I've heard of that."
He nodded. "They still want to run more tests because it usually happens at the end of the second trimester." So much medical jargon mixed with his worry the facts were unclear. "They need to keep a close eye on your blood pressure, too."
She licked her lips. "What about the baby?"
"He's okay," he assured her.
Rowan's mouth parted to speak, this was so confusing, painful. "Was it something I did?"
He shook his head. "No. It just sometimes…happens." Not wanting to upset her further with his rambling he diverted to more certain things. "Your mom's on her way here. I'm going to go home and get some of your things, settle the kids, and I'll be back, okay?"
"Hey." Tyler appeared in the doorway, replete in his hospital get up.
"Ty," Rowan smiled.
He actually wasn't supposed to be here, but he knew Rowan and Reid were so he couldn't not see how she was doing. This was the worst time to be ill, and her body had always been so susceptible to ailments; now with a baby…
Tyler bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
His eyes flickered to the equipment methodically, making sure it set up right. Not that he doubted the hospital staff's ability (even though this wasn't his floor) but Rowan was his sister.
Reid was wondering if his best friend was seeing anything abnormal. It was all Greek to him. Their eyes met for a brief moment. Before they could speak, Evelyn came in.
"Baby," she crooned, brushing back her daughter's raven hair lovingly. "How are you feeling?"
"The doctor said I have something," Rowan replied.
"A tentative diagnosis," Tyler interjected.
"Yeah, babe, don't think about that. Just get some rest." Reid wasn't letting her hand go.
"Reid?" Evelyn inquired.
She had to admit that she had been wrong about Reid Garwin. Initially opposed to him marrying her daughter, tagging him to be frivolous with his Power, she did not want Rowan to be at the mercy of it. But Reid proved to be everything he said he would be to Rowan and much more.
"Okay." Reid kissed her again. "I'll be back soon."
Tyler walked Reid out. When they were in a different hallway, Reid stopped Tyler by the shoulder, eyes serious. "Don't lie to me, Tyler. Row's regular doctor wasn't on call when we got in, and that sub was dicking around with me. So, how serious is this preeclampsia thing?"
Tyler sighed. He moved Reid off to the side to two vacant chairs. "I'm not an expert on this-"
"Give me a run down."
"There's a mild and a severe form of preeclampsia. It's diagnosed by high blood pressure and proteinuria." At Reid's confusion of the last word, he said, "It's protein in the urine. Usually three-hundred milligrams or more in a twenty-four hour period. The doctor will likely have Rowan give a urine sample."
"What's the severe form?" Reid asked, already not liking where this was going.
He frowned.
"Don't sugarcoat it, Tyler," Reid demanded.
The fact that Reid wasn't calling him 'Baby Boy' indicated just how serious he was. Not that Tyler thought Reid would be anything less than serious when it came to Rowan's health. So, Dr. Simms told Reid some of the indications of severe preeclampsia. Impaired liver function, chronic abdominal pain, pulmonary edema, visual disturbances.
"The doctor can tell you more," Tyler said, feeling woefully inadequate in his inability to soothe his brother's fractured nerves. "Nothing's definite yet, Reid. Row's only, what, fourteen weeks? It takes at least five months to be positive."
The blond ran a hand down a weary face. He was telling himself to stay positive. On their first official prenatal visit on the tenth week, the baby and Rowan were okay. They'd gotten some printouts of the ultrasound, Rowan started a photo album. Yes, her blood pressure had been high, but nothing to cause the pulling of one's hair out.
"Reid?" Tyler said, seeing his friend had drifted off to someplace that likely contained some not-so-positive thinking.
"Yeah. Sure. Right." He sighed. "Nothing's positive."
xx
Protein in the urine was not abnormal but not average. The hypertension needed to be watched carefully though. The doctor said Rowan needed to gain more weight. At three and a half months she barely showed. Although to Rowan the change was noticeable (faintly), it being her body and all. She got to go home three days later. She was prescribed medicine for the hypertension, and she began to follow a pregnancy diet, as she called it.
When they got home Rowan went to rest. Naturally the family arrived for visitation, and Evelyn stayed at their place for a few days. Reid looked up some books about preeclampsia on the Internet before going to the bookstore to buy them. He also did research about it from various websites. A lot of what he read was enough to make him think that it'd be better (or safer) if Rowan wasn't pregnant. But then he would find her measuring her tummy, knitting booties for the baby, and those dark thoughts would flow to the back of his mind.
xx
The night after Evelyn left Reid woke up in a huge bed with only him in it. He glanced at the clock, it was a little passed two. The bathroom light was off so Rowan wasn't having a problem in that department. But he didn't like her being about in the middle of the night. Was he being too clingy? Reid wasn't going to contemplate that now.
Clad only in boxers he got out of bed, left the room. Across the hall and two doors down, the light was on. They used it as a spare bedroom. Rowan was standing in the middle of it, looking around the room.
"Row?"
She turned and smiled at him. "I was thinking about this room for the baby. We can paint the walls."
Reid embraced her from behind. In her camisole top he could see the little bump that was forming where her flat stomach used to be. He put one hand over it thinking soon he'd feel his son kick. Rowan put her smaller hand over his, her wedding ring catching the light like a beacon. He sighed in the nape of her neck.
"Are you growing a beard?" she asked.
"Yeah." It was just bristly now, but his hair was so fine it had to catch the sunlight for you to see it.
Rowan turned around, stroked his chin. "I like it."
The top of her head barely reached his shoulder, and her fingers lightly touched his chest, content to be in his arms. Over her head he could see out the window, just a sliver of the moon lit the night, not enough for him to see anything clearly. The only thing clear to him was Rowan, here, now.
She peeked up at him, taking his head in her hands, bringing it down for a kiss.
"We're going to be okay," she said, touching his lips gently with her index finger, which he kissed.
I'm trying to keep the dates as accurate as possible, if only for clarity. LOL. Mind boggling really.
I got my info about preeclampsia from various websites, and I'm certainly no expert, so if something is off, my apologies.
Thanks for all the continued reading and/or reviewing. Always appreciated. :)