Chapter 5: The Thaw
The next morning, Adalind woke up to an empty bed. She found Nick in the kitchen and he poured her a cup of decaf as soon as she walked in.
"I'm driving you to your doctor's appointment." he said. And they carried on as if nothing happened the night before. But as the day went on, Adalind started to notice a change in Nick. He seemed more relaxed; his step was lighter; and Adalind could have sworn that Nick smiled a half-smile when the ultrasound technician turned on the mic to broadcast the baby's heartbeat.
"Any day now," the technician smiled.
Thank goodness, thought Adalind. This child could not come soon enough. Her ankles were swollen and her back sore beyond belief. Rosalee had been brewing all these herbs that were supposed to help with the bloating, but Adalind was not convinced that they did anything. Nonetheless, it was sweet of Rosalee, so Adalind just kept taking whatever potion she was given even if it tasted like tar.
After the check-up, Nick and Adalind stopped by a diner for lunch.
"What do you think we'll be dealing with?" asked Adalind over a bite of her turkey sandwich.
"What do you mean?"
"The baby. A Hexenbeist-Grimm baby. So is he going to woge in front of a mirror and scare himself straight? Should we just sign him up for a psychotherapist now? I mean, how does the Grimm thing work? Are you born seeing wesen or what?"
Nick smiled a real smile. "I honestly don't know how it works. I didn't know I was one until Aunt Marie came to town."
"You didn't know you were a Grimm until a few years ago?"
"You were my first woge."
Adalind was surprised. It was strange and sweet, the way he said it. He whispered it, almost like he was making a confession. Like he was talking about a first kiss. And Adalind supposed her woge was a first kiss of sorts, one that initiated him into the whole new world of wesen and magic.
"Everyone's been after Diana the minute she was born. No actually, even before then," said Adalind through mouthfuls of turkey. "Will anyone want this new child? Will there be any reason for anyone to want this child?"
Nick retreated to his heavy pensiveness for a minute. "I don't know. We don't even know how he will turn out, if he will have any special powers that people will covet… But if they Royals regroup and want revenge, or want information on Diana, he may be a target. We may all be targets."
"But we don't know where Diana is." Tears were welling up in Adalind's eyes.
"They don't know we don't know where Diana is."
Adalind put the rest of her sandwich down and shoved the plate away. Whether or not this child was "special" in his own right, he would never be safe because he was Diana's half-brother. He would never be safe as the child of a Grimm who took down the commander of the Verrat and, as far as the royals know, the King. Adalind knew she had to protect this new baby. As she looked at the man across the table from her, she felt ever so grateful that she did not have to do this alone.