"Guardian Quackford, can you pass me some pizza?" Eddie teased.
"Get it yourself," Mason snapped, making an obscene hand gesture.
I rolled my eyes at Dimitri.
"Will you two give it a rest? You're bickering like children, and it's bothering Roza" he barked, his rich baritone voice filled with authority.
"Yes Guardian Belikov," they said almost in unison. Although they were both now Guardians themselves, I knew a part of Mase and Eddie would always be a little frightened and a lot in awe of my Russian God.
Dimitri nodded giving them both a look.
"More pizza, milaya?" he asked tenderly, standing beside the boxes and reaching across for my plate.
"Yep. Pepperoni please Comrade," I said rubbing my bump. Junior had been going nuts all afternoon. I think it was the petit fours, scones, cupcakes, and cake I'd consumed at the baby shower. That much sugar had to be doing something!
"Oh my God, Rose," Mason said looking at my belly as Junior kicked. "Is something trying to claw its way out of your stomach?" he asked, referencing one of his favorite science fiction movies.
"Yeah, it's pretty full on," I laughed, putting my plate on the arm of the sofa and grabbing a throw. I pulled it over my legs and under my dress to cover my panties and the lower part of my bump before pulling my dress up so they could see my tummy.
"Wow!" Eddie said in awe as they could see my whole stomach undulate as Junior moved inside of me.
"That has got to hurt," Mason groaned looking at me in horror.
"It's not pain, more like my stomach decided to stand up, walk around the inside of my abdomen and sit on the other side of my body for a while."
Eddie looked fascinated. Mason looked like he wanted to hurl.
"Does that happen often?" he gasped.
"Kicks? Yep, all the time. Moving like that? Not as much, especially lately. Olena says the baby is starting to get into position."
"You must be excited?" Eddie said.
"Yeah. And fucking terrified," I stated with a shaky laugh.
"Roza!" Dimitri admonished, giving me a look.
"Sorry Comrade," I said immediately contrite. "Dimitri is trying to cure me of my potty mouth before the baby arrives!"
"I don't want the baby's first word to be profanity," he explained.
"You'll have to curb your tongue in Russian, too Comrade," I reminded him.
"I don't swear in Russian… that much."
"You are such a liar!" I said, hurling a cushion at my man, which he easily batted away. "I asked your Babushka about some of the words I've heard you use, and your Mama was furious. I think she wants to speak with you about it tomorrow!"
"You didn't? Roza!" he grumbled. "I'm going to be in so much trouble now!"
"No, I didn't. But if you don't teach me Russian curse words I might have to," I threatened with a huge grin. Ha – I'd be able to wheedle anything out of him, now I knew how frightened he was of his Mama.
Eddie and Mason were watching our exchange with amusement.
"You two are funny," Mason observed with a smile. It was nice to have my friend back, with none of the romantic bullshit complicating matters. While he never mentioned the issue after he found out I was pregnant, I suspected if I'd said the word, he would still have been keen. But from the moment he knew it was Dimitri who'd claimed my heart, he'd given me up. "Are you going to call Lissa?" Mason asked anxiously.
"I will," I promised. "I'll text her now because she'll just be waking up. I'll say thanks and promise to call her tomorrow night."
"Please do," Eddie said, suddenly serious. "She's had a rough time. Court is bigger and scarier than she'd imagined. Everyone seems to have an agenda, and she's not sure who she can trust. Christian's been hard work, although he's starting to come good now. She misses you a lot and regrets the things she said," he confided. "She had a big breakdown the other night watching some Disney movie and spent the whole night crying that she'd missed your entire pregnancy and didn't want to call you in case you were still angry."
I nodded, grabbing my phone as Dimitri tossed it to me.
Hey Lissa – thanks for the baby shower presents – the nightclothes as well as Eddie and Mason. I'm so grateful they could make it, although I wish you could have come too. They explained about the party and Queen T, and I get it. Baby shower was awesome. Stan MCd and he was a real comedian! Had a ball. Am exhausted now – third trimester sucks in terms of energy levels. Will call tomorrow. Miss you, Rose. P.S. Dimitri said thanks for the cigars and vodka, too!
"Did you punctuate that text?" Mason asked, peering over my shoulder.
"Yes. And unless you want complaints from Lissa you'll learn to do likewise. Although if you really want to piss her off, text 'wassup?' She hates that!"
"Yeah, can't see that happening," Eddie chuckled.
We chatted until 9 pm when I could barely keep my eyes open. In fact, I must have drifted off, because I woke when Dimitri lifted me from the sofa and carried me into our room.
"Where are the guys?" I mumbled. "I want to say goodbye!"
"They're not leaving until tomorrow, and since I know you want to spend as much time as you can with them, I've put them in the other bedroom here," Dimitri assured me.
Satisfied they weren't going to leave without me seeing them I allowed Dimitri to put me on the bed, stripping me of my clothes and covering me with a sheet.
"I love you, Roza. I want to give you the world," he crooned into my hair as he curled his tall, manly body up hard against my curves.
"You gave me better," I told him, half asleep. "You gave me you."
I waddled to the bathroom the next morning to find it already occupied. Dimitri was still in our bed, so I knew it wasn't him.
"Unless you want a puddle of pee in front of this doorway hurry up," I growled through the door. I hadn't slept well last night; everything was aching. Around 3 am I'd woken with some weird niggling pains and even a tightening or two, but by 4 am they'd all but disappeared and I was glad I'd not woken Dimitri.
"Sorry Rose," Eddie said, emerging quickly.
After relieving myself, I flopped onto the sofa. I suddenly had the biggest craving for a bacon and egg muffin. Like the ones at McDonald's. Lissa and I occasionally had them for breakfast when we were on the run, and I really wanted one now. It didn't help the nearest store was a two-hour drive away.
"You look tired, Rose," Eddie said, looking at me critically.
"I am tired. I can't get comfortable anymore," I whined. "And I really really want a bacon and egg muffin!"
I felt Dimitri's warmth behind me before I saw him.
"Give me a minute, milaya. I'll get dressed and go get the ingredients and make you one," he offered, leaning over to drop a kiss on my head.
I turned and gave him a look.
"Sorry. I meant I'll make you three or four," he corrected, valiantly attempting to keep the look of amusement from his face.
Mason emerged a few minutes later and sat talking with Eddie and me while Dimitri went on an ingredient run to the kitchens. Twenty minutes later I was on my fourth muffin smiling in satisfaction.
"What time are you two leaving?" I asked.
"We have another four hours," Mason said. "What do you want to do?"
"Don't know, any ideas?" I asked.
"I wouldn't mind checking out the Mazur Guardians train," Mason said casually, but I noticed the way Eddie brightened at the prospect, too. "But only if you feel like it, Rose?"
"Are you guys training today?" I asked Dimitri.
"Yes. In fact, I'm going to be late if I don't hurry. We're in the gym sparring today."
Eddie and Mason were almost bouncing on their seats in excitement.
"Get ready and go – the three of you," I laughed. "I need to have a shower and make myself decent. I'll join you in half an hour."
Mase and Eddie looked like their Christmases had come at once. Private Guardians had the reputation of being a cut above the rest, and I knew they wanted to see if the accolades were deserved. In no time the three of them were in sweats and off to the gym. Relishing the peace and quiet, I stripped and climbed into the shower. It was pleasant to spend a few minutes alone.
It had been a while since I'd spoken with Janine; not since a week or so before we'd come to the Academy, so I gave her a call. As anticipated I'd caught her at the end of her working day about to go to sleep. I explained I had her on speaker as I wandered around the room getting dressed.
"So how was your baby shower?" she asked.
My heart sunk a little. I guess I'd hoped she hadn't known, not hadn't wanted to come.
"Yeah, it was good. Alto MCd and he was good. He kept cracking jokes that were almost rude but not quite. He ran this silly game called 'find the nipple' and it was like apple bobbing but for silicone teats from baby bottles. I thought Alberta was going to have a fit when Stan announced it, but it was funny. And Eddie and Mason came across from Court which was wonderful!"
I stopped short when I realized she probably didn't know my closest male friends were Mason and Eddie. She knew about Lissa because of the running away, and also in the early years, they'd contact her every time Rhea Dragomir had wanted to take us girls off campus. After the third or fourth time, Janine signed a blanket release authorizing Alberta to make those sort of decisions on her behalf.
"I'm glad you had a good time. I would have liked to come, but I was rostered to work a Royal function, and I couldn't get a fill in at such late notice. I saw Lissa there; she was disappointed to have missed it, too."
"Never mind, it was just an excuse for a bit of fun. Did you see Christian?"
"Yes, I did. He sought me out at the start of the evening to apologize for Tasha and to let me know he understood I was only doing my job. I told him no apology was necessary, but it was nice of him to make the effort. It's the first time I've killed anyone that wasn't Strigoi, and while I know it was the right thing to do, I've still struggled with it. It's easier killing a soulless being."
I was surprised to hear Janine sounding so affected by what had happened. I guess sometimes even I bought into her persona as a living Guardian legend and forgot she still had the same feelings and self-doubts as the rest of us.
"So how is Dimitri's mother?" Janine asked curiously, but I could hear a funny note in her voice.
"She's lovely! His grandmother is here, too. She's a cranky old bat, but she's also pretty cool. Olena's kind of a midwife, so she's been telling me what to expect. No one else here has had a baby, so they lack the practical pointers," I joked, keeping Celeste's confidence by not mentioning her assistance. "It's nice to talk to someone who knows about these things, 'cos I'm clueless!"
"You'll learn fast enough," Janine said with a sigh. "I have a present here for the baby," she said more enthusiastically. "It's not much. I thought I'd hold onto it for when you come home? Lord Szelsky has decided to winter at Court, so I'll be around into the New Year," she explained. "I thought I could maybe come out to the house sometimes and help out a bit? Things have a way of getting away from you when there's a little one in the house. Although you'll have Dimitri to help you of course…" she trailed off.
"I'm sure I'll appreciate the company," I said quickly. "If only to have another woman around. Living with seven guys is an adventure," I laughed. "Hey, Dimitri and I thought if you're free for Christmas you might like to come for a meal? I mean – you'll see our place before then, but we're planning a big Christmas this year as it will be the baby's first."
"Who will be there?" she asked cautiously.
"Um, still working on it, but at a guess; Lissa, Christian, Eddie, Mason, Abe, Pavel, Celeste Matthews from St. Vlad's, Art Schoenberg and Alberta. Plus us of course. I know it might be hard to get leave, or you might have other people you want to spend Christmas with, but if you can manage it we'd love to see you," I said lightly, leaving the ball in her court.
We talked for a little longer. Just work and court stuff. We were signing off when Janine said, "Rose? Please get Dimitri to call or text me when you go into labor. I want to know."
"Shall do," I promised.
I slipped on my shoes and walked across to Olena and Yeva's unit, checking whether they'd like to observe the sparring. Yeva wanted to, so the three of us walked across to the gym. Opening the outer doors the smell hit me and I immediately smiled. Even now, the smell of varnish and sweat, the leather of the medicine balls, the vinyl covered gym mats and the faint scent of damp from the change rooms combined to remind me of Dimitri and I falling in love.
He was standing to one side with the commander from Turkey, discussing and making notes about a fight between two of the Guardians from other locations. His back was to me, but I still enjoyed the view; especially the way his gym pants hung from his hips. Very sexy!
I sat on the side watching the fight myself. They were good, but not as good as Dimitri. But who was? After a few minutes, I hauled myself to my feet, wobbling my way across to where Dimitri was standing.
"The short guy has a problem with his left foot," I said softly. "It turns slightly. He needs to strengthen that."
Dimitri smiled, watching the shorter opponent for a minute or two.
"Good pickup, milaya," he complimented. "I didn't notice that."
After that I walked from fight to fight with Dimitri and the other commander, listening to their commentary and occasionally adding an observation of my own.
"You have an eye for this," the commander from Istanbul complimented.
"I get to do a lot of watching these days," I explained a little sadly.
"Not long now," Dimitri said positively, standing behind me and cuddling me while we watched the fights.
Eddie and Mason were joining in, winning a few of their fights, losing others. They were both good, but Eddie showed particular promise.
"He has real talent," the other commander observed.
"He was top of our graduating year," I said proudly.
"Equal top," Dimitri clarified. "He tied with Rose, even though she was pregnant. Eddie's good, but Rose was always better."
"Then you must have been magnificent indeed," the Turkish Guardian admired.
"She could take me down," Dimitri proudly declared. "I can't wait until she's back into training. She's going to be even more phenomenal."
"Is there any point?" he asked in confusion. "She will be caring for her child, not killing Strigoi."
I immediately tensed, narrowing my eyes at the foreign Guardian. I was probably about to saying something extraordinarily rude when Dimitri chuckled, gently rubbing my shoulders.
"If anyone can do both it's Rose. Besides – I, too, will be caring for our child, and I haven't caught anyone questioning my ability to parent and kill Strigoi," Dimitri pointed out loyally, staring the other man down.
"Of course," he deferred, appreciating he'd caused offense.
I stomped off to sit beside Olena, grumbling about stupid men. I knew the only reason I was so irritated was because he'd said the very thing I'd worried about myself. I hated the way our society was so polarized; female Dhampirs were Guardians or mothers but rarely both.
"You never trained as a Guardian, did you Olena?" I asked curiously.
"No. I always wanted a family," she replied, watching her son with undisguised pride.
"It doesn't have to be one or the other," Yeva barked at her daughter. "I was a Guardian for eight years before I retired to have you."
"Did you miss it?" I asked Yeva.
"I did. It took me a long time to accept that part of my life was over," she said, looking at me deliberately. "I tried to return when Olena was school aged, but that was when the Guardian shortage was only starting. No one thought it worth the investment of taking the chance on retraining a female Guardian – especially one with a child. It always seemed so stupid to me. There were trained female Dhampir who'd love the chance to work and provide a stable home for their child or children, and Moroi families were living outside wards going unguarded because of a lack of a Guardian. Most female Guardians had to choose between their career and having a family because unless you had a lot of support, there was no going back once you had kids."
I looked at the older woman, her words resonating with me. She had a point. The only reason I had any shot at returning to work as a Guardian was because I had a supportive partner and a secure home. I could afford to take the time to get back to form without worrying about keeping a roof over my head or food on the table. Sure, I might never go on the most daring raids or missions as a Guardian, but I did hope to work and contribute. There must be heaps of Dhampir mothers who felt the same way.
I was brought out of my reverie by another tightening. I mentioned it to Olena who had her hand straight onto my belly.
"Not a contraction," she responded to my fearful look, "but you're getting closer. I think those people at your baby shower who bet you'd be overdue are going to be disappointed."
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I was so ready for this baby to be out and give me my body back, but I still didn't feel ready to be a mother, and I said as much to Olena.
"I felt the same way before I had Karolina, and Karolina felt the same way before Paul," she confided. "No amount of anyone else telling you about it can prepare you for becoming a mother. You should talk to Dimka about it. He's worried too."
"He thinks I can't do it?" I moaned, misunderstanding her.
"No – he worries about being a Papa. He's always had such high standards for himself, but he has no role models for being a father."
She had a point. If there were hardly any Guardians who were mothers, there were even less who were fathers. It was kind of heartening but also terrifying to think Dimitri was every bit as clueless about this as I was.
I continued to watch the sparring until it was time for Eddie and Mason to leave to return to Court. We went via the cafeteria to collect sandwiches for the plane, and then Dimitri and I drove them to the runway.
"Next time I see you, you'll be a mother," Mason said giving me a long hug.
"That I will be," I joked nervously.
"Good luck, Rose. We'll be thinking of you," Eddie said also hugging me before shaking Dimitri's hand and climbing onto the plane.
The Guardians had stopped for lunch while we were dropping the guys to the runway, so we returned to the cafeteria and after collecting our food made our way to a table in the corner of the commons. I wanted Dimitri alone for a moment so I could float an idea past him.
"Dimitri?" I started tentatively.
"Milaya?"
"I think I'm going to need to find a mothers' group or playgroup or something like that when Junior arrives. It's not that I don't like spending time with you guys or anything, but I think I might want to spend time with other women sometimes – especially other mothers."
"I'm sure there must be something at Court?" he replied encouragingly without thinking too much about it.
"Yeah, but that will be filled with Moroi Moms, and you know the assumptions they'll make. And Alyce said Dhampir women around Court don't tend to do mothers' groups and all that. Because most of them are single and working, it's more about trading babysitting than hanging out. I was thinking of seeing if there's anything in the human world? They won't question Junior's paternity, and there'll be no issue about two Dhampir being together."
Dimitri looked at me thoughtfully.
"That might not be such a bad idea. How would you explain how we live?"
"I'd tell them the truth – or a variation of it. I'd say you're the head bodyguard and location overseer for a rich eccentric man who visits the main house for a few months each year. One look at Abe and they'll completely buy it," I joked, referring to Abe's appalling dress sense.
"I think it's a good idea. You're right – you need to be around other women who are going through the same sorts of things you are," he acknowledged. "I'm sorry I hadn't thought of it before. Because Baia has so many Dhampir mothers, Karo already had that support network, I suppose."
"I thought it might be a support for you, too? You don't know any young Dads," I pointed out. "I thought if I became friendly with some of the Moms maybe you might get to know their partners?"
He nodded looking thoughtful.
"That would be good, too," he said gazing at me shyly. I leaned up and kissed my Russian God. Junior and I were very lucky.
The next week at St. Vladimir's passed much the same as the one before it. Dimitri training, me spending time with Olena, Yeva, Celeste, Alberta, and Abe. I was still getting lots of tightenings, several causing panicked trips to Dr. Olendzki, but at thirty-nine weeks two days, the baby was still there wreaking havoc on my bladder.
My trips to the toilet now seemed almost constant, as was unrelenting lower back pain. And I was so bad tempered I found myself avoiding people. After two days of hiding, I decided to visit Celeste. She was the most recent person to go through this – maybe she had some ideas how to cope with the last week? She wasn't in the cafeteria, and the smell of fried food there was making me queasy, so I waddled across the grass and up the stairs towards her room. The stairs I used to run up and down without concern were now exhausting me. I had to stop at each half landing and rest to catch my breath, ignoring the pains from my bump. Finally, on the third floor, I made my way to Celeste's door and knocked.
No answer. I knocked again before I felt a very sharp very distinct pain in my lower stomach. A contraction. Now I'd felt one; there was absolutely no mistaking it. I gripped the doorframe and breathed my way through it, reaching into my pocket for the phone I'd left charging on the bench in the unit. I stood there for a moment cursing my stupidity. Walking slowly back towards the stairs, I only made it twenty yards before a second stronger contraction hit. That's when I started to panic. The books said it could be hours before contractions came close, but this had been only a few minutes.
"Help," I called out weakly in the deserted hallway. It was 10 am, and since the campus ran on human time over summer, pretty much every Guardian was going to be out doing something. My only hope was the sleeping Guardians. Because there were still Guardians rostered overnight, there should be someone here sleeping now.
"HELP!" I bellowed this time, gripping onto the wall. I felt a little dizzy and like I wanted to throw up.
I heard movement, then a door three in front of me opened to reveal a very irritated looking Stan Alto in pajamas.
"Stan! I think I'm having contractions and they're really close," I moaned trying very hard not to freak out.
"Ok. Give me a moment," he said ducking back into his room and emerging again moments later in shorts and TShirt, clutching a cell phone.
He walked over to me, putting one arm around my waist and encouraging me to lean on him. We started walking towards the stairs, and I was almost down the first flight when another contraction hit.
"Put your arms around my neck; I'll take your weight" he instructed gently, putting his hands on my hips and helping me rock my hips from side to side. It was like the oddest slow dance ever, but it helped a little. He was watching my face carefully and could tell when it was over.
"Let's get you over to the infirmary," he said kindly, putting his arm back around my waist and helping me down the stairs. We were at the foot when the next contraction struck, and we resumed our odd dancing position. I was still groaning and rocking from side to side when Alberta and Celeste rounded the corner, stopping in their tracks when they saw what no doubt looked like Stan and I embracing.
"Thank goodness," he said looking up at them. "Rose has gone into labor. She's having contractions every two minutes or so. She can still breathe through them, but they're close," he explained.
Alberta sprung into action, coming to support my other side although when I wasn't having contractions, I could walk fine provided there were no stairs.
"I didn't think Stan was your chosen birthing partner," Celeste teased, trying to distract me.
"I was up there looking for you when I had a contraction," I grumbled.
"Yeah yeah," she teased, getting out her phone and ringing Dr. Olendzki. "Do you want me to call Dimitri?" she checked.
"No. I don't want to bother him if it's another false alarm or she sends me back to the unit," I said. "I'll wait to be examined."
We made it as far as the infirmary doors before the next contraction hit, and again I leaned on Stan and rocked my hips.
"You're good at that," Celeste said, giving Stan a wink.
"Four sisters," he explained. "I've helped through early labor a few times."
Dr. Olendzki caught the tail end of it and said it looked like the real deal this time. She helped me through to the room where my things were already waiting. That was another benefit of staying on campus – no mad dash to the hospital and no waiting. Everything was here and setup.
"Everyone out while I examine Rose," she instructed. I took off my panties and climbed onto the bed, preparing for an internal examination.
"Well done, Rose!" she exclaimed as she took off her gloves. "You're already almost five centimeters dilated. You must have been in early labor for a little while."
"Can you let Alberta in?" I asked once I'd made myself modest. I had a huge shirt of Dimitri's I intended to birth in, but I'd get into that once he arrived.
"Five centimeters!" I announced proudly when Alberta and Celeste came in. Stan was loitering near the door and quickly wished me luck before giving me a wave and leaving.
"Did you want me to call Dimitri?" Alberta asked, giving me a hug and a grin.
I nodded. He'd never forgive me if he missed anything, besides which, I wanted him here.
Alberta gave an evil laugh and picked up the phone on the bedside.
"Where are they today, Celeste?" she asked.
"The Mazur Guardians? Near the lake I think," she replied.
"I say a minute and a half," Alberta said thoughtfully.
"Nah, two minutes," Celeste replied with a devilish chuckle.
I looked back and forth between the two of them, not following their conversation. Pressing some buttons on the phone, I heard the familiar four tones over the PA which heralded the start of a non-urgent campus-wide announcement.
Looking at her watch, Alberta spoke into the handset, "Guardian Belikov – your attendance is required immediately at the infirmary. Repeat – Guardian Belikov, please attend the infirmary immediately. Guardians, students and staff - excepting emergencies, the infirmary is out of bounds until further notice."