Chapter 51 ∣  Complications

-Eris

Even after speaking with Tamsin awhile back, the pains continued to worsen by the day. It was becoming unbearable at certain times and now was one of them. Maverick had brought a human doctor to visit today as I'd informed him of the pains I'd been feeling for a while now. They would come and go, usually when the baby was kicking or punching me, trying to free itself into this world even though I was about seven months along in relation to human pregnancy.

"Eris?" Maverick gently called me as I'd absentmindedly lost track of my thoughts, glancing to my right as he'd stopped alongside me at the top floor of the marble staircase. When I nodded back my response, a wave of dizziness passing over my momentarily as he helped me descend the stairs. He was worried about me, but I didn't think there was anything to worry about, understanding that there can be pain with pregnancies and I'm not a vampire so I can't conceal it.

We reached the bottom landing, Maverick guiding me through to the parlor doors. Even when he bought me a few books I wanted to read up on since I was bored, I found that there could be cramping and as my abdomen was constantly changing, the organs shifting to allow the growth of the fetus wasn't anything abnormal.

"You're cold and shaking," Maverick's lips were next to my ear as we moved past the doors. A shiver traveled down my spine when I saw a woman with short brown hair tied up into a bun, a bag she'd brought seated on one of the footstools. She wasn't the only one present, turning my head to the side, Zak and Arlynn were both standing on the opposite sides of the parlor doors, their stares following the two of us as we walked by.

"I'm just tired," I replied back, moving around the couches, and coming near where the woman stood. The woman was accompanied by Evicka and Annika, both of them sitting quietly in chairs next to one the woman was standing by. A sharp pain radiated down my spine and kept constant in my lower back, my teeth ground together as I allowed for the dull ache to settle deep into my muscles.

I hadn't gotten much sleep lately, my attempts to lighten any mood appeared to be useless as even Maverick could see right through me. Pretending to be strong isn't the same as having the strength of their kind, being able to skate by anything without so much as a scratch. There was a deep-seated fear that lurked within me, but I didn't want it to surface because then things I'd been thinking about would surface and I'd be left clinging onto the last strength I had left.

As we approached the woman, she offered a friendly smile while extended her hand, reaching for mine as she said, "My name is Lena," I outstretched my arm and shook her hand as she finished, "I'm happy to be of assistance."

I nodded lightly, almost like I was trapped in a trance as she motioned to an empty chair and smiled, "Please, take a seat so I can check your temperature and blood pressure."

Maverick helped lower me into one of the comfy chairs, relieving the pressure from standing, but at the same time, a sharp pain shot across my abdomen and I couldn't stop myself from grimacing in pain and letting out a low groan. He knelt down beside me, his fingertips grasping my chin as he tilted it toward him. His eyes met with mine and I almost lost it right there, the pain becoming too much when I finally whispered, "It hurts a lot..."

"I know sweetheart," Maverick's eyes looked me over, his features shifting a moment before his gaze returned to mine, "you're almost as pale as I am."

"Lena?" Evicka asked and Maverick's gaze lifted from mine, his touch leaving me. I followed his gaze and watched as Lena took a thermometer, my lips parting as she placed it under my tongue. After she'd done so, she took the cuff of the blood pressure machine and wrapped it securely around my upper arm. My heart rate increased when she pressed a button and it constricted slowly around my arm.

Maverick's touch returned when he took my free hand into his, his fingers interlacing with my own. My heart skipped a beat, hearing the final beep from the thermometer. Lena took it from between my lips and glanced down at the window reader before stating, "Your temperature's high..." she turned away while she wrote something down on a piece of paper, placing the thermometer down on the side table. When she returned back to me, she stated, "You have a fever of one hundred and one."

I didn't want to say anything, gripping Maverick's fingers with my own when the final beep sounded from the machine and the cuff released the pressure from around my upper arm. She removed it from my arm while looking to the machine, her movements slowing as she furrowed her brows. She set the cuff down, reaching for the pen, and making another note on the paper. When she had finished, she briefly glanced up at Evicka and Annika, a slight shake of her head not going unnoticed and that's when Maverick's own fingers applied pressure to my own.

Lena turned on her heels and moved back toward me. When she halted, I inhaled sharply the second she said, "Your blood pressure is also high giving me a reading of one hundred and sixty over one hundred. A normal reading would be anywhere from one twenty over eighty to one forty over ninety."

"What does that mean?" I asked shakily, finding my voice nowhere near what should have belonged to me. My heartbeat rose once again, watching the woman as she gazed between Maverick and myself. Time seemed to drag on forever in that one moment, waiting for her to tell me what this meant was the longest moment of my life.

She didn't answer me straight out. Instead, Lena asked, "Have you had any lower back pain?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Any nausea, vomiting, feeling like you have the flu?" She questioned and all I could do was nod when she continued asking, "Pressure in your pelvis? Do you think you might be having contractions? Since this is your first, it could be false labor..."

Maverick snapped his attention to Lena as he questioned, "False labor?"

Lena nodded and explained, "She could just be ill with reaching the final stages of her pregnancy however, sometimes figuring out exactly what is wrong is tricky with all the factors put into place."

"Factors?" Annika asked with concern, looking at Evicka with the same worry and anxiety she already held in her features.

Lena nodded once again and continued, "Vampire...I'm a human doctor and not necessarily traversed in the realm of supernatural births."

"I was fine with Evicka," Annika spoke from behind Lena.

"And the only reason I had any problems with Maverick was due to the blood magic control," Evicka nodded in agreement.

Just as Lena was about to speak, Locaine moved through the parlor doors and stated, "You were turned before giving birth," he pointed directly at Annika, "you weren't human my little hunter, nor have you ever been."

Behind Locaine was Lucca, both of them stepping slowly across the room toward where we all were residing. Lucca also noted, "Evie...you're a pureblood huntress, not anything close to being human. The only one who might have any insight would be Erebus' deceased beloved and not all cases are the same."

When the two halted their steps behind one of the couches, Lena took into consideration the information she'd been passed along and her question was directed at Locaine, "Can we speak with Erebus and find o-"

Blinding hot white pain shot through my abdomen and I didn't realize I was the one screaming, my senses shutting off. It was as if my hearing had tuned out, hearing the inhale and exhale of my sharp breathing was all I could focus on. Warm tears trailed down my cheeks as I doubled over in the most excruciating pain, I'd ever felt...nothing the demon had once done to me could compare to the feeling of almost being torn apart.

My hearing was returning, seeing Lena kneeling in front of me as she tilted my head back. One of her hands touched my forehead while the other gently pressed on my abdomen. Maverick was on his feet, walking toward the wall next to us and touching it lightly. Locaine and Lucca were attempting to hold back their beloveds, my eyes rolling to the back of my head for a moment as the room began to spin uncontrollably.

Through the sense of chaos, I could hear Maverick say not to anyone in particular, but to the wall itself, "Rook...let Lucette and Tamsin know..."

I didn't understand what he was saying, thinking he was the crazy one as I cried out for the second time, my eyelids snapping shut as my muscles tensed with such pain. The next time I opened my eyes, I wasn't in the chair any longer, I was in Maverick's arms. My eyelids were heavy as I glanced up and saw his face looking directly out in front of him, the determination he held wasn't as strong as I thought because I saw a single tear fall from his eyes before my own closed again.

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To Seduce a Mortal by K. A. Young and Laisha C. Gardner

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