Chapter 30: Chapter 30 BABY, BELLY, BLOOD

Scarlet stretched her aching body as far as it would let her. She felt like her whole body was in knots and all she wanted to do was to untangle them one by one. She turned and was startled by Stephan’s piercing gaze. He didn’t blink even when she pushed herself up to sit. He stared at her as if he was afraid to blink like he was certain that she would vanish into thin air if she did.

All Scarlet wanted to do was to ease his mind at whatever had him in this state, but her bladder was in dire need of relief. Slowly she lowered her feet off the bed, but before her toes touched the smooth ruffled carpet, Stephan was at her side. With the greatest of ease, he lifted her in his arms and took her to the bathroom.

“Could you excuse me?” Scarlet asked once Stephan set her on her feet right before the toilet. She was nervous and his penetrating gaze was making her even more nervous.

“Why? You have relieved yourself in front of me countless times.” Stephan crossed his arm around his chest, and he looked more like a bodyguard than a husband.

“Because I don’t like the way you are staring at me and honestly you are making me very nervous.” Scarlet gently pushed him back towards the door.

“I just want to make sure you are alright.”

“It’s been two weeks since anything bad happened. And I’m growing bigger. I’m just using the bathroom and I do not need your help with that. Please just give me a second. You can stand on the other side of the door.” When she had successfully pushed him out of the bathroom she shut the door then leaned on it. Even with the thick wood between them, Scarlet could swear that she could still feel his eyes burning holes through her.

Scarlet decided to take a bath. The door wasn’t locked so Stephan could come in whenever he got more paranoid about her bathroom safety.

When the door opened she expected Stephan but it was Kayla who came through the door and she was relieved.

“Oh thank God. I thought you were the three-hundred-year-old sentinel. He was beginning to give me the creeps.” Scarlet scooped up a handful of bubbles and blew it into the air.

“He is just worried about you. He means well.” Kayla dumped a scoop of bubbles on her head.

“Well, he isn’t doing me much good. It’s as if he is waiting for something to happen.” She caressed her belly, “As if he was waiting for me to bleed again. This baby isn’t going anywhere. Not until it’s well and ready.”

“Are you telling me or the little one in there?” Kayla beamed at her.

“Both of you. All three of us.” Scarlet whispered. She wished that this baby could be more like SJ, she was able to tell what he was feeling. But with this pregnancy, she felt nothing.

“You are going to be fine. Scarlet, uh...” Kyla hesitated.

“What? What is it?”

“Stephan may have called for some help.”

“From who, the wizard of OZ. No one knows about this kind of pregnancy.” Scarlet laughed.

“Not exactly. He called Nikki.” Kayla squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for the angry words that were bound to be spewing out of Scarlet’s mouth. But when she said nothing she opened her eyes once more.

Scarlet was biting down on her jaw, evidently trying to hold back the words at the tip of her tongue. “Mmmmh.” Was the only sound she made.

“Scarlet, Susanna is coming too.” Kayla leaped back when Scarlet drove her fists down into the water sending droplets of water soaring into the air.

“No. No. That woman isn’t coming to my house so that she can tell me how to raise my babies. No. Not happening.” She climbed out of the bathroom and grabbed the towel nearest to her. When she tried to wrap it around her body she couldn’t, the mountain in front of her was making it impossible. She grabbed Stephan’s robe and it fit better.

“Where are you going?” Kayla followed the huffing pregnant woman as she moved towards the stairs. She wasn’t as fast as she used to be and Kayla was sure the weight of the pregnancy was dragging her behind.

“I am going to talk to my dear husband.” Scarlet hissed through clenched teeth.

“Stephan isn’t going to like seeing you out of bed.” she tried to block her but Scarlet walked around her.

Kayla tried to block her again and this time she only managed to infuriate her.

“You need to move. Now.”

“How about, I go get Stephan so that you can shout at him from the comfort of your bed.”

Scarlet was determined to confront Stephan but her body was begging her to sit down. She needed to get off her feet and pretending that Kayla’s argument was reasonable was better than admitting defeat because of her weak body.

“Ok, you do that.” she turned back and willed one leg in front of the other. She was not going to show how weak she felt giving her family more ammunition against her.

She crawled back to bed as her shallow breaths turned into pants.

“Scarlet, Scarlet.” She moaned to herself as she pulled the covers over her body. She thought of how odd it was that she was stronger when human than she was as a half immortal.

Her eyes were just about to flutter shut when Stephan breezed into the room. In one fluid movement, he was in the bed with her, holding her distorted body in his arms.

“I heard you wanted to talk to me. So talk.” He tightened his arms around her.

“I did. It’s about Nikki and that Susanna. I don’t want them in my house.” She yawned as her heavy eyelids began to shut once more.

Stephan remained silent, he knew that this was one debate they didn’t have to have. He had already won considering Scarlet’s body was working against her. It was an easy win, not fair but a win nevertheless.

“Do...do you hear me?” she struggled to get the words out.

“Uh-huh!” he rocked her side to side until he heard the little snore rasping from her lips. He laid her back on the bed and kissed her before he left.

“I’m guessing you are going to do the exact opposite of what she asked you,” Kayla said as she waited for him at the bottom of the stairs. She wasn’t a fan of Nikki but when it came to Scarlet she would compromise.

“Uh-huh.” He flashed her, a devilish grin as he echoed the same sound he used on Scarlet.

“She is going to be miffed when she wakes up.” Kayla chuckled.

“I think I can handle one tiny pregnant woman.” He took his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open. Scrolling down t Xavier’s name he pressed the call button.

“What happened?” Xavier answered. He was so used to something wrong happening that every time Stephan called him he expected it.

“Scarlet’s pregnant.”

“I heard congratulations. I’ll send you a box of cigars.”

“Could you send me Nikki or Susanna instead?” Stephan could almost hear Scarlet screaming at him when she discovers what he had done.

“How bad is it.” there was only one reason that Stephan would result in asking for help from the two people who had managed to annoy Scarlet.

“Bad, actually it’s crazy. We are flying blind here. Neither Solara nor Kayla can get a read on the baby and at times Scarlet can’t feel it. Worse of all, I can’t hear a thing when I put my ear against her belly.”

“Ok sure. I’ll talk to them and let you know.”

Stephan scrubbed his face and ran his fingers through his hair. He knew he was doing the right thing but he also knew how angry Scarlet would get.

“Now we wait.”

“Now we wait.” Kayla echoed.

“Where is mom?” SJ stood at the top of the stairs looking disheveled.

“Welcome back to the land of the living. Your mother is asleep.” Stephan put in. SJ had been guarding his mother through the nights. He was fortunate not to be there when she had an episode.

“Oh ok. I’m hungry.” He breezed into the kitchen and started piling food from the fridge onto the kitchen counter. “Aunt Kayla someone needs to go out grocery shopping.”

“I’m glad you volunteered, your father will give you the money.” She ran out to join her husband sitting by the pond.

“So how is mom doing?” SJ asked as he made a couple of sandwiches with the pizza.