As Angelica got a whiff of the food, her stomach revolted. The maid saw the look that crossed her face and removed the tray from her lap as Angelica reached over and heaved into the trash can that was placed next to the bed for her. When she was finished, she motioned the maid over to her.
No matter how nauseous the smell of the food made her, she was starving. She picked up the glass of ginger ale and drank it slowly as she picked up a saltine. Nibbling on that, she set the glass down and began on the bowl of chicken broth. The food and drink were gone in no time.
“Let’s see how that sits on your stomach for now.” Marie said as she dismissed the maid with the tray.
“Actually, what sounds wonderful is ice cream, pickles and watermelon.” Angelica said and her stomach rumbled in response. Marie and the maid gave each other a look she didn’t understand before the maid nodded and left the room. “What was that all about?” She asked as Marie came over and sat next to her on the edge of the bed.
“I don’t want to worry you, but I want to have the doctor come over and examine you, before I tell you what I suspect is wrong with you. Will you let me do that?” Marie asked her gently which made Angelica worry even more.
“Why? It’s probably something simple like a cold or the flu going around.” Angelica said, not wanting there to be anything else wrong with her. After everything they’d already endured, a serious illness was not something she could deal with at the moment.
“Please, just trust me okay? May I call the doctor and have him come over?” Marie asked her gently.
“Yeah, I guess so. I wish you’d tell me why though.” Angelica said, as she leaned against the fluffy pillows behind her. She yawned as she did so and her eyes got heavy.
“You take a nap while I go make the call. It might be a little while before he makes it over.” Marie said and then placed a kiss on Angelica’s forehead, before heading out of the room. Angelica’s eyes fluttered closed and she was asleep before she knew it.
A couple of hours later, she awoke to Thomas sitting on the edge of the bed stroking her face, a look of extreme worry on his face.
“Oh, hey honey, are you home early or did I sleep longer than I thought?” Angelica asked as she pushed herself up to more of a sitting position.
“I’ve been here for an hour or so. You’ve been asleep for a couple of hours though. My mom called and told me you were sick, so I finished what I was working on and came home. The doctor’s here to check you out but Mother won’t tell me why. Do you know why he’s here?” Thomas asked her, sounding even more worried than he looked.
“No, she wouldn’t tell me why she wanted him to examine me. Just to make her feel better, I agreed to it. I don’t want any of you worrying about me. I’ll be fine. I’m feeling better already.” She said as she reached up and tried to smooth out the lines of worry that upset her, on his face.
“Are you ready for him to come in and examine you?” Thomas asked her.
“Yeah, might as well get it over with so we can all get back to normal.” Angelica said with a smile on her face. Her smile eased his worry more than her words had. Kissing her briefly, he stood and headed to the door. Opening it, he stuck his head out and called the doctor in. When the doctor stepped into the room, Thomas made the introductions.
“Angelica, this is Dr. Brown. He’s been with our family for a very long time. He’ll take good care of you.” Thomas said as he directed a look of warning at the doctor.
“It is so lovely to meet you Angelica.” Dr. Brown said, stepping toward the bed. “If I have your permission, I’d like to examine you to find out why you were sick this morning.”
“That’ll be fine. It’s nice to meet you as well, although it would have been better under different circumstances.” Angelica said with a warm smile.
“Yes, I have to agree on that. Thomas, I am going to have to ask you to leave the room while I examine her. I will let you know as soon as her examination is finished and you can return.” Dr. Brown said and Thomas got fired up to argue with him.
“Thomas, I’ll be fine. Go and wait with your mom or something. I’m sure it won’t be long.” Angelica said in her most reassuring voice, even though she was shaking inside from fear there was more wrong with her than just a cold or the flu.
“Are you sure?” Thomas asked her and she could hear the overwhelming amount of love, protectiveness and worry he felt for her in the tone of his voice.
“Yes, everything will be fine.” Angelica said and smiled brilliantly at him before he nodded his head and left the room.
As soon as the door clicked shut behind Thomas, Dr. Brown began his examination by asking her a million questions, which only left her more and more confused as she answered him.
Chapter Twenty-One
The waiting was torture for Thomas as he paced back and forth in front of his mother, who tried repeatedly to get him to sit down and relax with her.
“How can I relax?” Thomas asked her in a frustrated voice.
“You’re going to have to. I’m sure she’s going to be fine.” Marie told him in a soothing, motherly voice.
“Then why did you insist on the doctor examining her?” Thomas asked her in a pleading voice.
“You’ll see soon enough, if my suspicions are correct. They should be finishing up anytime now.” She said with a sly smile on her face just a few seconds before the doctor appeared in the doorway.
“Thomas, will you come with me?” Dr. Brown asked him in a voice that gave nothing away. He had a great poker face as well, because Thomas could not get any idea of what was wrong with Angelica from the man. Nodding, he followed the doctor back to the room he shared with his precious Angelica, leaving his mother behind to wait even longer for the answer to her question.
They entered the room and Thomas immediately went to his mate and pulled her into his arms. She smiled brilliantly up at him which made him even more confused.
“What’s going on? Is everything alright? Are you okay?” Thomas asked her as he cupped her cheeks in his hands.
“She will be fine. It’s a good thing your mother suspected what she did and had me come over though. Would you like to tell him or would you like me to tell him?” Dr. Brown asked, looking past Thomas at Angelica.
“I’ll tell him. Please, go tell Marie what is going on and I’ll be fine.” Angelica said with a wide smile. Dr. Brown nodded his head and left the room, leaving Thomas even more confused than he was before.
“Angelica, what is going on?” Thomas asked cautiously.
“I’m pregnant.” She burst out once the door was closed and he could tell she was ecstatic, worried and confused all at the same time.
“You can’t be. Our race doesn’t work that way.” Thomas said with disbelief.
“Well, apparently we’re the exception because I am about three months pregnant. Dr. Brown wants me to come in for a prenatal examination in a couple of weeks and we can determine a more accurate time table, but there’s no doubt about it. I was sick with morning sickness earlier.” She told him with the biggest smile he’d ever seen on her face. It took a little while for it to sink in for him, but when he did, he couldn’t help himself, he pulled the covers off of her, lifted her up and twirled her around the room with the utter joy he was feeling shining from his eyes. He loved how she giggled as they turned around and around.
Marie knocked and entered as they were laughing and celebrating their joy.
“This is wonderful news. I am going to call your father and tell him to come home. We are going to have a feast tonight to celebrate.” She said and the couple agreed she had a wonderful idea. She turned and exited the room with a wide smile on her face as she started planning the elaborate meal she was going to have the staff prepare.
Carefully, Thomas laid Angelica back on the bed and tucked her back in, even though she kept objecting and telling him she felt fine.
After tucking her in, he took his shoes off and climbed into bed with her still fully dressed. Al
l he wanted to do was share this wondrous moment with her and make it last forever.
To Angelica’s great aggravation, everyone around her made her take it easy from that point on. They wouldn’t let her do anything besides sit or walk to the bathroom by herself. Marie insisted on the couple staying with them so Angelica would be cared for at all stages of her pregnancy, she also insisted on taking constant pictures throughout. It was enough to drive her completely batty, but she bit her tongue and only voiced her frustrations to Thomas.
Much to her dismay, he agreed that having his mother and their staff around to help her with everything was the best thing for her.
Then came the day of the ultrasound, Thomas insisted on going with her to the appointment so they could see their child together, for the first time. Over the moon with joy, he wanted to be so involved, Angelica couldn’t argue with him as they walked together across the massive yard to the medical building located on the same property, holding hands.
The nurse ushered them right in and gave her one of those backless medical gowns doctors’ offices and hospitals were so fond of using. Thomas stepped into the hall as Angelica changed and returned when she opened the door to let him know she was done. He was the perfect gentleman, making her so proud to have him as her mate and the father of her child.
Dr. Brown came rushing in with a nurse who set up the machine as he told Angelica what to expect. Angelica nodded her head in understanding and the appointment got under way.
The gel he used was just as cold as he’d warned her about, but the excitement of seeing the child growing inside of her overruled any discomfort it may have otherwise caused her. They watched the screen and, having never seen an ultrasound done before, had no idea what they were looking at so they waited for a minute for the doctor to explain it to them. When he moved the wand around on her stomach several times but didn’t say anything, Angelica became worried and looked at him.
There was an intense look of concentration on Dr. Brown’s face as he studied the screen. Seeming to come to a conclusion, he put the wand aside and looked up at the couple.
“What’s wrong doctor?” Thomas asked before Angelica could open her mouth. She could see the terror written all over his face and feel it coming off of him in waves.
“Relax, there is nothing wrong, but it is an unexpected development. Before I put the wand back and show you what’s going on in there, I thought you both should know you’re having twins.” Dr. Brown said and reserved his reaction until he saw theirs.
At first, all they could react with was shock and then reality set in.
“How is this possible?” Thomas asked him, his face a mask of confusion.
“All I can think of is these are the children of the prophecy.” Dr. Brown said and watched their reactions closely.
Angelica looked as if she wanted to cry, but he couldn’t tell if it was from joy or fear. Thomas just looked stunned.
“Do you want me to give you both a few minutes or would you like to continue?” Dr. Brown asked them cautiously.
“Please, continue. We’d like to know the sex of the child…I’m sorry, children.” Angelica told him, having to correct herself and adjust to the idea of having two babies instead of one, like they’d thought. She wasn’t even going to think of the possibility that they were the children of the prophecy, at least not yet.
Dr. Brown nodded his head as he squirted more gel on her stomach and used the wand to spread it around. He turned the sound up on the machine and they heard both heartbeats fill the room loudly, they couldn’t help but smile.
He moved the wand around and pointed out hands, heads, feet and then finally told them that they were having twin girls.
When the exam was finished, the doctor congratulated them as he and the nurse that had stayed in the room, left. Thomas stepped outside while Angelica changed back into her regular clothes so they could head back up to the house. He was even more worried now than he’d been before. After telling them their children might be the children meant to fulfill the prophecy for their race, he now understood Jerome’s last words to them with a dawning horror. He’d known back then and tried to tell them.
He shook his head to clear it as Angelica exited the exam room, headed over to the nurses’ station to schedule her next appointment and then they walked very quietly back to their room in the house. They were both trying to process the shocking news they’d just received.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Everyone was thrilled with the news of two babies. The preparations began with shopping trips and baby showers. There would be nothing either of these baby girls would want for, if it was up to Marie.
The closer it came to her having the babies, the more nervous Angelica got. She asked Marie over and over again about her experience giving birth, but was constantly told she would forget the pain and hard parts once she held those beautiful babies in her arms. Angelica doubted that, but couldn’t argue since she’d had no previous experience with anything like this.
When her water broke, she was extremely thankful Thomas was home at the time. He scooped her up in his arms and raced from the house down to the medical building, being very careful not to trip, stumble or fall in his haste.
Marie called down to the medical building to let the doctor know they were coming and Angelica’s water broke, before she and Jacob followed them down at a slower pace. They were thrilled at the impending birth of their granddaughters. It was more than they’d dared to hope for when they found out Angelica was a Lunarian, the same as their son.
Angelica was terrified as the nurse helped her change into a hospital gown, then get situated on the bed. The contractions started almost as soon as she was settled and shook her to her core. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined labor would be this painful. Thomas held her hand through it all and whispered encouraging words in her ear to help her through it.
Her labor went on for what felt like forever. At first the contractions were erratic, easing into an evenly timed pattern, which is what the doctor and nurses were waiting for. Angelica couldn’t wait until it was over. Thomas tried easing her pain through their connection but found it only worked on emotional pain, not physical.
He talked to her, trying to ease her agony with stories from his childhood and ones he’d heard over the years and thought were funny. Nothing helped and she was begging for them to give her pain medication to ease the torment. Thomas didn’t know what to do. He hated seeing her in such agony but at the same time, the doctor had urged against the pain killers because a small dose of it could get into the babies’ blood stream. He and Angelica had agreed not to use the pain killers, but if she was in so much pain she was demanding them, he wondered if he should give in and sign the paperwork for her to get what she needed.
Marie swept into the room with a smile on her face that seemed inappropriate to Thomas because of the pain Angelica was enduring.
“I need painkillers NOW!” Angelica screamed as another contraction hit her hard.
“Thomas, go get the doctor and get her the medicine she needs.” Marie said without pause as she moved over to the bed. “I’ll stay with her.”
“We’d agreed no painkillers Mom, because of their danger to the babies.” Thomas told his mother.
“Yeah well, that was before she knew how painful giving birth really is. Now, go get the doctor like I just told you and I’ll stay here with her.” Marie told him with the look she’d always given him when she meant business. Even though he was an adult now, it still had the power to make him do as he was told, because he didn’t want to find out what would happen if he didn’t. Turning, he rushed out of the room to find the doctor.
When he returned with Dr. Brown, Angelica was screaming with the pain from another contraction and his mother was crooning soothing words to her. His heart warmed to see how his mother had taken his mate under her wing and was helping her through this.
Before the doctor had a chance to give her the medication, she scr
eamed out she needed to push. Moving into position, the doctor did everything he had to for her to be ready. He pushed a button and called in the nurse to help him and she came running without hesitation. Thomas moved over to Angelica’s side and she latched onto his hand with a grip that would bend steel. He had to force himself not to wince from the pain of her grip.
He couldn’t believe how quickly the first of his daughters were born, it was a matter of minutes actually, and he had even more respect for both his mother and his mate, than he’d ever had before. As the doctor lifted his first daughter up for them to see, he fell instantly in love.
“Cora…” Angelica breathed out the name they’d decided on for their first daughter in awe.
“She’s beautiful.” Marie said but all Thomas could do was stare with wide eyes at the perfect little angel he and his mate had created. As Dr. Brown handed Cora off to the nurse, the contractions started up again for Angelica, reminding them they still had another daughter to bring into the world.
Dr. Brown turned back to Angelica and the two of them went back to work bringing his other daughter into the world. As he watched Viola being born, he knew he couldn’t possibly love his mate any more than he did in this very moment.
In a matter of minutes, Viola was born and held up for them to admire with love and adoration. Angelica flopped back onto the bed in exhaustion, but forced away how sleepy she was so she could hold her daughters for the very first time. Pride shone brightly from both of their eyes as the nurse handed first Cora and then Viola to Angelica, swaddled tightly in blankets.
“It’s them.” Thomas heard the nurse whisper into the doctor’s ear.
“It’s who?” Thomas demanded of the nurse.
“They’re the twins of the prophecy.” She said with a conflicted look in her eyes that set him on edge.
“And how exactly do you know that?” He demanded, moving into a protective position between them and his family.
“Do you know what day this is?” She asked him in an impatient voice.
“December 21st.” He said as if he didn’t know what the big deal was.
“Yes, the winter solstice. The prophecy states that twin girls born on the winter solstice to two Lunarian parents from her family line would fulfill it.” The nurse said, her voice becoming more and more fierce with each word she spoke. He didn’t like where she was going with this conversation or the menacing tone with which she spoke.