Life was going great with Dimitri and me. When we got back from our honeymoon, I wanted to start on the baby's room. Dimitri said he wanted to wait until I was further along in hopes that we would be able to decorate according to the baby's sex.
I was feeling so much better since we moved into the house. I had put on some weight, and my color was getting back to normal. For the first time since the tragic day, I felt alive that our world got turned upside down almost two years ago.
The morning sickness was still bad no matter what I did. When I got sick, Dimitri would head to the kitchen to get me some crackers to ease my stomach. Most of the time, that did the trick.
I hurled my guts out, all the while I still didn't look pregnant at all. I had been so underweight and sick that this baby was probably tiny too.
I just prayed that this pregnancy would not turn out like the last one. I never want to experience a loss like that again. I can still remember the day that I lost my baby. There was so much blood. I had so many hopes and dreams for the baby boy that was born sleeping. I blamed myself for the longest time that it was my fault that I lost him. After my thoughts cleared and my emotions settled, I realized that there was nothing that I could have done to save him. I must make sure I protect this child so I don't relive those hurtful memories ever again.
As a precaution, Demitri kept the doctors and nurses on the premises at all times. I had regular checkups to make sure that everything was going ok with the baby and me. I was still too early to tell much about the baby, but the sound of its heartbeat was music to my ears.
"Demitri was telling me that you were really sick today; any pain in your stomach?" he asked. "No, just the normal soreness of throwing up. I did dry heave a few times that made my ribs hurt," I reply.
"As long as there is no pain in your stomach and no signs of blood, then we shall wait to check the baby later," he says. "I think that is a good idea. I've already put on several pounds in the last few days," I tell him. "Call either the nurse or myself if you need anything. If that is all, I will head back to my quarters," he says. With a nod from Dimitri, the doctor leaves us.
I take a shower, then head back downstairs into the living room where Dimitri is watching tv. When I walk into the room, he stands, walking over to me with a smile.
He pulls me into his arms and crushes his lips to mine.
I deepen the kiss. I'm lost in his world that he takes me to when he kisses me like this. I will never tire of these kisses that he manages to surprise me when I'm not expecting it. He all of a sudden pulls away, leaving me wanting more. I find myself stumbling slightly in his arms. "I'm glad to see that you have missed me," he says as he grins at me.
He steps back, "sit, I want to tell you a story," he says as he motions for me to sit on a spot on the rug. He helps me sit down, then he walks over to the light. He flips the lights off, then reaches over into a basket on the tv stand. He switches on a flashlight. "Are you serious?" I ask, a little confused.
"Yes, I'm serious," he says as he holds the light under his face. I lean back, totally amused with Dimitri's big kid grin. He starts off with little stories that are amusing, then goes right into big ones.
As I'm getting all worked up, I get startled by the nurse who settles beside me on the floor. Dimitri doesn't even stop or miss a beat.
He continues, and now she's mesmerized as much as me. His stories are amazing. I can only imagine all the things he has seen all around the world.
Later I meet up with the nurse in the room Dimitri prepared for the birth of our child. I feel like I have walked right into a regular hospital when I step into this section of the house. Dimitri must have worked with the nurse and doctors to make sure everything was prepared for a home delivery. I slide into the bed as she gets ready to do her regular checkups.
Each week I go through a checkup. "Ok, all we are doing today is getting a look at the baby to see how much progress the baby has made," she tells me.
Dimitri settles in beside the bed in a chair. The nurse then walks over to a cart that has a monitor and other equipment on it. She pulls it to the side of the bed.
She places the wand on my belly, and the screen comes to life. The sound of the baby's heartbeat fills the room. I can see the baby move on the monitor screen.
I watch in amazement as I look at our baby. It's no longer a tiny dot but a little baby. The baby has got little hands and feet that move around. "I can't tell the sex of it yet, but everything looks good. The baby appears to be healthy. We won't be able to tell what kind of child it is until it's born," she explains. She then wipes my belly off, then puts all the stuff back on the medical cart. She pushes it back across the room.
She leaves Dimitri and me alone to enjoy our good news. "See, everything is good," he says as he rubs my belly. "It doesn't matter what it is. I will be a good mother to it no matter what happens. It's a part of you and me that makes it special," I say. "Did you feel that?" he asks with pure amazement in his eyes. "Yep, a little kick, I do believe. I still can't believe that there is a little baby in there," I say with a grin.
"I think I felt a little flutter today," I tell Dimitri when I find him in the living room.
"Can you feel it with your hand?" he asks. "Not yet, but it feels like little bubbles sometimes," I reply.
"I' can't wait to feel the baby move. I love how you are starting to show. Your belly is so cute," he says.
"The nurse said it would be only a few more weeks and we should be able to find out what the baby is," he says as his eyes light up with excitement.
"So what are we going to name the baby if it's a boy?" I ask him. "I was thinking about Jordon," he says. "What about a girl?" he asks. "I love the name, Annabell." "That's perfect," he replies.
The month passed by fast, my belly has grown bigger. My morning sickness was getting better, and Demitri was enjoying preparing for the arrival of our baby. "I went shopping today," Demitri says when he finds me in the living room.
"I'm excited too, I still don't want to risk going out no matter how much I would love to go with you to pick out baby things," I say as Dimitri reaches for my hands. "Don't worry, love, I will have everything ready before this baby comes," he says with a smile.
Once Demitri puts all the stuff in the baby's room, we walk outside to get some fresh air. "How do you feel today?" the doctor asks.
"I feel much better, the morning sickness has gotten better, and I feel like I have more energy," I explain. That's good. So far all your tests look good so far. I will need to get another blood sample from you later to make sure everything stays on track," he says before he leaves to go back into the house.
Dimitri rubs my belly as he talks to the baby in a voice that makes me laugh. He ignores my laughter as he continues to talk to the baby. "Mommy and Daddy can't wait to meet you," he says as he rubs my belly. I can feel the baby move under his hand, which makes Dimitri's eyes widen as he smiles down at my belly. To think that only a few months ago, he was a Nightwalker that was cursed, now he was going to be a dad, this still amazes me to this very day.
I never thought that I would ever get the chance to be his. In the beginning, we were forbidden to be together, and now we were getting ready to start a family of our own. I wish I could share this happiness with my family that I lost so long ago in times like these. I can only hope they are looking down at us to share our joy.
"I'm sure they are. Even your sister is excited to become an aunt. My aunt was telling me that she has set up to cure your sister and her boyfriend like they did with my uncle. They are willing to try," Dimitri says as he rubs my belly.
"Do you think everything will go ok?" I ask. "Yes, they know what they are doing. Just think, your sister will look younger than you when she turns back. You will look like the older sister, but in time she will start to age again," he explains.
"What if our baby is a Nightwalker?" I ask. "We will wait till it's older before we get the cure. Everything will be ok. We will wait till the baby is at least a toddler, then everything will be ok," Dimitri says in hopes to reassure me.
"I hope so. I don't want to lose this baby. I would rather it stay a Nightwalker than something happen to it," I tell Dimitri. Dimitri pulls me into his arms, wrapping his arms around my belly. "I would never put our child in danger," he reassures me.
We sat down in the back garden as we enjoy the cool breeze. Dimitri holds me in his arms as I wonder what future my baby will have. I wonder if it's a boy or a girl, will it look like Dimitri or me. My mind wanders back on the baby I lost a long time ago, my little boy that looked just like his daddy.
"No matter what the future holds, we will face it together," Dimitri tells me as he plays with my belly.
"Just a little longer, and the little one will be here," she says. I think your baby is going to be big with how fast your belly has grown. We will have to watch your diet closely and make sure you don't have any complications," she explains.
"So both of you have decided to wait on finding out the gender of the baby till it's born," she asks. "I think it's going to be a boy while Demitri is thinking a girl. I just want it to be healthy either way. I am rooting for a boy still," I reply as she feels my swollen belly. "Whatever this baby is, it's a strong one by the way it kicks," she says as she watches my stomach in fascination.
That evening Dimitri comes in wearing just his workout pants. He's covered in sweat when he pulls me into his arms. "Dimitri!" I scold with a playful grin. "I can't help myself every time I see you," he says as he leans over and rubs his nose against mine.
"Any day, my little one, we are so close to meeting you in person. Just one more month," he says as he rubs my belly. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would have seen the sensitive side of Dimitri back when we were at my other house. He was all tough, reserved, and always thinking about fighting. Now he's a totally different man. The man I fell in love with and fall deeper in love with every day.
"I will teach it to fight like me and to be prepared for anything. I want this child to grow up strong and will be able to protect itself from any danger that it may face. I will show this child unconditional love and guide it through life," he says as he continues to play with my belly. "What if it's a girl?" I ask in amusement. "Girls can fight too. If I remember correctly, someone asked me to teach them how to fight," he says as he looks up at me with a grin.
"I've been working on the baby's room in neutral colors, for now, but when it's born, the pink or blue is going to be everywhere, he says as he laughs his deep laugh. "I doubt it one bit," I say as I pull him into my arms.
