In Dreams: Bleed Out

Necessary Trust

"I look like I stuffed half a watermelon under my shirt."  I complained, running my hand along the bump.

"I began to realize the difference when I noticed your shorts were definitely not going to button back up."  Cornelius laughed.

"This is not funny.  What if it hurts her?"  I frowned at my stomach.  Cornelius laughed again.

"I seriously doubt that it will.  All three of you look and sound much healthier than when I walked in that front door.  Now, if I were you, I'd go change clothes before you pop out of those shorts the rest of the way.  I'll take my jacket back, thank you.  I'm stepping out for a bit to eat myself.  I have a feeling my work's not nearly done yet."  Cornelius said with a smile, rolling down his shirt sleeves and walking briskly out the door with his suit jacket swinging over his shoulder.  He looked like a male model.  I plopped down in a chair for a moment and rubbed my stomach again.

"Girl, what kind of trouble are we in now?"  I sighed.  Listening to Alexandre's deep breathing helped calm me somewhat, so I eventually got up and changed my clothes.  I dug out some more of the maternity clothes Alexandre had bought with a sigh, and changed in the closet before walking out to the mirror to face the music.  Luckily, Alexandre had good taste and had found clothing that not only complimented my complexion, but shape as well.  I gasped as I looked at myself in the mirror, and had to regretfully admit that Cornelius was right.  I did look a lot better.

There was color in my skin and face again, and I looked healthy for the first time in ages.  The baby bump was larger too, but Alexandre's choice in clothing had emphasized the bump without drawing attention to it.  The jade green brought out the green in my eyes, which made them look like they were sparkling.  My lips and cheeks had filled out and I even had a light padding of fat, which I hadn't had since I got pregnant.

"Oh Alexandre."  I cried softly and felt the tears tickle down my face.  "Don't you die on me."  I sniffed and wiped my face angrily.  I could almost feel his arms around me, holding my stomach gently with that heartbreaking loving look in his eyes.  I ripped my gaze away from the mirror.

Walking back to 'Alexandre's room' as I was currently thinking of it in my head, I had a sudden idea and stepped into the library.  I knew I had the book here somewhere....  I searched through the fantasy books until I found 'The Hobbit'.  Although I had never considered having children, in the back of my mind, I had always thought if I did, this was one of the first books I wanted to share with them.  Probably because I always identified with Bilbo.  Or maybe I should say, I felt like an utter coward, but somehow lucked my way out of danger.

I walked quietly back to sit by Alexandre's side and began to read out loud from the book, hoping my voice would soothe both loves of my life, placing a hand on my stomach and smiling gently as the baby rolled.

"I'm glad you like it baby girl, it's one of my favorites."  I whispered.

"It's one of my favorites too."  Alexandre said from the gurney softly.

"Alexandre!"  I yelped, standing abruptly and dropping the book on the floor.  I dashed to his side and kissed him desperately.

"Look at you.  How long have I been out?"  He asked, dazed.  "I thought I told you to leave me..."  He scolded.  I sobbed and dropped my head to his chest.  He groaned lightly, but lifted a hand to stroke my hair.  "Don't cry, don't cry."  he soothed.  "Or at least look at me if you do.  I feel like I haven't seen your face in so long.  I didn't mean anything by it, I promise, I'm sorry."  His voice rumbled through his chest and I fought to get my emotions under control.  A sudden jerk from my abdomen startled both of us.  "What was that?"  Alexandre asked moving his arm and trying to crane his head around.

"Did you feel that through the table?"  I asked, lifting my head with a light watery grin.  He nodded, the jerk came again and I straightened with a weak laugh.  "I think she has the hiccups."  I said and grabbed Alexandre's hand to place on my stomach.  His eyes were riveted to my abdomen as the strange jerking sensation came again and I laughed a little louder this time.  She kicked and hiccuped again.  Alexandre had reached his other hand across the table to wrap around my stomach and looked at me with anguished eyes.

"How long was I asleep?"  He asked desperately.  I sighed.

"Would you believe it if I said just a few days?"  I answered.  Alexandre reached towards my face and I laid my cheek in his palm.  He traced my lip with his thumb.

"But you look so healthy and the baby has grown so much.  You're so beautiful Carys.  I wish that was the first thing I had said.  That and I love you."  I kissed his palm.

"It was your friend, Cornelius."  I hesitated and Alexandre's expression tumbled through a variety of emotions.

"He's here?"  He asked and I nodded.

"He saved you, said when he couldn't reach you by phone he got worried and came here to check on you."  I told him.  Alexandre harrumphed, then grimaced at the pain it caused.

"No, he would have come regardless.  Rare few things surprise him these days, but this..."  He caressed my midriff  "..he would want to see himself."  He said wryly.

"Should I have not trusted him?"  I asked with worry.  Alexandre sighed.

"Cornelius...has his own motives.  I can rarely guess what they are.  He is very old and new things excite him for a while and then he discards them for something newer."  Alexandre's voice sounded bitter.  "You said he helped?  How?"  So I gave him a quick rundown and Alexandre ground his teeth, clenching the bed-sheet.

"I do not appreciate him playing with your lives like that."  He growled.  "But I guess I do owe him thanks.  You've never looked healthier."  He brushed the back of his fingers along my cheek and collapsed back onto the table.

"It helped you out quite a bit too I see."  Cornelius said from the doorway.  I wanted to throw something at him.

"Damn!  Now I know where you get it from."  I cursed and Cornelius laughed.

"Did Alexandre tell you I'm also the one who got him interested in medicine?  In fact, I was the one who fixed his first break?"  Cornelius questioned.

"You mean re-broke it?"  Alexandre growled.  Cornelius shrugged.

"It was necessary.  It had healed incorrectly, you would have been crippled for life."  Corenlius replied and walked into the room.  He removed some of Alexandre's bandages and I saw the wounds had already begun to close.

"That's remarkable!"  I whispered, reaching out a hand to tentatively run a finger along a fresh scar.  Alexandre's breath caught in his chest and he grabbed my hand.  Cornelius eyed the interaction with interest.

"Yes, remarkable."  He observed.  "Now, Alexandre, I really hate to do this to you my boy, but I'm going to have to go back into your chest for some leftovers.  I want to do an x-ray first.  My senses are good, but I want to be sure.  You up for it?"  He asked and Alexandre grimaced, but nodded.

Alexandre tried to keep silent as we manipulated his body into position for the x-ray, but he couldn't stop the moaning from escaping anyway as he was rotated on his side by Cornelius.  Alexandre refused to let me help with the lifting part or even be in the room when they were running the x-ray.  Cornelius rolled his eyes almost as hard as I did.

"Ok, it's safe."  Cornelius called and I walked back in with my arms crossed above my stomach.  "Look how cute she is when she's furious."  Cornelius crooned to Alexandre, who gazed lovingly at me from the gurney while I stood in the doorway.  I snarled at Cornelius who laughed.

"Ah Alexandre, I wish you'd called me sooner, this one would have been such fun."  He sighed.  I bristled as he walked by me out the door with the x-ray paraphernalia to pause and run a finger along my stomach.  "Perhaps then you'd be carrying my child."  He taunted and I turned to snap at him but he was gone.

"Be careful Carys.  Cornelius can be unpredictable."  Alexandre said softly.  "And while I don't think he'll hurt you or the baby because he finds you of interest, he's much more powerful than you or I."

"Do you trust him?"  I questioned him abruptly.

"Yes..."  Alexandre hesitated.  "I trust him more than any other vampire I know, which is why I called on him for aid..."

"But you two have a history."  I commented  "And I'm guessing you guys were a little more than friends."  Alexandre looked away.

"Did he hurt you?"  I whispered softly.

"Physically?  Not anything I didn't ask for or consent to.  Emotionally, he broke me, but that was a long time ago."  Alexandre replied just as quietly.  I walked to the bedside and gripped his hand.