David’s breathing was soft and calm as I watched him. I wondered how powerful a Graeae Witch’s magic was, how long it would take to have him back. My rounded belly bounced, and I focused my attention on the movement under my shirt. It felt strange but natural to have a tiny person living inside me. I recalled what the witch, Deino, said about the fight not being over once the baby was born. It disquieted me when she mentioned war, as well.
Before, I would’ve kept what just happened to myself, tried to remedy it on my own. But this didn’t involve only me. It involved my family, who’d grown exponentially in the past few months. It involved David and my unborn child. It involved all of us.
“I’ll be right back,” I said to an unconscious David and kissed his forehead.
***
Snores came from the living room where I’d last seen Galilea and Galen. I poked my head in, and Galilea glanced at me. I wiggled my finger, motioning her to follow me. She rose from the sofa, and Galen let out a loud, snorting snore. I walked to the kitchen where I was sure Galen wouldn’t hear us.
“What’s up?” Galilea asked. “You need bigger underwear again?”
“Not yet,” I said. “But there are a few things I want to discuss with you. Specifically, with you.”
“Are we doing BFF secrets?” Galilea asked. I nodded. “You’ve got my attention.”
“Good,” I said. “You can’t be angry at me once I tell you the whole story.”
“I’m not liking this anymore.”
“Promise, or I won’t tell you.”
“Okay.”
I raised my index finger. “Say it.”
Galilea rolled her eyes. “I promise I won’t be mad at you. What’s the big secret?”
“Well,” I said, “About an hour ago… No, wait. Let me start over.” I put my thoughts in order. “I have reason to believe the demon attacks won’t stop after the baby’s born.”
“And what makes you think that?”
“A witch told me.”
“Have you been calling those psychic hotlines?”
“No, I said a witch, not a psychic. You know, like a Graeae Witch. One named Deino.”
Galilea gaped at me. “Graeae Witches are bad news, Isis. Where did you see Deino?”
“Upstairs.” I paused for a second to look over my shoulder, making sure we were alone. “Eros brought her.”
“Eros and a Graeae Witch, together?” Galilea shrieked. “Oh, crap balls.” Galilea breathed heavily. “What—were they doing here?”
“So this is the part where you can’t get angry at me, okay?” I winced at the snarling-animal look she was giving me. “Galilea, please don’t be mad.”
“Yeah. Don’t count on it. Keep going.”
“So about a month ago, Eros appeared in David’s room. He told me I could call on him if I needed anything. I told him to bring David back to me, which I knew he couldn’t do. Today, he showed up with this very scary-looking witch with no eyes. He said he’d made a deal with her. Deino did something—a spell—to make David wake from the coma. Eros told me to be patient, and David would soon return to me. Then the witch told me about the demon attacks. She also said there’ll be a war soon.”
“Okay, so… But during any of this, you didn’t make a deal with either of them, did you?”
“No.” I shook my head. “God, no.”
“Thank Deus. I can breathe now.” She relaxed her shoulders. “You know we have to tell the others, right?”
“Yes, but I was hoping we could omit certain parts, like the ones involving Eros.”
“So basically everything.” She pursed her lips. “Why would you want to do that?”
“If I tell them Eros has been coming around, and, all this time, I’ve kept it a secret, what’s their first thought going to be? That I’m fooling around with Eros while David is fighting for his life on a damned hospital bed.”
“I see your point.” She tapped her finger on her chin. “But on the other hand, we could explain what’s happening.”
“Galilea, I don’t want them to know what Eros feels for me. I’m not comfortable with it. Telling you and David these things is fine, but far too personal for me to share with the entire world.”
“So you’re afraid this could create problems with David’s family for you?”
“Yes. As it is, they’ve just recently begun to trust me again. I don’t want more problems.”
“Okay… Let me get this straight.” Galilea scratched her head. “You want them to trust you, but you want to lie to them in order to keep their trust?”
“Oh God.” I rubbed my face. “Why do you have to make it sound so bad?”
“Because it is!”
“Well, what would you do? How would you handle this?”
“I would tell them. I’d want them to know who saved David’s life, even if it meant coming clean. Lies will catch up to you sooner or later.”
I mulled over Galilea’s reasoning. Why did she have to be right?
“When’s Eryx coming back?” I asked.
“I’m not sure.” She grabbed two bottled waters from the fridge, and handed me one. “Why?”
“Because,” I handed the water bottle back to her, “I need to call a family meeting.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear,” Galilea said. “I’ll tell Eryx to get his butt back here, stat. After that, I’ll hide any sharp objects. As a precaution. You just never know.”
CHAPTER 25
Except for Dr. Gunn and Eileen, who were upstairs checking David’s vitals, everyone, including Samuel, was present at the dining room table. All eyes were on me as I’d just delivered the news about the Graeae Witch and Eros to the family.
“Before you assume the worst, I’m not involved with Eros,” I said. “I swear.”
“No one’s saying you are,” Samuel said.
“Yeah. But no one’s saying I’m not, except me.”
“And me,” Galilea said. “I believe you.”
“I think it’s safe to say, we all believe you,” Alezzander said. “You wouldn’t be telling us what’s transpired, otherwise.”
“I always thought of Eros as a coward,” Galen said. “But to do this—to barter with a witch—it takes courage, and lots of it. I still hate his guts, though.”
“Did they say how long it would take David to wake?” Eryx asked me.
“No.”
“A Graeae Witch’s magic is extremely powerful,” Galen said. “It won’t be long.”
“What did Eros negotiate with Deino?” Nyx asked, worry displayed on her face. “Do you know?”
I shook my head.
“May Deus help him,” said Alezzander. “A deal with a Graeae Witch is no joke.”
***
The room was dimmer than usual with the absence of the sun’s ray pouring through the window. The autumn sky was full of grayish-purple clouds, announcing a drop in temperature. I settled into the rocking chair. My eyelids felt heavy, having slept five hours between the previous two nights. I felt myself dosing off, when, suddenly, I heard a loud beep coming from one of the machines. It got louder as I stepped near the bed. Dr. Gunn stormed through the door, Eileen and Samuel fast on his heels.
“What’s happening?” I asked, the bleeping faster and louder. “Dr. Gunn, what’s happening to him?”
“Come with me,” Samuel said, taking my arm.
“No.” I pulled my arm from his grasp. “What’s wrong with David?”
The bleep turned into a steady, high-pitched beep. I turned to look at the monitor displaying a flat line.
“Why is it doing that?” I asked, a shaky finger pointing at the monitor. “Is he…?”
“Doctors, this is a Code Blue,” Eileen said in a voice too calm and focused to be normal. “All hands on deck.”
Samuel grabbed my arms and pushed me back. He pressed me down on the rocking chair.
“Sit here. Stay out of the way,” he told me.
Samuel hurried to a corner of the room where he
grabbed the handle bar of a small, rolling cart and hauled it next to the bed. I sat at the edge of the rocking chair, watching as all three doctors gathered around David.
“Awaiting instruction,” Samuel said. “Who’s heading?”
“This is Eileen’s area,” Dr. Gunn said.
“Assessing compressions.” Eileen pushed down on David’s chest with both hands. “We need a bag.”
“Ambu bag.” Samuel tossed a football-shaped bag across the bed to Dr. Gunn. “Preparing pads.”
Dr. Gunn placed the cone attached to the bag over David’s mouth and squeezed it while Eileen continued to press on David’s torso. Swiftly, Samuel stuck square patches over David’s chest.
“Continue ventilations every ten,” Eileen instructed. “Samuel, if you can assess one milligram Epinephrine?”
“Is he dead?” I asked, hiccupping. But they didn’t bother to look over at me.
“Make it three milligrams, Samuel,” Dr. Gunn said.
“That’s too much,” Eileen argued. “One.”
“Administering five milligrams, now,” Samuel said, pushing a Lutetium needle into David’s arm.
“Five?” Gunn’s eyes widened.
“It’s half what I’ve used on our kind,” Samuel tossed the needle on the cart. “The dosage should be correct for him.”
“You better be right.” Eileen glanced at the monitors. “No numbers. Prepare to administer— Oh wait… Yes. There he is.” The line on the monitor bounced up and down, ever so slightly. “We have a shockable rhythm, Doctors. Hold Ambu,” she told Dr. Gunn. “Samuel, switch out with me.”
Samuel took Eileen’s place pushing down rhythmically on David’s chest.
“Charging defibrillator,” Eileen announced, turning on a machine. It hummed to life loudly. A few seconds later, she grabbed the metal-plated paddles. “Stand clear of the patient, please.”
Dr. Gunn and Samuel stepped back. Eileen held the paddles over David’s chest.
“Defibrillating,” Eileen announced.
The pedals made contact with David’s chest, and his body jumped with the electrical shock. I trembled along with him.
“David,” I whimpered, my face covered in a waterfall of tears.
Eileen checked the monitor beside her. “One more time.” She glanced at Gunn and Samuel. “Stand clear.” The paddles were centimeters above David’s chest when I saw a hand wrap around Eileen’s wrist. She stilled. Samuel reached behind her and turned off the defibrillator.
“Hello, there. Do you know your name?” Dr. Gunn asked.
Instead of answering the doctor’s question, I heard David ask, “Where is she?”
Samuel motioned me to stay where I was.
“Can you be more specific?” Gunn asked.
“Isis,” said David. “Where is she? Is she hurt?”
“She’s fine,” Eileen said. “But you haven’t told us what your name is.”
“You already know my name, Eileen,” David said. He turned his sight to Samuel. “Who are you?”
“This is Samuel,” Eileen said. “He’s a new addition to our team.”
Dr. Gunn gave me the all clear to approach the bed. My legs felt numb and heavy as I did.
“Hi,” I said to David.
“Hey,” he said in return. “I was worried about you.”
“You were worried about me?” I half laughed, half cried. “You’re the one lying on a hospital bed.”
David studied his surroundings, and then glanced at Dr. Gunn. “How long was I out?”
“A little over three months,” Gunn said. “Do you remember what happened?”
“Yes.” David looked back at me, the emotions of his face dominated by angst. “The baby?”
I took a few steps away from the bed so he could see my belly. “Safe and sound.”
David raised his brows. “It’s grown.”
“Yes,” I said.
“Um… Isis, would you mind stepping outside with the others?” Eileen asked me. “We need to make sure David’s vitals are steady. Make sure his memory is intact.” She turned to David. “Standard follow-up.”
“I’d like her to stay,” David said.
“We need your full attention for the examination,” Gunn said. “You won’t focus with her in the room.”
“He’s right. Besides, I’d feel more relieved if they evaluate you to make sure you’re going to be okay. I’ll be back.” I cupped David’s cheek, and he squeezed my hand. “Don’t go anywhere.” He nodded. “Promise?”
“Promise,” he said.
As I walked to the door, I was surprised to see David’s family and Galilea there.
“Out. Everyone.” Nyx wiped her tears as she ushered everyone through the door and closed it. “Downstairs. We can take turns visiting once the doctors are done with him.”
“I told you it wouldn’t be long,” Galen said as we walked down the hall to the stairs.
I gave him a questionable stare.
“He’s talking about the spell Deino cast,” Eryx clarified.
“You think this is part of the spell?” I asked. Eryx nodded. “David almost died in the process of waking up. What kind of sick, twisted magic is that?”
“Potent,” Galen replied halfway down the stairs. “He’s awake, isn’t he?”
“Thank Deus,” Nyx said a few steps up behind me. “And Eros.”
CHAPTER 26
A few days later, the Doctors Gunn and Samuel agreed David’s recovery was going well enough to do away with the wires and tubes attached to him. The twins removed the hospital bed from David’s room, replacing it with our regular bed. Dr. Gunn and Eileen explained that David would have to refine some of his motor skills. At first, I wasn’t sure what they meant by it. But when David couldn’t feed himself—he could hold a spoon, but had trouble aiming for his mouth—I expressed my concerns to Dr. Gunn. He said it was normal for a post-coma patient to exhibit difficulties.
“Don’t get discouraged,” Samuel told me. “His progress is better than expected. The fifty-three percent of David that’s not human will know how to repair itself.”
Samuel’s prediction came true. Within two weeks, David was up and walking, gradually gaining control of his muscles. Some days were good, and some days his balance was off and made it hard for him to stand or walk. Eileen set up schedules for David’s therapy, taking time to show everyone how to aid David with his daily exercise routine. And although frustration and pain were noticeable on his face, David never complained when his physical therapy sessions pushed him to the limit.
The rest of the time, I spent talking to David, telling him what had transpired while he slept—about Samuel and Eros and the Graeae Witch. He wasn’t surprised to hear Samuel had come looking for me. But when I mentioned Eros’s pact with the witch, he grew silent. He never brought up the subject again and avoided it all together.
***
David was awake, but still in bed when I walked into the room. He sat up on the bed, his bare back against the headboard. I plopped down next him.
“Morning,” he said.
“Open wide.” I held a spoonful of yogurt to David’s mouth.
“You don’t have to do that anymore. I can feed myself.”
“What if I want to?”
He took the container and spoon from me. “Open,” he said. I took the spoonful of yogurt into my mouth. “Do you know what I did last night while you slept?”
I shook my head as I swallowed another spoon of yogurt.
“I walked down and up the stairs about twenty times.”
“You did? That’s great! But you should’ve asked for help.”
“I didn’t have any trouble. My body feels more flexible now. Stronger. I bet I could run a marathon.”
“I bet you could also fall flat on your face in the process.” I furrowed my brow. “There’ll be no running until the doctors say it’s okay.” I inched away when he tried to feed me a third time. “You’re the one who’s supposed to be eating.”
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“I’m not hungry,” David said, dropping the yogurt cup and spoon on the nightstand. He reached for my pregnant belly—caressed the side of it with his fingers as if it were too frail for the full weight of his hand. “Have I told you how beautiful you look with this new addition?”
“A few times,” I said. “Only about seven in the past twenty-four hours.”
“I do say it a lot, don’t I?”
“I’m not complaining. It’s nice to hear since these days I feel like a fat cow.”
“You’re not fat.” He pulled me close to him and pecked my lips. “You’re having my baby. Speaking of which, I’d like to ask Gunn to set up an ultrasound to determine the sex. Everyone seems anxious to know, including me.”
“And me.”
“Did you know Galilea has a list of baby names?” He pointed to a notebook by his feet. “She dropped it off just before you came in. Said she’d be back to add to it.”
“Oh yeah. She read them out to us downstairs—all thirteen pages,” I said. “She has the name Amadeus on her top ten.”
“Samuel’s birth name?” David blinked. “I thought she didn’t like him?”
“She changed her mind. Again.”
“And you? I haven’t heard your thoughts about your father.”
I shrugged. “He’s okay, I guess. Seems to be a decent, stand-up guy—as opposed to the type of person I thought he was,” I said. “You know what he’s doing downstairs right now? Talking about birthing beds. Dr. Gunn and Samuel were asking me which one I liked best. They have a catalog, David. A birthing bed catalog.”
“Did you pick one?”
“Pff… no. I ran out of the room like my butt was on fire.”
David laughed. “Why?”
“I’m not sold on the idea of having Samuel present during the birth.” I reached for Galilea’s notebook and handed it to David.
“Who better to oversee the delivery than a gynecologist?” he asked, flipping the notebook open.
“Who happens to be my father? No thanks.” I made a face and pulled the bed covers up to chest. “I don’t want him anywhere near my nether regions.”