“No, it’s too early; the baby isn’t due for another month,” I argue.
“Okay, let’s get you back to town, and we’ll have Constance take a look,” Matilda suggests.
“I’ll get looked at when we get back, but please don’t worry about me. Really, it’s nothing, let’s just go home.”
The girls get me back to town in record time driving directly to the hospital, ignoring my protests. Matilda calls Constance to tell her what’s happening. She agrees to meet us there to do an exam. I hope these cramps will go away once I get something to eat, I don’t know how much longer I can handle this stabbing pain. It doesn’t take long for the hospital to get me into a room. Constance is already there and has a gown waiting for me.
“Ebony I want you to get changed into this, and I will be back in a minute to examine you. Do you need any help getting changed?”
“No, I think I’ll be okay. This really isn’t necessary, Constance.”
“Let me be the judge that.”
A few moments later, she returns with nurse Kathi. “What we are going to perform is called a non-stress test. All it consists of is that these two little sensors on your tummy one will monitor the baby’s heart rate through a connection to this monitor. The other will monitor to see if you are having any contractions. I also want you to push this button every time you feel the baby move. This will take about twenty minutes to complete. I also want to do an internal exam to check if you are dilating and if it was your water that broke.”
“How can you tell if my water broke?” I question.
“I’m going to use this special cotton swab, if it turns blue that will indicate the presence of amniotic fluid.”
Constance informs me that it is in fact, amniotic fluid, and because I’m still four weeks until my due date, she wants to give me antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection as well steroids to help mature the baby’s lungs. Once all is said and done, she informs me the non-stress test also proves that my pains were in fact contractions. She orders the proper medications and nurse Kathi leaves the room to retrieve them.
I begin to cry, scared for my baby, “Can somebody please call Matt?”
“Sophia’s already calling him. Ebony, I don’t want you worry, everything is going to be fine.”
“But the baby isn’t due yet. It’s too early, it is only April fifth.”
“Actually it is almost the sixth, look at the clock. Time flies when you’re having fun.”
“It’s not that early, we actually considered babies full term at thirty-seven weeks and you are almost thirty-six,” Nurse Kathi explains as she puts in an IV with ampicillin. “Try to get a little rest, we are going to get everything organized, and I will be back to check on you shortly.”
Nurse Kathi, along with Sophia, Matilda, and Danika all leave the room so I can try to get some rest. As I try to calm myself. I begin to feel extremely warm; the air seems to thicken as it becomes harder to breathe. Then my palms begin to itch, followed by the soles of my feet giving me the feeling as if I was playing in poison ivy all day. I want to tear my skin off. As I move my feet around on the bed to try to relieve the itching, I notice the monitor, and the baby’s heart rate dropping from 160 beats per minute to 52 beats. Realizing that something is going wrong, I look for the buzzer to call the nurse, but I can’t find it anywhere. My heart starts pounding through my chest as I reach for the phone, which also isn’t there. I jump to my feet in an attempt to run and get help with the IV is attached to the bed, and I can’t move more than two feet.
“HELP! Somebody please help me. Something’s wrong,” I try to scream as my voice cracks from fear.
Constance and Kathi both run back into the room, and frantically check the monitor as I explain what I’m feeling. Sophia and her sisters are right behind them. Constance pulls out this long wire and begins another internal exam.
“Ebony, I am attaching this wire to the baby’s head. This will tell me with certainty, if it’s the baby’s heart rate is dropping.”
“What’s happening? Is my baby going to be okay?” I begin to panic and cry even harder.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure your baby is okay. I think you are reacting to the medication we gave you,” Constance explains as Kathi quickly takes down the medication bag and flushes the line was saline solution.
“Okay Ebony, the baby is in distress and we need to deliver you now. We need to do an emergency cesarean section, and get the baby out as fast as possible,” Constance explains.
“But Matt isn’t here yet.”
“I know sweetie, but we need to do this now. I am going to take care of you and your baby.” Constance kisses my forehead. “Sophia and Mati will tell him what’s happening when he arrives. They can show him were we are, so he can wait outside the O.R.
Sophia nods in agreement.”
Constance and Kathi push the bed down the hall, almost running. “Move, Move!” they scream.
All I notice is other pregnant women jumping back through their bedroom doors to get out of the way.
“Okay Ebony, I need you to move over to the operating table. I’m going to prepare for the surgery. The nurses here will help clean you up for the operation. We don’t have much time, so we need to get you to sleep,” Constance explains me.
The nurses begin to spray this rust color solution all over my stomach. As the doctor behind me, injects a different medication into my IV line, which Kathi had capped and left attached.
He then says, “Ebony I am going to place this mask over your mouth and nose. I want you to breathe deeply and count backwards from ten. This is a combination of inhaled anesthetic and oxygen. The medication that I placed in your IV is also an anesthetic. You’ll be asleep and won’t feel anything during your surgery; you’ll wake up shortly after it’s complete.”
I’m so scared, Matt isn’t here. I didn’t see Sophia outside and I’m scared something might happen to my baby. I notice Constance walk-in with her hands up in the air and surgical gloves on. She smiles at me and nods. I don’t think I’ve ever breathed so deeply in my life. I want to fall asleep as fast as possible. So Constance can save my baby.
I begin to count, “ten, nine, eigh…”
Chapter Twenty-One
Embracing
I hear Matt’s voice, “Ebony, wake up honey. I have someone here who would like to meet you.”
I slowly start to open my eyes, my throat hurts and my abdomen is burning, but I see Matt and smile.
“Hey beautiful, I’m glad you are awake now. You had us all worried.”
“The baby, is the baby okay?” I ask anxiously.
“She is right here, and she is perfect.” He brings the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen to my side, my heart melts.
“We have a girl, we have a daughter?” Tears begin to sting my eyes
“Yes, and she’s just beautiful as her mother. Would you like to hold her?”
I lay in my bed holding the tiniest little girl. Checking to make sure she’s okay counting ten fingers and ten toes. She has the creamiest brown skin and head full of dark brown hair already showing off her curls. We sit and admire the beauty that Matt and I created. I hear the tiniest little squeak come out of her little mouth. I lean down and kiss her pink, full, perfect little mouth. “I love you baby girl.” Then I feel a tear stream down my face.
Constance comes back into the room, “Ebony, we need to take the baby to the nursery for a checkup and the nurses will give her a bath. This will also give me a chance to examine you.”
“Okay, can Matt stay with her though?”
“He sure can.”
The nurse puts the baby in the little bassinet and begins to wheel her out of the room.
Matt turns to me, “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
I nod, and he follows the nurse and the baby.
“Okay, I just have to press on your stomach. I need to check the uterus and make sure it is tightening. This might hurt a little because of t
he incisions,” Constance explains.
As she firmly presses on my stomach, pain shoots through every inch of me, and I let out a cry. I pull back on my emotions and try to meditate through the pain. I know Constance isn’t trying to hurt me, and this needs to be done. She moves and palpitates another spot, the pain is excruciating. I take a deep breath, as tears roll down my face. Then I get the sensation that I have wet myself again, it feels funny. I feel funny. Something isn’t right. I look at Constance’s face to try to gage, her reaction. “Constance, what’s happening? I don’t feel very good.”
She leans over to put another medication to my IV, “Sweetie. You are hemorrhaging. Your uterus is not retracting the way it should, and you are having some bleeding. I know it’s painful, but what I’m trying to do is massage you uterus in order to get it to contract. If I can’t get the bleeding to stop in the next few minutes am going to have to take you back into surgery.” She leans over me and pushes the call button asking for a nurse to come in to assist her. “I need you to stay calm, Ebony. I know that you are scared. I am here, and I am not going to leave your side.”
A few minutes pass of Constance massaging my stomach. The pain is excruciating but I’m so terrified that I barely notice it. I notice Constance and Nurse Kathi talking quietly in the corner when Matt comes running back in.
“What is going on? I was told you needed me back here immediately,” he asks with sheer panic.
“Ebony hasn’t stopped bleeding, and I need to take her back into surgery to control the bleeding. I don’t want to scare you two but this is dangerous and I may need to remove the uterus which would mean no more kids. Do you both understand?” Constance asks.
“Yes, just help her please,” Matt cries.
Kathi leaves the room and Constance whispers, “Do you want me to do EVERYTHING I can?”
“Of course,” Matt and I agree.
“Do you think I may die? Matt, I’m scared.” My heart sinks deep into my stomach.
“I will not lose you.”
With her hand on my shoulder, Constance ensures, “I will make sure you wake up, no matter what. Now we must go.”
Nurse Kathi comes back in the room; the two of them begin to wheel me back to the operating room. Once in the operating room, the same procedure as the previous surgery happens and then I am out.
***
When I wake up Florence and Elijah are at my side, along with Constance, Isaac, Sophia and Matt.
“Why is everyone here?” I ask.
“Hunny we had some complications during surgery,” Constance begins.
“Oh my god, am I dead?” They’re all just stand there looking at me. “Oh, I am! I guess this is just me saying goodbye before I move on,” I say not thinking any of them can hear me.
“It is not that simple.” Matt sits next to me.
“Why not? I don’t feel pain anymore, I feel different.” A sense of relief takes over; if Matt can hear me at least I’m still alive.
Constance brushes the hair from my face. “Well you are different, for one you are a mother. Although there is something else different too, you lost too much blood during surgery and we tried to transfuse you.”
“So this blood you had to give me is what’s making me feel different?”
“Not that blood. See I did everything I could and we were about to lose you. I promised you I would do everything in my power and I did. I used my speed and gave you a small bite to allow the venom into your blood stream. I then gave you a few drops of my blood. I did all this without everyone noticing. Your heart was still pumping enough to allow my blood and venom to move through your system. Thus allowing your vitals to stabilize and appear to the other members of the surgical team that you were improving. You are going through the Embrace and soon will be a vampire like us,” Constance explains.
Sophia once explained that to turn a mortal into a vampire, they must still be alive and need a combination of venom from a vampire bite, then drink the blood of a vampire. This is called the Embrace, when a mortal life embraces the life of a vampire.
“What? So I am dead, or at least will fully be soon. How is this going to work, what about Matt and the baby?” I begin to freak out. I know that vampires aren’t actually dead, just immortal. They still breathe and have a heartbeat; just everything slows to a point where a mortal wouldn’t survive. These natural actions are nearly undetectable to a mortal.
Matt takes me in his arms. “Ebony it’s okay. We’ll make this work. I am just glad to still have you here with me. I need you, your sister needs you, and our daughter needs you.”
As Elijah sits down and goes over what I will be experiencing I just kinda shut down. So now not only am I a witch, but I am a vampire-witch. Or am I even still a witch? I’m so confused. My focus then turns to my little girl who I only saw for a moment, at least I will be here for her.
“I’m in complete shock right now; maybe we can talk about me later. I’d really love to see my little girl,” I request.
Matt walks just outside the room for a moment and comes back in then sits next to me again, “Mommy, I would like to introduce you to our baby girl. Since we didn’t have a name picked out, I’ve been calling her peanut. She weighs only four pounds thirteen ounces, but she is very healthy and strong like her mama. You want to know something cool? She was born right at the stroke of midnight on the sixth. She stays in line to gain the magnificent power.”
I reach out my arm to hold peanut for only the second time in her new life. I’m mesmerized by her beauty, and just can’t believe she’s here. So much has changed since Grams died. “Well I think we should name her, can you imagine how bad she would get teased at school with a name like peanut.”
“Do you have anything in mind?” Matt asks.
“I have no clue, to be honest,” I admit. “Does anyone else have any ideas?”
Sophia smiles, “I do, I always figured if you had a little girl you would need a name that starts with an E, you know to stick with tradition.”
“Okay give it to us.”
“Well, I have two actually, Emalia or Elyn.”
Matt and I look at each other and look at peanut and both say, “Elyn.”
“I love it Sophia, thanks. Hi little Elyn, it is very nice to finally meet you. Welcome to the world.” I give her a little kiss.
“Constance, I feel funny, I am hungry but the thought of food is making me sick.”
Florence takes my hand. “That is your bloodlust setting in I have something prepared for you and you can take small sips of it. This will lessen the feeling you are experiencing.”
“Ebony, just make sure you only take small sips at a time. You are still transitioning and if you drink too fast you will get ill,” Elijah adds.
“Does Eliza know what is going on?”
Sophia receives a text message and after reading it, she says, “Alexander and Matilda have gone to talk to her now. They should all be back here soon.”
“I didn’t even notice them leave, I hope she is going to handle everything okay. We only have each other, and now…Well, now look at me.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
New Home
Florence and Elijah have set up an entire wing of the house for me, Matt and Elyn. They need to keep me close to ensure I handle my Embrace. I spoke with them the other day about what is to come and it appears that I still maintain all my witch powers, they may even become heighten now. Eliza’s staying here too; we don’t want her to be alone. It’s great having so many people around to help with Elyn, but it is hard transitioning. I crave blood, I crave Matt’s, and Eliza’s and even Elyn’s blood. I want to drink my own family’s blood, I am just thankful that Alexander is keeping such a close eye on me. He keeps telepathic lines open at all times to ensure everyone’s safety.
I hear Eliza come up to the door. “Eliza I know it is you. I can tell by your footsteps.” I chuckle.
“I just wanna come see that beautiful little niece of mine,” she says as she e
nters my room.
“Of course, she loves her aunty.”
“To be honest, I thought that I could watch Elyn for you, Elijah wants to do some training with you.”
“That would be great, thanks.” I smile.
“Anytime Sis, so, how are you handling your new life?” she asks.
“I think I’m doing okay. It is hard at times though. I’m so lucky to have so many people here to help me,” I admit. “The best part is healing so fast; most women would still be in pain from surgery. I feel great physically, and look I don’t even have a scar.
“I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.”
“I miss the manor though. I’d like to go back there and pick up a few things. Since I was Embraced I haven’t been allowed to go anywhere,” I complain.
“I know it must be hard, but I’m glad you have been keeping up on your school work while here.”
“There isn’t much else I can do, I can hardly sleep.”
“I think every new mother wishes she were like you and didn’t need sleep to function. Elyn waking for feedings doesn’t affect you the way it does others,” she jokes.
Since vampires don’t require much sleep, only a few hours rejuvenates me. Although most vampires tend to sleep during the day, to avoid being burned by the sun, the Pierce’s and I still sleep at night trying to keep up the mortal image. Of course they also have their magickal day crystals.
“Yeah, yeah, but I think we are going to need to look through the book of shadows though and find some spells that will prevent me from harming or feeding on innocent people. I’m scared all the time of hurting you, Matt or Elyn and prom is in two weeks and I can’t miss it. Then we will have final exams and Graduation. This is my high school graduation and it is important.”
“I think that is why Elijah wants to work with you, get you prepared for prom. He doesn’t have the time frame to work with you that he had with the others.”
“Well I better go, but will you look through the book and see what you can find?”