Loss, Murder, Love - Chapter 18
So we find out. Baby or no baby.
*Michelle's POV*
I woke up with Leandro holding me so tight that I could hardly breathe. With a bit of effort I managed to free myself without waking him up. As I got out of bed, I had to quickly sit back down on the bed. My head was spinning and I was feeling extremely dizzy.
"Michelle… Michelle… " I faintly heard Leandro calling my name and only when I felt his hand on my shoulder did I react. I turned around and looked at him.
"Oh my world Michelle, are you ok? You are so pale?" I could see the concern on Leandro’s face but I could not respond. Leandro quickly jumped out of bed and rushed to my side of the bed. He gently pushed me back down to lie down. The minute I laid down the spinning in my head stopped and I was able to recognize what was happening around me.
Leandro quickly disappeared into the bathroom and came back with a wet cloth. He gently wiped my face with the cloth.
"I was just a bit dizzy. Must have been from working so hard yesterday." He was still wiping my face when I took his hand in mine. "I feel fine now. I think I must just get something to eat." I sat up straight attempting to get out of bed again when Leandro stopped me.
"Stay in bed, I will fix you something to eat." He placed a kiss on my forehead. "Promise me you’ll stay but. You need to take care of yourself now." As he walked out I thought about what he said. "I need to take care of myself now?" What did he mean by that. It made no sense at all.
I reached towards the bedside table to get a book from the drawer when I bumped the water-glass off the table. It went flying onto the floor shattering into pieces. In an instant Leandro was in the bedroom.
"What happened, are you ok?" He came rushing to my side.
"Do not worry. I was reaching to the drawer when I bumped the glass over." Leandro took the book out of the drawer and handed it to me. He then disappeared again and came back with a little bell. "Here ring this when you need anything. And I mean it. Anything." He kissed my forehead again and disappeared again.
I sat for a while reading my book and then the smells of the food coming from the kitchen were so inviting that I forgot about Leandro’s instructions to stay where I was. I swung my legs from the bed and stood up. I was careful as I did not know if the dizziness would return. I stood for a few seconds, testing myself. When I felt no dizziness I went to the kitchen.
I stood by the kitchen door and watched Leandro as he was busy at the stove. His back was turned to me and he did not notice me standing in the door. He had boxer shorts on with slops. I watched as his back muscles tense and relax as he busied himself with breakfast. Just the sight of him made my heart skip a beat. I was so lucky to have found someone as fantastic as him. And to think that I would be spending an eternity with him. While I was enjoying the sight in front of me the smell of the bacon he just placed into the pan hit my nasal cavity. In an instant it felt as though all the food that I ate since being born was about to resurface. I rushed to the bathroom and made it just in time.
I was still sitting on the bathroom floor, feeling extremely weak and tired when Leandro came rushing into the bathroom. "Michelle, what are you doing? I told you to stay in bed…" He scolded, but then he realized the tired and weak look in my face. "Oh Michelle, are you ok?" He helped me up and took me back to bed. Once in bed he picked up his cell phone. After a few seconds I faintly heard him talking on the phone, before I fell asleep.
I woke up to the feeling of something around my arm. I looked down to notice that someone was taking my blood pressure. Looking back up I noticed a young man writing a few things down. Leandro stood in the door of the bedroom and when he noticed I was awake he walked over to me.
"You were not looking well at all so I phoned Dr. Jones. He knows about our immortality as he himself has the gift of immortality. So it makes it easier to have him check you out than a normal doctor." Dr. Jones nodded in my direction and continued writing. Oh so a man of few words… I thought to myself.
"Mr. Lombardi, can I see you in the other room?" Dr. Jones left the room and after placing a kiss on my hand he followed the doctor.
I lay there for a while trying to hear their conversation, but all I could hear was their muffled voices. After a few minutes Dr. Jones came back inside the room and started packing his stuff in his bag. Leandro came into the room with a glow about him. I have never seen him happier, and I could not figure out what was going on.
*Leandro’s POV*
After receiving the great news from the doctor I did not know how to break the news to Michelle. I was over the moon but I did not know how she would take it.
We were going to have a baby! I wanted to run into the room and shout it to her.
"Michelle is perfectly healthy, and as you predicted she is expecting a baby." Dr. Jones’s words were echoing in my head. Now I had no idea how this was possible, or if her pregnancy would be a normal one or if there were certain things that would be different due to our immortality. The good doctor wanted to tell me about it, but I told him that I wanted to tell Michelle the good news first. He shrugged his shoulders and gave me one thing to remember.
"Do not tire her out. The baby is taking a lot of her strength." Then the doctor went to pack his bag. As he passed me he gave me a note. "Come see me this afternoon. She needs a check-up. Then I will explain all." I nodded and went to Michelle.
I took her hand in mine and placed a kiss on her hand. "Oh my dearest Michelle. I am so happy." I saw her looking at me with a huge question mark in her face.
I sat down next to her still holding her hand in mine. "I have no idea how you are going to react to this my love…" I took a deep breath "…you are pregnant." I carefully watched her face for any signs of what her feelings and reactions are. I was even tempted to read her thoughts. But then the doctor’s words rang in my head. "Do not tire her out."
*Michelle’s POV*
Pregnant! I am pregnant! Oh my word! I did not even think about that. I did not even consider that I would fall pregnant after receiving eternal life!
Leandro sat watching me for a response, but I could not respond. I was speechless. What did this mean? Was my baby going to be normal or was he or she going to be immortal as well? Would I have a normal pregnancy? So many questions popped into my head at once.
"Michelle?... " I could sense that Leandro was waiting for a response from me.
I cleared my throat. "Wow… uhm… I do not know what to say… Uhm…" I smiled and squeezed Leandro’s hand. "Well other than all the questions I have, I guess… no, I know…. I am happy. I’ve always wanted children. But after dying and receiving eternal life, I did not even think about it. I did not even wonder if it was possible."
Leandro smiled. He came and sat down in front of me on the bed. "Oh Michelle I am so happy. I have been waiting for this moment my entire life. My mortal and immortal life! And I must be honest. I also did not think it was possible." Leandro hugged me tightly and then he quickly jumped up and within a few seconds he was back with the breakfast. "Doctor said you need all your strength. And he wants to see you in his rooms today. He said that you need a check-up and that he will explain all."
I finished my breakfast while we chatted about the excitement of having a baby as well as how it would affect my involvement in the building process. The idea of a baby made me change my ideas I had for the house completely. Now I wanted playrooms, and safety rails and nanny rooms and so many baby related things. We decided that we would have to meet with the architect again to change our initial discussions.
After breakfast I got dressed and we drove to the doctor’s office. It was a small building in town, and with the drive in, we were definitely not unnoticed. Everyone in town knew who Leandro was and was waving at him as we drive past. As we walked from the parking lot to the office of Dr. Jones I saw a few ladies smiling at me and then whispering to each other. I knew that because this was a small town, the gossip would spread as quick as a veld fire.
We entered the doctor’s rooms when a young lady looked up. "Oh Mr. Lombardi, Dr. Jones is expecting you. Please go through." I noticed her smiling at Leandro as he walked pass and then giving me a nasty look. I wondered what it was about. Leandro was walking in front of me and when he turned around, he gave me a smile. Oh so that was what it was about? She was jealous of me. Hence the sour look.
The doctor indicated for us to sit down as we walked in. "I am happy to see you are feeling better Michelle. I trust Leandro has shared the news with you."
I nodded as confirmation. "Now, due to your circumstances I needed to see you immediately. As immortal you are just that. Immortal. But having a baby can affect the quality of your immortal life for eternity."
Leandro and myself glanced at each other as the doctor gave us a second to take in his words. "Let me start at the beginning. Firstly Leandro you are probably wondering why you have never had children with any of you other partners. Well the answer is simple. Because of your immortality your DNA structure is different to that of mortal humans. So your DNA could never attach itself to a mortal’s DNA to start the creation process. But because Michelle is also immortal this could now take place."
Once again he was silent for a few seconds before continuing. "Please stop me if you have any questions." He took a deep breath and continued. "There have only been a handful of cases of babies born to immortal parents. And I can gladly say that both mother and baby survived the pregnancy. So a guarantee I can give you is that you will both survive, no matter what. And your baby will be healthy, no matter what. The problem is, that I cannot guarantee that you, Michelle will be healthy."
Both Leandro and I gave each other a quick look and then back at the doctor. "What do you mean doctor?" Leandro was the first to respond.
"Let me explain. With being immortal your baby does not need feeding as with a normal pregnancy to grow. Your baby needs energy. It is only once it is born that you will need to feed it, because then it is not getting natural energy for growth anymore. So your baby will be getting his energy from you. He will be draining your energy. And for every bit of energy your baby is taking you will have to replace that with twice the amount of energy. If you do not, you will survive the pregnancy, but your quality of life will be deteriorated. The amount of energy you loose and do not replenish during your pregnancy will be lacking in the rest of your life."
I now was concerned. So my baby can unwillingly nearly kill me. "Doctor how do I prevent this from happening?" Leandro squeezed my hand as to reassure me.
"Well firstly you need to take it slow. Now doctors always tell expectant mothers to do that, but in your case I mean slow! You are not allowed to do anything at all! Then secondly I will be writing a formula for a potion for Leandro. You need to take this three times a day. Some days you will feel like climbing the walls with all the energy you will have, but I want you to rather have too much energy than to little. At the end of the pregnancy the additional energy can be utilized while breastfeeding."
The doctor cleared his throat and continued. "Now if you take it real easy and drink the potion as you are supposed to, the next nine weeks will be a breeze."
"Nine weeks!!" Leandro and I both exclaimed.
"Yep nine weeks." The doctor smiled delivering the short period of my pregnancy to us.
"Your baby will be fully developed in nine weeks, hence the use of energy. Now I will pop by each day to do a check-up on you and the baby. But for now, I need you to drink this and then hop onto the examination bed."
The doctor handed me a glass with a white liquid in it. It had no smell, so I took a sip. It had an extremely sweet taste. I emptied the glass and gave it back to the doctor. "There that was your first dose of potion. I had some made after meeting you this morning. Leandro will have to mix the rest. No let’s check up on you and your baby."
I climbed on top of the examination table, and only then noticed the slight bump already showing in my stomach. The doctor placed some gel on my stomach and then started moving the sonar over it. It was a faint picture, but then the doctor turned the sound on the sonar high. I nearly started crying as I heard my baby’s fast heartbeat.
"By tomorrow afternoon we will be able to tell the sex of the baby." The doctor did a few calculations and checks to ensure the baby’s health then he tested my blood pressure and my sugar levels. He then gave us a test kit. "This is to test your energy levels. Just place your finger in here…" he placed his finger inside the unit. "… and then it will take a reading. If it reads anything below nine then you are in trouble. It can be anything above that. You can also if you know you have anything urgent to do for the day, double up on your potion the day before. But do not do that every day. It will wear your body out and then your baby will suffer."
By the time we left the doctor’s office my baby bump was clearly visible, so to not raise questions we excited the doctor’s rooms with a spell by Leandro.
Once we were back home Leandro ordered me back into bed, but first checking my energy levels. They were a solid fifteen. The potion the doctor gave me earlier started working. He then went into the next room to start working on the potion.
I laid on the bed, gently rubbing my stomach when I felt a slight kick against my hand. I smiled and turned on my side. I fell asleep hugging my unborn baby.
**********************************************
Author's Note:
To all my dear readers.
Thank you for all your wonderful comments.
I am going on leave today, so I spend a few minutes writing this chapter especially for you.
I hope that I will be able to post a chapter soon, but I have my kiddies and hubby at home and they will keep me very busy. If not, I will do a new post early in January. I hope you all have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful new year!
I woke up with Leandro holding me so tight that I could hardly breathe. With a bit of effort I managed to free myself without waking him up. As I got out of bed, I had to quickly sit back down on the bed. My head was spinning and I was feeling extremely dizzy.
"Michelle… Michelle… " I faintly heard Leandro calling my name and only when I felt his hand on my shoulder did I react. I turned around and looked at him.
"Oh my world Michelle, are you ok? You are so pale?" I could see the concern on Leandro’s face but I could not respond. Leandro quickly jumped out of bed and rushed to my side of the bed. He gently pushed me back down to lie down. The minute I laid down the spinning in my head stopped and I was able to recognize what was happening around me.
Leandro quickly disappeared into the bathroom and came back with a wet cloth. He gently wiped my face with the cloth.
"I was just a bit dizzy. Must have been from working so hard yesterday." He was still wiping my face when I took his hand in mine. "I feel fine now. I think I must just get something to eat." I sat up straight attempting to get out of bed again when Leandro stopped me.
"Stay in bed, I will fix you something to eat." He placed a kiss on my forehead. "Promise me you’ll stay but. You need to take care of yourself now." As he walked out I thought about what he said. "I need to take care of myself now?" What did he mean by that. It made no sense at all.
I reached towards the bedside table to get a book from the drawer when I bumped the water-glass off the table. It went flying onto the floor shattering into pieces. In an instant Leandro was in the bedroom.
"What happened, are you ok?" He came rushing to my side.
"Do not worry. I was reaching to the drawer when I bumped the glass over." Leandro took the book out of the drawer and handed it to me. He then disappeared again and came back with a little bell. "Here ring this when you need anything. And I mean it. Anything." He kissed my forehead again and disappeared again.
I sat for a while reading my book and then the smells of the food coming from the kitchen were so inviting that I forgot about Leandro’s instructions to stay where I was. I swung my legs from the bed and stood up. I was careful as I did not know if the dizziness would return. I stood for a few seconds, testing myself. When I felt no dizziness I went to the kitchen.
I stood by the kitchen door and watched Leandro as he was busy at the stove. His back was turned to me and he did not notice me standing in the door. He had boxer shorts on with slops. I watched as his back muscles tense and relax as he busied himself with breakfast. Just the sight of him made my heart skip a beat. I was so lucky to have found someone as fantastic as him. And to think that I would be spending an eternity with him. While I was enjoying the sight in front of me the smell of the bacon he just placed into the pan hit my nasal cavity. In an instant it felt as though all the food that I ate since being born was about to resurface. I rushed to the bathroom and made it just in time.
I was still sitting on the bathroom floor, feeling extremely weak and tired when Leandro came rushing into the bathroom. "Michelle, what are you doing? I told you to stay in bed…" He scolded, but then he realized the tired and weak look in my face. "Oh Michelle, are you ok?" He helped me up and took me back to bed. Once in bed he picked up his cell phone. After a few seconds I faintly heard him talking on the phone, before I fell asleep.
I woke up to the feeling of something around my arm. I looked down to notice that someone was taking my blood pressure. Looking back up I noticed a young man writing a few things down. Leandro stood in the door of the bedroom and when he noticed I was awake he walked over to me.
"You were not looking well at all so I phoned Dr. Jones. He knows about our immortality as he himself has the gift of immortality. So it makes it easier to have him check you out than a normal doctor." Dr. Jones nodded in my direction and continued writing. Oh so a man of few words… I thought to myself.
"Mr. Lombardi, can I see you in the other room?" Dr. Jones left the room and after placing a kiss on my hand he followed the doctor.
I lay there for a while trying to hear their conversation, but all I could hear was their muffled voices. After a few minutes Dr. Jones came back inside the room and started packing his stuff in his bag. Leandro came into the room with a glow about him. I have never seen him happier, and I could not figure out what was going on.
*Leandro’s POV*
After receiving the great news from the doctor I did not know how to break the news to Michelle. I was over the moon but I did not know how she would take it.
We were going to have a baby! I wanted to run into the room and shout it to her.
"Michelle is perfectly healthy, and as you predicted she is expecting a baby." Dr. Jones’s words were echoing in my head. Now I had no idea how this was possible, or if her pregnancy would be a normal one or if there were certain things that would be different due to our immortality. The good doctor wanted to tell me about it, but I told him that I wanted to tell Michelle the good news first. He shrugged his shoulders and gave me one thing to remember.
"Do not tire her out. The baby is taking a lot of her strength." Then the doctor went to pack his bag. As he passed me he gave me a note. "Come see me this afternoon. She needs a check-up. Then I will explain all." I nodded and went to Michelle.
I took her hand in mine and placed a kiss on her hand. "Oh my dearest Michelle. I am so happy." I saw her looking at me with a huge question mark in her face.
I sat down next to her still holding her hand in mine. "I have no idea how you are going to react to this my love…" I took a deep breath "…you are pregnant." I carefully watched her face for any signs of what her feelings and reactions are. I was even tempted to read her thoughts. But then the doctor’s words rang in my head. "Do not tire her out."
*Michelle’s POV*
Pregnant! I am pregnant! Oh my word! I did not even think about that. I did not even consider that I would fall pregnant after receiving eternal life!
Leandro sat watching me for a response, but I could not respond. I was speechless. What did this mean? Was my baby going to be normal or was he or she going to be immortal as well? Would I have a normal pregnancy? So many questions popped into my head at once.
"Michelle?... " I could sense that Leandro was waiting for a response from me.
I cleared my throat. "Wow… uhm… I do not know what to say… Uhm…" I smiled and squeezed Leandro’s hand. "Well other than all the questions I have, I guess… no, I know…. I am happy. I’ve always wanted children. But after dying and receiving eternal life, I did not even think about it. I did not even wonder if it was possible."
Leandro smiled. He came and sat down in front of me on the bed. "Oh Michelle I am so happy. I have been waiting for this moment my entire life. My mortal and immortal life! And I must be honest. I also did not think it was possible." Leandro hugged me tightly and then he quickly jumped up and within a few seconds he was back with the breakfast. "Doctor said you need all your strength. And he wants to see you in his rooms today. He said that you need a check-up and that he will explain all."
I finished my breakfast while we chatted about the excitement of having a baby as well as how it would affect my involvement in the building process. The idea of a baby made me change my ideas I had for the house completely. Now I wanted playrooms, and safety rails and nanny rooms and so many baby related things. We decided that we would have to meet with the architect again to change our initial discussions.
After breakfast I got dressed and we drove to the doctor’s office. It was a small building in town, and with the drive in, we were definitely not unnoticed. Everyone in town knew who Leandro was and was waving at him as we drive past. As we walked from the parking lot to the office of Dr. Jones I saw a few ladies smiling at me and then whispering to each other. I knew that because this was a small town, the gossip would spread as quick as a veld fire.
We entered the doctor’s rooms when a young lady looked up. "Oh Mr. Lombardi, Dr. Jones is expecting you. Please go through." I noticed her smiling at Leandro as he walked pass and then giving me a nasty look. I wondered what it was about. Leandro was walking in front of me and when he turned around, he gave me a smile. Oh so that was what it was about? She was jealous of me. Hence the sour look.
The doctor indicated for us to sit down as we walked in. "I am happy to see you are feeling better Michelle. I trust Leandro has shared the news with you."
I nodded as confirmation. "Now, due to your circumstances I needed to see you immediately. As immortal you are just that. Immortal. But having a baby can affect the quality of your immortal life for eternity."
Leandro and myself glanced at each other as the doctor gave us a second to take in his words. "Let me start at the beginning. Firstly Leandro you are probably wondering why you have never had children with any of you other partners. Well the answer is simple. Because of your immortality your DNA structure is different to that of mortal humans. So your DNA could never attach itself to a mortal’s DNA to start the creation process. But because Michelle is also immortal this could now take place."
Once again he was silent for a few seconds before continuing. "Please stop me if you have any questions." He took a deep breath and continued. "There have only been a handful of cases of babies born to immortal parents. And I can gladly say that both mother and baby survived the pregnancy. So a guarantee I can give you is that you will both survive, no matter what. And your baby will be healthy, no matter what. The problem is, that I cannot guarantee that you, Michelle will be healthy."
Both Leandro and I gave each other a quick look and then back at the doctor. "What do you mean doctor?" Leandro was the first to respond.
"Let me explain. With being immortal your baby does not need feeding as with a normal pregnancy to grow. Your baby needs energy. It is only once it is born that you will need to feed it, because then it is not getting natural energy for growth anymore. So your baby will be getting his energy from you. He will be draining your energy. And for every bit of energy your baby is taking you will have to replace that with twice the amount of energy. If you do not, you will survive the pregnancy, but your quality of life will be deteriorated. The amount of energy you loose and do not replenish during your pregnancy will be lacking in the rest of your life."
I now was concerned. So my baby can unwillingly nearly kill me. "Doctor how do I prevent this from happening?" Leandro squeezed my hand as to reassure me.
"Well firstly you need to take it slow. Now doctors always tell expectant mothers to do that, but in your case I mean slow! You are not allowed to do anything at all! Then secondly I will be writing a formula for a potion for Leandro. You need to take this three times a day. Some days you will feel like climbing the walls with all the energy you will have, but I want you to rather have too much energy than to little. At the end of the pregnancy the additional energy can be utilized while breastfeeding."
The doctor cleared his throat and continued. "Now if you take it real easy and drink the potion as you are supposed to, the next nine weeks will be a breeze."
"Nine weeks!!" Leandro and I both exclaimed.
"Yep nine weeks." The doctor smiled delivering the short period of my pregnancy to us.
"Your baby will be fully developed in nine weeks, hence the use of energy. Now I will pop by each day to do a check-up on you and the baby. But for now, I need you to drink this and then hop onto the examination bed."
The doctor handed me a glass with a white liquid in it. It had no smell, so I took a sip. It had an extremely sweet taste. I emptied the glass and gave it back to the doctor. "There that was your first dose of potion. I had some made after meeting you this morning. Leandro will have to mix the rest. No let’s check up on you and your baby."
I climbed on top of the examination table, and only then noticed the slight bump already showing in my stomach. The doctor placed some gel on my stomach and then started moving the sonar over it. It was a faint picture, but then the doctor turned the sound on the sonar high. I nearly started crying as I heard my baby’s fast heartbeat.
"By tomorrow afternoon we will be able to tell the sex of the baby." The doctor did a few calculations and checks to ensure the baby’s health then he tested my blood pressure and my sugar levels. He then gave us a test kit. "This is to test your energy levels. Just place your finger in here…" he placed his finger inside the unit. "… and then it will take a reading. If it reads anything below nine then you are in trouble. It can be anything above that. You can also if you know you have anything urgent to do for the day, double up on your potion the day before. But do not do that every day. It will wear your body out and then your baby will suffer."
By the time we left the doctor’s office my baby bump was clearly visible, so to not raise questions we excited the doctor’s rooms with a spell by Leandro.
Once we were back home Leandro ordered me back into bed, but first checking my energy levels. They were a solid fifteen. The potion the doctor gave me earlier started working. He then went into the next room to start working on the potion.
I laid on the bed, gently rubbing my stomach when I felt a slight kick against my hand. I smiled and turned on my side. I fell asleep hugging my unborn baby.
**********************************************
Author's Note:
To all my dear readers.
Thank you for all your wonderful comments.
I am going on leave today, so I spend a few minutes writing this chapter especially for you.
I hope that I will be able to post a chapter soon, but I have my kiddies and hubby at home and they will keep me very busy. If not, I will do a new post early in January. I hope you all have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful new year!
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