Page 32 of Having the Dragon's Baby

“What do you mean they stole you away?” Luna asked.

“I mean exactly that. The women commandeered me away from the main activities like I was special, like I was one of them. They showed me all the new arrivals and the older children too. It really put me in a mindset where I knew this was it. This was what I wanted.”

“When you say, ‘new arrivals,’ are you talking about babies?” Luna asked.

“Oh. Absolutely. I held all of them,” Rachel answered. “I kind of got lost in the experience, the smell, the feel. Not quite a déjà vu feeling, but very similar to seeing and feeling a movie trailer of my future.”

“Wow. What a beautiful confirmation of being on the right track.”

“Wait,” Rachel told Luna. Rachel paused in her tracks when she said this. “There is a northern red oak just down the side trail over there. This oak is big, old, and healthy. The lower branches swoop close to the ground and make perfect benches for sitting on and watching the lazy river flow by.”

“Lead the way,” Luna said.

Rachel led them down the path to the tree. The smell of mulberry and the bright violet colors of morning glories along the path were poignant and mesmerizing. However, the flowers and the accompanying smells were not nearly enough to drown Rachel’s guilt for lying. Wanting to sit so they could watch a lazy bend in the river was half-true. The other half was a lie.

These last few days, Rachel had been feeling rough. She was nauseous and super hot all the time, as though someone had submerged her in liquid lava. Nausea had been coming on in waves, and it never came alone. Two days ago, her boobs had started hurting. The boobs hurting was not an aftereffect of her and Marcus’s wrestling.

This was something else.

Rachel had subsequently made an appointment with the healer for later in the afternoon after Luna left. Until Luna left, Rachel wanted to keep things quiet. She didn’t need to alarm or excite anyone yet.

The reason for sitting by the river was to take a pause until the pesky nausea waves found somebody else to pester.

The two women sat and looked over the river. Even though the river really was moving slowly and lazily, there were small water noises in the background. To Rachel, the sounds were ambient comfort, almost as sweet to the ear as the sound of happy children playing in the distance.

“What is your number two favorite thing about this new life of yours?” Luna asked. “I will ask about number one next. For now, tell me number two.”

“Life in the den. I really love this lifestyle. The sounds, the smells, the silence. I never feel in danger, and this gives silence a whole new meaning. I can relax in the silence. I love this feeling of being a living, loving part of something bigger than myself. Waking each morning next to Marcus.”

“That’s beautiful,” Luna answered. “I am not sure I have heard anything as beautiful in a long time.”

“And now you want to know my number one favorite thing about this new life I have?”

“You hit the nail on the head, babe,” Luna answered.

“Training with Marcus. I simply love and feed off training with Marcus.”

“How often do you train?” Luna asked. “And what exactly are you learning during training?”

“A variety of fighting styles. High self-defense. I love it. I love the strength I have seen and felt develop in my body. The confidence that comes from drilling self-defense maneuvers. The conditioning that gets worked in is a huge boost to my health. No matter the height of any flight of stairs I have climbed, I do not feel short of breath.”

“That is a lot, honey-bunny,” Luna said. “You are so brave. This new life with dragon shifters. Here, you are getting strong, eradicating physical limitations. You are my hero most of the time, but right now, you are my hero more than usual.”

The brief pause they took to sit by the river lasted a bit longer than the pauses Rachel had taken during prior visits. Rachel had to have it that way. That afternoon with Luna, she was warmer than ever, and her nausea surged over her, strong and uncontrollable.

Rachel and Luna walked back to Marcus’s home while exchanging pleasantries, feeding on the private jokes that were often the staple of their conversations. Rachel could not detect any sort of awareness of her physical discomfort on Luna’s part. Still, Rachel was really looking forward to her appointment with the healer.

When Luna left, Rachel had a small snack, which actually turned out to be a big snack. She also had a nap. After the nap, she did some simple math. Hot flashes, plus increased appetite, plus nausea in the pre-noon hours all pointed to a specific sum. Add to that sum were achy boobs plus an achy back. This upcoming visit to the healer was going to be interesting. Even Luna kept commenting during her visit that Rachel was glowing.

The trip to the healer’s office was mellow. The healer was gentle, attentive, and the best listener.

“I am sure you already know what I am going to tell you,” the healer said. “I am not done looking at you today. Just a couple more things. I want to make sure we are both on the same page as to where this is headed.”

“You are going to tell me I am pregnant,” Rachel answered.

“Try not to sound so shocked and excited,” the healer responded.

“I am more excited than you will ever know,” Rachel laughed. The confirmation of what she had suspected had sent her body temperature skyrocketing. “And I doubt I’m going to sleep even a wink tonight.”

---