A Secret Fate (33 page)

“Why didn’t you say something?” Addie asked.

“Because I didn’t want you to be thinking of me when you went to rescue Carly.”

“Why didn’t you at least tell me?” Gerry added, sounding a little alarmed.

“I didn’t want you to start worrying either. I knew you were going to be busy with the mind-altering.”

“I am never too busy for anything that concerns you. You should have told me. Don’t be keeping things from me, darlin’, or this is never gonna work out,” he said with a grin.

“I won’t. I promise.” Maia rubbed her stomach and kissed Gerry lightly on the lips. “I think we should go now.”

“Addie said you’re having the babies at home. I can take you there.” Siana came over and put her arm around Maia’s shoulders.

“Red said no teleporting until the babies are born,” Gerry said, his voice a little higher than normal, making the Scottish rhythm flow heavily. “Cael, could you go get Red and meet us at the house?”

“Sure.” Cael kissed Addie lightly on the lips and disappeared without another word.

“I’ll get the car,” Aiden volunteered and was out the door almost as fast as Cael had disappeared.”

Babies’ births have a way of turning men into total droids, Addie thought.

“Can I come?” Breena’s little voice startled everyone. She’d been sleeping in Gerry’s office. Maia said she’d waited up for as long as possible, but when she fell asleep on Bart’s lap, he’d taken her to the sofa. How could she have possibly known anything was happening?

“Why aren’t you asleep?” Siana asked.

“I had a vision. I saw Maia and …” she pointed to the floor, “…the puddle. Can I please come?”

“I don’t think so, sweetie. This is for grownups,” Bart said, stroking his hand over Breena’s head. “Why don’t you stay here with me? I’ll tell you another story.”

Breena pouted and scuffed her feet, looking a little dejected.

“You know …” Maia sat back down on the stool and grabbed Breena’s gloved hand. “I think it would be fine if she came along, if it’s okay with Siana.”

“You might be right. Otherwise, she’ll drive Bart crazy with questions about what’s happening if she stays with him. And I know you, Bart—you’ll want to be close by too.”

Bart nodded. “Damn straight. I was just trying to be helpful.”

Breena’s huge grin was enough to brighten the darkest of spirits. Addie was glad she was there. She wondered, though, if they’d make her wait in another room while the twins were being born. Heck, there were so many people coming, she’d have plenty of company. She hoped Maia had plenty of coffee and maybe some cookies for the guys while they all waited to meet the twins.

Aiden must have driven like a maniac because as soon as Addie unlocked the door after Siana teleported them to Maia and Gerry’s house, Aiden turned into the drive and came to a screeching halt right by the front door. As they helped Maia out of the car and into the house, Addie eyed the long flight of stairs heading up to the bedrooms and could not imagine how Maia was going to get up them. She sighed with relief as Gerry simply scooped Maia up in his arms and carried her up the stairway. Everyone followed but when they reached the doorway to the bedroom, Addie turned to Aiden and Bart and said, “Wait! Um … maybe you guys should wait downstairs. Make some coffee; this could take a while. Find something to do. Watch TV or play cards.”

“There’s some chocolate chip cookies in the cupboard,” Maia managed to inform them before she sat on the edge of the bed.

“See? Cookies. Now go.” She shoved at Aiden’s chest. “We’ll call you when it’s time,” Addie promised.

“Wow, who’s going swimming?” Breena asked as Addie shut the door, sidestepping around a small, light-blue blow-up pool in the middle of the room. She and Maia had talked about this and at the time, it seemed like a good idea. But now, seeing the little blue pool covered in clear plastic gave her a twinge of anxiety. Water births were supposed to be so serene and spiritual, and wasn’t that a wonderful way to welcome a baby into the world? Was this really safe, though? Addie eyed Gerry, his hands shaking as he attached a hose to the bathroom faucet. With a turn of the knob, the pool began to fill with warm water.

Siana placed a comforting hand on Gerry’s arm. “They’ll be fine, Gerry.”

Gerry opened the curtains at the window, allowing the light from the almost full moon to shine in and Siana lit some candles. The room glowed with a soothingly soft ambiance.

“Breena, why don’t you go sit on that chair over there?” Siana pointed to the champagne-colored chair in the corner of the room. When Breena plopped into the cushy seat, she made a little delighted squeal as the chair glided back and forth while her feet pushed against the matching stool in front of it. A coordinating small pillow hanging from the top skimmed the hair of the little girl’s head, making some of the strands stick up with static electricity. Addie had been about to suggest Maia sit in the chair until Siana answered Breena’s question about swimming. “Maia will be in the pool. That’s where she is going to have the babies.” 

“Oh.” Breena’s eyebrows furrowed as she scratched her cheek with her finger and continued to glide in a slow and steady motion. “Cool. I didn’t know babies were born with the ability to swim.”

They all chuckled and then Gerry looked around the room. “Where are Cael and Red? What’s taking them so long?”

“Calm down, Gerry. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen.” Addie tried so hard to make her voice sound convincing and positive because she didn’t feel very confident. She’d wanted Maia to go to a hospital where they had doctors and nurses and incubators. However, Red, Dr. Flynn, had made a good point about the necessity of privacy in case they needed to use Addie’s healing powers. He’d assured her he knew what he was doing, but considering her mother and brother died during a home birth, Addie was very skeptical.

“That was twenty-six years ago, Addison,” Siana whispered close to her ear. “And the circumstances are very different this time. You are here.”

Unlike my father
, Addie finished the thought for the woman who’d been her mother’s best friend. Siana briefly closed her eyes, nodding with understanding.

Cael and Red materialized by the window. Cael eyed the little pool. “Is someone going swimming?” Everyone just stared at him incredulously.

Until Breena piped up with, “Of course, silly. The babies are. After they’re born.”

Addie smiled at Cael and walked to him, kissing him quickly on the lips. “Glad you’re here.”

When Maia, wearing a bikini, entered the pool, Cael’s eyes grew wide. Addie had to admit, Maia’s stomach appeared so large sticking out from the rest of her without any clothes to conceal it. “Interesting. You didn’t tell me about this.”

“I know,” Addie admitted. She’d been avoiding the topic of children with him on purpose. “It slipped my mind.”

Maia groaned and clutched at her stomach. Gerry rushed to her and helped ease her into the water as Maia breathed and buckled over, rocking back and forth on her knees. When the pain seemed to subside she said, “I think it’s getting close. The contractions are getting stronger and more frequent.”

“You should probably remove those then.” Gerry pointed at the skimpy bikini bottoms Maia wore.

“Uh … I think I’ll go now,” Cael said, his eyebrows screwed together, making him frown.

“You can wait downstairs with the other guys.” Addie kissed him lightly on the lips and he turned toward the door, but then must have decided that wasn’t fast enough as he quickly dematerialized out of sight mid-step.

Gerry helped Maia remove the bottom of her suit and she leaned back against the side of the pool. He stayed behind her with his arms on her shoulders, softly massaging her neck and upper back. Addie kneeled on the floor next to the plastic blow-up pool, sloshing her hands back and forth in the warm water. She wanted to be close to Maia just in case she had to perform any supernatural healing. When Maia moaned and squeezed her eyes tight before taking in a deep breath, Gerry rubbed her back. Addie couldn’t stand to see her in such agony. When the contraction stopped, she asked, “Can I do anything? Do you want me to try to ease the pain?”

“No. It hurts but I want the real experience.”

Red got down on his knees on the other side of Maia. Reaching into his bag, he took out a small white instrument, resembling a walky-talky, with a wand-shaped attachment similar to a microphone connected by a curly cord.

“What is that thing?” Breena asked.

“This is a portable fetal Doppler. It will let us hear the babies’ heartbeats.” After putting some gooey stuff on the end of the wand, he placed the instrument against Maia’s stomach and soon quick, soft muffled beats reverberated from the other part of the device. Everyone stayed quiet and listened. 

“Cool,” Breena said, smiling, still gliding back and forth.

Gerry sat behind Maia and helped her though each contraction. Addie was glad he stayed by her side the entire time. The contractions seemed to be getting stronger and Maia clutched her stomach again and got on her hands and knees, moaning a little as she gently rocked back and forth. A few seconds later, she sat back in the water, her eyes closed, lips tight and straight. God, she was in so much pain. She’d been at this now for about an hour and Addie didn’t think she would be able to go much longer when Maia grabbed on to the little handles on each side of the small pool, cringing as another wave of contractions hit. The contractions were getting much closer and more intense now.

“Oh my. I think … I think I want to push.”

“Wait a minute.” Red reached down between Maia’s legs to check the first baby’s progress, then said, “Okay, it’s time.” He sat back on his heels and let Maia do her pushing. After one big push, Maia reached down, feeling the head of the first babe. She pushed again and the rest of Addie’s brand-new cousin slipped into the water. Maia picked her up, cradled her, and as she stroked her little dark head, her daughter let out a wail.

Maia laughed as tears dripped down her cheeks.

“Man, she has strong lungs,” Breena said, now standing at the edge of the pool. Nobody told her to go back and sit down; the experience was much too wonderful.

Siana placed a towel over the baby, half the towel hanging in the water as Gerry cut the cord. He then handed the rest of the job back to Red to finish.

Maia held the baby’s feet in the palm of her hand. “Ten toes,” Gerry said, “ten fingers too.” He rubbed his finger over the baby’s tiny knuckles.

“She’s so beautiful,” Addie said.

“Just like her mother.” Gerry kissed Maia’s lips then brushed his finger over her cheeks, wiping away some of the tears.

“And her father,” Maia added. After a few minutes of admiring their wonderful baby girl, Maia looked at Addie and said, “I think you’d better take her.”

“Me?” Addie didn’t feel confident enough to hold a brand new baby—she’d never held a newborn before, at least not one this new.

“Yes, you. You’re her godmother.”

“Come on, Addison.” Siana prompted. “Let’s get her dried off and swaddled in some warm blankets while we wait for her sister.”

Addie took the pink dark-haired infant, still swaddled in a wet towel, in her arms and walked her over to the dressing table. “She’s so tiny.”

She and Siana dried the baby off and placed her on the scale. “Five pounds, twelve ounces. That’s good for a twin at thirty-five weeks,” Siana said, swaddling the baby girl then putting a little pink hat on her head. She picked her up, cooing at her briefly before handing her to Addie.

The infant was warm and oh so soft. Addie brushed her lips lightly over the baby’s forehead then skimmed her finger over her tiny arm and fell instantly in love. She had no idea how soft and precious a baby could be, her new, smooth skin like nothing she’d ever felt before. She wondered if Cael would ever remember how much he’d wanted to have children with her. As she stared at the one in her arms, she realized she desperately wanted him to recall that part of their relationship now more than any of the others. She’d given him such a difficult time, worrying about the powers the babies would have. But this … this moment … nothing, nothing could be better than this moment. It was such a miracle to produce something this wonderful. Maia’s sudden loud moan drew her out of her reverie.

“What’s wrong?” she asked pulling her eyes away from the baby’s beautiful blue ones and staring in horror at the pained look on Maia’s face and Red’s hands in the water, checking once again.

Red stood, his arm dripping with water and grabbed a towel. “The baby is breech. I’ll need to turn it around so the head is down. Maia, I need you to dry off and lay on the bed so I can hook up the monitor, okay?”

“I don’t think I can move,” she cried and Gerry reached under her, scooping her up out of the water and into his arms quickly before anyone had a chance to comprehend what was going on. He carried her, water dripping on the floor, and placed her gently on the bed where the monitor and ultrasound machine were. Siana took a towel and quickly dried Maia’s stomach then Red spread the conductive gel all over her abdomen and studied the monitor.

“Okay, this might feel a bit uncomfortable but shouldn’t hurt much. Let me know if it does.” Red kneaded his hands against Maia’s stomach as if he was making a large round loaf of bread, pulling and pushing the baby’s body, coaxing it to turn. “It’s not working. She doesn’t seem to be moving. Strange, I’ve never had that happen before.”

“Well, these aren’t your everyday babies, doc,” Gerry said proudly, but with a worried look on his face. “It’ll be fine darlin’,” he said in an assuring tone as he looked down at the pained look on Maia’s face. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it before giving Red a what-the-fuck-do-we-do-now look.

“Addie, maybe you can help,” Red supplied.

“Me? How can I help … oh, yeah. Maybe I can.” She handed the baby to Siana and stood above Maia, placing her hands on top of Red’s. Coaxing with her mind, she watched the mound within Maia’s stomach slowly shift positions until Red nodded.

“Good.” Red expelled a big breath of air. “Good job, Addie.”

“Thanks,” Addie managed to say when she realized what she’d just done, very glad she was able to help Maia.