Little Pink Plus Sign - Rose POV - Part 12/?

Groggily, I stretched and tried in vain to wipe the sleep from my eyes. The girls had kept me up all night with their “training” and even though I longed for just a few more hours of sleep, I knew I only had a couple of hours to get ready for Lissa’s appointment.

I rolled onto my side and shifted my weight under me. Then, steadying myself on the nightstand, pulled myself up. It took skill to do anything around my belly these days, and although I was sure it never looked graceful, I always found a way around it.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Dimitri chuckled.

Flipping him off, I sauntered into the bathroom. It really annoyed me just how happy he was in the morning. He was the type of person that got up at three hours early to go on a jog just for the fun of it. I’d sleep in a few hours every day if the world would let me, but alas, the world was a cruel place.

After a refreshing shower, I threw my hair into a semi-presentable bun and met Dimitri in the kitchen.

“I made pancakes,” he chimed, handing me a stack covered in butter and soaked in syrup. “Just like you like them.”

“Oh God, I love you,” I breathed, reaching up to kiss him.

“You tossed and turned a bunch last night,” he said nonchalantly.

“Yeah,” I said, stuffing a forkful of pancakes in my mouth. “That’s what happens when the girls are up all night kicking my bladder.”

“Are they kicking right now?” he asked, a tinge of hope in his voice.

Scoffing, I stared at him. “No. Now that I’m awake, they’re both perfectly still, probably asleep since they sure didn’t sleep last night.” Shoving another forkful into my mouth, I was suddenly craving Doritos. “Comrade…?”

Looking up from his coffee, he nodded. “What, Roza?”

“First of all, these pancakes are amazing. But umm…do we have any Doritos by chance?”

Laughing, he got up and searched the cabinets. Finally, he found a bag and poured me a bowl. As he handed me the bowl, he paused for just a second, “Just promise me one thing?”

“Hmm?” I mumbled, mouth full of food.

“Don’t put them on your pancakes. I might just throw up at that one.”

Grabbing the bowl from him quickly, I smiled. “I’m not promising anything, Comrade. The girls are hungry, and we will do as we please.”

“Well then I’m evacuating before it gets too…interesting,” he said, scrunching his face. “Я люблю тебя, Роуз.”

Crumbling the Doritos onto my pancakes, I kissed his cheek. “Love you too, Comrade.”

With a gagging noise, he was gone. Shrugging, I stuffed the concoction into my mouth. I’m not sure exactly why, but these were honestly the best pancakes I’d ever eaten. After successfully shoving all of the pancakes down my throat, I took the syrup and made a nice Dorito cereal. It also turned out better than expected, and by the end of it the girls were going crazy.

“You two are your mother’s daughters,” I assumed, licking the last bit of sugar from my lips.

After washing all of the evidence down the sink, I grabbed my purse and went to meet Lissa. She was sitting apprehensively on the edge of the couch in the most uncomfortable looking position.

“You okay?” I asked wandering into the living room.

Looking a bit distracted, she nodded. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

Pulling my eyebrows down over my eyes, I sat on the chair beside her. “That’s not exactly what I asked, Liss.”

“Huh?” she muttered, finally meeting my eyes. “Oh sorry, I’m a bit…”

Taking her hand, I squeezed it gently. “Don’t worry, Liss. Christian and I will be right there, and it’ll be perfect.”

“They’re taking bets,” she whispered simply. Upon noticing my confusion, Lissa explained, “The royal families. They’re taking bets.”

“Who the fuck cares what they think?!” I practically shouted.

“That’s what I said.” Christian emerged from the bathroom with only a towel around his waist. Looking down, he shrugged and retreated to the bedroom.

“Lissa, look,” I pulled her chin to make her look at me. “It doesn’t matter what they think. This is your baby. What do you want?”

“I want this baby to be healthy, Rose. I want it to not have to deal with the pressures that I do. And for the love on St. Vladimir, I want fire magic to be dominant.”

There it was, the real source of her apprehension. She was scared of passing on the biggest curse she’d had to deal with.

“Rose, I can’t watch my child go crazy like I did. I can’t watch them sink into depression. I can’t pretend to ignore the red marks on their wrist or the dark circles under their eyes from nights occupied by nightmares and fear of things that don’t really matter.”

“Oh, Liss,” I pulled her into my chest, feeling her sobs shake her body. “It won’t happen. You know why? They won’t be along in this. They will have you and Christian, and Dimitri and me. Hell the whole royal court already loves this baby. So even if they’re a spirit user, they won’t be alone in their fight. Look at all the advances we’ve already achieved when it comes to spirit. We will only get better at understanding it and controlling the negative effects. Your baby will have a beautiful life. I promise.” I planted a light kiss to her cheek and wiped away the tear streaks that stained them.

The corners of her mouth tugged up slightly and she sighed loudly. “You’re right.”

“Of course I am. Now let’s get you to your appointment. Where’s Christian?”

After he finally got dressed, we walked to the clinic. We signed in and, yet again, I was stuck playing the waiting game. Lissa remained pretty quiet and I knew she was thinking about everything again.

Lately, I’d been so wrapped up in my own problems and being jealous of Liss’s “easy” pregnancy, that I hadn’t even considered the pressures it was placing on her. Even Christian looked to be feeling the effects. The dark circles under his eyes told me that he’d spent a few nights up with her soothing her fears. I was thankful for him. He loved her more than anything in the whole world and I couldn’t ask for anyone better for her.

“You’re looking a bit tired, Rose,” Christian pointed out.

“Yeah well it’s morning,” I joked. Giving me a look, he raised his eyebrows.  “The girls kept me up all night kicking.”

“Oh! Are they kicking right now?” Lissa perked up, thankful for the distraction.

“A bit, yeah.” I took her hand and placed it where one of the girls was going after some organ that I’m sure I really didn’t need anyway.”

“Oh wow!” Lissa placed her other hand aside of the first. I guess the twins didn’t appreciate the intrusion much as they began to kick violently at her hand. “Christian, come here! You have to feel this.”

With a quick glance around, he gingerly placed a hand on my stomach. I moved it a bit as the girls continued to kick away. “Well they definitely are you and Belikov’s,” he chuckled.

“Queen Dragomir,” the nurse called quietly. The three of us stood up and followed her into the back. It was the usual process with the usual questions, and honestly I had to physically stop myself from answering them myself. I’d answered them so often in the last four months that it was almost second nature to me now.

“Your sonogram will be ready in just a minute, Your Highness. Do you need anything to drink?”

“No. Trust me, I’ve had plenty.” She shifted uncomfortably for good measure.

Minutes later, we were taken back. Apparently things were faster when you had the queen with you. “Now who’s ready to find out the gender?”  the doctor asked encouragingly.

“We are!” Christian joked.

“Great enthusiasm!” the doctor said, clearly not picking up on sarcasm that literally dripped from Christian’s words. “So what are we hoping for? Anything in mind?”

With true grace that only Lissa could’ve mustered, she said, “I’m sure the people will love him or her either way.”

Not wanting to contradict her, the doctor simply agreed. Slathering what I’d come to refer to as Sonagoo on her belly, he began searching for the baby. “There we are,” he said, revealing a small little figure sucking its thumb.

“Oh, Liss,” I said, leaning forward to get a better look at the screen.

“Any guesses for the gender?” the doctor asked cautiously.

“A little girl?” Christian suggested.

“Nah, I bet it’s a boy,” I countered.