"I'm sorry." I told him and kissed his temple. He turned his head into the kiss for more. The next thing I knew, he had his hand tangled in my hair and had almost pulled me on top of him, deepening the kiss until I pulled back slightly as the baby kicked. "Not quite as comfortable as it used to be." I sighed, looking at my belly.
"Well then, we'll just have to use better positioning, won't we?" Alexandre responded and tugged me to his side on the table with a wince. He grunted as he turned slightly to face me. "Just wait until I'm healed, we'll try some things out, see what you like." His eyes sparkled mischievously as he leaned in for another kiss. I swatted his shoulder lightly.
"Is that all you ever think about?" I sighed, smiling.
"When you're around? Mostly." He responded with a wolfish grin. He kissed me again and pulled me towards him. I complied, being careful of his chest, but he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me harshly against him, directly against his skin. He grunted again, but didn't stop kissing me, running his teeth down my neck gently, making me moan, while his hand wandered down my spine. Suddenly he stiffened and I looked at him to see him glaring at the door.
"Enjoying the show?" Alexandre asked.
"I was actually just wondering what I had to do to be invited." Cornelius replied and walked in. His nostrils flared slightly and I hear him murmur "Interesting." Once more. I tried to push away from Alexandre to stand, but he refused to let me go.
"You lost your chance some time ago." Alexandre sniped.
"Oh my God, I'm caught in the middle of a lover's quarrel! Aren't I supposed to be the jealous one?" I burst out. Alexandre smirked at me and Cornelius stared.
"So fiery. Are you ready for surgery? This is not going to be pleasant. Do you prefer an anesthetic?" Cornelius asked Alexandre. Alexandre's lips thinned but he shook his head no.
"There's still sedative in my system, I can't be sure what she used..." He grimaced and Cornelius nodded. I scooted off the table and helped Alexandre roll back over.
"I'm afraid you've got pieces in your chest and back. Your chest looked worse because that was the exit path if I am to understand the situation correctly?" Cornelius glanced between us and I nodded grimly. "Ok then, which do you want to do first?"
"Back." Alexandre responded immediately and I grimaced, knowing that meant flipping him again.
"Ok then, I'm also going to have to make a couple of adjustments to your rib cage. I'm sorry, it seems you've got some bone fragments that could use repositioning." Cornelius reported and Alexandre groaned. "Don't be too tiresome, your little girl here did as best she could under the circumstanced, and she wisely decided to let you stabilize before causing you any more damage."
"Carys." Alexandre and I growled together and Cornelius and looked taken aback.
"This girl, she has a name. I'ts Carys. Use it properly." I snarled.
"Tell me, how does one smell so sweet and have such a fiery temperament?" Cornelius advanced on me, extending a finger. I held my ground. "You should very much smell like cayenne pepper at this point." He commented and ran the finger from my cheekbone to lips. "I should very much like to taste you and see if you taste as sweet as you smell, of if you're as bitter on the inside as your words suggest." His hand dropped to my shoulder and I wanted to pull away, but found I was frozen to the spot, gaze locked with Cornelius. My mind started screaming about running and my heart rate spiked as my fight or flight reflexes kicked in. Cornelius leaned in towards me.
"Cornelius!" Alexandre snapped, breaking the spell. I trembled as his gaze turned to Alexandre and felt my knees give out beneath me. I crumpled to the floor, but Cornelius caught me and sat me in the chair beside the hospital bed carefully.
"Not to worry, not to worry." He flapped his hands at Alexandre. "I wouldn't try to get between another and their partner." Cornelius gave a light chuckle and patted Alexandre's shoulder. "Especially not one I held in such high regard." He kissed Alexandre's forehead lightly and Alexandre lay back on the table with a groan. I couldn't stop my shaking, so I stood weakly and squeezed Alexandre's hand, giving him a look I know he'd understand.
"I'm sorry Alexandre, I..." I began.
"Go." He whispered and I fled from the room.
The terrifying behavior of Cornelius kicked up all my old fears and anxieties again. The baby kicked at the sudden unsettling speed. I fled to our bedroom, though I wanted to keep moving. I grabbed Alexandre's pillow from the bed and smothered my face in it, letting his smell seep into me in hopes that it would calm me. My body didn't know what it wanted to do now-run, hide, cry. So I did a combination. I ran to the closet and grabbed one of Alexandre's jackets, threw on my shoes and with tears streaming from my eyes, fled to the gardens, Alexandre's pillow still clutched in my hands. I ran as far away from the house as I could, while still being shielded by the trees and screamed and sobbed into the pillow until I was exhausted and cold.
Hugging the wet pillow to my chest, I plodded back towards the house. The baby had finally settled and I apologized to her as I walked.
"Great mom you inherited, yeah?" I asked her wryly. I entered the house slowly and the first sound I heard made my blood go cold. Alexandre's hoarse screams and the crack of bone. I dropped his pillow and raced to the makeshift medical room. The door was shut and locked and I banged on it desperately, considering busting it down briefly. "Let me IN DAMNIT!" I snarled.
"You're not sterile." Cornelius' calm voice replied.
"..'S okay Carys... He had to reset a few bones." Alexandre gasped weakly. I heard another sharp crack, and although Alexandre tried to muffle his scream, it still shot through me like an arrow. Another crack and Alexandre went suddenly silent.
"Alexandre?!" I screamed.
"He just passed out. Use your senses child." Cornelius scolded. I strained against the door and heard Alexandre's familiar heartbeat and breathing. A little ragged and unsteady, but he was alive. I sighed and slid down the door, huddling against it for hours before Cornelius came out, holding a large wad of plastic sheeting, some of it splattered with blood.
"He said to incinerate these, where does he usually do that?" Cornelius asked and I pointed mutely. He practically vanished in front of my eyes. I walked slowly into the medical room. Alexandre was bandaged again from collar bone to hips. Blood had seeped through some of the gauze. His mouth hung open and he look so pitiful laying there that I almost cried again.
"He'll be fine." Cornelius said from behind me. "I fed him more of my blood and managed to get all of the pieces of shrapnel and bone. I had to rebreak a few ribs.." He ran his fingers up Alexandre's side. "But he'll mend quite nicely now." He kissed Alexandre's forehead gently again and sat in the chair beside the bed, motioning to me. I hesitated, but knew if he wanted, he could force me, so I took a few steps closer. He offered his hand. I reluctantly took it and he enveloped it in both of his, tugging me closer to him.
"As for you... Alexandre explained you had a rather traumatic past and it's all still relatively fresh..." Cornelius rubbed the back of my hand and drew me closer, lifting my wrist to run his nose along it. I flinched. "I understand my behavior may have been upsetting to you." He reported and pulled me even closer. Abruptly, he had me in his lap, my back against his chest. I felt his nose run along my neck and I stiffened. "I'll try to bear that in mind." He whispered next to my ear, and then stood, placing me in the seat alone, and vanished from the room. I gasped heavily and tried to steady myself. Cornelius terrified the daylights out of me.