I reached out a hand to Cornelius who took it in a heartbeat.
"Thank you." I said as I pulled him closer and he looked down briefly, as if embarrassed. He came willingly to me, despite my lack of strength and as he neared, I noticed something different about him. "You smell...different." I remarked and Cornelius' face took on a slight rosy hue.
"Well, you are what you eat, I guess." He offered and glanced at Alexandre. Did that mean they had continued their viral exchange experiments while I was unconscious?
"I would desperately love to sit up, do you think that's possible? I asked Cornelius cautiously. Alexandre's head snapped up with worry.
"How's your pain?" Cornelius immediately became serious.
"I seem to be alright right now." I answered.
"Can you move your legs?" Cornelius asked and I looked down while wiggling my toes and gasped.
"How long was I out?" I squeaked, shocked. My half melon belly had become much larger, jutting awkwardly from under the blanket. I pulled it off me, and saw how much weight I had lost, causing my stomach to look even more like a foreign entity attached to me. I ran a hand along the tiny mountain in shock and saw Alexandre wince out of the corner of my eye.
"It's been a little over three weeks." Cornelius replied softly.
"How far along does that put me now?" I gasped.
"We're not really sure at this point, your injuries put you both in stasis for a while. You're somewhere between your thirty and thirty-fourth week. The baby does measure closer to the thirty-third week mark, so that's what I'm going with." Cornelius replied.
"Thirty-three weeks. I'm due in less than two months." I cringed. "She's so big already." I whispered.
"It's more that you're so small recently." Cornelius replied, "But don't worry, we'll remedy that." And with that Cornelius began bustling around, first bringing me a cup of blood, straight his and Alexandre's. It was like a beautiful sweet floral raspberry tea and I drained it in an instant, slurping it up through a straw. Once it was gone I touched my lips in thought, the bitter flavor of Cornelius' blood was fading.
Then Alexandre and Cornelius raised the head of the bed, slowly, letting me adjust. I was pain-free and retained movement and promised Cornelius another x-ray later, so retained my sitting privileges. Alexandre leaned onto the bed when Cornelius left, trapping me between his hands and kissed me until I was panting for air.
"I missed you." He murmured against my lips as I played with the hair on the back of his head.
"I was so worried." I told him, my breath hitching, and he kissed me again to silence me. "What happened to Luc?" I asked the question that had been weighing on my mind. Alexandre withdrew, a look coming over his face like an impending thunderstorm.
"I haven't decided what to do with him yet." Alexandre stated.
"What does that mean?" I sat straighter, worried. He turned away from me and I reached for him, but then hissed as my ribcage and back simultaneously objected to the abrupt movement. Alexandre turned swiftly and cradled me in his arms.
"Don't worry about it Carys. We'll discuss it later. You just rest." Alexandre soothed, laying the table back to a more reclined position again.
"You're pissing me off." I grumbled at him and he chuckled, kissing my forehead before leaving the room. "Just you wait until I can get out of this bed again young man!" I called, then groaned as my ribs twinged. The baby rolled and kicked suddenly and I gasped at the strength of her movements. I moved the blanket and shirt aside to see a blue bruise spreading rapidly across my skin. It began to slowly fade in front of my eyes. I touched it gingerly.
"Be careful girlie, don't break momma." I whispered. Eventually, I slept out of boredom, waking the next time Cornelius came in to check on me.
"Ready for some more to eat?" He asked chipperly and I licked my lips and nodded once. He extended a wrist. "Straight from the tap." He chuckled and brushed my hair back with this other hand. I didn't even ask if he was sure, just gripped his arm and sunk my teeth in. He moaned slightly and I felt his hand tighten at the back of my head, tangling in my hair. I jerked and let go, the memory still fresh of Luc slamming my face into the floor. Cornelius laid his hands on the side of my face. "Are you alright?" He asked quietly, his blood dripping warm splats on my shoulder and neck. I averted my gaze but nodded. Cornelius ran a thumb over my lip and leaned closer to me, hesitating for another moment before kissing me softly. To my surprise I reacted by throwing my arms around his neck and pulling him to me. He answered by deepening the kiss with a gasp and then tugging my arms apart to free himself, resting his forehead on mine, breathing heavily for a moment or two.
"I'm sorry." I whispered.
"Don't be, beautiful girl. I made the first move, I just find that drinking so much of Alexandre's blood has left me a little...unbalanced...lately. He has been very hard to separate from your side." He chuckled. "I think his longing for you may have affected me also." He straightened. "Now, back to business, I promise to behave." Cornelius thrust his wrist at me, the other arm tucked behind his back. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply before taking his arm again. I reopened the wound and drank my fill. I could feel Cornelius' slight tremors as I drank, but he suppressed any sound he might have made and kept his other hand to himself. When I was done, however, I found the other hand clutching the mattress in a death grip beside me. I giggled slightly and Cornelius' expression relaxed. He ran the back of his knuckles from my temple to chin.
"There's that beautiful smile we missed." Cornelius said softly and then turned on his heel and left. I struggled into a sitting position, tired again of being reclined, and absolutely bored out of my mind. I examined the bags of fluids attached to my arms with revulsion, then pulled my legs into a crossed position with a sigh. I looked down to watch my belly move and roil for a few moments as the baby stretched and moved. The feeling was odd and a little painful at times. Then I sighed again and looked at the door to see Alexandre observing me silently. I smiled at him.
"What do you think about unhooking me from some of these?" I motioned vaguely at the bags. Alexandre frowned.
"You're still very thin, and still healing." He said quietly.
"But, I'm awake and eating, and really can't stand these damn things being attached to me." I argued defensively. He sighed. "Plus, I'd really like to sleep in my ow bed tonight. Or at least have some freedom of movement to keep myself from murderous boredom." Alexandre's frown returned, but a spark had appeared in his eyes at he mention of our bed.
"After a few tests, and only if Cornelius and I agree." Alexandre stipulated. I nodded eagerly, and Alexandre went to find Cornelius.
They proceeded to run me through every test they could think of. Blood, urine, x-ray, ultrasound, response times, the list went on. I saw Cornelius down the unused blood slyly and I shook my head. I drew the line when they demanded a physical exam and they started getting too handsy.
"Hey!" I started slapping hands. "Checking my injuries is one thing, feeling me up another." Alexandre chuckled.
"I think she's fine." Cornelius noted with amusement. "At least well enough to remove the IV lines. We can always add a new line if she needs it later, but there are no signs of dehydration and the blood I gave her earlier has already brought a little color back to her face."
"Carys, your breaks are mostly healed, but you haven't been doing anything with these muscles in a while. Your body is a little wasted. Please take it easy." Cornelius begged. I grimaced at him and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. Based on the pain from their manipulations earlier, this was not going to be pleasant, but I gritted my teeth and let myself slip off the bed onto the floor. I hissed as my legs took my weight and my back and ribs adjusted, trying to balance me with the awkward weight of my stomach stealing my center of gravity. Alexandre and Cornelius immediately steadied me and I grinned at them, trying to hide the pain. I was determined not to stay in this room any longer though, so I pushed myself forward. My knees were weak and I wasn't ready for the added weight of the baby, but I made it to the door before I started panting, sweat breaking out on my forehead.
"Ok, I think that's enough for today." Alexandre said sharply and scooped me up off the ground. I squealed lightly as the pain shot across my back and rib cage. He turned with me in his arms and stepped back towards the gurney.
"No, please. I just want to sleep in my own bed in your arms again and fall asleep with a good book in my hands." I begged, clutching Alexandre's shirt front and his gaze softened. He looked helplessly at Cornelius.
"I don't see a problem in it. If she experiences any pain, she can always return here." Cornelius offered. I sighed and looked up at Alexandre, pleading with my eyes. I could see him crumble before me.
"Yay! Thank you!" I cheered happily and offered him my lips, which he leaned down and covered with his own with a soft growl.
"You somehow manage to walk all over me, you know?" Alexandre bit my lip gently.
"Yup." I replied happily and he sighed dramatically, turning to carry me towards the bedroom.