Page 93 of Destined for Dreams
Chapter 25
Cori
One thing Cori had learned was that there were certain times in life that could be completely surreal, and this evening was most definitely one of them. As she stared at the monitor, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing on the screen. A tiny new life had formed in her belly, all without her even realizing it. She was totally blown away by how big the baby had already gotten.
She’d left work early at six in the evening so she could make her appointment with the local supernatural doctor, Paula Dupree. It had to be late since this particular physician was a vampire, and with all the sups that had moved into the Fairbanks area, she kept a busy night schedule. As it was, Cori had had to wait several days for an opening. Going somewhere else hadn’t been a choice since this was no normal pregnancy.
As she lay on the examination table, Cori felt the pressure of the ultrasound wand against her lower stomach. Paula angled it down near her pelvic bone to catch the best possible picture of the growing embryo. It was wiggling around and wouldn’t stay still.
Cori frowned. “I could have only conceived four weeks ago, how is it that big already?”
“Children of nephilim are different,” Paula said, pressing keys on the computer to take snapshots. “Their growth rate is a little faster than human children.”
“Tormod was the last nerou to be born, and that was over fifty years ago. How do you know?” Cori asked. She could tell by Paula’s aura that she was only about eighty and likely would have still been human back then.
The thin, pale woman with light brown hair smiled. “I’ve always been curious about the nerou. When Melena started coming to me for birth control, I made a point of doing as much research as possible just in case the medicine I gave her didn’t work. Yerik’s mate, Lorna, also helped fill in a few blanks for me. She said she carried Tormod for approximately six months and that was common from what she’d heard, so it should be close to the same for you.”
Cori swallowed and glanced down at her stomach. “Is that why the baby looks a few weeks ahead of schedule?”
“I believe so,” Paula said. She removed the wand and wiped Cori’s stomach clean of gel. “Because of that, I’ll need you to come in here every two weeks for checkups. Also, you’re going to have to maintain a good, healthy diet and take prenatal vitamins religiously. Most supernatural children have higher nutritional requirements than humans, and your baby will take a lot from you if you don’t—even with your enhanced physical state.”
To say Cori was starting to feel even more overwhelmed than before was an understatement. “When would you estimate my due date?”
“It’s difficult to say a precise day, and I may adjust the timing a bit later, but I’d guess you’ll give birth in late May if all goes well.” Paula helped Cori sit up. “On a bright note, your child is much more resilient in the womb than mortals, so you won’t have as many restrictions as you did in your first pregnancy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you can’t get sick anymore, though you should avoid Melena’s cooking to be on the safe side because if anyone could inadvertently kill an unborn child…”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll avoid that,” Cori said, amused by the doctor’s humor. “What else?”
“Don’t get into fights or do anything that could cause you serious physical harm.” Paula gave her a stern look. “One of the greatest difficulties pregnant supernatural women have is remembering they aren’t bulletproof. If you die, so does your baby. The child in your womb can survive most anything except direct physical trauma such as stabbing or your death. So be careful and don’t do anything stupid.”
Cori wasn’t planning on it. She wanted this baby more with each passing day and would do all she could to protect it. “I will. I promise.”
“Good, because if you get hurt, you can’t drink immortal blood right now to heal. It will likely start your final transition, and we have no idea what that could do to your child. According to Melena, it was an incredibly painful change that altered her body on a molecular level. For now, you are stuck at your current state. If you decide to become immortal, do it after the baby is born.”
“I wasn’t planning on taking that step yet anyway,” Cori said, though she was glad it gave her the excuse she needed. It bought her time. She could wait until her child was weaned and then reconsider immortality.
“Glad to hear it.” Paula handed her several printouts from the ultrasound. “Be sure to schedule your next appointment with the nurse on your way out and call me anytime if you have any problems.”
“Okay, thanks.”
The vampire doctor left, shutting the door behind her. Cori took a few moments to straighten her clothing and study the printout pictures. She ran her fingertips over the clearest shot, wondering what Bartol would think when he saw it.
Would he be happy? Sad? Angry? Had he ever considered being a father or did he never want it? Cori was scared of his reaction, and yet she was excited for this second chance at motherhood. The baby couldn’t possibly replace her daughter, but it could bring joy to her life that she hadn’t had in a long time. She only hoped this didn’t put greater complications on her and Bartol’s relationship. They were only starting to get on better footing.
She grabbed her purse and headed out of the office. Her mother was waiting for her in the hallway, still unhappy that she hadn’t got to come inside the room for the examination and ultrasound. Cori had wanted this first visit all to herself and insisted Joy wait outside.
“How did it go?” her mother asked, leaping to her feet. “The doctor wouldn’t tell me anything.”
Cori handed her the printouts. “Apparently, I’m due in late May.”
“May?” Joy’s eyes rounded as she took in the baby on the black and white ultrasound pictures. “But I thought you said you only conceived a month ago.”
“Apparently, this case is different because of the supernatural element.”
“Oh, but that leaves us even less time to prepare.” Her mother pulled out her cell phone and started tapping on the screen. “I’ll have to adjust my list and let your sister know.”
