Ti began to pass like sand in an hourglass, and Belle knew that sooner or later, she would have to take Rav as well. Rohan accompanied her as she collected ten more souls, and after each one, he took her to places that made her smile again, trying to keep her heart from breaking completely. Most of the ti, they went back to the waterfall, touching the stones and letting her bring one back with her every ti.
True to his words, the stones worked like magic and soothed her heart.
But nothing could ease the dread and heartbreak that would co with Rav’s turn. And not just that, Belle realized sothing else a month before Rav’s ti would be due, sothing that might make everything even harder.
Rohan wasn’t always around during the day because he had to keep up appearances at the royal castle with the king, pretending to study war strategies while secretly staying close to learn their plans and find out if they still intended to take her hostage if a war breaks out.
For now, there had been no news about the war, but they knew the humans were still planning it. That was why Rohan stayed close to the royals at all tis, to know what was happening and avoid being caught off guard.
When he returned ho in the evenings, he made up for his absence by spending ti with his son. After what had happened that day when Belle had been gone and Rohan had left Angel, their relationship hadn’t been as strong as before. But over ti, Rohan began to win his son’s trust back.
He made sure to co ho carrying presents and blood snacks for the boy, and Angel, who had a sweet tooth, could never resist. Rohan even gave him four bundles of parchnt for his drawings and bought him more tools and equipnt.
"Now tawk, Papa. An-jo tawk wi Papa," Angel had said one night with a bright grin, hugging his father tightly and giving him a moist kiss on the cheek. "I wuv Papa."
"I love you too," Rohan replied with a grin of his own, and since then, their relationship had nded.
Thankfully, Belle’s morning sickness wasn’t too bad, though she had begun to crave food more often. That afternoon, she was in the kitchen preparing vegetable soup to satisfy her craving when Evenly walked in to drop off her used plate. Suddenly, Evenly clasped a hand over her mouth and rushed out the back door to throw up.
Belle, who was stirring the soup while her son sat on the table behind her with his drawing tools, turned just in ti to hear the sound of retching outside.
A frown creased her face. She lowered the firewood beneath the stove, lifted Angel down from the table so he wouldn’t hurt himself trying to get down, and hurried outside, her son following close behind, calling, "Enny!"
Belle found Evenly crouched down, emptying her stomach. Sensing them behind her, Evenly raised a trembling hand and managed to say, "Don’t co closer, it’s ugly..." before another wave of coughing and vomiting overtook her.
Angel looked up at his mother with wide, worried eyes as if asking what was wrong with Evenly. Belle crouched to his height and said gently, "Go back inside and continue your drawing. I’ll co in after I check on your Enny." She placed a kiss on his cheek, and Angel looked back at Evenly once more before nodding and walking inside, dragging his feet and glancing back again before finally running off.
Belle went in briefly and returned with a pitcher of water, handing it to Evenly, who was now trying to catch her breath and patting her chest weakly.
"Thank you," Evenly said as she rinsed her mouth and splashed water on her face before handing the empty pitcher back to Belle.
"Are you all right?" Belle asked softly, reaching out to hold Evenly’s hair away from her damp face and tucking it behind her ears.
"I don’t know," Evenly admitted with a weary sigh. "I’ve been feeling unwell for quite a while now. The aroma of the soup you were making just triggered it again." She looked tired, uncertain what was wrong. She already had too many things to worry about, but this feeling was getting worse with each passing day.
Rav had been avoiding her more than usual lately, only coming around on nights when it rained. Even then, she could tell sothing was bothering him. He looked paler, thinner. She might have said he was sick, but vampires didn’t get sick in that sort of way. So what could it be?
"Since when have you been feeling this way?" Belle asked, helping Evenly to her feet and guiding her to sit on a bench in the back garden.
"I don’t rember exactly," Evenly replied after a mont, frowning in thought. "But I think it’s been about a week now."
She had woken up one morning feeling miserable and unable to even leave the bed. It was Rav, after noticing she hadn’t co down for breakfast, who had brought her als in the room. But even the food had made her sick. Could it be she and Rav were getting sick at the sa ti?
"When last did you see your monthly?" Belle asked again, studying her friend who had believed until now that she couldn’t get pregnant again. To Belle’s knowledge, a woman who still bled every month still had the chance to conceive, and Evenly still did.
Evenly’s brows shot up as she seed to realize sothing. Because she had been worrying about Rav, trying to understand what could be wrong and why no one else in the castle had noticed that he was losing a concerning amount of weight everyday, she hadn’t thought about not seeing her monthly.
"I didn’t see it in the month that passed, but then... the doctor who once treated and told Josh that I can’t have another baby said there would co a ti I would stop seeing it. Perhaps this is it?" Evenly said uncertainly, a little dejected at the thought that the doctor’s prediction was coming true.
Belle didn’t think so. Even when Evenly had once told her that she couldn’t have babies anymore, Belle hadn’t fully believed it, many doctors had been wrong before. For so ti now, she had known her friend’s relationship with Rav had grown into such intimacy that could bring a baby. But because of her guilt and the knowledge that when his ti was over she would be taking his soul, Belle had tried not to talk about the vampire with her friend.
"What if you are pregnant?" Belle suggested, and she saw her friend’s eyes widen before they dimd.
"It’s impossible. I can’t be. You know I’ve been pregnant before, and my pregnancies don’t co with sickness that makes throw up. I don’t think it’s that," she said with slumped shoulders, not wanting to raise her hopes over sothing impossible.
Belle didn’t say anything at that mont. She waited until her husband ca back from the royal castle that evening, then stopped him before he could enter the castle to make him get a doctor.
"What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" he asked, grabbing her shoulders to examine her, but Belle shook her head.
"Not . It’s for Evenly. I’ll explain things to you later, just go. Hurry." She gave him a little shove that made him narrow his eyes in curiousity as to why she was in a hurry to have a doctor for her friend, but he didn’t question her urgency and left to get the doctor he had once brought for her after compelling him.
A few minutes later, Rohan returned with the doctor, and Belle told him to go look after their son while she handled the rest.
"All right. You’d better have the full gist by the ti you’re done, because I’m curious, sweetheart," Rohan grumbled, to which his wife gave him a little shove and said, "I’ll tell you everything later."
Evenly was taking an evening nap when Belle and the doctor entered her room. Belle gently woke her, and she sat up, startled at the sight of the middle-aged man under compulsion, staring at her.
"Why did you bring the doctor, Belle? I’m not sick or anything. You—"
"Let the doctor decide what’s wrong with you," Belle said when Evenly began to protest against being checked, believing it was nothing serious.
Evenly finally gave in, and the doctor stepped forward. He widened her eyes with his fingers, checked her pulse, and pressed his hands lightly around her stomach with a thoughtful expression before stepping back and turning to Belle.
"She is indeed pregnant," he announced. "She’s at the early stage."
Belle felt her heart leap at the news. Her eyes trailed to Evenly, who was lying on the bed with unblinking eyes. She didn’t move and remained as still as stone. Belle couldn’t help but wonder what was running through her mind. She dismissed the doctor after he gave her a few dications that would help in an early stage of pregnancy and then returned to sit at the edge of Evenly’s bed.
Belle placed her hand over her friend’s. "Evenly, did you hear what the doctor said?" she asked softly when she received no reaction from the vampiress.
Evenly turned her head to look at her, tears already filling her red eyes. "I’ve heard this four tis before, Belle," she choked out. "The Cliftons’ doctor said even if I get pregnant, my body can no longer carry it to term and it will lead to an early miscarriage. I’ve had four of them... this one might fall just like all the others." Her tears spilled over, and she pressed her palm against her face, sobbing. "I wish I didn’t know. I had a feeling I might be pregnant, but I didn’t want to confirm it because I know..." Her voice broke before she could finish.
Belle held her hand, letting her cry until the sobs began to ease. She understood the weight of the fear her friend carried. "What if this one turns out different?" she asked gently, handing her a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
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