On the bright side of all of this, their new home was substantially larger than where they lived after they first met. They had been in the Mediterranean since late spring. Once they arrived in Europe, Daniel arranged a quick wedding. They did business trading with people down the coast and finally settled near the area where he had grown up.
Anya had grown to love this child she was carrying more than she had ever realized was possible. It would be a difficult task explaining this to the other Elementals when they reunited. Not only because would she have to face the judgement of the Divine Spirit, but she would have to face the others knowing she hadn’t followed orders. It would be hard because she could barely understand it herself. There was a tiny person inside of her. One that she had never met. Of course, she knew it was a boy, but she couldn’t let on that she knew without being able to explain how she was certain. Still, this tiny person was someone she had never met, yet his life was far more important to her than anything else, even her own life.
With every passing day, Anya had found it harder to conceal her sadness from Daniel. She knew she would have to leave her baby and Daniel behind to attend the Return. The thought that haunted her the most was what would happen if she didn’t bear her child before she had to leave. It was a fear that gripped her thoughts endlessly whenever her mind ventured to the looming date ahead. She did her best to distract herself with busy work to keep her mind occupied on other matters, so she wouldn’t have to think about the possibility of being pregnant when the day came.
It was hard enough to leave them behind, but to go to the Return while she was still with child would mean her baby would cease to exist when she crossed over. She had a deadline in mind for when she must make the trip back to the north to be able to find the woods where she first appeared. The trip would have to be planned to allow for any delays or setbacks she might experience. It couldn’t wait until the last minute. She would have to make it in time to Return, or all of the Elementals would be stuck here.
Anya didn’t know what would happen if she didn’t show up for it. She worried the Divine Spirit would take her anyway and increase her punishment to include not being present with the others. As the date for her to make her trek north approached, she found that she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t leave Daniel and just runaway without a word. The only way she would make it is if Daniel came with her, but couldn’t think of any reason that would convince him why they had to go back. They were so happy in the life they were creating for themselves here. No one in their right mind would want to leave it behind. It was decided that she would stay and miss the Return regardless of the consequence instead of breaking his heart by trying to go by herself. Besides who would care for her baby once the Return occurred if she went alone?
Daniel sensed her worry and unease. He assumed it was due to the impending childbirth. Many first time mothers were often filled with worries and doubts about becoming a mother. It is a new journey, and nothing can prepare you. He was always there with a reassuring word or a small gift telling her over and over again that she was going to be a terrific mother.
It would be impossible for her to tell him the true cause for her concern. The fears she had would have to be hers to face alone. There was nothing anyone would be able to do to calm her.
Anya sat slowly massaging her rather round belly. It wouldn’t be long now before their son was born. She had never given much thought to whether she would prefer a boy or a girl since she knew the child was a boy when he was conceived. It pleased her knowing how much Daniel longed for a son. She wanted to name their little boy after his father.
The Return was tomorrow. The time had long past for her to do anything to be able to attend. She just hoped that whatever punishment the Divine Spirit rained down upon her wouldn’t affect Daniel or her unborn child. Fully expecting to be yanked back to the Spirit Realm regardless of where she might be, she intended to shy away from her husband as much as she could. The knowledge that his new wife left him suddenly, whether it be before or after giving birth to his son, would be enough for him to bear. All she could try to do would be to save him from seeing her disappear into thin air. Or worse. There were no limitations to what the Divine Spirit was capable of manifesting.
Daniel was working outside, and she heard him call for her. Standing to go to him, a gush of water surged forth from between her legs soaking her and spreading across the floor. He called her name again. This time she yelled out for him to help her. The panic in her voice was so strong it would be nearly impossible to not pick up on the urgency.
Daniel rushed inside at once and recognized in an instant what was happening. The terror in her face told him she had never learned about this stage of childbirth. “It’s quite alright, my love,” he soothed her, taking her hands. “Our child will be here soon. Your labors have begun.”
At that moment, a pain ripped through Anya’s abdomen, and she bent over from the force of it. She felt his strong arms encompassing her, keeping her on her feet and was thankful to have him near.
“Breathe,” he guided her. “You need to breathe.”
“I am breathing!” Anya spat at him. Breathing was a natural body action that didn’t require thought. It wasn’t something she could just turn off without knowing she did it.
“Anya,” he said, a little more direct this time. “Breathe.”
She opened her mouth to fire off a retort when she became aware she had been holding her breath. Inhaling long and slow, she leaned into Daniel for support. Another deep breath, and the pain was subsiding. “It’s working,” she told him, smiling at him ever appreciative that he knew how to take away her pain.
“It’s subsiding, yes, but it’s not over. We need to get you comfortable before the next one hits you.”
“Next one?” Anya’s eyes widened.
Daniel shook his head and chuckled. “Oh, my tree sprite, what shall I do with you?” he asked, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. He helped Anya to their bed then ran out to fetch the midwife. His smile seemed as though it never fade from his face. He had the most beautiful and mysterious wife of any land he had ever traveled, and they were about to become a family.
The midwife appeared a short time later and checked Anya over. It was still very early in her labor, and Daniel should have waited before bringing her to the house. “Up,” she ordered Anya, pulling her arms to raise her to a sitting position. “On your feet,” she instructed.
Anya’s eyes darted to the midwife, and she started to object.
“How many babes have you helped come into this world?” the midwife asked patronizingly.
Daniel was not to be found to support her desire to stay in the bed. With the midwife’s help, Anya rose to her feet and walked out of the bedroom. That’s where she spied her husband sitting at the table nervously fidgeting with a piece of fruit. He looked just as surprised to see her as she had been to learn she had to leave the comfort of their bed.
“There’s still time before the child makes his appearance,” the midwife informed him. “Keep her active.” The midwife walked to the door of their home.
“Active?” Daniel asked perplexed.
“Yes,” the midwife answered tonelessly. “There is no reason for her to waste the day in bed. You can have her finish her work if you’d like, but make sure she moves around. Walking is good.”
“Walking?” Daniel’s voice sounded lost as he looked at the woman wide-eyed and unsure.
The midwife scoffed and shook her head at both of them. “It will help the labor. I shall return later to check on her progress. There’s too much time left for me to stay here throughout.”
With that, she was out the door. Anya turned her frightened eyes to Daniel just as another pain ripped through her. He quickly came to her side to aide her.
Not sure how to help his wife, he merely spoke gently to her and rubbed her back while making sure she didn’t hold her breath again like she had at the onset. He tried to help her while she bent over grippi
ng the table for support. There was little else he could do for her, and it made him feel useless.
When the pain passed, Anya straightened again and found a mug to get a drink. Her doting husband quickly took the mug from her hands and filled it for her. After wetting her dry throat, she smiled at him. There couldn’t be a more perfect man she was certain of it.
“Better?” he asked her.
“For now,” she raised an eyebrow and flashed a smile in jest. “I liked what you did. With my back…it felt nice. I think it helped.”
Daniel beamed knowing he was somehow being beneficial. Most men would leave at this time returning much later in the day if not the next to meet their new child. It was almost as much tradition as it was a deep seeded disinterest to be present during the hard bit that women suffered. The man’s place was anywhere but the home when a baby was welcomed into being. It would take an act not of this earth to keep him away from his tree sprite when she was most in need of him.
“Should we walk then?” he asked.
Anya’s eyes told the answer. It was a devastating thought to endure this hurt away from her small comforts of home.
He smiled gently at her and caressed the back of her hand. “We don’t have to go far. Around the house should be enough.”
“That’s it?”
“To see how you like it, yes.”
Anya was about to decline the invitation. Climbing back into bed seemed like the best plan for her current situation.
Daniel continued his plea to get her outside, “The midwife would know what is helpful and what is not.”
She followed him outside begrudgingly, but found herself enjoying the fresh autumn air until the next pain ripped into her abdomen. Daniel held onto her giving her support and talking to her throughout. It passed, and they continued to walk around their property side by side. For hours Anya and Daniel walked trying to work through the pains that came faster and faster for her.
When the midwife returned, she was happy to see they had followed her instructions. She was also more than a little bemused to see Daniel so close and attentive to his wife where most men would have long since fled leaving her to suffer alone. Night was already upon them, and the air was becoming chilly. She ushered them both inside where she could check the baby’s progress with more comfort and in private. It wouldn’t be much longer now. There would still be a short wait before the baby made his debut, but not enough time to make it worth it to return to her home first.
Daniel proved to be an eager and willing assistant if not a little too much underfoot. The midwife delighted in sending him out on small errands just to rid him of her hair for a spell. He’d also return as quickly as he was able bringing whatever unnecessary items she had requested. The hard part was finding a reason for the need behind what she asked him to find, so he would not discover it was mere trickery to keep him occupied.
When the time neared for the baby to be born, she gave up giving him tasks to complete unless they were important to her work. Daniel sat behind his wife holding her while agonizing screams ripped from her throat. Impressed as she was, the midwife knew it was a matter of time before he made a permanent exit or passed out from shock. It was long suspected that men skipped out being present during their wife’s labor because they could not handle the shear vulgarity of it. Men couldn’t see past the intensity of the pain, the blood, and the rest of the discharges to embrace the act that women found to be beautiful. A fact she found quite comical since there was never a qualm in them regarding the birthing of their livestock.
Little Daniel was born in the early morning of the day of the Return. The miraculous bundle was placed into Anya’s arms, and the memory of everything she had endured during labor and childbirth began to dissipate from her mind. All that occupied her thoughts was this tiny creature who was a product of the love she had for Daniel. It filled her with awe how she was equipped with the capacity to grow a person inside her until he would be ready to survive outside the womb. Survive with assistance, of course. Little Daniel would be at the mercy of his parents for quite some time yet. Well, at the mercy of his father as Anya was sure to depart soon. It was one less thing to control her over stressed mind. Her child had been born first, and this was the best possibility Anya could have possibly hoped to play out.
He was handsome like his father with his mother’s eyes. This tiny little being who was the embodiment of the love his parents shared brought her tears of joy as she examined him carefully in awe of how perfect he looked. This child would grow up to be a magnificent young man, and she tried not to dwell on all of the years she would miss.
The midwife tidied up a bit around her while the new parents were awestruck by their son. She encouraged the new mother to let the boy suckle soon. It was better for both of them. With a little assistance to show her how, she put Little Daniel to her breast for his first meal. Anya nursed him then rested for the better part of the morning with Daniel keeping close watch in case they needed anything.
When she awoke around noon, it was the first thing she noticed. There was a pulsating energy nearby. It hummed low and constant. She couldn’t see it, but she knew it was there. Anya knew it was for her. She didn’t have to go anywhere to complete the Return like she had thought all along. It had found her. She tried her best to ignore it and to push it from her mind. It only grew louder and shriller as the day wore on. It wanted her to leave.
Late that evening after Daniel had fallen fast asleep, she nursed Little Daniel. She sang a song to him she had learned from the women in the village. Once her newborn baby was resting comfortably near his father, Anya walked outside and disappeared into the air alongside her hut. The energy was everywhere. All she had to do was accept it to be transported back to the rock.
She saw Air had already arrived. He grabbed her by the arms welcoming her back with a smile so warm and genuine. As hard as she tried to greet him in kind, she couldn’t keep her pain from surfacing. They only had a brief few seconds together before she found herself back alongside the home she shared with Daniel. Fire and Water had not made it. Anya knelt in the soft, familiar ground and let the tears flow. She had thought she would never see the two men who owned her heart again, but she was back.
In the darkness, she heard a voice speak to her. “Anya, the Elements left together; they must return together. You will have one chance to attempt the Return on this day each year for as long as it takes to complete. Make the most of your time with your family.”
She held her breath and waited for more. There would be consequences for disobeying orders the first year even if she was given permission to be with her loved ones now. She was absolutely certain of it, but nothing happened. Despite the punishment she would face, she smiled knowing she would have the year to spend with her family at least.
Her happiness thinking about the time she had been granted was short lived as pain suddenly overtook her. It was a struggle to stand upright, but she finally managed to make it to the door. She walked inside willing herself to make it to the bed where she could rest.
Daniel lifted his head and asked, “Anya? Where did you go?”
“I went for Air,” she replied smugly, realizing how slyly true those words were.
“Don’t overdo it, my love. You need to rest.”
Anya walked to the bed and looked down at both of them. The full moon was shining enough light through the window for her to see their faces well. She was truly in love with Daniel, and her heart felt more love for her son than she had believed a person could be capable of feeling. She was unimaginably happy in her simple life. She didn’t know how long she would have with them, but she vowed she would make every moment of their time together count.
Anya carefully got into bed. Little Daniel lay between them. She kissed her husband’s forehead and stroked her son’s headful of black hair. She was exhausted and soon drifted off to sleep. It would be short lived of course as her newborn son would awaken before long and often. None of that would bother
her. She was too thankful to have the chance to be there to experience it to mind the disruptions.
Chapter Eight
Grandma Eloise came into the hall as soon as Everleigh walked in the front door giving her a long look over from head to toe. ‘This isn’t a good sign,’ Everleigh thought, but forced a smile to pretend she had no reason to think her grandma should be alarmed.
“How was your visit?” her grandma asked, stepping closer and eyeing the side of Everleigh’s head.
It was no use ever trying to keep anything from her. It wouldn’t surprise her to find out her grandma knew about it as soon as it occurred and had been biding her time waiting to see if someone would give her the courtesy of a call to let her know what happened. “Good,” she lied, trying to keep the smile on her face.
“Hmm,” her grandma frowned. “You wouldn’t believe the horrible thoughts that crossed my mind while you were gone.”
“Thoughts? About me?” Everleigh tried to act coy.
“Yes, and your friend,” her grandma was studying her now, looking for anything to use as evidence. “I suppose I shouldn’t press for details. It might make things…difficult for us where your friendship is concerned if my fears proved to be true.”
“You are a wise woman,” Everleigh stole Judd’s line.
Her grandma scoffed and walked to the kitchen. “How is the old devil doing?”
Everleigh smiled and shook her head. It shouldn’t come as a shock either that her grandma knew who she was copying. This woman always knows everything. “He seems well. Same old Judd,” the corners of her mouth curved up. It was amusing how her grandma would call him anything except his name.
Grandma Eloise opened her mouth then thought better of it.
“What?” Everleigh encouraged. “What’s on your mind?”
Earth: The Elementals Book Two Page 9
