Phoenix

by Danielle James

  “You know that’s not a good idea,” he reminded her of the Doc’s warning when she unfastened his belt. Sex was unsafe during the final weeks of pregnancy. He was very adamant about it.

  “Doc, smock,” she said, kissing his neck. She bit his ear lightly, sending shivers down his spine. A flash burn ran deep within him, igniting parts of his body that had no business waking up. Why did she have to know his weaknesses? And more so, why did she have to exploit them? Not that he minded too terribly. When she touched him, no matter how often, he felt like a starving man receiving food for the first time in months. She rolled on top of him and jerked his boxer shorts down. Phoenix helped shimmy them the rest of the way off and kicked them off the side of the bed. They made love carefully, at least on his part, (no fires tonight,) until she was finally tired and fell into a deep sleep.

  It was about three a.m. when Phoenix jerked awake. Phoenix, wake up! He heard it in his head. He looked at Kelly and panicked. She was awake, sitting up on her elbows, her enormous belly looming out in front of her. Little beads of sweat were gathering on her forehead. Her eyes were wide and scared.

  “What is it?” he asked, stroking her face.

  “Something’s wrong,” she said, her breath coming out in a huff. “It hurts, here.” She ran her hand across her lower abdomen. “And in my back.”

  “Jules!” Phoenix shouted, placing his hands over her huge belly preparing to heal whatever the problem was. His fire started, but he couldn’t stop her pain.

  Jules and Nick crashed through the door together and rushed to Kelly’s side. Andrew and Jared were standing at the door, rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Victor and Rachel pushed past the two and went to the middle of the room.

  “What is it Baby?” Jules asked her daughter. Kelly explained. Jules rested her hand lightly on Kelly’s stomach, up high, toward the top. Not at all where she said it hurt. “Is it constant?”

  “No, it comes and goes,” Kelly said, wincing as the pain came again as she said it.

  “Call Doc King,” Jules told Victor. He had his phone in his hand and was in the hall dialing in half a second.

  “What do you think it is?” Phoenix asked Jules. “I can’t heal it,” he admitted, lowering his head. He felt as if he had failed her in some way. He knew he couldn’t always heal everything, but it didn’t stop him from trying and did not stop him from getting upset with himself for being unable to heal his wife. He had failed Kelly in the worst way back in New Mexico and he would not do it again, no matter how small.

  Her answering smile set Phoenix back. He saw no reason to smile when the woman he loved was in pain. “Of course you can’t,” Jules said. “She isn’t hurt. It’s not that kind of pain. It’s time. She’s in labor.”

  “Holy shit!” Phoenix jumped from the bed and raced around the room, not really knowing what he was looking for. They had prepared for this. There were things he was supposed to be doing. They had a plan, but now, for the life of him, he couldn’t remember what it was. He heard someone giggling in the background, but he was too panicked to see who. He was supposed to do something, he knew it. Damn it, why couldn’t he drudge up a coherent plan of action? A coherent thought, for that matter?

  All of the sudden, Phoenix felt very calm. Nick had his hand on his arm. “As funny as it is to watch you freak out, that is not what Kelly needs right now.” he said. His heart rate slowed to a more normal rate, and his breathing returned to normal. Nick was using his gift on Phoenix and for once, he didn’t mind. “Go sit on the bed with your wife.” Phoenix’s body obeyed, but his mind was still racing.

  They waited for Doc to get there. He was on his way, but it would be about an hour. He could only travel as fast as he could drive. Phoenix dabbed Kelly’s brow with a damp cloth often, wiping the sweat away. Her mother held her hand and talked quietly with her. When the pain came, Jules talked her through it, reminding her to breath. Phoenix mostly sat quietly at her side, not knowing what to do for her. He was starting to feel kind of useless.

  When Doc finally arrived, (it was only about forty minutes, but it seemed much longer,) Kelly was panting for breath and in a lot of pain. She squeezed Phoenix’s hand and cursed a blue streak like he had never heard. She even said some words he never heard before. Once, she threatened his life for putting her through this. But the whole time she was thinking, Don’t leave me.

  “It won’t be long now,” Doc observed. “She’s almost ten centimeters,” he said, tossing his gloves into the trash. That was one part Phoenix hadn’t been prepared for. A stranger touching his woman in all her private places. He knew it was necessary, but it didn’t stop him from feeling the ill will for the Doc. His better judgment forced him to bite his lip and keep his opinions to himself.

  When it was time, everyone except for Phoenix, Jules, and the Doc cleared the room. Rachel was waiting nearby, in case they needed help.

  “Push now, Kelly!” the Doc was saying to her. She pulled her knees back to her body and pressed her chin into her chest, her face turned purple with the effort. When she relaxed to take a breath, he told her, “Again.” She pushed and pushed for twenty minutes. She was exhausted, but persevered.

  “Relax for a moment now,” Doc said, “the head is out, do you want to see?” he asked Phoenix and like the idiot he was sometimes, he looked. There was a mass of bloody dark curls protruding from Kelly’s body. Doc was doing something to the baby’s mouth and nose. Clearing them out, he thought. Phoenix thought he must have turned green. His stomach balled up inside of him and he just knew he was going to vomit. He had never vomited before in his life but there was a first time for everything. Blood and gore had never bothered him. But this! This was different.

  “Ok, one more time, Kelly, push hard!” the Doc said. She did, crying out with the effort. “There!” he shouted, and Kelly slumped back onto her pillow, gasping for breath. He held up the wiggling baby so they could all see. Dark hair, ten fingers, ten toes....and a little General between his legs. But his color was all wrong. He was a kind of grayish blue. Was there something wrong? Weren’t newborn babies supposed to cry? This baby was silent. Phoenix’s heart raced, sending him into a full blown panic attack.

  He was breathing very fast. He gasped for air and no matter how much he forced into his lungs, he just couldn’t get enough oxygen. “Wha..” he started to say, but he suddenly felt very dizzy. He tried to hold on, but the whole world went black around him.

  Phoenix woke sometime later on the floor. There were two pairs of feet in his line of sight. He knew instantly that the feet belonged to Jules and Nick. The baby! He sat up and looked around for Kelly. “Hey, you’re up!” Nick laughed. “Man, when you pass out, you really pass out. You’ve been unconscious for about twenty minutes. I hope you don’t mind, you looked comfortable, so we left you where you fell.” Jules snickered in the background.

  Phoenix got to his feet and went to join his little family. Jules was sitting on the side of the bed beside Kelly, who was holding a little bundle in a blanket next to her exposed breast. As he approached, Jules got up to make room for him. Kelly only smiled as she gently pulled back the blanket to expose the baby’s face. He was firmly attached to her nipple, sucking greedily. Phoenix looked at him and then back at Kelly. He’s perfect, she thought. Phoenix leaned closer for a better look.

  As if he knew his daddy was there, he released his breakfast to stare back at Phoenix. Curly dark hair, pale skin-like his mother, he had Kelly’s petite features, but the most interesting thing was the pair of bright orange eyes staring back at him. He stared at Phoenix as if he already knew him, an ageless grace to his gaze.

  “He has your eyes,” Jules told him.

  “And,” Kelly said, pulling the blanket away from him, “something else.” There, on his back, was a very small pair of orange and red wings. They looked a little like baby chicken wings, covered in a fluffy down instead of feathers. Phoenix’s vision went blurry as the tears of joy streamed down his face. He instantly loved this
little creature more than anything in the world.

  “I love you, little man,” Phoenix said to him, stroking his little face. “What will we call him?” he asked.

  “I was thinking, Michael Joseph, if you like it.” Yes. Michael after the angel who had given his life back, Joseph for Kelly’s late adopted father.

  “I love it.” And he did. “And I love you,” he told Kelly, kissing her mouth.

  “As I love you,” she whispered around his lips.

  EPILOGUE

  FIVE YEARS LATER

  Kelly watched as Phoenix tried to teach Michael how to land again. Taking flight was easy for the tot, but landing was something else entirely. They had spent the better part of two days working on landing without breaking anything.

  She ran her tongue over her new fangs. She had her reservations about being turned into a vampire, but it was the only way she could stay with Phoenix forever. And she loved her new fangs. And, given the way Phoenix was roaring last night, so did he.

  They had started out not wanting Kelly to drink from Phoenix because they didn’t know what kind of effect it might have on her, but in the heat of the moment, Kelly had bitten him hard and claimed him as her mate. They now had matching tattoo – like marks to prove it.

  The demons and the rest of the Dark Alliance hadn’t made another appearance since Phoenix roasted them all like an over cooked Thanksgiving dinner. Kelly was happy for that. Hopefully they wouldn’t hear another peep for the rest of their very long lives.

  There was nothing Kelly could ask for in her new life. Phoenix was not only the best mate a vampire could ask for, but he was an excellent father as well. They had come so far in their relationship, and as she watched him toss their child into the air, she couldn’t wait to see what the future had in store for them.

  The end