Lovers Bubble Brew

Chapter Twenty-Six: "Natures Final Say"

Jack sat up more, trying to process this. Raising a hand to stop Trey from moving anywhere. Then looking up at him, he asked him as calmly as he could. "Walk me through this... How exactly did my baby get the potion? I used my blood. The spell should be on me. I don't..." Unable to finish that thought, Jack squeezed Trey's arm and asked nervously. "Will this hurt my baby...?" Trey pushed Jack to lay back down, then began taking a seat on a small stool that he pulled out from under a computer mount. Once seated, he told Jack comfortingly. "Calm down. Your baby will be fine. What's happened is quite normal... just not in this context." Jack tried to relax but his arms were gripping the chair arms a bit too tightly. Trey gave him a warm smile, then informed him as clearly as he could. "There are reasons why doctors tell pregnant woman not to do things. Drinking. Smoking. It's because it effects the baby. While the baby is growing, it takes things it needs from YOU. Which is why women get emotional. Your body is producing double of everything in order to give some needed things to the baby. Immunities and important chemicals. That all comes from you."

Trey pointed to the ultrasound picture on the screen, continuing slowly and clearly. "The first few weeks of a baby's development are important. What you crave is a sign of what your baby needs. More iron. More sugar. By eating and drinking those things, the baby absorbs what it needs. As the brain develops, it starts listening. It feels how you feel through your hormonal balance. Which is why we tell you not to stress... Your body can handle the rise in stress. Your baby's body cannot. Its heart is too fragile at this stage. Sudden rises in hormone levels can overwhelm the baby's body because it's not ready to handle those emotions so quickly. It sends the baby into shock or a seizure that results in... death. After all, think of how big your body is... when you get scared or stressed out. You have trouble breathing and you feel overwhelmed... imagine a baby the size of your hand or smaller feeling that too. It's like injecting an adrenaline shot for an elephant into a small dog. Its heart just isn't ready for that kind of exertion."

Jack forced his hands to relax and took a steady breath. Hearing that made him suddenly paranoid that he was hurting his baby. Trey rubbed his hand to help distract him a bit, adding casually. "Everything this baby feels comes from you. It can tell when you are happy or scared by just feeling how the chemicals in your blood rise and fall. It feels your heartbeat. It can hear your voice. This baby is apart of you and that is why, when a woman gives birth, they get very depressed. Because you feel like you've lost a part of yourself. Your body keeps making double of everything and trying to take care of something that isn't in you anymore. It's why its called Baby Blues. Understand?" Jack nodded, asking very softly. "And this potion...?" Trey leaned back against the wall, telling him calmly. "From what Rosemary told me. The bath bomb takes a drop or two of blood and you both get in the tub to use it right?" Jack nodded again without saying a word. He just wanted to listen. Trey nodded in return, then placed a hand on Jack's stomach. Jack flinched a little, giving Trey a nervous look.

Trey rubbed his belly, telling him with a small smile. "Your blood is being shared with the baby. Think of it like a blood transfusion. He shares Mark's and your blood... but in this stage, its body can't produce its own blood. It needs help until it has grown big enough that its heart can do the job on its own. So, right now. Your blood is being pumped into the baby to help its heart and organs grow strong." Trey gestured for Jack to put his shirt back on, adding sweetly. "Magic is not something we can completely predict. It's a force of nature. And like nature... it can be surprising. You used the potion and because your blood was being pumped into another... It was absorbed into the baby. And because both you and Mark share blood with this baby... It's effecting you both in different ways. I can't say more without studying it. But my guess is that the baby feels and hears what's going on and is... making things interesting for you." Jack scoffed, but Trey quickly asked him with a shrug. "You say Mark got upset that you were on your phone. Has been hostile toward other men? Why do you think that is?" Jack stilled as he thought it over.