Her Reign

Chapter 42

JAXSON
I’m sitting here waiting with my family. The ache in my chest is overbearing. I hate not knowing what's going on. I’m scared and furious at the same time. This shouldn’t be happening. Alessia shouldn’t have let Isis take control and put them at risk. My God, she waddles from side to side because her stomach is so big. She can’t put her sneakers on because she can’t reach her feet, but Isis felt the need to challenge Wilkins. Fuck no, that’s not ok.
After Alessia gave birth to the twins, watching her lifeless body lie in that bed, not knowing if she was going to survive or not is something that will stay with me forever. It messed me up and because of that, I’ve always been reluctant to want more children when she mentioned it. Yes, if she hadn’t almost died, I would have loved to have a large family. I would have kept Alessia pregnant as much as possible, but it did happen. There isn’t anything worth losing the love of my life. She was human when she gave birth to the twins, but it doesn’t change what happened. It doesn’t erase the memories and the fear.
Getting pregnant this time, we talked about trying but I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. Alessia stopped taking her birth control and the next month, she was pregnant. I remember sitting at my desk when she walked in. She stood in front of me, with a big smile, but wouldn’t say anything. She handed me a small box and when I opened it, sitting inside was the test confirming she was pregnant. Of course, I was shocked, but I was happy. Fear tried to creep in, but I pushed it aside even though I was overbearing for the first few weeks until I got yelled at by everyone to chill out.
This trip wasn’t something I wanted to do while she was pregnant, but I knew it was necessary. The last thing we needed was to be attacked because we didn’t confront the issues. We couldn’t allow those who wanted her and Alena dead to build supporters. Putting it off would allow them to assemble an army and strengthen their cause. My entire family would’ve been in jeopardy, so I agreed this was the right thing to do.
Molly walked out of the room and time froze. She wore the same facial expression as she always does that tells you nothing. My heart dropped. I felt my legs wanting to give out on me. Thomas quickly stood next to me; he put his arm around my back, and he pulled me to his side, preventing me from falling.
I’ve known Thomas my whole life. We grew up together. His father worked closely with mine. We started off as friends, but it didn’t take long to call him my brother. We have been through hell and back. He’s always been there. He knows exactly what I need without saying it and vice versa.
“Molly, please tell me my mom and the baby are ok.” Alena begged. I think I stopped breathing, waiting for Molly to respond.
“They are both alive. I had to do an emergency c-section to get the baby out because of the bleeding. The baby’s heartbeat decreased putting him at risk, but we got him out in time. He was having issues breathing but we have him on oxygen and I believe with some assistance, he will be fine. Alessia lost a lot of blood. Due to the stress on her body, her blood pressure elevated putting her at risk. We had to put her under anesthesia to perform the c-section. We gave her a blood transfusion and stitched her up. We were also able to stop the bleeding from her uterus. She is currently under heavy sedation right now to help her heal. We won’t know if there will be any side effects from the blood loss, but I believe we were able to intervene in time and she will be ok.” Molly said.
I don’t think I’ve taken a breath. I’m still processing what Molly said. The words are scrambled together in my head and I’m trying to piece them together. Alena hugs me. Her face is pressed against my chest. It took me several seconds to comprehend what's going on and hug her back.
She’s going to be ok. I finally remembered how to breathe, inhale and exhale, allowing my brain to get the necessary oxygen to function properly.
“Can I see her?” I whispered. My eyes are closed. I still have to prepare myself to walk into that room and see her lying in that bed. I know there will be a rush of emotions with which I must deal. Past and present.
“Yes, only two at a time until she wakes up. She needs to rest so try not to wake her.” Molly said.
As I walked towards Molly to thank her, the door opened. The incubator carrying my son being escorted by two nurses came out and stopped. I froze mid-step. He’s lying in that clear box in nothing but a diaper. There were tubes and wires attached to him. He’s so small. His eyes are closed. His arms and legs aren’t moving but I can see his chest rising and falling.
Molly put her hand on my shoulder and guided me towards him. I stood there staring at him. My son. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He is beautiful and perfect. I put my hand on top of the incubator hoping he knows that I’m here for him.
“Have you and Alessia decided on a name for him?” Molly asked.
“Alessia wanted to name him Breyson.” I whispered.
“That’s a beautiful name.” She said.
Alena and Jessica walked up to see him, and they both started crying. Molly walked up and lowered the side of the incubator, she grabbed my hand, put it inside of it and touched Breyson’s hand. As if he knew exactly what to do, he wrapped his little fingers around my index finger and held tight. I couldn’t hold the tears back anymore as they ran down my cheek.
“We want to run some tests on him just to be on the safe side, then we will bring him back and you should be able to hold him.” Molly said.
I stood there for a few minutes before pulling my hand out of the incubator. I watched the nurse close it and wheel him down the hallway. I ordered one of my guards that was standing behind me to follow my son and stay with him at all times.
Once they were all out of sight, I turned towards the room Alessia was in. I slowly took the steps and stood in the doorway. There she was, lying in the bed. She also had tubes and wires hooked up to her. She’s not moving. I can hear the cardiac monitor next to her beeping letting me know she is still alive. I can’t help but remember the past when I almost lost her. I can feel the pain from that experience. It’s taking everything in me not to break down.
I walked across the room and sat in the chair that’s next to the bed. I grabbed Alessia’s hand and held it softly while I leaned forward and kissed her cheek. I let my lips linger against her skin while inhaling her scent, using it to calm me down.
Alena sat on the other side of the bed, leaning forward to lay her head against her mother’s good shoulder. She silently cried and it broke my heart even more. Alena has gone through so much recently and I’m concerned for her.
I stepped out of the room for a little while to allow Jessica to visit. I sat in the hallway, talking to Lucas and Thomas. I’m trying to get my emotions under control before Alessia wakes up because the last thing she needs right now is to be yelled at, but you better believe when she recovers, we will be having it out about what she did.