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Epilogue.

Once my contractions clock in at five minutes apart, Thomas alerts the nurse in my room and I am whisked off to the medical facility in the upper part of the Slavery building. Because I am giving birth to the heir's son, I am able to be cared for by the family's medical staff, and I am able to have the child in the family's home, which doubles as the Slavery building. The upper part of the building, a place I had never been to previously, is gorgeous. Throughout my time here, all of about two weeks, I have been inside four separate rooms. My room is small but lavish. It is a light blue with white trim around the ceilings, complete with floor to ceiling windows that lead to a balcony. The balcony has a view of the courtyard behind the building, so I am never really able to pinpoint the location of the building. I have also been in the bathroom, the hallway, and the foyer. I was blindfolded on my way here and my meals are delivered to my room, so it is still obvious to me, and most likely to everyone else, that I am nothing more than a slave.

The medical room looks like something out of a movie hospital. There are five different nurses as well as a doctor, all covered in face masks, blue scrubs, and gloves. My contractions are growing closer at this point, and all I can do is grind my teeth and scream. The epidural isn't doing shit.

My legs are propped on two stands so that the doctors have a clear view of my vagina. Somehow, this isn't strange to me. I wonder why. Every so often, the doctor will enter the room, check how dilated I am, and leave again. The nurses stay with me, checking my vitals and making sure I am as comfortable as a slave girl can be. Thomas was with me in the very beginning, but as soon as they gave me the epidural, he left. They still haven't given me my phone back, so I have no one to talk to. I can only focus on the pain.

One of the nurses checks my dilation, then leaves and promptly returns with the doctor. He grabs some gloves from a nearby box and slaps them on his hands. "Okay, Eva," the doctor says, "You're dilated enough. Are you ready?"

Another contraction hits and I am unable to respond. I grit my teeth and try my hardest not to scream, but somehow it still comes out in a high pitched, annoying noise. I manage to give a tight nod as a bead of sweat drips down my face. The doctor sits in a stool directly in front of my vagina and the nurses coach me through the birthing process. One of them holds my hand and tells me when to breathe and how deeply I should do it, while the doctor tells me to push, stop, push, and stop. I fall back onto the bed after a few pushes, utterly exhausted. My eyes travel the room, everything spinning, and they stop on the window in the door leading to the hallway. For some reason, I expect to see Thomas there, but all I get is a white wall. I close my eyes and push once again, squeezing the nurse's hand and wishing I was dead.

xxx

My daughter's name is Amelia Grace Cooke, named after Thomas' grandmother. She is 6 pounds 11 ounces, measuring 20 1/4 inches. She was born at 4:39 am after approximately 18 hours in labor.

When she is placed in my arms, wrapped in a pink blanket, I start to cry. I clutch her close to my chest, never wanting to release this little girl in the world that I have learned is so cruel. She is crying, but she soon settles down as I nestle her into my chest. "Try feeding her," one of the nurses says, and I pull out my breast. The nurse teaches me how to feed my wonderful girl, and little Amelia soon latches on and relieves some of the soreness in my breast. When she is finished eating, she releases my nipple and gives a small smile before closing her eyes. I kiss her forehead softly and rest my head on the pillow behind me.

"Let me take her, miss." The nurse holds out her arms to me, and I find myself growing defensive of my little one. She senses this, and speaks in a soothing voice. "You need to get some sleep. I can place her in her basket and she can sleep next to you if you want, otherwise I can bring her to the nursery and give you some time to yourself." This calms me, and I nod and place Amelia in her arms. "I'd like her to stay with me, thank you." The nurse coos at her and smiles at me. "Let me get the basket for you. I'll also bring back some pain meds that should help with the pain you feel down there." I nod and thank her, nestling back into the pillow.

I've nearly dozed off when she returns. Amelia is laying in a basket with wheels on the bottom that lets the nurse simply roll her into the room. I place my hand next to her, and the nurse places an IV into my other arm, administering the new drugs. "I'll check back with you soon, okay?" I nod again and quickly fall asleep next to my daughter.

xxx

I wake in a hospital. I know it's a real hospital because my mother is sitting next to me, holding my hand. "Mom?" I ask, sitting up quickly. There is a sharp pain in my nether region that causes me to fall back into the pillow.

"Oh, Eva!" My mother jumps forward to kiss my forehead. "Oh, sweetheart, we thought you were dead! Your father's downstairs with your brother and sister - they didn't want too many people in here." She kisses my forehead again, wrapping her arms around my body.

As I begin to come to, I begin to panic. "Mom, why am I here?" I ask. I can feel my heartbeat begin to race as I recall the last events I remember.

"They found you on the sidewalk unconscious, sweetheart. You were bleeding around your legs..." She stops talking.

A nurse walks into the room with a small knock on the door. "Oh, good, you're awake! We can take your vitals again, then we're going to need some more bloodwork." She casts a quick glance at my mother, then sets a little clip on top of my index finger.

"I guess that's my cue to leave then," my mother says, hastily standing and grabbing her things. "I'm going to go home and tell everyone the good news. I'll be back in about an hour, okay, sweetheart?" She kisses my forehead gently, careful not to disturb the nurse's work, and exists the room.

The nurse takes my vitals, which includes checking my oxygen levels and my blood pressure, then leaves. My head barely hits the pillow before a man who looks like a doctor walks into the room. "Miss Bourne?" He asks, staring at me with cold eyes. "This is for you." His hand reaches into his pocket and pulls out an envelope, which is then placed in my lap. "You'd be smart to read it right away." He turns on his heel and leaves without another word.

I hastily open the envelope, tearing it open from the top. The envelope falls to the floor and I unfold the letter inside. The stationary holds the Cooke family crest at the top center, and the only words written on the page are:

"She is safe. Do not return."

xxx