Bloodstream

46 A Hint

Axel

I didn't believe in the term I froze until she said those three words.

I was pregnant.

I just looked at her and blinked. That's all I could do. I thought I might have misheard her, but the look on her face...the way she was scanning me... waiting for a reaction confirmed otherwise. 

I opened my mouth to say something, but the words never left. Infact the words never even processed in my brain. everything got so loud around me. So heightened somehow, the smell of nightshade, probably what Arabella gave Sage to relax, the muted sounds from outside, the dim lights in the room, the light breeze wisping through the curtains. My senses were on edge, but my body felt so numb all I focused on was her heart hammering violently against her chest. It wasn't new to me...it used to be music to my ears, but right now it only gave rise to the already stifling tension in the air.  

"Can you say something?" she broke the silence after way too long. 

"Wha.."  I closed my mouth again. Seems like my brain decided to shut down completely. 

Three words. That's it. That's all it took to shake my entire being right down to the core. 

Was I dreaming? Maybe. What if we never really got out? What if the witches got into my head? 

No. "No no no" I jumped up from the bed and grabbed my head, shaking my head, pulling at my hair more than certain I was going to actually wake up any second now and still be back in that witch house. 

"Axel" Sage was sitting at the edge of the bed, staring at me wide eyed. 

"This isn't possible" the words left my mouth before I realised, but it wasn't anything but true. 

"I know. I thought that too, but.."

"But?" 

"Can you please calm down?" she was about to stand up... probably to walk over to me when the realisation hit…

Was.

"What do you mean was pregnant?" my body went into a state of ice all over again.

"Sit down, Axel" she sat back down, and I could see the wetness pooling in the corner of her eyes and I knew this was real. No mind games. 

"You're scaring me" I whispered.

"Come here" she cocked her legs up on the bed, fidgeting with the hem of her nightgown. Her very transparent nightgown. 

"Sage. What's going on?" 

"I didn't think it was true either" she shook her head trying to hold it together "It makes sense. The timing adds up…" she was mumbling to herself at this point.

"Sage" my feet moved towards her and I knelt down in front of her, pulling her knees so that she could face me. 

"Arabella tried to explain some loophole in the Original spell...or something like that" her voice was getting more strained with each passing word and my heart was getting heavier, just looking at her like this "It made so much more sense when she explained it" she let out a little forced laugh and dabbed the corner of her eyes with her fingers. 

"Baby" I reached my arm out to touch her face and she leaned into my touch with her eyes closed.

"I'm sorry" she whispered and opened her glazed green eyes into mine. 

"For what?" 

"I lost the baby" two things happened that instant. One, she broke down and sunk to her knees infront of me. Second, it sunk in….for real this time and I realised this wasn't a dream. This wasn't some witch playing mind games on me. She was carrying my….our baby.