The Salvatore Saga, Part Four: My new Life

It took two days for them to clear that dreadful year from my mind, which was especially hard for Wulfe. When I woke up, I found myself in a plain bedroom that wasn't ours, feeling quite groggy.

The room had mid-green curtains and plain flooring, without any fancy rugs. The bed was nice but not overly luxurious, with a nightstand on each side. There was a sense of simplicity in the room, suggesting that someone could make it more personalized, but I had no intention of spending any extra time there.

After showering and getting dressed, I headed for breakfast, unsure of my location with Damon and what would happen next. Upon entering the kitchen, it felt like old times.

Damon was sharing food with Mariella from his plate, and she was reciprocating, though I was not in the mood to intervene. I let him deal with the consequences if he wanted to spoil his appetite. He didn't even look at me, which I didn't blame him for. After all, I had not been a good wife.

The other Salvatores present were occupied with feeding and looking after the wolves and girls, so no one paid me any attention, not even the five individuals who had separated from the group. I noticed that one of them was so focused on Mariella that he didn't pay attention to who was eating or how much.

Feeling my belly growing once again, I waddled to the fridge. With six weeks still to go, if my belly continued to expand at this rate, I wasn't sure if I would be able to walk near the end of my pregnancy. My babies were active, with several of them moving, kicking, and pressing against my various organs. Simply put, I was pregnant, and I definitely felt it. 

I had just finished my meal and a tray full of smoothies. I placed them on a cart and wheeled them next to the table. Moving my chair away from Damon to create some space, I put my meal on the warming circle and the smoothies on standby. I then waddled over to make my coffee.

As I was busy, number two noticed my condition and hurried over to me.

He grabbed my shoulders, looked at my belly, and exclaimed, "You are huge! Did you know, Missy, you only have six weeks left? What are you growing in there? An elephant?"

I smiled as he placed his hand on my belly, feeling them wiggling and kicking inside.

"Oh, they are active," he remarked. "Missy, you need to sit down. I'll make your coffee. That meal won't do. I'll get you some food. Drink up those smoothies, and then we can continue with liquid food."

Rolling my eyes, I knew my stomach was pretty full with babies, leaving no room for more food.

Damon stopped playing with Mariella upon hearing number two's comments.

They both looked at my bump, and Mariella asked, "I mean, come on. I have nine - seven girls and two boys. We were already naming them. So, everything is ready. But Mimi, how come your belly is bigger than mine? You have just five, and I have nine. I should have a bigger belly."

Damon, placing his hand on my belly, smiled as he felt the babies moving.

Closing his eyes, he remarked, "Oh, these ones are strong. They are growing as big as they can. We need to keep an eye on you, Missy. These ones mean trouble."

I then realized Wulfe was missing and asked, "Where is Wulfe?"

Number three replied, "He's sleeping. He almost burned his telepathy off when he cleansed your mind. But he'll be fine. Don't worry about him."

Remembering how Damon had once almost killed himself over me and burned off most of his telepathy, I decided not to stress over it right now. It wasn't the time.

Number two made me drink several glasses of liquid food. It was tasty, and I got full quite fast. Soon, I was done and thinking about going out for a walk.

Mariella said, "Wait a minute, I'll come with you. Let's stroll outside. It's a pretty day. Two pregnant whales waddling outside. I wonder, will your swing support us?"

I smiled and replied, "It's so sinking that I can't get off it, so nope, I won't sit on it."

I put my shoes on and slipped on my sandals while Mariella struggled to put hers on.

She muttered, "Oh hmm, well, it happens."

Seeing her swollen feet, I exclaimed, "Damon, Mariella's feet are swollen!"

Damon quickly came by her side, checked her feet, and suggested, "Let's go to the medbay to check you over. Good catch, baby. Take care. We might check you in the medbay sometime too, but for now, let's go."

He wrapped his arm around Mariella's shoulders. She rolled her eyes, but her feet were quite swollen, with almost six weeks to go. Not ideal.

I went for a walk, enjoying the sunshine, smells, and sounds of summer. Everything felt good. I thought about what I needed to do next in my nursery, realizing there was still a lot to be done.

After walking for about 45 minutes, I returned inside. The kitchen was empty, assuming all of the Salvatores were in the medbay taking care of Mariella, which I had no problem with.

I remembered I had a few bags of clothes washed I needed to get and start folding them in my nursery babies' wardrobes. 

I made my way to the laundry room and emptied three large machines filled with baby clothes. I had ordered more, knowing that with five babies, I would need a lot of clothes of all kinds. I had experience raising four girls on my own, so I knew the importance of having enough clothes.

Carrying my bags of clothes to the nursery, I noticed the flooring had been completed, albeit with a different pattern. The Disney wallpaper now had a touch of Salvatore flair, while the tactile wallpaper featured passionfruit and lust vines. The flooring boasted a large golden S in the middle of the room, along with passionfruits and strawberries.

Everything seemed to be in order. The curtains had been changed to heavy violet velvet curtains with golden decorations, hanging from new curtain rods.

I spotted some packages near one wall and realized I needed to assemble the fancy cribs with a motorized rocking mechanism that could be controlled remotely.

My care station was a table with shelves on top and many drawers, with a few additional features that I hadn't shared with anyone yet. I needed to organize and fill up my care station efficiently. There were still many projects left to complete, but with Mariella now getting all of Damon's attention, I figured he wouldn't mind me setting up the nursery.

Time was passing quickly, and I needed everything ready for when the babies arrived. I estimated that if my belly continued to grow at this rate, I wouldn't be able to do much in the last few weeks, so it was time to act and get everything prepared. 

I began organizing my care station, transforming it from just a changing table into a fully equipped station where I could easily access everything needed for diaper changes without having to search all over the room for supplies each time.

I went to the baby storage room, and loaded up a shopping cart with diapers, cleaning products, baby powders, and all the necessary items. Then, I returned to the station and started arranging everything in its place.

It was a satisfying task, as I carefully planned where each item should go for easy access. The large care station could accommodate two babies at once, and I had scales and measuring tape ready for daily tests.

Despite our current relationship, our bond was closed off quite tightly. I sensed Damon's genuine concern and worry about Mariella. I believed she would be okay, even if sedation was needed for high blood pressure. I made a mental note to discuss this with Damon at some point to make things easier.

I was still organizing things in my care station when Magnum walked in.

He said to me, "Oh, I see. But Hummingbird, let me help you. Let's say that side is yours. You can arrange it as you like since you're left-handed, but let me handle this side. I'm right-handed and can make this station much easier for us to work with. You and Lepard are the only lefties here, and even Damon, who is ambidextrous, prefers his right hand."

I nodded and replied, "Good point. I hadn't thought of it from that angle. Go ahead, you set up the guest station as you see fit, and I'll do mine. I'll keep the nappies in the cabinet on your right, and clothes will be placed on the other side, so there are always spare ones nearby without needing to go to the wardrobe. In case of an emergency, it's good to have clothes close by too."

Magnum grunted as he organized baby powders and other items on the shelves above the station. He placed some of them higher, which didn't bother me since whoever needed them could reach them, even if I couldn't, as I was the shortest in the group.

It was sometimes irritating, but there was nothing I could do about it. I refused to get upset over things I couldn't change in my life. It was time to go with the flow and see what came next. 

Magnum organized things and then left without specifying his destination, which I didn't inquire about. I was sitting in my rocking chair, folding clothes, and deciding what to place in the care station and the dressers. I knew I should reserve larger clothes nearby as the babies would grow big, eliminating the need to reserve the smallest clothes all the time.

After a few hours passed, Alaric surprised me by walking in.

He told me in a caring yet authoritative tone, "Go eat. There are a few Salvatores in the kitchen preparing your liquid food. I can take over but wait a moment. This setup isn't optimal; let me reorganize things a bit."

He then proceeded to rearrange things at my care station after Magnum had done so. I remained silent, smiling slightly as I made my way to the kitchen.

Wulfe and the Salvatores had previously cast anti-teleportation spells throughout the mansion to prevent any teleportation, including that of the babies. Walking was the only option, which suited me fine, as my body craved movement.

Laziness wasn't my style, despite being feline. I needed constant challenges, so I made my way to the kitchen, where nine, ten, and three were cooking. I was promptly seated, my feet checked for swelling, and they began feeding me liquid versions of various foods - hot, tasty soups or thick, chunk-free soups.

Coffee was a must, and number three drank quite heavily in my blood, showing his hunger and concern for what I lacked, which seemed to be quite a long list based on their murmurs. I was filled up as much as possible, with my meals consumed slowly to keep my stomach from emptying too quickly.

They discussed the idea of getting treats or snacks for me to have on hand all the time, suggesting that food could be brought to me to save me from constantly trekking to the kitchen with my very pregnant body.

Mariella's situation had clearly made them more attentive, even though I had requested nothing from the wolves, suspecting that they were also taking it easy. 

When I returned to my nursery, Alaric had already left. I wasn't sure where he had gone once again. I continued folding the clothes. To my surprise, Alaric had filled the care station's cupboards with the clothes I had folded. They were pretty unisex anyway, and it wasn't like they would last many days once the babies were born. I still had many bags of clothes to sort and fold, so I continued with that task.

A few hours later, I was amused to see Murdock arranging the care station. He had his own ideas about what was needed and when, and how things should be arranged optimally. He even changed the reserved clothes I had folded.

It felt like a scene from a comedy. I wanted to see how many guys would arrange my care station, but on that side, where they wouldn't interfere with my work, as I had already made it optimal.

To my surprise, a few hours later, as it was quite late, Damon walked in. He looked at my care station where Dexter was putting things in order, and Tim and Taylor had also come by. It seemed my care station had drawn attention.

Damon had a stack of papers with him and looked haggard and worried.

In a tired, worried voice, he asked me, "Do you have time to check these results, Mariella's bloods and stuff? I wanted to hear your input, too."

I nodded, folded a little pink dress, and calmly replied, "Sure, I can look through them."

He handed me the papers and coldly went to my side of the care station to check it out, moving things around.

Mariella's blood pressure was high. Protein was found in her urine, and blood tests revealed moderate stress on both kidneys and liver. Her blood work indicated issues with her platelets, confirming a diagnosis of preeclampsia.

I calmly informed Damon, "Preeclampsia, classic. I recommend sedation for the remainder of her pregnancy due to low platelets and organ stress. However, it's not a serious concern. She'll be okay."

Though my tone remained calm and clinical, Damon seemed agitated as he asked, "What do you mean, sedated for weeks? How is that not concerning? She'll be awake."

I explained, "She's not like me. Her metabolism allows for proper drug usage, which will keep her a high as a kite. She won't be bothered by worries and will just drift away. Also, she has no fear of sedation or terrible memories. She will be fine. You can talk to her, massage her, interact with her. She might sleep most of the time, but it won't stress her out."

Finally understanding, Damon said, "You're right. She's not like you. Thank you for saving me. By the way, great care station. Keep setting up the nursery. I apologize for snapping earlier. I'll try to check on you when I can."

After I handed him the results, he walked away. 

I sat there, continuing to fold my clothing. It was a very calming activity for me. It had become a fact of life that Damon would always prioritize Mariella, especially when she was sick or unwell.

I was always in second place, or even lower, especially if the wolves needed him. A long time ago, I had witnessed Damon choosing others before me during his wizard tests.

An elder who had tested me once said, "He cannot lie, this is the true him. Time may not change him too much; these choices are deeply ingrained in his soul."

Knowing this, I had no expectations of him. I was content living life on my own terms, with my children. I was not alone; I could feel the presence of five lives within me, keeping me grounded.

I had Wulfe, Magnum, and many other guys around me, so even when Damon was not there, I did not feel lonely. This was simply how things were.