Chapter Five
"I feel like my skin is going to split open and the baby will just spill out," Jessica sighed, leaning against the bounteous pillows that surrounded her.
The midwife nodded. "Human bodies aren't designed to get so heavily pregnant so quickly. But they are designed to get pregnant, so don't you worry. You'll be just fine."
Nine weeks into the pregnancy, the midwife said it was time to have the first ultrasound. Jessica still hadn't left her room, although now it was more due to her increasing size than anything else. Her stomach was heavily distended, so much so that she had abandoned all attempts to dress and just wore a robe all day long. And it hurt. Her skin was expanding, but it felt like a rubber band about to snap, and no matter which way she laid when she went to sleep her spine always ached when she woke up.
Pearl was with her every time the midwife came, and she was here now, sitting at Jessica's side, holding her hand as though Jessica was a nervous wreck. But after everything that had happened, hearing nothing from Braden or Stafford for the past nine weeks, Jessica was grateful for the headmistress' presence, even if she was a little smothering at times.
"This is going to be a little cold," the midwife said, smearing a blue jelly onto Jessica's uncovered stomach.
Jessica shivered at the cold sensation, but the midwife didn't say anything more as she took the wand and pressing it into Jessica's stomach.
"I want to see," Jessica said, pushing herself onto her elbows.
Pearl put her hands on Jessica's shoulders, helping her up as the midwife turned the screen to face her. A vague, round shape appeared on it, but nothing was distinct enough for Jessica to tell what was what. She huffed, annoyed. "That just looks like a black jelly bean."
"That's your uterus," the midwife said. "And see that?"
She pointed to a small gray ball inside the jelly bean-shaped space.
"That's my baby?" Jessica focused on the little image. It was so tiny! "Is it supposed to be that small?"
"Yes, it's perfectly normal… hold on." The midwife frowned and moved the ultrasound wand across Jessica's belly.
Jessica's heart skipped a beat and she squeezed Pearl's hand. "What is it? What's wrong? Is my baby okay?"
"Your babies are fine." The midwife pointed. "Look. Two heads. You're having twins."
"Twins?" Jessica gasped.
She had been having a difficult enough time deciding how she was going to support one baby! And now she was going to have two? She’d always wanted twins, but this news left her numb. What was she going to do? Should she give them up for adoption? The babies she’d always wanted… Was it fair to them to keep them when she didn't know if she could give them a good life, a life they deserved? Tears welled in her eyes.
"Twin pregnancies carry a higher risk than a one-baby pregnancy, especially dragon twins," the midwife said, worry creasing her face. "Plus twins are usually born early. But we'll do our best to give these little ones the rest of their time to develop properly."
The midwife still looked troubled as she cleaned the jelly off Jessica's stomach. The young witch struggled not to cry.
She needed Stafford back. Her brother might be being a stubborn idiot, but once he knew the situation he'd come around. Even when they were kids, they were closer to each other than anybody else. When their ultra-religious parents disowned Stafford for coming out to them as gay, Jessica had disowned them right back, and never regretted her choice.
She hadn't had contact with her parents in years. Did she dare call them now? No. They’d never cared about her while she was trying to be their perfect angel, afraid her scatterings of magic meant she was devil-spawn. They wouldn't care about her now that she had gotten pregnant out of wedlock.
"This is exactly why dragon-human mating ought to be illegal." Pearl brought Jessica out of her swirling emotions. "It's dangerous for human mothers to carry dragon young. How many girls have to go through this before the coven recognizes the problem?"
Jessica was too heartsick to argue with her. She closed her eyes and tried to do some deep breathing to calm her racing heart. Pregnancy could be very hard on the cardiovascular system, and in her case there was an even higher risk. She had to keep herself in a calm state, both for herself and the babies.
"I'm going to give you the number of a dragon specialist. He's got over three hundred years of experience in the field. If anybody can help your babies pull through this, it's him."
Jessica opened her eyes and reached for the paper, but Pearl took it before she could. "I'll call him for you, honey."
The midwife smiled at Jessica. "Try not to worry too much. You'll just have to hope for the best and get lots of bed rest. Got it?"
Jessica nodded, not daring to speak. She just wanted to be alone right now so she could call Stafford. As Pearl showed the midwife out, a frown creased her brow. Call him? No. She wanted to see him, to demand to know what his problem was. She wasn't going to keep lying around. She was going to get right up in his face.
He couldn’t ignore her then.
***
In the end, the only thing that Jessica could find to wear to go and see her brother was a giant orange Mumu. It was a hideous thing that made her look like a pumpkin, but that didn't matter so much when she slipped out of the dorms for the first time in nine weeks. She cradled her distended belly with her arms, feeling even more off balance than usual. She made sure to take every step carefully to avoid falling flat on her face.
Stafford lived on the university grounds, near the greenhouses where potion ingredients were grown. It was a one-bedroom cottage with its own kitchen and laundry. The school facilities, like the cafeteria, were only for students. Pearl gave him a good salary for everything he did around the school, though, and he never complained about having to eat his meals in relative isolation.
As she got closer to the cottage, Jessica's heart started going double time. What if he laughed in her face and told her that she had got what she deserved?
No. Stafford would never be that cruel. Inhaling a deep breath, Jessica walked right in, not bothering to knock.
Stafford was at his table with a mug of coffee. He leaped to his feet when he saw her, eyes widening. "Jess—"
"You had no right!" Everything she had planned on saying, every calm and rational discussion she had practiced, disappeared the moment she opened her mouth. "I know I promised not to flirt with Braden, but what happened did happen and it's not fair of you to just abandon me when I needed you!"
A muscle in Stafford's jaw twitched, but he remained silent, letting Jessica continue her tirade.
"I'm sorry if you were in love with Braden too, but the fact is we slept together and I'm pregnant, and I need you with me. I don't know what I'm going to do and now I'm going to have twins and they might die!"
Stafford strode forward, wrapping his arms around her as she broke into tears. Jessica collapsed against him, too grateful that he was actually comforting her to pull away like she thought she ought to. She should be demanding answers. Instead, she bawled like a baby–she hadn't cried since Braden left her, and it felt so good to be a total mess.
Her brother led her to the couch, sat her down, and looked her in the eye. "I've been calling you every day. I keep going to voicemail."
Jessica's eyes widened. "What? No, I haven't gotten any calls."
"I have tried to see you, too. I've gone to the dorms several times, but Pearl told me that you wanted nothing to do with me and that you were distraught over… Braden."
What was he saying? Jessica stared at her brother. Pearl had told him… why would she lie? What did Pearl have to gain by isolating her from her brother? And her phone… had Pearl used a spell on it to stop her from being able to contact her brother? And Braden? Anger began to well in her. How dare she?
"And I don't love Braden. I never have." Stafford squeezed her hands. "He's not my type. I didn't want you flirting with him because I didn't want you hurt. I didn't realize he felt the same way."
"I want to talk to him. If I haven't been getting your calls, maybe I haven’t been getting his. Did he even leave or was that another of Pearl's lies?" Jessica clenched her fists, trembling with anger. What was wrong with that witch? But whatever she was going to do to Pearl over this would wait. First, she needed to see Braden and hear from his own lips how he felt.
Stafford, however, winced. "He's not here. There's a warrant out for his arrest."
Jessica's stomach plummeted.
"A witch attacked a member of his flock, and he defended him. But there were no witnesses other than the witch's friends, and they're claiming it was an unprovoked attack. He had to run."
"So… I really am alone?" Fresh tears spilled over her cheeks.
Stafford shook his head vehemently. "You're not alone. You’ve got me, and I've got Braden's number. I also know where he is. He wanted me to keep him updated on how you were. If you want to see him—"
"I do." Her heart pounded but, for the first time in a long time, Jessica felt full of energy and eager to get moving. "I need to see him."