Chapter 4 - Contractions

I drifted through the next few months of my pregnancy like in a bad dream, doing some low level police work and reading a lot. Branch (the fairy I was working for) was very kind and paid me some money for the work I'd done, even though I never completed it. I felt kind of bad for being so quick to judge him. I bought some baby stuff with the money. Just the essentials - a high chair...

... And a cot. I certainly wasn't looking forward to giving birth, but I knew that I played a part in getting myself into this mess, so I needed to look after the resulting baby. Dayvid had called me a couple of times but I hadn't really seen him around so I hoped that he'd gotten the message. I did find myself feeling lonely at times, after all, I had come home to settle down. I hadn't met any new potential love interests yet. For some reason being heavily pregnant didn't exactly have men rushing to ask me out.

However, I didn't want to spend the whole pregnancy moping about my house and I needed money to support an extra hungry mouth, so I talked to my neighbour to see if he wanted any investigative work done (which didn't require too much strenuous activity).

Turned out that he wanted some simple hacking done. I nipped out to the library and did it in a flash.  

I went back the next day and got §500, which I put straight into my baby fund.

I'd been eating literally nothing but strawberry ice cream for about a week and I'd finally gotten around to cleaning up all the bowls...

I spent most of my evenings watching soppy romantic films and thinking about how life would have turned out for me if I wasn't with child. Maybe Dayvid and I would still be together. Maybe we'd be travelling the world after finishing college like we'd always planned. Maybe he would be a world-class sportsman and I a world-class detective. Maybe we'd have a big, beautiful house that we would fill with laughter and love. Sometimes, when I had a few moments to think, I found myself feeling slightly sorry for being so harsh with him. We did have some wonderful times back in school. He was my first proper relationship and I was his. We were inseparable. His family was one of the oldest in Moonlight Falls - his grandparents were alive during the crusades and were some of the first vampires in Europe. The summer before I got pregnant, our whole class was at an arts camp in Twinbrook. We were away for two weeks. That was all it took. All it took to rip Dayvid's life apart, and subsequently mine. What we came back to haunts my dreams. Whilst we were away a small army of vampire slayers had invaded Moonlight Falls. All of Dayvid's family had been slain - his grandparents, parents, brothers and sisters. The town was distraught. All vampires currently 'living' in Moonlight Falls are either new blood or very lucky. I discovered I was expecting, went to Dayvid (by then living with a few survivors in the Van Gould house) who promptly turned me away. I understood why he was upset, but I was still blinded by my anger and feeling of mistrust. Then again, sometimes I still felt something towards him. I wasn't sure what, but there was definitely something.

 If I found myself with spare time then I went on long walks. I loved the beach and the park, but my favourite place was a beautiful waterfall on the outskirts of town. It was a place that I planned on taking my child when he or she was born. In a way, I wanted the baby to be out and in my arms. I couldn't do much whilst pregnant and it might be nice to have someone to come home to.

I had just come home from one such outing and headed straight to the toilet. I was already in my last month of pregnancy and I seemed to spend more time in the bathroom than out of it.

As I stood up, I had the fright of my life when I glanced out of the window.

He was staring at the door. I considered pretending I wasn't in, but I knew he'd seen me.

'What on Earth are you doing here!?'
'I've come to see you.'
'Yeah, I can  see that, but why!?'

'Liza, you're getting really near your time. I know you're angry with me, and with good reason, but you need somebody on standby to help you if you go into labour.'

'I've coped well on my own with the pregnancy. I think I can cope with the birth.'

'Please. Let me stay with you. You won't be able to drive if you're in labour and you'd still have to walk to get a taxi. I... I want to be a dad. I want to help raise this baby. If you'd let me then I would have been at your side throughout the rest of the pregnancy. I've regretted rejecting you every day since it happened. Liza, I want us to be a proper family. I've got plenty of money, maybe we could buy a house together, with room for a little one? I'll decorate the nursery myself!' I watched as his eyes glistened with the thought of starting a family. 'I've got a stable job at the stadium. I can provide for the three of us! Just you, me and a baby. A baby, Liza!'
'Dayvid, no.' I said calmly. His words were melting my heart but I just couldn't accept him back after resenting him all this time. His smile faded.
'I understand.' He said solemnly. 

There was a silence between us as we both stared at our feet. Upon glancing up, I noticed that his shoulder was smouldering slightly.
'Um, do you want to come in? It's getting kind of hot out here.'
A fraction of that smile creased his cheeks.
'I'd love to, thank you.'

We sat awkwardly watching a documentary together for a bit, at opposite ends of the sofa. After a while, I asked if he'd like to go outside a bit. Both of us are night owls so we feel more comfortable under the gaze of the moon.

He agreed and we stood outside making small talk and catching up a little. I hate to say it, but I really enjoyed his company.

Unfortunately, it was a full moon that night and we retreated back inside to get away from the zombie witches...

Dayvid sat quietly sipping some plasma orange juice (he's a vegetarian vampire!) but I felt a little sleepy so I went to bed. 

The full moon made me feel a little loopy so I decided to go to bed in my everyday clothes.

I wasn't asleep long before I was awoken by a sudden jolt in my belly. The baby had kicked and even hiccupped before, but he or she was suddenly getting really excited.

Then I realised why. I don't know if it was the full moon or the surprise of seeing Dayvid again, but a twist in my belly made me want to sink to the floor. I managed to steady myself and breathe through the rest of the contraction, but I knew the next one was coming.

Sure enough, the next one came quickly and a lot stronger. I was blinded by the pain. I only hoped that Dayvid was still here as I attempted to waddle into the sitting room. He was right - there was no way I was walking down my front steps alone, never mind making the ten minute drive to the hospital!

Luckily, he was sitting reading on the sofa.

He got up as soon as I came in.

'Dayvid. I need you to drive me to the hospital. I'm having the baby.'

A panicked look crossed his face as the child made another break for freedom.
'DAYVID!' I shrieked. 'NOW!'

He got the picture and drove me.