Raven's Hollow: Part 15

Dreams. Dreams of darkness, burning eyes hovering in the black. Moving closer. An acrid stench of animal musk. The eyes moved closer. The glow threatened to blind her in the surrounding dark. Closer. She felt rather than saw a hand... no, a paw... reach for her.



Aleydis bolted upright in the bed, clutching her chest, willing her pounding heart to slow. A monitor beeped shrilly, bringing a cadre of nurses running to check on her. Her panic-stricken eyes roamed the darkened room. Where am I? The hospital? She tried to think. A hand pressed to her distended abdomen was rewarded with a sharp kick from its inhabitant. Baby. The baby is all that matters. The sting in her vein warned her that the dark would soon descend and claim her again.



She was floating, safe and warm. She was nude, but felt no shame. As if summoned by her mere whim, unimaginably soft fur covered her flesh. It brushed her face, tickling her nose. She smiled. Too soon, she felt the pull of wakefulness and struggled to cling to her furry cocoon. Aleydis pried her eyes open to meet Tucker's concerned gaze staring back.



“How long have you been here?” She croaked feebly, her voice hoarse with disuse.

“Better to how ask how long YOU'VE been HERE,” he replied. “They've had to drug you. You've been out of your mind if they don't, screaming horrible things about monsters. They've had to restrain you. The only reason you're not committed is because they think we're engaged, and I won't let them.” Tucker's face tightened. “Six weeks. Six weeks of near-constant sedation because your mind can't handle what you saw. Six weeks MY... OUR child has had those drugs coursing through its veins because its mother... because its father is a monster.” He hung his head in defeat.



Aleydis began to reach for him and stopped. “You... you've been here every day?”

“Every moment they would let me.”

Guilt raced through her veins, chasing out the last of the sedatives. A lone tear slid down her cheek. “I don't know what to say. I'm sorry? I'm sorry I can't handle this? I can't handle what you are? I'm sorry I'm weak?”

Tucker stood up, anger blazing across his face. “YOU. ARE. NOT. WEAK! I don't know who put that idiot thought in your head but you are not weak!” He strode to the bedside and gripped her arms. Aleydis shuddered, the tips of unseen claws threatening to pierce her skin.



“My father,” she blurted.

"Huh?" Tucker asked, startled.

“My father." Aleydis sniffled, wiping her nose delicately. "He's the bastard who told me I'm weak. I'm not smart enough, talented enough. I'm not a boy. I'm not good at sports." Tears streamed down her face in earnest "He's a bastard. He's a vile fucking bastard," she said with relish. "He uses women. They're nothing but trophies, pretty things to show off, nothing of any real use. To him I am worthless and weak!” No longer delicate, she wiped her nose on her sleeve.

Tucker sat on the bed, hugging her close, letting her talk. Gradually, she snuggled into his side, relaxing as she ripped the thorns of long-repressed pain from her soul. A nurse peeked in from time to time, but he waved them away. The monitors continued their monotonous background beeping as sunset's flame-washed fingers touched the sky. He brushed one last tear from her face. “I told you, you're not weak. A weak person couldn't deal with that and become a strong, talented woman.” He kissed her gently.



Aleydis looked at him. When had he passed from the monstrous to the wondrous? Yes he had come into her life with ulterior motives, yes he had lied to her, terrified her... but he had also protected her, cared for her, listened to her. And now he was here, as attentive as any lover... I am so confused.

Tucker seemed to pick up on her mood. “Look, I know I can't make up for the past. I did things I'm not proud of. I wish I had never done them at all. I promise you, I'm finished with Donovan and his plotting. I want to be with you and our child, try to have a normal life. We can move away from here, start over somewhere new where his threats can't hurt us!”



She shook her head. “No. I'm not running. You're right, I'm not weak. Neither are you. You let him bully you into doing things you knew weren't right. You can't run away again. You have to make things right.”

Part 16

Aleydis rubbed irritably at the small of her back. The doctor had chosen to wake her up at 6 am to examine her. Probably so he doesn't miss his tee time, she thought spitefully. Light snoring emanated from the chair, accompanied by the plastic-y squeaks only hospital furniture can make. Tucker had spent the entire night in the chair, holding her hand.



“Ms. Wyndham,” the doctor began. “Your case is somewhat... unusual. Although it's not unheard of for women to experience postpartum psychosis, it's quite rare before delivery.” He paced as he spoke, back and forth, back and forth, over and over. “Until yesterday, we had to keep you heavily sedated, you were having both auditory and visual hallucinations. Then they suddenly ceased sometime yesterday, for no apparent reason. You seem perfectly lucid this morning, despite the early hour. I think we can discontinue sedation unless an emergency arises, but I must say that your case baffles me. Generally psychoses are brought on by a traumatic event. Pre-term labor is certainly traumatic, but rarely, very rarely, causes such an extreme response. Is there something else that happened that may provide some explanation?”



Aleydis tried to focus. Lack of sleep and left-over medication combined to fuzz her mind. “Traumatic? No, no. Of course not.” Just my project-manager-turned-one-night-stand-turned-stalker-turned-maybe-boyfriend shapeshifting into a werewolf. Nah, that's not traumatic. She schooled her face to blankness.

The doctor gave her a long, searching look. “You know that you can speak to me about anything Ms. Wyndham? I take confidentiality very seriously. I can return when your fiance is getting lunch if you wish.” He glanced pointedly at the scar on her chin.



Fiance? Oh, right. Tucker told them that so they'd let him up here. I wish I didn't feel so dopey. As the doctor's words sunk in, she couldn't keep the fury off her face. “Are you implying that he abused me? Because that's insulting as well as untrue. I really don't remember anything after I felt the contractions.” And that's not fully a lie.

“Just keep in mind that there are people here you can talk to about anything you need to. I want to have a psychiatrist consult on your case just as a formality. You needn't feel pressured into anything, I just want her to take a quick look at you. It's up to you if wish her further involvement.” He made a few notations, checked the monitors, and left her to her thoughts.



Ugh, I don't want to talk to a shrink. Like I can talk to anyone about... that. They'd lock me up, she thought muzzily before sleep claimed her again.

When she awoke, a nurse was checking her vital signs and scribbling them down in the chart. “Shift change!” She remarked brightly. “Glad to see you awake and alert, Ms. Wyndham. We've all been pulling for you and your little one up here.” The nurse, who barely looked old enough to buy a beer, completed a rapid physical exam. “Vitals are good and everything looks fine on exam. Let me know if you need anything.”



Tucker shifted on the chair, eliciting a symphony of creaks and groans from the upholstery. He rubbed his eyes and smiled at her. Aleydis felt herself smile in return before she could help it. He stumbled to the bed and sat next to her leg. “How're my girls doing this morning?”

How can he be so damn blasé about everything that's happened and about what's he's done? “Tucker... look. I believe in second chances. You're on more like your fifth chance here. We have some very serious things to discuss before I'm willing to call this a relationship. I am willing to try. You've done awful things. Damn near unforgivable things. If I didn't believe you were telling me the absolute truth regarding being blackmailed, I wouldn't be forgiving you. I still won't forget for a long, long time though. I'm half-drugged and tired, but I won't be satisfied until I get some things straight with you. I don't want any of this hanging over our heads.”



He looked at her for a moment and some of the playful light in his eyes died. It accentuated the deepening circles under his eyes. “You're right. I want you to believe me because it's true. I had to show you or you wouldn't have believed me. I wish I had gone about it differently. Are... are you... going to be able to deal with me shifting once a month?” His lips were pressed so tightly together they had turned white.

“I... don't know. I think so. The nightmares were so bad at first. But even in the bad ones, it was never the werewolf that meant me harm. It was always gentle. I think my mind might be more ready than I think.” She froze as a thought slammed into her. “Will our daughter be like... will she be a werewolf?”

Tucker took a deep breath. “I knew I should have told you.”

Aleydis' insides turned to ice. “Told me what? Told me that my daughter is going to be a werewolf?! How could you keep that from me?”



“I didn't mean to! For god's sake, you wouldn't take my calls or talk to me! What was I supposed to do?” He glared at her.

“You're right. You're right, dammit! I'm sorry. Just tell me, I need to know!”

He took her chilled hands and rubbed them briskly, his voice calmer now. “It's possible. But very very unlikely. Lycanthropy is transmitted via blood and body fluids. Like an STD.” A bark of humorless laughter escaped. “However, since I wasn't shifted when we slept together, it's unlikely that the virus would be transmitted to either you or the baby.”

“You mean I could be infected too?!” Aleydis shrieked.



“Calm down! Do you want the nurses in here doping you up again? I'm getting there.” Tucker caressed her hands and arms gently, like petting a terrified animal to calm it. “You potentially could have been, but it's like a one in a billion chance. Plus you would have turned furry at least once seeing as it's been several months since we had sex.”

“Oh. I didn't think of that.”

Tucker placed a hand gently on her swollen belly. “It's the same teeny tiny chance that our little one could be infected. We won't know until she's born. I highly doubt it though.” At the occupant's sharp kick, his face lit up. “She kicked me!”



Aleydis giggled. “Good, she kicks me all the time!” She aimed a playful elbow at his side and they ended up tickling each other until they were both out of breath. Her mind eased, she cuddled into Tucker's side, her hand resting over his as they both felt their daughter's movements. Maybe, just maybe, they'd have a chance.