“I know.” My dad released me and walked to the doorway where he turned. “But you might learn that the biggest battle of your life will be to convince Belle to stay if she’s pregnant.”
“What if she says no?”
“Then you fucking change her mind. It’s either that or you go crazy,” Magni warned before he exited and closed the door.
CHAPTER 20
Waiting Time
Belle
My days at the Gray Mansion were busy and went by fast. Councilman Jonah flew in with his wife Mila, who was Mason’s older adopted sister.
From what Aubri and Freya were able to sniff out, Khan and Jonah were communicating with the French government, but it wasn’t going well. My government was furious that two of their citizens hadn’t returned as planned. Freya informed me they had formally accused Khan of kidnapping me, which would explain his sour expression whenever I saw him.
On Sunday when the summit had ended, Victor chose to send Celeste, Isaac, and Simon home, but stay himself. So far, he hadn’t said a word to me, but I’d seen him running in the impressive park and playing chess in the library a few times.
Mason and I talked, but it was as if everyone were determined not to leave us alone.
On Thursday morning, I was with Freya and Mila in the entertainment room playing with Mila’s and Jonah’s three children, Hope, Faith, and baby Zen, who was a healthy seven month old.
A woman knocked on the door and entered, making us all look up.
“Oh, hey, Doctor.” Freya stood and went to greet the round woman who had to be in her late fifties and was holding a bag in her left hand. After taking the doctor’s free hand in a greeting, Freya introduced us. “Belle, this is Doctor Louise White, whom I’ve told you about. She moved here from the Motherlands a long time ago and specializes in female patients.”
“May peace surround you.”
“Thank you.” I smiled and thought of something nice to say in return. “May the sun shine bright wherever you go.”
“Oh.” She widened her eyes. “Is that a French saying?”
I looked to Freya and back to the doctor. “No, it was just the best I could come up with on the spot. You know, because you wished me peace.”
Both women laughed and then the doctor asked me, “I can’t be the first Motlander to use that expression with you, can I?”
Freya answered for me. “It’s a bit old-school. It’s something my mom would say.”
“Well, in that case I’ll continue using that greeting as I always had the greatest respect for Pearl.”
“You should. Pearl is special.” Mila, holding her son on her hip, had come over to greet the doctor as well.
“I’m honored to meet you, Mila. I’ve heard so much about you and I’m a big supporter of your husband’s work on the council.”
Mila placed a hand on her heart and flashed her incredible dimples as she smiled. “Aww, thank you. I’ll tell him you said so.”
Faith and Hope, who were five and seven, kept close to their mother.
“Here, let me take Zen.” Freya reached for the blond baby boy to help free Mila’s hands while I focused on the doctor, who was speaking to me.
“Belle, how about you come with me so we can start the examination?”
“Okay.”
“Did they tell you to fast for twelve hours like I instructed?”
“Yes.”
“Good, that’s helpful in terms of the blood sample.”
Doctor White led me down the corridors of the Gray Mansion in a way that told me she had been here often. “The ruling family has two main doctors. I’m one of them and see the females and children. Doctor Gonzales is the other doctor and we share an examination room and a lab in the basement. That’s where we’ll do the examination and tests. You can just call me Louise.”
Once we got to the room, she turned on an examination table that rose from the floor to hover in the air. When she saw me hesitate to sit on it, she smiled. “Don’t be scared, it’s steady enough. It’s just that Doctor Gonzales and the men in this family are so tall that I couldn’t use the original examination table. With my small size it didn’t work, so now we have the Flexi-Bed, which is much better because all I have to do is push it to where I want it. Look.” Placing her index finger on the edge, she adjusted the height and lowered the table effortlessly. “All I have to do is lock it and it won’t move a bit.”
I sat down and tried to answer all her questions.
“My last period? Hmm, I’m not sure.”
“Are you regular?”
“I don’t know; I don’t think so. I’ve never counted days as I’ve never had a reason to care.
“Hmm. All right. You might wonder why I didn’t rush over sooner, but I didn’t want to poke your skin more than necessary and it’s unlikely that we’ll get a reliable result until it’s been at least six days after the intercourse.”
It took twenty minutes for her to get the urine and blood sample she needed and to do a full pelvic exam.
“What do you think?” she asked. “A woman always knows her body the best. Do you feel different? Any morning sickness, sore breasts, headaches, fatigue, sadness, or constant urge to pee?”
“Actually…” I thought about it. “My breasts have felt a bit swollen and my mood has been all over the place, but I figured that it’s because of the situation.”
Doctor White angled her face with a look of concern. “Yes, it can’t be easy for you. What are you going to do if you’re pregnant?”
“Mason says he won’t let me go back to France if I’m pregnant.”
She sighed. “I figured he would say that. Back when I got pregnant with my first child, my husband treated me like I was a nuclear bomb that would go off if anyone touched me. It was the most stressful time in my life. Most Nmen are wonderful and I never regretted coming up here to find love, but they can be overbearing and have an unfortunate tendency to think they know what’s best for us.”
I looked down. “My government wants me back. A woman must do her civic duty and carry two children. It’s the only way for us to not die out as a nation. If I’m pregnant they would consider my child theirs.”
“You mean they would force you to raise your child in France?”
“We don’t stay with our children. They are raised by everyone.”
“I don’t understand.”
“A baby is placed with a team of infant specialists in their first month. After that they come to live in a baby unit until they turn one year old. I work in a unit like that, but I wouldn’t get to raise my own son or daughter. For each stage of their lives, there are special units of loving people raising them.”
“So, no families?”
“No. I know the Motlanders have family units and that you parents here in the Northlands live with your children, but that’s not how we do things back home.”
“But why?” Doctor White’s shoulders drooped down. “What kind of society would take a child from its mother? That’s so barbaric.”