Accidental Surrogate

#Chapter 274 – Bonded

Ella

My head feels…so heavy. I groan, trying to move my hands up so I can press them against my temples, but I can’t move them.

“Easy,” I hear him say beside me and instinctually I turn towards his voice. Where –

“Easy, Ella,” he murmurs, his words thick with emotion. “It’s all right…”

I peel my eyelids apart, then, confused at the effort. It’s like I haven’t opened my eyes for weeks…

My vision comes back to me slowly, the room around me coming into focus with effort. I blink rapidly, looking around at Sinclair, and Cora, and Roger all standing around me, peering at me with worried faces. I feel very suddenly like Dorothy, when she wakes up from her trip to Oz.

“What?” I murmur, my voice thick and my throat scratchy. Suddenly anxious, I try to sit up, pushing at the bed beneath me but –

What the hell were all these wires, tied to my arms?

“Easy, trouble,” Sinclair whispers, pressing his hand to my shoulder, keeping me down. My body responds to his command, relaxing backwards as I look up at him. But…

“Where am I?” I ask, staring at him, and then I press my eyes closed. It’s all just too much.

“You’re in the hospital,” I hear my sister explain. “After the gift, at the temple…”

But her voice fades, almost as if I can’t hear it. I feel my heart start to pound, my breath ratchet up as my memories start to come back to me. Of being on the temple steps of Cora there, and what we learned about each other of Sinclair’s warm arms around me –

–

–

–

And then, nothing – and then clouds – and Sinclair again, and my baby –

Oh my god, where was my baby?

desperate. “Where is Rafe?” Then I start to look all around me, searching for him – he’s here, he has to be, I remember him, my little baby, wrapped in white swaddling,

dream, Ella –

his hand on the swell of my stomach then, drawing my attention to it, reminding me that he’s here – of course he’s here, I haven’t given birth yet –

hands so that they rest on either side of my baby. Then I close my eyes, resting my

the love I have in

I say again, feeling my whole body relax. I open my eyes again, feeling a rush

exhales a huge rush of air, grasping one of my hands and lowering his head so that

We stay like that for a long minute as tears start to slide down my cheeks,

to reality after such a hard few weeks, after days of struggling in the dream state to get here. It is

where else I’d want to be.

doctor,” I hear Roger murmur, and then his footsteps move to

room.

my side, letting us have our moment as I take

she huffs, laughing through the tears that are falling

at her, unable to help myself, and then glance down at my poor beat up little body. “Um, I think so?” I feel so weak but there is also…a warmth, a stillness in me that feels…

hair. “Yeah? I gave you back mom’s the Goddess’s

“Cora!” I

”

–

–

of course I gave it back to you I didn’t even want

shout, frantic and frankly a little mad now. “It’s a gift from a Goddess – from our mom – I worked so hard to get it here, the least you could do

”

as I feel suddenly guilty and a little childish, arguing with my sister like this in front of him, especially when I’m clearly so sick. I look up at him, my eyes apologetic, and I see his face instantly soften. “Please, Ella,” he begs.” You’re so weak – and she

“Okay,” I repeat, raising a finger to point at her. “But

these terms, wiping the tears off of her cheeks. “Whatever you say,

—

own, when the Doctor comes in, Rafe hot on his heels. It’s a man I haven’t seen before certainly not one of

almost running into Cora in his hurry to get to me. He quickly scans my face, his expression worried. “I have to say, I’m shocked to see you awake –” He quickly grasps my wrist, feeling for a pulse and turning towards the monitors behind them, scanning them for new information. “It shouldn’t be possible…” he mutters, his brows drawn together. “Earlier today…”

I say, hesitating, looking up at Sinclair. “Not precisely a

turns then, looking towards us confused, and I just shrug. Sinclair stands stoically beside me, still holding my hand. “An intervention from the Goddess, if you will,” he observes, a little humor in his voice. The

monitors. “Whatever it was it is

working to sit up further and wincing as a sharp pain spikes through my back. Sinclair starts at my grimace, leaning closer to me, scenting me, clearly working to figure out what’s wrong and how he can help.

a small monitor tucked in amongst the larger ones. “He’s fine,” he mumbles, almost to himself. “Better, if anything, than he was the last time I was in here.” “Good,” I say, almost under my breath, pleased to have my suspicions confirmed. My baby and

incredibly weak. You have days yet in this hospital –

his head too, letting me know he agrees with the doctor. “I want you home as well, baby,” he murmurs, “both of you. But he’s