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?

eyes fly open, 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

says hurriedly, “it was a dream, Ella – we met him in the dream –”

his hand on the swell of my stomach then, drawing my attention to it, reminding

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

can feel him, my ties to him. My bond with my baby. I reach out to him, sending all the love I have in my heart down our bond, and feeling a little pulse back. He hears me. He tells me

feeling my whole body relax. I open my eyes again, feeling a rush of sudden and unexpected joy.

grasping one of my hands and lowering

touch. We stay like that for a long minute as tears start

to reality after such a hard few

there’s no where else

hear Roger murmur, and then

room.

and reaching my other hand for her. Sinclair straightens at my side, letting us have our moment as I take her hand.

huffs, laughing through the tears that are falling down her own cheeks. “Are

“Um, I think so?” I feel so weak but there is also…a warmth, a stillness in me that feels… I frown, looking up at her. “Did you…do

a little and running her hand through her hair. “Yeah? I gave you back mom’s the Goddess’s – the gift,

to sit up straighter in my bed. “Cora!” I scold. “Why?! I gave it to

”

–

–

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

a gift from a Goddess – from our mom – I

”

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

I repeat, raising a finger to point at

agreeing to these terms, wiping the tears off of her cheeks.

—

my sister, holding my mate’s hand tight in my own, when the Doctor comes in, Rafe hot on his heels. It’s a man I haven’t seen

my side, 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

hesitating, looking up at Sinclair. “Not precisely a medical

“An intervention from the Goddess, if you will,” he observes, a little humor in his voice. The doctor’s face screws up further with confusion but then he simply exhales quickly

monitors. “Whatever it was

through my back. Sinclair starts at my grimace, leaning

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

turning towards me and frowning. “You’re still incredibly weak. You have days yet in this

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