"Annabelle tells me I am rude when I do that."
"Oh where has she been the last century and half?" He teased him. Cory laughed then looked very serious.
"What is wrong?"
"Annabelle wants to go for a walk."
"So take her for a walk."
"But she wants to go North."
I went and stood beside Paddy. He was smiling. "Your child knows where it wants to be born." Paddy told him.
"What?!" He looked confused.
"It wants to go to the Sacred Pond."
"Really? Okay, I will see you later." He ran to his quarters. Paddy laughed.
"Fatherhood will do him good." I said.
"Yes it will." Paddy hugged me. "Now about babies."
He kissed me very passionately then scooped me up and carried me to our bed.
Cory and Annabelle were back a few days later with their baby girl.
Colleen, Shaun, Lizzy and Liam were just proud grandparents and great grandparents.
Melissa was fascinated with the baby.
"She is pretty like a doll Cory."
"Thank you Melissa."
"What is her name?"
"We have not decided yet."
"Oh?"
Melissa walked back to her mother.
"Baby have no name Momma."
"Yes. I know dear. They are still looking for the right one for her."
"Okay." She sat beside Colleen. "I will wait."
Everyone held the baby and cooed to her. I served everyone tea and gave Annabelle a glass of chilled blood. She looked like she needed it.
"It took us a day to walk to the Sacred Pond." Cory was saying. "The little one was born the next morning. We took our time walking back. Annabelle has sipped on the way back."
"Did you feed right after the birth?" I asked.
"I brought her a deer. She drained it and I finished it off." He smiled.
"I do not understand why I can not drink enough. I am constantly thirsty."
Colleen and I looked at each other.
"Annabelle come with me, Dear." I took her into my bedroom. Colleen came with me.
"Is there something wrong?" She looked very tired. I closed the door for privacy. Some ladies do not like to discuss their personal problems in front of men.
"Are you still bleeding?" Colleen asked her pointing to the region below her belly.
"Yes." She whispered. "I know I am supposed to stop but when?"
"About an hour after you give birth."
"Oh no." She looked worried.
"It is possible that you healed too fast before all the afterbirth was expelled." Colleen told her.
"Yes I have heard of this."
"Colleen is very good at checking for this. She has checked me after each of my births."
"Good I did not know who to ask?" She shrugged her shoulders.
Colleen examined her.
"You healed too fast. I am going to have to pull the rest of the afterbirth out." Colleen told her.
"It is going to hurt." I told her.
"All right. I am ready." Annabelle grabbed a pillow and held it over her face. She screamed when Colleen pulled the afterbirth out.
Our supply of chilled blood was down in the bathing pool. I went to get her a bottle.
"Now I feel empty." Annabelle told Colleen.
"Oh Thank you Kylie." She drank down the bottle. The change in her was astonishing. She looked well rested now.
"I remember my Grandmother having to do this to some of the new mothers. I never thought that was the problem." She told us.
"Its one of the disadvantages of being a fast healer." I told her.
We went back to our family. Cory looked so worried until Annabelle sat beside him smiling. "Everything all right?" He asked her.
"It is now." He let out a big sigh of relief.
"While you were with Kylie and my Mom. Everyone was giving me some suggests for a name. There are a few we did not discuss."
"Good." She nodded. "I am so glad she was born before we sailed." Annabelle was telling us. "I think I would have swam back to Ireland. The urge was so strong to go to the Sacred Pond."
I glanced at Paddy. He had a worried look.
"As far as I know there is a Sacred pond on every land mass. I am sure there is one in the New World." Shaun informed us.
"That is good." Paddy said. He looked relieved.
Annabelle walked over to me. "You have not held our little one yet." She placed the baby my arms. She did not stay a baby for very long.
Annabelle was not expecting her daughter to shift. "By The Gods, what happened to her?"
"She shifted. Perfectly normal." I told her.
"Perfectly normal?"
"Yes you gave birth to a shapeshifter. This is the proof." Everyone clapped with delight.
"Cory you must find a name for her so you can register her."
"We will decide on one soon Shaun." Annabelle told him.
The little one started to fuss. I gave her back to her Mother. "I will go and feed her." Annabelle said.
"Um I am going to help." Cory said nervously.
They left.
"Oh she is so beautiful." Colleen said.
"Yes she is Grandma." Quinn said as he walked into the common room.
"You have seen the new one."
"Yes I met them in the corridor. They do not have a name for her yet."
"We know." We said together.
"Where is Cassie? I have not seen her in a few days." Quinn asked.
"Samuel and her have gone to say goodbye to his family before we leave for the New World." Paddy told him.
"That means Samuel is coming with us." Quinn said.
"Yes he finally decided." I told Quinn.
"That is terrific." Quinn was smiling. "I did not want Cassie sad."
"Neither did we." Paddy told him.
