A Little Miracle

I'm Rose Hathaway

     "Mommy" Dylan's voice was soft, almost a whisper. His small sweaty hand gripped my arm. Something cool and sharp pricked my back.
    I looked back and saw that Dylan was holding a silver stake. "Where did you get it?" I demanded, immediately snatching it from him and pushing him behind me.
     "When daddy let me play with it, I didn't give it back. I hid it in my jacket. I didn't remember."
      The strigoi were coming closer. There was five of them. "Listen Dylan." I said as I stepped forward "Run, don't look back. Run until you find daddy."
     "Okay!" Dylan said in a small voice.
I pushed him away and shouted "Go! Now!" I didn't look back and lunged at the nearest strigoi. My pregnant body was clumsy and hard to control but I was still Rose Hathaway. Even being pregnant couldn't stand in the way of all my training and experience. I slashed at the strigoi and drove my stake through his heart easily. I didn't bother to look at him as I pulled it out. I swung myself at the next strigoi while kicking and slashing at the others to keep them back. Adrenaline filled me and I realized how much I missed killing strigoi.
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     She looked deadly and beautiful at the same time. She whirled and slashed with lighting fast speed. She looked like an avenging angel. The strigoi kept coming and falling helplessly at her feet. I couldn't help a grin as I hurried to join my wife in battle.
    She didn't look at me but I could feel that she knew I was there. It was like old times. We never looked at each other or touched, but we protected each other and watched the other's back.
"Dimitri!" Rose suddenly screamed. She slashed at the strigoi closing in around her with one hand and with the other she clutched her huge belly. I immediately rushed to her side, throwing myself in front of her. "Dimitri! The babies!" She gasped as she kicked at a strigoi coming at her.
"What's wrong with our babies?" I said through grunts as I plunged my stake into a strigoi's chest. They just kept coming.
"I think...I think they're coming!" Rose cried out between gasps. "Dimitri please. I'm scared."
I'm scared. My beautiful fierce Roza. She rarely got scared. Hearing those words tore my heart open. "Don't worry my love. You'll be okay." I staked another strigoi as I reached back for Rose's stake, she let me take it. With the two stakes, I was able to strike two strigoi at once. Finally, we were alone.
"Dimitri." Rose's fingers clamped down hard on my arm. "We have to go."
I turned, lifted her in my arms and carried her bridal style. I kissed the tip of her nose gently. "I'll get you home as fast as I can. Don't worry. You'll be fine."
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By the time we got home, I was in so much pain that I clung on to Dimitri and dug my nails into his back so hard I was pretty sure I was drawing up blood. Luckily Dimitri didn't seem to mind.
I have to say that childbirth isn't my favourite activity. I would much rather fight a bunch of strigoi. Olena managed to pry me off of Dimitri and get me to lie down on her bed. "Rose." She laid a cool hand on my forehead "in our community, women give birth naturally at home. We don't give painkillers but here's some leather to bite on." She shoved a piece of leather into my mouth.
I groaned "you can't be serious! This is the twenty first century!" I suddenly longed for Lissa's healing touch and the kickass painkillers back at the royal court. I remember being so drugged up last time that I giggled while I was giving birth.
Olena shut me up by shoving the leather back in my mouth. A wave of contractions made me bite down on the leather and I nearly doubled over in pain. I noticed Dimitri standing in the corner of the room looking confused and awkward. Under better circumstances, say when I'm not dying of pain, I would have laughed. I spat the leather out. Rose Hathaway would rather use swearing to cope with pain than bite on a piece of salty leather.
"Dimitri" I croaked out. "Come here."
He rushed to my side. "You okay?" He looked really worried as he grabbed my hand and squeezed it.
"I wouldn't say I'm okay but-shit" I started swearing as the pain increased. Dimitri winced and I realized how hard I had been squeezing his hand.
"Roza you know I would do this for you if I could" Dimitri said, brushing a piece of my hair back gently, his warm fingers lingering on my cheek. "I would do anything for you. Whether it be pain or even giving you my life."
I laughed at this. "I'm not sure you would look as hot as me with swollen breasts and a gigantic belly".
He smiled at the breast part and I couldn't help a sly grin. "Of course I wouldn't." He kissed my cheek.
I squeezed his hand tightly and looked into his eyes. "You know I wouldn't want you to do this even if you could. I'd rather be in pain than see you in pain." I smiled at him. "I'm Rose Hathaway. I can stand pain. I don't need you to suffer for me. I just want you by my side, living. That's all." I could see in his eyes that he understood and felt the same way.
     "I know Roza" he said softly. Dimitri and I are alike in so many ways and we always understand each other. Even though I was in pain and felt like shit, I couldn't help think that I was so glad that I found Dimitri, the love of my life.