Filed to story: Sorry Alpha I Am Wolfless Novel
“Thanks.” I was a little embarrassed by their enthusiasm. “Do you want to feel them moving?” I had been feeling them move around all morning and right now they were especially active. Maybe because they heard their names or something. I don’t know, but they were kicking up a storm in there. Already fighting and they weren’t even born yet.
“Of course, I do.” Mom ran forward and put her hand on my belly right away. “Oh my goddess. They’re moving so much. I haven’t been able to see you too much because it was so hard, so I didn’t see how big they were getting already.”
“This is so amazing.” Dad put his hand next to Mom’s and felt them as well. “I am so proud of you, Riviana. Traversing the underworld, killing an evil goddess, protecting the babies, and saving the world. It’s thanks to you that we’re all still alive. I know that for a fact. And I couldn’t be more proud of you.”
Slowly, they all put their hands somewhere on my belly and felt the babies. And they all told me how proud of me they were. It made me happy, but it also made me want to cry. I was getting way too much praise for what I had done, for what had happened.
Most of them would never know that, though. Not unless someone that was in the room watching or one of the ones that was there with me when it happened actually told someone else. I had a feeling though, that most of the people that knew what truly happened, wouldn’t spread the news. They would keep my secret and let me tell it if and when I was ever ready for it.
****
Riviana
****
After spending some much needed time with my family, it was time for everyone to have some lunch. That was when Lila and grandfather came to visit with me. As soon as the door opened, I could smell the delicious soup that was on the tray.
“Hello, sweetheart.” Lila called out to me. “I have been patiently waiting my turn to come and see you. And now that it’s time for some lunch, I thought I would take that chance.” She looked so relieved to be seeing me awake that I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I probably couldn’t eat the food that was being brought to me.
“Thank you, Lila.” I smiled at her.
“Hey, don’t forget me. I brought you something too.” Grandfather smiled and came into the room behind her. “I have a protein smoothie for you. Griffin said that it might help you a lot because your body needs lots of nourishment.” He was proud of himself for bringing me something that the doctor said my body truly needed.
…..
“Thank you, Grandfather.” His gift for me seemed more realistic for me to be able to consume. Though I really did want both. My body needed a lot of food to make up for what I lost over the last three months. Not to mention, the babies were still growing strong inside of me.
I had a moment to think about that, about when my due date was and when I was likely to deliver them. I hated to think about it, and it was in no way intentional, but I was probably going to be having the triplets right around Reagan and Rika’s birthday.
I really didn’t want to do that to them. I wanted them to be able to have their own special days and not have to worry about sharing birthdays. I mean, they’re multiples, they already have to share it, but to share it again would just be mean. That was why I was going to do everything that I could to get them as close to their due date as I could.
“We missed you so much sweetie. I can’t even begin to tell you. Your grandfather was a wreck without you.”
“Hey, don’t tell her that, Lila.” Grandfather was clearly embarrassed at having been ratted out. “I..it’s just that I didn’t know what was wrong with my granddaughter. I was worried. Can you blame me? With everything that has happened to my family over the years, I just really didn’t want something bad to happen to Riviana.”
I was looking Grandfather pretty closely now. I was staring at his face and watching him as he spoke. And I swear he looked younger than the last time that I saw him. I don’t know if he was younger than last night, I admit my eyes were all for my children and my husband, but I know that he looked younger than he did when I left. Or at least to me he looks like he is a lot younger now.
That seriously made me think about things. When were my people going to stop reverse aging? Was he going to look like he was as young as me soon? Was it ever going to stop? I mean, it had to, they weren’t going to pull a Benjamin Button or anything like that.
“Is something the matter, Riviana?” Grandfather asked me as I was staring at him.
“I was just memorizing your new face, Grandfather. You look so much like dad now that you’re getting younger. Soon, I won’t even be able to tell the two of you apart.”
“I don’t think that is ever going to be a problem.” Grandfather pulled his collar a little straighter and sat up a little taller in the chair that he was sitting in. “I am way more handsome than he is.” I really don’t know if Grandfather appreciated my laughter. It wasn’t meant to say that he was wrong, it was just the way that he did it.
“You really are a good looking man, Grandfather, but I prefer Joaquin.”
“That’s fine, Riviana. This handsome young man is all mine.” Lila winked at me and that made me feel all kinds of embarrassed. I so did not need to think about my grandfather and my mother in-law being together in that way.
“Please stop! Don’t ruin my images of you! GAH!” That is just not right. Those were not images I needed in my head. And, apparently, my reaction was hilarious. Maybe it was something about the way that I looked trying to force my hands up to my head as I screamed. I probably looked really funny with my barely moving arms, but that didn’t negate the seriousness of what I had just experienced.
“I do think that we have traumatized the poor girl.” Lila laughed. “Well, now that her mind is gone as well as her body, which one of us is going to feed her?”
“W..we..well I.. I’m not really, I’m not good at..-.”
“Don’t worry, you babbling fool, I will do it.” Lila was still as slyly savage as she always was. She had made him get like this only to point it out to him, it was funny and it appeared to me that Grandfather was used to it already. “Come on now, Riviana. It is time for you to eat.”
“I can’t ask you to do that, Lila. I will just drink the smoothie.” I tried to argue with her, but it wasn’t going very well.
“Do not give me that. You can keep your polite 鈥榥o thank you’s’ and all that. You are going to eat this soup. And I know for a fact that it is delicious so you will enjoy it. Hush now and do as Momma Lila tells you to.”
“Yes, Momma Lila.” I repeated the name that she used for herself when I consented.
“Good. Now, was that so hard?” She gave me a stern look. “Come now, let’s sit up a little better.”
After that, Lila helped me to sit up straighter and then slowly fed me the soup. There was a tray that was put in front of me with the smoothie on it. All I needed to do was lean forward just a little bit and I could drink it just fine. And thankfully, I was able to lean like that.
Lila was right. The soup really was delicious. And on top of that, the smoothie was amazing. I could almost feel the warmth and nourishment from the food spreading through my body. It was working wonders on me.
“Now, Riviana, isn’t that better?” Lila asked me when she was done. “I bet that hit the spot, didn’t it?”
“It did. Thank you, Lila. You were right. I needed it. And it tasted so good.” I smiled at her and agreed with her. I was letting her know that she had been right all along. I had a feeling that was what she was looking for.
“Yup. A mother always knows what’s best. And that is doubly so when that mother is taking care of her very pregnant daughter in-law.” She winked at me to let me know that the game was continuing and that she was having fun.
