Andrew and Jamie - 11. Pregnant !!!

Jamie opened his eyes as Andrew came crashing through the door of their bedroom. “Hey babe, Calm down I’m fine now.”

Andrew took a deep breath and seemed to calm himself, before heading to the bed and sitting on the side so he could take Jamie’s hand.

“You scared me,” Andrew stated, as he stroked the hand he held.

“I scared myself and Casey. You know we need to talk to Thane, he seemed to know what was going on before we did.”

“Did I hear my name?” Thane asked as he came through the door.

Jamie smiled at the big man, “Yes you did. How did you know what was going on with me?”

Thane grinned, “Well that’s easy, my fathers were like you two. One was a witch and one was a vampire. So I’m what they call a hybrid, half witch and half vampire.”

Andrew and Jamie stared at Thane in shock.

Andrew recovered first, “But you have fangs and I know you drink blood, I’ve seen you. I’ve never seen you do any magic at all.”

Thane cut off his babbling with a laugh, “Yes I have fangs and I drink blood but I also use some magic and I do eat regular food, just not as much as a non-vampire would.”

Jamie took a deep breath to process this new information and tried to think of what to say. Then he started asking questions, “How old are you then?”

“I’m over five hundred years old. My fathers lived in a small village a long way from here but that is a story for another time. I turned up here in Chapmistres View about fifty years ago. Jackson found me and my mate beaten up just over the town border. When he realized I was a hybrid he put me into training. I showed a talent for bodyguard work and so that became my expertise.”

“You have a mate? Who is it? Do I know them?” Jamie asked getting more animated by the minute.

“Yes, I have a mate – two actually. And Andrew, I think you know one of them. Edward is on the administration team for the guards. Harry, on the other hand, is a second on the council.”

Andrew smiled, “Yes I know Edward. I think he was in competition with me for who could be the shyest. You’ll have to fill us in one day as to how you three met.”

“One day,” Thane acknowledged.

Jamie took up his questions again, “Can you tell me what to expect? Casey has researched vampires and their mates but this never came up.”

Thane dragged a chair over and sat beside the bed, “I’m not surprised; there is little information on hybrids around. As far as I know, I was the last one to be registered with the high council. It took a while for children from two different species to be accepted.” Thane’s eyes went sad and Jamie thought he was remembering something he would rather not, “But to your question, the main thing you seem to have already worked out. You now need Andrew’s blood to survive and not faint again. You also can’t eat normal food while you’re pregnant. In essence, you become a sort of vampire for the duration of your pregnancy, which by the way is only five months.”

Jamie was staring at Thane in shock, live off blood? Not eat for five months? Oh, Gods!

Thane smiled, “I know you’re probably panicking right now but it will be easier than you think, especially with your brother’s help. Andrew’s blood will keep you from fainting again and keep the baby healthy. I’m sure Casey can help you find some vitamin supplements to keep your own health up. Also, you can still have what I call drinking food, such as soup and protein shakes. I drink a lot of both as although I can eat normal food, I find liquid easier to digest.”

Jamie’s head was spinning, how was he going to survive five months like this? How could he do his job?

Thane continued with his explanation, “You will be sensitive to sunlight but it won’t hurt you. It will most likely give you a very bad headache, but as you usually work nights anyway, I think you should be okay. What else is there?” he tapped his chin and Jamie waited, holding his breath at the thought of what else he was going to have to remember for the next five months. “Oh yes, on the plus side you will have advanced healing – even more than you already had as a blood-bonded mate – and you should be able to sense the baby. You may have not realized what you were feeling but you will. Andrew, you will be able to sense the baby too.” Thane had turned to face Andrew as he spoke and Andrew looked shocked.

Jamie then felt Andrew’s mind brushing his, he relaxed and let him in. then he suddenly felt another presence. Pushing towards it he found his mind joined by Andrew’s and they both felt a small faint presence deep within Jamie’s body.

Jamie felt tears start to fall down his cheeks and he was grateful when he felt a tissue pushed into his hands. He looked up in time to see Thane mutter a few words and conjure another tissue from thin air for Andrew, who was also crying.

Thane must have seen Jamie watching because he grinned. “I said I can do some magic. My talent is calling things from other places. For example, these tissues are kept in a drawer by my bed at home. With a simple spell I can call them to me. That goes for anything including weapons. Very useful when you’re a bodyguard. I can be searched by an enemy and still have a weapon to hand inside a few seconds when I need it.

Jamie was astounded and so completely intrigued that he forgot his tears, he felt Andrew’s interest and heard him stop crying too.

“I will be protecting you till Samuel is dealt with and stays dealt with. I promise to do everything in my power to ensure nothing happens to either of you or your baby.”
Both Andrew and Jamie reached out and took the hand Thane held out to them to seal the deal.

Thane then declared he was going to guard from outside so the mates could have some time alone to process what had happened.

***

The next two days saw things returning to almost what passed for normal at the clinic. The few changes were that Casey and Jamie now both worked the night shift at the main clinic. The guard’s clinic and day clinic were taken by two newly appointed senior nurses. This meant that Jamie was able to reduce his workload while his body adjusted to his condition.

The first symptom to manifest was mood swings. Staff and patients quickly learned to be careful what they said as he could swing from his usual jokey self to very angry at the drop of a hat.

Casey started taking on more of the patients and left Jamie doing the paperwork, this meant that Jamie was in the office and didn’t have to interact with many people during his shift.

Jamie found the best way he could calm himself was to meditate and listen to the presence within him. Whenever he sensed the baby his mood would even out and he would feel peaceful.

Casey made up a liquid vitamin shake that he drank when he got up and this helped to keep his energy levels up, but he still had to drink Andrew’s blood before bed to ensure the baby was getting what it needed.

His favorite time was curling up with Andrew in bed and just soaking in the baby’s presence till he fell asleep.

***

Casey was sitting in the office two weeks later when there was a knock at the door. At his call, the door opened to admit a large man in a dark suit.

“Jamie Baker? I need you to come. There is an emergency.” The man stated.

“What has happened? Where is the emergency? Will I need my brother?” Casey asked the questions quickly as he reached under the desk for his bag of remedies. He didn’t bother to correct the man about who he was, people were always mixing them up and they both answered to each other’s names automatically.

As he looked up to demand the man answer his questions he felt a cloth covered hand come around and cover his mouth. Before he could react he had inhaled and was feeling the effects of what must have been some sort of drug that soaked the cloth.

As the world went dark he tried to contact Jamie and Andrew but he didn’t know whether they heard him or not before the world went dark.