Chapter 236: Stubborn Little Lamb

LEITANA

“Mi Ravial, I’m fine… I was just stressed,” I whispered softly, my voice still weak.

I was lying in our big bed, propped up against a mountain of pillows. The room was dimly lit, only a bedside lamp on. Ravial sat right beside me, one of his large hands holding mine tightly while the other rested protectively over my belly. His blindfolded face was turned toward me, jaw tight with tension.

The doctor, who Ravial had called immediately, stood a respectful distance away, packing her equipment after checking me over.

“I’m okay now,” I continued, trying to smile even though my body still felt heavy and tired. “It was just a moment. The party was long and mi got overwhelmed. That’s all.”

Ravial didn’t speak right away. His thumb stroked slowly over the back of my hand, but I could feel the worry underneath his calm exterior.

The doctor cleared his throat gently.

“Mrs. Ashbourne, your baby is perfectly fine,” She said, offering me a kind but serious smile. “Heartbeat is strong, no signs of distress. However… your illness appears to be flaring up more aggressively. The episodes of vomiting, the abdominal pain, the fainting, these are becoming more frequent and intense. Your body is struggling to keep up.”

I swallowed hard, my free hand instinctively moving to rest on my bump.

“But the baby is safe?” I asked again, voice small.

“Yes,” the doctor reassured me. “For now. But I must be honest with you. If this continues to worsen, we may need to consider more aggressive treatment options. Your condition is… unusual. We’re going to run some tests, but the.. baby is putting a heavy strain on your system.”

Ravial’s grip on my hand tightened.

“Leave us,” he said quietly to the doctor, voice clipped and commanding. “Send all reports directly to me. And prepare whatever she needs, medicine, monitoring, specialists. I don’t care about the cost.”

The doctor nodded quickly and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

The moment we were alone, Ravial turned fully toward me. He leaned down, pressing his forehead gently against mine, one hand still cradling my belly.

“My lamb…” he whispered, voice rough with barely contained emotion. “You fainted. You were on the floor when I found you, do not tell me you are ‘fine.’”

Fresh tears welled up in my eyes. I reached up and touched his face, fingers tracing along his strong jaw.

“Mi don’t want to worry you,” I whispered. “Mi just… mi want to be strong for you and our baby. Mi don’t want to leave you yet, mi Ravial. Please don’t be angry with mi.”

He let out a slow, heavy breath and kissed my forehead, then my eyelids, then my lips, soft, lingering kisses filled with quiet desperation.

“I could never be angry with you,” he murmured against my mouth. “But I will not lose you. Do you understand? You are mine. This child is mine. I will burn every hospital, every doctor, every country if I have to. You are not allowed to leave me.”

I cried softly, nodding as I clung to him.

“Mi will try,” I whispered. “Mi will fight harder. For you. For our son.”

Ravial pulled me carefully into his arms, holding me against his chest like I was the most fragile thing in the world. His hand never left my belly, rubbing slow, protective circles as if willing our baby to stay safe.

“Rest now, little lamb,” he said quietly, lips pressed to my hair. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. And neither are you.”

I closed my eyes, exhausted but safe in his embrace, even as the fear of my failing body lingered in the back of my mind.

Hours later,

I couldn’t sleep.

Even after resting, my mind wouldn’t stop. The doctor’s words kept echoing, your body is struggling… the illness is flaring up more aggressively. Every ache in my stomach reminded me that time was running out.

So I decided to do something.

I stood in the middle of our bedroom in one of Ravial’s oversized shirts that reached mid-thigh, barefoot, determined. I had found a pregnancy exercise video on my phone and was following along as best as I could.

Right now, I was doing gentle pelvic tilts against the wall, then slow squats while holding onto the back of a chair, breathing deeply with every movement.

“Mi have to keep you strong, baby,” I whispered to my bump, rubbing it softly between exercises. “Mama is not very strong right now… but mi will do everything to make sure you are healthy. You have to be big and strong for Papa, okay?”

I lowered into another careful squat, holding it for a few seconds before rising again, cheeks puffed out with effort.

The door opened.

Ravial stepped inside and froze mid-step.

His blindfolded head tilted as he took in the sight: his pregnant wife in his shirt, sweating slightly, doing slow pregnancy squats while talking to her belly like it was a full conversation.

“Leitana…” His voice was low, a mix of confusion, concern, and something almost amused. “What are you doing?”

I looked up at him, still halfway in a squat, breathing a little hard.

“Exercises, mi Ravial,” I said innocently, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. I rose slowly and did another one, holding onto the chair. “The doctor said mi body is struggling, so mi have to help it. These are good for pregnant women. It helps the baby stay strong and healthy. See?”

I did a slow pelvic tilt, then another squat, determined.

Ravial stood there for a long moment, just watching me. Then he let out a slow breath and walked over, towering above me.

“Little lamb,” he said, voice rough but gentle, “you fainted a few hours ago and now you’re doing squats in the middle of the night?”

I nodded, still moving. “Yes. Because mi want our baby to be really healthy. Mi read that exercise helps with delivery and makes the baby stronger. Mi cannot just lie down and wait to… to get worse. Mi have to fight.”

Ravial was quiet. Then he stepped behind me, placing his large hands gently on my hips to support me as I did another squat.

“You are the most stubborn woman I have ever met,” he murmured, voice low against my ear. There was a hint of a smile in it. “If you want to exercise, you will do it properly. With me. Not alone in the middle of the night when you’re still weak.”

He guided me through the next movement, his body steady behind mine, making sure I didn’t strain myself. His hands never left my hips or my belly, protective and warm.

“Mi just want him to be okay,” I whispered, voice cracking a little. “Even if mi… even if mi don’t make it, mi want our son to be strong.”

Ravial’s arms wrapped around me from behind, pulling me gently against his chest. He pressed a long kiss to the side of my neck, then rested his forehead against my shoulder.

“You are not allowed to talk like that,” he said, voice dark and fierce. “You will make it. You will hold our son and you will stay with me. I have already decided it.”

I leaned back into him, tears slipping down my cheeks again as I placed my hands over his on my belly.

Ravial turned me carefully in his arms and lifted me, carrying me back toward the bed like I weighed nothing.

“Then try tomorrow,” he said, laying me down gently. “Right now, you rest. And I will hold you while you do.”