Chapter 73 Seventy-Three
Two weeks passed in a blink. After the night of Danica's rescue, Mason began to gather all reinforcements across the entire continent, preparing for an outright attack on the trolls and the harpies. Arlo, who remained neutral, had decided to stay out of the entire thing along with his elven brethren, a fact that surprised Danica greatly given his strong aversion to her.
Nigel and Ash busied themselves collecting the sorcerer clans from the darklands that were willing to help the werewolves with the war as well. Though their numbers were few, they would still be a major asset when the time came.
For the entire two weeks, signs of army building were detected by scouts that Mason hid within the darklands. From what was being reported, it wouldn't be much longer before Marie and Talon waged their attacks, and this time Mason was well prepared.
The room Danica and Mason shared had been converted into a mini headquarters where Mason held meetings and planned attack strategies, something that annoyed Danica. After discovering she was pregnant, Mason refused to leave her alone, not even for a minute. He became like an annoying attachment that just wouldn't go away, at least not until she and their baby were deemed healthy by the doctor.
"I can walk." Danica sighed as Mason carried her into the hospital. "How many times do I have to tell you?"
"No can do." Mason insisted as he made his way down the long hospital corridor to the room where Dr. Williams would be waiting.
He had been informed of Danica's condition and insisted that he be the one to take charge of her prenatal care. Dr. Gerald had been slightly disappointed but had stepped aside after being ordered to do so by Mason.
"Welcome." Dr. Williams beamed as they entered the ultrasound room. "How are you feeling, Luna?"
"I would feel so much better if I was allowed to move around freely." Danica grumped as Mason laid her down on the examination table.
"Alpha," Dr. Williams frowned. "We told you that it would be fine for her to get out and exercise."
"Don't care." Mason huffed, narrowing his eyes. "Until all of you are sure that everything is okay with her and the baby, I won't listen."
Sighing Danica shook her head before giving Dr. Williams an apologetic smile.
"So sorry." She said while turning her disapproving gaze to Mason. "You need to stop acting like a child."
"No can do, I swore I wouldn't let anything happen to you and our child." Mason quipped stubbornly. "I meant what I said."
Rolling her eyes Danica let out a long breath. "Dr. Williams, can we get this ultrasound started?"
Smiling Dr. Williams nodded as he took a seat in front of the giant machine that would soon show Danica the little creature that was growing within her.
"First, please unbutton your pants so I can get better access." Dr. Williams instructed Danica, earning himself a growl from Mason. "This is standard protocol. Alpha, control yourself."
"Mason, that's enough." Danica hissed as she did what Dr. Williams instructed. "Please doctor."
Sucking in a calming breath, Danica readied herself as Dr. Williams placed ultrasound gel on her stomach before placing the wand on her skin. The soft thrumming of her insides worked to soothe Danica's nerves as Dr. Williams busied himself moving the wand around.
"Well?" Mason asked impatiently as Dr. William's honed in on a tiny little thing that looked like a gummy bear resting within Danica's womb.
A little blip of light could be seen thrumming away as Dr. Williams made noises of interest before turning a smiling face toward Danica.
"I'm pleased to inform you that the baby seems to be doing well and has a strong heartbeat." He announced finally.
As the doctor spoke, Danica felt like a giant weight had been lifted off her shoulders; her baby was fine. After two weeks of being in the dark on whether or not the wolfs bane had affected it, she now knew that it hadn't, and everything was okay.
"Shouldn't there be another there?" Mason asked, drawing Danica's attention back to the screen.
Mason had a finger pointed to a second sac that sat squeezing against the one that their baby safely developed within.
"Hmmmm." Dr. Williams murmured, furrowing his brow. "You are correct; there should be a second there."
Moving the wand around once more, Dr. Williams tried to see if he could locate the second baby that was missing. With a frown, he shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but it seems that it's gone." Dr. Williams said, slowly fixing his gaze with Danica's. "Have you passed any clots or had any bleeding?"
"No," Danica responded, shaking her head. "None."
"Hmmm...." The doctor seemed to be deep in thought before speaking again. "If not that,then it could be..."
"What?" Mason growled, looking ready to jump on the doctor. "What the hell happened to our other child?"
"There is a phenomenon that can occasionally happen when it comes to twins." Dr. Williams explained. "Sometimes in the developmental stages, one twin can latch onto the other and absorb it as nutrients."
"So you're saying that little bean ate its brother or sister?" Mason asked, looking utterly confused.
"Yes, it can happen, alpha." Dr. Williams confirmed. "I do apologize, but please take comfort in the fact that your other child is alive and well."
"Sure." Mason sighed, deflating.
Danica, who took in Dr. Williams words the entire time and remained quiet, tried her best to accept what the man said. One of her children was gone before she even had a chance to know it existed.
"Hey, it's alright." Mason said, quickly catching onto Danica's quickly sloping mood. "It's going to be okay."
"I know." Danica responded quietly, trying to remain calm. "I know."
"I'm done with my examination." Dr. Williams announced, standing. "Alpha, maybe it is best that you and Luna go home and spend some time together. I'm sure this was hard news for you."
"Thanks doctor." Mason said while helping Danica sit up. "Ready to head out?"
"Yeah," Danica sighed. "Let's go. Thank you, Dr. Williams."
Working to control her emotions, Danica allowed herself to begin accepting the truth Dr. Williams laid out before her; only one of her children made it. And she promised that nothing or no one would cause her to lose this one.