Chapter 131 Caspian Blu, Briar Rose, Zephyr Orion, Ignatios Blaze
True to his word, Fennigan reappeared just a few minutes later, carrying a massive, steaming plate that instantly made Leela’s mouth water. It was piled high with thick, tender slices of slow-cooked roast, hearty chunks of potatoes swimming in rich brown gravy, and a generous, golden square of butter-slathered cornbread.
The savory aroma immediately caught the attention of Caspian and Briar. Of course, the moment Leela settled the plate on her lap, the twins abandoned their toys and scrambled over, their little hands reaching out eagerly. Leela couldn't help but laugh, happily breaking off soft, crumbly pinches of the sweet cornbread to share with them before finally taking a desperate, heavenly bite of the roast for herself. The warm, heavy food hit her empty stomach like a grounding anchor.
Just as she was savoring the meal, soft footsteps drew her attention to the archway. Elana stepped into the great room, wiping her hands on a flour-dusted apron. The older woman's tense shoulders immediately dropped, her warm face softening into a look of profound, exhausted relief at the sight of the family on the floor.
"Oh, it is so good to see some color finally back in your cheeks," Elana breathed, walking over to rest a gentle, motherly hand on Leela's shoulder. She shook her head, a worried crease lingering between her brows. "You and Ginny absolutely scared the life out of everyone earlier."
Leela paused, her fork lowering as a flicker of guilt mixed with the lingering shadows in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Elana," she murmured softly, leaning into the comforting touch. "I didn't mean to cause a panic. It was just... when the adrenaline finally stopped, it felt like the entire nightmare hit me all at once. It was too much."
Elana’s expression filled with a fierce, protective sympathy. She gently squeezed Leela's shoulder, her eyes shining with unshed tears of gratitude. "Don't you dare apologize," she said softly but firmly. "I heard the short version of what happened out there with Vane, and I love you, dear, but I truly don't think my heart could handle hearing the long version. You are so incredibly strong."
The plate emptied quickly, though Leela made sure she wasn't the only one enjoying the restorative meal. She spent half the time carefully mashing soft chunks of potato with the back of her fork, mixing them with crumbly sweet cornbread and rich brown gravy. She popped the savory, perfectly portioned bites into Caspian and Briar's eagerly waiting mouths, chuckling softly at the messy smears of gravy painting their chubby cheeks.
Finally scraping up the last bite, Leela let out a long, deeply contented sigh. The hollow ache of her magic depletion was finally fading. She leaned back against the base of the sofa behind her, resting one hand softly over the slight, new swell of her stomach where Zephyr rested in the warmth.
A second later, a tiny, exaggerated sigh echoed hers.
Leela looked down to see Caspian leaning back on his diapered bottom, one small, gravy-stained hand plastered dramatically to his own round tummy. Not wanting to be left out, Briar immediately followed suit, puffing out a loud breath and patting her belly with absolute, solemn seriousness. The unintentional, perfect mockery was too much; Leela and Elana burst into bright, echoing laughter, the sound finally chasing away the last lingering shadows of the day.
Once the plates were cleared by Elana and the twins' faces were relatively wiped clean with a damp cloth, Leela decided it was time to check on their other patient. Scooping up a squirming toddler in each arm—quietly grateful that her physical strength was slowly knitting itself back together—she made her way down the hall to the guest room, Fennigan trailing closely behind her like a massive, protective shadow.
They found Ginny propped up against a mountain of pillows, looking utterly, wonderfully miserable in her confinement. Jax was seated firmly in a chair beside the mattress, an immovable, stubborn guardian.
Ginny let out a frustrated, dramatic huff as Leela pushed the door open. "Please tell me you've come to spring me from this prison," she pleaded, though her eyes immediately softened into a warm smile as Caspian and Briar babbled a greeting.
Being bedbound was pure, unadulterated torture for Ginny. Her hands fairly twitched with nervous energy against the quilts. She was far too used to being on her feet, bustling around the pack house kitchen up to her elbows in dough, or hunched over a worktable sorting dried leaves and studying complex herbal remedies. Her mind was a sharp, active thing, and lying still—with absolutely nothing to do but stare at the ceiling and let Jax fuss over her every movement—was already driving her completely out of her mind.
Leela let out a bright, ringing laugh at her friend's misery, the sound easily cutting through the quiet of the guest room. She stepped closer, carefully settling a babbling Caspian and Briar near the foot of the mattress so they wouldn't jostle Ginny.
"Oh, Ginny, I know it absolutely sucks," Leela said, her eyes crinkling with sympathy as she reached out to gently squeeze her friend's restless hand. "But you have to look at the bright side. Just think about the little one. It's only temporary."
"It's a boy!" Jax suddenly blurted out, entirely unable to contain himself. He sat up straighter in his chair, a massive, goofy, and utterly proud grin breaking across his rugged face.
Ginny’s head snapped toward him so fast it was a wonder she didn't give herself whiplash. Her jaw dropped in sheer disbelief. "Jax!"
He blinked, his grin faltering just a fraction as he looked between the three of them defensively. "What? You specifically said I could be the one to tell them!"
"I meant you could tell them smoothly, not just shout it at them the second they walked into the room!" Ginny groaned. With surprisingly quick reflexes for someone on strict bed rest, she snatched a fluffy pillow from behind her back and launched it directly at his head.
Jax caught it easily with one large hand, chuckling low in his chest as his eyes danced with amusement.
Leela's face lit up with pure joy. She beamed at the bickering couple, her heart swelling. "A boy! That's amazing. Actually..." She paused, her hand coming down to rest tenderly over her own lower stomach. She glanced back at Fennigan, who was leaning against the doorframe with a soft, proud smile of his own. "Magda just checked on me, too. We're having another boy."
Ginny gasped, the irritation instantly vanishing from her face, replaced by radiant excitement. "No way! The boys are going to be so close in age, they'll be an absolute nightmare together."
"Tell me about it," Leela laughed, patting her tummy. "We're going to name him Zephyr Orion."
"Zephyr," Ginny repeated softly, testing the sound of it. "I love that. It fits perfectly." She leaned back against her remaining pillows, a warm, contented glow settling over her features as she looked over at Jax. "Well, we finally settled on a name, too. Though we already know we're just going to call him Iggy."