I Choose You

Twenty-Four

His face grows into a smirk, I feel like I should step back, but I don't.  His face becomes sly, giving me a side smirk.

He turns to face me, looking at my stomach.  I want to put my hand in front of it, but I resist.  I won't let Cal see me scared. 

"You'll see,"

That's all he says before the needle gets plunged into my side, making me yelp in pain.  Once it is out of me, he drops the syringe to the floor, making the glass breaking ring through the caves.  He bolts in the opposite direction, away from me and my plan.  

"Calore!" I beg for him to come back; I beg for the first time out loud. 

"Calore!" I scream it louder before he plunges into the darkness of the dimly lit tunnel.

"Calore! Get back-" 

I cut myself off, the pain grew for a moment until it was unbearable.  The pain was in my back and lower stomach.  This time I put my hand there, the second I touch it I know something was wrong.

The baby. 

I frantically look around for something, anything.  The pain grew until all I could hear was my screams.  The pain was terrible, like a tense knife stabbing my gut.  I walk to the ladder to hold onto something.  The rusty metal stings my skin. 

I clench the ladder as if it was my lifeline, the pain comes and goes in intestine waves, it peaks as the worst yet.

I close my eyes and feel this weird sensation in my stomach as I scream so loud, I'm sure I woke someone above me up.  

The pain subsides, letting me breath.  I open my eyes in a cold sweat, but the sight before me might make me scream.

My lightly bloated stomach was now full size.

Shit.

Cal's invention sped everything.

I knew one thing.

I was now in labor.

Great, Cal, thanks for betraying me and my child. 

I can feel the pain return, my water hasn't broken yet, so I have time. 

I look at the ladder, it's my best chance.

I climb up it slowly, having to live with the fact that I had to do it from the side because of my now, huge stomach. 

It felt like ages until I reached the top.  But once I did, I stifled enough strength to open the trapdoor that was big enough for me to fit through.

Once I was inside the broom closet filled with cleaning supplies, the pain came at me, full force.

I put my fist in my mouth from screaming, this was the worst pain I had ever felt in forever.

I know where my best chance at help is.

Mare and Maven's room.

Mare

My eyelids flushed open, only to see the dark room.  Maven lay next to me; his breathing patterns tell me he's awake. 

I roll over to see him, he was looking at me. 

Once our eyes meet, he gives out a small sigh. 

"What time is it?" I ask him, I'd called asleep after our little event. 

"About midnight," 

I come to my senses that I am fully nude, I pull the sheets to cover myself.  Maven laughs.

"Are you hungry, we missed dinner,"

"Not really, no one came to fetch us,"

"They know best not to,"

I smile. 

He stands out of the bed to stretch, just in boxers.  He must have put them on. 

"What do you want to do?" He asks me. 

"I don't know, any suggestions?"  I ask him, smirking a little.

"I haven't played chess in ages, have you played?"

"I did with Cal a few times, I only got him when he was tired,"

Maven walked into his closet and got out a chess board.  "Want to play?"

I nod, but I stay laying in the bed, fully covered up.  Maven bends down and grabbed my nightie off the floor and threw it at me.  I sit up to put it on, Maven knows better and looks away.  I get off the bed and slide my underwear on from the floor.

***

Maven sets up the chess board, making me the silver pieces and him red.

"Normally, red would move first, but you can go first," He winks.  I move my leftmost pawn forward two spaces.  He makes his move.  

We mindlessly play.  

"How was your day?" He asks me, not taking his eyes off the board. 

"Good, yours?"

"I spent it with you, so great," 

I flush while I move my bishop, him falling for my chess trap.

"Ha! Give me your queen!"

He rolls his eyes and hands me his red queen. 

"I can still win,"

"I have your most powerful piece,"

"I still can,"

We continue to play, pawns were taken, rooks and bishops sacrificed, king's protected.  I didn't see his plan; it takes me off guard.

"Check and mate, my lady, hand over your king,"

I studder, looking at the board.  He really did get me.  

I slowly pick up my king to hand it to him, reluctantly surrendering, a taste I know too well.

"Mare, hand it over," He says it with a giggle.  

I slowly hand it to him, giving him my silver king. 

He giggles once its in his hand.  His laughter is contagious, I can't help but laughing.

We are cut off from our giggles when our door burst open.

It was Evangeline.  

Her sweaty and bloody palms took me back.  She looked as if she was ran over by a train.  The most shocking thing was her stomach, full size for one child. 

Maven stood up.  Evangeline held onto the door, gasping for air.

"Help me,"