Swinging her legs against the side of the table that she was once more
sitting on six weeks after learning that she was
indeed pregnant, Annalia took a calming breath to
relax her nerves. The past few weeks had been a
rollercoaster for her, but her family had come
around in their support, albeit a bit grudgingly on
her parents’ part. They had apologized for how they
had acted in what had ended up being a very
emotional family discussion, but she now knew that
they would help her in whatever way they could. She
knew why they had reacted once she had calmed down
and had forgiven them immediately. She was the only
daughter they had and, while not having been so
strict in their upbringing, she had been taught to
be careful. What they didn’t know was that it had
indeed been planned.
She and Ryan kept quiet on the strange run-in with the old man. But that
didn’t mean that she felt safe. Ryan had taken to
staying at her house and walking with her to work
since it was on the way relatively speaking. Her
family questioned them on their actions, but neither
sibling felt the need to divulge what was really
bothering them. But it did make her feel better and
secure. He knew that she wanted Taliesin and had
taken to investigating for the stranger of her
dream. But as the days passed, it began to look
slightly hopeless that the father of Annalia’s child
would ever appear.
That day she was going to be having her first official ultrasound. She was
now nine and a half weeks into her pregnancy and Dr.
Ferris wanted to make sure things were going fine as
well as discussing a possible doctor for the
delivery. Since her doctor wasn’t a pediatrician or
an OB-GYN, Annalia would have to have another doctor
for the time being. She didn’t like it at all, but
knew that there was no way out of it. She would just
have to try and adjust as best she could, just like
with everything else.
Looking up as she heard the door open, Annalia smiled in relief as Dr.
Ferris stepped into the room. Returning the smile as
she closed the door behind her, the petite doctor
came over as she took out a pen. “So…how have you
been feeling, Annalia?” Dr. Ferris asked quietly as
she came over and sat on the stool next to the
examination table.
"Umm well the morning sickness has gotten better, Dr. Ferris. But now I
swear I am into eating everything!" Annalia declared
with a huffy sigh, which earned a chuckle from her
doctor as the diminutive woman wrote down her notes.
"And I've been a bit stressed with work and the
family," she added quietly as she looked down.
"No sign of the father, I see. I'm sorry, Annalia. I would have thought that
you would have gotten better," Dr. Ferris murmured
sympathetically as she patted Annalia's hand.
Annalia bit back a protest, tired of arguing and defending Taliesin. Let the
others believe that she had been abandoned. She knew
that he would come for her and be there for her. He
had promised. She blinked as she glanced at Dr.
Ferris as she asked a question. "Um…say that again?"
she asked sheepishly and smiled slightly in apology.
Chuckling as she rolled her eyes at Annalia's preoccupied state of mind, Dr.
Ferris repeated herself. "How did your family take
the news? I know you were worried about that."
Sighing once more, Annalia rubbed her forehead. "Well, at first, mum and da
took it really hard. But luckily my brothers
supported me," she said affectionately as she smiled
fondly.
"I'm glad. And they are accepting it now?" Dr. Ferris questioned and smiled
softly as Annalia grinned and nodded. "Good. They're
going to be important in the next few months for you
and your baby's development since the father is
MIA," she explained as she wrote down something
before putting her pen down. "Now let's check you
over and then the ultrasound is going to be done by
the OB-GYN that I think you should have for the
pregnancy and birth." She stood up and gestured for
Annalia to lie down.
"Are you sure you can't be my doc for the time?" Annalia asked quietly as
she lay down.
"I could, but I think it would be wiser to be with a specialist," Dr. Ferris
replied as she put her hands on Annalia's stomach
and felt around carefully, humming slightly in
thought as she checked over the baby's progress.
“Well, so far everything seems normal. The
ultrasound will tell more. How have you been
sleeping?” she inquired as she sat back and made
more notes on her clipboard.
“I’ve been sleeping fine. Some weird dreams here and there, but that’s
normal,” Annalia commented with a grin as she sat up
and straightened her hair.
“Good. Now, let’s go to the ultrasound room and you can meet Doctor Derrick
Meny. He’s one of the better OB-Gyns at the hospital
and also a good friend. I think you will like him a
lot, Annalia,” Dr. Ferris said with a smile as she
stood back so Annalia could stand. She led the way
once more to the ultrasound room and stepped in.
A tall blond haired man stood near the machines, fiddling with one of the
buttons as he looked at a paper. He looked over and
smiled as Doctor Ferris cleared her throat. “Ah!
Angelia! There you are! And is this Miss Annalia
O’Grady?” he asked jovially as he came over and the
light glinted on his half moon glasses as he smiled.
His blond hair was cut short in a military style,
which left his thick neck bare on top of broad
shoulders. His grip was firm as it grasped Annalia’s
hand and she had to smile as he gazed into her eyes,
blue eyes meeting her own blue eyes in an intense
search.
“Yes, this is Annalia. I trust you to take good care of her, Derrick,” Dr.
Ferris said firmly with a smile as she watched the
two observe the other before shaking hands. “Now
then, since we are acquainted, let’s get the ball
rolling, shall we?” she suggested with a grin and
nodded as Annalia smiled at her in trust.
“Right then…ok, up on the bed, lay back, and let’s see that tummy!” Dr. Meny
ordered cheerfully as he went over to the ultrasound
machine and turned it on while wheeling it over.
Obeying, Annalia sat on the table and lay back while unbuttoning the lower
buttons of her shirt and slipping her pants down
slightly so her softly rounding belly showed. She
shivered as petroleum jelly was spread on her belly
and then a patch was placed on top of it. Slowly,
the wand was put on the spot and rubbed around
carefully while they turned their attention to the
screen that would show the results.
“Hmm let’s see here…ah yes, we have a head and…ah, hear that? That’s the
heart,” Dr. Meny commented softly as he grinned
while the soft sounds of a heartbeat floated over
the speakers.
Staring at the screen, Annalia’s breath hitched as tears came to her eyes.
She watched as the image shifted to show the baby as
much as possible, all the while Dr. Meny’s
commentary showing her points of interest on her
baby. Fingers…toes…head…ears… Her breath caught as
she saw something lower. “That’s…”
“Yeup…if you want to know the sex, it is going to be a boy. Congratulations,
Ms. O’Grady,” Dr. Meny confirmed with a beaming
smile.
‘A boy…it is all true then. I’m carrying the returning Arthur Pendragon…’
Annalia’s thoughts whirled in her joy as tears
rolled down her face. She watched the image before
her, drinking in every detail before the machine was
turned off, forcing her to return to her present
situation. She smiled as she was wiped off, and then
sat up and rebuttoned her clothes. “So should I
schedule another appointment?” she asked as she
stood up and looked at them trustingly. She relaxed
as she saw Dr. Ferris smile reassuringly at her.
“Yeup. I think we need to get together if only to get to know each other.
How does next Tuesday sound for you around…say eleven thirty?” Dr. Meny asked with a smirk as he cleaned
up the machinery before facing the two women.
“That’s fine,” Annalia replied softly, though a part within her was filled
with sorrow. She had wanted Taliesin to be there for
all of the firsts! Where was he? She sighed
privately and fought the sudden urge to cry as she
followed them to the front office to make the
appointment with the secretary. Dr. Meny gave her a
book on what to expect as well as some instructions
on how to care for certain things as the days went
by. She promised to be good as she turned to go, and
then waved half heartedly at the two doctors before
leaving the clinic and heading for the café and
Kellie so she could have a friendly chat with her
best friend.
But when she got to the café, she saw that her friend was overloaded with
orders and was only able to manage a quick wave
before rushing off to fill out another order.
Sighing sadly, Annalia went to a corner booth and
sat down, where she stared out the window dejectedly
and watched the people outside bustle by in their
every day routines. She looked up suddenly as a cup
was placed before her, and then froze as she stared
at the man before her.
He was about five foot ten and dressed in a sharp grey pinstripe suit that
screamed wealth and power. His shoulder length black
hair was back in a ponytail at the base of his neck,
shining with the pale sunlight as much as his soft
green eyes sparkled with warmth and concern as they
gazed upon her. His face was chiseled, yet soft with
gentleness, wisdom, and tenderness. “You looked to
be needing company, lovely one. May I join you?” His
voice was soft and filled with affection as he
smiled.
Feeling her breathing stutter, Annalia tried to control her pounding heart
as tears came to her eyes. She nodded slightly and
watched him as he sat down across from her, her mind
awhirl with conflicting emotions. ‘Taliesin! It is
you! Finally you have found me!’ She wanted to
scream in joy, but held herself in check with the
sudden realization that others were around them and
she did not want to disturb the other clients. She
sipped the drink he had just offered her, not really
tasting it as she stared at him in shock and
disbelief.
He smiled at her warmly before sipping his drink, which held the smell of
being a strong tea. “You seem…pensive. I am sorry if
my asking to sit with you has disturbed you, lovely
one, but your beauty and melancholy called to me and
I wished to put a smile on your exquisite face,” he
explained softly as he grinned and chuckled as she
blushed.
“It’s all right. Don’t worry about it. I just never get guys asking to sit
with me during tea time,” Annalia whispered shakily.
‘He is acting so strange…maybe he isn’t Taliesin…’
she wondered and felt despair well up within her
again at the awful thought. She looked away, hiding
her face as tears emerged and flowed down her face
in her anguish. ‘He doesn’t know me…he’s not
Taliesin…’ The words played over and over in her
mind and a soft sob escaped her.
A gentle hand touched her cheek and cupped it, brushing away the hot tears
as they rolled down her pale cheeks. She looked up
slowly, surprised at the touch and found herself
staring into the gentle green eyes of the man across
from her. The man smiled very gently at her, causing
her to tremble with hope. “You should not cry so…my
Annalia,” he whispered faintly and was heard only by
her over the din of the café.
Her hope and joy soaring, Annalia sniffled and smiled tearfully as she
brought a shaking hand up to cup his hand to her
face. “Taliesin?” she whispered hopefully as she
gazed at him.
“Yes…but in this world I am known as Talin Esin. I am sorry I took so long
to find you, my brave Annalia. But there were some
things that I had to do to ensure that our child as
well as you were to remain safe,” he murmured
tenderly, apologetically as he caressed her cheek
with his thumb before lacing their fingers together
and bringing them to his lips to kiss the back of
her hand.
“Oh Talin…I was so afraid that you wouldn’t ever come for me and the baby…”
Annalia responded tearfully while sniffling
repeatedly as he held her hand tightly. He smiled at
her gently and she gave a little sob. “You don’t
know how hard it has been…and how scary.”
“Every trial will make you stronger, Annalia. You must believe that the
Goddess has a purpose for everything and take
strength in what you surpass,” Talin replied with an
encouraging smile before nodding towards the tea.
“Come…drink up, for it is a strengthening tea and
you shall need all the strength you can receive for
the next few months,” he urged her gently and nodded
as she smiled shyly and obeyed before sipping the
tea until it was gone. Having finished his own
drink, Talin then helped her up and placed his arm
around her waist supportively. He led her out,
chuckling as she waved at a stunned Kellie before
they walked to her apartment building. He went up
with her and smiled as he stopped at the door and
cupped her face when she looked up at him with worry
and hope. “I can not stay with you now. But, may I
come over tonight?” he inquired soothingly as he
leaned against the doorjamb.
“Yes…please come over tonight. We have so much to talk about! And…” Annalia
smiled tenderly as she placed her hand over her
belly, beaming as he placed his hand over hers with
a proud smile. “And I have something to show you
that I know you will love,” she whispered, her voice
cracking slightly on her emotions.
“Then tonight I shall return and I shall bring dinner,” Talin responded
warmly before chuckling as she squealed softly in
delight. He cupped her face again, and then kissed
her softly yet deeply, claiming her mouth in a
possessive kiss that made her toes curl with both
want and rising love. He released her lips leisurely
and smiled as he held her close while nuzzling her
head gently. “I will return tonight. You have my
word,” he whispered.
“Ok. Please hurry back. I needed you so much and that hasn’t stopped even
with you back in my life,” Annalia murmured in
return as she looked up at him. He traced a finger
along her cheek and smiled as she leaned into the
touch with a small whimper. “Please hurry back,” she
whispered again in longing as she gazed up at him
tearfully.
“I will and I shall never leave your side willingly again,” he promised
before kissing her gently once more and turning and
leaving.
She watched him leave with tear-filled eyes before going into her apartment.
She sat down on her couch and hugged herself
happily, ecstatic at finally having the man she knew
she was falling in love with returned to her life.
Life was starting to become better and better now
for her and she knew he would share all the joys in
life with her until the end…no matter what.
Outside of her apartment building, a group of figures watched her building
silently. Darkness was an almost palpable aura
around them as they studied the place she lived in
and plotted the downfall of the mother of Arthur
Pendragon. But they waited, staying to the shadows
when Talin passed by. Nothing would stop them…not
even the last Merlin.
