Caleb cringed, as if hearing the name sent him back to relive those horrible months in the hospital.
“Scarlet Rot,” I said, translating the latin. “It’s a rare condition, isn’t it?”
“Yes. There’s not much information about it in the first place, other than being a disorder related to the blood and a few vital organs. Surgeons know how to fix the symptoms associated with it, at least,” Maxwell continued. “I was concerned what effect it would have on the baby, especially a half-vampire.” He hesitated. “In blunt terms, a normal human baby is parasitic - but a half-vampire one… even more so.”
“Are you calling my baby a parasite?” Caleb snapped. He looked ready to throttle Maxwell.
Maxwell reconsidered his words. “Er, all I meant is, it’s a strain on your body.” He rolled his chair closer to the bed and began setting up a machine with a screen attached. “The surgery should have fixed your body, but just in case, I want to monitor the baby’s growth so both of you are healthy by the end of it.”
Caleb let out an exasperated sigh. “So there’s nothing wrong with me? Or the baby?”
“Probably not,” Maxwell said.
Groaning, Caleb leaned back against the bed, crinkling the hygienic paper. “You could have just said that in the first place.”
“Didn’t I?” Maxwell asked absentmindedly. “Sorry. I know Theo mentioned my bedside manner…”
“You could stand to work on it,” Caleb mumbled.
I watched Caleb lift his shirt so Maxwell could apply the gel for the ultrasound.
“I’d like you to come in every two weeks,” the doctor told him. “That’s more often than a normal pregnancy, but I want to err on the side of caution.”
“That’s fine,” Caleb said with a sigh.
“And if my hunch is correct, you’re going to need to drink blood earlier than your third trimester,” Maxwell continued.
“Huh?” Caleb asked. “Why?”
Moving the instrument along Caleb’s belly, Maxwell said, “To put it in simple terms, your own blood is barely enough to sustain you. With a pregnancyanda fetus that specifically requires blood for nutrition, you need more of it. In fact, I’d like you to start right away.”
Caleb paled. “I have to drink blood already?”
“Yes.” Maxwell smiled and pointed at the screen. “For this little one.”
We followed Maxwell’s gesture and gasped. There, on the black and white monitor, was the vague shape of our baby.
“Oh my god,” Caleb cried. “Is that it?”
“Sure is,” Maxwell replied. “See, if you look here, you can see the outline…”
“The baby is growing quite fast,” I commented. “From what I know, a human fetus isn’t quite to developed at this stage.”
“You’re right,” Maxwell told me with a smile. “Must be the vampiric part working overtime. But what do I know? I’m just a physician, not an obstetrician.” He shrugged and pushed up his glasses with a chuckle, like he’d told a funny joke.
“Wait, so, other than having to drink blood, everything is fine?” Caleb asked, his voice both hesitant and hopeful.
“Yes,” Maxwell said. “Er, sorry if I worried you. Sometimes I forget not everyone sees things as clinically as I do.” He mimicked Theo’s voice. “Bedside manner, and all.”
Caleb sighed. “Anyway, since you’re not scaring me to death anymore, Adriel and I have something to tell you.”
“Me?”
“We ran into a friend of yours during Caleb’s shift,” I began. “His name was Jordan.”
“He was looking for you, actually,” Caleb added. “He seemed pretty worried.”
Maxwell’s eyes flashed with recognition and surprise. “Oh! He - he was worried about me? What’d you say?”
