Caleb
The idea of drinking blood was all fine and dandy until I actually had a glass of the stuff in front of me.
On doctor’s orders, Adriel had arranged a glass of blood for me to drink. But no matter how long I stared at it, the sight - and the idea of actually drinking it - didn’t become any easier. My palms went clammy. A bead of cold sweat trickled down my brow. The red viscous liquid stared back at me, as if daring me to try and taste it.
Despite feeling sick, my stomach growled. My traitorous babywantedthat blood, and I knew it.
Adriel put his arm on my shoulder. “Take your time.”
“I’ve been trying to do this for twenty minutes now,” I said with a sigh. “I’ve taken enough time.”
“Do you want me to ask Benji to join you?” he asked. “I recall your presence helped him, when he had to do the same thing.”
I hesitated, then, “Yeah. Please.”
“Of course. Just wait here.”
Adriel left the cottage to fetch Benji from the main house, leaving me alone with the ominous drink.
“You are really a brat, huh?” I mumbled to my unborn child. “Making me drink this stuff two trimesters early…”
The baby obviously didn’t reply - except for another stomach growl.
“Ugh…”
Benji and Adriel arrived a few minutes later. My niece tagged along as a nice surprise, too.
“Sorry,” Benji said. “I meant to leave her with Pierce, but she was having one of those moments where she didn’t want to be away from me.”
“It’s okay.” I smiled. “Maybe having her here will help motivate me.”
Benji nodded. Lark stirred in his lap and eyed the glass of blood like it was fruit juice.
“Have you tried any at all? Even a sip?” Benji asked.
“No,” I admitted. “I’m almost afraid to touch the glass…”
Adriel frowned in sympathy and stroked my back in comforting motions. “Would you like to try it together?”
“Maybe.” I sighed. “Okay. Let’s do that, at least.”
At the same time, Adriel and I reached for the glass. We held onto the stem, his fingers touching mine. But since my hands were so clammy, I was afraid I would drop it. The image of blood splattering everywhere flashed in my mind and I shuddered.
“Take it,” I said, panicked.
Adriel took the glass, and I yanked my hand back like I’d touched a hot stove. I wiped my palms on my jeans.
“I’m sorry,” I whined.
“No need,” Adriel said. “We know it’s stressful.”
I groaned and leaned back against the chair. “I don’t know why I’m acting like this… It seemed so easy for Benji. Why can’t I just do it like he did?”
“It wasn’t easy for me, either,” Benji said. “But I concentrated on other things, like you guys said. Plus, everyone was there to support me. Maybe if we invite the rest of the family over, it’ll be easier?”
“No,” I mumbled. “Sorry, but I don’t want everyone to see me freak out like this. I’ll just get embarrassed.”
“Daba,” Lark said, reaching for the glass. Her little hands slapped the table.
