Page 318 of Sinister

Like a trained army, several nurses and two female doctors rush me into an operating room.

Wait! Operating room? What’s happening?

“Sin?” I croak.

I’m thirsty. And hungry. That’s not normal, is it? I’m also feeling increasingly euphoric as the baby rolls around in my stomach. Wait. Is that normal?

“What’s happening?”

“I think the baby’s coming,” he tells me with a serious expression on his face.

“Now? Right now?”

“It will all be fine. I’ve arranged for some trusted people to take care of you. They’ve been on standby until now,” he assures me.

“But . . . how will they know what to do? He’s not human.”

“He’s still a baby. There must be some similarities.”

“Right . . .” I mutter dryly.

“Try not to stress and⁠—”

I grab his arm and squeeze, my nails digging into his flesh as agony courses through me. “Fuck! Sin! What the fuck?!”

“What’s wrong?” He blinks. “Someone help her!”

The nurses move around me haphazardly, trying to get me hooked to an IV. Someone is pressing on my belly, lifting my shirt and . . .

I let out a loud, earth-shattering scream as I feel pain unlike any other tear through my body. No one has time to do anything to help me. Everything happens in less than a minute.

I feel pressure at my vaginal opening, and somehow, I know. Flinging the nurses aside, I pull my pants and underwear down my body, tearing some of the material in my hasty attempt.

My lower half is drenched, and a shiver goes down my back when the air hits my damp skin. But even that sensation is ephemeral as in the next moment, a loud pop erupts in the air, followed by a high-pitched scream.

I take a deep breath, the adrenaline masking most of the pain. Shocked, I lean forward to look between my legs. With unsurprising speed, Sin has caught the baby in time and is currently nestling him against his chest.

“What—” I swallow. “How the hell⁠—”

I forget all of my disbelief as I take in the sweet face of the crying baby. He’s . . . perfect.

The nurses are just as shocked by what happened, but some laugh it off, praising me and saying how lucky I am, especially when the placenta follows swiftly after.

“Here,” Sin whispers, coming to my side and placing the baby on my chest.

The nurse suggests I remove my top entirely in case he might try to suckle. I mechanically do it, though I must confess, I’ve never even thought about that part of motherhood.

Hell, before seeing this sweet little creature—quite normal-looking, by the way—I don’t think it truly registered to me that I was growing another life inside of me. That Sin and I created this.

“He’s so cute,” I whisper.

“He is,” Sin agrees, a big smile on his face.

The baby is a bit red, but I’d seen some birthing videos before, and that seems to be normal. He has a tuft of dark hair and the cutest little button nose. And when he finally sits on my chest, he opens his eyes and looks up toward me.

My lips part in awe.

“Sin . . .” I start, a little unsure.