Chapter 149: Deformed Children
[Rose’s P.O.V.]
I did not sleep well at all, for the thought of Edward marrying Luna of Emily’s race was impossible to erase from my head. But I forced myself to take a nap, even though I eventually woke up crying in my sleep.
When I walked out of my room, I caught a whiff of waffles. They smelled delicious, but I had no appetite at all.
“Rose, come have breakfast. Alonso woke up early to make this specially for you. He even added blueberries and strawberry jam, as well as bacon.”
“This reminds me of something I once heard in other parts of the pack.”
“What’s that?”
“A weasel paying his respects to a chicken – there are no good intentions.”
Susanna laughed awkwardly and didn’t say anything else. She helped me pull out the stool and sat down to have breakfast with me.
When I picked up one of the waffles and stuffed it into my mouth, I felt a nauseating feeling in my stomach. I hurriedly ran to the toilet and held onto it as I retched.
“My God, my dear, you’ve been vomiting more and more recently.”
“I might not even be able to bear my child anymore.”
I didn’t know why there was always a sting in my words, but I figured that it was because I was really sad after learning the truth Alonso had hidden from me. I wanted to believe that it was all for my own good. After all, I was his direct descendant. But this outcome was still difficult for me to accept, no matter what his intentions were.
When I came out of the toilet, Susanna made me a cup of honey water that she made me drink before feeding me some multivitamins. I suggested to her that maybe I needed to get some other check-ups besides the prenatal ones because I had been feeling more tired yet unable to sleep recently.
“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier, Rose? Maybe you’re too tense. Let’s go for the prenatal check-up first. If you need other tests, I’ll ask Alonso to arrange them for you.”
I knew what she meant. I’m a Werewolf of Chaos after all, what more a werewolf. Some of the components in werewolf blood are different from humans, so we couldn’t simply go to a doctor we were not familiar with to get a check-up. Ugh, I had to ask my ancestor for help again. I had been complaining about him, antagonizing him, but now I had to rely on his care and ‘connections’.
When we were ready to leave, Susanna called a taxi to take us to the private clinic.
Once there, I lay on the bed as usual and the werewolf doctor Bason – I guessed that Tamara was her last name – entered. I guess the Thai people followed the western naming system where the first name came before the last, unlike other eastern cultures where the last name came before the first.
As usual, she smeared a cold, smooth, and thick gel on my stomach before sliding the probe back and forth across my belly. She asked me about any recent updates on my pregnancy progress and I told her what I had been feeling recently.
“Oh, my God,” said Dr. Bason suddenly as she stared at the screen. I started to tense up.
“What’s wrong?”
“Your child is developing very well, Mona. It’s growing even faster than an ordinary wolf because it’s much bigger than the last time I saw it. I guess it’s because it’s rapidly absorbing the nutrients you provide it. This would mean that you’ll feel increasingly tired and weak. Its rapid growth and size may force you to give birth early. But there’s something strange about it...”
I could sense that Susanna was equally nervous.
“Its limbs are healthy, its palms and soles are normal. However, there seems to be a foreign object in its spine region. I mean, I can’t be sure if that is its bone or some other foreign object.”
“What do you mean?” I tried my best to prop myself up from the bed as Dr. Bason swiveled the display around so that Susanna and I could see it.
“Look here, do you see it? This section is obviously different from the other bones. I’ve never encountered anything like this, human or werewolf. This wasn’t here during your previous check-up.”
“But I don’t understand. What does this mean?” asked I anxiously.
“This means that this foreign body formed after your last visit. But it doesn’t seem to be hyperplasia or anything else. It might be a fetal skeletal malformation. There are many types of fetal skeletal malformations, including those in the skull, limbs, and so on. Spinal malformations and short limb malformations are very common. Skeletal malformations may be caused by a deficiency in certain nutrients during pregnancy, genetics, chromosomal abnormalities, genetic mutations, or environmental factors.”
The air conditioning was working just fine but I could tell I was starting to break a sweat and my heart had started to beat faster.
“Are you saying that my child might be a malformed child?”
“At the moment, I can’t make a conclusion with certainty because this scan only focuses on distinguishing between fatal and non-fatal bone dysplasia. It can’t make a specific judgment on all bone system malformations, so if there’s a genetic bone dysplasia, we still have to perform a scan for genetic malformation.”
“But there is no such genetic history in my family.”
“Mona, I’m sorry. But there is a malformation in your baby’s spine. I’m not sure what effect this will have on it in the future. Still, just in case, the next prenatal checkup will be brought forward and you will have to go through further examinations. In the meantime, please pay extra attention to your nutrient intake, avoid bad environments, and remain in a good mood, okay?”
I nodded stiffly, almost forgetting to thank her for her advice.
Was my little wolf, who I had been desperately trying to protect and bring into the world, going to be a deformed baby? Why did the world do this to me, after everything I’ve been through? What did I do wrong? Why? Why did the moon goddess have to affect my child too?
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶