I go back to the room where the twins are resting in their little cots. I pick up Annabell, and Dimitri follows with Jordan. We take them into their nursery. "Now that they are out of danger, we can examine them to see if they carry the curse of their father," he says to me as he walks over to the crib. My heart races at what he might find.
He picks up Jordan first to get a good look at his face.
He appears to have your lightling traits, but I can't be for sure about the nightwalker traits. His skin appears to be normal, as well as his eyes. That does not mean that the curse does not exist. We will have to keep a close eye on him as he grows," he tells me.
He walks over to Annabell that gives him a small smile as he picks her up.
He looks at her for a moment, studying her like he did with Jordan. "She also appears to have the lightling traits as you. So far, they appear normal. We might have escaped the Nightwalker curse after all. We will have to keep a close eye on her as she grows. She was a surprise, hiding behind her brother in the scans. I don't know how we missed her," he tells me.
Each day is exciting as the twins grow little by little. Our days and nights are mixed up with the demand of the twins. I often wonder how my mother managed with my sister and me. I wonder if the twins will get into as much trouble as me and Hannah did? I watch Dimitri as he cuddles Jordan in his arms.
All clean and fed, the twins are ready for bed. Dimitri puts Jordan to bed as I get Annabell out of the swing.
Soft coos come from Jordan as Dimitri tucks him in.
"Sweet dreams, little one," I say in a soft tone as I lay down Annabell, who lets out a small yawn.
I sit in my chair watching the twins play in their activity mats. I can't imagine life without them. I thought my dreams of having my own family were gone when the tragedy happened a few years back. Now I was the mother of a beautiful baby girl and boy that I knew my mom and dad would adore. The thought is sad for a moment until Jordan lets out a cute coo that grabs my attention.
We manage to get a few hours of sleep when the twins wake us up. Dimitri heads for Jordan as I change Annabell's diaper. How did I get this lucky?
The days go by, and it's already been a couple of months. The twins are now three months old. I watch as Dimitri plays with Jordan. Jordan cooes and makes all sorts of noises as Dimitri blows on his belly in the air. I could watch them all day long.
I'm nervous as the day comes for the Dr. to come and check the twins. I'm not sure what to expect. He walks, overtaking Jordan into his arms. I stand with Dimitri as we wait for the news I fear the most.
Although they have grown, the doctor looks concerned as he looks over Jordan. "I'm still not one hundred percent sure, but I do believe they have Nightwalker traits that seem to be mild compared to Dimitri when he was a Nightwalker. The only sign I see so far is the subtle tint of red in their eyes, and their skin has grown pale. I will not know for sure about the teeth yet until they cut them. So far, they appear to be healthy. I will watch their behavior and nutrition to make sure they do not need anything else other than milk. So far, their weight appears normal," he tells me as he gives Jordan a smile.
The doctor hands Dimitri Jordan, then walks over to Lilly, who just woke up from a nap.
"She's grown since the last time I saw her," he says as he cooes at Lilly, who smiles big. "Just as I feared, she also appears to have the same appearance as her brother. I will do some blood tests to check and see if there are signs of the Nightwalker in their blood," he tells us as he smiles back at Annabell.
"When I find out more, we can adjust their lifestyle accordingly, and we can also get help from your aunt that knows a lot about the Nightwalker curse. She may be able to help," he tells us.
Do you think my aunt would be able to help?" Dimitri asks the nurse. "I think it would be a great idea since she is familiar with the curse in all forms. They were born just like she was, but they have their mom's traits in them too. It's still too early to tell, but we can look at all options and decide on what to do," she tells Dimitri, who looks worried. "I will get just a few drops of blood from his heal to send to the doctor's lab," she tells Dimitri as she goes to the medical kit she brought with her.
Dimitri holds Jordan tight as the nurse removes his sock and pricks his heel. She lets a few drops of blood run in a small glass vial. Dimitri hugs Jordan to his chest as he pats his back in hopes to comfort him as Jordan's cries start to calm down. I can see Dimitri fights back the emotions that are weighing heavy on his mind.
The nurse gets blood from Annabell, and she doesn't like it one bit. She cries even louder than her brother, that has now calmed down. "I will let you know when I find out the results of the tests, and we will go from there," the doctor tells me as I place Annabell in her swing.
Dimitri places Jordan in the swing beside Lilly, who is still crying but seems to be calming down as she relaxes in her swing.
Dimitri goes back and forth between the twins as their cries turn into smiles.
"They are the cuties little babies I have ever seen. I wouldn't worry about anything yet until we have to. For now, just enjoy them and let them be babies," she says as she lets out some cute noises to entertain the twins.
"I know she's right, but I can't stop worrying about the fact that I gave them this curse and that it may change their lives forever. I don't know if I can forgive myself if it's true," Dimitri tells me with a long face. "Don't say that. I loved you when you were a Nightwalker the same way I love you now. It doesn't matter if they are different. I'm different, and you're different from normal humans. Who says they have to be either to be happy. No matter what the future holds for them, they will be loved and cherished. We will make this work," I tell Dimitri, who is surprised by my words.