Descent (A Hidden Wings Novella: Prequel) (10 page)

After their
mother passed, Alaine and Victoria kept in close contact. Alaine helped her with whatever she needed to finish her last year of high school, and after graduation, paid for her courses to study Real Estate. That was something Victoria wanted to do, because her boyfriend’s parents were in real estate and they had become very wealthy.

During their times together
, Alaine opened her heart to Victoria. She told her about the note, the bloodstone, and the secret world of the Angels who roamed the earth.

Victoria swore t
o never tell a soul, and Alaine believed her. She knew her sister had a pure heart, and she was finally glad to share her secret with someone. Victoria shared about her childhood and how her father left them when he found out her mother was sick. He wasn’t a very nice man, so Victoria was glad when he left.

Now, Victoria was 20 years old, and engaged to her high-school sweetheart, Christian Wise. Their wedding was a month away, and Alaine was in a predicament. She now had to ask Victoria if she would be willing to raise her child. This was not an easy thing to ask someone to do, to raise a child who was not their own.

Alaine
worried over how she was going to present them with the news.

How could she e
xplain that she was only pregnant for a few months, and then would be giving birth?

W
hat if they said no?

If Victoria
and Christian didn’t want her child, Alaine had no other plans and had no clue of what she would do.

The thought of her child being with family
would make the loss a bit easier, and Alaine knew that Victoria and Christian would make perfect parents. The downside was that she and Samuel would have to remain completely out of their lives to ensure their safety.

Alaine calle
d Victoria and set up meeting with her and her fiancé Christian a few days later. Samuel was away, so she would have to do this herself, but she wanted to prepare them as much in advance as she could. She just hoped and prayed that they would accept her offer. Her most precious gift.

When the day
arrived, Alaine’s stomach churned, twisting and turning in knots. Christian and Victoria met her at a small café in town. They greeted each other, and then Alaine led them to a private booth in the back corner.

Victoria was gorgeous in just a simple white to
p and blue jeans. Her bright green eyes lit up when she saw Alaine, and a smile widened on her flawless, porcelain face. Christian was not too bad looking either. He had ash-blond hair, which was neatly cut, and baby blue eyes. They both looked so in love, so thrilled to just be in each other’s presence.

They both sat across from Alaine, and Victoria knew imme
diately that something was up.

“Hey, is everything okay?”
Victoria questioned.

“
Yes. Everything’s fine. I just need to ask you both a serious question.”

Victoria and Christian glanced at each other and then both sets of eyes steeled on Alaine.
Alaine’s pulse raced and her stomach twisted.

“
Have you ever discussed or considered having children?” Alaine asked.

Their faces dr
opped, and Victoria glanced over to Christian.

Christian took hold of her hand, and then turned to Alaine.
“We have discussed it, but I have a medical condition which makes me unable to have children. But we have discussed our options, and were thinking that maybe we’d adopt in the future. But that’s a few years down the line. We’d like to travel a bit first, and spend some married time alone before we take the plunge and raise a child.” Christian grinned and wrapped his arm around Victoria.

Alaine’s heart sank. She was quiet,
feeling horrible for thinking of asking them to carry such a heavy load. They had already made plans that didn’t include a child. But then again, maybe if they were given the option…?

“Alaine, what is it? What did you want to ask us?” Victoria said softly.

Alaine paused and gazed lovingly into her sister’s eyes.

“I’
m pregnant.” Alaine’s eyes immediately started to fill with tears.

Victoria gasped,
and held both hands over her mouth. Her eyes started to pool as she looked at Alaine.

“
Oh, Alaine, I’m---” Victoria didn’t know how to respond, not knowing if this news was good or bad. 

“
I can’t keep the baby,” she sobbed. “I asked you both to meet me here to see if maybe you’d be willing to care for it.”

“Like adopt?” Christian breathed
with a look of confusion on his face.

“Yes,” Alaine sniffed. She grabbed a napkin and dabbed the wet away, trying to compose herself
.

“When is your
due date?” he questioned.

“I’m not sure, but it would be in about three months.
”

“Three months?” Victoria inhaled
, looking at Alaine’s belly. “You don’t even look like you’re pregnant.”

“It’s complicated,” was all Alaine could say as she looked into Victoria’s eyes. Victoria nodded, knowing the secrets that her sister had shared with her. She knew this child would be different. Special.

She turned to Christian and they shared a silent stare. There were no words, but each was speaking very loud and clear to the other. With simultaneous nods, they turned back to Alaine. Christian wrapped his arm around Victoria.

“
We’ll do it” she chimed, smiling widely. “We’ll adopt your baby.”

Alaine’s head snapped up to their smilin
g faces. She began to weep, but stood up and hugged them both tightly.

“Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl
yet?” she asked.

“No.” Alaine shook her head. “Do you want me to tell you
if I find out?”

“No! I want it to be a surprise!” Victoria squealed.

“So what steps do we need to take?” Christian asked.

“I’ll have an attorney draw everything up, and have them come and meet you. You won’t have to worry about anything. I wil
l take care of all the expenses, and I’ll also keep in touch and give you all the details.”

“Alright,” Christian said facing Victoria. “Honey, we’re gonna have a baby!” Victoria threw her arms around his neck
, and pressed her lips to his, giving him a loud smack.

They were happy. Truly happy
. Alaine smiled inside and out, knowing that they were going to be the ones to raise the precious child growing in her womb. But, she would have to explain to Victoria that she would not be able to see her again after the child was born. It was much too dangerous, and Alaine didn’t want to put any of their lives in danger.  

Chapter Nine

Emma’s Birth

The
few months of pregnancy were hard, and Samuel and Alaine watched her belly grow bigger every day, until it was just about time. Samuel took care of all the arrangements and had her secretly brought to a place just outside of the city.

It was a re
cently closed medical facility which had moved to a bigger location a few miles down the road. But for now, this place was abandoned and awaiting renovations, and a perfect place for Alaine to have the child. 

It was
late one afternoon when Alaine felt a shooting pain in her abdomen. She doubled over and moaned.

“I think it’
s time,” she breathed to Samuel.

Samuel ran to her
side, helped her to a chair, and then grabbed her phone and dialed.

“She’
s ready. Meet us in twenty minutes.” He hung up the phone and assisted Alaine to the door. But first he stopped, stepped out and smelled the air.

“Let’s go.” The air was clear, so h
e quickly led her out to the car and assisted her in. She moaned again, grabbing her abdomen.

“Samuel. Hurry. I think this baby wants out
now.” In a flash he was opening the driver’s door and shoving in.

They reached the location in less than twenty minutes. Samuel drove the car
behind the building, and parked near the back door. He got out and sniffed the air again. It seemed to be clear. Just then, a man in a dark suit popped out of the darkness, making Alaine jump.

Were they caught?

The man walked up to Samuel and they shared a few words. After a few minutes, they shook hands and the man turned and walked away. Samuel rushed over to the car, and opened Alaine’s door.

“Who was that?”
she questioned.

“
A Watcher. There are a few of them out there. Friends of mine. They’ll be keeping a close eye outside to make sure we don’t have any unwanted visitors.”

Alaine exhaled a deep
breath. There was still so much she needed to learn about this new world. Another sharp pain shot through her, and she groaned. Samuel whisked her up in his arms and carried her inside. He took her to a small room and laid her on the bed in the corner. The room was white and smelled sterile, and everything was already set up for her to give birth.

A few minutes later
two ladies walked in, both beautiful, and both looked to be in their early thirties. Alaine suspected they were Angels because they looked too perfect, and had that wonderful sweet scent.

“Alaine,
it’s so nice to see you again,” the first woman said, walking towards her. “My name is Laura. I am your midwife, same as I was for your mother.”

Alaine’s eyes widened
. “My mother?”

“Yes. I
was there the day you were born, and so was Abigail. She was the one who delivered you safely to the Gray’s.” The midwife turned to her assistant who smiled.

Alaine froze
. Her brain was smoking, trying to process that information. They didn’t look too much older than she was, and they were there for her birth? Whoa. That was crazy. 

“Hi Alaine. I’m Abigail Reed.
” The assistant headed to shake her hand, but as Alaine held out hers, another sharp pain surged through her belly. She screamed through gritted teeth, sending everyone to their places.

“
I’d say this baby wants out,” Laura noted. She put on her gloves, while Abigail set up the baby’s area.

Samuel came around and took
Alaine by the hand.

“It’s going to be alright, Alaine.
Just breathe. Everything will be alright,” he whispered into her ear.

It was a long few hours of labor, but after one last push, the baby was born
.

“It’s a girl!” Laura announced. She
handed her over to Abigail to clean her up.