Chapter 78. Peace and Happiness

**78. Peace and Happiness **

***Astrid's POV:***

I awoke with a gasp. The familiar walls of Charles' clinic encircled me. I held my head and tried to recall what had happened, and everything flashed in front of my eyes like a movie.
I recalled everything about how I was in so much pain, and then there came Rafael's mother... Oh no, did I bring her back to life? My child? Is he okay?
I rolled onto my stomach and peered around for Charles, Rafael, and the others. When I heard Charles and Cindy talking to Rafael about the stunt I had pulled earlier to bring Rafael's mother back to life, I jumped up and raced towards the door.
"We warned you, Rafael, that bringing a long-dead individual back to life may endanger Astrid's life."  Cindy sniffed her tears away. "The life force she had drawn out of our opponents was enough for her to restore others to life, but as I had previously stated, bringing back a person who had been dead for millennia would have had far-reaching consequences, and Astrid paid a high price this time."
I decided to eavesdrop on their conversation rather than confront them directly, knowing they might evade the topic or withhold the truth if I approached them directly.
I hid behind my room's walls so they would assume I was still asleep and spill everything without noticing my presence.
Rafael let out a heavy sigh, and I peered around to see him running a hand through his hair, clearly distressed. "Please tell me she's going to be alright. The baby, is it okay?" Rafael's voice trembled with anxiety. "Yes, she will have it, but at a high cost. She won't concieve again after this.  Though your baby is safe, this is Astrid's first and final chance to give birth." I stood frozen, tears clouding my vision as I absorbed the news.
Unable to contain my emotions, I let out a choked sob, inadvertently drawing their attention towards me. I could hear footsteps approaching rapidly.
"Little Dove" Rafael was stunned to spot me there.
I immediately hugged him. "Did you..." Rafael began, his voice trailing off.
"Yes, I heard everything," I confessed, my voice muffled against his chest as he enveloped me in a comforting embrace. My mind was in turmoil, unable to formulate coherent thoughts or words.
After all, it was my decision, and I knew I had to lose something, but at the time, Rafael's happiness was my only concern, especially after seeing him long for his mother, and at that moment, his desire was the only thing I could feel. I knew there would be some risks involved, but I was ready for that as well.
My sole concern now is the safety of my child; It's fine if I don't have children in the future; as long as my baby is safe, I'm fine.
I drew back from Rafael, "My child?  Please tell me it's okay," I said, glancing at Charles and Cindy.
"Cindy has performed some spells to ascertain the extent of our loss, but we need to conduct further tests to ensure the baby's well-being and address any potential complications," Charles explained, his tone measured
Charles also stated that he can predict the gender of the baby, which first excited me, but now I am dreading undergoing the tests.
Sensing my unease, Rafael urged Cindy and Charles to give us some privacy. As they left, he approached me, gently taking hold of my hands.
"Tell me, little dove, what bothers you so much, and do you regret what you did?" he said, holding both of my hands in his.
"No, Rafael, but how is your mother?" I inquired, searching his eyes for answers. "Did I succeed in bringing her back?"
I locked my gaze on him. His eyes were welling up with tears. "Yes, little dove, you did, and you also know it came at a cost." he admitted, his voice tinged with regret.
"No, Rafael, you have nothing to be sorry about; I'm sure if you were in my position, you would have done the same, and it's okay if we can't have children in the future; I'm happy with what we have right now." I reassured him, placing a hand on my stomach.
"Then why were you crying, little dove?" I know I was feeling bad too, but we would do something and that would be better, right? "He asked.
I nodded, acknowledging his point. "I know, Rafael. We'll figure it out together," I promised, though uncertainty lingered in my heart.
"So, what's bothering you, my love?" Rafael persisted, refusing to let the matter rest until I told him the truth.
"Rafael, I'm worried about what may happen to our kid. I'm concerned since Charles made no mention of the baby's health. What if I've hurt him?" Rafael rubbed the corners of my eyes while I sobbed.
For a split second, his brows furrowed, and I knew he was thinking the same thing. "Calm down, little dove; you're overthinking. Let's take the tests and see what the findings are. Let's finish this; we can't stand here expecting the worst." He kissed my forehead. "Let's see what our fate has in store for us."
I expected Rafael to be irritated with me, but this is my Rafael. He was never like that, and he never grew bored of me. At this point, I was annoyed with myself because my thinking was illogical and things were going in the opposite direction of what I expected. So my thoughts are all over the place, and I'm not sure how to respond to this circumstance.
"Come on, let's finish the tests. I am with you, okay?" Rafael took my hand in his and began to enter our room.
"Is everything all right?" Cindy asked, and I nodded.
I sat on the bed while Charles placed gel on my tummy and began an ultrasound, which took some time, and I had Rafael's hand clenched tight in mine. He glanced at me and smiled encouragingly, but I could see he was scared. We continued gazing at Charles, waiting for a sign, and then a grin appeared on his lips.
"You are not ready for this," Charles said as he grinned at us.
"What happened?" Rafael and I both asked at the same time.
He couldn't stop smiling and said, "You're not having a baby."
"What are you saying? Do you hear yourself?" I shouted at him.
"Oh, wait, hear me out first. I'm saying you're carrying two babies, not one." I blinked at him as he corrected himself, and Rafael did the same.
"Are you kidding us?" Rafael asked.
"No, you're both having twins," he said as he clasped his hands.
"Yay! "Cindy exclaimed.
"Fuck!" Rafael exclaimed, tugging his hair, and here I was again, emotional and weeping.
"Did you hear that little dove? We are having twins." He approached me while I was still lying on the bed and rushed at me.
"Wait a minute, you need to be extra cautious after today. It's nothing short of a miracle that both babies survived," Charles cautioned.
He was right about the fall I had. It is nothing short of a miracle that both twins survived.
"Charles, are they okay? Is there any harm done?" I asked because I needed to ensure that no harm had happened to feel at peace.
"Doesn't seem so," Charles said again, gazing at the images he was holding.
"But how is this possible?" Rafael asked, "I mean, I can feel a baby's heartbeat, but just one."
"Perhaps it's fate's way of filling the void, given that this is the final time Astrid might be pregnant. Perhaps the goddess decided to stock up on everything," Charles laughed.
"Charles, did you not have an idea from the start?" Rafael asked.
"Let me explain, because this is rare and quite strange, but I have a fair explanation for everything." Charles sat on the couch and made himself at home while I got up and prepared.
Charles sat next to me, Rafael, and Cindy.
"So, until today, I didn't know of the second baby's presence because it had been hiding behind the first one, and, as Rafael mentioned, I could only feel a single heartbeat. I was fine, but when I conducted the scans today, the same thing happened. I could feel a heartbeat and was about to conclude that the baby was fine when I saw a small moment behind the baby. Let me get to the point here: I twisted some angles and noticed that there was another baby hiding behind the first one," Charles explained.
"And about the heartbeat? " Rafael inquired.
"Oh, Rafael, you could have worked it out yourself. I thought you were that smart," Cindy laughed. Rafael and I exchanged glances, unsure what they meant.
"Huh?" Rafael blinked his eyes.
"Do you have a heartbeat, Rafael?" Charles asked.
"No, that's because I don't have a heart," Rafael shrugged.
"Bingo. Your one baby is like you—a complete vampire. Maybe a hybrid of something too, but we will know that in the future. He is a complete vampire to start with. The other one is like Astrid, a Lycan with a beating heart," Charles explained.
I couldn't help but smile. Everything was beautiful. I never imagined I could experience so much joy in a single day.
Rafael couldn't contain his delight. He was going to add anything else when the door opened, and in walked Eva and Rafael's mother.
"Fiona!" Cindy sprung to her feet and ran towards her long-lost closest friend. They both hugged each other right away.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was now looking at this gorgeous woman in front of me, about whom my mate had told me so much.
She seemed exhausted and in severe need of sleep and cleansing, but nothing could compare to the joy in her eyes.
After she came Eva, who was looking so much more lively. I am sure she and her mom had their moments, but I know both Rafael and Eva have so many things bottled up inside them that they would need an entire century to cover them up.
There were some more questions I wanted to ask Cindy, but I'll have to wait till we get out of here.
Eva rushed in and hugged Charles, who was holding his arms out for her. I smiled at both of them as Eva said something to him that I couldn't hear properly, but I assumed she was saying how pleased she was to have her mother back. Charles kissed her on the lips and nodded.
Rafael was standing off to the side, staring at his mother's expression, which stated he couldn't believe she was among us, standing among us.
"I think I'll have to catch up on a lot of stuff. The world has changed a lot in this time," she said, smiling.
"Yes, and we would be happy to fill you in and explain..." Cindy began to continue when Rafael's mother collapsed and passed out.
"Mom!" Rafael and Eva ran to her aid.
Rafael lifted her up, and Cindy closed her eyes and sighed.
"Don't worry, that was expected after being resurrected. Based on this, I'm guessing she hadn't fainted before, right? " Cindy asked Eva. She shook her head negatively. If a person is supposed to be passed out when they are resurrected, and if not, they are expected to faint right after,. Maybe we have caused a lot of imbalance in nature right now," Cindy explained.
Rafael sat her down on the bed.
"Thank you, Astrid. I don't know what we would have done without you." Eva hugged me and cried. "Now," she said, brushing away her tears. "How's my cupcake doing?" Eva inquired.
"Babe, you have two cupcakes inside her," Charles said as he drew Eva closer to himself, and we all chuckled. He began to explain everything to Eva.
"Cindy," I called out, and she came up to my side.
"Thank you," I said, "I don't know what I would have done without you."
"All right, Astrid, let's get this out of the way. I wish I could do something. I wish I wouldn't have let go of your hand, but I couldn't, and in all honesty, I didn't." Cindy shook her head.
"So, who managed to halt the chaos?" Rafael asked.
"Them," Cindy exclaimed, just when my family entered the room.

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