Chapter 70

“I’m fine,” I said, waving them away. “The baby kicked.”
“I thought you said the baby is dead,” said Darius dryly.
“He died when he was three years old!” I snapped at him.
“Did you see that in your dream?” Dominic asked. He looked panicked.
“Ugh!” I groaned. I was getting tired of this madness.
“Everyone, calm down,” said Nana soothingly. “I’m sure we will all figure this out eventually. Jade, you may be right about having lived this life before.”
“What?” Asked Damian.
She silenced him with a look. Back to me, she said, “Perhaps fate is giving you an opportunity to relive your past life and correct the mistakes you made then.”
It sounded like a wild prospect but it was the only explanation that made sense to me right now.
“Maybe,” I said softly.
“Yes, maybe,” she agreed. “And maybe if you do things differently this time around, your future might turn out differently than it did the first time.”
“This is nuts,” Darius groaned.
I ignored him. “You might be on to something here, Nana. Maybe fate is giving me a second chance.”
“So, the baby will live this time around?” Dominic asked.
I shrugged. “We’ll see.”
“I don’t like that answer,” said Damian.
“Let’s take this new phase one moment at a time, shall we?” Nana said firmly.
“Sounds like a good idea,” said Dominic.
“Now that we have that awkward business straightened out, shall we have some lunch?” Asked Nana.
I could see that she was doing her best to lighten the heavy mood in the cottage. Damian and Darius didn’t seem satisfied with Nana’s explanation.
“Since you’ve done this before, why don’t you tell us what we had for lunch on this day,” said Darius the cynic.
“Stop it,” Damian cautioned him.
“We’re having some pot roast with steamed vegetables and a side of buttered rolls,” said Dominic.
“Now, this is the part I miss the most about not being with you guys anymore,” I said with a delighted grin.
The brothers exchanged looks but said nothing. I chuckled internally. I found their discomfort amusing.
It would be fun to see how things would turn out this time around. Maybe this was a dream or another version of the chasm. Whichever the case was, it would be interesting to see how this ‘other life’ plays out.

********************

After a few days passed and I did not go back to my ‘normal life,’ I began to settle into this new one. The triplets soon got used to my weird references to my past life and the things that happened then.
They too were hoping that I would go to sleep and wake up to be the Jade they knew before. Not this one that kept talking about things that they didn’t quite understand.
“Have you thought of a name for our child?” Dominic asked me.
I smiled. “His name is Domarius.”
“It’s a boy?” Darius asked excitedly.
“Yes,” I replied. “I beautiful little boy with big cheeks and black hair like his fathers.”
“You know, we never really settled that argument about who his real father is,” said Damian.
“Please, let’s not go there again,” said Dominic. “That stupid argument was what almost drove Jade away. If I hadn’t gone after her, she would have returned to Apex Woods where she’d sworn never to go back to.”
Something clicked in my head. “Oh…” I said.
“What is it?” Darius asked.
“So, this is what would have happened if I hadn’t gone to Apex Woods.”
“Here we go again,” Darius groaned and rolled his eyes. “I’m never going to get used to this.”
“What are you talking about, Jade?” Damian asked calmly. “You never went to Apex Woods that day. Dominic went after you and brought you back home.”
I nodded slowly. “Nana was right after all. This is my second chance to correct the mistakes I made before.”
“What mistakes?” Dominic asked.
I touched my neck and found it bare. “Where is the necklace?”
“The mate necklace?” Damian asked. “You lost it, remember?”
“How?” I asked.
“Nobody knows. When you and Dominic returned that day, you weren’t wearing it and you didn’t know how you lost it.”
“I have to find it!” I said and rose to my feet sharply. “Ow!”
“What is it?” They asked me in unison.
“It’s nothing. I’m fine,” I said but it was a life. Another strong contraction hit me and I nearly collapsed.
“Is it the baby?” Darius asked. “Is it coming?”
“I think so,” I gasped. “Please, get Nana. She’ll know what to do.”
Darius was out of the cottage like a shot. Damian carried me into the bedroom, while Dominic hurried into the kitchen to boil some water.
It seemed they had rehearsed this moment and already knew what to do. Damian coached me on how to breathe deeply while I navigated each contraction. Dominic mopped my brows with a napkin and asked if I needed anything.
When Nana and Darius showed up, my contractions were getting stronger and more frequent. I could barely catch a break in-between each spasm.
“Wow, your labour is progressing at the speed of light,” Nana remarked.
“Is that a good thing?” Darius asked.
“It is,” she assured him. “Jade darling, I am going to wash my hands now and check to see your baby’s position, ok?”
I nodded. I was in too much pain to even speak.
She inserted her hand into me and after a few seconds, I noticed a change in her expression. The triplets noticed it too.
“What is it?” Dominic asked.
“Oh, nothing,” she replied with a nervous laugh. “Everything is fine.”
“Don’t lie to us, Nana. What is it?” Damian demanded.
She ignored his question and faced Darius. “My dear, please, go and get Freya. Tell her to come immediately.”
“Freya is alive too?” I gasped.
“Everyone is alive!” Darius snapped at me impatiently.
“Mind your tone,” Dominic warned him. “Do as Nana says. Go and fetch Freya.”
“I’m not your messenger,” he retorted.
“I’ll go,” Damian offered and left immediately.
“What is it?” I asked Nana. “Tell me the truth.”
“It’s nothing serious,” she said calmly. “The baby is in a breech position. This is Freya’s forte. She’ll turn him around before you know it.”
“Why can’t you do it yourself?” Darius asked.
“I don’t have the skill.”
Damian returned just then. “Freya is gone,” he announced.
“What? Gone where?” Nana asked.
“Nobody knows but they said she packed her things and left as soon as you came here.”
“She’s gone to the south,” I said.
“How would you know?” Dominic asked.
“I met her on my way to the east. She told me she had been living in the south and making money off of her powers. She left because she was tired of living like a pauper.”
Nana was speechless. She stared at me with a shocked expression.
“Please, don’t tell me you believe the ramblings of a birthing woman,” said Darius dismissively.
“She’s right,” said Nana. “Freya has always wanted us to charge money for helping everyone. She doesn’t think we should heal for free.”
“Agh!” I screamed as the pain in my belly intensified.
“What do we do now?” Dominic asked. “Can you at least try to turn the baby?”
Nana hesitated. “Maybe…”
“Just do it, please,” Damian begged.
She sighed shakily before placing her hands on both sides of my belly. She held that position for a few seconds before firmly moving the baby.
I felt as if my insides were turning and knotting together. I screamed and held unto the bedposts for support.
“There, that’s it,” she said when she was done.
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Darius asked with a smug smile.
“You can push now, dear,” Nana said to me.
I took in a deep breath and bore down as I exhaled. I pushed with all of my might but the baby didn’t come out.
“Keep pushing,” she urged me. “He’s crowning now. Go on, push.”
I tried again, harder this time. I could feel the baby coming down but he wasn’t coming out.
“Why isn’t he coming out?” I shouted.
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you,” she said, poking the sides of my vagina with her fingers. “I’ll help you drag him out. Now push again.”
“Maybe we should have called a doctor,” said Dominic.
“Are you kidding? Nana has assisted in birthing babies before,” said Damian.
I was exhausted but I knew the only way for this pain to stop was for the baby to come out. I pushed again and this time, Nana helped me by pulling the baby out.
Everyone was quiet. Even the baby didn’t cry. I raised myself on my elbows to see what was going on.
“What the hell…” said Darius. “Is it?”
“No!” I gasped.
The poor baby lay limp in Nana’s hands. His little body turned purple from the lack of air in his lungs. His chord was wrapped tightly around his broken neck.
“What the hell just happened?” Dominic whispered.
“The baby is dead, that’s what,” said Damian bitterly. “He got strangled to death while she was trying to push him out.”
Nana was silent. She kept staring at the dead baby in her hands as if she was trying to will him back to life.
“This doesn’t make sense,” said Darius. “Didn’t you say he died at three years old? Or did he wake up first after being strangled to death at birth?”
“I don’t understand,” I said. “This didn’t happen in the past.”
“That’s because you’re a liar and everything you’ve been saying for the past two weeks was completely made up,” said Dominic angrily.
“No, I didn’t make them up. They truly happened,” I protested.
“Then explain this!” Damian shouted at me.
“Let’s all calm down. This was – “
“I think you should shut up!” Darius snarled at Nana. “Take that dead baby out of here and never show your face near us again.”
“I am so sorry,” she whispered shakily.
“You heard what he said,” said Dominic. “Get out!”
Nana hurriedly cut off the umbilical cord and wrapped the baby in a towel. Then she helped me birth the placenta and packed it up too.
“I will bury him behind my cabin,” she informed me softly. “I’m sorry, Jade. Please, forgive me.”
I had nothing to say to her. I couldn’t even cry. Nothing made sense to me anymore. Wasn’t this supposed to be my second chance? Why would Domarius die at birth?
“It wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” I whispered.
“It’s not your fault,” Nana said softly.
“No, it’s not her fault,” said Dominic. “It’s yours. You should have let us take her to the hospital as I suggested but you wouldn’t listen.”
“I am deeply sorry, my sons. I am very very sorry.”
“We are not your sons,” said Darius. “Now, get out before I throw you out.”
After Nana left, the brothers zeroed their attention on me. I could feel their anger and I knew that whatever they were going to say to me next wouldn’t be pretty.
“I think you should go to Apex Woods after all,” said Dominic. “We need a break from you for a while.”