She Can't Be Dead

Merck

My mouth is dry and my cheeks are wet as I look at Kamila's beautiful face. The healers and nurses are running around, doing everything they can, and all I can do is stand here, feeling helpless.

He's not like me at all. I'm used to taking charge, figuring things out, saving the day.

But it's Dr. Travesty who is giving orders, ordering people around while standing at the foot of the bed, blood up to her elbows, doing everything she can to save our precious Kamila, my beautiful, intelligent, charming Kamila.

The other ET1s are just as stunned as I am. Tristan's mouth is open, and Reece's face is streaked with tears. Eli had just arrived when the crisis started, so it took him a moment to realize what was happening.

Now, as a nurse insists that he hand over his son so the baby can be cleaned, he does so and takes a few steps closer to where the other three of us are gathered around his bed.

“Start a transfusion!” Dr. Travesty is shouting. —I need a better clamp!

I don't know what she's talking about, and I don't want to interrupt her to see if there's anything I can do. I don't know anything about delivering babies or saving lives, but it seems to me that the huge dark spot of blood on the floor is not a sign that everything is okay.

Neither is the fact that Kamila's eyes are closed and her face is getting paler by the moment.

Eli is next to Tristan now, and I see the confusion on his face. —What's happening?— It's just a whisper, but none of us dare try to articulate the answer. Saying it out loud could make it happen.

How do I formulate those words in my language? Tell him what's happening with our sweet Kamila? A thousand thoughts go through my head, and I go back to the beginning. That day, in the hallway, in the Dark Forest Castle, when Tristan and I were going to talk to the king.

We had decided that this whole effort was ridiculous. It was idiotic to elect a new ruler this way, and none of the four of us were happy with the idea of ​​sharing a woman. We had talked to Reece and Eli, and we had come up with another plan. We would simply have a series of contests to decide who would be next in line for the throne. Each would look for his destined mate, and whoever was king would have a child with his mate to take the throne after him. It was simple enough.

But then we saw her...

Kamila had crashed into us on her way to the clinic, leaving us breathless. We were both immediately attracted to her. After she hurriedly walked away from her, we agreed: if she's the winner, we'll find a way to make this work.

MilagKamilaly, shortly after, we were introduced to Kamila as the winner. Our player. And the four of us knew this was meant to be.

The four ET1s would gladly share Kamila just for the chance to be with her.

It was the most absurd and meaningful thing I had ever done in my life.

I remember our first night together, how lucky I felt to have won that race and to be able to claim it. But it was also a great responsibility. She was a delicate and precious flower, and I was so afraid of hurting her.

It had been one of the best nights of my life.

Every night with Kamila was like this. Every time she was in my arms, her head on my chest, her heart beating against mine... it was like a new piece of heaven was gifted to me every time.

It wasn't just the sex, however. She thought about her laugh, her smiling face in the sun at our picnic, how beautiful she was when she sang, how serious she looked when she was reading her book and they interrupted her.

I thought about all the difficulties I had gone through to get here. How her parents had been so cruel to her, I will never understand. However, she had overcome the trials of growing up in that horrible place. Then, in the castle, there had been numerous attempts to end her life. She had had to put up with Emily and then Malena Milly. King Gene had a plan to kill her... Nothing was easy for Kamila.

However, he never really complained. Sure, she joked about how the babies had made her so big and awkward, making fun of herself for being so round and heavy, but that was only because her body was doing something extraordinary, something no one else could do. She was carrying all four of our babies, all at the same time. That made her even more special than she already was.

And I love her for that, Goddess, I love her. Looking at her face now, seeing her so still and motionless, I can't help the sobs that begin to come from my throat. I don't care if everyone in this room sees me cry like a child. I kneel next to her bed, out of Dr. Travesty's way, holding Kamila's hand in mine, noticing that she is colder than she should be. —Please, Kamila, please don't leave us. We need you so much!—I say between sobs.

I don't have to look at the other ET1s to know that they are crying as hard as I am. We are all begging her now, praying to the Moon Goddess to forgive her. She carried our babies, and now, she won't even be able to hold them? Watch them grow? No, she can't end like this! We fought so hard for this day, so that she could stay in our lives, in the lives of our children. We refuse to let her escape from it.

A flurry of activity continues around us, and a healer steps over me to put something on Kamila's arm. I look to see a bag of blood, and immediately stand up, wiping my eyes. “I'm type O,” I say, rolling up my sleeve.

“Good choice, because that's our last bag of A positives,” says Dr. Travesty. "Listen, gentlemen, I know it seems bleak." She was able to repair the damage inside Miss Kamila's body, but she has lost an insane amount of blood. If we can get more quickly, she has a chance.

"Isn't she dead?" Reece clarifies.

Dr. Travesty shakes her head. -No. Her heart is still beating, although weak. Mark, if you can give us another pint or two….

“I will give you every last drop,” I say as a healer approaches with the appropriate medical tools to harvest my life force.

Dr. Travesty smiles at me sympathetically as I'm guided to a chair. —That will not be necessary. I can't take one life to save another. But I'll take as much as you can safely give.

“I'm A positive,” Tristan announces, and soon he's hooked up to a needle in his arm.

Eli and Reece continue to stand by Kamila, brushing back her hair and praying for her.

Dr. Travesty looks exhausted as she instructs the maids to clean the floor. It's stone, so it won't need replacing, but that's the least of my worries.

"One more thing, gentlemen," says the doctor. —I hope four babies are enough for you because…unfortunately, I couldn't save Kamila's reproductive organs.

"His two uterine horns?" Eli asks.

The doctor nods. —Everything had to be removed to save his life.

“Okay,” I say for all of us. —We have four beautiful, healthy babies.

"That's right," says the doctor. —All the babies are fine. So... as soon as her mother is ready, she can hold them.

I start to feel a little dizzy from the blood coming out of my body, but I look at Kamila and see that her face has a more Kamilado tone, and I start to think that maybe she has a chance.