~ Chapter Thirty ~

As they were walking home, Katalina leaned into Damien. “Are you tired, my dove?” He asked quietly.
Katalina nodded with her head against his shoulder. “I know I took that nap earlier, but I feel like I haven’t slept in days,” she mumbled.
Damien wrapped his arm around her as they walked home together. “Maybe we should go see Nathan when we get back,” he said softly.
Katalina sighed as she leaned more of her weight into him. “I think that might be a good idea,” she whispered.
Damien nodded and held her close as they continued their walk home. The longer they walked, the exhausted Katalina became. It seemed as if her strength was slowly being drained out of her. Finally, they made it halfway there before she couldn’t even stay on her feet. “Hold up!” He shouted to the others who had walked ahead of them.
Jacques, Benjamin, and Axel rushed over to him. “What happened?” Jacques demanded as he studied Katalina, searching for any sign of harm.
Damien shook his head as he held Katalina close. “I don’t know. We were walking, and she was complaining about being completely exhausted. It was like the longer we were walking, the more strength she lost,” he explained.
Benjamin gently touched her forehead with one hand and her slightly swollen belly with the other. He closed his eyes and let himself flow into her as he did a quick check-up. He opened his eyes a few minutes later. “You’re going to need Nathan. From what I can tell, her exhaustion comes from the twins.”
Damien nodded. “Could you teleport us home?” He questioned as he looked at Benjamin.
Benjamin nodded. “Yes. Everyone make sure you’re all touching.”
Once everyone was touching, Benjamin teleported them to Damien’s house. “Go get Nathan,” he said to the two soldiers that had gone with them.
They bowed their heads and rushed out of the house.
Damien took Katalina upstairs to their room and gently laid her down in their bed. He gently tucked her hair behind her ear before taking off her shoes. He glanced at the three men standing in the room. “Could you guys wait in the hall while I get her changed? She loves this outfit, and the doctor will want to check her stomach.”
Benjamin, Axel, and Jacques went out into the hallway, leaving Damien alone with Katalina. Damien sighed heavily as he quickly got Katalina out of her clothes. He covered her with a blanket before letting the others back in.
They waited for a few minutes before Nathan came rushing into the room. Then, he went straight to Katalina’s side and got to work. “How long has she been out?” He demanded as he took out a fetal doppler from his pocket.
“She’s been out for about fifteen to twenty minutes. Though she did seem exhausted the entire time we were gone,” Damien said from his spot on Katalina’s other side. “She couldn’t stay on her feet while we were meeting with the dwarves, and she complained about being exhausted on our way back. It was gradual. She didn’t just faint or anything like that,” Damien explained.
Nathan nodded and went back to work. He did a complete checkup along with checking on the twins. “Okay,” he said after he had finished. “I’m going to need to set up an IV for her. She may be out for a while. I believe the twins' power is draining her energy quicker than usual. Combine that with the whole Tartarus deal and the other shit she just went through with that fear demon,” he clicked his tongue. “I’m surprised she even woke up earlier,” he shook his head. “She needs to be on bed rest from here on out. Minimal workouts are fine, with only an hour of magic practice daily. Other than that, she needs to be resting. Whether it’s in bed or on the couch, she needs to rest.”
Damien roughly scrubbed a hand over his face. “Shit. Are the twins at risk?” He demanded as he looked up at Nathan.
Nathan frowned. “I don’t know. To figure that out, I’ll have to do an ultrasound.”
“Is there any way you could bring one of those machines here?” Damien questioned.
Nathan nodded. “Of course. I have a portable one specifically for those unable to their homes.”
“Please have it brought here as quickly as possible. I need to know how the twins are doing.”
Nathan bowed slightly before leaving the house.
As soon as Nathan was gone, Damien turned to Benjamin and Axel. “Please tell me that she has somewhat mastered that new gift of hers,” he pleaded.
Benjamin nodded. “She mastered it already. It’s fully under her control, and there’s no chance it overtakes her.”
Damien sagged in relief. “Okay, that’s good.”
They sat in silence until Nathan returned with his assistant. Then, they got the ultrasound machine upstairs and next to their bed. “Alright,” Nathan said. “Let’s check on these two little ones.”
Nathan pulled the blanket down to Katalina’s hips and spread some gel on her belly. Then, he moved the wand around until the twins appeared on the screen. Nathan’s eyes went wide. “Oh my,” he muttered.
Damien rushed to his side. “What is it? Are they okay?” He demanded as he looked at the screen uncertainly.
Nathan cleared his throat. “Yes, they’re healthy and strong,” he shook his head. “They’re growing faster than our babies usually do,” he said in confusion.
Damien frowned. “What does that mean?” He questioned as he felt his heart race in panic.
Nathan softly sighed. “It means that your twins will be here within the next couple of months,” he said as he turned to look at Damien. “Your twins will be here in two months. If not sooner,” Nathan explained.
Damien stared at Nathan in shock. “Oh, my goddess,” he said in shocked awe.
Nathan stood up and cleaned everything up. “This changes a lot of things,” he finished packing up the things he would be taking back to his office and folded his arms over his chest. “From here on out, I will be here once a week to check on her. She is no longer allowed to work out of practice her magic. It’ll be too draining for her. She needs to get all the rest she can. She needs to be well cared for — no stress or anything that’ll upset her. The twins and mom are all safe and healthy, but with her pregnancy being as unpredictable as it is, I don’t want to take any chances. She’s on full bed rest. She’s allowed to take a thirty-minute walk every day. If she seems tired before the thirty minutes are over, she needs to be brought back home and straight to bed. Someone must be with her at all times. I don’t want her left alone. We need to keep a close eye on her from here on out.”
Damien nodded. “I will take excellent care of her,” he vowed.
Nathan nodded as he walked toward the door. “I will be back next week, but call me anytime, day or night, if you fear there may be something wrong.”
Damien cleared his throat. “Thank you, Nathan.”
Once Nathan left, Damien practically collapsed onto the couch in front of the fireplace. He put his head in his hands as Jacques sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “This will be rough for all of us, but we will take care of her. As well as the twins when they’re born. Nothing will happen to any of them,” Jacques promised.
Damien rubbed his face as he felt the emotions swirling around in his head like a hurricane. “I can’t believe this is happening so quickly,” he shook his head. “And she’s not even that big.”
Jacques clicked his tongue. “Kat’s a small person, perhaps that’s why, but I know you can do this. You have so many people behind the both of you to help you through this.”
Damien sighed as he let his hands hang over his knees. “She’s going to be pissed when she wakes up, and we tell her the news,” he murmured.
Jacques chuckled. “She’ll be okay. Of course, she’ll be worried, but I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
Damien cleared his throat. “Alright. I will call Ryan and Evelyn and let them know what’s happening. They demanded updates when you guys got back from Tartarus.”
Jacques clapped Damien on the shoulder before standing up and leaving the room with Benjamin and Axel.
Damien pulled out his cell phone and called Ryan. He held the phone to his ear as he got up and walked over to the bed. Damien gently caressed Katalina’s face before moving to her stomach. He caressed her bump lovingly while waiting for Ryan to answer the phone. “Hey, Damien. Is everything alright?” Ryan asked.
Damien had to clear his throat a couple of times before he was able to answer. “Um, yeah. Everything is good. Well,” he cleared his throat once more. “Katalina’s still healing, but she’s doing well. She did get a fear demon attached to her soul, but we took care of that with the help of Apollo and Benjamin. The twins are doing well. They’re growing quicker than usual. Nathan says they’ll be within two months. If that.”
“How is that possible?” Ryan asked in shock.
Damien exhaled as he rubbed the back of his neck. “It seems that our twins have gifts already. Especially our son. Because of their gifts and Katalina’s gifts, her pregnancy is unpredictable. She’s not showing too much, but Nathan did an ultrasound and said she’s due in two months. If she even makes it that long. It could be sooner. She’s on bed rest from here on out. She's not allowed to do any training. She can take a thirty-minute walk every day unless she gets tired. Other than that, she’s in bed.”
“Is there anything we can do for you guys?” Ryan asked in a hoarse voice.
Damien rubbed Katalina’s swollen stomach and smiled in adoration when he felt a light kick. He was memorized as one of the twins continued punching and kicking his hand. “Damien?” Ryan questioned after a few minutes.
Damien cleared his throat and shook his head. “Sorry. I got distracted for a minute there,” he rubbed his eyes as he stood up again. “Nathan said Katalina cannot be left alone. Since her pregnancy is as erratic as it is, someone has to be with her all the time.”
Ryan chuckled. “She’s not going to like that.”
“No, she is not,” Damien muttered as he walked to the closet to grab a change of clothes. “I was thinking,” he started as he grabbed a pair of shorts. “She would love to have you guys here, Evelyn especially. I know it’s not ideal for you guys to be apart, but if you’re both okay with it, I’d truly appreciate it if Evelyn could come to stay here for a bit.”
Ryan sighed. “I’ll have to talk with Evelyn about this, but I don’t think she will say no. Katalina’s always done everything she could to care for Evelyn during her pregnancy.”
Damien quietly closed the closet door and walked to the bathroom. “Talk to Evelyn and let me know.”
“You got it, Damien.”
When they hung up, Damien quickly got changed and lay in bed. He was careful and gentle as he pulled Katalina into his arms and held her close. He rested his hand over her belly as he fell asleep, worrying about what the next couple of months would bring.