Visions Unveiled Ch. 02

2.

Reading between the lines.

After their dinner had been finished and cleaned up, Faline curled up in the window-seat overlooking the lane while Sophie worked on her knitting. Because there was nothing that needed to be said, both enjoyed the silence. While the wood in the fireplace crackled, Faline turned her beloved book over in her hands several times before opening it to a random page and began to read.

Faline was constantly trying to decipher the hidden meanings of the words written in the precious book. More than once she had been told she was obsessed but she couldn't help it. This book was the only connection she had to the beginning of her life. It was a journal of some sort, heavy parchment pages bound between a worn leather cover. How many times had she wondered who owned this book before she did? Whose elegant handwriting graced the pages? Why had it been wrapped up with her in an old blanket the day someone left her as an infant in the candle vestibule of a church? Some pages contained paragraph upon paragraph of descriptive landscapes and towns. Some pages had barely a sentence written. These were usually brief bits about the weather or the tide. Other entries read as baffling riddles. Some pages in between others were mysteriously blank.

For the most part the journal had been penned in English, however the writings would randomly change languages. And how the languages varied. So far she had determined the author to be fluent in not only English, but also Latin, Spanish, Greek, French, Russian, Italian, German and Dutch. Here and there would be a smattering of Portuguese or Egyptian; Mandarin then Thai. Not enough for her to believe the author used those dialects fully, but that she or he had a great deal of understanding for them.

So many languages. Even the English sections were never consistent. They would switch between modern English spoken today, and then an Old World variation. And then there were the bits written in the languages that fascinated her most. Parts of the journal were written entirely in traditional Gaelic and Icelandic. Faline was certain the excerpts written in those languages were the most important not only in the journal, but also to her life. She had no evidence to prove this, she just knew that she simply felt it to be so whenever she translated the cryptic verses.

And translate them she did. Faline absorbed foreign languages as easily as she breathed air. She partly knew the reason for this was because Sophie began speaking to her in French when she was just seven years old. The other reason was specifically the book she held in her hands. As a little girl in the orphanage, Faline began devouring the book as soon as she learned her ABC's. Her eyes and mind always skimmed over the foreign excepts until she met Sophie and not realized she could learn to speak other languages, but read them as well. She knew her appetite for foreign languages was fueled by her desire to translate the journal in full, but that didn't detract from her innate love for all languages. After high school she soared through the Linguistics program at a college that she paid for with scholarships, by working in the campus bookstore, and of course with the help of Sophie. While they always lived a humble life, Sophie insisted the Faline's education came first, and did everything she could to ensure she was successful in achieving her educational goals.

When Faline graduated college, Sophie was certain she would want to continue to pursue a Masters or even Doctorate degree but Faline had other ideas. While she loved learning about languages, she desired to immerse herself in them fully. She'd wanted to travel. So, with Sophie's blessing, Faline spent most of the ten years following her graduation traveling Europe. She began in Saint-Etienne, France, where Sophie accompanied her for a short time while she found a job in a local café and also a room to rent. This was Sophie's home-town, and while Sophie worried for her Faline as she traveled, she knew this would be place she was comfortable with setting her free to explore the world. Faline would usually stay in a city for a few months where she would find work and study as much of the people and history of the place as she could. Then, when she had saved up train fare and enough money to secure a room in a new place, off she would go. For this reason, she always traveled light and never accumulated possessions. She thought back on her childhood and figured all she started this life with was a blanket and the book and she felt that was all she would ever need. Otherwise, she would find a way to survive.

Once a year, no matter where she was, Sophie would mail her an airplane ticket to return home for the holidays. When she was younger, she would only stay for Christmas and New Years, and could never wait to return overseas. As she aged, however, her visits home stretched longer and longer. Sophie was aging and while Faline itched to roam other countries, she was also equally as content to spend as much time with Sophie in the only home she had ever truly had, with the only family she had ever known. This was why even at her age, she never yearned for an apartment of her own the way other young girls might. Faline had spent enough of her early life feeling as alone in her heart as she could possibly be. Until the day that Sophie changed all of that. No, Faline knew better than most that home was a matter of who you loved, and not what you owned.

She now worried for Sophie's health, how she was still running the bookstore alone after all these years. A deep sense of commitment haunted Faline that for the first time in almost a decade, she considered not returning overseas at all this year. Seeing as it already was February, Faline had no intentions of going anywhere until it was at least springtime. In her book she glanced over a passage written in Russian, depicting a snowstorm. She frowned as she began to feel the onset of a headache, and it caused her to put down the journal to briefly cover her eyes.

From her chair by the fire, Sophie noticed and dropped her needles in her lap. "In pain, are you?"

Lowering her hands, Faline returned her gaze to the street below her with a slight nod. "It'll pass."

Sophie sighed, not understanding why Faline always dismissed her own pain, as if it meant nothing. She rose from her chair and came to sit beside Faline on the bench seat below the large window. "You know what this means. How long has it been now? Since the last time?"

Without looking away from the window, Faline answered, "Almost two years. The last time was in London."

Sophie patted her hand knowingly, "I'll make you a nice hot cup of tea."

At this, Faline turned her eyes to Sophie, "It won't help. Or stop it."

Sophie nodded, as she was already rising to set the kettle to boil. "I know. But it will make us both feel better until then."

Once Sophie was in the kitchen, Faline drew her legs up to her and wrapped her arms around them, burying her head for a moment against her knees. She dreaded what she couldn't avoid. Every now and again, Faline got these ... feelings. Her mind would become awash with sights and sounds which were a portend to some future event. The worst part was that she couldn't always discern what was coming, she just knew it would be bad. It always began with this tell-tale headache, and without doubt, within days something horrible would happen.

Like she told Sophie, it was two summers before that she last experienced this. That time ended with her getting mugged on her walk home from the café where she was working at the time. Luckily the thief had only taken her tips, leaving her bruised and nothing more. Over the last few years, it seemed that whenever she got this feeling, that someone was after her. She didn't know why it happened, and hated the feeling of helplessness it evoked. She just hoped that this time she would be as fortunate as she always inexplicably was, and come through it unscathed once more.

* * *

Shane knew he was dreaming. What made it so intolerable was the fact that his mind knew this was a dream, and still he was unable to stop the images from invading his thoughts while he slept. He found himself paralyzed, rendered powerless to stop the recurring dream from flooding his senses. He was not in control, and that alone was enough to drive him mad with frustration.

Over the last three decades, Shane had only had one of two dreams each time his body went to sleep. If he went to sleep in his bed, in human form his dream would be a memory of the night his mate was born. He would literally relive each moment as if it were happening again before his very eyes. He would hear each of Ilsa's pained cries, he would see Gregor's grief-stricken face, and scent Ilsa's lost blood. All as if it was happening yet again, in painful, vivid detail.

If he happened to sleep in the forest, in wolf form, then his dream would be different. Instead of reliving the memory of his mate's brief life, he would instead dream of a reality that would never be. As a wolf, his dream was of his mate as she would have been, had she lived to become the mature she wolf that was his intended mate. When the wolf dreamed, he envisioned himself padding across the forest floor until he spied her sitting, waiting for him at the crest of a lush, green hill. As a wolf she was gloriously beautiful, while she was small of stature, she looked undeniably healthy. She was covered in the most luxurious looking silver and white fur. He knew this was his mate because as he approached her on the hill, her scent called to him. A scent of fresh, clean rainfall, which could belong to only one: his mate. Her scent soothed him, and while he itched to touch her, speak to her, know her, even in a dream it was not to be. Before he could ever reach her, she vanished, leaving him alone on the hillside. Still, it was a wonderful dream nonetheless. A dream in which his mate lived. It did not matter that she was always a step out of reach. Shane cherished his brief time with her, until he awoke bereft.

That dream was always welcome, but this night, Shane was asleep in his bedroom, in his human form. The dream that came to him now was the one he dreaded. This dream always began the same; with him waking as he did the night Gregor and Ilsa came to him so many years ago. The house had been silent, until a shrill scream rent the air. Shane awoke instantly, flying out of his bed and into the hallway, his ears pricked in alarm at the sounds. Immediately the rest of the house came alive as well. Already, Shane was rushing down the stairs to the second level of his home, where Gregor and Ilsa should have been sleeping. Just as he came to their door he saw Kevin, one of his Betas, who was also Logan's twin, emerge from his own room on the same floor. Fully trained in classic and modern medicine many times over, Kevin was the best healer the pack knew and Shane was glad to see him. Holding up a hand to keep Kevin at bay for the moment, Shane knocked on the door to the guest suite and immediately heard Gregor call from the inside for help.

After the slightest of hesitations, in which Shane recalled not only Ilsa's pregnant state, but also the scent of her sickness which had earlier shaken him, Shane opened the door to the room. Immediately he saw Ilsa's face, twisted in pain, while her body was covered in sweat. Beside her, Gregor had his hand on her back, whispering what Shane imagined were words of comfort to his wife.

Entering the room fully, Shane took in the situation before indicating to Kevin his approval to enter. In the hall, Logan had also appeared. With a nod Shane ordered him to not allow anyone else to enter the room before closing the door. He then turned his attention to the couple in the room, "Gregor, Ilsa," Shane began, "Kevin is here. What help is needed?"

Gregor raised wild, panicked eyes before shaking his head. "Alpha, she is in pain."

Stepping to the bed Kevin inhaled deeply, catching the scent Shane earlier had and his eyes widened. Looking back at Shane he swallowed hard, before continuing on to the bed. "Ilsa," Kevin said, "What is hurting?"

She could barely breathe, let alone speak, but Ilsa managed just one word. "Baby."

Shane's eyes widened in shock. While he knew Ilsa was with child, he didn't think by human standards it was time yet for the delivery. Instantly he went to the window and looked outside, his heart falling at the sight of the many feet of snow which now covered his territory. They would never be able to get her to a hospital in this weather, nor could an ambulance make it to them. Turning to Kevin, Shane leveled him with a stare. "Can this be done? Here?"

Kevin was already assessing Ilsa's condition with a frown. Reluctantly he raised his eyes to his Alpha. "Normally, I would say yes. I have delivered human infants before. But never under these ... circumstances."

Everyone in the room knew he was speaking of Ilsa's sickness.

Kevin had placed a hand upon Ilsa's abdomen, feeling for her contractions, trying to gauge their strength when she suddenly covered his hand with hers. Despite him being the healer, and she the patient, it was Ilsa who gave him words of comfort. "I am not afraid, nor should you be. This is the way it was meant to happen."

At her words, Shane narrowed his eyes yet again. Ilsa often spoke this way when referring to her visions. Did she foresee this already? Was she prepared for this birth?

She turned her eyes to her husband then, giving him the same gentle touch. "Be at peace, my love," she told him, "We are all in good care and this will end well."

The next hours were filled with a flurry of activity as supplies came into the room, in which Shane would only allow Logan or Erin to enter. As the night wore on, Ilsa's labor grew more and more difficult. Her pain and screaming became nonstop, and yet the baby had not yet arrived. Weakened to the point of exhaustion, held up only by the strength of her husband, Ilsa suddenly went deathly pale. It took scant seconds for the Weres in the room to detect the scent of fresh blood on the air. Ilsa was hemorrhaging and Kevin was unable to control her bleeding. She was slowly losing consciousness.

It was then that Shane pulled Kevin to the side. "What is the problem?"

Kevin lowered his voice, "I fear it is the cancer, my Alpha. Her reproductive organs are overrun with tumors. I believe that has caused the premature labor, and at the same time complicated the delivery. She is very weak. Too weak to proceed it may seem."

Shane's mind was racing to accept all of this news. He hated what he was hearing, but he trusted Kevin with all matters medical. "What are the options?"

Kevin sighed as he considered Ilsa's health. "I could attempt a caesarian operation. It would allow me to deliver the baby at least ..." Kevin paused as he thought through the possible problems.

Shane nodded, "That is normal among humans, correct?"

Kevin paused briefly. "Yes, a healthy human female should endure it well. But Ilsa ... she's already losing blood. And with her body riddled with the cancer, I am afraid the measures to extract the baby would be devastating to her system."

Shane sighed. "Fine. What is the other choice?"

Kevin frowned even further. "The other option is controlling her blood loss and making her comfortable until she either delivers naturally, or we can safely transport her to a medical facility."

"What are the risks with that method? Speak, out with it."

Kevin looked over his shoulder where Gregor was cradling his writhing wife. Unlike his twin, Kevin was not yet mated, yet he couldn't imagine being in the situation Gregor now was. He turned his eyes back to Shane, "Alpha, if we wait much longer, I fear the child will not survive. I am afraid we would then lose them both."

Shane gave an immediate sharp shake of his head. "Not an option --"

He was interrupted by Gregor's shaky voice: "Perform the surgery."

Both Shane and Kevin turned towards the bed. "Gregor, old friend, you are exhausted. We have to think about this," Shane said.

Gregor leaned down and kissed Ilsa's forehead before looking back at Shane. He tenderly stroked her cheek. In her delirious state, she did not respond. "I have been thinking about this for hours. I know my wife is not well. She would want us to try to save our child. She would demand it."

Kevin stepped reluctantly back towards the bed, eying the growing bloodstains there. "Gregor, you have to know, we could lose them both."

Gregor nodded. "And if we don't take any action?"

Shane could not believe how calm the man sounded. He had to respect it, even if it was bewildering. Kevin finally answered, "They both may still die."

In Gregor's arms, Ilsa began to pale further. While soothing her, Gregor leveled Kevin with a hard stare. "That won't happen. Proceed. Now!"

Kevin didn't even take time to think that he was following an order not given by his Alpha. Yet he did his best to carefully, yet quickly open Ilsa's midsection, assisting her to deliver what would be her first and only child. As he operated it was obvious to Kevin he might already be too late. Once he made the incisions necessary to bring the child into view, he could see the baby was already practically smothered by the tumors which had run rampant in Ilsa's uterus. That coupled with Ilsa's petite frame disallowed her from ever being able to naturally deliver the child. As carefully as he could, Kevin reached in with his gloved hands and gently extracted the infant from the mother's womb, all the while Gregor attempted to calm and sooth his ailing wife.

The moment Kevin severed the umbilical cord Ilsa slipped into cardiac arrest, and Gregor's bravery finally gave way to panic as he refused to release his wife. Without an option, Kevin raised his eyes to the only other soul in the room, "Alpha please!" Kevin said as he transferred the baby into Shane's arms so that he could attempt to tend to Ilsa.

Without thinking, Shane turned and grabbed up a blanket that Erin had earlier brought to the room. Quickly he bundled the child up vaguely noting the infant was a female, he was thinking only of warming the child, and wondering if the deep purple-blue tone of skin was normal. That was all until her scent hit him and he was felled under an avalanche of thoughts and emotions. All at once the mysterious scent of rainfall washed over him, ten times stronger than he had detected the evening before when Ilsa embraced him. Now it made sense, why the scent was so illusive. It didn't belong to Ilsa at all, but to the precious child she carried. The scent of his mate! And it was fading already.

It took effort, but Shane was finally able to tear his eyes from the baby to notice Kevin rushing to slow the blood loss from the surgery, and feel for Ilsa's pulse at the same time. Suddenly it was too real, what Kevin had said about losing both mother and child. Inside him, Shane's wolf was howling in his mind. Unacceptable! Shane's eyes swung to Ilsa and he sadly knew it was already too late for her. But his mate was not breathing, and he was suddenly beyond desperate. "Kevin!" he called, as he pulled the bundled baby close to his chest, hoping to warm her with his own body heat. "Kevin she isn't breathing."

Kevin was nodding, "Yes, Alpha. Her heart and the blood loss ..."

Shane was himself frightened by his rage as he roared, "Not Ilsa! The baby, Kevin! How can I help her?!"

Kevin lowered his eyes as he realized who Shane was referring to. Kevin raised a hand to touch the baby's foot, hoping to detect a pulse, only to have the Alpha pull the child from his reach. Kevin was perplexed at the Alpha's possessiveness of the child. And how could he help her if he couldn't touch her?