SWNOVELS Chapter 32
"Hang on, Gemma," Kieran's voice floated up the stairs. I dropped the bat and immediately ran down the rest of the stairs. Hearing his voice gave me a jolt of happiness, but only for a split second.
Gemma.
My birth mother.
Kieran sounded worried. Something went wrong. When I was finally able to partially see the dim living room, I saw Kieran standing beside the couch with a baby in one arm, and his hand towards the couch. When I moved around to see the full scene, Gemma was bleeding from her stomach but Kieran was trying to put pressure on it with one hand. Even in the state she was in, Gemma was beautiful. Although pale from, what I would assume was, massive blood loss, she still looked very young. I she could easily pass for my sister instead of my birth mother. I could see where my looks came from. We both had the same high cheekbones, almond shaped eyes, and full lips. We even had the same dark black hair. My face was rounder and my figure was fuller, but I always wasn't held hostage in a lab for God knows how long. Who knows what they did to her in that lab. It made me wonder just how identical Caitlyn and I were.
But at the moment, the pressing matter was that my birth mother was bleeding out in the living room and Kieran was holding a sleeping baby. To say I was confused was an understatement.
"Kieran, what the hell is going on?" I asked, trying to grasp the current situation. Kieran glanced at me before handing the baby to me and turning his attention back to Gemma. I cradled the tiny thing in my arms awkwardly as I looked at its sleeping face.
"I found Gemma bleeding out in the woods. She escaped on her own, but not before they forced her to give birth to another hybrid and took her fox bead," he explained quickly as he used both hands to try to put pressure on the wound.
"Stop, Kieran. It's already too late for me. You know I won't survive without my fox bead. It's our life force," Gemma said weakly before she glanced at me. She smiled unexpectedly.
"This must be my daughter, Camilla. At least I got to see all of my children before I died. I know Camilla is in good hands with you. Caitlyn is still at the facility. It's only a matter of time before they realize she's not the hybrid. Take care of my daughters Kieran. Camilla, I'm trusting you to take care of Nabia," Gemma said weakly. Her words were barely above a whisper. I glanced down at the sleeping baby. Was she supposed to be a hybrid too? Was she supposed to be my little sister?
"Nabia?" I repeated.
"Gemma, no, don't you dare!" Kieran yelled at her. I could tell Kieran was upset. If the tone in his voice didn't give it away, the small tears in his eyes sure did. Gemma reached up with a shaky hand and moved his hands from her stomach.
"I'm tired, Kieran. Let me sleep," she whispered before her eyes closed slowly. She took a shallow breath before she stopped moving altogether. Kieran hung his head as he sniffled quietly. I looked from him to the child sleeping in my arms. This baby could only be maybe six months old at the most, yet she was so small.
"Kieran..." I said hesitantly. He sniffled again before getting up quickly and carrying Gemma's body away without a word. I was worried about him. I knew that Gemma was a close friend to him. Watching one of his closest friends die was sure to take a toll on him. I found myself looking down at the tiny child in my arms. How was I supposed to take care of my new baby sister who was also a hybrid? I could barely take care of myself. I could see issues arising from Nabia but it was my birth mother's dying wish. I expected Kieran to be out of sorts over Gemma's death. I didn't want to create more issues by telling him I had no idea how to care for a child. I sat in the chair off to the side as I rocked Nabia awkwardly as I waited. It was a few hours before Kieran finally stopped moving around and came back to the living room. The whole time he'd been in and out of the house, going up to his room before leaving completely and coming back. He was in different clothes, cleaned up, and set a grocery bag on the coffee table.
"Nabi will probably be hungry when she wakes up. I picked up some formula. For now... we'll just take care of her until we figure out what to do next," he said solemnly.
"Kieran... are you okay?" I asked hesitantly. He sighed and shook his head.
"If I'd just gotten there sooner, maybe... I can't believe they- Nabi is a hybrid like you so we'll have to be extra careful. The lab started back up. For now, we'll have to continue life as usual to keep from arousing suspicions, but I don't want you or Nabi out of my sight," he said, all business.
"So you want us to both come to work with you?" I asked. He nodded before running a hand through his hair. I sighed and stood with Nabia still in my arms.
"Kieran, I'll figure how to take care of Nabi, but if you need time to mourn, take it. You just lost your good friend," I tried to empathize with him. He took a shaky breath before shaking his head.
"I'm sad that she's gone, but it's not her passing that scares me. I'm scared I won't be able to protect you either," he admitted. I adjusted Nabia in my arms before placing a hand on his arm gently.
"I'll be glued to your side. I know you will do everything you can to keep me safe. And I'm not a little girl anymore… I can take care of myself. We should get some sleep. There's no telling when Nabi will wake up and we'll have to go to the office tomorrow. She's old enough that I can claim her as my own daughter so it shouldn't be too much trouble explaining her presence at the office," I tried to change the subject. Kieran faced me before placing a slow kiss on my head gently before taking Nabia into his arms.
"I'll start renovating a room and we'll go shopping for Nabi tomorrow, but for now, I'll leave earlier to get the bare necessities in the morning and she can sleep in one of our rooms tonight," he said. I nodded in agreement.
"If you're getting up earlier, she can sleep in my room. I think I can manage making a bottle for her if she wakes up," I offered. Kieran nodded numbly before we went upstairs to go to bed.