My eyelashes fluttered.
The sound of Noah calling my name in a panic still rang in my ears incessantly like a plague, refusing to stop no matter what.
My fingers twitched.
I forced my eyes open.
Blurry.
I blinked, tried to look around me.
White ceiling.
Low sounds of a monitor—a slightly heavy scent of medicines.
Hospital.
Right.
I had fainted earlier.
My gaze settled on Noah, who was standing at the side of my bed.
His brows were creased, with slight wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
“You’re awake, Elian.”
I nodded, finally noticing old Sterling sitting at his side.
“Dad,” I called, licking my dry and chapped lower lip.
“Why are you here?”
My father’s old eyes dimmed slightly.
“What do you mean?
Didn’t I tell you to visit the hospital so many times?
Why did you have to wait till now?” His tone was as high as ever.
My lips pursed.
“Yelling at me as soon as I wake up.
Do you want me dead?”
“Shut up.”
“Okay.”
I turned my head to the side, deciding to ignore him no matter what.
However, what really happened to me?
The pain I felt before I collapsed was real.
I reached out, pressing a finger against my gland at the back of my neck.
It seemed a bit swollen and more sensitive than ever.
A slight tingle coursed through my veins just from the touch.
A frown settled on my face.
In over 10 years, this was the first time I felt this way from touching my gland.
Something felt strange…
“Noah, do you think I’ve fallen terribly sick?” My voice betrayed a crack.
Falling sick wasn’t anything good.
No, I didn’t want to fall sick.
“Terribly sick?” My father’s voice rang in my ears.
I hesitantly looked at him.
“No, son.
You can’t be terribly sick.
It’s probably just a fever.” His gaze softened.
Patting my head, he nodded again.
“You’re fine.”
But I wasn’t in any way comforted.
I looked up at Noah, questions filling my eyes.
Noah smiled.
“You’re fine, Elian.
Don’t worry.”
“The doctor had run a few tests on you, and we should get the results pretty soon.”
My heart skipped a beat.
“Tests?” Would the report come out as cancer?
Perhaps a tumor in the lungs?
Benign or malignant?
Oh, God.
Would I have to go through treatment for years, being locked down in the hospital with no other color in my life except for the white ceilings and the colors of food?
My stomach twisted at the thought.
I felt nauseous again.
“Don’t worry.
Even without the result, I can tell it’s nothing that big.
You’ll be okay.”
I hoped.
“Hm.” There was no use showing too much fear before even seeing the result.
I would just have to wait and see what it was.
I rubbed my forehead and yawned.
“Drowsy?”
“Again,” I murmured, closing my eyes.
I really felt sleepy.
Father patted my hand.
“Then, sleep.”
“I bet it’s exhaustion.
It would be strange if you didn’t fall sick once in a while.”
“Maybe this is a chance to sleep as much as you can.”
I ignored my father’s nagging.
“Take some water, Elian.”
Yes, water.
Opening my eyes, I saw Noah holding a cup of water.
He helped me sit up in bed and handed the water to me.
I smiled softly.
“Thank you.”
The water was slightly warm, carrying its warmth through my parched throat to my irritated belly.
I breathed in relief, feeling cool all over.
“You know me best.” I returned the cup to him.
My father snorted.
I did the same.
Noah helped me back in bed.
Closing my eyes, I finally decided to sleep again.
Creak.
My eyes snapped open at the sound of the door opening.
It must be the doctor, right?
The familiar face of a young male doctor appeared in my view.
Cole, our family doctor.
A warm smile plastered on his face.
Brown files in his hand, with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.
He looked all too much like a nerd.
He approached the bed and smiled brightly when he saw me.
“Elian.”
“Hi, Cole.”
“Mr Cole.” He bared his ‘fangs.’
“Cole.”
He glared at me.
Noah and Father chuckled.
Cole dropped the playful anger in his eyes and turned to nod at my dad and Noah.
“The reports are out.” He said.
My lips tightened.
The time I’d been waiting for finally came.
I couldn’t help but feel a little cold from within.
“Elian is not ill.
Instead, a miracle has happened.” Cole pushed up his glasses.
My brows furrowed.
Glancing at my father and Noah, I could also see the confusion in their eyes.
“Did he present as an alpha?” My father was skeptical.
I was also curious.
What miracle?
Cole seemed stunned.
He shook his head.
“No.
Elian is pregnant.
It’s almost a month…”
I raised a brow.
“Don’t try to trick me.
What’s it?
Do I have late-stage cancer?” I asked frankly.
It didn’t matter what illness I had.
I wouldn’t be too shaken by it.
Well, it wasn’t worth the fear.
All I had to do was make my friends turn my private hospital room into a club every night.
The only downside would be that I wouldn’t be able to go out with alphas anymore.
Still…
Damn it.
“Just tell me what it is already.” I felt like my heart would stop if he wasted any more time.
Cole cleared his throat.
“This is the report.
It’s pregnancy.
Elian is pregnant.”
“I was shocked when I saw it, too.
According to his health check we ran last month, he wasn’t supposed to be able to conceive due to his partially developed gland.
But the truth is that…
he’s pregnant, and the report isn’t wrong.”
Silence.
I stared at Cole, waiting for him to laugh and tell us he was only kidding.
Yet, he didn’t.
He looked every bit serious.
Just like he did when he revealed my condition those years ago.
Cole wasn’t lying.
He was telling the truth…
Something snapped in my chest.
I sat up in bed and snatched the report.
Opening it, my gaze settled on the black-and-white space on the paper.
“A baby?”
“Yes, Elian.
You’re pregnant.”
“No.” I shook my head.
My father snatched the paper.
He stared at it with disbelief in his eyes.
I could see his hands trembling as he read through the report.
Noah stood at the side, staring at the report in my father’s hand with a pale face.
Yes, that was it.
This must be a dream.
Perhaps I hadn’t woken up after fainting, or I had slept again earlier and was dreaming.
Without a word, I lay back in bed and covered myself with the blanket.
I forced my eyes closed.
“Are you certain, Mr Cole?” Noah’s fearful voice sounded in my ears.
“I’m pretty much certain, Noah.
Elian is carrying a child.
What we need to do now is make sure everything goes well.”
“It’s still early in the pregnancy, so things could be really complicated due to his condition.
Someone should come with me.
I’ll write down all the things that need to be done during this period.”
“Alright.
I’ll come with you.”
“No, Noah.
Stay with him.
He needs someone beside him right now.
I’ll go with Cole instead.”
“Alright, uncle.”
I listened to their words, wondering when I would finally wake up from this nightmare.
What was this dream about a baby?
A baby?
Whoever wanted it could have it.
My lips tightened, and reluctance to pinch myself awake rose in my chest.
I didn’t want the pain…
“Elian.”
Noah?
Was I awake?
“Hm?” I replied, opening my eyes.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded, then shook my head.
“Noah…” I paused.
The look on Noah’s face…
this wasn’t right.
I closed my eyes again.
There was no way this was real, right?
Noah also kept quiet.
None of us said a word to each other, yet nothing changed.
“Thanks for that.”
My father’s voice.
He was back.
“We can leave now, right?”
“Yes.
I’ll remove the drip now.” Cole approached.
I felt him removing the drip on my wrist, and when he was done, someone held my hand.
Opening my eyes, I saw Noah staring at me.
His smile had returned as if nothing had happened.
But I knew…
the report was still there.
In my father’s hand was the report, glaring back at me as if informing me that the nightmare wasn’t over.
We left the hospital.
My father decided to drive while Noah and I sat at the back.
My hand instinctively went to my belly, pressing it lightly.
A baby?
No matter how I thought about it, it sounded really ridiculous.
How could it be?
Why would I have a baby?
As the buildings appeared and disappeared.
Our house came into my view…
we’d gotten to my house.
It finally dawned on me: a dream couldn’t be so long.