Erica's POV
[Trigger Warning- this chapter may be hard for some to read]
"Deliver the boy," Alice growls in my direction but I don't pay her any attention.
My attention is focused on my screaming baby on the ground. "Please," I beg as I look at Doctor Wilson. "She is cold. Please help her."
The doctor looks around Alice and gives my baby a sympathetic look, but I can tell that Alice is not going to let Doctor Wilson help my child. I grip the sides of the bathtub and try to pull myself out of the tub. I know that I need to help my baby.
Alice steps behind me and pushes me back into the water. Leaning down she whispers next to my ear. "Deliver the boy and I will let you go to her."
Longingly I look over the edge of the tub at my little girl. Her screams are filling the bathroom making it hard for me to focus.
"Erica," the doctor tries to grab my attention. "You have got to push, or the baby won't survive."
My eyes meet the doctor's and he tries to give me a reassuring nod. Bearing down I feel the baby begin to crown. Fire burns through my core again and I take a deep breath before I push once again. I can hear the doctor counting slowly. "One... two... three... ...eight... nine... ten."
When the doctor stops counting I take a break and lean back in the tub. He doesn't seem to want to come out.
"Again," Alice screams at me, not willing to give me any time to rest between pushes. "Either you push him out or I will cut him out of you."
Tears stream down my cheeks as I look at the blood-stained water. I know that I am bleeding too much. "I need a hospital," I moan as another contraction overcomes my body.
"There is no time," Alice screams at me. "Now deliver my son."
My mind doesn't have time to register what she just said. The incredible urge to push takes over my body. Closing my eyes, I grab a hold of the bathtub and push. Doctor Wilson begins to count but I do not stop pushing when he hits ten. Suddenly, I feel something slip from my body. Doctor Wilson pulls my son from the water and he is not screaming like his sister. The doctor wraps my son in a towel and I reach out my arms to grab him, but Doctor Wilson puts him in the arms of Alice.
"Please let me see my son," I cry as I reach for the mound of golden curls that are sticking out of the towel.
Doctor Wilson cuts the cord and stands up, leaving me alone in the bathtub. Alice smiles down at my son and whispers sweetly to him, "You are perfect."
Before I can reach for him again, Alice takes my son and walks out of the bathroom. "We need to leave now," she says to the doctor. "Tell everyone to head to the next location."
Doctor Wilson looks at me with pity. "I am sorry, Luna," he whispers before he leaves me alone in the bathroom.
Silence falls over the bathroom and I realize that my daughter has stopped screaming. Panic rises in my chest as I look at my daughter lying still on the ground. Reaching over the edge of the bathtub I try to touch my daughter but she is just out of my reach. I hear the front door of the cabin open and shut several times.
A hush falls over the whole cabin and I know that I am alone. I can feel my vision getting blurry and I know that I don't have much time left. Looking over the edge of the tub, I can see the subtle rise and fall of my daughter's chest. It may be too late for me but I refuse to believe that it is too late for her.
Grabbing the side bathtub, I pull myself up and flip myself over the edge of the tub. Dragging myself across the bathroom floor on my stomach I rummage through the linen closet and pull out several towels. As I spin around on the floor I try to ignore the amount of blood that is trailing on the floor behind me.
Scooting myself back across the floor toward my daughter, I wrap her in a towel and lay her down next to me. Holding her close to me she nuzzles into my chest and immediately begins to suckle. I gently stroke the raven-colored hair on top of her head.
"One of darkness and one of light," I whisper as I look at my daughter. I think about the mound of golden curls that I saw peeking out of the towel that Alice was holding. Of course, Alice would want the baby that is blessed by the Moon Goddess.
I shiver as I lay on the ground and I make sure to wrap another towel around my daughter. I need to make sure that she stays warm.
Once again, I open the bond link between myself and the triplets. It feels like I have done this thousands of times over the past few months. Desperate to hear their voices just one more time.
'I had the babies,' I say weakly through the bond. 'Your mother took the boy and left me to die. I will probably not be here when you find us, but please take care of this beautiful little girl and never stop looking for your son.'
I wait for a moment to see if I get any response. But like always I am met with nothing but silence. The mark on my neck is beginning to throb as the darkness overcomes my vision. A ringing noise is all I can hear in my ears but I swear that as I lay on the ground I feel the tingles of the mate bond. I try to open my eyes to see if my mates have finally come for me but it is as if my eyes are glued shut. The ringing in my ears comes to a stop and I am met with nothing but darkness.