"Susana!" Teresa shouts, bolting anxiously toward her daughter's room. Flinging the door open, she rushes to Susana's bed to examine her. "Susana, what's wrong?" Her daughter cries out and moans in her sleep once again.
"The same as always," Susana sighs deeply, adjusting herself on the bed.
"Another nightmare?" Teresa's eyes widen as she looks at her daughter's now pronounced belly.
"Yes..." Susana has been dreaming a lot about that stranger, but also of blood, of violent, terrifying confrontations.
"What time is the appointment today?" Teresa looks at her daughter with concern.
"After lunch," Susana replies as she gets up, stretching her arms above her head. Looking down, she notes that she can hardly see her feet anymore. "Three o’clock." Approaching her full-length mirror, she strokes her huge belly. "Mom, is it normal to be this big at six months?"
"Well..." Teresa swallows hard, noticing indeed the immense size of her daughter's womb. "It depends..." Clearing her throat, she tries not to think too much about the baby Susana might be carrying; that would lead to thoughts about the father, and she still hopes she's mistaken. "The child could be... large."
"Yeah... must be," Susana sighs, frustrated. She wonders how she can imagine what her child will look like when she doesn't know the father. Looking at her mother, she becomes thoughtful before adding, "This time we'll see if we can finally find out if it's a boy or a girl." Her mother had always supported her, accompanying her to appointments, taking care of her healthy diet, but deep down there's something odd about looking at her belly. Smiling, hoping to lift her mother's spirits, she asks, "What would you prefer?"
"It doesn't matter, daughter," Teresa says nervously, swallowing hard. "As long as the baby is healthy and... normal."
"Normal?" Susana frowns, sensing her mother's lack of enthusiasm once more.
"Perfect..." Teresa takes a deep breath, facing her daughter awkwardly. "That's what I meant!"
"Oh... okay..." Susana tenses, never really contemplating that aspect. She had thought her only job was to carry the baby for nine months, eat well, take the right vitamins, and then, when the time came, bring a perfect, healthy child into the world. But with all the tests, the analyses, creating a new being in your body isn't so simple. Life can get complicated, obstacles can arise, and she realizes she needs to be more aware of this from now on.
"What's going on?" Teresa steps beside her daughter, observing her silently stroking her belly for more than five minutes.
"Nothing," Susana breathes deeply. "I'm just thinking about how much I already love this baby, and I don't even know it yet." She looks tearfully at her mother. "I know you don't feel the same..." Despite the tears, she smiles. "I know you wanted to be a grandmother... but in the right way..." Lowering her eyes, she caresses her balloon-shaped womb with both hands. "But this child isn't to blame for my mistake..." Biting her lip, she looks at her mother. "And deserves all the love of its family... even the whole world."
"Oh, my daughter..." Teresa immediately embraces Susana, instantly regretting all her fears. "I love this child too," she admits. Though her daughter has been marked by a vampire, the baby might still be born human. Stroking her daughter's face, she adds, "I'm just a bit worried about you... about the future of a child... without a... father..." Smiling, she tries to show her daughter that everything is okay. "But from now on, I promise. I won't think about the future, only the present."
"That's okay, Mom!" Susana smiles, hugging her tightly. "I'm not asking for anything." Holding her gaze, she adds, "I only have to thank you for all the support these past six months."
"You don't have to thank me." Teresa is moved by Susana's words, her eyes welling up with tears, which she fights to hide. In truth, Susana shouldn't be thanking her mother because considering her daughter's future included the possibility of removing the child if it truly was born a hybrid. Feeling guilty for planning against her own blood all this time, Teresa turns away, instructing, "Now get dressed! I'll prepare breakfast." Walking briskly out of the room with loving intent, she says, "You need to eat well, so both of you are strong when the time comes." Her words have a double meaning, even if her daughter is unaware.
"Yes, Mother!" Susana beams, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She is indeed growing large. "You're growing so fast, my love!" she says to her belly, caressing it tenderly. Always wearing dresses had saved her a lot of money on maternity clothes; at this point, no jeans would fit her anyway. Slipping on one of her loosest dresses, she examines her body, spinning around. Biting her lip, she picks up one of the square pillows from her bedroom chair, sliding it under her clothes.
"Heavens! Will you get this big?" She is astonished. Her belly looks enormous compared to the rest of her body when her volume is increased. There was something intriguing; she hadn't gained much weight, and even the doctors didn't know why. Despite having a big appetite, she hasn't put on much weight and sometimes even loses despite taking supplements of calcium, magnesium, and iron. Occasionally, there was a problem with her blood, and no one could find the reason. However, as she was monitored monthly, she didn't worry much about it; she felt fine, aside from the more frequent dreams of the supposed father of her baby. It seemed he was trying to contact her through visions but never revealed his face.
Frustrated, she only sighs, tossing the pillow back onto her bed. She's getting cramps from so much hunger; it's time to fuel up. Smiling, she dashes to the kitchen, crying out just as a sharp pain hits her belly, so intense that it takes her breath away, and in the same moment... she loses her balance...
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