Nothing Dark Can Stay, Either

Chapter 44

By the time Beatrix got to Whitmore Medical Center, Caroline was already unconscious.

"Shit!" she hissed, running in just before Stefan Salvatore.

The man entered behind her and raised his eyebrows in surprise. Beatrix put her hands on Caroline's belly and began to siphon immediately, sending that the twins were moving around inside.

"What the hell happened?" said Stefan, coming over. "Valerie had just siphoned not too long ago."

"They're ready to come out," said Beatrix, biting her lip. "Alright— call the doctors that have been treating her and have her be prepped for her C-section, I'll need to go with them to get acquainted with the OR. Call Valerie. Get a whole wing shut down, if possible, to avoid anyone coming in and seeing.

"Sure," said Stefan, speeding out into the hallway. He pulled at two doctors who immediately kicked up a lock on Caroline's bed and began to roll it out, walking silently toward the nearest Operating Room. Beatrix felt her heart rate accelerating.

For one, she'd been far too busy these past months. She'd studied as much modern medicine as she could, but it was very different to actually be here. She really hoped that she had studied enough.

After scrubbing in and being given her gown by the other doctors, Beatrix moved forward and examined Caroline, looking up and seeing Stefan and Valerie outside the window, looking in worriedly. "Call Alaric," said Beatrix when she saw him. "His babies are ready to come into this world, and we can't wait much longer."

Stefan immediately picked up his phone, and Beatrix tried to concentrate on the task at hand instead of the phone call. It didn't seem like Alaric would make it within the next half hour.

"Alright," said Beatrix, looking around at the other doctors and nurses. She held her hand out. "Scalpel?"

"Here you are, Doctor," said one of the nurses, handing it to her. It gave Beatrix a thrill, remembering when she had done this decades ago. Perhaps, after this, she would go back to Medical School.

"Preparing to make the incision," Beatrix stated as she brought the blade down onto Caroline's belly. But when she pressed in, it didn't work. She tried to press slightly harder, but blood simply pooled out without an incision able to occur.

Behind her, the heart monitors were going haywire. They began to sound erratically as both babies' heart rates began to increase rapidly. Beatrix held up the scalpel and stopped cutting, letting out a shaky breath as the heart monitor began to beep normally again.

She looked up as Stefan and Valerie ran into the room. "What happened?" Stefan asked frantically.

"The babies don't want to be born," said Beatrix, setting the scalpel down. The tray of tools suddenly flew to the floor, and they all leapt away from it. "They want to stay inside to feed off of Caroline as a source of magic. The womb is too comfortable for them."

She started to pull Caroline's gown back over her tummy, but Stefan still looked confused. "So that's it? We leave them there?"

"Of course not," said Beatrix. "Valerie and I simply need to work out a spell first."

"A spell?" asked Stefan. "For what?"

"Oh," said Valerie pensively. "I think I see what you mean... if we create a magic source out here..."

"The babies will want to follow it," finished Beatrix. "But we need help. Are the other Heretics still around?"

"Mary Louise, Nora, and Beau are," said Valerie. "I will call them." She then darted out of the room.