Ivy ( rise of the planet of the apes )

Chapter Seventeen

I calmed my breathing down and heightened my hearing to listen for the heartbeat of a baby. My own heartbeat was loud and blocked most sounds in my body. But alas, there it was. The fainted beating of a small heart that was barely even present. I found myself smiling, tears of joy now in my eyes instead.

"Ivy?", Caesar spoke up, looking at me in concern again.

"I can hear the baby's heartbeat", I squealed, holding my stomach with both hands and grinning like a mad woman at Caesar. He looked at me in amazement and walked over to me, putting one hand on my stomach and the other on my cheek. I tried my best to keep smiling as he began to mush my cheeks together with both hands and looked at me.

"I'm...proud of you", he smiled, leaning forward and kissing my forehead before letting me go.

"I'm glad you're happy", he signed, patting me on the cheek once more before turning away and walking back to his wife. I smiled and waved at the pair before leaving their home to go find Jace. 

"It might not be so bad", I found myself saying. "What could go wrong?"

I walked down the stairs of the tree and on to level ground, walking across the camp to where I could see Jace and Holly sitting with Ash and Blue Eyes. They were sat around a small fire, laughing and joking with each other about something. I found a space next to Jace and sat down, his arms almost immediately going around my waist.

"Everything go all right?", Jace asked, kissing the side of my head in greeting.

"Yeah, Cornelia's really sick. You should go see her later", I told him quietly, not wanting Blue Eyes to hear our conversation. He seemed happier now than he was when I last saw him, and I knew if he heard us it would only make him upset again.

"Will do", he mumbled, laying his head on my shoulder as I leaned forward to warm my hands from the heat of the fire. I found myself looking at Jace every so often and trying to imagine him as a Dad. I don't know whether to be excited or worried, to be frank.

"How's your wound?", I asked Jace, noticing how some of his breathing sounded strained.

"It's not bleeding anymore. Changed bandages when you were gone. Still hurts a lot though", he admitted. I winced at the thought of it, knowing it would be extremely painful.

"Stop winging. It's not that bad", Ash signed, laughing at Jace mockingly. I snorted, earning a slap on the back of my head from Jace.

"Your meant to be on my side!", he scolded me in annoyance. I laughed, scooting away from him and towards Holly who was now giving Jace scary looks. I snickered, enjoying how Jace now felt a little uncomfortable under Holly's threatening glares. Ash and Blue eyes also joined me in laughing at Jace's discomfort.

"Why are you even comparing my bullet wound to yours? You got off easier than me", Jace snorted, pointing at Ash's gunshot wound on his shoulder. Ash laughed back, shaking his head in disagreement before bringing his hands up to sign.

"I dodged my bullet actually, but you just stood there and waited for the bullet to hit you", Ash signed, snorting when Jace's jaw dropped at the accusation.

"Who do you think you are? James Bond?", Mia said rhetorically, taking a seat next to Jace. Both Ash and Blue eyes just gave her a confused look, tilting their heads to the side in question. I smiled at that.