Prego and the Phoenix 🐇↩️✔

Arabella - Twenty-Five

Expect the unexpected. That is the way of life. It is best if you sit back and just let things happen, not expecting anything and expecting everything. Neutral ground is the only thing that will keep you from disappointment and pain. Not thinking makes things so much easier than realization...

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It is decided that we will leave in the morning, just in case Trevor's cohorts are watching us to see what we are doing in regards to what happened between Bourne and Humphrey. I don't really know what Trevor will do or how far along the insanity trail he's strolled but all I know is I'm not taking any chances. He got his hands literally on one of Bourne's most trusted friends and I won't let him get any closer.
"You can sleep in my room and I'll go sleep on the couch." Bourne says, his long pants dragging the floor a little as they hang loosely on his hips. "If you need anything I'll be there."
As the night had progressed, the amount of sheen that had been on Bourne from before had elevated and he was looking rather spent; tired and definitely not feeling well.
"Bourne, are you alright?"
"I'm not exactly up to par but you must remember that I did get stabbed and I phoenixed. It takes energy from me sometimes." He says with a small smile.
"I don't want to kick you out of your bed, Bourne. Sleep in the bed with me." He gives me a skeptical look. "Oh, don't be modest now... We've slept in the same bed before and nothing happened between us."
I smiles softly and puts his hands in the pockets on the pajama pants.
"Are you sure you won't be uncomfortable?"
"I'll be fine, I assure you." I say, patting the bed for him to come.
He nods and gets in slowly, seeming to be a bit of pain. His head hits the pillows and I can almost visibly see the exhaustion that he has been trying to hide overcome him and he relaxes, letting that fatigue take over him. I turn over and look at him, hoping that he is just tired.
"I'm sorry to cause you so much trouble..." I say, touching his face lightly.
"You're not trouble at all... You'll have to forgive me but I'm dead tired. I don't think I can keep my eyes open for another second."
I nod and let him drift into sleep. I then snuggle in the covers myself and turn away from him, holding my stomach to keep my baby at bay. He likes to skip around in there at night, so it seems.

*********************************

I wake with a start and sit up a little, the morning sun just shining through the window. I breathe heavily, the dream I just had causing me to freak out. I feel Bourne's arm around my waste and look over at him. He looks very flushed and very pale. The sweat is dripping off of him and if not for the rise and fall of his chest, I would think he were dead. I touch his forehead and it's hot so I shake Bourne awake.
"Bourne, wake up. We need to get going."
Bourne stirs weakly but opens his golden eyes. He looks very sick and not up to doing anything at all. I smile and he smiles back, though his is haggard.
"Come on, we need to get everything together and get out of here. I'll make sure we have everything and you go wake your mother."
He nods and gets up sluggishly, but makes his way out of the bedroom.
I quickly make sure we have everything and then head to the bathroom to pee and brush my teeth and hair. As I finish, Bourne goes in after me and I get dressed as I hear Alexis rummaging in the house. Bourne comes into the room and gets dressed and then grabbing the suitcase to take out in the hall.
"Ai, Dios, mio!" I hear Alexis say as I walk toward the kitchen.
She whips out some Spanish and Bourne talks back to her though not very heated. I understand about two words of it but she sounds worried. As I walk into the kitchen, she looks at me.
"Ah, Arabella, my son is crazy and believes he will still take you on that motorcycle. Do you see how he look? Convince him..." she says, pointing to her son.
I nod. "Your mom is right, Bourne. We'll just take a car and I'll drive. Just tell me where you want to go and I'll get us there."
"But-"
"No buts! To think you were going to drive like this." she says, gesturing to him.
Bourne just sighs and takes the suitcase toward where the car is.
Alexis looks at me and grabs my hand.
"Arabella, please take care of my son. As you have probably seen, he is not well."
"Yeah, I know. I'll take care of him, Alexis."
She nods and I give her a big hug. "Thank you so much for taking me in. I felt really loved here..."
"De nada, mija."
I nod and go to the car.
I open the driver's side door and look over as Bourne has tightly wrapped himself in his jacket and is leaning against the door. He is asleep again and from the looks of him, he has been asleep ever since he got into the car. I start the car up and go to the hotel.

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From the directions that I read from the paper Bourne had left, I pull up to a pretty swanky hotel and get out, feeling it safe to leave Bourne for a moment. I check us in and then wake him up. We get up to the room and I go to the hotel and call Alexis' house, telling her we made it.
I go back up to the room and find Bourne asleep again, looking just exhausted and completely pooped out. I touch his forehead softly and feel that it is very warm.
"Bourne, are you awake?"
"Mmm..." he answers, opening an eye.
"Are you sick?"
He shakes his head. "Just hot..."
"Well why don't you go and take yourself a cold shower to get you cooled off? I think it would be for the best. We don't know if it's the phoenix or not and the cold water might help, alright?"
He nods and I help him to his feet as he shuffles to the bathroom. I sigh and sit on the bed, looking at the very nice and big room. I have never been a hotel this big, nor with a room this size. The décor is amazing and I wonder why (and how) Bourne can afford all of this. I lay back on the bed and gaze at the ceiling, wondering what to do when I hear this horrific crash coming from the bathroom. I jump up and go to it, opening the door.
"Bourne? Bourne, are you alright?" I ask, stepping in.
I gasp when I see the sight of the shower curtain having been ripped up and Bourne is down in the bottom of the tub, breathing labored. I bend as best and can to turn the water off and then remove the bar and curtain from where it had fallen. I find a towel and cover his bottom half as I get him up from the tub. He is shivering but still burning hot at the same time.
"Bourne, you're going to have to help me."
He stands up with help and I plop into one of the chairs. He gets water everywhere but I just simply begin to dry him off as he shivers uncontrollably under the towels. As soon as I finish drying his face, he plunges his forehead onto my shoulder and stays there for a bit.
"What's going on?" I ask, holding him closer.
"So cold... so hot... I don't know what I'm supposed to feel..." he says with a shiver on his words and another up his spine.
I rub his bare shoulders with my hands to create some friction and heat on his skin but it doesn't seem to help.
"Don't you worry-"
"I think... I think I'm about to-" he gasps loudly, his head going back and his arms stretching out on either side of him.
I scoot back, unsure what's happening and watch as he stays that way for a moment and then shivers violently, lurching forward. I catch him quickly and he grabs hold of my shirt.
"Bourne-"
"God it hurts!"
"Tell me what's wrong-"
He lets out a yell and I feel him shift and reform. It is... creepy. The flesh seems to tighten and move about over muscles as they too move and seem to constrict. Until I look at him, I don't understand that it is him that is changing. As I pull back, I am looking at a younger Bourne. He yells again and I watch him transform again. He clutches me with all his might at the pain and I endure, knowing there will be bruises later. Soon, after what seems forever, I hold in my arms my boyfriend, a baby.

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Bourne goes to sleep again, seeming to grow and revert at an alarming rate. It seems like every hour he is changing from one form to the other and I know that has to be painful. After about the seventh time of him changing into his old self, I see him move and then he lifts his head.
"Arabella?" he slurs.
I go to him, holding his hand.
"I'm here... Are you alright?"
"I don't know... Arabella, I'm starting to lose my memory."
"Don't be preposterous-"
"The amount of changing that I'm doing is unhealthy and you know that my mind isn't very expanded in those earlier stages. All these changes and stuff is making the phoenix crazy... plus, I'm not phoenixing, I'm just reverting and growing without fire."
"What do you want me to do, Bourne? I don't know what I can do to help you..."
Bourne winced and held out his hand to me. "Please stay beside me..."
I nod and get in the bed with him, letting him settle his head against my shoulder. He shivers violently and I feel as if my belly is lurching. I gasp but the baby calms down quickly and Bourne is fast asleep again. I push some hair from his sweating brow and he mumbles something to me but I sigh, wondering what to do.
"Tell me a story..." he says softly. "I don't care what it is..."
"I'm a horrible story teller."
Bourne snuggles closer and then winces again.
I pull the covers over us and try my hand at telling a story before my own voice makes me sleepy and I fall asleep against Bourne.