Wren's P.O.V
I've been sitting out in the woods a lot lately. But this time Jack sits on the fallen log across from me. He's still wearing his mask though, just like pretty much always.
Jack looks at me and he takes a breath; it's almost as if he wants to say something. He just looks away and stays silent. I don't know why he does things like that.
"What is it?" I ask.
"It's nothing," he quickly answers.
"I'm not stupid, Jack," I say. "I can tell something's on your mind,"
"Fine... I have a question,"
"Ask away,"
"Why do you stay if you know how ugly the scars are underneath my mask?" he asks cautiously.
I take a moment to think about the question. Then I finally come up with my answer. "I stay because, to me it's not about what's on the outside; it's the inside that counts most."
"And I still don't get how you want to stay with me even though I've killed so many people," he says, almost mystified.
"It's not your fault you were driven to madness. That's something I can forgive you for," I answer.
I twist and hang my legs over the trunk of the tree. Jack comes over and puts his arm around me. "I still can't believe we're supposed to have a baby in six months..." I say.
"Yeah," Jack sighs.
We sit there for a few more minutes. But we decide to get up and walk through the chilly December air hand-in-hand. We get inside and I take off my sweater and hiking boots. But Jack stays at the door.
"What're you doing, baby?" I ask.
"I'm gonna go out. I need some food," he says.
I already know that by "food" he means kidneys or some sort of organ. He never brings back the organs he takes from people. I'm actually okay with that.
"Alright," I say.
Jack leaves.
I really do wish he could see his own inner beauty when he looks at the mirror. I walk to the bathroom and look in the mirror. I turn and lift up my shirt. I just stare at my baby bump. It has grown, so that means she's still alive.
What could Slender have meant by "something's wrong?" I mean, like everything seems normal. She does kick lightly every now and again but that should happen.
What are we even going to name her? I like the name Skylar; Jack doesn't really seem to care what it the name is. I rub my lightly swollen belly and smile.
What if she looks like me? I'd like it if she looked like Jack. I don't really find myself that beautiful, but Jack always says otherwise. I guess we're both the same in that way. I know inner beauty is in him and he knows it's in me; we both just can't see it.
But if the baby looks like me it would probably be kind of cool. Y'know having a little person that looked a bit like you. But I don't know. I'd love her either way.
I feel a kick right by my belly button, hard. I gasp. I laugh, "don't scare me like that, sweetie!" I use a cooing voice.
It's only that moment when there's a loud pounding on the door.
***
I rush to the door and throw it open. It's Jeff. He has a panicked look in his giant green eyes. "What the fuck is going on, Jeff?" I ask.
"It-it's Scarlett!" he says. "Her stomach's cramping and she's in a lot of pain! Please help!"
"Alright," I begin, "you need to just calm down. You freaking out won't make this situation any better,"
I get my sweater and hiking boots on. I write a note to Jack and leave it on the counter top:
Went to Jeff's place. It's an emergency. If you get this and I'm not back, that's where I am.
~Wren
I walk quickly out the door and close it. Jeff leads me over to his cabin. Even from about fifty yards away I can hear Scarlett screaming in pain.
We run into the house and I find Scarlett on the bed, clutching her pretty large stomach. It's huge for only six months in, she should not be ready to have her baby yet. "Hey, Scarlett. I hear you're not doin' so good," I say.
"You can say that!" she yells as another wave of pain floods over her.
I feel her belly and it feels like it's almost rippling. I feel things twisting and moving around, almost as if there's more than one... wait! More than one!
"Scarlett?"
"Yes?!" she spits at me.
"I don't think there's just one baby in there... I think there's three!" I say.
"Three?!" she screams. "How the fuck did this happen?!"
"Calm down, Scarlett. They may just be shifting and moving around each other," I tell her slowly.
I turn the light on since the winter sun has already gone down and it's getting darker by the minute. Then an idea comes to me: something hot usually helps with a sore stomach! I stride out of the room and take the clothes iron they have in the corner of the living room.
"What're you doing?" Jeff asks.
"Well first of all, you're having what seems to be triplets. And second of all, something warm on her stomach can help with the stomach cramping she's experiencing. So can you please bring me that blanket sticking out of the closet?" I answer.
Jeff walks over to the closet and pulls out the blanket while I plug in the iron and pour some water into the old machine. Jeff tosses the blanket at me and I iron the whole thing as fast as I can. I fold it up and run back to Scarlett.
I lift up her shirt to her ribs just like Slender Man does every time he checks on how my baby is coming along. I place the folded blanket on her giant bump and she has almost some instant relief. Scarlett still yelps in pain but not as loud anymore, but her belly keeps on rippling. No, little ones. You can't come out yet, you're too early! I think to myself.
I sit beside Scarlett for well over an hour but she doesn't improve. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure she's started getting worse when it comes down to pain wise. I won't make her give birth to the children, not yet.
But I think we'll need Slender's opinion. I get up and walk to the house phone. I dial Slendy's number and he picks up a few rings later. "Hello?" he says.
"Slender Man, it's me. I need you at Jeff's RIGHT NOW. Scarlett's having triplets and she's in too much pain compared to what actually seems normal. So can you hurry... please?" I explain quickly.
"I'll be right there!"
He teleports and arrives a few seconds later. I take him to Scarlett and he feels her large stomach. Slender nods and looks at me, "we need to take them out now. I think one of them is strangling on the umbilical cord."
"But why are they putting her in so much pain? They're also not even close to being ready to be born!"
Slender Man looks at me with his blank face and shakes his head. "Immortals are always aware when something's wrong; even in the womb. So they're reacting to knowing their sibling is choking,"
"But like I just said: it's way too early to take them out!" I yell.
"Just by what I hear is going on, I'm guessing my babies need to come out?" Scarlett says loudly.
I take hold of her hand. "Yeah," I answer. "One might die if we don't,"
"Oh, no..." she whispers.
"I need to find a way to actually do this," Slender Man says. "It would be best and safer for all of them if I were to cut them out of you,"
"If it means all three of them get to live, just do it!" Scarlett groans.
"Wren, go get a knife please," Slendy says.
I run out of the room and almost trip over Smile Dog as he lays on the floor, covering his ears and whimpering. I get to the kitchen and grab a knife. I walk quickly back to Jeff and Scarlett's bedroom.
"Isn't this going to hurt her?" I ask
"It won't hurt more than how much pain she's in now." Slender Man snaps.
I hand him the knife and he gets the knife perfectly lined up and starts the incision. I leave to get Jeff. He looks at me expectantly.
"She's really gonna need you now. We have to take the triplets out early," I say.
Jeff goes to the bedroom and I grab three blankets from the closet and run back into the bedroom as well. I find Jeff holding Scarlett's hand while she screams as Slender cuts through her stomach and into her womb. I really don't want this to happen when my baby decides to arrive.
Before I know it, a tiny red, slimy thing is pulled out of Scarlett. Slender hands it to me and tells me to hold it upside down. I do as I'm told and the little thing starts to cough.
A few minutes later the same thing happens. I do the same procedure and wrap up both of the newborns. A boy in a yellow blanket and a girl in a blue one. So far, the girl is the tiniest.
Slender Man pulls out the last baby. This is the one slowly losing his ability to breathe. He unwraps the baby's fleshy cord from around his neck and I hang him by his feet until he violently coughs. I wrap the boy up in a brown blanket. He's the biggest of them all and even though he was near death, he looks to be the strongest.
Slendy stitches the new mother back up and uses some of his power to put her to sleep so she can rest. Right before she goes to sleep she says she wants the boy in the brown blanket who nearly died, to be named Twist.
Twist... that's a different name. I think, but hey we all have different preferences. "I should uummm... I should go," I begin. "Jack's probably back and even though I left a note, he'll worry about me,"
Jeff turns and looks at me after placing the three babies on the bed. "Thank you so much. At least one of my children would be dead if you didn't come here,"
"Don't mention it." I say. "And I'll see if Jack and I can build you two extra cribs later,"
I exit the cabin and head down the trail back to my own home. I hear a loud rustle in the bush beside me, I turn my head and see a deer. For some reason, I like to smile at every good speck of life I see; even though it may annoy some people. I continue walking home.