Diana enjoyed her time with Maggie. The week was very eventful and it was so full of activities, she forgot about her daily sorrow. Maggie had also prepared some wonderful meals for her and she was so happy with them, she requested the recipes since there were no means of preserving them that easily.
Diana had seen her off to the train station and watched her leave. She felt a little sadness in her heart since she knew that she was returning to her lonely state.
Rather than sitting at home though, she applied for a job in the post office. She worked from 9 am till 5 pm. Then she would return home and relax for the evening until it was bedtime.
Diana enjoyed her work and it kept her busy during the day. At the start, it was extremely stressful for her, but gradually, she began to get used to it. She spent six months with them and by then it was obvious to everyone that she was expecting a child.
One day she was returning from work, and she met someone seated on her rocking chair right outside her house. Getting closer, she saw that it was Julitta.
"Julie?" She called. "You're back?"
Julitta woke up at the sound of the familiar voice. Her gaze became focused on the woman who had doubled in size. Her stomach was round and so big that Julitta couldn't stop staring.
"Is it just six months?" Julitta asked. "Or have I been gone for even longer? The baby seems to be bigger than the regular six months."
"That's what people say. I don't exactly know when I fell pregnant but from when I started counting, this should be the sixth month."
"How many times did you guys have sex?" Julitta asked. "Was it not once?"
"It was more than once. But if I count from the first time, it is six months, yes."
"Geez," Julitta exclaimed softly. "Come on, I got a new pie recipe! You will love it!"
"I also got a new pie recipe too! And you will love it as well!" Diana said, walking hand in hand with the younger woman into her house.
"Ah, I miss this place! I couldn't stop thinking about it." Julitta exclaimed, breathing in the air. "Smells like home."
"Duh! Where do you live in town?" Diana asked. Julitta stopped smiling.
"Yeah well, I don't exactly live here anymore. My family died in the last fire outbreak."
"Last fire outbreak? Does that mean there have been several fire outbreaks?" Diana inquired. Her hand subconsciously protectively went around her protruded belly. Julitta observed it.
"Yeah well, that was over ten years. That's why I chose to join the army."
Diana placed her hand on Julitta's shoulder.
"Darling, I am so sorry," Diana said, tearing up. "That is so sad and it brings tears to my eyes, and I don't even know why!" She cried.
Julitta stared at her, wondering why she was crying about something that had happened about ten years ago.
"Are you crying?" Julitta asked. "Why are you crying? It's been long and I've gotten over it."
"Do you not care about your family? How can you not mourn them?* Diana sobbed. Julitta stared on in surprise. It must be the pregnancy hormones. But why were things happening so extremely to her? Everything was on the high side.
Julitta held her shoulder and pulled her in a hug. "It's alright, they wouldn't want us to be so sad."
Diana sniffed. She suddenly remembered the pie she had made earlier in the day. She gasped.
"Goodness me!" She covered her mouth instantly. "I forgot about the pie!" Julitta saw the twinkle in her eyes and she chuckled. She also noticed that her eye color seemed to be turning a sort of green. She tried not to be too obvious in her observance. Everything about the woman was changing.
"Have your eyes always been greenish?" She suddenly voiced out.
"Huh?" Diana asked in return. "Greenish?" She quickly went to the mirror to see for herself. The moment she saw her eyes, she knew that it was her werewolf ability trying to kick in and it must be because she hadn't transformed for the past six months. Also, she was pregnant.
"It's pretty," Julitta said. "I think it's because of the pregnancy."
Diana blinked twice and her eye color returned to normal. She blinked again and it was still brown. She turned to stare at Julitta.
"They're still brown." She said, Julitta hurried to see for herself. She was indeed shocked when she saw that it was still brown.
"This is ... Weird." She murmured. Diana ignored it and went into the kitchen to warm the leftover pie. When she finished that, she served the pie and both of them are in silence.
Julitta enjoyed every bite and it was even better than the recipe she had come with. She was thankful to have not insisted that hers be made first.
"This is so good! Where did you get them?" She asked with a mouthful of pie crust.
Diana smiled. "A friend came visiting, she makes such delicious meals!"
"Wow! I would love to meet her! What town does she reside in? Is she a citizen of France?"
"Nope. I met her on the train on my way here. She stopped at Sunshine town and she came to visit me for the week." Diana explained. "She has surely come twice after that. She has this lovely daughter!"
"And you want to have a daughter too?" Julitta asked.
"How many times are you going to ask, Litta?" Diana snorted playfully. Julitta laughed.
"Litta? So you're calling me a litter?" She teased. Diana shook her head, laughing.
They chatted for the rest of the evening and Julitta spent the night with her. The following day, she took her to the market to get some clothes for herself and the baby. She also informed the carpenter to make the crib and also to make a baby stroller.
Julitta made sure to keep Diana company for the week. She accompanied her to work and picked her up to bring her home. Diana was being treated like a baby and she enjoyed every bit of it.
Once in a while, she would assume it was Calhoun who was taking so great care of her and she would smile so sweetly, Julitta would just chuckle and shake her head.
After Julitta returned to work, Diana spent another two months working in the post office until her time was near. She knew that however, the labor pain was going to be, she couldn't trust the human nurses to deliver her. She had to do it alone.
While she was in her final days, she received another guest. It was Maggie and her daughter and a baby.
Diana was the happiest to see Maggie with a baby. She wondered how Maggie delivered before her. Her tummy was bigger than Maggie's.
"It doesn't always work like that. My tummy doesn't get big until after the fourth month. The doctor says my babies don't grow too big at the initial stage but when they do, it's as if they ate a growth sprout tree." She explained. Diana laughed. Growth sprout tree? Was there such a thing?
"There can't be any such thing," Diana said. "He's so pretty!" She gushed.
"I know! So, when are you going to the hospital? Your tummy looks like the baby is about to come out." Maggie said. "Come on, you might deliver in a day or two."
"About that Maggie... Do you think you can assist me to deliver here at home?" Diana asked. "See, where I come from, hospitals aren't exactly a thing. We use midwives."
"That's okay, we can arrange for that too," Maggie said. "You need professional care. I lack knowledge."
"I can't trust anybody," Diana said. In truth, she couldn't trust herself to not transform at all. What if something bad happened and she managed to expose herself? She was sore and afraid. Would her child be killed?
"Breath, Diana," Maggie said. "Nothing will happen to you or your child. I can tell you're afraid of something and if you strongly feel that way, I can get one midwife and I'll be here with her."
Diana nodded. That was more acceptable. She relaxed instantly.
"Oh, by the way, I've learned your recipe! It's fire!!" Diana gushed. "I have introduced it to several people and they all want to know the secret but I tell them to pay for it."
"Oh really?" Maggie giggled. "Show me what you got then."
Diana happily went into the kitchen with her protruding tummy and began to prepare the pie. Maggie took her things into the room to arrange them. Her daughter was with her everywhere she went. When she got in, she saw the crib and stroller which Diana had gotten for her baby yet to come. She fell in love with it instantly.
"Diana! Where and how did you get such a beautiful baby wheelchair?" Maggie asked, pulling it along with her.
"Baby wheelchair?" Diana busted out into laughter. "Maggie! That's called a stroller!"
"Whatever." Maggie muttered, feigning annoyance. "where did you get it?"
"Julie had this nice carpenter make it for me. It's wooden and the only thing that's not wooden are the tires." Diana explained. "He even added cushion for the baby to get them comfortable."
"How sweet! Diana, you have to call the man for me! I need to get one of these for my baby!"
"Yes, yes Maggie," Diana said, nodding in surrender. "I will get it for you."
"Thanks. How is the pie coming out, you look very tired yet you sound so energetic as well."
"I'm feeling a little pain here and I don't know, I feel pressed," Diana explained. "Can you watch this while I quickly go use the restroom?"
"Diana, do you want to birth your child in the toilet? If not, then just come over here." Maggie said, pulling her carefully to the bench. Diana sat on the bench and she felt the contraction. It was indeed painful and she wanted to scream but held herself.
After an hour of excruciating pain, Diana finally heard the cry of her baby. Maggie held the child in her arms and went to wash him. Diana's neighbor had arrived and helped them too. She watched over Maggie's children while Maggie helped Diana give birth.
"Is it a boy?" Diana asked softly.
"Yeah. You were so right on this one, D. It's a boy!" Maggie exclaimed.
Diana smiled softly. She was more than excited. Nobody knew why. It was simply because it was enough proof that she had broken the curse on Calhoun. She giggled a little. Once she held her child close to her chest, she slept off.
Maggie watched her while she slept. She noticed a few things about the baby. The boy had golden green eyes and his hair was somehow greyish. He also looked nothing like Diana. Perhaps he looked like his father. So she thought.
Diana slept until it was midnight. She awoke to the ray of the full moon caressing her skin. Her eyes were bold green and she could feel her body transforming. She got up from the bed. Her baby was in his crib, besides Maggie's baby. Maggie and her daughter were also on the bed where she had just gotten up.
She walked out of the room and out of the house. Standing directly under the moonlight, she could feel her body transforming slowly. She tried to stop it but it wasn't working. The more she fought against it, the more painful it was. She could sense a presence approaching her and she so badly wanted to stop the transformation.
The person reached out to her and placed her hand on her shoulder. Diana's response was to turn quickly and grab her hand in a tight grip.
Maggie whimpered softly. "Diana?"