How to Rattle an Undead Couple - Hailey Edwards Page 0,47
“For Grier and the baby?”
“There are risks with any child who possesses supernatural powers.” Dr. Rogers kept his distance. “What I recommend is bumping Grier’s cesarean up to dusk tomorrow. I need time to prepare for an emergency procedure.”
The baby released Linus’s finger and retreated, as if Grier’s panic had spooked him.
Clasping hands with her, Linus asked him, “Are you sure that’s the wisest course of action?”
“The child has the ability to manifest parts of himself outside his mother’s body. So far, he has control of the trick. What happens when he loses it? Assuming he is human in form, as the ultrasound suggests, he could corporealize with an appendage piercing Grier’s stomach.”
Pallor swept through her as what he meant registered, and Linus’s gut clenched in sympathy.
“Early delivery sounds good,” she rushed to assure him. “Let’s do it.”
“I’ll clear my schedule for the next seventy-two hours. I will be on call for you, and you alone. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re in pain or discomfort. I’ll have my staff ready to receive you at dusk.”
“Thanks.” She rallied a polite smile. “We’ll see you then.”
“I’ll walk him out.” Lethe rubbed her arms. “I’ll be right back.”
Once they were alone, Linus faced Grier. “Our son is going to be a handful.”
“You would think a noncorporeal child would have shown up during one of my fifty ultrasounds.”
“You’re speaking to him, and he understands you. Developmentally, he’s not an infant. He will be aware, and alert, if this is any indication.” Linus brushed the hair from Grier’s forehead. “I knew any child of yours would be a miracle, but this…”
“Ours,” she corrected him tartly. “I didn’t get this way on my own.”
“Ours,” he agreed, his heart full to bursting.
“You’re the genius,” she continued. “Clearly, his intellect is your fault.”
“He already loves you.”
A huff of laughter eased her frown lines. “We can’t know that.”
“He couldn’t wait to meet you.” He smoothed a hand over her stomach. “He reached out to you.”
“Literally.” Her amusement faded, and she studied him. “What do we do?”
“Focus on keeping our son where he belongs for twenty-four more hours.”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” She gentled her voice. “What about your mother?”
“The others will continue the search. No one knows how Boaz thinks better than Clem.”
“I figured there must be another reason why you wanted him home so badly.”
Footsteps pelted the stairs, and Adelaide rushed to the doorway with her phone in hand.
“Good news?” Grier elbowed a pillow into submission. “Your cheeks are all flush.”
“Too much cardio,” she joked, her teeth sawing on her bottom lip. “It’s just…”
“Tell us.” Grier covered his hand with hers. “You’re not going to catapult me into labor with your news.”
“Boaz texted me a string of numbers.” She forwarded it to both of them. “I think they’re coordinates.”
“Check your phone,” Grier urged him. “You’re not betraying me by worrying about your mother.”
Loyalties torn, he did as she instructed and had to agree. “Have you checked them?”
“Yeah.” Adelaide toed the floor with her sneaker. “I wouldn’t have bothered you otherwise.”
“Don’t keep us in suspense.” Grier smiled at her. “Where’s the party?”
“A lingerie store on Abercorn Street.”
“Your face says you’re not joking,” Grier clarified, “but your mouth delivered one half of a punchline.”
“That’s what I got.” Adelaide spread her hands. “Linus is welcome to check behind me.”
Phone in hand, he did just that and came to the same conclusion. “She’s right.”
“Do we know of any tunnels in the area?” Grier lips pursed. “That would explain it.”
Worrying the hem of her shirt, Adelaide asked Grier, “Can you ask Savannah?”
“Not through the wards.” She shook her head. “Even if Woolly took them down, which is too risky, it’s easier to communicate with her directly.”
The reminder of how nuanced her bond with Savannah had grown gave him an idea of how to avoid surprises, such as his mother’s, in the future. Grier could ask the city to report unusual activity underground, and they could zero in on it before it caught them unawares.
That would help going forward, but it was useless to them now.
“I can’t make it down the stairs again,” Grier confessed. “Activity riles up LJ, and I’m not afraid to admit the mental picture of his hand getting stuck halfway through my navel is one I’m going to have nightmares about for years to come.”
Relief cascaded through Linus, and he was grateful not to have to be the bad guy and suggest she stay in bed except for bathroom breaks until it was time