There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 734: Side Story 4. Endless Journey - 17

"Suddenly?!"

Rina parted her lips in shock. If Cohen had been able to get here, it would have meant that Zein was fine when he had called earlier. In that case, something happened during that time frame?

"Seems like his waters broke," Cohen replied after reading the message from his clansmen. "It’s four days earlier than the planned c-section, but it’s nothing dangerous."

"Oh, so he’s alright?"

"Yes. He’s on the way to the hospital now, and the C-section will be held tonight."

Rina let out a relieved breath, but Cohen frowned slightly. He looked at his new official girlfriend apologetically. "I’m sorry...I know you want me to stay, but--"

"Let’s go," Rina nodded instead, snatching her long cardigan from the coat closet.

Cohen blinked. "Yes?"

"Zein is my friend too," Rina shrugged. "If he’s about to give birth, I also want to be there."

She couldn’t do it last time because everything was so sudden, and she was in the middle of clearing a dungeon outside of Althrea. Certainly, after spending a lot of time with Zein’s current pregnancy--while visiting Cohen and the twins--she wanted to be one of the first people who witnessed the princess of Ishtera.

"But I’m going to be guarding, so--"

"And I’m going to babysit," Rina smirked. "Do you think Bassena will be able to babysit two energetic boys? He’ll turn into a panic child himself."

"...right."

"Right?" Rina winked and grabbed the man’s hand. "Let’s go!"

Cohen looked at the defender while getting dragged to the door. "Rina,"

"Mm?"

He placed his hand against the door frame and leaned down to kiss her softly. In her lips this time. "Would it be too early to say I love you at this point?"

"No," she smiled and kissed the man again, just to suppress the giggle that wanted to escape her. "Say it a lot, as much as you can."

* * *

This time, Cohen went to the Iron Shield’s branch and used one of the new helicopters purchased this year. He didn’t want to do it while going to Rina’s place because it was a personal business, but getting back to the patriarch was a clan’s business.

Looking for Zein’s room was not difficult; it was a Mortix-owned hospital, and naturally, the patriarch of House Ishtera occupied a whole VIP section. Not because of his status or anything but because they were worried Bassena would spread his terrifying mana everywhere.

And it was a wise decision.

When they arrived, only the Iron Brigade and Han Shin were there aside from Zein’s family, which was understandable--since there were waves of strong, distressed mana coming from Bassena. Reina and her children wouldn’t be able to get close at all.

Funnily enough, those waves of mana had no effect on the twins, who were patting and stroking their Baba’s back and arms.

"Auntie?" Kar greeted Rina when she got close.

"Pfft--why are you being babysat by your sons, Commander?" she scoffed in jest, but Bassena only raised his head dazedly.

"...huh?"

Rina chuckled and shook her head in amusement. "Geez--it’s not even your first time," she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. "But I guess Zein does like this side of you."

Hearing his husband’s name made Bassena flinch. He looked around and gasped. "Yeah? What about Zein? Is he out yet?"

Rina raised her brows--had Bassena acted like this before too? She had asked Cohen on the way and Bassena was not away this time. He was in the middle of playing with the twins when it happened, and he was sober enough to get Zein to the hospital as planned.

Once the c-section was underway, however, he became like this--according to the bodyguards. It seemed like not being able to see Zein made him overthink things too much. With the twins, he arrived without seeing Zein in pain or looking uncomfortable. This time, he saw everything.

And he was terrified.

Turned out that being there but not able to do much was as bad as being away when it all happened.

"Hey, I think you should guard him instead," Rina glanced at Cohen, who was smiling wryly. "I’ll take the twins."

"Okay," Cohen nodded gratefully. Because of this mana, the nannies also couldn’t be there to take care of the twins. It was truly a blessing that Rina came with him. "Thanks."

"Reward me later," Rina winked, before clapping her hands at the twins. "Let’s go, kids!"

"Go? Go where? Dada is thele, Auntie!" Asa pointed at the room at the end of the corridor.

Rina leaned down and whispered to the twins. "Your Dada won’t be out for another hour, so let’s prepare some gifts for him and your sister while waiting--how about it?"

"Plesent!" the amber eyes sparkled.

Kar nodded with a firm gaze. "Yes, let’s."

Rina laughed and gave her hands for the twins to grab. "Okay, follow me!"

They went hand-in-hand to the hospital’s ground floor. There was a section near the general maternity ward where people could buy flower bouquets or maternity gifts. The twins argued about which animal plushie to choose but reconciled while choosing flowers for the bouquet. White and blue ones. Rina wrote a simple message that children could do so the twins could copy it to the card attached to the bouquet.

While rewriting the message on the beautiful card, Asa asked curiously. "Auntie...ale you with Uncle Co’en now? Like Dada and Baba?"

Rina blushed a little bit. "Yeah..."

The older twin gasped. "So Auntie will come to play lots more?"

Rina turned to Kar with an arched brow. "You just want me to make you ice, huh?"

"Hehe..."

"Should I?" Rina laughed. "What do you think? Should I just live here instead of Althrea?"

The younger twin raised his arm. "Aca say yes!"

"Me too," Kar chimed in.

They giggled and continued to prepare the gift, not forgetting to put a sparkly silver ribbon on the bouquet as well as the plushie--a withe bunny, they decided in the end, because they remembered Dada telling them about a white rabbit called Cloudy.

When they returned to the VIP ward--surprise! Dada was out!

Instead of the hallway in front of the operating room, they were led to the patient suite instead. Their Dada had woken up and their Baba was in the middle of lamenting.

"I can’t do this anymore...I really can’t do this anymore..."

Zein laughed and stroked the platinum hair fondly. "You’re in luck. I’m satisfied now."

"Dada!"

"Careful, Asa. What if Dada still in pain?" Kar held his younger twin back from rushing to the bed.

Zein chuckled and beckoned them to get closer. "It’s okay; Uncle Shin already healed me."

Hearing that, Kar rushed to the bed faster than Asa could, which made the adults laugh amusedly. They brought a bouquet of white and blue flowers, and presented it to their father.

"For me?"

"Ung!" Asa nodded energetically while climbing to the bed. "Blue like glanma and white like glanny!"

Zein raised his brows and laughed. So the twins remembered the color of the flowers in their grandmothers’ graves. What sweet children. "Thank you," Zein patted their heads after Bassena carefully put the twins on either side of Zein. "Let’s have them on the nightstand, shall we?"

"Yes!"

The guide pointed at the white bunny plushie in Kar’s hand. "Is that for your sister?"

"Ung," Kar nodded.

Zein chuckled at the wide smile and anticipation in the twins’ eyes. He glanced at Rina and smirked. "Thank you, and I wanted to say congratulations, but I think ’finally’ is more suitable."

"Oh, don’t make me blush," Rina waved her hand in front of her blushing cheeks. "But where is the little princess?"

"Yes, Dada! Where’s lil sistel?"

"The nurses are cleaning her now--ah, there she is," Zein turned his head to the door, and Bassena immediately rushed to take his daughter from the nurse.

The twins were gasping and perked up on the bed, watching the bundle in their Baba’s arms with sparkling eyes and fluttering hearts. They stood on their knees, Asa holding his Dada’s upper arm and Kar hugging the bunny plushie with a silver ribbon.

When their Baba carefully placed the bundle in their Dada’s arms, the twins closed their eyes tight and opened them wide at the same time. There, nestled in their Dada’s arms, was a pretty little baby with healthy bronze skin and short strands of platinum hair. She squirmed and squinted her blue eyes, sparkling like jewels as the twins stared at them.

"Taraa--this is your new little sister," Baba ruffled the twins’ hair. "Congrats--you’re big brothers now."

"Baba, tsutsh--we’le in a moment."

Rina patted the strongest esper, who, once again, got pushed to the bottom rank. She smirked at the gasping father. "At least she has more of your features."

"I...I guess?"

"But that pretty face gene is unbeatable," she laughed and joined the twins to watch the little princess squirm again. "Oh--what do we call her?"

"Oh, right! Atsa and Kal also don’t know!"

After all, up until Zein had to go to the hospital, he had yet to choose a name. With how hectic and how much panic Bassena was, there was no time to tell anyone too.

"Ah, I decided after waking up earlier." fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"Yes?"

Everyone stared at Zein, who looked at his daughter with a gentle smile. He could feel the pulsing stigma on her nape, and he could only think of one name. "Lucretia," he said. His very first ancestor. "Her name is Lucretia."

"Oh..." Rina clutched her chest and sighed, glancing at Cohen who stood solemnly near the door, smiling at her. "That’s beautiful."

"Lu...Lukle...lukletiya?" Asa mumbled the name with a frown. "Kal, sistel name so difficult."

Even Kar was frowning in agreement this time. "Ung."

Zein laughed and gave them a way out. "You can call her Lucy."

"Glanma!" Asa nodded. "Luts...lutsi..."

"Lucy," Kar nodded.

Asa groaned in frustration, and the adults had to press their lips and stifle their laugh to not hurt Asa’s feelings.

"Uuuugh--lutsi...luss...lush...lussi...Lucy!" Asa jumped on his knees. "Lucy! Lucy!"

"Oh, congrats!" Bassena laughed and ruffled Asa’s hair. "Now you just have to work on your ’r’!"

"Good job, Asa!"

"Hehe..."

"Laftel! Nayi heal laftel!" the patient door slid open and a little--no, a big princess now--ran toward the bed. "Nayi want to see lil sistel too!"

Once again, having the whole ward to themselves was a good choice because Zein was not sure the room could contain three boisterous children who were more than excited to have a new addition. Even the ten-month-old Byul, who was usually so shy and gentle, made a lot of babbling noise and crawled on the bed. It was as if the bed had become a giant bassinet with all the toddlers.

Zein stroked his daughter’s coiling fingers on his, smiling softly. Isn’t it nice, dear daughter? Can you hear the voices of the people who love you?

May you never stay in a lonely place ever again.