Project X ✔ [O L D V E R S I O N] - Chapter 28: Chapter 28

"Alexa?" She turned her face to the side, trying to make out the voice and squinted her eyes. It was so hard to see. It was taking so much energy to simply breathe and she was tired. She wanted to close her eyes. "Alexa?" The voice repeated and he shook her gently, but with enough force to wake her.
"Alexandra!" He said, a little more urgently.
Alexa groaned, forcing her eyes to look up and stared at the figure for a couple of seconds as she waited for her eyesight to adjust. It was Dram. His ear was bleeding profusely and half of his face was covered in dirt. "Are you okay?" She croaked.
He narrowed his eyes, feeling a bit relieved that she was able to talk. "I am fine. Come on, we need to get you to the XISC right away."
"Okay," she whispered, "teleport us there and make sure my baby's okay. I saw a lot of blood."
"I cannot teleport us there. The explosion messed up my watch, if I try to travel, pieces of our bodies could end up in different parts of the world."
"Ugh," she groaned weakly, "what about my baby, Dram? Is he okay?"
He crawled over to her stomach, gently turning her body to check and nodded, after he pressed his hand against it. It was still living. "He is okay. But a piece of plastic is stuck in your leg and near your ribcage; you lost a lot of blood."
Her eyes slowly closed and she whispered something incomprehensible under her breath. Dram sighed, slowly fixing her body so that he could carry her in his arms. "I am going to have to run to the XISC, Alexa, okay? It will make you feel dizzy and as much as I want you to stay awake, you will feel better if you close your eyes."
She nodded, moaning uncomfortably as she felt her body being lifted off the ground and he wrapped his arm around her legs tightly, but careful not to press against her wound. "I'm going to write a super long letter to the President about the way the military works," she slurred, slumping her head on Dram's shoulder.
He chuckled, making sure he had a steady grip on her and then began to run through the field as if his life depended on it. In a way it did; if anything happened to Alexa or her baby, Xander would kill him.
He had specifically told him to take Alexa out of harm's way, but she was stubborn and if it hadn't been for her, Xander would've been dead. His General should've thanked her instead of growling at her.
Dram shook his head and picked up his speed, his fallen comrades seeming like a blur as he sped by them. He could faintly hear Alexa mumbling under her breath and although she sounded crazy, he preferred to hear some type of sign that proved she was living rather than have her dead in his arms.
Her head slightly jumped with every step Dram took, but it felt like a steady beat against her body. It was almost like a heartbeat and it comforted her; it made her think of her baby living. If she stayed alive, so would her baby. She repeated it in her mind like a mantra.
Staying alive, meant seeing my baby. Staying alive, meant seeing my baby. Staying alive meant seeing my baby. My baby. Xander's baby. Our baby.
After what felt like an eternity, Dram finally ran into the XISC with Alexa in his arms, in bride-style form. Doctor Naveer was the first one who saw her; the other doctors were all in the battlefield, trying to bring back any soldier that they could find.
Even the humans were helping. Since the Xrions were short on staff, the Army brought in military personnel specialised in battle wounds and such. Their bombs weren't much help, but the help from the personnel was extremely appreciated.
"What in the world happen to Ms. Dominick?!" His blue eyes widened, panic flickering across them as he took in how badly wounded she was. Her cheek had a large purple bruise growing on it and her nose was dripping blood. Her chainmail had almost broken in half and her hair was tangled with blood and dirt.
"She went to war," Dram spoke proudly, looking down at her with appreciation clear in his eyes. He was proud of her; she was part of his squadron, but she was also his Queen. "She killed Queen Rhys."
Dr. Naveer blinked, dropping his jaw open and said, "B-but she is human..."
"And she is pregnant," Dram added.
"That is exactly why," Alexa slurred, feeling a bit annoyed that they hadn't placed her down yet, "you idiots should stop with the chit chat and check if my baby is okay!"
"Right, right," Dr. Naveer nodded, motioning for a nurse to bring over a stretcher, "place her on it gently, Lieutenant Dram, I do not want her wounds to cut in deeper."
Dram nodded, slowly placing her on the blue stretcher and Alexa moaned as the plastic in her ribcage slowly deepened in her skin. "Sorry," he grunted, cleaning his bloody hands on his pants. "Should I stay or...?"
"Stay!" Alexa quickly said, reaching for his hand weakly, "Stay until Xander gets here."
He nodded reluctantly again, feeling a tad uncomfortable as he stared down at their entwined fingers. He knew she didn't look at him with amorous eyes, but it wasn't customary for them to be holding hands.
Whatever, he thought, shaking his head as he tried not to think about it too much and followed the nurses down the white corridor.
Alexa squinted her eyes quickly as they rapidly walked under bright lights and moaned in pain; even her hair hurt. She couldn't blink without feeling like someone was tearing her apart. The harsh lights of the room they placed her in weren't helping either.
Dr. Naveer began to shout orders quickly, searching for his gloves and the equipment that was needed to thoroughly examine her. After a nurse returned with the IV machine and sedatives required, they searched for the surgical tools.
Alexa gulped, trying to down the acidic feeling that was crawling up her throat and held unto Dram's hand even tighter. He seemed unaffected, his face guarded and stoic.
"I am going to put a needle in your arm, Alexa," Dr. Naveer spoke gently, his voice dripping with professionalism and it was pissing her off. "It will help ease the pain and then I will sedate you. It is best that I take out these plastic items whilst you sleep."
"Okay," she croaked, eyeing the needle as if it were her enemy. She preferred fighting Rhys rather than being punctured by a needle.
"We are also going to get some blood to transfer to your body. You lost a great amount of blood and I will not be able to operate without it."
Her heart began to thud quickly in her chest. "Why do you need to operate? Is something wrong with my baby?!"
"No, no," He quickly shook his head, eyeing the heart monitor. If her heart quickened, it would use blood that she needed in order to survive and for her child to do so as well. "The things that are stuck in your body may have damage something important. We are running a full body x-ray as we speak."
She frowned, her heartbeat slowing down to a more normal pace. "How? I don't see a machine."
He chuckled, nodding up towards the ceiling and said, "The ceiling looks like tiles, but it is actually an X-Ray machine. It is so that patients do not feel uncomfortable and it is quick. We do not need to take you to another room like in human hospitals."
"Okay," she sighed, closing her eyes again when her energy seemed to completely fade. "Dram," she whispered, trying to squeeze his hand to gain his attention, "make sure Xander comes soon, please."
Dram nodded, squeezing her hand in return and waited until the sedatives kicked in so that he could carry out her request.
"Doctor?" Alexa called out after a couple of minute, her voice sounding somewhat annoyed, although it was extremely tired.
Dr. Naveer frowned. How was she still awake? The sedatives should've kicked in seconds from it being in her system. He turned around to face her, gently placing his tools on the tray and walked over to the IV. "Kālu," A nurse turned to look at him, "get me a higher sedative."
The nurse frowned, shaking his head and quietly said, "Sir, that is the highest anaesthesia we have; anything else would paralyse her organs."
"What's happening?" Alexa asked, her heart slowly speeding up. The pain had somehow numbed, but she could also not feel her legs. Her ribcage hurt slightly, as if someone were prickling her with needles, but the pain wasn't massive anymore.
"The sedatives aren't working," The Doctor replied quietly, hoping that it was just taking a little longer than usual.
Alexa nodded, trying to breathe in through her nose and exhale through her mouth. If she relaxed, maybe the anaesthesia would work faster. She needed this to work. She had to get back on her feet, make sure that the girls were okay and most importantly make sure that her child was well.
She had left Jordan in charge, along with some of the men that Jess' brother had provided, so she knew they were safe. She didn't know how she knew, she just knew. It was a seventh sense. Her sixth being a protective mother; of course, she had risk that once she entered the battle, but she didn't know she was pregnant.
"Go see if any staff members are not busy and call them over," Dr. Naveer whispered to Kālu, "we are going to need all the help we can get." He turned to Dram, "Can you see if Xander is available yet? I know he has a lot on his plate, but if he does not come in to help..." his eyes trailed over to Alexa and he remained quiet.
"No!" Alexa croaked, "Don't leave me alone!"
"Alexa," Dram spoke quietly, stroking some pieces of hair out of her face, "I will be gone for a second. Close your eyes and try to calm down. The more anxious you are, the worse it is for the baby. You have been under a lot of stress lately and it is not good for you. I will be back soon with Xander, okay?"
She nodded, reluctantly releasing his hand and did as he told her to do. Relax. Breathe. It's for the baby. For the baby. For the baby. For. The. Baby.
"Okay," Dr. Naveer spoke gently, "this is another needle, Alexa. This will start transferring the blood into your body so that I can have something to work with, okay?"
Again, she nodded, trying to control her breathing. In. Out. In. Out. For the baby.
A small tremor rippled through her body, startling her a bit when the needle entered her veins and she squealed uncomfortably. For the baby. She watched with watery eyes as the small clear cable began to turn a dark red colour and she sighed. For the baby.
Dr. Naveer watched the blood for a couple of seconds and then turned back to pick out the tools that were needed in order to carry out the procedure. If the sedatives didn't kick in soon, she'd have to be awake through the surgery.
The doors opened and a couple of military personnel walked over to the opposite side of the door.
The leader turned to the doctor and politely said, "What should we do?" She was a beautiful woman with dark chocolate skin and bright brown eyes. Her face was heart-shaped, accompanying her almond-shaped eyes nicely and her lips were coloured a light caramel.
"For now, we have to wait until she finally sleeps." His eyes spoke the words he did not say; if not, they'd have to operate with her being awake through it all. He did not want to say it with Alexa listening, her heart beat might rise and the blood might go to waste.
The female doctor seemed to understand the silent message for she nodded her head once and quietly began to consult with her team.
The doors opened again, this time with more force and a panicked Xander ran in through the doors. Alexa turned to him, her worried eyes quickly seeming more relaxed and as she opened her mouth to greet him, a warm substance began to trickle down her nose.
She frowned, raising her hand slowly to touch the liquid and widened her eyes. The blood that she had lost earlier had already dried, but the one trickling down her nose didn't seem like human blood. It was darker and smelled sweeter.
Xander rushed towards her, his eyes scanning her body and a couple of snarls erupted from his chest at the plastic things piercing her body.
"Where's Dram?" She coughed, wiping the blood from her nose with the back of her hand. It smeared all over her pale skin and it made it seem more discoloured than it was.
A confused glint flashed across his eyes as he stepped closer to her and said, "He had to stay behind and speak to Omari Maliqa about what we are going to do now that Rhys is dead."
"Xander," she began, but began to cough erratically and he took her hands in his. Her eyes widened as she felt something crawling up her throat and as soon as Xander realised what was happening, he grabbed a nearby trashcan and held it out to her.
She heaved violently, her shoulders trembling as her body used energy that she did not have. As soon as she thought it was over, it began again. The military personnel took a step back, watching her with revolted eyes and Xander held her hair back, wondering how it got out from the braid.
Tears began welling in her eyes and she shuddered. It didn't taste like vomit; it was sweet and thick, almost creamy like. Xrion blood was not gross like human blood; it didn't taste like iron or smell like it.
"What's happening?" She croaked out, her pearly white teeth covered in blood.
Xander looked at the doctor to receive answers, but Dr. Naveer was staring down at Alexa with wide eyes. "What is it, doctor?"
"S-she is rejecting the blood again," he stuttered, sliding his hand down his sweaty face, "Xander, she is rejecting everything I am trying to help her with. She is supposed to be sleeping so that I can remove these things," he pointed to the plastic pieces in her leg and ribcage, "but the anaesthesia is not working."
Alexa sat up quickly, groaning in pain as more blood began to heave from her mouth. Dr. Naveer ordered the blood transfusion to be removed from her arm and he began speaking to Xander in Klázto.
Xander's eyes widened and he shook his head. "No, I cannot do that, doctor."
"Xander," he cajoled, "it is that or we lose both."
"I," he shook his head, "is there not another way? W-we can do something else," his voice began to turn a bit desperate, "we can do something to have them both."
"Have both what?" Alexa frowned, slumping against the bed after heaving for a fourth time.
Xander turned his back to her, not having the strength to face her or tell her what they had to do in order for her to survive. Dr. Naveer cleared his throat, walking towards her and gently said, "Alexa, your child is protecting itself."
"Okay," she nodded, not understanding how that was a bad thing.
"He is protecting himself from what we are trying to help you with. You are talking to us by a miracle; you are supposed to be dead. Your child is using you as a host. He senses that you are going to die, so he is selfishly trying to do everything in his power to survive. As a result, he is 'feeding' off your energy."
Alexa shook her head, turning to Xander with a confused expression. "I," she frowned, "I don't understand. What does he mean?"
Xander took a deep breath, turning to look at her and said, "Alexa, our baby is killing you so that he can survive."
"Oh," her heart skipped a beat and she blinked slowly, trying to let her brain comprehend everything that was occurring. "So...will he be okay?"
Dr. Naveer shook his head, taking a deep breath as he prepared himself to deliver the news. "He is an embryo. It takes around eight to nine months for the child to develop fully. The final month is to ensure he is healthy and prepare him for delivery. You are just in your first month. He cannot survive without you."
"D-don't you have something to help him?" She groaned, holding her stomach as it contorted in pain and she threw up again. Fear began to grow inside of her as she realised what he was telling Xander to do; they couldn't get rid of her baby.
"As advanced as our technology is, we cannot sustain life that has not been developed yet. Your child looks like a small ball of mass, maybe even smaller than a dot." Dr. Naveer gulped, "Human pregnancies are different than ours. The foetuses develop slightly differently. As long as the embryo is in your body, he will do anything in his power to survive; even if it means killing you."
Alexa began to hyperventilate. The heart monitor began to increase in significant numbers and her shoulders trembled as her body begged for oxygen. Xander ran to her, cupping her cheeks in his hands and soothingly asked her to try and breathe.
Tears streamed down her face as she stared at him with blurry eyes and began to mumble "no." She couldn't lose the baby; she had placed him in danger, the least thing she could do was to give him a life – even if it was without her.
"Please, Xander," she begged, her voice coming out like a whisper but with raw emotion, "please don't kill our baby."
His eyes glazed over with tears as he released her cheeks from his hold. "Alexa, I cannot do that. I cannot live without you and our child will not live without you. If I do not do as the doctor asks, I will lose you both."
She sobbed, her shoulders shaking as her emotions took the best of her. "I can't live knowing that I killed my baby. No, no, make him live!"
Tears travelled down his jaw, leaving a golden trail down his face and he shook his head. "You did not kill him, mielle. With what was happening, I believe we were not ready for him. He would have had to grow up in hiding from your people and without me. I do not want you to bring up what we created by yourself. He was my responsibility too."
"P-please," she begged more forcefully.
Xander shook his head, pressing a soft kiss to her hand and turned to Dr. Naveer. "What must we do?"
"She has to be awake during it," he whispered, "the child thinks that it is protecting itself by rejecting everything we are trying to help him with."
"No!" Alexa glared at the nurse that walked over to her with a needle. "Don't fucking touch me! If none of you want to help me with my son, I'll do it myself!"
Xander turned to the doctor, his blue eyes pleading. It was killing him to hear her speak that way. "It is not her," Dr. Naveer spoke quietly, "she is not in her right state of mind. The embryo is sending emotions to her brain, so that it can live; he is manipulating her."
"Alexa," Xander whispered pleadingly, "mielle, I cannot lose you too. Everyone I hold close to my heart has died; I do not know what will become of me if I lose you too." He turned to look at Dr. Naveer and more strongly repeated, "What must we do?"
"Hold her down," he spoke quietly, "whilst my team and I do our best to...help her survive."
"Xander, no!" Alexa cried out, her voice breaking with sobs.
Two nurses grabbed her hands and quickly tied her wrists to the top of the bed, above her head. She struggled against them, shaking her body in vain as she desperately tried to free herself. Her wrists began to turn red against the cuffs the humans had placed on her and she felt the veins in her neck popping out as she screamed with all her might.
Xander walked over to her, placing most of his upper body against her chest to hold her down and she whimpered, still struggling. As soon as her body trembled in exhaustion, Dr. Naveer grabbed the zipper of her suit, and yanked it open. Once it was open, the nurses began to rip away the suit.
The nurses finished the job as he searched for a scalpel and asked the nurse in charge of the X-Rays to locate the embryo. He was right on her uterus wall.
At the feel of the cool metal against her pale skin, Alexa gave another shriek and jolted against Xander's body weight, her green eyes resembling emeralds as they filled up with tears. He turned his head to look away from her, knowing that if he kept watching her beg for him to save their child, he'd give in.
More staff members began to surround them at the doctor's request and he pierced her skin with the scalpel, leaving behind a perfect straight line; even though she struggled and most of her body was restrained.
The sound that escaped Alexa's mouth would forever haunt Xander's nights. It was raw, full of emotion and pain. The veins in her body all popped out from the effort it took and as she cried out, her voice began to crack.
A gush of warm blood splattered all over Xander's face as Dr. Naveer continued cutting her stomach open, but he didn't blink nor did he falter from his position. He continued telling himself that what she was going through would be worth it in the end.
The room was full of chaos. Doctor Naveer screamed out clear orders, but he had to shout loudly over Alexa's pained shrieks. The aiding staff had to compete with her in order to understand what they had to do.
Her pained cries continued filling the room and the harder she cried, the warmer and thicker her tears felt against her cheeks. She could feel every point of the scalpel ripping her skin open. She needed the pain to stop for she couldn't take it anymore.
Alexa's screams began to turn so loud that everyone in the room had to shout over them in order to understand what the doctor was ordering them to do. It turned even more chaotic by the second as they began to run around trying to clean up the blood that was splattering around.
Her fingers took a hold of the IV and she wrapped her hands around it tightly, trying to find something to hold on to so that her screams could be a little less ear-piercing. Her nails dug into the bag and it exploded on her face.
She spluttered the liquid from her mouth, almost choking with it when it managed to enter her mouth and she gurgled out a cough. Her voice was beginning to sound raspier as she whispered for Xander to end her misery.
"P-please," she managed to gasp out, "please!"
Xander closed his eyes, trying to block everyone out and held unto her tightly. She was the only person he had left to care for. As ruthless as it sounded, he knew that they could have more children in the future; he couldn't have another her.
Alexa was irreplaceable.
Her eyes widened in surprise as she felt the doctor's fingers moving in her stomach. She let out a shuddered wail and tried to kick her restrained legs. The more she moved, the more blood that seemed to splatter across Xander's and Dr. Naveer's face.
All the humans in the room watched with appalled eyes as the doctor pushed layers of skin out of the way to search for the embryo. The Xrions seemed unaffected, they were working; it was all in a day's work. They had seen worse.
Her shrieks turned to wails. Her wails turned to whimpers and her whimpers turned to muffled moans. She no longer had the energy to shout and struggle against Xander's hold and the earthshattering pain she was experiencing was strong enough to kill her.
"Kill me," she breathed out, her voice sounding like a whisper from the wind, "PLEASE!"
Her wrists burned as they clanged against the top of the bed, where they were tied and blood began to trickle down her frail arms.
Alexa felt her eyes rolling back into her head slowly and she finally gave up the fight. Xander looked back at her, fear making him aware of what was happening to his beloved. With a final gasp, Alexa's chest jolted up to the air as her body seemed to fight for air and the heart monitor dropped from a steady rate to nothing at all.
Dr. Naveer began shouting orders, pushing Xander out of the way as they tried to revive her. The shouts and orders turned into muffled noises in his ears as he watched them try and resuscitate her.
The electric shocks travelled through her body and her heart gave a little tremble. Xander felt his legs moving backwards and his back pressed up against the wall. He slowly slid down it, staring at his bloody fingers helplessly and for the first time in seven years, he cried – and meant it.
He had lost both of them. What type of partner was he, if he could not keep his family safe? He had lost everything that he held dear to his heart. His mother had turned out to be a demented leader and the only woman he had ever truly loved had died because he brought her into his chaotic life.
He was so busy blaming himself for everything that had happened to her that he didn't notice the slow, but steady beat of her heart returning. When he finally did, it was like music to his ears; but it didn't stop him from feeling full of remorse and pain; he still cried, with quiet sobs accompanying the feeling of forlorn.
After placing the miniscule embryo on a silver tray, Dr. Naveer returned to Alexa and began to stitch up her wounds. Her body finally gave in to the sedatives and they were able to restore the blood that she had lost.
She might hate him for his actions, but no matter what feelings she felt; he loved her with every fibre of his being. So much that he was willing to kill his own mother if she hurt her; Alexa meant the world to him – his mother tried killing him. She wasn't a mother; she simply birthed him.
Alexa on the other hand, she managed to make him feel things that even Corah in the amount of time she knew him, was not capable of doing. He adored her and when she woke up, if she still wanted to be with him, he didn't care what the President would say; he was taking her with him to Xrion.