Chapter 2

                                    

                                          
DPOV
There was something pulling me to this floor. The uncontrollable urge to be here. I had frequented this hospital many times, mostly due to one of the nurses on the floor being an Ekon as well. We were one and the same, and she was thankful for my help.
I usually stayed in the ICU or terminal care wing, under the guise of being a sympathy worker, there to sit with patients and keep them company while they recovered. But today, I found myself on the wing of life and creation.
I could hear the heartbeats of the humans and the faster heartbeats of the newborns, but I felt this pull.
I remember my mother telling me all those years ago about what it felt like to be in close contact with one's mate, but it was overwhelming.
I walked slowly down the corridor and nodded at the nurses that passed by. The fullness in my chest grew larger as I approached the room at the end of the hall. One of the delivery rooms in the wing. I could hear the cry of a woman in labour and the doctor encouraging her to push. I knew that looking through that small window would be rude but I couldn't stop myself.
I couldn't see much of the woman, but I could see the doctor. The woman let out a voluminous yell and then a sigh. The doctor continued to work before lifting a newborn in his arms and it felt as if time had come to a stop.
That small, incredibly small infant took their first breath of life with a scream, wailing for the first time. The child couldn't have been more than the size of my palm with an already thick head of hair. The doctor cut the umbilical cord and placed the infant on the woman's chest.
"Congratulations, you have a beautiful baby girl," the doctor said cheerfully. I could hear the woman weep in happiness. I tilted my head a bit so I could get a better look at the baby. I couldn't see much, just a redheaded woman gazing down at the small baby, and a man with thick black hair.
Once the parents had a moment to see the baby the nurse took her back, taking her to a small table closer to the door. I could see the baby clearer here, and I could help but smile. Such a small thing had such a hold over me.
The nurse cleaned the baby up and pressed the stethoscope to her chest, but frowned after a moment. She called the doctor over and he listened as well before nodding and turning back to the parents. 
"Your daughter's breathing is shallow, we will need to take her to run some tests," the doctor said calmly and kindly, not wanting to alarm there. From here I could see the look of fear in the woman's eyes and I felt a pang of it in my chest. I stepped down the hall as the nurse came out with the baby.
My eyes stayed firmly on the infant as I followed. I didn't care if I looked like a stalker or a creep as I followed the nurse to the NICU. I waited and paced outside of the unit for hours while they tended to Rosemarie, and the longer I went without knowing she was okay, the crazier I felt.
Delia, who worked on the ICU floor found me pacing, her brows furrowing in concern.
"What is it?"
I stopped pacing for a moment and looked at her. I took a breath and asked her the only favour I had ever asked of her.
"I need to know that she is okay!" I pleaded, "She was born a few hours ago but there was some complication with her breathing."
Delia cocked her head to the side for a moment before it settled in.
"Oh Dimitri," she said softly.
"I don't know what I will do if she isn't okay. I don't know how to handle this feeling," I explained, letting the fear and vulnerability creep through. Delia knew that I was unmated, but the desperation that I showed told her that wasn't true anymore.