Bella knew that, sooner or later, Nathan would’ve figured out that something wasn’t quite right with Bella. “Is it your stomach?” he’d asked when he finally confronted her. She saw the hurt in his eyes. She’d lied to him… but by omission at least. That day she told him what had been going on. but made sure to say several times that she could handle it. That she was fine.
The twins’ birthday was the perfect distraction. As always, there was a celebration at Ithemba. All of the kids and various staff gathered at the homestead for cake and ice-cream, as well as some water play outside. The girls had begged for a big pool with a water slide since they so often saw water parks in movies on television. Bella and Nathan had decided that they really needed to take the girls to a water park someday. Just not this year with all the students at ithemba for the first time. Instead, they installed a temporary pool and a slide with a hose. It was a bit of a waste of water, but for an hour of fun, they considered it worth it. As usual, Bella wasn’t feeling her best, so she stood on the sidelines, watching the kids and adults alike have a blast. She could sense Nathan glancing at her often, checking if she was doing alright. Each time, she mustered up a smile or gave him thumbs up, but the act was waning. No more lying. “How are you doing?” he asked, finally approaching her. “Could be better,” Bella admitted. She sighed. “It’s that time of the month again…” “But…” “I know.” Bella shrugged. She was aware that her menstruation had already came that month, not even a full three weeks before. Her period seemed to appear sooner and sooner. There wasn’t much time left to talk though, the girls were demanding their attention. After all, they were seven today. Growing up so quickly. Bella couldn’t help but smile despite the unwell feeling in her body. “Let’s talk about this later. For now, we celebrate.”
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Valentine’s Day and Bella’s birthday brought Bella and Nathan some much-desired alone, adult time. When each intimate moment with Nathan ended in an unfamiliar pain on Bella’s part, she came to the conclusion that something was wrong. Still, she could’ve won a prize for her acting skills, as she didn’t dare to let Nathan know of her pain. She’d caused him enough worries in the past, and the last thing she wanted was a repeat of their earlier days together. Still, the tiredness persisted, and the random episodes of intense abdominal pain. So often, she found herself in the bathroom, hunkered over in pain. She wasn’t a religious woman, but lately she was praying that something wasn’t detrimentally wrong with her. She figured they were PMS symptoms, but so much worse than she’d ever experienced. Splashing some water on her face, she stared at her reflection in the mirror of the bathroom. She seemed to be losing her healthy glow these days. Her skin lacked that shine she usually had. Still, her class was awaiting her, and later, she’d promised the girls that she would play outside with them. She had a long day ahead of her. Once Bella was dressed, she headed into the kitchen where Nathan was preparing some breakfast. The girls and Ralphie cheerfully greeted her. “Mummy, daddy made puppy and lion pancakes!” Eryn announced. Bella peered down at the pancakes on the table and smiled. The twins adored when breakfast came with this fun twist. Nathan greeted Bella with a sweet peck on the lips. “Sit, I’m the chef and waiter today,” he said with a playful smirk.
Bella felt bad but she also felt as though if she ate anything, it would all come right back up. “Actually, I have to get going. I need an early start just to prepare for class…” Nathan gave her a look. He knew her appetite had been dreadful these days. “At least take some fruit.” Before Bella could protest, Nathan was tossing strawberries and blueberries into a travel container. Bella took it and forced a smile on her face. “Thanks,” she said. “See you later.” She kissed him on the cheek, bade her family farewell and headed out. Once in the truck, she set her fruit aside, popped two painkillers into her mouth, swallowed them and took a deep breath. Time to get her day started as if nothing was wrong. Maybe if she pretended long enough, everything would go back to normal. She hoped... Around Ithemba, things had settled down again. They’d been granted patrol in the outerlands - volunteer rangers who wanted as much as Nathan and Bella to protect the wildlife from poachers and others who intended to harm them. A small group of students had arrived, at last, for orientation in preparation for the ‘summer’ programme. It was a joy to see younger veterinarian and behavioural scientists to be. They came with such energy and enthusiasm, much like Ollie had back when he was the first and only intern at Ithemba. Things were going pretty well. And then they'd taken quite a negative turn.
~~ “Bells?” Somewhere in the distance, Bella heard Nathan’s voice, but she didn’t quite register it until he called her again. “Bella? Isabella…” His hand touched her arm and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She’d lost track of time, but for the longest while, she’d been curled up in fetal position in their bed. Her skin was drenched with sweat and the excruciating cramps that had invaded her abdomen had turned into background noise; she’d gotten used to them. “Still in pain?” Nathan asked her. Bella nodded. “Did you take something?” Another nod. Bella felt the bed shift slightly as Nathan sat beside her. The last few months, Bella’s menstruation had seemed to return with a vengeance. Her cramps were nightmarish and she found herself running to the bathroom with increased frequency. Painkillers didn’t seem to do a thing for the cramps either. Bella was rather bummed out because she wanted more than anything to be out in the field with the students, teaching. Finally, she had an opportunity to teach and it just had to be that time of the month. “Maybe we should call a doc--” “No…” Bella interrupted. “It’ll pass...It’s passing.” It wasn’t a complete lie. The pain had considerably calmed down over the hours. Hours before, she couldn’t even talk. “I think I liked it better when my cycles were irregular,” said Bella. A little smirk touched her lips. It wasn’t a very good joke, especially since the irregularity was the result of a hormonal imbalance that caused her virtual-infertility, but these days, it showed up religiously each month. “If it’s like this next month, I’m calling a doctor,” Nathan told her. Bella couldn’t argue. She just nodded and closed her eyes. After hours of writhing in pain, she was beyond exhausted. “Tell the kids and the students that I’m sorry. I’ll be there tomorrow. I hope.” There was a lot that had to be done just to get the report of Artemis’ killing to the right people. One call was transferred to another, one centre to the next… There were wild animal rights coalitions and various others who wanted to help, but as far as it went for finding the person or persons who’d shot Artemis and her cubs, and punishing them, it seemed like a lost cause. Bella had made it a project within itself, and eventually, the shooter was found.
Just as Nathan had suspected, it was a shepherd. A herdsman, looking for land, they suspected. He lived a few miles away, but had somehow wandered into their territory. “There has to be a way to protect the animals from human predators,” Bella had said over and over since the incident. They couldn’t fully fence the lands outside of Ithemba. After all, it would interfere with the natural circle of life out there, but there had to be something they could do. One of the groups Bella contacted suggested a weekly surveillance. Sort of a park or safari ranger. Other locations had such personnel. It meant more money from Ithemba’s funds, although with the right contact, Bella was told she could find volunteer rangers. Especially since Ithemba qualified for non-profit assistance due to their standing as an educational and protective facility. When Nathan returned to the homestead that day, Bella was excited to share the news with him. There was something that could be done to prevent future senseless deaths like Artemis’. Now, they just had to get to work finding the right people to do the job. |
Isabella Kaylee DwyerWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2017
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