Bella couldn't sleep. But rather than wallow in worry and fears, she found herself just staring at Nathan. Years ago, she couldn’t even imagine being with a man like Nathaniel Dwyer. She silently tested out his name coupled with hers. It made her smile like a fool. Oh gods, she was turning into one of /those/ women who swooned at the thought of such romantic notions.
Work was so busy. Some days they barely got a chance to sit down, while other days there was still time left, but those times were reserved for office work. Managing all of Ithemba’s paperwork as well as overseeing the staff and the animals was exhausting. Yet, somehow the bond between them remained strong as ever. They’d been through hell together. She'd had fallen ill repeatedly, and she absolutely hated her body for it. Still, Nathan remained by her side, never even showing an ounce of remorse. Her heart felt so full just thinking about how often he’d shown just how unconditional his love was for her. The first traces of sunlight was starting to sneak through the window. It cast a tiny bit of light on Nathan’s face and he sighed contentedly in his sleep. Bella's teeth captured her lower lip. She could no longer contain herself. Sexy was too weak of a word to describe the god that slept beside her. Leisurely, her hand reached out to gently stroke his face, and her fingers crawled down to his chest, just above the sheet. Nathan’s eyes opened languidly and when he noticed Bella’s gaze fixated on his face, a sleepy little smile crawled across his face as well. “Sorry to wake you,” said Bella, her husky tone unveiling her intentions. She pressed closer and stole a kiss from his lips. “I thought we should start the day off the right way.” A chuckle escaped from Nathan as well. “No objections here,” he said. “Good.” The word had barely gotten past her lips before Nathan claimed them with his own.
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“I still can’t believe my little sister, Isabella Barthel, is getting married.” Amanda’s green eyes sparkled with excitement. Bella smiled sheepishly before her eyes returned to the infant on the bed, between her and Amanda. She couldn’t help but admire how easily Amanda took care of the tiny little human. Niccolò seemed so fragile, so breakable, yet there wasn’t an ounce of fear in Amanda as she changed his clothes, manipulating his arms and legs to get him into clothing. Even when he fussed, Amanda remained calm while Bella was more inclined to panic and want to stop him from crying before he could even start. “Bella?” “Hmm?” Bella glanced up at her sister again and realised that she’d asked her something. “Oh, sorry. What was that?” Amanda giggled. “Are you thinking of having a few of these?” she asked, lifting Niccolò onto her lap as he squirmed. “Uhm, no,” Bella said right away. “I mean…” She chewed on her lower lip, her eyes glued on Niccolò. She shook her head. It was too complicated to explain. “One thing at a time, huh?” She forced herself to smile at her elder sister. ~~
On the plane back to South Africa, Bella couldn’t stop thinking about her nephew. There had been this indescribable feeling when she held him in her arms. Once the awkwardness and the fear had melted away of course. And his little smile - or grimace, or whatever it was - gods, it just melted her heart. Yet, Bella knew it was smarter to forget about all of those conflicting feelings. They didn’t do her any good. Lying in bed, Bella turned to face Nathan, her arm wrapping loosely around his waist. “What do you think about going to New York?” she whispered in the darkness. “Just for a day or two?” In the hours before, she’d shown Nathan a text message from her sister, announcing the birth of a baby boy. Niccolò. Bella loved the name, and the baby was quite cute. Especially for a newborn.
It was funny how everyone always went on about how adorable newborns were, but in reality they looked like little old people, wrinkles and all. She especially couldn’t understand how mothers thought newly born infants to be so cute, even when covered in blood and vernix. Animal births were far less disgusting. “New York…” Nathan echoed, bring Bella back to the present. “You want to visit the baby.” It wasn’t a question. Obviously he knew her even better than she thought. Bella smiled sheepishly and nodded. When last had she actually held a baby? Animals, she’d held plenty of those, but… an actual human being? It had been so long, and she often avoided situations where she had to interact with babies. They were such a mystery to her. The way the developed from such tiny beings to full-grown adults were baffling. And the amount of things they seemed to be aware of from such a young age… She’d heard years ago from her mother that babies were able to detect a ‘good spirit’. Or well, a good person. Babies didn’t like her. That much she knew. Yet… maybe it was because they sensed her uneasiness. Soon, she would be getting married. Her family would be there. She didn't want any tension at her wedding, so it was really time to start showing her family that she cared about them. One step at a time. Perhaps meeting the newest member was the perfect place to start. “Let’s do it,” said Nathan. “Let’s visit your nephew. Day after tomorrow? I’ll arrange care for Langa and Naman. They’ll be just fine.” “As long as you don’t throw plates at my head." Nathan's words echoed in her head. It were those words what helped her control the mood swings that the doctor had warned her about. They were far different than the uncontrollable mania and depression she’d struggled with. These hormone-driven mood swings… she was aware of them. Luckily, Nathan wasn’t the person who Bella wanted to throw plates at. It was the moron on the phone. They’d passed all of the inspections before even opening Ithemba. But now the man was trying to say that they didn’t have the necessary guidelines for the distance of their buildings from ‘the wild’? That they were too close to wild territory? What the hell?!
Bella couldn't bear to talk any longer. She slammed the phone down after arguing with the man for about twenty minutes. Gods, she wanted to throw something. She tried to control herself, but something snapped and Bella found herself swiping all of the papers off her desk. After all the work they’d put into Ithemba, how dare this prick tell her that a cheetah didn’t belong on their property? Asha never hurt anyone. And it wasn't just Asha the man had complained about. He trying to list all sorts of bullshit to revoke Ithemba's certification. Over her dead body! She felt her head throbbing painfully, and that sickening dizziness start to take over, blurring her vision. Leaning back in her chair, she took a deep breath. The man was a jerk, but was it really a reason to get so enraged? One breath followed another and soon she was trying to focus on positive thoughts. Her adrenal levels weren’t yet completely regulated. Getting this upset could literally kill her if she wasn’t careful. She had too much to live for to let this man ruin it. When she finally calmed down, she stood from the chair and began to clean up the mess in silence. Everything had to be sorted all over again. Bella felt tears sting her eyes. Oh great… “Damn meds,” she mumbled. “Better be worth it.” Bella couldn’t be any more grateful to be left-handed. Every time she reached out to grab something, a wide smile spread across her lips. The simple, golden ring on her finger was absolutely perfect. The mere thought of the ring’s symbolism brought tears to her eyes almost each time she looked at it. She blamed her heightened emotions on the new medications flowing through her system.
Since starting the new medicine regimen on Valentine’s day, her health was beginning to gradually improve. Her heart no longer raced continuously and her joints didn’t ache as much. She still grew exhausted easily and her appetite had not yet fully returned, but she was definitely improving and Nathan was being the greatest support she could ask for. Nathan had already proven that he loved her in sickness and in health. He wanted to be there for her, even when she felt like a burden. The thought alone filled Bella’s heart with such overwhelming feelings that she found herself brushing away tears of joy once again. At this rate, she was doing more damage than good to the paperwork. She grabbed some tissues to wipe her face. She’d been in the home office for a while and she knew it meant that Nathan would soon come in to make her take a break. He knew she was improving, but still insisted on her getting as much rest as possible. Just as that thought crossed her mind, he appeared in the doorway. The look of amusement on his face was obvious. He always found it funny how uncharacteristically emotional Bella was over the proposal. “Shut up,” she mumbled before he could even say anything. A smirk curled around her lips though. “I was just finishing up here,” she said. “Good. I thought now would be a good time to enjoy some lunch outdoors with my fiancee.” Bella smiled widely as she approached him. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she gazed up at him. “I never thought I’d love being called that,” she said. “My fiance.” |
Isabella Kaylee DwyerWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2017
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