17
Two months later
“So how’s everything been going with Zan?” Maria asked cautiously. She and Akira were walking through the grounds. No, actually, Maria was walking and Akira was waddling. She was three months pregnant and due any second.
“Zan’s been great. Really great. I mean, c’mon he’s put up with a lot of crap over the past two months.” Akira admitted.
The last two months had been a rollercoaster for them both. After the decision that they would try and be a happy family, Akira would fluctuate between wanting to spend time with Zan and get to know him better, to pushing him away and wanting to be alone. Drowning in self-pity, she would spend days alone, feeling sorry for herself because she had her life stolen from her, and confused by the memories of her life with ‘Deakin’. Eventually she would let her guard down enough for Zan to get through to her again, and she would return to feeling positive about her future with Zan and their child. Everything would be fine again for a week or so and then she would crash again.
“You’ve had to put up with a lot too.” Maria pointed out, not wanting Akira to feel as though she didn’t deserve some credit too for getting this far. She was trying to make a life for herself in the no-man’s-land between being Akira and being Mia. She couldn’t remember her past but she was trying to be that person that everyone expected her to be.
“What about you and Sean?” Akira asked, changing the subject.
“What about us?” Maria smiled coyly.
“There’s a story there…” Akira suddenly stopped walking and looked pointedly at Maria. “Spill!”
“Sean asked me to marry him.” Maria announced.
“Really?” Akira said, pulling Maria into a hug. “That’s wonderful news. When did this happen?”
“A couple of weeks ago.” Maria admitted.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Akira asked, shocked that this was the first that she was hearing about it.
“We wanted to wait…”
“Wait for what?” Akira asked confused.
“We wanted to wait for your memories to come back before we said anything. We wanted to tell the real Akira.” Maria confessed, unsure if she should be admitting so much to Akira’s face.
“The real Akira …” Akira repeated sadly, taking a step away. She had been doing her best but even her friends could see that she wasn’t the same. Of course they would want to wait until she was recovered, but hearing it made her feel like an impostor - the understudy who was only there because the real star was unable to perform.
“I’m sorry…” Maria began to apologise, fearing that she had gone one step too far in telling Akira the truth. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No. You should have, because it’s true. I’m not Akira yet. I’m trying to be, but I’m not.” Akira replied.
“But you will be soon.” Maria put a comforting hand on Akira’s shoulder. “As soon as the baby is born you can heal yourself. You memories will come back… you’ll come back to us.”
Akira was silent for a moment, then looked up at Maria with a frown.
“That might be sooner than you think…” Akira said.
“What do you mean?” Maria asked confused.
“I think my water just broke.”
Maria and Akira both looked down and saw the puddle at Akira’s feet.
“Oh my goodness… you’re having a baby!” Maria gushed.
“I’m having a baby…” Akira repeated to herself, trying to understand the connotations of that statement. Her baby was finally going to be entering the world, and Akira was finally going to come home.
“Okay, okay, we have to get you to the hospital wing… we have to find Zan.” Maria started panicking.
“Maria?” Akira said, grabbing Maria by the shoulders.
“Yeah?” Maria replied.
“It’s going to be okay.” Akira smiled.
Maria looked at Akira for a moment, and then let out the breath she hadn’t realised she had been holding. “Of course it is.” She smiled in return.
“Do you think you could help me back to the palace?” Akira asked.
“Of course.” Maria replied, putting an arm around Akira and leading her back up the lawn.
* * * * *
“Where is she?” Zan asked rushing into the hospital room that had been prepared for the delivery.
“She would be the one on the hospital bed in the hospital gown.” Maria replied smiling, seeing Zan didn’t need to be told as his eyes had already fallen on Akira’s. Within seconds he was by her side and clutching her hand for support.
“How far along are the contractions?” Zan asked, watching the sweat and strain on Akira’s face as another wave of pain swept through her body.
“Every couple of minutes.” The doctor replied. “The baby’s in a hurry to get here.”
“It’s going to be fine.” Zan said to Akira, as she squeezed his hand tighter.
“I know.” Akira smiled through the pain.
“The head’s crowning.” The doctor interrupted, and Zan was torn between helping Akira and seeing his son being born into the world.
“It’s okay.” Akira smiled her permission for Zan to go and greet his child. Maria was immediately in Zan’s place to hold Akira’s hand.
The crown of their son’s head was quickly followed by the rest of his head, his shoulders, body and eventually his feet. Zan couldn’t help but let a tear fall down his face at the sight of his little baby boy.
“He’s beautiful…” Zan said, before turning to meet Akira’s eyes. What he saw shocked him more than anything. Her face was contorted and she let out an agonising scream. Zan, Maria and the doctor were almost blinded by the white light that surrounded Akira and then blasted towards the outer corners of the room, and then appeared to pass straight through the walls.
“Are you okay?” Zan asked Akira, having rushed to her side after pulling himself off the floor where he had landed after the blast.
Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she smiled. “I’m better than okay… I remember everything.”
“Really?” Zan replied, unable to believe it.
“Really.” Akira smiled shyly. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too.” Zan replied, pulling her into the firmest embrace he thought her tired body could withstand. As he pulled out of the embrace, he noticed for the first time that Akira’s appearance had changed. She looked like herself again, having shed the changes that Kivar had made to her appearance.
“Would you like to meet your son?” The doctor asked, placing the baby in Akira’s arms.
“He’s so beautiful.” Akira smiled, looking at Zan with tears in his eyes. “I can’t believe that we created something so beautiful.”
“I can.” Zan smiled in return.
“Liz?” A voice came from the doorway. Akira looked up to see her parents standing there with Sean.
“I sent Sean to get your parents.” Zan explained to Akira.
“Thankyou.” Akira smiled at Zan before returning her attention to her parents. “Would you like to meet your grandchild?”
Akira’s parents rushed over and cooed over the baby, while Sean pulled Zan to the side of the room.
“I’ve just heard a report from the prison.” Sean whispered. “Kivar’s dead.”
“What? How?” Zan asked confused. That wasn’t what he had expected Sean to say.
“Apparently there was a blast of light that swept through the prison. It left everyone unharmed, except for Kivar. The guards that were watching him at the time said that he appeared to be in excruciating pain moments before his body sank the floor – dead. They can’t explain it.” Sean explained.
Zan looked over at Akira and their eyes met for a short moment. Zan knew in that moment that Akira knew exactly what had happened to Kivar.
“I guess it will always be a mystery.” Zan replied to Sean, before returning to Akira’s side.
Akira meanwhile hadn’t been able to ignore the conversation that had been going on between Sean and Zan. Sean was telling Zan that Kivar was dead. She didn’t need to be told herself – she already knew.
The moment she had given birth, she felt her powers return with such a vengeance, it was as though they had been building stronger while she had been unable to use them. As she felt her power, she couldn’t help but think about how she would use it to hurt Kivar for what he had done to her.
… For taking her memories from her, and making her believe that she was someone else…
… For stealing the memory of her first night with Zan – the night her son was conceived…
… For making her believe that she was in love with ‘Deakin’ and for the implanted memories of making love to him …
… For risking her child’s life by jabbing a needle into her womb…
… For taking Zan away from her, and making her hate him…
… And most of all, for all those years of pain he had inflicted on her world…
She wished him dead, not realising that in that moment she was causing it to come to pass. Now that she had confirmation of what she had done, she didn’t feel guilty. She felt free.
“What are you going to call your son?” Akira’s mother asked, returning her attention to the present.
“His name is Max.” Akira smiled at Zan looking for his approval. He smiled in return, giving it. Akira wanted to remember always the journey she and Zan had taken to get where they were today.
“Maria and Sean…” Akira began. “You have both been there for us over the years. I wondered, well, would you consent to be Max’s godparents?”
“Yes! Of course!” Maria gushed, pulling Akira into a hug. Before pulling away, Maria whispered in Akira’s ear - “welcome home.”
“It’s nice to be home.” Akira smiled at her friends, family, husband and son. “It’s so nice to be home…”