New Ivy - Part 3

Tracy gasped and clapped her hands on her mouth, her serpent tail sticking straight up behind her back. "No, he what?!" 

"Yeah, he offered me a job," Elizabeth confirmed, also having a surprised expression on her face. "I couldn't believe it either." 

"So what are you going to do?" she asked, leaning forward against the table. "Are you going to take it?"

"I don't know. It's a full time job. That means I have to leave New Ivy," she said in a hushed voice. Sure, they were the only ones in the break room at the moment, but she felt that anyone could hear their conversation. Tracy was the first person she told this too. She didn't want the news to spread around the hospital and cause a commotion, so she decided to keep this between a few people. "I'm not sure whether or not I should take it or not." 

"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth and Tracy seemed to jump as their boss opened the door to the break room. "Of course you’re taking the job!" 

"What?" the nurse asked as Shannon pulled up a chair across the table from her. 

"You're taking that job. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity and you sure as hell don't want to miss it," Shannon persuaded in her snappy voice. "Besides, the Commander only offered the job to you and no one else. That means he trusts you and knows that you'd be the perfect one for the job. Also, do you know how well anyone gets paid by him? You'd be set for life! So don't you dare let this opportunity pass you up." 

Liz was overwhelmed by how supportive her boss was about this, even though her tone of voice wasn't that convincing. She also glanced at Tracy and – through her own expression shocked – still showed that she was supportive of this idea as well. So it was nice to see that her coworkers could accept the fact that she could leave the hospital. She wanted to say yes to the offer, but there was still one other person she needed to talk to about this decision. 

"I came as fast as I could," Antonio said as he walked through the front door of the hospital. "What's so important that you couldn't tell me on the phone or later when you got home?" 

The nurse looked around the area and found that not many people were around, and if they were they were indulged in their work. "I have some news to tell you, about my most recent patient I've been helping." 

Liz walked her husband to a more private area where she explained the story so far; everything from the Commander's new infant to the job offer. The more the story continued the more Antonio's eyes grew wider in their sockets. He couldn't believe that the story was true, and yet, there was no way Elizabeth could have made that up. 

"And now all I have to do is respond to him if I take the job or not," she concluded. "I already talked to Tracy and Shannon about it and they think I should take the job. What do you think?" 

"I think it's wonderful!" Antonio exclaimed, so astounded by her story that he grabbed her face and kissed her in celebration. "You should take it."

"You really think so?" Liz asked, her voice faltering at the shock from that surprise kiss.

"Yes, of course," Antonio reassured her as he took her hands in his. "I think it's such an honor that he asked you first. It would be an amazing opportunity and I don't think that you should miss out on it." 

"Yeah, Shannon said that too," she mumbled to herself, but he was able to hear it as well. At this point, she technically knew what choice she had to make. Heck, right when Antonio's eyes first lit up at the sound of the Creperum leader's name Liz knew where she had to go from there. In reality, the answer was without a doubt yes, she just needed a bit more convincing from friends and family. "Okay, I'll go take the job." 

Antonio smiled and hugged her once more. "Ethan is going to be so excited when he hears about this." 

Elizabeth laughed, thinking about her hyper little boy when they would tell him the news. He'd be bouncing off the walls in excitement, which brought a smile to her face. "He's going to love it, and who knows? Maybe he can meet Mr. Gray himself."  

"Wouldn't that be something?" her husband agreed. Looking at his watch, he stood from the chair as he realized that he had to get back to work. The two exchanged a final kiss before parting their separate ways, Antonio heading back to his car while Elizabeth made her way towards the nearest elevator. Now that her decision was final there's the point of making it a reality. 

Knocking on the door, Elizabeth slowly entered the room. "Hello there, Mr. Gray." 

Derek looked away from the TV and towards the door. "Oh, hello Elizabeth." 

She closed the door and approached his bed as he fumbled with the TV remote in his hands. "So I've thought about our offer and I've made up my mind. I accept." 

Derek's eyes widened the slightest bit, as if he was waiting for her to say no. "You do? Well, this is fantastic. Thank you."   

He leaned forward as if to get out of the bed but she stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down onto the mattress. "We can talk about the details later, sir. Right now you need to finish up your rest so you can be strong enough to leave tomorrow. I'll finalize everything today with the hospital and get the infant ready for travel. Lucky for you the doctors ran through all the tests and he's all clear to go home. He's a very healthy boy. All I need from you is a ride into the castle." 

"Of course," he said with a nod. A bit startled at her take-charge attitude but he expected nothing less. "I can get my prodigy to get us a car, and by tomorrow I can grant you clearance into the building so you may come and go as you please."  

"Thank you. We can talk more about this throughout the day. Right now, I'll go ahead and grab you your lunch," Elizabeth said as she turned towards the door, but she stopped as her hand rested on the door knob. For a brief moment, she turned her head back around towards the immortal. "You know, because you thinking so much of this baby's future, I can tell you’ll be a great dad." 

It was words that had never been spoken but really needed to be out there. Derek's eyes widened in shock that she had the strength to say that even when he was a nervous wreck about the idea, but his face flushed as if he was embarrassed to hear it. Almost as if he knew himself that it could be true but didn't have the courage to say it out loud like Elizabeth did. It was a simple phrase, but it meant so much to him, and Liz was happy that she was the first to say it. 

Without speaking another word, she pulled the door open and walked out of the room.

In a way, she felt more in power than she ever had before. Realizing her new job title, she was going to teach the immortal Creperum how to take care of a baby. That means she had all of freedom to boss him around and not get in trouble for it. She could command the Commander-in-Chief. Who else was able to even say such a thing? Okay maybe his immortal siblings, or perhaps the immortal mentor he had, but nonetheless. Liz had control beyond her belief and yet she was smart enough to use it properly. That was probably another reason why Derek asked her first. She wasn't going to abuse the power that he was going to give her. It was only after Elizabeth accepted the job when she realized how perfect she was to do it. 

Bright and early, the next day rolled by at a snail pace. Elizabeth woke up early from the lack of sleep the night before. She got to the hospital early to finish off her relations with New Ivy hospital; turning in her keys, cards, and anything else the hospital made her revoke. The last thing that she had to do was pick up the baby boy. Considering that there was very little preparation for this, Liz decided that she was going to bring Ethan's old baby carrier and clothes. She'll only use it for the time being until they go and get some new ones for the infant. 

After changing him, Elizabeth carefully dressed him for the trip and picked him up, placing him in the hand-held carrier. He squeezed his eyes and wiggled his arms around, as if not wanting to be moved, but Elizabeth just said soft words to him and smiled so he could calm down. She carefully strapped him into the carrier, ready for the car ride to his new home. Before Elizabeth left the nursery, she turned towards her coworkers and said her final good-byes. Tracy gave her a big hug and smiled. "Call me any time you want to hang out." 

"You know I will," Liz agreed as she grabbed onto the infant's carrier, pushing through the doors for the last time as she made her way down to the immortal's room. 

When she walked in, the nurse (or perhaps is it now nanny?) saw that Derek was also ready to leave. The Natmite IV cord was out of his arm and he looked more like how she saw him in pictures with his gravity defying hair and bare chest. He had on a long, hooded, one-sleeved gray coat with decorative black cargo pants and boots. He was in the middle of pulling on the jacket when he picked up his head towards her. "Ready to go?" 

Elizabeth nodded and looked down at the baby, already peaceful in his seat. "Yes, we're all ready." 

She watched as the Creperum leader glanced down at him nervously, but distracted himself by taking the lead through the hallway. The two walked out of New Ivy hospital and were greeted by Michael as he waited with his car out at the entrance of the building. "Hello sir." 

"Hello Mikey Boy," Derek greeted with a smug smile. 

"Yeah, you're back now," the lion hybrid joked. As he saw Elizabeth he instantly crouched down to see the baby boy in the carrier. "And there he is. There's the little baby. Hello there."   

Liz smiled as Michael lightly brushed a knuckle on the infant's cheek, careful not to scratch him with his claws. Opening the car door, he already assembled the car seat and he helped Liz with the carrier, making it snap securely into the car. Michael climbed back into the driver’s seat with Derek sitting shotgun and Elizabeth riding in the back with the infant. She watched as the cars and old fashioned buildings from the first quarter passed by. It wasn't long before she could see the fence of the base. 

A ten-foot black-wire fence surrounded the entire perimeter of both the castle and the military base in its backyard. There were multiple gates that they could have driven through, but Michael went straight for the main entrance, the one leading directly to the castle. The castle was dark, slender, and elegant with long pointed spires that rose up towards the crystalline ceiling of the massive cave Endralma thrived in. 

Driving up to the main gate, a man and two women were stationed there at the checkpoint. Michael rolled down his window and handed the ram-horned Creperum his army I.D. The Creperum scanned the card and gave it back to Michael, then leaned over to peer in the window. 

"Welcome home, sir," she greeted to the Commander, and Derek only replied with a smile and a nod. 

The gate opened up and they began to drive through. Liz even noticed how the guard did a double take when she saw her in the back seat of the car, with a baby carrier no less. Pulling up to the circle drive in front, Michael got out of the driver’s seat to help Elizabeth with getting the infant out of the car. When they were settled, the prodigy waved his hand. "Go ahead. I'll catch up with you later."   

With that, he drove away and left Derek and Elizabeth at the front steps. "Hm, I suppose a tour is in order." 

He turned around and proceeded to walk up the steps with Liz at his side. Her neck craned as she gazed up at the tall mahogany doors that doubled her size. They were unlocked as Derek pulled the door open and held it for her as she strode in. Split staircases lined the walls that lead up to a decorated hallway and a dangling crystal chandelier on the ceiling. It would have looked like any other elegant home, except for the fact that there were velvet ropes marking a pathway on the first floor. 

"Think of it as the White House in the Mortal world," Derek explained as he took a few steps inside. "Military officials have offices down here and tours are held as well, but my home is on the second floor." 

Closing the door behind them, Derek then led her up the stairs and down the hallway. It was lined with long windows that let in the "natural" light the crystalline ceiling gave off. At the end of the hallway was another set of wooden doors, these ones significantly smaller than the front but still as grand. Derek pulled these ones open and let the two walk into the next hallway that were filled with doors that lead to other rooms. 

"I guess I should start here," Derek mumbled to himself as he walked towards the first doors in front of them, the doors that had the plaque reading "Throne Room". Opening up these sets of doors, Elizabeth was shocked that she saw something more modern than the rest of the castle's interior. The room looked like a typical man cave that someone would have in their basement, only this one was much more luxurious. It had a fully stocked bar in the right corner with a dart board and pool table next to it. In front of the bar was a rounded couch with a glass coffee table that sat in front of a large TV. The only thing regal about the room was the windows that overlooked the yard in the back and the military base behind that.

"It's so modern!" Liz exclaimed as she walked into the room, "The rest of the building is so beautiful and classic. I'm shocked that this isn’t an actual throne room." 

Derek laughed and shook his head. "It used to be, actually. Interestingly enough, in the 1800s I wanted to get rid of the castle and just create a house for myself, but the populist disagreed with me because it was too iconic. So to compensate for that, I decided to make the interior more modern." 

Liz nodded her head and began to look at the rest of detail of the room. There were trophies, mementos, and pictures that hung on the walls from all the ages. As she walked around, she saw one black and white picture of Derek and his mentor Mad standing together in front of what looked like the Parthenon. Next to that one was a picture of him, his sister Christina, and another man with a scarf that looked like it was from the 1920's. Some of the pictures didn't even make sense to her as she saw a picture of him with a small Asian girl and they both held up a post-it note that said "DEREK WAS HERE" with a cartoon drawing of the immortal. 

"It was the early 2000s, don't ask..." Derek commented as he saw her eye the pictures on the wall. "Anyway, yes, this is my room. I'm usually in here in my down time." 

"I like the pictures," Elizabeth complemented as she tilted her head down a smaller hallway that lead off into a bathroom and what looked like a walk-in closet. "They tell a lot of good stories about the past." 

"And I'll tell those stories in time," he said with a nod. Moving on with the tour, the rest was very brief. To the right of the Throne room, on the end of the hall, was a modern kitchen with a small dining table right next to a family room with another couch and TV. To the left of the Throne room was his office with bookcases filled to the brim and filing cabinets full of paperwork. Turning the corner down the hall, the Commander showed his personalized gym with equipment set to meet his requirements. Then there were the essential rooms such as a laundry room, a storage room, and a few others. Finally it came to the point where they walked back towards Derek's room. Across the hallway, there were just a row of windows that showed the front gates of the castle. 

"Now comes the tricky part," the Creperum leader thought out loud as he stared at the windows. 

"What's the tricky part?" Liz asked, looking down at the infant as he slept through the tour. 

"Remodeling," he explained, also looking down at the baby. "He needs his own room." 

Placing his left hand on the wall, it rippled at his touch and sent water-like waves through its surface. When the waves passed through the windows, they vanished and were left only with the rich brown painted walls. Derek then walked a few feet over to the right and crouched down. Using his fingers, he started from the bottom and traced the outline of a door; wherever he touched a line of yellow light followed and shined on the wall. Completing the rectangle, he placed both hands in the middle and pushed. The wall moved to his command and indented into a deeper part of the wall. The immortal Creperum just kept working from there, creating a room in a way that shouldn't be possible. He added the regal-decorated windows along with a closet and all the necessities that an infant's home nursery should need.

Before adding too much detail he walked out of the room and beckoned Elizabeth over towards the other blank side of the wall. Tracing another door, he pushed inward and created another room and equipped it with a set of windows and a personal bath. 

"Here," Derek said, taking her palm in his and tapping it, making it shine with a purple aura. "Feel free to decorate it to your content." 

"What?" Liz breathed, looking down at her glowing palm. 

"I do assume that there could be days where you must stay overnight, and not only that but long days in the castle. You might as well have your own room." The Commander left it at that as he returned to customizing the infant’s room. 

Elizabeth was stunned as she looked at the empty room. She had no idea that he would give her a room of her own. Very gently and cautiously, she tapped the wall and it instantly changed into the beige color that she was thinking off. Smiling, she looked down to the floor and tapped it as well. A dark wooden floor created itself under her feet. Oh did she wish that she had this power when she was finishing up her own house. Within a half an hour she created her dream bedroom and wished that she could just take this back with her to her house. 

After she created the room, she took the infant out of the carrier and quickly changed his diaper before swaddling him in a soft blue blanket. He squinted his eyes open and stared at her smiling face. "Hi there, baby boy. Do you want to see your new room? Huh? Do you wanna?" 

The infant looked around the room and tucked his lip into his mouth, so she took that as a yes. Walking over into the next room, Elizabeth's jaw dropped at how well the room was put together.   

The room had a cartoon sea that was painted on all four walls with a mountain range in the distance and a Viking ship sailing the waters with plush white clouds that dotted the area. Pushed next to the window was a dark wooden crib with pillows and a starry mobile that hung above the crib. A matching dresser and future toy box sat on the carpeted floor, plus a rocking chair in the corner and plenty of space for new purchases. Derek stood in the middle of the room, hand on his mouth as he looked around. When Elizabeth walked in he turned around and shrugged. "What do you think? Is it too much?" 

"No, I love it," she said as she walked into the room, gazing at the work that he did. "It's perfect. He'll love it too." 

He nodded and gazed at the infant in her arms, another smile hiding behind his bangs. Elizabeth caught his gaze and jerked her head, as if beckoning him over. "Come here." 

"What?" 

"Yes you, come here," she laughed as she even took a few steps forward. "First things first: if you want to be his dad then you can't be afraid of him. That means you need to learn how to hold a baby." 

The initial look in his eyes was fear as Liz slowly passed the baby onto him. She showed him where he should support and how to hold him until she was able to step back hands free. It warmed her heart to see that for the first time Derek was actually holding his son, and he wasn't hiding that smile anymore. Seeing them together really showed how similar they looked, they really looked like father and son. It was also the first time that she saw that look, the look that she saw in Michael's eyes a few days ago. The look a proud loving father would have.

At that moment, Derek knew that this was the right choice. He didn’t know it at first, but this is what he was missing in this new life outside of his stasis. This was the thing that would be new in his life, starting up a family. He found it ironic that out of his siblings he was the one who resented having a child when Christina and Nickolas wanted one of their own, and yet here he was, looking down at this perfect baby boy.

Elizabeth couldn't help but smile and look down at the little baby. "You know, he still doesn't have a name. What are you going to name him?" 

"I was thinking about that," Derek said in a hushed voice, watching how the baby opened up his eyes the tiniest bit to look up at him. The thought of a name was a reoccurring theme when he was alone in the hospital room and it was one that he put a lot of meaning into. The immortal really thought long and hard about it. With the millions of people he's come across in his never ending life, he had a large pool of names to chose from. "Well he is a very strong boy, especially with the conditions of his birth, and he was born in Norway instead of here in Endralma. So I thought it would be nice to give him a Scandinavian name." 

"A Scandinavian name? And what would that be?" Elizabeth asked, looking up at him. 

"Kalmin," Derek said, lightly rubbing a finger on his cheek. "His name is Kalmin."