18. When You Say Nothing At All.

I had five weeks left until the due date. Mariella had been sedated for a week, and so had Damon, along with most of the Salvatores, as well as Adam, Charles, and the boys, who had also visited her. She seemed loopy and high, sleeping a lot, but the sedation kept her stable.

Damon had been contemplating the operation, but with still over a quarter of the time left, he decided to wait a bit longer, realizing that the sedation was better for Mariella than it would have been for me. I wasn't jealous or needy. He could spend time with her, and it was fine with me.

My alpha side was boosted, and I enjoyed doing things my way without negotiating with my husband. I had learned that well. I might not have been the best wife at times, but being an alpha female, independence was key. It was something Damon would have to learn to tolerate or consider when dealing with me and my stunts.

I had prepared all the little things, like mobiles with my beaded animals and mechanisms. Of course, Wulfe had woken up a few days later and was with me almost all the time.

However, he was also busy with the wizards, making various binding potions for the babies. They had over 30 potions brewing simultaneously, each one complex and time-consuming to make. With 28 babies on the way, all with different powers, my five would be the strongest.

However, since they were my children, they hid their powers, frustrating Wulfe as it was challenging to gauge what abilities they possessed. This made it difficult for him to prepare all the necessary potions for them.

But it was what it was. Being pregnant made me irritated and tired over time. They grew as much as possible, and a little voice in the back of my mind suspected I had much less than five weeks left. My alpha side decided to keep that suspicion a secret. No need to alarm men for nothing, right? No need for them to hover over me and stop me from acting.

I'm not always wise. I've learned my lesson about keeping secrets. I didn't mind. I enjoyed putting all my clothes in order in the wardrobe and dressers. I had reserved bigger sizes ready, knowing these ones liked to grow.

My care station was now ready as number two had come in and checked everything diligently. He muttered that I needed calmness in my life as my belly kept growing. I wasn't going to just sit in my place for five weeks.

I kept my mouth shut about my plans. I had to keep moving, keep my body fit in case I needed to deliver these ones. Even if it was a cesarean, my life would be busy. It was important to keep my fitness up. I had my own plan and wasn't going to advertise it to these overzealous caretakers.

From that day on, about four days ago, there was always someone bringing my food to me in the nursery or wherever I might be. My walking was limited and they kept an eye on me as best they could, but I still had a few things to do. I was pregnant, heavily pregnant for sure, but not incapacitated. I visited the kitchen from time to time, not every time I had to eat.

My blood was tasted at least once a day, and usually, they grumbled under their breath as they tried to ensure I got what I needed, not just for the babies but for the pregnancy as well. It's a time when babies come first, and my body knew it, so it gave everything and a little more to the babies, making it almost impossible for Salvatores to get my vitamin and trace element levels anywhere near where they should be. There was little they could do about it; that's just how it was.

One big task awaited me. I was thinking about it in the kitchen as I was eating, and Katherine was there with me. She was enjoying her meal prepared by Salvatores, and I had heard her complain about wanting fast food like chicken nuggets or Chinese noodle soups, but Salvatores made sure she didn't eat junk.

I asked her, as she seemed bored and maybe a bit irritated, her mouth pursed and her eyes slightly squinted, "Do you have anything planned today? I could use some company. Elena is with the wolves, and I have a project to finish."

She looked at me and replied, "I'm free, but if you're going to try to convince me how wonderful it is to be a mother or pregnant, I swear I'll run away. Mimosa and Shadow are great, but right now their minds are mush, filled with hormones, and focused on the wonders of motherhood and pregnancy, not to mention praising Damon. His ego is big enough already, no need to inflate it further."

I laughed and said, "My brain isn't that mushy. Sure, I'm as big as a whale, but if you're up for it, let's have some fun with this project. I promise it'll be enjoyable."

I smiled confidently. I had the perfect fun project in mind, and I was so sure of my skills that we would get it done and show the men how it's done.

"Damn, why do I have this fucking metal thing? Do you have something like that?" I asked Katherine, sounding irritated, my brows furrowed as we struggled to assemble my cribs.

What was supposed to be a fun project had turned into a confusing and frustrating ordeal. With parts scattered around us and a perplexing diagram, we were both getting annoyed by how difficult it was to put everything together. We were focused on assembling the bottom part first and hadn't made much progress.

Katherine's frown deepened as she examined three wooden pieces in her hands, saying, "I think these should fit together somehow. Show me that metal thing."

I showed her a long metal tube with twists inside, explaining, "The longest bolt goes in here, but we don't have anything thick enough. What could require this long bolt or metal holder?"

Katherine suggested looking at the diagram, so I began searching around me, frustrated when I couldn't find it.

"It's under your ass," she pointed out.

I grunted as I tried to move, struggling due to my belly getting in the way. Eventually, I managed to retrieve the diagram, handing it to Katherine, who studied it with a furrowed brow.

"No, it doesn't mention this freaking kind of thing, but the long bolts should go into the legs, and these three rocking parts should fit together," she explained, showing me.

I frowned, realizing we had to connect multiple parts. As I lined up the holes, I noticed the middle part was sticking out slightly, whereas the diagram showed it should be flush with the others.

Puzzled, I wondered aloud, "Which fucking part should this be? It's almost like this one, just shorter. Do we need it shorter or longer for this?"

I took a deep breath, thinking to myself that it couldn't be this difficult. I might be a brain surgeon, but surely I could assemble a damn crib.

Why didn't they provide written instructions instead of these confusing diagrams that seemed intended for men to decipher? Not that my pride or stubbornness allowed me to ask for help or let men handle it.

I was racking my brain trying to figure out which part it was, as the pieces were not numbered or marked, and there were several almost identical ones but slightly shorter or thicker. I took a deep breath, confident that we would eventually get it right and finish the task.

I tried to contain my growing irritation and summon more of my famous patience, but being pregnant and having sat on the floor for hours, my legs were numb, and we hadn't made any progress. I promised myself that next time, I would buy cribs that were already assembled. 

Charles was on his way to get Mimi to eat when he heard Mimi and Katherine talking. He walked softly to the doorway, keeping himself hidden as he smirked while listening to them complain as they tried to put together the cribs. It was quite funny.

In the past, Mimi was not good at assembling things, something she struggled with. Charles had tried to show her many times, but she was stubborn and often forgot or ignored his tips. Despite his worries over Mariella, this little comedy made him smile, and he wanted to share it with others.

In his mind, Charles said to Adam and Damon, "Do you want to see something funny? This is hilarious. I want to see what happens. Come quietly to Mimi's nursery. She and Katherine are trying to assemble cribs, and let me tell you, it's not going well. Mimi just doesn't get it, and Katherine isn't any better."

Adam and Damon soon came to witness the scene. As Mimi finally understood that they needed to use bolts to put many parts together, Damon smiled. However, she still hadn't realized she was holding a metal holster.

As she started putting the parts in the assembly, she cursed in various languages, trying to put them together the wrong way. She attempted to use a bolt without the holster, causing the hole to be too loose. When she put one part in the wrong way, it stuck out, deepening the frown on her face, leading to more curse words.

Damon couldn't help but say, "Honey, baby, put that part the other way around."

As Salvatore's voice filled with amusement instructed me to rearrange a part, I kept my expression neutral and tried to figure out which part he was referring to. Running my hand through my messy curls, I attempted to shift my position, as my legs were already feeling numb.

Glancing at the door, I noticed that we had an audience - Adam, Charles, Damon, and a few other Salvatores, as well as Alaric and Magnum, Wulfe, were all watching. Great.

Taking a deep breath to conceal my growing irritation, I was determined to get this task done.

Damon stepped in, crouched next to me, and adjusted the middle part, explaining, "See, this goes this way. It slots in like this."

Katherine followed suit, and then Damon slid the metal holster through all three parts, ensuring their holes aligned perfectly with no protruding pieces. It fit perfectly, and I couldn't help but scold myself silently.

"Now, take the screwdriver," he instructed, and as I reached for one, he corrected me, "Not that one, take the flat-ended one. Put it here - see this bolt has a groove where it goes. Keep it in place while you start screwing it in with your other hand."

I knew Damon was holding back to let me handle it myself, though I wasn't sure why.

Katherine pointed out, "We only have one screwdriver, the flat one," and Damon just smiled, saying, "Wait for your turn."

Adam and Charles entered, with Charles picking up the diagram to examine it, causing Adam to grunt in agreement. It was surprisingly challenging to keep the bolt holder steady while screwing the bolt in place.

"Why does it have to be this way? Why can't this holder come out the other way?" Katherine questioned, but Damon remained silent, his amusement palpable.

Finally managing to screw the bolt all the way in place, Damon instructed me, "Give it a bit more, at least one and a half revolutions. Use the screwdriver now."

As I attempted to tighten it, Damon took the screwdriver from me and effortlessly completed one more round to secure it further. 

Charles chuckled, his voice barely containing his amusement. "How about you ladies get up, go have some food, and let us put together these cribs? Because, honey, if you were to do this, you'd be in labor before finishing. You're not great at assembling things, I thought you had learned that by now."

Damon glanced at Charles, looking confused, and Charles explained, "Honey here once tried to set up a bookshelf. Let's just say, if I hadn't tightened the screws and fixed a few parts, that shelf wouldn't have held one book before collapsing. She's not that good at understanding diagrams."

Damon remarked, "Women, so typical. Come on, baby, let's get you up there. It's not good for you to sit on the floor for too long."

I rolled my eyes, feeling my legs a bit numb as I scrambled into a semi-kneeling position before Adam, Charles, and Damon, who helped me stand. Damon held onto me until my legs steadied me.

He then jokingly looked at my belly and said, "Do you have an elephant or a rhino in there?"

I rolled my eyes once again. 

Men eagerly flooded into the nursery to start assembling the cribs.

As I went to one cabinet and grabbed five packages, I mentioned, "There are mattresses and covers for the sides; I will put them on after I eat."

Damon just grunted, while Magnum and Charles were already working on one crib, and Adam was opening the next packet. I was sure it wouldn't take long for them to finish. We then walked with Katherine into the kitchen and decided not to discuss the cribs any further.

I realized I lacked skills in that area, which bothered me more than I cared to admit. Despite my imperfections and pride, I knew my weaknesses. When they clashed, it often put me in a sour mood. I was already considering a visit to my aquarium room after the meal; watching my fish always helped calm me down.