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THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE ARE EXPECTING A BABY

Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant.

The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Harry and members of both families are delighted by the news.

The Duchess has been diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a disorder that causes the body to be prone to dislocation, she has been instructed to be careful for the duration of her pregnancy.

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September 9, 2012

"I can't believe you're still going."

"Nat, how could I not go?"

Even though they aren't in the same room, or even in the same country technically, Jaclyn feels the rippling glare through the phone. It's enough to make her pause from where she's rolling up her clothes and placing them in her suitcase. At least, all the things that can be shoved in a suitcase, there's a few dresses that have to be hung up in garment bags, and the borrowed jewelry will be individually packaged in secure boxes because she's pretty sure they're worth more than her life.

"You just found out you're having a high risk pregnancy. The last thing you should be doing is flying."

"I'm fourteen weeks along," she deadpans, adjusting her cell that's balancing between her shoulder and ear. "Besides, canceling now is practically a smack in the face to everyone who's expecting me to be there. You know I can't do that."

She rolls one more pair of khakis, saying a silent prayer that she can squeeze into them without trying them on, and zips up the suitcase. "I've had several doctors tell me the best thing I can do is act like everything's normal," Jaclyn says as she collapses back onto the master bed. The old bed frame protests beneath her, but otherwise holds firm.

"You've also been told to be extremely cautious."

Jaclyn groans, burying her face in her pillow the best she can. Outside the wind whistles lowly, shuttering the glass panes of the farmhouse. Sometimes the thrum of helicopter propellers sounded overhead, and she would rush outside to lay down in the grass and watch. Even if William wasn't the one flying, Jaclyn liked to imagine he was.

Jaclyn allows herself to gaze out the window, peaking the sprawling green fields, and if she squints hard enough the edge of the beach could just be made out. Her dad always grumbled about the state of the house, pointing out the overgrown ivy on the walls and missing shingles from the roof, but Jaclyn loved every detail. Anglesey was a different world, one magical and romantic, and one she could escape to.

But not all problems could be kept from the fantasy.

"Can we not talk about this?" Jaclyn asks, her hand fluttering over her stomach. She was showing more now, any nutrients she got always going right to the baby while the rest of her body decayed. Dr. Setchell swore for most women with EDS the morning sickness abated after the first trimester, and she was holding onto that desperately. "I already feel like every choice I make is wrong."

Natania falls silent, the only sign she hasn't hung up being the soft breaths she exhales, and the revelation hangs heavy in Jaclyn's mouth. Heavy and gummy and stalling her to silence because it's undeniably true.