His Beastly Ways

New dawn

By the time Nalia had arrived at the southern wing of the manor which had been turned into a temporary set for delivery,Merith was looking pale and forlorn.She was changed into a white sleeping gown,her hair was lose and was sticking to her sweaty face and her usual cherry lips were so dull they looked almost purple.Her teeth that was busily worrying the poor thing did not seem to help affairs.Her head was splashed on the numerous pillows that were sorrounding her and tears streaked her eyes.
Kat,Marsha and Nicola were seated around her and the physician and his wife were with another round plump woman who looked absolutely dejected at the sight of all the ladies.
Nalia heard a snippet of ,too many people enamate from the woman's mouth.
Nalia arched a brow and created some space for herself next to Marsha.Grasping her friend's cold hand in hers she tried to be comforting," Don't worry too much Mer,we are all here."
Merith's head turned to her ,her eyes taking a few seconds to focus on her.
"It's so bad Lia,so bad and... and...what if..."
Nalia renembered their walk in the garden where they had each confessed to their fears. She held back her fears and her worries,after all it had already been a a night and she was not even yet showing signs of the baby being born.
"We are here are we not ,"she paused to shift her gaze to the othet women in the room,"we will do all in our power alright Mer."
The other adjusted their positions coming around to touch a part of the exhausted woman.
The midwife hmphed somewhere but Nalia's gaze was on her friends pale eyes.
"Lia...I must ask,"here she tried sitting up by supporting her weight on her elbows,her hair swaying this way and that before she gasped in pain and was forced to lay back down,the hand that she was holding tightened on hers in a painful grasp and she herself but into her lip to not cry out.
The midwife rushed foward along with the healer who Nalia,for the life of her,could not recall her name.
"You must leave now your grace."she said ,her voice firm as she tried and failed to get around them to tend to their friend.
Nalia would have obliged but knowing Merith' s fears of her labor,she held fast to her friend's hands. Merith closed her eyes against the pain and opened them with a determined resolve and grazing at her friend she continued," Lia,you must promise me,whatever happens ,you will take care of my children...please.."
This last she added as a wave of contractions tore through her stomach in a pain so intense she felt her nerves go raw and grasping the duchess' hand she waited until she saw Nalia nod her consent before she closed her eyes and let the darkness take hold of her.

Baby Judith Annanalia Beucomb ,viscountess of Ashwood was born at the strike of midnight the next day on a dark winters night. The occupants of Hahn Manor were all very delighted to see the pink fleshed toddler with a mop of nlond hair and the tinniest nose imaginable. 
Nalia who was now laying the baby to bed in the crib placed next to her mother,smiled in exhaustion as the child let out a cry and wiggled her tiny frame to get warmer. Carrying her tiny body to her own bossom she calmly and quietly hummed a little russian lullaby that she had found made the poor thing sleep without effort.

Since her bath last night,Anna had only been breast fed twice although by no fault of her mother. Merith was extremely pleased to have her child alive and well,though tiny and consistently tried to keep her by her side. The only thing stopping her was that she too was weak and had yet to recover her strength.

Nalia was taking care of her godchild and felt that they already were connected. She calmly placed the child back in the crib,checked on the sleeping mother and left to go pray to the Maddonna who Richard had brought with him when he left from Russia to come fulfill his promise to Merith of being by her side as she gave birth.

She wanted to visit the nursery,she had not seen Ara since the previous day and found she missed her child very much so. As she took her next step a sharp pain hit her from her lower back and she paused to rub at it. Not surprised that with all her extra activities it would ache. She rubbed gently at it,supporting herself with one hand on the antic table placed on the corridor with a vase of fresh lilies. As the pain eased ,she straightened,decided that after the nursery she would visit the kitchen to see if she could convince cook to give her some tea and then she would retire to her room.

Just as she reached for the door to the nursery a deep tug struck her stomach making her bend over in pain and tripping on her heavy rose pink day gown. She reached out to grasp the railing,her hands reaching out desparately to hold on to something as another pain tugged her so strongly she felt her back ache and it radiated all the way to her knees making them weak.
The door to the nursery flew open and she saw her husband rush out. She wanted to say something but all thoughts fled from her mind as the pain assaulted her again making her scream and pant as she felt a wetness sipping down her bestocked feet.
I wet myself...goodness me. She thought even as she heard her husband's voice on top of her asking her if she was alright.
She shook her head no,too overwhelmed to even speak.
He came foward then holding her hands lifting her up and another strong jolt of pain tore through her enough to have her cling to him in fear and desparation.
Good Lord,what is wrong with me. She asked herself.
"My darling,what is it? Is it the child?"
She heard him ask again through the painful haze. Her heart skipped a beat at the endearment said so softly and gently even as she traced a hint of panic in his husky voice. Then she registered what he had asked about the child and it finally dawned on her that she was in labor.
"Dear Lord...I...Hahn...I am about to deliver..."she paused to take a breath. Her pain was so strong that she truly feared she would give bath here and now. In her husbands arms.
While she stood.
The thought ofcourse did not help her as her anxiety simply increased and she clutched to her husband who looked at her with all the worry and panic painted on his face.
"How...but,is it not too soon?" He asked and she felt the urge to slap him.
How? Really?She was in pain and her child would be here soon and he was asking about the how?
She raised her head to glare at him. He seemed to finally catch on that she was about to really give birth and in an instance he had swept her into his arms and was striding through heading to the east wing.

She could hear him shouting something to someone though really it all sounded as if it was so far away. Her heart ached as she felt him lay her down on the soft pillows. A quick look showed it was his bedchambers he had brought her to. She would have protested surely he knew what would occur.
As if sensing her thoughts,he sat next to her on the her other side,laying her head on his chest,his arm about her and gave her a kiss on her head.
"T'is alright darling.Just..."
His words drowned as a pain seized her lifting off the pain and in the back of her mind she knew that her scream echoed all the way to the south wing.
Her husband held on to her and when the pain had reduced to a bearable state she let him place her back gently on the pillows. When their eyes met,she saw his were filled with as much pain as she was filling. He took a moment to give her a gentle kiss on her brows before he flung himself from the bed and she heard him yell out at someone. Straining to catch what he was saying,she caught the last part.
"...I want to see that bloody doctor here right now. My wife is in pain."

She would have laughed if she had any strength. To be truthful she did not know it would be this bad and the fear she had confessed to Merith on their walk gripped her three fold. She felt it as the other wave of body paralysing pain seized her and her back arched with another scream tearing through her.

When she felt her husband come back onto the bed,she gathered her strength as she panted and turned to him.
"Please....Hahn...get...get Richard...please."
He looked as if he was about to argue but she gave him such a look revealing some of the fear she felt and the tire and he nodded sharply once,squeezed her hand and abruptly left.

When he left,her friends came right in. Masha and Nicola were holding Merith who was still in her robes and was walking gingerly. Kat was already holding her hands and squeezing it quite painfully. Afraid to speak through her pain she pointed her finger at Merith and shook her head 'no' vigorously.
Yet all the ladies came and sat around her bed holding her hand and resolutely being determined to stay.
When Richard burst in,his hair a dissaray and wearing a robe with his pajamas showing she almost wept in relief.
He sat next to Nicola and took her in his arms.
"I...Richy...I am afraid."
He pushed the unruly hair that was falling to his eyes and stared at her fiercely holding her hand through the next pain wave.
"I am here love. You know I shall not lose you too." He assured her,his eyes filled with fire,his jaw set and she knew both his love and pain for losing one sister would see her through this.
Her eyes looked about the room until they landed on her husband who was standing at the foot of the bed,edged out of the circle created yet he refused to leave. His eyes were closed and he held himself still somberly but she watched him as she yelled out in pain and saw his face contour too.
When she relaxed ,she reached a hand out to him and he came to her without thought holding her left hand.

Nalia took in a deep breath,staring around the room at the people sorrounding her just as the doctor,his herbalist wife and the midwife came into the room. She nodded to herself .

She was ready.