The whole room was dizzying with anxieties and excitement, people waiting with anticipation and celebrating such a joyous day.
"You'll wear a hole in the floor if you keep pacing like that, Ilya" Asra laughed from his cushion, "Come sit and relax!"
Julian was ridden with nerves, "I can't sit, I can't keep still- What's taking so long?!"
"Doctor, You'll make yourself sick" Nadia gestures towards him, "Have some tea and wait with us"
"I should have been in there" Julian lamented on, "I should have insisted on being in there overseeing the entire delivery"
"-And have you working everyone up into a panic over the slightest things? Julian, I'm sure everything is going smoothly as can be expected." Nadia sipped from her cup
Julian wrought his hands together, his palms feeling cool and damp, "Do you think I should go in? I should check on them. I should see what's happening-"
"JULIAN" Asra and Nadia said in unison
Before he could make any remark though, his head darted towards the door he had been walking in front of what seemed hours.
Cries flooded the room into a surreal whirlwind, enchanting everyone's chest to release their bated breaths.
Julian was seconds to the door, the glimmer setting upon his eyes at hearing such a strong voice. His smile was half choked by the impending tears of joy threatening to escape him.
The door quietly creaked open, a stifled air almost gasping for the outside world to come in and cleanse it.
Mazelinka's face half shadowed from the door frame, she looked to Julian from heavy lids, searching him considerably before heaving a sigh.
"My boy..." her voice was barely trickling from her raspy throat, "Come..."
His face sudden washed with a cool fall of pale concern, "Mazelinka?"
She did not answer, only opening the door a slip enough for only him to pass through quietly. The lights were dim, but the delicate lines of faces were basked in candlelight around the room. The door clicked shut softly behind him.
"Julian...?" A soft, breathless voice came, hardly a whisper
"_!" Julian's Color rose in his cheeks reaching out to her, strides at the bedside before looking down to her tired yet radiant face. She was still so beautiful, after anything thrown her way, she was always so heavenly radiant.
His lips brushed softly to her forehead, embracing her gently, "Are you alright...? Are you still in pain? Is it-"
Before he could finish, a small cooing was heard just beneath his chest- following _'s gaze, his eyes fell upon the bundled innocence newly brought into this world.
Pride began to well from his heart, as he let it simply brim his eyes with wonder. Without taking her gaze from the swaddled babe, she sighed "...She's Alright, my love"
A smile burst from his throat with a joyous exhale cracked itself into a smile, "...She?"
His hand landed softly by her chubby cheeks, "We have a little girl?!" He could hardly contain his immense happiness, "She's beautiful...She's so beautiful!...I'm so proud of you Darling, Look at her...We have a little girl!"
_ smiled weakly before breathing in deeply, exhaling as though she had been drained of all her sources.
Suddenly, a stifled sniffle was heard from across the room. There, brooding in the corner with Mazelinka wrapping her arms around her, Portia wiped tears delicately from her face.
"Go, Pasha" Mazelinka whispered to her, "I'll meet you outside...they must know..."
Before Julian could call out to her, Portia had darted for the door handle, doing all she could to mask the ache that loomed around her. Without looking behind her, the door was opened and shut with a muffled bawl that became fainter and fainter.
"Julian..." Mazelinka motioned the man closer from the bedside, before lowly exhaling "...There's not much time, Son"
"What? What do you mean?" A dark cloud of fog and confusion began to settle itself over him, "Mazelinka- I don't understand, She's healthy- Our daughter is healthy and beautiful, she's going to be okay- right?"
"It's not your daughter my boy..." her eyes looked to his with sorrow, "I'm sorry..._'s heart wasnt strong enough...All those years ago- Asra had bargained to bring only one life back into this world"
Julian's face grew crimson while his chest became knitted in pain, "Mazelinka, What's wrong with her?"
He cast his gaze upon _ gingerly cradling their baby, their little girl barely minutes old. This young innocent ray of hope meant to bring light and joy, being met with such tragic welcoming.
"She has brought a new life into this world of her own will, Julian" her hand found his shoulder as he stares longingly at his little family, "...Her life must now take _'s place...the heart Asra for her to live, only has the power to sustain one life"
"No...No" His heart broke into shattered splinters towards the floor, "This can't be true- Mazelinka PLEASE"
She brought him in and held him tightly, softly whispering into his ear as she felt him wanting to collapse entirely.
"Go to her, my son" she urged him on, tears beginning to trickle slowly down his face.
Wiping his cheek upon his sleeve, he looked back to _, trying his best to create a bravado of bravery.
Her bedside seemed colder now, darker and heavier castings all around them.
"...Would you-" _ breath was faint, "Julian-"
"Yes, Darling" he fought back his agony towards her, "Anything"
She smiled softly, "...Would you like to hold her...?"
He smiled delicately down at her, she looked so fragile, yet so at peace just being here between them. He nodded softly, bringing his hands slowly around the blanketed little girl.
_'s hold was barely escaping before Julian tucked her cautiously into the warmth of his arms.
"...She's so tiny" he sniffled, looking down at her perfectly peachy cheeks, silently slumbering, "She fits so perfectly in my arms..."
_ smiled gazing upon the pair, A Father holding his daughter for the first time in such admiration.
"...Her name" _ muffled softly, "...Our daughters Name..."
Julian looked down from the baby to _, "Yes...our little gem, What shall we name her, Darling?"
"Gem..." her breath was heavy, her weakness growing, "Our little Gem...Jade..."
"Jade?" Julian kneeled by the bedside closer, "...Jade..."
"Jade...Devorak" _ looked longingly at them both, "She's our Jade"
_ used what little strength she could muster, softly placing her cool hand upon Julian's warm tear stained cheek.
"_" Julian began to choke up, "Please...Hang on, I love you so much"
She peacefully rested her soft lips into a smile at him as she never let his eyes escape her, "I love you both"
Freely falling into sobs, Julian looked at her in anguish, how could she be taken away from them like this? What force takes a wife and mother from her family so cruelly?
She simply let him cry into her palm, her daughter safe and secure in his arms. Her lightness and ease of acceptance was assured in knowing his love, He was going to be a benevolent and loving Father.
"...I'll always be with you" her fingers delicately slid from his face, softly laying to rest upon the linens of the bed.
Julian's hand found her face, hot tears stinging his eyes as he watched the light escape from her eyes, going out from this world.
His daughter close to his chest, he stifled his sobs close into her soft blankets, "...I'm so sorry sweetheart" he barely managed to stutter his words to her, kissing her tiny face, "I'm so sorry"
He cradled her close to him, vowing to keep her pure and good from a world of darkness and misery. For her, he would cross seas of anguish, bear chains of hardship, and do it all so with a shimmering smile looking up at him- that made his heart whole again.
His little Jade, the last bit of magic in his life, left of his beloved.