Starting to realize I am a danger to myself when left alone for 5 minutes. I guess I'll be writing this and Jungle Fever at the same time now...

The hard part will be keeping these couples and their dialog straight in my head.

Please tell me if you think this is worth pursuing/publishing.

Chapter 1: The beginning of the end...

"You will get every bloody doctor and apothecary within 10 miles to the estate in the next 2 hours or I will have your head."

"Fitzwilliam, no, please stop. I knew it had to be this way. I told you. This is not how I want to remember you love. Sit with me, hold your son. Let us decide on his name together. Hold me as I gaze into his eyes. It will be my last time, my only time. Isn't he beautiful?"

"Elizabeth, stop saying such things. You will be fine. You will see. You will recover. Your mother gave birth to 5 healthy children and still lives a long life. You will do the same..."

"I do not know why I know my love, I only know that I will not. The pains are getting worse again, she is coming, my daughter is coming. Please, I beg you, for the sake of both of our children and for you. Make sure you do as I have told you. Cut me open and take the child. It is the way it must be."

"Elizabeth, do not say such things. You know not of what you speak."

"I know this is my deathbed and I have minutes until I draw my last. I know how much my love for you consumes me and my every thought. I know the son suckling at my breast will never have another chance to do so and my daughter will be jealous of these few minutes he had with me that she will not her whole life. For you will rip me apart to save her. She will be the apple of your eye my proud husband, and it will have been worth it."

"Midwife please, please tell me wife to stop this nonsense, that she wrong, that nothing is amiss. Give her something for the pain and delirium."

"Do not give me anything. I have minutes left and I do not want to spend them asleep or hazy. I must spend them with you, my family, and you must spend them with me. Tell me how much you love me William, how much you will miss me and how your life only truly started when you met me. Say all of it now so that you can and do move on when I am gone. "

"I am the master of this house, and I ordered you to give her something, do it now. My loveliest Elizabeth, you will feel better soon. Just rest now sweetheart."

"Fitzwilliam Darcy, I demanded you tell me you love me. This is not the time to disobey. You will regret it if you don't for the rest of your life."

"I will tell you I love you tomorrow Elizabeth. Right now I am rather occupied with making sure you are well my love. "

"Mrs. Reynolds, promise me, we have discussed this before. Lock my husband in the kitchens if you must for the next 30 minutes, but take your carving knife and cut my little girl from my body when the time comes. She will live. She can live, but not for very long once I stop breathing, which will be soon, I can assure you."

"Mrs. Reynolds did you hear me, understand me? This is the last thing I will ever ask of you. Raise her well, show my children the sunshine, do not let Fitzwilliam get lost in himself. Make sure they always knew how much I love them and that I wouldn't change any of it.

William, do not cry. The children will need is my forever. Let it be enough...You did not say it, but I will. I love you."

"Doctor, what is wrong with my wife. Why is she not waking. Did you mean for her to sleep?"

"Mr. Darcy, your wife has lost too much blood. While we dismissed her words earlier, she seemed to know something we did not. There is another babe, trapped in her body. She is too weak to expel it and we will most likely lose them both. I am sorry Mr. Darcy. But your heir is healthy. Your son has survived. Is that not reason enough to rejoice?"

"Rejoice? You call yourself a Doctor? My wife lies before you, and yet you can do nothing and you ask me to rejoice?"

"You must find a wetnurse immediately. Even if by some miracle your wife survives, she will not be able to nurse your son."

"I find myself almost afraid to ask the question Doctor, but was my wife correct? Would the child survive if you, if you extracted it forcibly?"

"Sir, are you asking me to cut the babe from your wife's still warm body?"

"Is she still breathing?"

"Barely..."

"Is there any chance she will survive?"

"None that I know of Sir..."

"Can you save the babe?"

"I believe so. I saw it done once while in medical school in London."

"Is this what my wife asked of you? If you do nothing will they both die?"

"Almost certainly, Sir, yes."

"Your blood is on my hands Elizabeth. Do you know what you ask of me? Demand of me? How can this be, that three years of marriage and we come to this? I am actually contemplating asking the Doctor to kill you, to murder you, to save a child, our child? What if you are wrong –and I am a murderer. I murder the mother of my son. I cannot live with myself either way Elizabeth. You cannot leave me. Please, Elizabeth I beg you. Come back to me..."

"Mrs. Reynolds, what do you think you are doing?"

"My duty, Sir."

"Your duty? and who specifically do you think you serve here?"

"My wife is dead. The baby is dead. I did nothing and have let them both die. Who will raise my son?"

"Begging your pardon Sir. But your wife claimed she saw this in her dream Sir. I beg you, let me cut the child out. She told me what to do. Please, the time is precious. I am willing to hang for this if I must, but I promised her...she never ever broke a promise to one of the staff, please Sir, I beg you, let me serve my mistress in her death."

He slipped to the ground near her bed and wept. Her hands were cold, never to feel the warmth of sun or his kisses again. Had he told her he loved her before she could not longer hear him? "Oh God Elizabeth, what have I done to you? Who will raise our son? Why did you leave us? God should have taken me and left you. I cannot do this without you. DO you hear me now wife? Did you see this in your dream? Did you imagine me hating you? How could you let this be Elizabeth? I do not want the children, I just wanted you..."

It was as if she wanted to deliver the final blow, in retribution for her husband ignoring her wishes and pleas...Fitzwilliam suddenly heard his housekeeper gasp and say a quick hail Mary "Sir, sir, I'm in need of help. Call back the doctor or the midwife...she lives..."

Review, etc. you know the drill.

Should I continue this?

I promise...no more than 2 stories at a time...Jungle Fever update coming next...

Thanks for reading.

M