6 years ago…

"Elena," Mateo said sternly, arms folded across his chest, "you shouldn't be out here! You know you are supposed to be on bed rest until the baby comes! Doctor's orders!"

Elena stood in the path before him, eyes bright as she grinned saucily and placed one hand on a hip while the other rested protectively atop the gentle curve of her abdomen. "Oh, that was just a suggestion! I feel fine! Besides, what could possibly go wrong?"

Groaning, Mateo pinched the bridge of his nose, saying, "You know I hate it when you say that." He looked her in the eye, his gaze pleading as he continued, "Please, just do what the doctor says. For me?"

Elena smiled at the man she loved so much and, cupping his face in her hands, she kissed him on the nose. "You are so cute when you worry. But don't! I've felt terrible for eight months straight. Today, I feel amazing! Not a hint of nausea or achiness and I intend to take advantage of feeling this good!"

Mateo, pursing his lips, looked his wife up and down, assessing her condition. He had to admit that she looked a lot better–– healthier–– than he'd seen her look in what seemed like forever. Gone were the dark circles under her eyes, the greyish green tinge that had taken up a seemingly permanent residence in her skin, the pain dulled eyes, the nauseated grimace–– she looked radiant, glowing even. It was reminiscent of her pregnancy with Ana. It hadn't been perfect, but it had been a lot easier on Elena's body. It had been nine months of excited anticipation. This time around, the excitement to meet their new baby was overshadowed by pain and nausea and worry for Elena and the baby's health.

The entire pregnancy had been hard–– Elena had suffered from constant pain and nausea. At seven months pregnant, however, Elena had experienced some serious bleeding and cramping, which the physician had explained was the beginning stages of early labor and promptly ordered her to constant bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy–– for her own safety as well as the baby's.

Eyebrows furrowed with worry, Mateo relented a little. "Are you sure you should be out here? I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby." His voice was thick with worry.

Elena's gaze softened and she took a step closer and gently rubbed his cheek. "I'm fine Mateo. I've never felt better. The baby is happily bouncing around in there, see?" She took his hand and placed it on her belly. He smiled softly as he felt the baby moving around, almost as if pressing itself into his touch. He looked up into Elena's eyes, feeling a mixture of unease and wonder as they shared a moment together before Elena continued, " ––and I feel better than I've felt in forever. If I have to spend another day in bed, I might go crazy. Please don't make me go crazy." She flashed the sad puppy look, which was her greatest weapon in any disagreement with Mateo.

He looked at her uncertainly, but said with a deep sigh, "Fine, but please take it easy. I need you and the baby to stay healthy."

She giggled with delight and leaned in to kiss him. "Don't you worry about a thing. We'll be fine, you'll see."

Mateo had been outside the palace, helping Armando with an inspection of the palace grounds, pointing out and noting areas that needed a little extra attention from the palace staff. It was a simple task that Elena usually attended to twice a year, but Mateo had taken over once she had been ordered to mandatory bed rest several months ago.

Elena walked happily along, fingers interlaced with Mateo's as they strolled through the palace grounds, pointing out sculptures in need of polish, bushes in need of pruning and exterior fixtures requiring a touch of paint. The fresh air and sunshine made her want to skip, dance and sing–– all at the same time. She was just so happy to be free–– not only from the confines of her room, but from the confines of perpetual illness.

Though he was still uneasy about her disobeying the physician's orders, Mateo couldn't help but smile to see Elena looking so jubilant after watching her suffer for so long. Though her discomfort hadn't kept them apart–– they still shared their bed at night–– he had been lonely. He'd taken on many of her responsibilities while she'd been on bedrest, and those had kept him from her side for the better part of each day. He had missed her constant presence, but, most of all, he'd missed her smile and the sound of her laughter. He could see that she was back to herself. Maybe, he thought with a sigh of relief, the worst was over and they'd have an easy final few weeks until the baby was born.

As Armando walked ahead to examine a jaquin sculpture, Elena looked at Mateo, mischief dancing in her eyes, and grinned, taking his hands and pulling him behind a tall flowering shrub.

"Elena, what are y–"'Mateo protested, but quickly forgot what he was going to say as she grasped the fabric around his collar and pulled him in for a rather passionate kiss–– the kind of kiss that was not usually seen in polite company. He slid his hands gently over the gentle swell of her abdomen and around her back, pulling her as close as the growing baby between them would allow, and kissed her as he gently rubbed his hands in circles around her back. Smiling against her lips, he murmured, "Such a distracting little minx."

She had slid her hands into his hair and said, "Mmm...I've missed this. I–" she froze and gasped–– her body tensing as a sharp pain radiated from her midsection, up her spine and down her legs. Her arms fell to Mateo's shoulders and she slumped into him, hugging him tightly for support.

"Elena!" Mateo cried out, holding her up, "What happened?"

She scrunched her eyes and groaned through the pain. "Contraction– I think," she ground out.

"We need to get you back to bed," Mateo said, "Come on, mi amor, I'll help you." He gently rearranged her so that he was supporting her around the waist and began slowly helping her towards the royal suite.

"Mateo," she sobbed, her knees buckling, "I– I think something is wrong– I–"

He glanced behind him and felt the color drain from his face as he saw the trickling trail of blood along the walkway. "Elena! You're bleeding! We have to get you back– now!" He scooped her into his arms and called out urgently to Armando, who had been standing by trying to decide what needed to be done for his Queen. "Armando! Get the physician and send him to our suite. Now!"

"Yes, your highness!"

Without another thought, Mateo took off running, Elena cradled in his arms, leaning her head against his shoulder as her eyelashes fluttered in her struggle to maintain consciousness. Mateo's mind raced through all the possible scenarios as he crossed the steps into the palace. The baby was coming too early–– or something was seriously wrong with Elena. Either way, Mateo remembered the physician's ominous warning that either had the potential to end very badly.

As if sensing his thoughts, Elena turned her head weakly, and looked up into his face–– her eyes barely open slits as she observed the fear that clouded over his features–– his face pale and his eyes wide. She too was scared–– mostly for the baby, but also that she may have doomed them both by her rash decision that afternoon.

Elena's body tensed yet again as another sharp pain seized her body–– she gasped a sob, groaning through the wave of pain as Mateo increased his pace, calling out instructions to servants as he raced towards their suite. Elena released a feeble sigh of relief as the pain subsided, and could feel herself slipping away into the cool painless dark of unconsciousness.

Over the following hours, Elena flitted in and out of various stages of consciousness as a flurry of people around her worked to bring her baby safely into the world. Each time she awoke, she felt more and more helpless and despondent as the labor seemed endless–– it felt as if she would live the rest of her life in that vicious cycle alternating between pain and darkness. She was anxious to see her baby and see that it was safe and healthy.

When she was conscious, she was too weak to open her eyes, but could hear the physician working tirelessly over her. She could hear her abuela murmuring something as she wiped a blissfully cool cloth over Elena's forehead. She could feel a steady, warm hand firmly clutching her own. She would know that hand anywhere–– that hand belonged to Mateo. It was a comfort knowing that he was with her, no matter what.

Finally, a tiny, angry cry roused Elena once again. Was that–– was it her baby? Relief coursed through her as she heard the healthy baby's cry–– it was music to her ears. Her baby was safe and healthy. Though she was still extremely weak, Elena forced her eyes open and turned her head to behold a very pale and tired looking Mateo holding a tiny, wiggly bundle of blankets.

Smiling faintly, Elena, rasped, "Hey you."

Mateo smiled back, a hint of relief creeping across his features. "Hey, how are you feeling, mi amor?"

"Tired–– really tired. Like I could sleep forever."

"Let's not do that, ok? We need you. She needs you."

"She?"

"Yes, she. It's a girl. I'd like you to meet our beautiful, healthy, rather vocal daughter."

Elena's eyes brightened a bit. "Can I see her?"

"Of course," He sat on the edge of the bed, and set the baby girl into Elena's arms. She smiled softly, eyes full of love and adoration.

Elena couldn't take her eyes off of the perfect little face. Mateo leaned in and kissed Elena's hair, murmuring, "I love you–– both of you–– so much."

Elena felt dizzy and drowsy, but she managed to slur, "And– I– love– you–" before the overwhelming desire to close her eyes won out and she let her head drop to the pillow.

"Elena? Elena?!" She felt the bed shift as the baby was taken away and Mateo's voice took on a tone of panic. "Elena!? What's going on, doctor?"

The physician spoke up from where he was still working at the foot of the bed. "The bleeding isn't slowing. If I can't get it under control in the next few minutes, we're going to lose her."

"No! Elena, mi amor!" she felt pressure on her hand as he took it in his own. It was so warm. She liked how warm his hand was and could almost feel their bond flowing between them–– more acutely than ever in her half delirious state. "Stay with me, Elena!" his precious voice begged her, cracking with emotion.

"Mmmm…" she groaned quietly, as she struggled to make her way back to him. She managed to crack her eyes open, just enough to find his warm, sorrowful hazel eyes staring back–– glazed with barely concealed tears, pleading with her to stay.

"I– I'm so– sorry–amor," she croaked quietly. "Take– care of– our– girls–"

Squeezing her hand gently, Mateo replied, his voice thick with emotion, "Don't talk like that. You have nothing to be sorry for. Everything is going to be fine, you'll see." A single tear trickled down his cheek as he whispered, "Stay with me, mi amor–– just stay."

Drowsiness was threatening to overtake her again, but Elena couldn't refuse that voice anything. She fought valiantly against her eyelids which felt as heavy as anvils–– keeping them open was a monumental task.

"Stay."

Her vision darkened and her eyes wheeled trying to find his–– those warm, familiar eyes that she loved so much. She knew she needed to stay awake, but she had forgotten why. She felt her senses dull as a stupor washed over her and general confusion washed through her mind. But that voice–– she knew that voice.

"Stay."

She fought and fought to do as that voice asked, until–– eventually–– she ran out of strength. She couldn't–– her eyes wouldn't obey, and they collapsed shut as the darkness rushed in to claim her.

Icy panic flooded his veins as her hand slackened in his own. "Elena?" Mateo said anxiously, reaching forward to pat her cheek in an attempt to wake her, "Elena! No! Wake up, please wake up!"

The tears came in earnest, pouring down his cheeks as he leaned over her, shaking her shoulders, patting her cheeks, kissing her forehead––her cheeks–– her lips––begging through half choked sobs for her to come back.

This couldn't be happening. She couldn't be gone. He couldn't accept that–– she wouldn't leave him. There had to be something he could do to save her. His mind raced with possible solutions and then–– he had an idea.

–––––

Elena groaned as she stirred–– her body felt as if it'd taken a beating, but she felt better than she had in a long time. Slowly opening her eyes, she squinted against the light and looked around, forehead crinkling in confusion, as she tried to remember what had happened. Her eyes froze as they met a set of exhausted hazel green eyes staring at her as if she were a ghost. Mateo was seated in a chair beside the bed gently rocking a familiar bundle of blankets. He looked as terrible as she felt–– his skin was pallid with dark circles under his eyes, and his endearingly messy hair looked a bit like a birds nest, it was so frazzled.

Elena desperately tried to remember what could have happened to make him look like that and why that bundle looked so familiar. She tried to form the words, but her throat wasn't cooperating, "Wh– Ma–" her lips pursed in frustration as she struggled to make sense of the situation.

"Shhh… mi amor, it's ok. Save your strength," Mateo soothed her, reaching out to smooth her hair from her forehead. He smiled softly as relief washed over his entire demeanor. "You– you're alive. I thought we'd lost you."

Elena raised a questioning eyebrow that clearly said,What happened?

"There were–– er–– complications with our daughter's birth."

Elena gasped, her eyes widening in panic as she struggled to sit up.

Mateo hurried to continue, "Shhh, Elena. Lay back down and rest. Don't worry! She's perfectly safe and healthy. See?" He pulled the blanket back to reveal the tiny, perfectly round head of their daughter.

Intense relief washed over her as a vague–– almost blurry–– memory of a previous meeting with this tiny person flitted into her mind.

Mateo continued, "The complications were with you. Something went wrong during the delivery––" he shuddered, "there was a lot of blood. The physician said that if we couldn't stop the bleeding we would lose you–– that's when you passed out. The physician couldn't get the bleeding to stop by traditional methods, so I decided to try a healing spell. It was so hard because it was a problem that I couldn't see and I had no way of knowing if the spell had truly worked until you woke up hours later. I won't lie," he adjusted the baby so he was holding her in one arm as he reached for Elena's hand, "these have been the worst hours of my life. I've never been so worried. But––" his voice cracked as he continued, "I'm just so glad that you came back to me–– to us."

Elena smiled softly and squeezed his hand. "Thank you, amor, for saving my life." She looked at the baby and said, "I know we've met before, but I can't quite remember–– it's all such a blur. Can–– can I see her?"

"Of course," Mateo said as he slid onto the bed, settling himself and the baby next to Elena. He gently placed the baby girl into Elena's arms and slid his own arm around her shoulders.

"So? What do you think?"

"She's one of the most beautiful creatures I've ever laid eyes on."

"Indeed."

Mateo smiled, pressing a kiss to Elena's temple as she stared into the precious, perfect little face of their daughter. And they lay blissfully in each other's arms, enjoying a shining moment of peace as–– together–– they welcomed their daughter into the world.