4-Marianne wakes, needs a bath. Doctor starts to arrange for the maids to do it but C says no. The closeness he shares with his wife is such that he will not pretend in front of anyone to be a stranger to his wife's body. Bath arranged and a very gentle scene is set where the couple come to face their loss together and seek comfort in each other. M talks to her mother and mrs Jennings to learn that a miscarriage is not uncommon and certainly not uncommon when the pregnancy is the first. It's sad, but such is nature.
"It's all my fault, Elinor," Brandon whispered after a little while. He had had a moment to think now.
"What ever do you mean Brandon?" Elinor turned to look at him. How could he think that, had something happened?
"We have carried on with… well… our marital relations even after we learned about the baby. I'm sure now had I not been so selfish as to…" his voice faded. As close as they were as friends, he still found it difficult to form certain private matters into words. Elinor just sighed at first, had a think, then turned to Brandon with an air of determination.
"Let me ask you this, my dear Brandon, did the doctor not discuss this with you?"
Brandon nodded.
"Yes, yes, I know what the doctor said, but…"
"No buts. Also, was my sister not also a party to your time together?" Elinor continued. Brandon gave a reluctant nod to confirm this.
"Then you'll know that what you are thinking is not a likely cause of what has happened." Elinor concluded, and turned back to lean against the wall.
"Brandon… Christopher. These things simply happen. People may not talk about it much, but once a woman enters that mysterious group of people we call mothers you learn things. And one such thing is that losing babies this early on is not uncommon. Especially with young women who expect their first one. The body simply isn't always quite sure of what to do." Elinor was hoping that at least some of this was getting through to her friend. But he looked absolutely miserable and simply sighed, again close to tears.
"But what if something happens to her, what if I lose her?" His question was not pointed specifically at Elinor, she understood that. He was voicing his greatest fear to the universe.
More people then approached the corridor. From the sounds Elinor recognized it was her mother and her husband. Elinor scrambled up and somehow, through his stupor, so did Brandon.
"My dear Brandon, Elinor, what is going on?" Mrs Dashwood asked in her frenzy and worry.
"Mother, the doctor and the midwife are still in there, we should learn from them soon, I'm certain" Elinor took over. Brandon was in no condition to look after anyone but his wife.
"Oh dear, is it the baby?" Mrs Dashwood asked, her eyes searching for Brandon's. He was so dear to her as a son-in-law and even Mrs Dashwood was able to see outside her own worry enough to notice his agony. Brandon nodded.
"And Marianne's bleeding badly," Elinor added. She looked at her husband who had earlier remained downstairs to wait for Mrs Dashwood. Margaret had come too, but Edward had deemed it best to ask her to stay there.
"Mrs Dashwood, may I suggest, under the circumstances, you should sit down until the doctor calls us. Let me escort you downstairs where there is better seating. Elinor will come and get us as soon as it's possible to go see Marianne, won't you Elinor?"
Elinor nodded eagerly. She felt her mother's fear very strongly as well, but to her Brandon was a priority. The man was falling to pieces. She shared the fear, but tried to keep calm. It would not do to give in right now, and it was better to try not to be upset for the sake of her own baby as well. Brandon must have been on her wavelength there:
"Are you alright, Elinor? Should you be up here worrying and caring for others in your condition?"
Elinor let a subdued smile show itself for a moment on her face. That's him, Brandon, he's pulling himself together after that dip, ready to take on the world and looking after everyone else.
"I'm fine, don't worry Christopher. We'll sit tight and take deep breaths and any moment now the doctor will let us know how things are," she reassured him.
And she was not wrong, as the door opened in a matter of minutes.
"Colonel, you can come in now," the doctor said. Elinor looked at the doctor expectantly.
"Yes, you may come in, too, Mrs Ferrars."
Inside, Mrs Dobson was clearing away bloodied sheets and Marianne's clothes. Marianne had been tucked into bed and she was awake. Just.
"How is she, doctor?" Brandon asked as he approached the bed. Marianne looked so tired and fragile he felt needed to pick her up and hold her until she was better again.
"She's weak, but I'm certain she will be fine again. I have seen worse." The doctor explained.
"Yes, I know it looks very bad and she will need time to bounce back, but everything should be alright eventually." Added the midwife.
Elinor watched her brother-in-law swiftly move to the bedside and place himself at the head of it so that he could pull his wife against his chest, circling his strong arms around her to hold her close and to offer her comfort and protection.
"Dearest Marianne, I was so frightened," he half whispered, not caring one bit who was in the room.
"Christoper… the baby…" she started, but her words turned into sobs.
"Shh… my love. I know, I know. But the most important thing is that you are safe, you are alright. I could not bear it if I lost you, Marianne."
"What happens now?" Elinor asked, looking at the doctor and the midwife. Brandon would need to know this too, but was not in a state to ask right now.
"Mrs Brandon will need to rest. After all that bleeding she will need building up a bit, but I don't think there is any reason why she would not make full recovery eventually. She should stay in bed for a while, then, when she feels better start moving around a little bit at a time. I will instruct Mrs Dobson about her diet. And I will come back to check on her tomorrow. We shall take it from there, Mrs Ferrars. For now, all that can be done is to let her rest. There may be some more bleeding in the hours to come, but Mrs Dobson knows this too and will see to the necessities."
Elinor nodded. She was relieved. She wanted to go tell the news to the family downstairs as well, but one look at the husband and wife on the bed, clinging on to each other for comfort, told her she would wait a while longer before she would get her mother upstairs. She exchanged goodbyes with the doctor and the midwife and they made for the door.
"Thank you, both of you," Brandon managed to take notice. He was genuinely grateful, but had hard time giving attention to anything or anyone except Marianne.
"Dearest, Elinor is here also," he then said softly. Elinor came closer to the bed and sat on the side.
"Hello sweetheart, are you still hurting?"
Marianne shook her head weakly.
"I'm just very tired," she managed to say. Elinor reached her hand to her and stroked her cheek lightly.
"I'm so glad. You gave us a bit of a scare." Elinor's reprimand was nothing of the sort as she said the words with the gentlest of smiles on her face.
"Do you want to see mother? And Margaret? They are here also. I promise not to let them stay long. I'll leave you to Christopher's capable hands then."
When Mrs Dashwood and Margaret came up, Brandon left his wife with them for a moment. He wanted a word with Elinor outside the room. Edward was outside as well.
"Thank you," he simply offered.
"I did nothing, I'm just so happy Marianne will recover. I am, however, ever so sorry about the baby. There is very little one can say at a time like this, but I can only hope and wish that once Marianne is alright again, God will bless you again and see you all safe."
Brandon nodded and gave half a smile as his thanks. Edward offered his hand.
"I'm so sorry, my friend. If there is anything I can do to help, you only need to say."
"Thank you, Edward. I hope there is no need to burden you with any more worries. And despite our misfortune with our baby, please do not feel, ever, that you should hide your joy with yours from us."
Elinor could not hold back her sniffle. The sensitivity of this man was unlike anyone she knew. Even her own husband, and Edward was rather well in tune with other people's needs as well. Elinor had indeed had a moment to worry about how her pregnancy and her baby would make her sister feel after that.
"Thank you. Now, I think I should get Mother and Margaret and leave you and Marianne to rest."
The house emptied of visitors, Brandon had made his way back into the bedroom. Marianne was asleep again and Brandon spent a small eternity sitting by the bed, just looking at her. It was getting dark outside as the afternoon started to approach evening and Brandon lit the fire in the room himself. He then rang the bell and went to the door, ready with his instructions when the servant came. He would just like strong tea when Mrs Dobson would bring Mrs Brandon's supper, whatever that was. He would look after Mrs Brandon himself from there on and they were not to be disturbed unless called.
Brandon softly lowered himself onto the bed, as close to Marianne as he could without disturbing her sleep, leaning in a half sitting posture onto the back board, still watching her sleep. This had come too close for comfort. Of course life gave you no guarantees of a happy ever after, but less than a year into their marriage would have been just plain wrong. He had been alone most of his life. An outsider of sorts after his budding love had been crushed so cruelly when he was young. Of course he had grown out of the acute pain of loss over the years, but you cannot love someone and not feel their absence at some level for the rest of your life, he was quite sure of that. If he could still feel the loss of his young love even today, how would he feel if he lost Marianne? What he felt for her was even more potent, stronger and overpowering than what he took for love all those years ago.
Finally she stirred and slowly opened her eyes.
"Christopher," she mumbled, still sleepy.
"I'm here dearest," he said softly and gently gathered her to him again, much like he had held her earlier.
"Are you comfortable there?" he asked. She nodded and allowed herself to melt into his contours. Then she remembered and he heard her breathing change.
"Oh God, our baby, Christopher I'm so sorry…" she started sobbing.
"Shhh, shhh! Please love, you must not feel that way." He tried to calm her down.
"But I must have done something wrong." She insisted.
Brandon gathered her into his arms and held her close. It would take all he had to convince his wife she was not to blame for their tragic loss. There would be no little Brandon on his or her way now to make their lives sweeter and richer. This was not a happiness to be bestowed upon them at this time.