Series: An Unusual Family

6. A PROMISE MADE...

"Sir Guy?" Helen said as she walked into the hallway. "How are they?" Guy asked anxiously. "They are fine. It was an easier birth this time, girls usually are," she told him with a wink, and his heart melted. "I have a daughter? May I go see them?" "Yes, of course you may," she said with a smile. Marian had again refused to allow the baby to be swaddled, but Helen had seen firsthand how Isaac had thrived and so she didn't make a fuss this time. Guy walked into the dark, hot room and after his eyes adjusted he walked over to the bed. "Marian?" She smiled up at him. "We have a baby girl." "I heard. May I hold her?" "Go ahead," she replied, holding the baby up so that Guy could take her. Guy held the baby carefully against his chest and studied her tiny, perfect features. He smiled as she yawned and blinked her beautiful ice-blue eyes. "She's perfect," he whispered. "I know she is. She needs a name, you know."

"She does. What did you have in mind?" "I was thinking maybe Ghislaine, for your mother." Guy's throat closed as he looked from his daughter to his wife, then he took a deep breath and shook his head. "Marian, thank you but no. I think that she needs a name that is all her own, don't you?" Marian smiled to have her words echoed back at her and she nodded. "Yes. Did you have a name in mind?" "I was rather hoping for a daughter, so I have been thinking of names. I like Abigail." "Abigail?" Marian tested it on her tongue. "It means 'father's joy'." Her heart melting, Marian smiled and nodded. "I like it. Abigail it is." The baby began to cry and Guy gently rocked her for a moment before giving her to Marian. "She's probably hungry," he said, reluctant to let her go. Marian put Abigail to her breast and began to feed her. "Will you bring Isaac here to meet his sister?"

"I'll be right back," Guy said, leaning down to give her a kiss before leaving the room. He smiled at Allan and stopped for a moment to talk to him. "She's beautiful," he told him. Isaac scowled from where he was watching through the crack of his door. He was four years old now, and smart for his age. Sometimes he was too smart for his own good, as Marian liked to say. "Congratulations mate. What'd you name her?" "Abigail. It means 'father's joy'," Guy replied. Isaac's scowl deepened and he closed his door, having heard enough. He walked over to his bed, deliberately kicking over his chess set as he went. He sat down and folded his arms over his chest, thinking about how much things were going to change. Marian and Guy had talked to him about the baby a few times, stressing that he or she would need a lot of attention because they wouldn't be able to do the things that he could do because he was a big boy. They had reassured him that they would still love him just as much as they always had, but he was having his doubts. His daddy had never talked about him with that kind of a tone before.

Guy knocked on Isaac's door and opened it to find his son sitting on the bed with his arms folded and a scowl on his face. "Isaac, are you okay?" he asked. "I'm fine," Isaac said bitterly. "Okay. Do you want to go meet your new baby sister?" "No, not really." "Would you like to make sure Mommy is okay?" Isaac sighed and stood up. "Yes, I'll check on Mommy." They left and walked down the hallway. When they reached the door, Guy held out a hand to stop Isaac. "Okay, let me check to see if she's done feeding the baby first. Then you can go inside." Isaac stomped his foot in anger. "You mean I can't even check on Mommy if the baby isn't done with her?!" "Oi, Isaac!" Allan called him over to him, nodding for Guy to go check with Marian while he distracted the boy. "What?" he replied crossly. "You're jealous, aren't you?" "No, I'm not jealous!" Allan laughed at his vehement reply, hearing the envy that was dripping from the words. "Right, right. Well, I'm not bein' funny but I'm thinkin' your mum and dad could probably use some help with this new baby." Isaac scowled. "I'm not helping them." "But if you help 'em out then you can spend more time with them." Isaac looked distraught and he cried, "You mean they're going to stop spending time with me too?" "Let's go check on your mom," Allan said hastily.

That was when Guy came out and gestured for Isaac to come into the room with him. Isaac walked in with trepidation and he immediately went over to the bed. "Mommy, are you okay?" he asked seriously, purposely not looking at the tiny bundle in her arms. "I'm fine, Isaac. Would you like to meet your sister?" "No, I wanted a brother. You and Daddy promised me a brother." Marian frowned and reached out to smooth his hair back, but he jerked away from her touch. "Isaac, we never said any such thing. We told you that it would be a brother or a sister." She motioned for Guy to take the baby and motioned for Isaac to come closer, which he did reluctantly. "Isaac, we don't love you any less. Do you understand that?" "Yes," he said sullenly. "Do you really?" He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, slowly shaking his head. "Oh, sweetheart..." Marian's heart ached but she didn't know what else she could do to make him believe her. Had it been different circumstances, she would have called him up onto the bed so that she could hold him and show him the truth of her words, but she had just given birth.

"Guy, would you take Abigail into the hall for a moment?" she asked. Guy did as she requested and once the door had shut behind them, Marian looked at her son and asked, "Isaac, tell me what's wrong. Please?" Isaac sighed and he looked at her seriously. "I heard Daddy talking to Uncle Allan about her in the hallway. She just got here and he already loves her more." Marian closed her eyes "Isaac that is not true. Your father loves you just as much as your new sister. In fact," she said, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper and gesturing for him to lean in close, which he did eagerly, "You are our firstborn and so you will always hold a special place in both of our hearts." Isaac's eyes glowed with delight and he threw his arms around Marian's neck. She smiled and hugged him back, gently kissing the top of his head and making him squirm away in pretend disgust. "Mom!" She laughed out loud and reached out to ruffle his hair. "Now would you like to meet your new sister?" Isaac nodded, once again excited about being a big brother. "Then go tell Daddy to bring her back in and maybe we'll even let you hold her."

While Marian was talking to Isaac, Guy was proudly showing off his newborn daughter to Allan. "Isn't she beautiful?" he asked proudly. Allan frowned and replied diplomatically, "'Course she is, mate." He hated when people asked him that because to him, all babies looked exactly the same and they were all equally ugly with all the wrinkled skin and squished up faces. "Why are you out here?" he asked, trying to change the subject before Guy could continue. Guy frowned. "Isaac seems to be jealous of her already. Marian is trying to make him see reason." Allan understood jealousy all too well, having been the middle child of the Andale family and therefore the one to receive the least attention because he wasn't the eldest nor was he the baby. He'd always reckoned he was lucky though; at least his mother had stopped after Tom instead of having a large brood like some of the families he had seen. "Ah, he'll get over it soon enough Guy." "Do you think so?" Guy asked hopefully. "Yeah, don't worry about it mate." Just then the door opened and Isaac stepped outside with a smile on his face. "Come back inside so I can meet my sister," he ordered, and Allan gave Guy a smug smile. "Seein' as how everyone is fine I reckon I'd best be getting home before it's time to get up again," he said in way of farewell. Guy nodded and followed Isaac back into the bedroom as Allan left the manor and made his way to his house a short distance away.

Inside of the bedroom, Guy knelt down and let Isaac have his first glimpse of his baby sister. "She's awful wrinkly," he said. "Isaac, what have we talked about?" Marian said warningly. "I'm sorry, Mommy. She's really wrinkly," he corrected, and Marian smiled in satisfaction. Sometimes she honestly wondered how much of Isaac's personality and his way of talking came from genetics and how much of it came from being around 'Uncle Allan'. "Can I touch her?" he asked quietly, and Guy nodded. "Gently," Marian admonished, and Isaac touched her cheek as gently as he could manage. "Her skin is soft," he noted with awe. "I think I might like her," he decided, and both Marian and Guy sighed silent sighs of relief. "Would you like to hold her?" Marian asked, and he nodded enthusiastically. "You have to be very careful and very gentle," she told him. "Remember how new she still is, all right?" "I will, Mommy. I promise." Marian smiled and took Abigail so that Guy could pull the rocking chair close to the bed. He helped Isaac climb into it and then settled a pillow into his lap before taking the baby back again. "Do you see how I'm holding her head?" Guy asked, and Isaac nodded. "I want you to hold her very carefully and it's important that you support her neck just like this." Isaac nodded impatiently and Guy carefully handed him the baby, keeping his hands near Isaac as the boy held his sister for the first time. He did a perfect job and Marian smiled to see him gazing down at Abigail in adoration.

"She's so little," Isaac whispered after a moment. "You know, she is going to need someone to look after her and protect her as she grows up," Guy remarked casually. Isaac's head popped up to look at his dad and his chest swelled with pride. "I can do it Daddy! I'll always look out for her." "Do you promise?" Marian asked in her best serious tone, a smile twitching at the corners of her lips. "I promise!" Marian and Guy exchanged smiles as Isaac looked down at Abigail again, hoping that they had nipped the sibling rivalry in the bud, at least for now.

~FIN