6 Months On
Mia Bond was 2 and a half months old when her father was discovered. His mother had thought it only fitting that the daughter she loved so dearly painfully resembled her lost fiancee. As heartbreaking as it may have been to look into those eyes, his eyes, each day, Jane was thankful to have his presence in her life once again in human form, even if the human form could not yet speak. Mi:5 had finally been able to locate the position of the underground bunker in which James was found through advances in their GPS technologies. For this, Jane Moneypenny was forever grateful.
When the phone began to ring that day, Jane was just preparing to feed the wailing infant who lay in her cot. Sighing, the frustrated mother placed a soft velvet rabbit in Mia's arms, and she seemed to be soothed by the first thing which her father had bought for her. Jane answered the phone in her usual manner and was greeted with M's strangely emotional tones.
"Jane……we've found him."
And at that moment, Jane's heart seemed to break into a million pieces and her world crumbled around her. As torturous as the last few months had been, the vague hope that one day James would return to her had been the only thing keeping her heart alive, except from Mia of course. But as wonderful as motherhood had been, as wonderful as it could be for her, James had access to a part of Jane's heart that she doubted anyone would ever be able to touch.
"Oh God," she sobbed, finally regaining the ability to speak.
"They're taking him to the hospital now," explained the older woman, in the same shocked and saddened tones.
"And you need me to identify his body?" Jane asked, still shaking.
"What? No! When I said they were taking him to hospital I meant for treatment. He's alive Jane, he's still alive."
"A-a-alive?"
"Yes, well barely. He's in a very bad way dear, but he held on all this time, somehow. It's miraculous really, and the doctors are saying they never would have imagined that anyone could survive all those months in a situation like that. They said he hasn't eaten for weeks. It looks like we found him just in time Jane. Now Mia will still have her Daddy."
Jane had become inconsolable during M's explanation. It wasn't that she was sad, the opposite in fact, but all of the emotion which has been suppressed for the sake of the baby suddenly came rushing to the surface and she sobbed with all of the strength in her body.
"Can I see him?" she managed.
"Of course, but you may want to leave Mia with your sister, she shouldn't see this. And the doctors said that James may react badly to sudden shocks, and as he has never met Mia, the shock may be too much. Even seeing you again might be hard for him. Just remember that he is still James and he loves you of course, but he's been through something indescribably cruel."
"What did they do to him M?"
"I'll explain in time, just come to the hospital as soon as you can. He's on the fourth floor."
"Okay."
Moments later, Mia felt herself being lifted from her cot and as she tried to clutch onto her favourite bunny, her mother lifted it for her. She raised her hand to her mother's face, as was her habit, and unintentionally dried the tears rolling down the cheeks in front of her. Jane kissed her daughter's head again and again and whispered words of love to her as she guided them both out of the door. Jane's heart was suddenly whole again as she considered James' return and his first meeting with his child, although M's words rang loudly in her ears, and she prayed that James' heart would be the same as it was before he left.