Victoire woke the next morning with a vague sense of unease and a determination to talk with her children. Before she could make arraignments to do so there was a visitor to the B&B.
Mrs. Johnson, the B&B proprietress, was ushering in a tall rugged looking cowboy. "They are in here having their breakfast."
Teddy rose immediately, as he recognized his son-in-law William, Dora's husband. "What is wrong?"
"Dora sent me, you must get back to London as fast as possible. Ette has been hospitalized, she is in critical condition. We don't know any more than that. Dora and Ginny have already left for London. I got here as fast as I could. Marshal is at the CMOM arraigning emergency transport for the three of you. I'll stay with the Miss Jean until Miss Rose gets here."
(AN - William and Marshal are the bachelor farmer brothers that Dora and Ginny were sweet on. They did marry and combined their two ranches, not long after Ginny Potter's death. - Dora, Ginny and Ette are Teddy and Victoire's triplet girls.)
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Victoire sat beside her daughter's hospital bed. Ette was a white as the sheets she lay on. Timmy reminded her so of Teddy when Uncle Harry had been so badly hurt. He was sitting on the other side of his mum holding her cold still hand. Lilly Potter Krause was quietly checking the various monitors hovering above the bed.
Teddy, Timmy and Victoire had managed to get out of Canada quickly and had just arrived at the hospital. Victoire had gone in to Ette's room as soon as they had arrived and Teddy had set out to find someone who could tell them what was wrong with their daughter.
Lilly turned toward Victoire as Teddy and Ette's sisters entered the room. "Teddy, Victoire has anyone talked with you yet?" Teddy shook his head. "Why don't you all come in to my office and we will talk."
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"I'm sorry that I have to be the one to have this conversation with you. I'm also sorry that I first had to have it with George." (AN- Oldest of Teddy and Victoire's twins) "But Ette was brought in here unconscious and he was listed as her emergency contact if you were not available."
Teddy ran his finger through his hair, a sure sign of impatience. "Please Lily just tell me what is wrong with my girl."
Lily took a deep breath and nervously shuffled a few papers on her desk. "Did Ette mention to any of you that she had come in to see one of my colleges last year?" Teddy and Victoire's surprised expressions gave her the answer. "Well she wanted a complete check up to find out if it would be safe for her to get pregnant."
Victoire was at a loss. Ette had gotten pregnant with Timmy by accident. As soon as her erstwhile boyfriend had heard she was pregnant he had fled. George had stepped up to the plate and become both uncle and father figure to Timmy.
Ette had feared their reaction to her pregnancy. Teddy had assured her that her baby would be a happy accident. Timmy had been that and more.
Ette had never seriously dated after that. She said Timmy was enough for her.
Victoire was brought back to the present when Timmy asked; "What does this have to do with mum being ill now?"
Lily looked even more uncomfortable. "She was told not to attempt to have a child. In fact she was denied invitro here. Apparently she went to a muggle facility, and is approximately 2 month's pregnant. Three days ago she was at the Wizengot, testifying in a inheritance case and began bleeding heavily. She was rushed here."
Teddy voice could hardly be heard as he asked; "Will she live?"
Lily; "Teddy I wish I knew. She is stable, but critical now. We are doing everything we can to keep her and the babies alive."
Timmy stood; "Babies? How many babies are there?"
Lily's eyes moistened. "There had been three, there are now only two."
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The days flowed in to weeks, the weeks in to months. Still Ette and the babies hung on. Ette not opening her eyes, non responsive, in a deep coma. Timmy would have moved in to his mum's hospital room if not for Lily. She and Ambrose insisted he, Victoire, Teddy, Dora and Ginny stay at Grimald place.
When it was determined that Ette would not wake from her coma soon, if ever, Ginny tearfully returned to Canada. Dora and she took turns every month after that returning to London.
Rose and Jean had returned to London as soon as they had heard how dire the situation was. Jean was at the hospital daily, making sure Timmy ate and rested. Often when he returned from lunch or dinner with her some of the tension had been relived. Victoire suspected it was with jean that he let his guard down and did not have to be strong, and in doing so found strength renewed.
Timmy had started reading the family's biographies aloud. Lily had said that the babies' needed to hear human voices. Ette's doctors thought that hearing her family's voices might help her return to conscious.
After Timmy started everyone else joined in the effort. George, Mary, Fred and Harry (AN. T&V's youngest son) took turns sitting with Ette during the evening. Teddy insisted he would stay over-night. Which ever of Ette's sisters was in town sat with him. Victoire and Timmy were there every day.
George liked to read children's stories to the babies. Mary told the folk tales of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Fred read of far away places on wondrous sites. Harry sang the lullabies he had sang to his sisters when they were little.
Christmas came and went, and still Ette slept on, the precious babies growing stronger with-in her. The family gathered and prayers were offered up by the decedents of Lupin's, Potter's. Weasley's and Malfoy's around the globe.