Chapter Twenty One: Planning
That night, Star was up and Constance was exhausted.
"Relax, Connie. We'll look after Star. You should check on Mildred. I thought I heard her scream." Said Samantha. Constance nodded and went straight to Mildred's room. Mildred was screaming in terror and shaking.
"Mildred, wake up." Constance shook the girl's shoulder. Mildred began thrashing, trying to fight against something unseen. "Mildred, it's all right!" Constance had her arms around Mildred in an instant. "Mildred...WAKE UP!" Constance was desperately trying to keep her composure. She picked up the girl and held her in her lap, trying to calm her down and wake her up at the same time. Tears began streaming down Mildred's cheeks. Constance was so desperate, she wanted to see if Amelia could help.
Amelia heard the screams and opened her door to see Constance holding a thrashing Mildred.
"She's asleep, Headmistress and she won't wake up." Constance said.
"What have you tried, Constance?" Amelia inquired.
"Shaking her shoulder, raising my voice and finally picking her up to try and stop her thrashing around." Constance looked at the Headmistress with wide eyes.
"What happened before this fugue that Mildred seems to have gotten herself into?" Amelia asked.
"Before she went to bed, we, meaning my parents and I, were trying to calm her down after Mistress Broomhead's name was mentioned." Constance answered back.
"Why was Hecketty's name mentioned in the first place?" Amelia asked, beginning to get scared.
"My mother is Hecketty's daughter!" Constance cried. "She revealed that she has the same whip scars as I do."
"Mildred, dear, open your eyes. " Amelia pleaded.
"And Mildred has been having a nightmare which showed the exact events in which her parents died." Constance said.
"That must be why she's having a nightmare now..." Amelia realized.
"Mildred, you're safe...Wake up...please." Constance pleaded.
Mildred's eyes flicked open to see the worried faces of Amelia and Constance looking back at her. She panted quickly.
"Breathe, Mildred..."Constance coaxed. "You're all right." Mildred turned and buried her face in her Aunt's shoulder.
Davina had come out of the cupboard to see what was going on.
"Have I missed anything?" She asked.
"Everything's all right now, Miss Bat. You may go back to bed." Amelia told her.
"I'll take Mildred to my room to see if I can get her back to sleep." Constance said.
"All right, Constance." Amelia replied.
Constance carried Mildred back to her room and laid down with her.
"Go to sleep now, Mildred." She told her. Mildred was too overtired to protest. She fell asleep, as did Constance.
The next morning,Star was a week old. Constance started her morning routine as well as what some people called 'tummy time' to strengthen Star's back and stomach muscles. She supported the newborn on her tummy on an exercise ball with a blanket underneath her. Star was having none of it. Constance sighed. Apparently it was normal for infants to not like tummy time. Constance was speaking to Star in a soft voice as she helf her on the ball for a few more moments before taking her off the ball and into her arms.
"I know, you don't like any of this, but it has to be done to make your muscles stronger. I'm just doing what I was told to do by the doctor...at least until I am referred to a Pediatrician for you. I don't really see what the point is either, but perhaps I will 'in the long run'." She told Star. Star cried, her bottom lip in a tiny pout.
Constance smiled a little. Star was, as the girls called her, 'cute'. Constance's life had changed profoundly. She gazed at her little girl. "You're still sleepy, aren't you? I am really supposed to keep you awake during the day so that you will sleep at night. Come on, sleepy girl. Can you stay awake, hmm?" She asked as she cuddled her.
Samantha came in the room to see how Constance was doing.
"How is little Star?" She asked.
Constance looked up. "She's a little fussy. I tried 'tummy time' but she wasn't having any of it." She told her mother.
"Is she starting to get her days and nights mixed up?" Samantha wondered, looking Constance in the eye.
"Yes!" Constance said, flustered. Star started to get upset at the voice change.
"Right on time." Samantha told her. Constance bounced Star lightly.
"How long does this last?" Constance asked her mother.
"It varies with each baby." Samantha replied. "It can last a few weeks to a few months. And don't even get me started on colic!"
Constance's eyes widened. She sat shushing her baby. "What happens with colic?" She asked, scared.
"You can't calm the baby easily. People had thought that it has to do with the baby crying all the time for no reason. But that is not it at all. The stomach goes into a spasm and can cause a lot of wind and pain." Samantha told her.
"Could she have colic now?" Constance wondered.
"It's highly unlikely as it is too soon for it, but who knows?" Said Samantha. "Everything will get easier in time. You're a mother for the first time. You will understand it, I promise you. Don't worry so much." Samantha hugged her firstborn daughter.
At noon, Amelia summoned Constance to her office.
"I've been speaking with your parents and with Mildred, and I have just been informed that you haven't had a baby shower for Star yet." She said.
"Miss Cackle, I don't like people to make a fuss." Constance protested.
"Well, you need newborn clothes for when Star reaches six pounds,perhaps some receiving blankets and homemade blankets. Did you have any stuffed animals as a child? Mildred has a stuffed dragon that was given to her when she was born. It is very special to her." Amelia asked.
"I did have a stuffed black cat." Constance said with a shrug. "I don't have it anymore. Hecketty made me throw it away."
"Perhaps we can get a stuffed animal friend for Star and one for you?" Amelia suggested with a smile.
"I am too old for stuffed animals..."Constance began.
"You need to reclaim your childhood." Amelia told her. "Hecketty tore it away from you."
"Perhaps you're right, Headmistress." Constance said, giving in.
So, we just have to figure out who is going to give what gift and give you and Star the best baby shower we can." Amelia said.
"You really don't have to do this, Miss Cackle." Constance said, getting emotional.
"But I want to. We all do. I've noticed that you are very emotional lately. I think that maybe it has to do with Star's birth." Stated Amelia.
"You're right, Headmistress.I have been emotional. Ethel Hallow originally brought the issue up with me. Perhaps I do have postpartum depression..."Constance said, thoughtfully.
"It is perfectly normal for new mothers to have postpartum depression. It is when it gets severe that people begin to worry." Amelia said. "You aren't rejecting your daughter...you just get 'teary eyed'." She put her arm around Constance's shoulder.
"I've never felt like this before, Miss Cackle." Constance said, trying to keep her composure.
"You've never been a mother before either, Constance." Amelia told her.
"Good point, Miss Cackle." Constance agreed.
"Remember when you showed how vulnerable you can be? This is another one of those times." Amelia looked Constance in the eye.
Meanwhile, the fourth years and Miss Gribble were setting up the baby shower.
"I'm going to get the stuffed animals." Mildred said. "Aunt Constance used to have a stuffed black cat. Her grandmother made her throw it away. Now you all know who that is. I'll give you a hint if you don't. If her name is mentioned, I'm at risk of having another seizure." The girls all nodded, knowingly.
"So I've been given permission to go out to buy them. I also have a black velvet, satin-trimmed blanket that took me a week to finish up because I also had to embroider Star's initials on it with gold embroidery floss." Mildred continued. "I started it 2 weeks ago. I used black because it is neutral and that is the shade of the furniture in the nursery. I sewed it by hand which is why it took so long to make."
Mildred went out to purchase the stuffed cat and a stuffed dragon for Star. She was back an hour later.
"I've got the main gifts Are there any other gift ideas?"
"Receiving blankets, winding cloths, clothing..." Said Ruby.
"What about caps to cover Star's head so she doesn't catch a cold?" Asked Maud.
"Booties." Ethel added.
"How about a baby cloak?" Jadu wondered. Enid nodded in agreement.
"Grandmother and Granddad might have kept Aunt Constance's..." Said Mildred, thoughtfully.
"Jadu will get the receiving blankets and matching winding cloths, and I'll get a few sleepers and caps." Said Maud.
"I'll purchase the first broomstick." Ethel offered.
Auntie Amelia has a music box that plays the school song." Gabrielle said. "She's offered to give that. We need to get some things for Miss Hardbroom to make things a little easier..."
The rest of the night was spent planning the shower. Mildred got all the gifts from the people who were taking part in the baby shower.
-Music box from Amelia.
-A knitted shawl from Davina.
-Receiving blankets and matching winding cloths from Jadu.
-Constance's baby cloak from Constantine and Samantha as well as a surprise.
-First broomstick from Ethel.
-Stuffed black cat for Constance and stuffed green dragon from Mildred as well as a black velvet satin trimmed blanket with gold embroidered initials.
-Booties from Enid.
-A jogging pushchair from Imogen in case Constance ever wanted to take Star out for a walk.
-And a black teddy bear with silver stars from Drusilla.