A/N - All right, next chapter. Just a warning, this is a very angsty chapter. I won't say anything else so as not to give anything away. There will probably be at least 2, maybe 3 chapters after this one. Thanks for all the reviews!
Oliver stared at her, his mouth hanging open, unable to speak. Another baby? How was that possible, how could they not have known? Grace stared at him, biting her lip, then flung her arms around his neck and hung on tightly. He rubbed her back absent mindedly, still thinking about what she had said. He couldn't wrap his mind around it. Another baby. Twins. Oliver became aware that Grace was crying quietly into his neck and squeezed her shoulder, then kissed her temple.
"It's all right Grace. We're on the way to the hospital, everything will be all right," he soothed, adjusting David more comfortably in his other arm.
"Oliver, I can't have a baby in the car," she sobbed.
"You won't have to, we'll be to the hospital before that happens. Look how long it took for David to make his appearance," Oliver said, stroking her hair now. Grace finally pulled back to look at him, tears still making their way down her cheeks. She sniffed loudly, lightly rubbing a thumb across David's forehead.
"I suppose you're right," she agreed. "But, Oliver, I'm so tired." She sniffled again, the tears returning in earnest and Oliver's heart broke for her. He knew she couldn't have slept well since she'd been taken. She had been in labor all day and finally given birth, only to be given just a few minutes rest before it all started again.
"I know darling, I know," he said soothingly, pulling her head down to rest on his shoulder. "Just close your eyes and rest as best you can." Grace nodded and sighed, leaning into him, fisting her hand into his shirt. Oliver looked up and locked eyes with the Asp in the rearview mirror.
"Can we go any faster?" Oliver asked hopefully, it seemed as if the car was barely crawling along. The Asp shook his head.
"I'm sorry sir, the snow is very slippery and this road is not very wide," the Asp said. "Hopefully once we reach the town, it will be easier." Oliver nodded.
"Just do your best," he replied and turned to kiss Grace's forehead. Things seemed to be going slowly to Oliver. He hadn't felt Grace tense up beside him yet, at any rate. He was a bit uncomfortable, given that his left leg was rather wet, but all things considered, he was feeling a bit better about the whole situation. They would get to the hospital in plenty of time for the doctor to take over delivering the next baby. David was still sleeping soundly and Oliver leaned his head back against the seat to try and rest himself.
Grace, on the other hand, wasn't quite so confident. Unbeknownst to Oliver, she had been having quite a few contractions. They weren't anywhere near as strong as the ones with David had been at the end, but they were rather close together. She had managed to remain still through all of them, but the last had taken a bit more concentration. She had gripped Oliver's shirt more tightly and squirmed a bit, but he hadn't seemed to notice. She opened her eyes and looked around, realizing with chagrin that they were not even out of the woods yet. She was starting to fear that they wouldn't make it to the hospital before this next one decided it was time to be born. Grace rubbed her belly, silently pleading for the baby remaining inside to slow down and take his time.
Within another ten minutes, Grace knew she would not be able to keep up the charade. She clutched Oliver's arm as another pain swept through her and Oliver opened his eyes, looking at her in concern. She nodded and gasped as he sat up straighter and looked out the window. They had finally come out of the woods, but the roads into town were no better. Oliver leaned forward towards the Asp.
"How long do you think?" he asked quietly, not wanting to worry Grace.
"At least an hour," the Asp replied, looking at Oliver apologetically. Oliver simply sighed and nodded, moving back to sit next to Grace.
"How are you doing?" he asked.
"Not so well," she replied, giving him a half-hearted smile. Oliver grasped her hand in his.
"It's all right," he said smiling. "We can do it again if we have to."
"Yes, but Oliver, in the car?" she exclaimed. He chuckled.
"Well, we'll have quite the story to tell them both when they're older, won't we?" he asked. Grace looked at him and rolled her eyes in exasperation, but she did manage to smile a bit.
"I suppose," she said. Oliver leaned forward and kissed her.
"Don't worry, we'll do what we have to," he said. She nodded and bit her lip as another contraction hit her.
The two didn't say much, Grace just enduring the pain and Oliver continually looking out the window, hoping that they could soon begin to travel faster than they were. David began to fuss and Oliver lifted the baby to his shoulder, bouncing him slightly to try to calm him. Grace looked up tiredly when David began to get louder.
"He's probably hungry," she said. Oliver looked at her helplessly. He had nothing to offer a hungry baby. "Give him to me," Grace said, reaching out her arms.
"No, no, let me just try for a few more minutes," Oliver said. "He'll be fine." At that statement, David started to wail in earnest.
"No Oliver, he won't," Grace said sighing. "He's hungry."
"But, Grace, you're in labor," Oliver said, as if his wife had forgotten this important fact.
"I'm well aware of that," she said dryly. "However, of the three of us, I think I'm probably the only one who is going to be able to feed him. Unless you've been hiding something from me." Oliver turned a very impressive shade of red and even the Asp bit back a laugh. Grace held her arms out for the baby again and Oliver reluctantly handed him over. He watched Grace as she seemed to instinctively position the baby where he needed to be and after a few seconds, David's cries ceased. Grace leaned down and kissed the baby's small forehead, then looked at Oliver and smiled. He returned the smile and leaned over and kissed her deeply.
"What was that for?" she asked when they broke apart. "Not that I'm complaining."
"Because, you never cease to amaze me," Oliver replied, smiling. Grace leaned her head on his shoulder and she looked down and watched the baby. Truth be told, she was a bit amazed herself, but she supposed that instinct was a pretty powerful thing. After a few minutes, David seemed to have eaten his fill and he drifted back to sleep. Grace passed him back to Oliver and righted her nightgown, wishing that her husband had taken the time to bring her some fresh clothes to wear. She sighed and then gasped as the contractions, which had tapered off while she was feeding David, seemed to come back in earnest.
Oliver looked out the window as he felt Grace tense beside him and could just begin to make out the lights of the city ahead of them. The roads did not look any better and it was still snowing, but he hoped the closer to the city they got, the more they would improve. He didn't know how much longer Grace was going to be able to last.
Only about twenty minutes longer it appeared, as all at once, she let out a keening wail and Oliver glanced up at the Asp. They were nearing the outskirts of the city now and the driving conditions had improved slightly. They were still at least twenty minutes from the hospital, however. Oliver sent up a silent prayer to whoever might be listening and turned to Grace.
"Is it time?" he asked quietly and Grace nodded her head.
"I think so," she said, biting her lip to keep from crying out again. She shifted so her back was resting against the car door and Oliver moved as far to the other side as he could.
"Should we try and find somewhere to stop?" he asked her, but she shook her head.
"No," she said through gritted teeth. "Keep going, want to get to the hospital." The Asp increased their speed as much as he dared, but it was still slow-going on the snow covered roads. Things seemed to move much more quickly than they had with David and Oliver was getting very nervous. Not that he didn't know what he had to do, but they were, in fact, in a car, he was holding a newborn and snow was still swirling around them outside.
Once he realized that the baby, was in fact, coming very quickly, Oliver began to look around the car for a place to set David. He looked at the floor and while the Asp kept the cars impeccably clean, it was still the floor. Then he remembered that Mrs. Pugh had very nearly thrown Grace's coat to Punjab on their way out the door. He had forgotten to bring it inside to her in the confusion when they reached the cabin.
"Asp, do you still have Grace's coat?" he asked and the Asp nodded, motioning to the passenger seat beside him. Oliver picked up the coat and made a nest of sorts on the floor near Grace, settling David into it as snugly as he could. Then he turned back to Grace and sure enough, he could once again see the top of a baby's head.
"As fast as you can safely go," he barked to the Asp, then turned back to his wife, who had let out a shriek. David startled awake and began to cry, but Oliver could pay no attention to him at the moment, as his sister was currently joining the world. Oliver sighed in relief as cradled his daughter in his arms, then frowned as he took a good look at her. She was tiny, much smaller than her brother and she was making no noise. She was so small that Oliver couldn't bring himself to thump her on the back as he had David. He brought her up close to his face and felt her breath on his cheek. He let out the breath he had been holding and looked to Grace.
"Is everything," Grace paused, panting, "all right?"
"Yes," Oliver said with a smile. "Say hello to your new daughter." He wrapped the baby up in part of the quilt that was draped over Grace and held her out. Grace took her in her arms, snuggling her close as she had with David.
"She's so tiny," Grace said and Oliver hid his frown. From things that his mother had told him, this was exactly how he and Davey had been at birth. Oliver, healthy and strong and Davey, tiny and frail. He forced himself not to think about it and smiled at his wife.
"She's beautiful," Oliver said. He bent down and picked up David and held him close to his sister. David's cries stopped immediately, as if he sensed that he had been reunited with the one he had shared such small quarters with all these months.
"Well this explains why I felt like I was getting kicked from all sides all the time, I suppose," Grace said, smiling faintly and Oliver chuckled.
"Yes, I suppose it does," he replied.
"Congratulations sir, ma'am," the Asp said from the front seat. "The roads here are nearly clear and it's stopped snowing. We should be to the hospital in about five minutes."
"Thank goodness," Grace said. "We haven't decided on a name for this one yet."
"Well, what do you think?" Oliver asked.
"I still like Margaret, after my mother," Grace replied. Oliver wrinkled his nose. Grace had suggested Margaret months ago, but he wasn't overly fond of it. It was such a formal sounding name for such a little girl. "We could call her Maggie."
"Hm," said Oliver, liking the nickname a bit better, but still unsure. "I don't know, what about Ellen, after my mother?"
"Maybe," Grace said noncommittally. "I guess we'll just have to wait until we get to the hospital and have a proper look at you in the light, won't we?" She nuzzled the baby's forehead. If Oliver hadn't been looking at her, he wouldn't have noticed until it was too late. One minute, Grace was cooing to the baby and the next her eyes were rolling back in her head and her arms went limp. Thankfully, the baby had been wrapped rather tightly in the quilt and Oliver was able to scoop her up before she tumbled to the floor.
"Grace!" he shouted, but Grace did not respond. Oliver quickly situated both babies back into the coat nest on the floor and moved toward his wife, calling her name. He shook her gently, but got no response. "Grace!" he yelled again, but only succeeded in making both babies cry. As Oliver scooted forward, he sat in something sticky and warm. Looking down he realized there was a rather large pool of blood on the seat. Of course there had been blood when David was born, but nothing like this. Oliver's heart froze in fear and he turned to the Asp.
"Drive as fast as you can," he said. "There's something very wrong."
Minutes later, they pulled up in front of the hospital and the Asp jumped out and ran inside for help. Oliver had continued to try and wake Grace to no avail. She was still breathing at least, and her pulse was there, but it felt weak to Oliver. The Asp reappeared with a doctor and a nurse. Oliver picked up his daughter and handed her to the nurse, then gave David to the Asp. The two went back inside, while Oliver climbed from the car to allow the doctor inside to examine Grace. The doctor shouted after the nurse to send out a gurney, but Oliver simply pulled him out of the car and stepped back in himself, picking Grace up and hurrying her to the door.
Once inside, the doctor took over, directing Oliver into an exam room and going to work on Grace. He ordered Oliver back to the waiting room, but Oliver refused to leave his wife's side until two nurses forcibly pulled him out of the room.
"Where are my children?" he demanded as the nurses led him to a chair in the waiting area.
"They've been taken up to the nursery," one nurse said, as the other rushed back into Grace's room.
"Are they all right?" Oliver asked worriedly.
"They're being seen to," the nurse said evasively and the worry around Oliver's heart clenched tighter.
"Please, what's wrong with my wife?" he asked, gripping the nurse's hand. She sat down in the chair across from him.
"We don't know yet, only that she's losing a lot of blood, very quickly," the nurse replied. Oliver slumped back in his chair.
"I need to get some information from you," the nurse said. "Can you tell me what happened with the babies and their birth?" Oliver nodded, but before he could begin, he was interrupted by the Asp.
"Sir, I've called the police. They want to meet me here and have me direct them back to the cabin. They're sending a snowplow as well, so it should not take us as long to get back," the Asp replied. "Is there anything I can do before they get here?"
"Please, call the house," Oliver said. "Tell Elizabeth, but don't, don't let Annie know." The Asp put a hand on Oliver's shoulder and nodded. Oliver pulled in a shaky breath, then turned back to the nurse and proceeded to tell her what had happened since he found Grace in the cabin.
"And you didn't notice anything out of the ordinary between the birth of your son and that of your daughter?" the nurse asked when Oliver had finished his story.
"Only that my daughter came a lot faster," Oliver replied and the nurse nodded.
"I need to get back to the doctor and let him know," the nurse said, standing. "One of us will be out soon to let you know what's going on." The nurse turned to go, but Oliver grasped her hand again.
"Please, just," he stopped overcome with emotion. But the nurse seemed to know what he meant for she squeezed his hand.
"We'll do the best we can," she assured him as she walked away. Oliver leaned forward and put his head in his hands, praying that his wife and children would be all right.
It was only a few minutes later that the nurse came back out of the room. The Asp had left with the police and Elizabeth had not yet arrived. The nurse's face looked pensive as she approached Oliver. Oliver stood as she neared.
"How is she?" he asked. "Is she going to be all right?" The nurse sighed and looked at Oliver regretfully.
"I'm sorry Mr. Warbucks, but it's very serious," the nurse said. "She's still hemorrhaging and we haven't been able to stop it. We're going to have to take her into surgery." Oliver's knees buckled and the nurse grabbed his arm and steered him back into the chair behind him.
"Surgery?" Oliver said, completely taken aback.
"Yes, I'm sorry," the nurse said. "Surgery is the only option right now."
"Is she going to be all right?" Oliver asked again fearfully.
"I honestly don't know, but I promise you, they will do their best," the nurse said solemnly. "I need to get going, Mrs. Warbucks should be prepped by now." The nurse turned and left the waiting room.
Oliver sat in the chair, feeling as if he had been punched in the gut. He had never imagined that Grace might not survive. The babies might never know their mother. Dear lord, how would he be able to go on without her?
"Oliver?" he heard from behind him almost half an hour later. Oliver managed to turn in his chair and saw Jack and Elizabeth, a bundle under her arm, standing looking at him in concern.
"Elizabeth," he choked out before he lost it completely. Elizabeth sat down next to him and took him in her arms while Jack stood awkwardly in the background.
"Oliver, what happened?" Elizabeth asked, her voice shaking. "Is Grace or the babies?" she broke off, unable to voice the fear that gripped her heart. She had been flabbergasted when the Asp had called to tell her that Grace was in the hospital after giving birth to not one, but two babies, one of which came into the world in the car. She knew that something was wrong with Grace, but the babies were almost a month early as well. Dear god, what it were all three of them? Elizabeth's heart pounded in her chest at the thought of losing them all.
"Please Oliver, you've got to tell me," Elizabeth's voice had grown shrill and it seemed to bring Oliver back to his senses.
"I don't know Elizabeth, I don't know," Oliver said quietly, pulling away from her. "Grace is in surgery and no one has come to tell me anything about the babies. David seemed all right, but little Maggie, she was so tiny and she barely made any noise."
"David and Maggie? Those are the babies' names?" Elizabeth asked, tears forming in her eyes at the name of her nephew.
"What?" Oliver asked, then realized he had given his daughter the name Grace wanted without even thinking about it. "Oh yes, David John and Margaret, after Grace's mother," Oliver paused, "Margaret Grace." Oliver thought he would have said Margaret Ellen, but knew his daughter needed to carry something from her mother, just in case, well, just because she did. "We're calling Margaret, Maggie."
"They're beautiful names, Oliver," Elizabeth said, grasping his hand. "Now what's this about the surgery?" Oliver looked up and finally noticed Jack standing off to the side, looking uncomfortable.
"Jack?" Oliver asked, confused.
"He drove me here," Elizabeth explained. "I had no idea where the hospital was, it was easier for someone to bring me." Oliver nodded.
"Jack, would you please tell the staff that Mrs. Warbucks is in surgery and that the doctors are tending to the babies?" Oliver asked his gardener. "That's all I really know right now, unfortunately. And please, don't let Annie know that her mother is," Oliver trailed off.
"I understand sir," Jack said. "Congratulations on the babies and I'm so sorry about Mrs. Warbucks." Jack turned to leave, but Oliver called out to him.
"Jack, tell them," Oliver paused, trying to reign in his emotions. "Tell them to pray." Jack gave a quick nod and headed out the door. Elizabeth turned to Oliver and handed him a stack of clothes.
"The Asp told me I should bring you a change of clothes," she said. "Why don't you go and put these on." Oliver looked at her, puzzled, then glanced down at the front of his shirt and realized it was covered in blood. His throat hitched at the sight and he took the clothes from Elizabeth and went to the restroom to change.
"Now, why don't you tell me everything that's going on," Elizabeth said once he had returned and Oliver proceeded to fill her in on what the nurse had told him.
"And the babies?" Elizabeth asked, but Oliver just shook his head.
"I don't know, no one's come back to tell me anything," Oliver said, getting frustrated. "Maybe I should go and try to find someone." As if on cue, another nurse came around the corner and headed over to where Oliver and Elizabeth sat. Oliver realized it was the same woman who had come out to the car when they first arrived at the hospital.
"How are my children?" he asked anxiously once the nurse had reached them.
"Your son is doing wonderfully," the nurse said smiling. "We've gotten him all cleaned up and he's eating right now. Seven pounds and perfectly healthy." Elizabeth grinned at Oliver and he squeezed her hand, a small smile on his face.
"And my daughter?" Oliver prompted, when the nurse did not continue. Her demeanor instantly changed. The smile was gone replaced by a look of concern, bordering on pity.
"Mr. Warbucks," the nurse began. "Your daughter is very small, she weighs barely five pounds. She's having problems drinking from a bottle. We're also having problems regulating her body temperature. She's breathing on her own without any difficulty, which is a positive, but the doctor has detected a small heart murmur. This may very well be something that goes away on its own, as she grows, but we need to do further tests to be sure."
"So what are you saying, exactly?" Elizabeth asked, as Oliver seemed too overcome.
"I'm saying that there is a chance that your daughter will not make it, especially if we can't get her to eat," the nurse said quietly. "I'm so sorry."
"Can I," Oliver's voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "Can I see them?"
"Of course," the nurse responded. "Come up the nursery." Oliver and Elizabeth stood and began to follow the nurse, when Oliver stopped abruptly.
"What about Grace?" he asked. "What if?" But the nurse interrupted him before he could continue.
"Your wife will be in surgery for quite a while yet," the nurse explained. "Regardless, if they don't find you in the waiting room, I'm sure they'll look for us up in the nursery." Oliver nodded and continued to follow, his thoughts filled with the all of the challenges his family was currently facing.
When they arrived at the nursery, the nurse directed them to the large window in the front and slipped inside. Oliver followed Elizabeth to the window. The nurse approached one of the cribs and picked up a baby wrapped in a blue blanket, bringing him to the window for Oliver and Elizabeth to see. He was awake and Oliver noticed for the first time that he had the same deep blue eyes as Grace and wisps of light brown hair covered his head. Elizabeth's smile was larger than any Oliver had ever seen on her face and she wrapped an arm around his waist and gave him a squeeze.
After a few minutes, the nurse set David back down in his crib and then came back out and rejoined them in the hallway.
"What about Maggie?" Oliver asked, wondering why the woman hadn't brought her daughter to the window.
"Your daughter is in another room," the nurse explained. "She needs to stay in an incubator for now. Come on, I'll show you." Oliver and Elizabeth followed the nurse down the hall to another small room and led them inside. There was something that looked like a glass fronted cabinet attached to one wall. A pipe ran up from the top into the ceiling and there was a large oxygen tank on the floor beside it with a tube running inside. As Oliver got closer, he realized that Maggie was lying inside, wrapped tightly in a blanket, a small cap on her head. She was sleeping and Oliver could see that her breathing was labored, her small chest rising and falling in time to the small pants she was taking. She looked so tiny and fragile that Oliver longed to hold her close to him and protect her from everything.
"Can I hold her?" he asked, but the nurse shook her head.
"Not just now," she said a note of apology in her voice. "Until we can do the other tests I mentioned, we're worried about germs and infection." Instead, Oliver placed his hand against the glass and leaned as close as he could.
"Keep fighting, little one," he said quietly. "We need you around to keep your big brother in line." Elizabeth's laugh encompassed a sob and Oliver reached back and grasped her hand with his free one. After another minute or two, they both turned and followed the nurse into the hall.
"What about David, when can I hold him? He seems to be fine and you told me he was perfectly healthy," Oliver said, anxious to have at least one of his children back in his arms.
"I'll have to check with the doctor," the nurse said. "I'll let you know." Oliver nodded and he and Elizabeth slowly made their way back to the waiting room. They sat down next to each other, Elizabeth's head on Oliver's shoulder, their hands clasped, neither of them speaking. Oliver's mind was awhirl with so many thoughts, he couldn't pick one to focus on for more than a few seconds before his mind lit on something else. The time ticked by as the two of them waited for any news of Grace.
Just when Oliver thought he might go mad if he had to wait one more second, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see his father standing behind him. As Oliver stood and turned to face him, he noticed Punjab and the Asp standing further away near the entrance doors.
"Bennett, is he?" Oliver asked, looking at his father.
"The police took both him and the other one down to the station. The one," Henry paused looking at Oliver questioningly.
"Talbot," Oliver provided.
"Right, Talbot," Henry continued. "He confessed to everything, named Bennett as the mastermind. Bennett refuses to say a thing, however. But, with Talbot's confession and whatever Grace has to say, he won't be going anywhere for a long, long time." Oliver simply nodded, not really caring about Bennett at the moment.
"How is Grace?" Henry asked. "The Asp told us what happened in the car, another baby, I can't believe it!" Henry clapped Oliver on the back, but Oliver just looked grim.
"What is it Oliver?" Henry said in concern. Oliver simply shook his head, unable to relay all that had happened. He looked to Elizabeth who nodded and Oliver motioned Punjab and the Asp closer, so the story would not need to be retold again.
"Grace is in surgery, we haven't heard anything yet," Elizabeth explained. "David is fine, we've seen him in the nursery. But Maggie," Elizabeth broke off, sucking in a breath. "They're not sure she's going to make it." At these words, Oliver rose from his chair and stalked away, unable to take the pitying glances or Elizabeth's tears any longer. Elizabeth rose to go after him, but Henry put a hand on her arm.
"Let me," he said to his daughter. "I'm probably the only one who truly understands how he's feeling right now." Elizabeth nodded and sat back down in her chair, tears running down her face. Henry patted her on the shoulder then turned to find his son.
Oliver stood in front of the nursery window, looking at his baby boy lying in his crib. He was sleeping again, his little mouth working in his sleep and Oliver felt an indescribable feeling wash over him. It was love and protection and pride all in one, but tinged with grief and sadness. He felt a presence behind him and knew without turning who it would be.
"How did you do it?" Oliver asked quietly. "When you found out." Henry sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, remembering seeing his baby boys for the first time after they were born and how different they were. Oliver, healthy and robust like David seemed to be and Davey, tiny and fragile as little Maggie was now, by all the accounts he had heard.
"You pray a lot and hope, fight for them, love them, protect them as best you can," Henry replied. "But, most of all you have to have faith that they'll make it." Oliver didn't respond, simply continued to look at his son through the nursery window. "Maggie is so much luckier than Davey was. She's here, in this hospital and they'll do everything they can for her. Doctors know so much more than they did back then. But the most important thing is that she has you as her father. You're not going to give up on her and walk out night after night like I did. If she's sick and needs something, you'll get it for her. She's going to make it, I know she will." Oliver didn't say anything and Henry moved closer to him placing a hand on his shoulder.
"The most important thing is to not let the guilt eat you up inside." Henry paused, as if to gather his thoughts. "I know you feel like this is your fault, if you'd gotten there sooner or left one of your bodyguards at home or not gone away in the first place. But this isn't your fault son. Don't let the guilt take over. Don't let yourself fail your children because of it, like I did."
Oliver looked at him then, this man that he had hated for more than half his life. Oliver saw the man that his father could have been, had life and circumstances been different. And while Oliver would never forget, he felt like maybe, just maybe, he could forgive. Because he knew now, knew the anguish and heartache his father must have felt, the helplessness as he watched his son suffer, knowing there was nothing he could do but hope. And he could understand how someone might make the choices that his father had, when faced with the depths of despair as he had been. Not that Oliver would have made those choices, but he could at least understand.
It was ironic, Oliver thought, that the two of them, men so vastly different in so many ways, were so much alike in so many others. And Oliver was tired of anger, tired of hatred, he was just, tired. And so, when the tears began to fill his eyes once again and his father put a hand on his shoulder, Oliver didn't shake it off, but rather turned to him and allowed himself to be embraced by the one person who could truly understand how he felt at that moment.
A short time later, the two came back to the waiting room. Elizabeth looked up and saw the look in both of their eyes and stifled a small sob. She knew that her family, such as it was, was back together and whole again and in the face of the tragedy they may soon be facing, she knew it was what they all needed. And when the two came and sat on either side of her, she took both of their hands in hers, placing them on her lap, knowing that no matter what happened, they would face it together.
Oliver had sent the Asp back to the house, not wanting Annie to remain there unprotected. He didn't think that she was in any immediate danger, now that Bennett and Talbot had been arrested, but he'd been wrong before and intended not to be again. Punjab was still standing guard in the waiting room and Henry had just stepped away to try and find them all some coffee when Grace's doctor came into the waiting room. Oliver stood up expectantly as the man approached, hopeful look on his face.
"Mr. Warbucks, the surgery did not go," the doctor paused, looking extremely tired, "did not go completely as expected. We couldn't stop the bleeding and she was losing blood as fast as we could transfuse it into her. We had to do an emergency hysterectomy," the doctor continued. Oliver heard Elizabeth gasp behind him.
"I'm sorry, what?" Oliver asked. He thought he knew what the doctor meant, but he wasn't positive.
"Your wife will not be able to have any more children," the doctor said. "I'm very sorry, but we would have lost her otherwise." Oliver sat down heavily in the chair behind him. He was trying to process everything the doctor was saying, but he wasn't doing a very good job of it.
"So she's all right then?" he asked.
"Your wife still lost a lot of blood. We've given her transfusions, but the situation is still very serious. We won't know much for another day or two," the doctor replied.
"Can I see her?" Oliver asked.
"Not just yet, she's in recovery right now," the doctor replied. "Once we move her to a room, we'll let you know." Oliver nodded and the doctor left.
Oliver turned to Elizabeth who met his gaze with anguish in her eyes. She reached a hand out to him and he took it, still trying to wrap his mind around what had happened. Before he could process it much further, a nurse approached him.
"Mr. Warbucks," the nurse said. "Your son is ready for another bottle if you would like to go to the nursery and feed him." Oliver looked at her and seemed to come back to himself for a moment.
"Oh, oh yes, thank you. I'd like that very much," Oliver said and stood to follow her to the nursery.
The nurse led him into a room off the nursery and told him to wash his hands and then put on what looked like an apron while she went and retrieved David. When she brought the baby to Oliver, he was fussing a bit, but quieted when the nurse put him into his father's arms.
"Hello, little man," Oliver said quietly. "I hear you're hungry. Can't have that now can we?" He smiled at his son as the nurse gave him the bottle and helped him situate David in the right position so he could feed him. The baby tugged at the bottle hungrily with his lips and Oliver couldn't help but smile as he watched.
"I wish your mother could see you," Oliver said. "She loves you so very much." Oliver's eyes began to tear as he thought of the hole that Grace would leave in all of their lives if she did not recover. Forcing himself away from those morbid thoughts, he began to tell his baby son of all the things they would do when he was a bit older. Annie and Maggie were always interwoven in the stories and as the bottle slowly emptied, David's eyes began to flutter closed. Eventually the baby's mouth went slack, the bottle popping out and a small drop of milk running down his chin. Oliver set the bottle on the table beside him and raised David up to his shoulder, lightly patting his back and breathing in his baby scent. He rocked slowly in the rocking chair, picturing Grace in his place, doing the same thing. It will happen, he thought fiercely in his mind. She will feed them and rock them and love them, both of them. And when the nurse came to take David back into the nursery, Oliver swore silently to his son that he would not lose his mother or his sister, Oliver would make sure of that.
When Oliver returned to the waiting room after feeding David, a nurse was waiting to take him to Grace's room. He asked Elizabeth and Henry to come with him, but they both insisted that he go on his own for the first visit. Dawn was breaking as Oliver entered Grace's room, the rosy glow of the sky streaming through the window and leaving patterns on Grace's otherwise pale skin.
Oliver walked slowly to the edge of her bed. She was ghostly pale and the bruises on her wrist and face, as well as one on each of her arms that he had not noticed in the cabin, stood out starkly against the pallid whiteness of her skin. Even the redness of her lips seemed faded and dull, as if something had sucked the color from them. Oliver stroked the bruise on her face lightly with his fingertips. He held his breath, hoping she would turn to his touch as she always did, but knowing that she wouldn't all the same.
His beautiful wife, always so strong and confident and full of life, now bruised and broken, terrorized by a monster and unable to enjoy the first moments of her babies' lives because of it. The grief that had been washing over him all day was nothing when faced with the image of Grace lying in the hospital bed. Oliver sank down onto the edge of the bed next to her and took her hand. He knew it was just his imagination, but she seemed so breakable now, so delicate and frail, he felt as if her hand would come apart in his.
"I've seen the babies," Oliver said softly. "I fed David a little while ago, he's doing so well. He's got your eyes, that beautiful deep blue that I love so much. I saw Maggie too. Yes, I named her Margaret like you wanted. It just seemed to fit her. She's so small, but she's fighting, fighting very hard to stay with us and her brother and sister. She needs her mother though, Grace. She needs you to hold her and love her and tell her everything is going to be all right." Oliver pulled in a shaky breath, fiddling with the wedding ring on Grace's hand.
"David and Annie need you too," Oliver continued. "They need you to get well and get strong again. They need their mother. And I need you Grace, so much. I don't know what I would do without you, you're everything to me. Please, my darling, you have to come back to us." Oliver squeezed his wife's hand as hard as he dared and looked into her face. She hadn't moved, not even a flinch as he spoke to her.
"It's all right, I know you need to rest now," he said, smiling down at her. "You rest and then you'll come back to us, I know you will." He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, smoothing her hair back and tucking it behind her ear. Then he sat and watched over her, waiting for some sign that she was returning to him. He didn't know how long he sat there, just looking at her, drinking in her face, but when he looked up the sun had fully risen, glittering off the newly fallen snow.
There was a light rap at the door and Oliver shifted towards it as Elizabeth peeked into the room. He smiled and motioned her in and she came to stand on the other side of the bed.
"How is she?" Elizabeth asked.
"Resting," Oliver said, shrugging his shoulders. "She needs her rest, after all that she's been through. I'm sure she'll join us soon." Elizabeth moved to stand behind Oliver, rubbing his shoulders in support.
"I'm sure she will," Elizabeth agreed. "I know she's got to want to hold those babies of hers again." Oliver smiled and nodded. "Oliver, you should go home for a little while, shower and eat something, maybe rest a bit." Before she had even finished speaking, Oliver began shaking his head.
"No, I won't leave her," he insisted.
"Oliver, you're exhausted," Elizabeth said soothingly, moving to stand in front of him. "You won't do Grace or those babies a bit of good if you don't get some sleep. You've been up all night."
"So have you," Oliver retorted.
"Yes, but I'll bet that you've not gotten more than an hour or two of sleep since Grace was taken, have you?" she asked. Oliver just grumbled something under his breath, so Elizabeth decided to change tactics.
"Annie needs to see you Oliver," Elizabeth said quietly. "She's terrified, she needs to know what's going on." Oliver looked up at her, sadness in his eyes.
"What am I going to tell her Elizabeth?" Oliver asked plaintively. "How do I tell her that her mother," he broke off, too choked up to continue.
"You tell her that her mother is ill, but she's fighting as hard as she can," Elizabeth said, gripping his shoulders and forcing him to look at her. "You tell her that the doctors are doing everything they can and that we all have to know that she's going to be all right." Oliver took in a breath and stood, hugging his sister.
"You'll stay with her until I get back?" Oliver asked. "And if she wakes up"
"I'll call you immediately," Grace replied, kissing his cheek. "I promise." Oliver nodded and leaned over Grace, kissing her forehead and caressing her cheek.
"I'll see you soon, sweetheart," he said. "I love you, forever and always." With one last look back at Elizabeth, Oliver left the room and found Punjab, who drove him home.
A/N2 - So I was doing some research online for the medical parts of this chapter and found out what incubators looked like in the 30's. Take out the spaces on the link below if you want to see it. www . neonatology . org / classics / silverman / silverman1 . f13 . gif Also, hospitals usually didn't have incubators, but there were some special facilities that preemies could be sent to. But, these places put the babies on display, actually charged admission and let people come in and gawk, like a sideshow. The picture is from an Exposition in Chicago in 1933. I just thought it was kind of crazy and so I bent the facts for my story. ;)