A/N: T for medical content
Chapter 36:
"Baby" Adelaide and Simon were sitting on the couch next to Neil after dinner one night. "Baby"
"That's right, Simon, there are babies in there" Adelaide said, seriously. "Mama and Papa are having babies. Let's count them"
Simon put his hand on her stomach. "One...two" He grinned.
"Good job, Simon!" Adelaide exclaimed. "Yaaaay! Two babies!"
"The lad is a genius, Addie" Neil said. "Counting at 20 months" he ruffled his hair.
"Of course. He is my son" Adelaide teased.
"Clearly" he chuckled, "Now Simon" Neil reached over to pick him up and place him on his lap. "Let's have a little chat, shall we?"
"Papa" Simon clapped. "Hi Papa!"
"Hi lad" Neil rubbed his head, affectionately. "Now, listen carefully. Mama is having babies. It will be a while, but when the wee babes come, you are going to be the big brother"
"Mama baby" Simon looked at him seriously.
"Aye" Neil nodded. "When the babes come, ye have to act like a big boy. No more throwing those fits" He stood him up on his knees so he could look into his eyes. "If you do, Papa and you are going to have a talk, okay?"
Adelaide reached over to rub his back. "We love you little boy even if you do throw fits and Papa has to spank you"
"No spank" Simon shook his head.
"Is that a new word, Papa?" Adelaide turned to Neil.
"Hum" Neil bounced him. "Well, it's not my fault that he has been surly lately. At least he knows what to expect"
Simon wrestled out of Neil's grasp to settle himself in between Adelaide and Neil and reached to pat her tummy again, "One. Two"
"Very good, Simon sweet boy" Adelaide tickled him and then laughed at Neil. "He's learned the art of distraction. I wonder who he gets that from"
"He is surely your child, Adelaide lass" Neil grinned.
Two more weeks passed and Adelaide was growing exponentially larger. The babies remained quite active and Adelaide used Simon's nap time to nap herself. Dan and Neil were downstairs going over some anatomy books...Neil continuing to take his mentoring role seriously. Adelaide reached the top of the stairs and gripped her stomach, groaning. She thought that felt suspiciously like a contraction and that was her second one in the past hour. She tried to remain calm. She had those with Simon and it was nothing, but it wasn't this early. This was early. Still, this could be nothing too. It had to be nothing.
The afternoon was a scorcher so she decided to change into her nightgown so at least she had a chance of resting easier. And it was then when she saw it—it wasn't much, but the blood was noticeable.
Adelaide shrugged on her nightgown and carefully made her way to the top of the stairs. "Neil?" her voice was shaky. "Can you come up here please?"
At the note of distress in her voice, Dan and Neil exchanged a look and Neil quickly rose and headed up the stairs, meeting her in their room.
"What is it?"
"I had two contractions in the past hour" she told him, her hands shaking, "and when I was changing, I noticed some blood. It's not a lot, but it's there"
"Okay" Neil reached for her arm and gently led her to the bed. "Let's not panic. Sit here"
"But aren't you worried?" Adelaide forehead creased as she sat on the bed. "It's not a good sign. It could mean that..."
"Hold on a minute" Neil said. "Let's not go there yet"
"But..." Adelaide's lip trembled.
"Adelaide, we aren't going there until we have more information, okay?" Neil said, his voice firm. "We both need to stay calm so we can figure out what is going on" he told her, soothingly.
Adelaide took a breath, trying to let Neil's calm demeanor comfort her. "I'm trying to stay calm" she sat on their bed and Neil went to retrieve her clothes from the floor, examining them, before putting them in the wash pile.
"How are they moving today?" he asked her quietly, sitting next to her. He put her hand on her back as she leaned over to bury her head in her hands.
"Still really active" Adelaide said, "but" her voice cracked, "Simon was active right up until I delivered. I didn't have contractions with Simon until that last month"
"Tell me about your contractions" Neil said, his hand still on her back, rubbing it. "What were you doing when you had them?"
Adelaide frowned as she lifted her head, "Putting Simon in for a nap and then climbing the stairs" She paused, "Do you think there is a correlation there?"
"Perhaps" Neil patted her arm as he stood. "I'm getting water and we'll examine you, okay?"
"I can't be dilated yet" Adelaide said, her voice again holding a note of panic.
"That's what I'm checking for" Neil retorted evenly.
"But I can't be" Adelaide struggled not to cry, "I'm only 32 weeks. There is no way I should be. If I am..."
"Let's just see" He interrupted as he leaned down to kiss her head. "I want to make sure the heartbeats are good too"
She nodded. "Why don't you let Dan come and help? We said we would let him especially since he needs experience with these situations and most people in the Cove even if they are warming up, still wouldn't allow that"
"Are you sure?" Neil asked.
"Of course" She said. "I'm your wife, but right now I'm a patient. Showing Dan and the rest of the Cove that you trust him with me will go a long way"
"That is a good point" Neil replied as he helped her lay down and pulled their sheet over her. "Try to stay calm, sweetheart, alright?"
She nodded and Neil left to go downstairs.
"Everything okay, Doc?" Dan asked as Neil came down the stairs.
"Adelaide is having a few contractions and some bleeding" Neil told him. "We need to examine her. She said we should have you do it for practice"
"Me?" Dan asked surprised.
"I'll walk you through it" Neil said. "Don't worry, it's not horribly complicated"
Dan reached for the stethoscope as Neil went to retrieve water and towels. He came back out.
"Now, to warn you, Adelaide is not the easiest patient" Neil told him, frankly. "And she is understandably edgy over this. She knows that the babies won't survive her going into labor. If her cervix is the least bit dilated, it is likely that she will become agitated. Don't let her bully you though. Do your job"
"I can handle this" Dan assured him.
"Good man" Neil said.
"Are you okay, Doc?" Dan's eyes were on him.
"I'm fine" Neil said as they headed back up the stairs. They entered the room.
"Hi Mrs. Doc" Dan said. "I hear you had a few contractions and some bleeding"
"I'm trying to be brave about it" Adelaide said, her lip trembling. "But my resolve is quickly fading"
"Keep thinking positively. This doesn't have to be the worst case scenario. We'll deal with what comes" Neil said as he went to sit on the opposite side of the bed. "Here, Addie, let's scoot you to the middle so Dan can squeeze on that side next to you and check the heartbeats" he said. "I'll walk you through what to do" he told him quietly.
"Or I can" Adelaide offered, forcing a smile through her tears. "It could distract me"
"Go ahead, if you want" Neil said. "You are the expert"
"I don't know about that" she said, her voice shaky.
"That's what I've heard" Dan said, smiling at her. "Ruby Mae was singing your praises just the other day to me"
"She's so sweet" Adelaide said, softly. "I really don't deserve such high praise"
"I think you do" Dan said. "Give me some hints on how to find these"
"Finding the heartbeat is a bit more complicated since there are two, but since I'm pretty far along, they should be pretty easy to find"
Adelaide continued to instruct him through how to find the heartbeats and measure them and what constituted a strong heartbeat and one you would be concerned about.
"They are really strong" Dan said as he pressed on her stomach. "And the babes have good movement. They don't look like they have dropped"
"I can't say I have noticed a difference" Adelaide said as she took a breath as the babies began to kick her. "But I may not be the best judge" She sighed. "Okay, now the fun part..."
Neil chuckled at her sarcasm and at her forlorn expression. "I'll hold your hand, lass" he offered it to her and she took it. "We need to know what's going on"
"I know that" Addie bit her lip, and gripped Neil's hand as she walked Dan through examining her.
"Take a breath, Addie" Neil instructed as he squeezed her hand. "You need to relax more"
"Spoken like a man, Doctor MacNeill" Adelaide said, wryly. "Next time you can carry our children and see how easy it is just to relax during this kind of examination"
Dan fought a smile, "We wouldn't last a day carrying the young'uns, Mrs. Doc"
"That's more like it" she said, "Dan, I hope you are developing your own sense of a bedside manner and not leaning too heavily on the Doc's way"
"You like my way" Neil reminded her.
"I do" she winced.
"Sorry, Mrs. Doc" Dan looked to Neil, "she's dilated"
"What?" Adelaide's eyes were wide. "How much?"
"Two" Dan said, quietly.
"Two? Adelaide turned to Neil. "Neil"
"Stay calm, Addie" Neil squeezed her hand before letting go and moving to where Dan was, talking to him in hushed tones as Dan continued to examine her and reporting back quietly. Their voices were so low that Addie couldn't make out what they were saying, which caused her to panic.
"Neil, tell me what's going on" Addie said. She tried to stay composed, but she was slowly unraveling. "I don't like this whispering"
"Let Dan finish" Neil said. "Just a minute longer"
"Doctor MacNeill" Adelaide's voice rose. "Do not keep things from me. Not now"
"Adelaide, you can't bully me right now. We need to let Dan finish and then we'll talk" Neil retorted, evenly, "Be cooperative, lass"
"I am being cooperative" Adelaide insisted, "but you have to tell me what is happening while it is going on. That's the only way I get through this without you having to sedate me. Otherwise I'm going to lose my temper with both of you. It's my body and my children, so God help you, Neil MacNeill, you better tell me what is going on and now"
"Miz Addie, just give me one minute" Dan said, quietly, but his voice was firm. "We know you are a nurse and a midwife and that your mind is racing with every possible thing that could be happening right now, but you need to take a breath and relax. You aren't helping yourself or your children at this moment. I promise we'll tell you everything, but I need to concentrate without you hollering at the Doc"
"Okay" Adelaide took a breath and Dan finished up.
"What's going on?" she demanded as she struggled to sit up, but her enormous stomach made that next to impossible.
"No, stay lying down" Neil instructed.
"Fine" Adelaide groaned. "Just tell me what is going on, now preferably"
Neil looked to Dan, who dried his hands. "Can you do be a favor and go call the mission? Ask Alice to come here and then ask David to stop by the McHones and let Opal know what is going on. She'll want to know"
Adelaide's heart sunk. "Neil..."
"Sure" Dan patted Adelaide's arm. "I'm downstairs if you need anything, Mrs. Doc"
"Dan?" Addie's voice was quiet.
"Yes?"
"You did a great job" She told him, sincerely. "Thank you for your help"
"You're welcome, Adelaide"
He left them and Neil went to sit on the bed next to her.
"Can I at least sit up so I can see you properly?" Adelaide said. "Five minutes won't hurt"
"That's fine" Neil said as he reached to help her sit. "Hand me my pillow and we'll prop both of them behind you" She did and leaned up so he could put them behind her. "Better?"
"Yes, thank you, now tell me what is going on before I lose my mind" Adelaide demanded.
"The signs are pointing to that you could be going into labor soon" he said, his voice steady.
"It's effacing?" Adelaide asked, her voice rising.
"Aye" Neil said. "Just..." he held up his hand to stop her from responding, "Just listen to me for a minute"
"Neil" she was distraught, "any sort of change at this stage in my pregnancy coupled with the bleeding and contractions...I'm going to go into labor and lose these babies"
"Adelaide" Neil said, firmly, "listen to me. It's not completely effaced, you are just starting. It doesn't necessarily mean that you will go into labor now."
"The babies won't make it" Adelaide interrupted as she shook her head. "I'm only 32 weeks. They won't make it"
"You have to stay calm" Neil struggled to maintain his composure. He recognized the signs of Adelaide unraveling and he was earnestly trying to get her back into focus. "We don't know that this is going to lead to labor"
"Don't do that" Adelaide insisted, her voice agitated.
"What am I doing?"
"You are using your doctor voice on me. I can certainly recognize it for as long as I've worked with you and I've used it myself on occasion. I'm not ignorant. I know what all of that means and I know all of what could happen if I do go into labor right now. Do not try to pacify me. I don't want it. Be honest with me"
"And you going into hysterics right now could contribute to your labor so I am going to tell you what you need to hear to get you calm. But that doesn't mean that I'm not being honest with you. It's not a good sign, but it doesn't mean that you will go into labor tonight" Neil retorted. "Take a breath. Shut off your mind. Do whatever you need to get yourself under control. Do not fall apart on me"
"Don't lecture me" Adelaide snapped. "You have no idea what this feels like right now. This is my body failing our children right now"
"Adelaide, you need to calm down" Neil repeated. "Calm down. You are going to have another contraction if you keep going"
"I can't believe you can be so removed from the situation. Aren't you feeling anything? These are your children, Neil. How can you not be the least bit upset?"
"I don't have the luxury to become upset, Addie. I'm the only doctor here for miles and that has to take precedence over whatever I might be feeling right now as a father or a husband" Neil's voice was low. "But lest you think me completely unfeeling, wife, I need to remind you that I have been here before. I know what it feels like to have the worst happen. I have lost both a wife and a child to this process and if you think for a moment that I'm not broken up over the possibility of you going into labor right now, you really don't know me at all. I'm choosing to be strong for you and our children. I understand you are angry and upset, but I'm not the enemy. The only way we will get through this is to do so together. I need my partner here"
"Oh Neil" Adelaide squeezed her eyes shut. She was so distraught and panicked over the thought of losing the babies that she lashed out at the closest person and was incredibly unfeeling.
They were silent for a few moments.
"Lass, look at me" his voice was tender.
She did and he reached out to brush her hair out of her face.
She grabbed his hand and pulled it down. "Now, I feel completely ashamed"
"Please don't" Neil said, quietly. "It wasn't meant to shame you"
"Still, I was beyond careless with my words, love. Will you please forgive me?" The tears began to overflow.
"Of course I do. You're distraught, I know" Neil reached to pull her into his arms. "And I remember how you get when you have to be the patient. I know you think of every scenario and replay it over and over in your head until you lose yourself. But I need you not to do that now. I need you to be brave for us, okay?
"I'm not a brave person" Adelaide cried into his chest.
"Now, see, I don't believe that from a moment" Neil retorted gently. "You went to nursing school despite your parents' objections, you buried your husband and decided to stay in this place to help the people here even though you were carrying a child, you delivered your first child in the middle of a blizzard and most of all, you took me on"
"Took you on?" Adelaide sniffled. "That's not brave. It's just smart" She buried her head. "I'm so scared. I don't want to lose our children..."
"I know. I'm scared too, lass" Neil said, squeezing her tightly. "But we have to try to remain positive"
"I just don't understand how this can be happening" Adelaide told him. "What did I do wrong?"
Neil pulled her away from her and gripped her face. "Nothing, Adelaide. You've done nothing wrong. You are doing a fine job carrying our children"
"But I had been lifting Simon more than I should"
"You don't have a choice at times but to lift the lad" Neil said, gently, "that wouldn't have caused this. You know very well this is not you. You would never tell one of your patients that it was their fault. You need to regain your objectivity, Addie. Don't blame yourself"
"So, what do we do now?" Adelaide asked, looking into his eyes.
"You are on bed rest until the babes come, Addie" Neil said.
Adelaide bit her lip and sighed. "I knew that was coming. But Simon needs me..."
"Simon will be well taken care of, lass" Neil told her. "I'm calling your mother and father. She'll get to use that new cabin she built. I even bet your father will come too and help me keep you sane"
"I can't actually imagine my mother living in that cabin" Adelaide said. "How is that going to work?"
"It's an experiment for sure" Neil told her, chuckling. "I'm going to go downstairs and check on Simon and wait for Alice. We need to monitor to you for more contractions and your bleeding"
She nodded. "Okay"
"And I will move my things downstairs into the addition and sleep down there until..." he paused at her indignant look.
"No way"
"Adelaide" Neil patted her arm. "I don't want to jostle you unknowingly"
"You bumping into me in the middle of the night is not going to cause me to go into labor" Adelaide retorted. "I can't face the nights alone, especially if I'm stuck in this bed for two months"
"Okay" Neil conceded. "That's fine"
"Good" Adelaide said, "and the children like it when you talk to them" she frowned. "They need to know we aren't giving up on them"
"You're right" Neil said. "We should pray now, Addie, for the babes and for you"
She nodded and Neil took her hands in his, kissed them before he prayed for them all.
Julia and William arrived the following day.
"Adelaide, how are you feeling?" Julia said as she sat on her bed, William sat in the chair beside her.
Adelaide's eyes filled with tears. "I had some more contractions today. Mother...I can't do this. If I go into labor, I can't go through all of that to deliver children that won't live. I can't"
"Oh my darling girl" Julia pulled her into her arms. "I know this is so scary for you" she rocked her as Adelaide cried. Julia turned her head to look at William, who was wiping tears from his eyes. It was heart-breaking for them to see Adelaide like this.
"Adelaide, sweetheart" William reached over to stroke her hair. "I know it is hard for you not to think the worst, but Doctor MacNeill told us that it's possible that you could last longer and the babies could be fine"
"But..." She pulled away from her mother. "I just wonder if that is Neil being brave. He's trying so hard to be positive for my sake, but I see the way he looks at Miss Alice or at Opal or at Dan. He's worried" She took the handkerchief that her father was offering her.
"I'm sure he is" Julia soothed. "We are all worried. You and these children are special to us. We love you. He wouldn't be your husband if he wasn't worried"
"I feel bad that you two had to drop everything and come out here again for me" She wiped her eyes.
"Now don't you worry one bit about that" William said. "Wild horses couldn't keep me away from my girlie when she needs me or her mama"
"How's your cabin?" Adelaide asked, forcing a smile at them.
"Just charming, darling" Julia said.
"Let's be honest, Adelaide" William said, leaning down to kiss her head. "Your mother made it as modern and convenient as possible out her in Cutter Gap"
"Well, there are only so much modern luxuries you can have out here" Adelaide retorted. "Are you sure you will be comfortable?"
"You underestimate your parents" Julia said, "and" she leaned forward to touch her forehead to Adelaide's, "I paid our cook double to come out here and take care of us"
Adelaide chuckled. "That might have been a good decision, mother"
"Is everything okay up here?" Neil asked as he came in with Simon in his arms.
"Mama! Mama!" Simon waved to her enthusiastically. "Mama Ut oh Ut oh, Mama"
"What's ut oh, Simon, sweetheart?" Adelaide asked, curiously.
Neil sat him on the opposite side of the bed and he crawled to her.
"Don't lift him, lass" Neil told her, firmly.
"Of course not"
Julia reached to help him stand, leaning against Adelaide. Simon reached to gently swipe at her eyes which still had fresh tears. "Mama eye. Ut Oh"
Adelaide looked to Neil. "How did we get blessed with such a sweet love?" she said as she reached out to put her arm around him. "Thank you, darling"
"We are blessed, Adelaide. No matter what" he told her, his voice strained.
"Absolutely" William added with a nod. "You have a beautiful family, Adelaide"
Julia rubbed Addie's cheek. "Don't worry about a thing, my darling. Focus on these babies. We will all take care of Simon"
"Thank you mother" Adelaide reached out to give her a hug again. "I can't tell you how better it makes me feel that you...and daddy are here"
"That means so much to me as well for you to feel that way" Julia said, softly. "And there is no place we would rather be"
"The babes are fighting" Neil commented his hands on her stomach as she lay on her side facing him.
It had been two weeks and so far while she had a few contractions sporadically throughout the day, she had not gone into labor...yet. Julia and William were still in the Cove, helping with Simon. Adelaide actually found her presence comforting. Opal stopped by almost every day. Ruby Mae came with her little son, Willie, and kept her company as well. When Neil was called away doctoring, Alice or Dan came to monitor her. Adelaide said she thought that was unnecessary when the three of them were consulting over her case, but all three of them hushed her quite adamantly much to her chagrin. Bird's Eye dropped by often as well and the ladies of the Cove made their rounds. Adelaide had so much company, the time in bed hadn't been nearly as lonesome as she thought it would be. And at nights, Neil would crawl carefully into bed next to her and put his hands on her belly and talk to their children. He would tell them stories of their MacNeill ancestors- delighting Adelaide with how tender and hopeful he was being. It helped her keep her spirits up.
"Fighting or just playing" Addie said. "Neil, I know we don't want to jinx things, but I think we should talk about names. Even if...I mean our babies still have to have names, right?"
"I think we need to have a look at them before we know" Neil said. "Just like Simon- you knew right away once you met him"
Adelaide nodded. "But we should have some chosen and then we can pick from that. And we have to have four names ready...that's a lot of names"
"Actually eight if you include middle names" Neil pointed out.
"See? We have to have some ideas!"
"Okay" Neil nodded. "Adelaide for a girl..."
"Now wait a minute. We can't name our daughter after me" she protested. "That's crazy"
"Well, if men can name their sons after them, our daughter can carry your name" Neil poked her, "or is that a little too progressive for even my enlightened wife?"
Adelaide giggled. "You are teasing me"
"Maybe" Neil said, "And silly Addie took my name out of the running by naming Simon's middle name after me. We can't have two sons with the same name"
"Well, I didn't think you would up and fall in love with me after that" Adelaide said, poking him. "How was I supposed to know that?"
Neil chuckled. "A fair point, Mrs. MacNeill. We could always name our son Charlie after Bonnie Prince Charlie"
"You named your horse Charlie, Neil" Adelaide rolled her eyes. "You should have thought of that"
"Well, how was I supposed to know that I would get married again?" Neil said, teasing.
Adelaide laughed and then winced. "Oh, ouch. Not again"
"Contraction?" Neil asked.
Adelaide shook her head, swiftly. "Another cramp"
Neil eased over the cover to take her hand off where she was desperately trying to rub it out and gently eased it, speaking to her quietly as he did it. "I know these hurt"
He worked through it until the muscle relaxed. "There you go. Try to shift positions every once in a while"
"I do" Adelaide said, "but it's inevitable with being in bed"
"I know" Neil reached to push the hair out of her face. "I want to talk to you about something"
"Sure" Addie said, softly, "What it is, Neil?"
"I need to know your preferences for labor" Neil said. "Ordinarily, I would just make any decision during an emergency situation, but since you are a nurse and pretty opinionated about things, I want you to tell me what you would prefer. I want to know now when you aren't stressed and yelling at me during labor"
"I don't yell" Addie protested, "only heatedly state my opinions"
"Uh huh" Neil stroked her face. "So..."
Adelaide took a breath. "I want you to consider saving the babies over me"
"That's not an option" Neil told her, adamantly. "I more meant what types of intervention you would prefer"
"Okay" Adelaide said, "I just want to put that out there"
"Not an option. Simon needs his mama" Neil said. "And I need you too. You are my first priority"
"But our children..." Adelaide swallowed hard.
"I love them too, Addie" Neil said, "and I will fight for all of you, but if it comes down to it, I can't part with you if I have the choice"
"Okay" Adelaide rubbed his stubble. "When it comes down to it, I trust you, Neil. I'm not going to hold anything against you. Use your best judgment."
"Are you sure?" Neil studied her expression, carefully.
"Absolutely, but thank you for considering my wishes. I love that you value my thinking on things" Adelaide said. She paused, "We could still name our son after you, Neil" she took his hand in hers. "There is a lot of your family heritage in your name. I don't think it should be wasted especially since it is only his middle name"
"Wasted? That's such an odd way of putting it" Neil put her hand to his lips. "I'm proud for Simon to have my name in his. He's my son too. Let's let that be something special for the lad. Our child doesn't replace him"
"Named after the best two men I have ever had the privilege of knowing" Adelaide said, repeating the words she said when she named Simon on that Christmas Day. "Save my own father of course..."
"William?"
"There's an option" Adelaide rubbed her belly with her free hand. "What do you think of that name, little one?"
"Hmm" he said as her stomach moved. "They either really like it...or they are wee lasses and are pretty indignant right now"
Adelaide giggled. "Maybe"
"Mama" Simon sobbed as Julia tried to soothe him. "Mama. Wanna Mama"
"What's all this?" Neil came in the door and put his bag down. He had been called away on an emergency and Julia had come over to stay and spend the night. It was 3 am and Neil traveled home once the patients were in recovery. These past two weeks had been trying on them all, but especially Simon, who didn't understand why Adelaide wasn't with him all the time. Neil took him upstairs for short visits, but he wanted Addie to rest.
"I think he had a bad dream" Julia said, patting his back. "He woke up screaming. Doesn't seem to be sick"
Neil washed his hands and reached out his arms for Simon. "Come to Papa, Simon" He was weary, but he could tell that the lad simply was not going to settle and didn't feel he should put it all on Julia to get him soothed.
"Papa, Mama, Mama. Wanna Mama" Simon clung to his shirt and screamed for Adelaide.
"I'll take him in his room and try to get him settled" Neil said, his heart tearing in two. The poor lad was distraught. "You should try to get some sleep" He looked to Simon, snuggling him close. "Did you have a bad dream, Simon?"
"Mama mama" he sobbed.
"Neil" Adelaide's voice was at the top of the stairs.
"Adelaide get back in bed, woman" Neil hollered at her. "What are you thinking?"
"Bring Simon up here, please" Addie said. "Let me cuddle him"
"Addie, I have this handled" Neil told her. "Get back in bed now"
"He wants me" she protested. "I'll get back in bed if you bring him to me. I can't stand for him to be screaming for me like this and you keeping him from me. I'm his mother and my baby needs me. I will come downstairs if I need to"
"Don't make threats you know you won't follow up on, lass" Neil said as he bounded up the stairs. "Get back in bed" He gripped her elbow and led her back to bed.
Adelaide lay on her side and Neil put Simon next to her. He immediately curled up against Adelaide's chest. "Mama, mama" he sobbed.
"Oh sweetheart, what is it?" Adelaide rubbed his back as Neil sat on the bed to take his boots off.
"No go bye bye, mama"
"What?" Adelaide looked to Neil, startled. "I...I'm not... I'm right here. I'm not going to go bye bye" She rocked him gently against her. "It's okay, Simon. Mama is here. Go back to sleep, sweet boy"
Neil sighed, leaning forward to bury his head in his hands. "I'll bring him upstairs more to play, Addie"
"It's okay" Adelaide reached out her hand to touch his back. "Neil, don't get upset" Adelaide continued to snuggle Simon, who calmed down considerably to be near Addie.
"I'm" Neil shuddered. "God help me, I can't lose you, woman"
"I'm not going anywhere" Adelaide reached for him. "Come, look at me"
Neil turned towards her.
"I'm not going anywhere, Neil, okay?" she repeated adamantly. "It's the babies we are worried about. I've had a healthy pregnancy and good delivery with Simon. There were no complications that should make this one more difficult. I'm going to be fine. And we've gotten through two more weeks. I just have to hold on a little longer. It's going to be fine"
He nodded, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. He reached to rub Simon's back.
Adelaide looked down at him. "I think he is actually asleep again"
"Really?" Neil was shocked. "I guess he really did want a cuddle with you"
"We really do need to take him upstairs more. He can't feel abandoned like this, Neil. I know he has you and my parents and Christy, but I'm his mother. He needs me. I won't overdo it with him. You have to trust me"
"Okay" Neil reached to pick up Simon. "I'll put him back in bed"
He returned a few minutes later and got undressed.
"What happened?" Adelaide said as he reached for her.
"Another drunken brawl" Neil said with a sigh. "Two gunshot wounds"
Adelaide shook her head. "Are the people involved alright?"
"Aye" Neil said. "Sometimes I'm just tired of it all, Addie"
Adelaide rubbed her hand against his face. "I know. So what do you want to do?"
"I've let my trachoma research go some" Neil said. "I want to get back to it. I have a colleague in Scotland who has specialized in the eye. I came across an article he wrote recently. I should write to him"
"Somebody you knew from medical college?" Adelaide asked.
Neil nodded. "At least see his thoughts on it"
"That would be great" she responded, rubbing his face. "Your trachoma research is really ground-breaking, my love. You should put a lot of your focus into that. I'm sorry if I have distracted you"
"You are a welcome distraction, sweetheart" Neil kissed her gently and Adelaide responded to it and they let themselves go for a minute.
Neil groaned. "Being this near you is hard at times, lass"
Adelaide swallowed hard. "Is that why you wanted to move downstairs?"
"Partly" He admitted.
"I'm sorry" Adelaide scooted further away from him. "We could put our pillows between us. I'm not sure how that would work since my stomach is so enormous it takes more than half of the bed anyway, but I'm willing to try. Or you could go jump in the Creek"
"At 3 am?" He laughed. "That will have your mother talking for sure"
"I'm sorry" Adelaide frowned.
He chuckled. "You really had no idea, did you?"
"Honestly?" Adelaide asked. "No"
"It's amazing to me that after two marriages, you can still have this innocent naivety about you"
Adelaide laughed. "It's just different for me, I guess. I like your company. I could honestly go months and be completely satisfied with..."
"Ouch, lass" Neil said, chuckling. "That's even better than jumping in the creek to cool my desire."
"Oh, goodness, I didn't mean it like that" Adelaide said, quickly. "You are...I mean...I like it...alot...not, like...I love it...and I'm attracted to you for sure...completely...because you are very attractive...I mean really...I'm absolutely lucky to have you...and..."
"Aye?" Neil asked, and she could tell he was amused by her.
She shifted. "You know the babies are really kicking right now. I think they know I'm getting deeper and deeper in trouble"
"There's that art of distraction that Simon inherited from his mama" Neil teased. "Subtle, lass"
"Sorry?" she added, sheepishly. "If we could make love, you know I would"
"No worries. Goodnight, wife" Neil said reaching out in the dark for her hands. "I love you"
"Good night, Neil" Adelaide said. "I love you too"
A/N: The twins are coming soon...thoughts?