Chapter 9
"Am I a bad mother?" asked Michelle, quietly, breaking the silence of the embrace the three of them were sharing. Legolas and Robyn looked at Michelle oddly.
"Of course you're not," said Robyn. "I couldn't wish for a better mom."
"What made you ask that?" said Legolas.
"It's just something Clare said," said Michelle. "She told me I had a habit of ruining mine and other people's lives. She reeled off some of the things I'd done and I just thought maybe you two agreed with her."
"What did she say?" said Legolas.
"She said about me getting pregnant at 15, then how I threw away the one person that ever mattered to me. Then she said that I had turned two of my best friends against me."
"That's crap! Of course we don't agree with her," said Robyn. "And look how you've ended up. You ended up marrying that 'one person' and you didn't turn them against you. They went all stupid in the head and turned themselves against you."
"And you've got a wonderful daughter," said Legolas.
"Then Becky started questioning your faithfulness," said Michelle, avoiding eye contact with him. He caught her chin in his hand and made her look at him.
"Michelle, I would never cheat on you," he said. "I love you too much to hurt you like that." He hugged her tightly.
"I know, but she's always had this way of making believe what she says is true, even if it isn't," said Michelle.
"Do you think that's what she did to Ash?" said Robyn.
"Knowing Becky, very likely," said Michelle. "But let's not talk about that now." Aragorn started walking towards them.
"No harm will come of either of you now," he said, as they watched Becky and Ash be taken away by the guards.
"What will happen to them?" said Robyn.
"That depends on you," he replied. "Becky will be jailed for life in a high security cell because she escaped and attempted to do repeat what she was jailed for last time. Ash is a different matter. If you wish it, he will be jailed also." Robyn nodded silently.
"I understand," she said. "It's up to you, mom, since you're the one he set-up. You're the one he plotted against."
"I think we should talk about it when we get home," said Michelle. "We're not going to make any harsh decisions about this now. We're all tired and stressed. We'll talk about it in the morning." The sun was beginning to disappear behind the distant White Mountains.
"I hadn't even noticed it was getting late," said Robyn.
"It's understandable," said Legolas.
"Come on, let's get home," said Michelle.
They said farewell to Aragorn and then departed. Little was said on the way back about Ash, but much was said and asked about the fight. Michelle was careful not to miss out a single detail.
"I've always wanted to do that," she said, proudly. "We were very close when we were young, but as we grew up we drifted apart. I was sad that we had drifted but I told myself that these things happen. By the time I went on the quest, I was very glad to get away from her. She was just so damn... clingy!"
"Well, you won't get any more trouble from her," said Legolas. When they finally got back home, they were all ready to go straight to sleep.
"Home, at last," sighed Michelle, as she threw herself on the sofa.
A dull thud was heard as she did so, followed by a groan of pain. Legolas and Robyn thought that it was caused by aching battle wounds but then changed their minds when Michelle started crying. They ran to the edge of the sofa and saw Michelle clutching her stomach.
"Oh no!" said Robyn. She knew that Michelle was losing her baby. "Mom! What do I do?" But Michelle couldn't answer. 'Then I'll have to sort this on my own,' she thought.
"Dad, go and find the healer as quickly as you can," she said. She ran up the stairs as Legolas briefly whispered some words of comfort to his wife, then he left. Tears rolled down Robyn's face as she frantically searched for some kind of scrap material that could be laid down beneath Michelle. She found some towels (a/n: did they have towels? Oh well, they do now!) and decided they would suffice. She dashed back down the stairs to her mother's side. She spread the towels out on the sofa, which already had deep red stains on it. She gripped her mom's hand and had to force the tears from over-flowing.
"It'll be ok, mom," she said, her voice shaking with fear and worry. "Dad will be back in a minute with the healer, you'll be ok, you'll see." She knew neither of them knew it was true, but she had to be strong. She had to keep that tiny strand of hope glimmering, else what was there for Michelle to do.
Legolas soon returned, but they all knew it was too late. There was nothing that could be done to save Michelle's baby, all they could do was concentrate on keeping Michelle with them. The time seemed to last forever. The seconds seemed to last for minutes. The minutes seemed to last for hours.
After a couple of hours, the bleeding finally stopped, although the tears did not. Robyn and Michelle lay together, on the bloodstained sofa, crying. They both knew that another child was all Michelle had wanted for years. And when it came down to it, Robyn had longed for a brother or sister too. Legolas paced the room, miserably. He had been so looking forward to becoming a real father. Robyn was very much like a daughter to him, and he loved her very much, but she was not his own.
Not long after the sun had risen, Michelle received visits from Tracey and Mary-Jo. More tears were shed and a saddening atmosphere hung over the house. Michelle was then taken to the Houses of Healing where her own health was monitored.
"She will be ok, won't she?" asked Robyn, nervously.
"Of course she will," answered the healer. "We've only brought her in so that we can make sure she returns to full health. She can go back home in a couple of days." Legolas sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders.
"Don't worry," he said. "Your mom is one tough cookie. She'll be fine."
"You really think so?" she said.
"I know so," he said. She sat, deep in thought, for a few minutes.
"It's his fault," she said, quietly.
"The miscarriage had nothing to do with Ash," said Legolas, slightly puzzled.
"Yes, it did," she said. "If he hadn't been weak enough to give in to them, then he wouldn't have took mom to them. Then mom wouldn't have had the fight with Becky and she wouldn't have lost the baby."
"You don't know that, Robyn," he said.
"How can you stand there and stick up for him?!" she said, disgustedly. "Look at your wife, my mother. See what he has caused. How can you not blame him for this?!"
"It may not be as simple as it appears," explained Legolas. "You don't know what they said to him. What they threatened him with."
"Fine, then I'll go and ask!" she said, angrily. She stood up and went to leave.
"Is that a good idea, Robyn?" asked Legolas. "You're upset and angry as it is. Too much stress could-"
"-harm the baby, yes I know!" she finished the sentence for him. "You think I don't know that?" She took a deep breath to calm herself a little. "Look, I was considering going anyway. I need to talk to him. Eru knows we've got a lot to talk about."
"Would you like me to go with you?" he said. "I don't like the idea of you going alone."
"You need to stay here with mom," she said. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."
"Promise me you won't speak to him alone. Promise me there'll be a guard or at least someone else there when you talk to him. He may have changed his mind again since about who he wishes to side with."
"I promise," she said, with her fingers crossed behind her back. She left and made her way immediately to the Palace. She would get permission from Aragorn to visit the prisoner and then she would take it from there.
She had so much, yet so little to ask him. 'Why' being the main question. But, also, what was said? How long did it take? What had he planned to do? Did he still love her? Her heart was racing with fear and anxiety. 'Eru, give me strength to do this,' she thought. 'It has to be done for mom's sake and for my sake.'
She reached the Palace gates where she was stopped. Once she had politely, but firmly stated who she was and what she wanted, she walked slowly up to the Palace. Within the next ten minutes she would be sitting opposite her former lover, questioning his every move. It was torturous for her. Part of her wanted to forgive him and take him back, forgetting everything that had happened. But the other part of her made her think of her mother lying in the Houses of Healing, recovering from her miscarriage. 'I cannot forgive him,' she thought. 'He's done too much.'
"I need to speak with King Aragorn," she said to another guard as she entered the Palace and before he could ask her. "It is regarding one of the new prisoners."
************
A/N: Ok, lame ending, but a pretty good chapter, generally, even if I do say so myself. I feel very sorry for both Michelle and Robyn. It's very sad. I'm exactly sure of the details of a miscarriage so I apologise I have got it all completely wrong. Lots of people are probably going to shout at me now for being evil to Michelle. I'M SORRY! You know I can't resist a good story line! I hope you can all forgive and leave me lots of NICE reviews! Please? Luvs Elfie xXxXx
"Am I a bad mother?" asked Michelle, quietly, breaking the silence of the embrace the three of them were sharing. Legolas and Robyn looked at Michelle oddly.
"Of course you're not," said Robyn. "I couldn't wish for a better mom."
"What made you ask that?" said Legolas.
"It's just something Clare said," said Michelle. "She told me I had a habit of ruining mine and other people's lives. She reeled off some of the things I'd done and I just thought maybe you two agreed with her."
"What did she say?" said Legolas.
"She said about me getting pregnant at 15, then how I threw away the one person that ever mattered to me. Then she said that I had turned two of my best friends against me."
"That's crap! Of course we don't agree with her," said Robyn. "And look how you've ended up. You ended up marrying that 'one person' and you didn't turn them against you. They went all stupid in the head and turned themselves against you."
"And you've got a wonderful daughter," said Legolas.
"Then Becky started questioning your faithfulness," said Michelle, avoiding eye contact with him. He caught her chin in his hand and made her look at him.
"Michelle, I would never cheat on you," he said. "I love you too much to hurt you like that." He hugged her tightly.
"I know, but she's always had this way of making believe what she says is true, even if it isn't," said Michelle.
"Do you think that's what she did to Ash?" said Robyn.
"Knowing Becky, very likely," said Michelle. "But let's not talk about that now." Aragorn started walking towards them.
"No harm will come of either of you now," he said, as they watched Becky and Ash be taken away by the guards.
"What will happen to them?" said Robyn.
"That depends on you," he replied. "Becky will be jailed for life in a high security cell because she escaped and attempted to do repeat what she was jailed for last time. Ash is a different matter. If you wish it, he will be jailed also." Robyn nodded silently.
"I understand," she said. "It's up to you, mom, since you're the one he set-up. You're the one he plotted against."
"I think we should talk about it when we get home," said Michelle. "We're not going to make any harsh decisions about this now. We're all tired and stressed. We'll talk about it in the morning." The sun was beginning to disappear behind the distant White Mountains.
"I hadn't even noticed it was getting late," said Robyn.
"It's understandable," said Legolas.
"Come on, let's get home," said Michelle.
They said farewell to Aragorn and then departed. Little was said on the way back about Ash, but much was said and asked about the fight. Michelle was careful not to miss out a single detail.
"I've always wanted to do that," she said, proudly. "We were very close when we were young, but as we grew up we drifted apart. I was sad that we had drifted but I told myself that these things happen. By the time I went on the quest, I was very glad to get away from her. She was just so damn... clingy!"
"Well, you won't get any more trouble from her," said Legolas. When they finally got back home, they were all ready to go straight to sleep.
"Home, at last," sighed Michelle, as she threw herself on the sofa.
A dull thud was heard as she did so, followed by a groan of pain. Legolas and Robyn thought that it was caused by aching battle wounds but then changed their minds when Michelle started crying. They ran to the edge of the sofa and saw Michelle clutching her stomach.
"Oh no!" said Robyn. She knew that Michelle was losing her baby. "Mom! What do I do?" But Michelle couldn't answer. 'Then I'll have to sort this on my own,' she thought.
"Dad, go and find the healer as quickly as you can," she said. She ran up the stairs as Legolas briefly whispered some words of comfort to his wife, then he left. Tears rolled down Robyn's face as she frantically searched for some kind of scrap material that could be laid down beneath Michelle. She found some towels (a/n: did they have towels? Oh well, they do now!) and decided they would suffice. She dashed back down the stairs to her mother's side. She spread the towels out on the sofa, which already had deep red stains on it. She gripped her mom's hand and had to force the tears from over-flowing.
"It'll be ok, mom," she said, her voice shaking with fear and worry. "Dad will be back in a minute with the healer, you'll be ok, you'll see." She knew neither of them knew it was true, but she had to be strong. She had to keep that tiny strand of hope glimmering, else what was there for Michelle to do.
Legolas soon returned, but they all knew it was too late. There was nothing that could be done to save Michelle's baby, all they could do was concentrate on keeping Michelle with them. The time seemed to last forever. The seconds seemed to last for minutes. The minutes seemed to last for hours.
After a couple of hours, the bleeding finally stopped, although the tears did not. Robyn and Michelle lay together, on the bloodstained sofa, crying. They both knew that another child was all Michelle had wanted for years. And when it came down to it, Robyn had longed for a brother or sister too. Legolas paced the room, miserably. He had been so looking forward to becoming a real father. Robyn was very much like a daughter to him, and he loved her very much, but she was not his own.
Not long after the sun had risen, Michelle received visits from Tracey and Mary-Jo. More tears were shed and a saddening atmosphere hung over the house. Michelle was then taken to the Houses of Healing where her own health was monitored.
"She will be ok, won't she?" asked Robyn, nervously.
"Of course she will," answered the healer. "We've only brought her in so that we can make sure she returns to full health. She can go back home in a couple of days." Legolas sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders.
"Don't worry," he said. "Your mom is one tough cookie. She'll be fine."
"You really think so?" she said.
"I know so," he said. She sat, deep in thought, for a few minutes.
"It's his fault," she said, quietly.
"The miscarriage had nothing to do with Ash," said Legolas, slightly puzzled.
"Yes, it did," she said. "If he hadn't been weak enough to give in to them, then he wouldn't have took mom to them. Then mom wouldn't have had the fight with Becky and she wouldn't have lost the baby."
"You don't know that, Robyn," he said.
"How can you stand there and stick up for him?!" she said, disgustedly. "Look at your wife, my mother. See what he has caused. How can you not blame him for this?!"
"It may not be as simple as it appears," explained Legolas. "You don't know what they said to him. What they threatened him with."
"Fine, then I'll go and ask!" she said, angrily. She stood up and went to leave.
"Is that a good idea, Robyn?" asked Legolas. "You're upset and angry as it is. Too much stress could-"
"-harm the baby, yes I know!" she finished the sentence for him. "You think I don't know that?" She took a deep breath to calm herself a little. "Look, I was considering going anyway. I need to talk to him. Eru knows we've got a lot to talk about."
"Would you like me to go with you?" he said. "I don't like the idea of you going alone."
"You need to stay here with mom," she said. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."
"Promise me you won't speak to him alone. Promise me there'll be a guard or at least someone else there when you talk to him. He may have changed his mind again since about who he wishes to side with."
"I promise," she said, with her fingers crossed behind her back. She left and made her way immediately to the Palace. She would get permission from Aragorn to visit the prisoner and then she would take it from there.
She had so much, yet so little to ask him. 'Why' being the main question. But, also, what was said? How long did it take? What had he planned to do? Did he still love her? Her heart was racing with fear and anxiety. 'Eru, give me strength to do this,' she thought. 'It has to be done for mom's sake and for my sake.'
She reached the Palace gates where she was stopped. Once she had politely, but firmly stated who she was and what she wanted, she walked slowly up to the Palace. Within the next ten minutes she would be sitting opposite her former lover, questioning his every move. It was torturous for her. Part of her wanted to forgive him and take him back, forgetting everything that had happened. But the other part of her made her think of her mother lying in the Houses of Healing, recovering from her miscarriage. 'I cannot forgive him,' she thought. 'He's done too much.'
"I need to speak with King Aragorn," she said to another guard as she entered the Palace and before he could ask her. "It is regarding one of the new prisoners."
************
A/N: Ok, lame ending, but a pretty good chapter, generally, even if I do say so myself. I feel very sorry for both Michelle and Robyn. It's very sad. I'm exactly sure of the details of a miscarriage so I apologise I have got it all completely wrong. Lots of people are probably going to shout at me now for being evil to Michelle. I'M SORRY! You know I can't resist a good story line! I hope you can all forgive and leave me lots of NICE reviews! Please? Luvs Elfie xXxXx
