Here we go, Chapter 7. Thanks again for all the nice reviews; they always
make me smile a lot. Disney are mean and won't give me the rights so I am
still pirate-less, and as always much gratitude to Katrina.
***
A Hard Man To Predict
Maggie has lost all sense of time. She has been staring at the same crack in the ceiling for what feels like hours, but it could be minutes. She is barely even thinking anymore, only feeling the dull pains.
Susie is getting very worried - her sister has been laid out for almost twenty hours now, and nothing has happened. At first she had been reluctant to allow Elizabeth into the room, but she was insistent as only she could be, and Maggie seemed to feel calmer with Elizabeth holding her hand. Elizabeth had fetched hot water, now stone cold, and a pile of towels that are still on the chair by the window. Maggie hasn't slept, hasn't eaten, and is becoming paler and paler and the night draws on. Susie finally decides that this cannot continue. She whispers to Elizabeth, who is sat on the other side of the bed holding a cool damp rag to Maggie's forehead.
'Listen, this has gone on far too long. I need you to fetch the midwife. Do you know her?'
Elizabeth shakes her head. Of course she doesn't, Susie reminds herself. Why would she?
'Alright then, you know how to get to the book shop?'
'Yes'.
'Well if you turn down the alley, you come to a small house with a green door. That's her house - her name is Mrs Coleridge.'
Elizabeth stands up to go, handing the damp rag to Susie. 'What do I tell her?'
Susie thinks for a moment. 'Tell her one of the servants at the Governor's house needs her - she doesn't need to know anymore.'
'Susie, it's dark out, do you think I should take someone with me?'
'Persuade Cook to go with you, she wouldn't care if you told her, she'd forget about it anyway.'
Elizabeth hurries out of the door, and down the dark hallway. Susie sits, with the rag pressed against her sister's feverish forehead. Maggie can see the outline of Susie's face in the candlelight, and she can see the tears that are welling up in her eyes.
'Susie.' Maggie licks her dry lips, and raises her head a little from the pillow.
Susie leans forward, trying to hear her sister's feeble murmur. 'Yes, yes what is it? Can I get you something?'
'Susie.if it isn't all alright.'
'It will be, Elizabeth has gone for the midwife, everything will be fine.'
'If it isn't all alright.take care of the child, tell my son, my daughter.when they are old enough to understand.tell them everything. Tell them about Jack.tell them I loved him.'
Susie can no longer hold in the tears now, and she lets them role down her cheeks. Maggie sees them, and reaches up a hand to wipe them away, but only succeeds on smearing them further across Susie's cheeks.
'Please don't cry, there's nothing to be sad about.'
Susie takes hold of her sister's hand and squeezes it. She lets go, and goes to put the rag into the water again to cool it down. Just as she sits down again, the first yell of agony tears from Maggie's lips.
-------
Half an hour passes, with Maggie gripping Susie's hand and screaming with the hell of it, before Elizabeth and the midwife arrive. Elizabeth returns to her position at Maggie's side, with her hand being crushed with every fresh pain. The midwife bends over Maggie, and runs a gnarled old hand across her swollen abdomen several times. She addresses her remarks to Susie, when she finally speaks.
'The child hasn't turned, but there really isn't anything I can do about that.' She takes Susie by the elbow, and gently moves her out of Maggie and Elizabeth's earshot.
'Is it bad?' Susie asks.
Mrs Coleridge nods gravely. 'I'm sorry miss, but it doesn't look good. She's been abed a long time hasn't she? Probably with no food or sleep.am I right?'
'Yes.' Susie starts to cry softly again.
The midwife pats her on the shoulder. 'I'll say a prayer for her.'
Susie wipes the tears away with the flat of her hand. 'How much do I owe you?'
'For a case like this? Not a penny.'
She shuffles away, out of the door, and back out into the night.
The next few hours until dawn are the longest Susie has ever had to live through. She can feel Maggie's life slipping away and there is nothing she can do. Elizabeth stays by Maggie, holding her hand and placidly letting her own be squashed with the rhythm of the pain. She watches Maggie's eyes roam the room frantically, almost rolling in her head with desperation. And then the squeezes change and become one long drawn out clench. Elizabeth shouts to Maggie, who is returning from re-filling the hot water bowl.
'I think its coming!'
Susie dashes over, and watches, half joyous, half horrified, as her niece is born feet first on a river of black blood. She grabs the knife she has kept for this moment, and cuts the cord that ties Maggie to this already dark-eyed child. She scoops the baby up, and wraps the bloodied infant in a towel, and holds her where Maggie can see, while Elizabeth collapses exhausted into a chair, nursing her hand.
'Look, Maggie, you have a daughter.'
Maggie smiles faintly, and reaches out to stroke the baby's jet black tuft of hair.
'Thank you,' she says.
Susie doesn't know who she is thanking, God perhaps, but as Maggie is looking at the girl that she bore, the light in her eyes, that glimmer that Jack fell in love with, sparks, and goes out. She sees no more.
***
I'm so sorry, but it has to be done. I beg forgiveness from all of you who read this, but trust me. This is not the end. This is only the beginning.
***
A Hard Man To Predict
Maggie has lost all sense of time. She has been staring at the same crack in the ceiling for what feels like hours, but it could be minutes. She is barely even thinking anymore, only feeling the dull pains.
Susie is getting very worried - her sister has been laid out for almost twenty hours now, and nothing has happened. At first she had been reluctant to allow Elizabeth into the room, but she was insistent as only she could be, and Maggie seemed to feel calmer with Elizabeth holding her hand. Elizabeth had fetched hot water, now stone cold, and a pile of towels that are still on the chair by the window. Maggie hasn't slept, hasn't eaten, and is becoming paler and paler and the night draws on. Susie finally decides that this cannot continue. She whispers to Elizabeth, who is sat on the other side of the bed holding a cool damp rag to Maggie's forehead.
'Listen, this has gone on far too long. I need you to fetch the midwife. Do you know her?'
Elizabeth shakes her head. Of course she doesn't, Susie reminds herself. Why would she?
'Alright then, you know how to get to the book shop?'
'Yes'.
'Well if you turn down the alley, you come to a small house with a green door. That's her house - her name is Mrs Coleridge.'
Elizabeth stands up to go, handing the damp rag to Susie. 'What do I tell her?'
Susie thinks for a moment. 'Tell her one of the servants at the Governor's house needs her - she doesn't need to know anymore.'
'Susie, it's dark out, do you think I should take someone with me?'
'Persuade Cook to go with you, she wouldn't care if you told her, she'd forget about it anyway.'
Elizabeth hurries out of the door, and down the dark hallway. Susie sits, with the rag pressed against her sister's feverish forehead. Maggie can see the outline of Susie's face in the candlelight, and she can see the tears that are welling up in her eyes.
'Susie.' Maggie licks her dry lips, and raises her head a little from the pillow.
Susie leans forward, trying to hear her sister's feeble murmur. 'Yes, yes what is it? Can I get you something?'
'Susie.if it isn't all alright.'
'It will be, Elizabeth has gone for the midwife, everything will be fine.'
'If it isn't all alright.take care of the child, tell my son, my daughter.when they are old enough to understand.tell them everything. Tell them about Jack.tell them I loved him.'
Susie can no longer hold in the tears now, and she lets them role down her cheeks. Maggie sees them, and reaches up a hand to wipe them away, but only succeeds on smearing them further across Susie's cheeks.
'Please don't cry, there's nothing to be sad about.'
Susie takes hold of her sister's hand and squeezes it. She lets go, and goes to put the rag into the water again to cool it down. Just as she sits down again, the first yell of agony tears from Maggie's lips.
-------
Half an hour passes, with Maggie gripping Susie's hand and screaming with the hell of it, before Elizabeth and the midwife arrive. Elizabeth returns to her position at Maggie's side, with her hand being crushed with every fresh pain. The midwife bends over Maggie, and runs a gnarled old hand across her swollen abdomen several times. She addresses her remarks to Susie, when she finally speaks.
'The child hasn't turned, but there really isn't anything I can do about that.' She takes Susie by the elbow, and gently moves her out of Maggie and Elizabeth's earshot.
'Is it bad?' Susie asks.
Mrs Coleridge nods gravely. 'I'm sorry miss, but it doesn't look good. She's been abed a long time hasn't she? Probably with no food or sleep.am I right?'
'Yes.' Susie starts to cry softly again.
The midwife pats her on the shoulder. 'I'll say a prayer for her.'
Susie wipes the tears away with the flat of her hand. 'How much do I owe you?'
'For a case like this? Not a penny.'
She shuffles away, out of the door, and back out into the night.
The next few hours until dawn are the longest Susie has ever had to live through. She can feel Maggie's life slipping away and there is nothing she can do. Elizabeth stays by Maggie, holding her hand and placidly letting her own be squashed with the rhythm of the pain. She watches Maggie's eyes roam the room frantically, almost rolling in her head with desperation. And then the squeezes change and become one long drawn out clench. Elizabeth shouts to Maggie, who is returning from re-filling the hot water bowl.
'I think its coming!'
Susie dashes over, and watches, half joyous, half horrified, as her niece is born feet first on a river of black blood. She grabs the knife she has kept for this moment, and cuts the cord that ties Maggie to this already dark-eyed child. She scoops the baby up, and wraps the bloodied infant in a towel, and holds her where Maggie can see, while Elizabeth collapses exhausted into a chair, nursing her hand.
'Look, Maggie, you have a daughter.'
Maggie smiles faintly, and reaches out to stroke the baby's jet black tuft of hair.
'Thank you,' she says.
Susie doesn't know who she is thanking, God perhaps, but as Maggie is looking at the girl that she bore, the light in her eyes, that glimmer that Jack fell in love with, sparks, and goes out. She sees no more.
***
I'm so sorry, but it has to be done. I beg forgiveness from all of you who read this, but trust me. This is not the end. This is only the beginning.
