I stayed awake for the rest of the night and into the early morning hours. Thomas came into the room a couple of times to see if Mary had regained consciousness, but still, nothing.
Two more hours passed; it was now five in the morning. I was drifting on the edge of consciousness, finding myself nodding off for two minutes at a time, only to pull myself from slumber for ten minutes before nodding for another two.
'God Will, you need to work on you nocturnal skills.' I thought to myself, when suddenly, there came a soft moan from where Mary lay next to me. At first, I dismissed it, thinking myself to be a bit delirious until she stirred and opened cloudy eyes.
"Mary?"
"William… what happened? I feel so weak.."
"Hush, my love, don't tax yourself." I said softly.
"The twins.."
"They're fine, Mary. They're healthy, and they're asleep. Right now, our main concern is you. Thomas even stayed overnight in case something happened."
"Will?"
I looked up to see my brother standing in the doorway.
"Has she come to?"
"Yes. Finally. She's very weak though."
"Understandably so. Look, we need to get her cleaned up and the sheets changed so she can rest."
I gathered Mary in my arms and carried her into Brielle's room, placing her carefully on my daughter's bed to rest while I drew water for a bath. Then I went back to Brielle's room to get Mary and carried her into the washroom, setting her down slowly into the steaming water.
No sooner had I placed my wife into the washtub than the surface of the water began to bleed. My eyes began to widen but then I realised that Mary had had a lot of dried blood on her from the labour. 'Thank God she didn't start bleeding again!'
After I had helped Mary get cleaned up, I carried her back to the master bedchamber, where Thomas had put freshly pressed sheets on the four-poster.
"How are you feeling, Mary?" Thomas asked softly as I laid my wife on the bed and tucked her in.
Mary shook her head, closed her eyes and sighed. Thomas nodded, understanding her complete exhaustion; however, before allowing her to rest, he performed a quick post-natal examination.
"Well, because of the blood loss, and obvious extreme exhaustion and weakness, I strongly advise that she stay in bed for a few days, and still not leave the house or do chores for a week after that. She appears in stable condition, but she is still vulnerable to things happening to her; other than Bordon and the rest of the family, I would discourage visitors for at least a weak, including Cornwallis and Alastor; they can stay with Charlotte and I for a while, as can Braden and Brielle, if need be."
"Thank you, Thomas." I said. "Now, is there anything else we need to know about?"
"Well.."
"Go on."
"As you both know, Aric and Alexavier are healthy, and I do believe, with much rest and little disturbance, Mary will be all right as well. However, Mary, you sustained a substantial amount of internal damage during labour, and because of it, it is much more likely than not that you will not be able to bear any more children."
"Christ…"
I glanced over at Mary. A single tear rolled down her cheek and she closed her eyes. Then, seeming to have collected herself, she looked over at Thomas and locked him in her emerald gaze.
"Four is enough."
