Chapter 9
August 1875
The dawn broke dark and ominous. Heavy black clouds gathered overhead threateningly, the wind blowing the trees furiously. The summer storm had sprung up from nowhere. After we finished our breakfast, we all went to watch the storm from the kitchen window. We could see Antoine and Pierre rushing to get the horses safely stabled.
"I should go and help them." Erik said and went to get a mask. He came back and leaned over for a kiss before he went out. Just then, a flash of light almost blinded us at the same time a sound like an explosion deafened us. When we looked outside the stable was in flames. Erik ran out, Madeline and Mouse at his heels. Sylvie and I made our way as quickly as we could but she with her crutch and I in my cumbersome condition were somewhat slower. By the time, we made it to the stables Mouse was frantically pumping water into buckets. The men were running back into the burning building to rescue the horses who were screaming in terror. Antoine came running out leading one of the carriage horses and released it into the field then went running back to get another one. I stood petrified until I finally saw Erik come out of the barn with his black stallion a rag wrapped around his face to block the sight of the flames from the frightened horse, Pierre and Antoine close on his heels with the last of the horses that had been in the stable. Sylvie was sobbing as we watched the stable go up like tender. It was hopeless; we could do nothing but try to keep it from spreading to the house. Mouse was still pumping water when Erik went to him and put a hand on his arm. Mouse looked up at him and Erik shook his head. There wasn't anything else to do. Erik came and held me silently while we watched the flames destroy the building. All we could do is be thankful that it was the stable and not the house, and that no one had been harmed.
Just then, there was another crash of thunder and the skies opened up. The rain came down in a torrent; the wind picked up even more and swept up an empty bucket, slamming it into a tree, shattering the bucket. Madeline grabbed Mouse by the arm and they raced back to the house. Erik yelled at Antoine and Pierre gesturing for them to leave as he swung Sylvie up into his arms and followed me back to the kitchen. By the time we reached the house, the heavy rain was doing a better job of extinguishing the flames then we could. Antoine and Pierre were fleeing down the lane toward their homes.
The storm raged all day and into the night. Everyone was together in the music room. Erik and the children were playing song after song, trying to drown out the storm, trying to take our minds off the events of the day. My hands clinched tightly on my knitting every time there was a flash of lightning, hoping that Erik would not notice. I did not want him to realize that I was terrified of lightning. On top of everything else, my back was bothering me a great deal but I was trying to ignore it. Finally, I could not sit any longer and I stood up. Just as a loud crash of thunder sounded a severe cramp doubled me over and had me gasping.
"Erik!" I cried gasping for breath. He took one look at me and ran to me. Madeline looked at me, sent the children to get hot water and ran upstairs to the bedroom. Erik swept me up in his arms, grunting a bit with the effort, and rushed upstairs as best he could. He put me down just as another contraction set me gasping.
"Get that dress off her and have her put this on." Madeline said as she threw a nightgown at him. For the second time since I had known him, he simply ripped the dress, buttons popping in all directions, and pulled the dress off. I slipped the nightgown over my head and then grabbed his arm, fingernails biting into his flesh as another contraction rent my body. It was to early the baby wasn't due for at least another month.
"Alright Erik you can leave us now. I'll call you when its time." Madeline said. He looked at her in dismay and then back at me.
"But she needs..."
"The children need you to be with them. They are scared too." Madeline said gently.
"It's alright Erik." I said. He swallowed and cupped my face.
"I love you." he whispered and kissed me. Reluctantly he left the room glancing repeatedly back at me. Before the door closed, I saw the children each take one of his hands.
Hours later our son finally made his appearance. With his first scream, Erik came rushing into the room, not waiting for Madeline to call. The children made as if to follow him but he told them to stay out until he called them. He came to my side first, wiping the sweat from my brow while Madeline cleaned our son.
"Are you alright," he whispered as he took my hand in his.
"I'm fine and so is our son. He is perfect. I told you it would be a boy." I said tiredly and Madeline came and held him out to Erik. Erik looked at him in awe, taking in his perfectly formed face. He gently took him from Madeline, he looked at me and then back at our son.
"But he's so small." he said. Just then, another pain had me gasping.
"Mon Dieu. There's another one!" Madeline exclaimed. Erik looked at me in astonishment and then at the small form in his arms and went and gently laid him in the bassinet. Then he came and took my hand.
"I'm not leaving this time." He said as another contraction left me gasping. Erik held my hand murmuring encouragement. The baby seemed to be determined to stay where it was. I struggled to push the baby out but I was so tired I did not think that I push anymore.
"You can do it love, for me angel, for me." He begged, and with one final, agonizing push, our daughter came into the world. I fell back in exhaustion. Erik bathed my brow with cold water and then looked apprehensively toward the small form that Madeline was cleaning.
"You have a perfectly beautiful little girl as well Erik. Your fears were misplaced." Madeline said as she handed me my daughter. The look of awe on Erik's face as he gazed at his small daughter was endearing. He leaned over and kissed my cheek.
"You constantly amaze me angel." he said and went to pick up his son. Madeline went and opened the door to let in Mouse and Sylvie.
"You have a new brother and sister." Madeline said to them.
"Two of them?" Sylvie asked surprised. Mouse's eyes were round with surprise and awe as he looked from one baby to the other.
"It seems that we were both right a son and a daughter." Erik was beaming. All his fears had come to naught, both babies were perfect. "All right children it's been a long night. Jenny is very tired. Run off to bed now." He said as he saw Mouse try to stifle a yawn. It would be dawn soon. It had indeed been a long night and I was exhausted. I held our daughter to my breast while Erik sat gazing at our son, tracing his face with his finger.
"It's a good thing that we have another bassinet downstairs." The ever practical Madeline said. "Erik why don't you go downstairs and get it I'll take the babe." She said. Erik reluctantly handed our son to her and went without a word. By the time, he returned our daughter was in her bed and our son was at my other breast. Madeline took her leave bundling the used sheets in her arms. Erik went over and gazed at our sleeping daughter then came and sat on the side of the bed watching our son at my breast. He leaned over and kissed me, smiling.
"They are so beautiful. You never cease to surprise me. Twins." he said softly as he traced our son's tiny ear with his finger. I leaned my head against his shoulder.
"You're surprised, I had no idea. I thought our child was going to be exceedingly large, then when the pains came so early. I was a bit afraid myself." I admitted. Erik's hand paused and he turned my face to me, his eyes searching my face with a frown.
"You never said anything." He said
"You were worried enough already. You didn't need anything more to worry about." Just then, our son released his hold on my breast and twitching his hand open and closed a few times, fell asleep. Erik gently took him from me and placed him in his bed, smiling down at him. He came to me, pulled the covers up under my chin, and kissed me again.
"Now you need to sleep." He said quietly and I wasn't going to object.
The screaming of little lungs awakened us. Erik went to pick up our son and the look of horror on his face when his hand came in contact with a wet bottom was priceless. He hastily put him back down and ran for the door calling for Madeline in a panic. Madeline came running into the room pulling on her robe.
"What is it Erik is something wrong!" she cried. Erik just pointed at the squalling babes in dismay.
"They...They're Wet!" He cried in dismay. I couldn't help it I just started laughing. Madeline smiled.
"Well of course they're wet. What did you expect?" She said as she picked up our son and proceeded to change his diaper. "You could help by changing your daughter's diaper you know."
"But, but..." the look of absolute terror never left his face. I was still laughing.
"MEN!" Madeline exclaimed as she handed me my son so I could feed him. She then went and changed our daughter's diaper. "Here you can at least hold her until her brother finishes." She handed the tiny baby to him and she shook her head gathering up the dirty diapers and left. Erik stood making ssshing noises as he gently rocked the baby in his arms. She quieted for a moment and he beamed but then she started in again. Desperately he started to sing her a lullaby. Her squalling quieted into little fussing noises and Erik started to relax. Cautiously he sat into the chair near the bed softly rocking while he sang an adoring look on his face as he watched his small daughter wiggle in his arms. I looked down at our son as he released his hold and hiccupped a little.
"Erik, do you want to take your son now? He needs to be burped, make sure you put something over your shoulder or you'll be sorry." He looked a little befuddled as he looked from his daughter, who started squalling again, and looked around until he saw a stack of diapers. He got up and put a diaper over his shoulder and then we went through the awkward baby transfer. I hoped that over time it would become easier. I watched as Erik held his son to his shoulder and gently rubbed his back and when the baby burped, he looked so proud. Over a burp. He sat down again, this time rocking his son a goofy kind of happy look on his face that suddenly changed to horror.
"What the..." he said jumping up as his one hand jerked away from the spreading wetness of the diaper, gingerly laying the baby down. His son's little lungs filled and he started screaming.
"Erik you're just going to have to get used to it." I said laughing. "Babies are frequently wet, messy, and noisy. It is a simple fact of life. You might just as well learn how to change them. With two babies I'm going to need all the help I can get." I said wearily. I was still very tired. Erik looked up at me, a little frown between his eyes.
"I'm sorry love, of course your right." He swallowed looking at his son and went about attempting to change him. Madeline came in with a breakfast tray, took one look at Erik and rolled her eyes.
"Not like that." she said in exasperation. Putting the tray down, she went over to him. "You do it like this." She said as she showed him how. "Now next time I expect you to know how." Erik smiled sheepishly.
"Yes mother." He said cheekily and she slapped his arm playfully. She put the baby in his bassinet, and came and got my daughter.
"You two need to eat something. I'll take care of them for now." Erik went to the tray and placed it over my lap. While we ate, Madeline took care of our daughter and then left. When we finished eating Erik helped me up and supported me as he walked me to the wc. When I came out, he carefully walked me back.
"How are you feeling?" he asked tenderly brushing hair out of my face.
"Quite, quite tired and quite, quite sore, but also quite, quite happy." I said and smiled putting my hand gently to his face. He turned his face to my hand and kissed it. His thumb brushed my cheek and he leaned over softly kissing me.
"Sleep now. I need to go and see exactly what needs to be done to clean up and rebuild the stable. Do you want me to send Madeline in to sit with you?"
"No just leave the door open so she can hear if the babies start to cry." I said as I settled back into my pillows.
I don't know how long I slept, but the sound of whispering gradually wakened me. I turned my head and opened my eyes. Sylvie and Mouse were standing over the babies watching them sleep.
"I think they're awfully little Mouse." she said softly. He signed something to her. I couldn't see what from the position he was standing. "Yes I think he might be a little bit bigger her."
"Sylvie, Mouse, come here." I said as I set up and held out my arms. Mouse jumped and Sylvie's jaw dropped.
"We didn't want to wake you Mama." She said as they came over for a hug.
"That's alright. So, what do you think of your new brother and sister."
"They're awfully little."
"That's because they were early and there are two of them. Not as much room to grow." I told them as one of them woke and started to cry.
"Go and find Madeline or Papa Erik for me okay?" The children nodded and ran off. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. I grabbed my robe and wobbled over to the bassinets. I reached down, picked up my son and took him to the changing table, then proceeded to change his diaper. When I finished I sat in the chair and held him to my breast, I was feeding the greedy little bugger when Erik's arm slid around my shoulder, his chin resting on my shoulder as he watched our son nurse.
"Sylvie said you wanted help." He said softly.
"Well I figured that if one woke the other wouldn't be far behind." Just then, our daughter decided to exercise her lungs. Erik gave me a quick squeeze and took a deep breath.
"Well wish me luck." He said with a crooked smile. I sat watching him as he hesitantly went through the motions of changing our daughter. I watched, biting my lip to keep from laughing. He really was trying very hard and making it much more difficult than it was. Finally, he picked her up carefully and turned to me proudly. He threw a diaper over his shoulder and stood gently rocking her until I told him it was her turn. He brought her over and we again went through the awkward baby transfer. After burping our son, he started singing the same lullaby to our son that he had sung to our daughter. He had such a beautiful voice. Madeline and the children came in just as I had finished feeding our daughter. She was carrying another chair. She placed it next to the one I was sitting in.
"Okay children, it's time we named the babies." Erik said. "First our son, we have decided that he be named after Jenny's father." I looked at him in astonishment for we had not made any such decision. He remembered what had brought me to him in the first place and decided to honor the man he had never met.
"My father's name was Nathaniel James." I said swallowing a lump in my throat.
"Nathaniel James des Ombres it shall be. Now for our daughter, we shall take a serious..." and Erik frowned at Mouse. "Name from each of you, you first Mouse." Mouse looked at Sylvie and she nodded at him. They obviously had worked this out between them. He reached for the small slate that always hung around his neck. He wrote the name he chose. "Carrie" though he did not say it I suspected it to be the name of the mother he could barely remember.
"Carrie, very well, and your choice, Sylvie, for the second name?"
"Elisabeth. Carrie Elisabeth." She said smiling.
And so it was our twins became Nathaniel James and Carrie Elisabeth des Ombres.
