"Let me in there!" The man grunted, banging on the door frantically. "Let me in!"
"Sir, this is no place for a man!" A feminine voice yelled over the screams of agony in the room. The screaming stopped after a while, and the man could faintly hear talking inside. Then, some shuffling and soft footsteps before the door in front of him finally opened.
To the man's horror, a woman stepped outside the room, her lower half covered in blood.
"What's going on in there? Let me see her." The man said, with as much calmness as he could muster.
"She wants to see you." The woman said, staring down at her blood-covered shoes, almost in shame. "It doesn't look good. I don't know if..." The woman trailed off as the man pushed past her in a panicked haze.
"Beatrice..." The man made his way to the bed in the middle of the room. It was soaked in blood. He almost couldn't see the soft blue sheets underneath all of the dark red. He kneeled down to be level with the bed and reached out towards his wife, interlocking his fingers with hers as she lay on the bed, sweat pouring down her pale face. He tried his best to hide the concern rapidly growing inside of him. He put on a fake smile, in an attempt to comfort his poor wife.
"Lyle, darling." She said weakly, a small smile growing on her face.
"Shh... don't talk." Lyle put his hand behind her head and pressed his head against hers, fighting the tears that so badly wanted to burst free. "I love you. You can do this." He reassured her.
"I... I don't think I can, darling." Beatrice said between weak coughs, as the midwife walked into the room with a small pale of water. She filled a small mug with the water and guided Beatrice to drink.
"I'm sorry, we can't wait any longer." The midwife said firmly. "We need to get this baby out of you, Mrs. Morgan."
Lyle held onto his wife's hand firmly, her strong grip almost breaking his fingers, as she pushed and fought as hard as she could. She knew she had to fight, not only for her own life, but for the life of her child as well. And she did. She fought hard. But, sadly, it wasn't enough.
After what felt like hours of pain and tears, the midwife finally held a small newborn in her hands. He screamed louder than his mother when he entered this cruel world, but his father's grin couldn't have been wider. The midwife quickly swaddled the child and brought it to Lyle, helping him hold it.
"Congratulations, Beatrice. You have a beautiful little boy." The midwife announced softly, before leaving the room to gather more things for the baby. Meanwhile, Lyle sat down on the bed beside his wife, showing her their creation.
"Arthur." She whispered, so quietly it almost could not be heard. Her husband smiled, unaware it would be the last word he would hear from his beloved wife.
word count: 502
A/N: this chapter was short, but it's just a little intro lol. also I know arthur's mom died when he was a kid (canonically) but this is a fanfic so i can do what i want :)