David lay on his side watching Regina sleep. She had tried so hard to stay awake from fear of having another nightmare, but in the end her fatigue got the better of her and she fell asleep in his arms. Even now that she was asleep David remained awake, his mind was much too busy. He knew something had been wrong for a few weeks, he should have done something sooner. He should have figured out what was wrong and helped her to get through it. Maybe he thought it was just hormones and it would go away in time, but when her fever hit yesterday it was obvious that she was suffering just as much, and maybe even more than before.
Regina moaned in her sleep and shifted into a more comfortable position. David inched a little closer to her, hoping she wasn't about to have another nightmare. Her fever had reduced tremendously and she had taken a final dose of medicine before bed so she shouldn't have another one, at least not one caused by the fever. She hadn't been plagued by nightmares before she had fallen ill so hopefully now that she was getting better they would stop.
After a few minutes she fell back into a deeper sleep and began to breathe in heavy, even breaths. David was pleased to see that she finally looked peaceful and at ease. She'd had such a rough day, she deserved to finally have a restful, undisturbed sleep. Even in the semi-darkness she looked so beautiful, and he had to resist the urge to reach out and run his fingers through her soft brown hair because he didn't want to risk accidentally waking her up. Instead he had to stay satisfied by simply watching her sleep.
Around 5:00 in the morning David eventually fell asleep too, and over the course of the next few hours the couple ended up closing the space between them. When Regina was the first to wake up around 8:30, she found that they both had an arm around each other. Her cheek was now pressed up against David's chest while he was lying on his side with his arm draped delicately around her waist. Feeling the warmth and coziness of the embrace Regina allowed herself a soft smile. She had finally had a decent sleep, one that wasn't riddled with dreams of horrible things happening to her or her family. She could feel that the fever had finally disappeared and she no longer felt as weak or queasy as she did when she had woken up the morning before. She knew she had to get up to look after Kaelyn, but she wanted to enjoy this moment for just a few more minutes.
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Around 10:00 David entered the dining room to find Regina helping Henry with his homework, and Kaelyn sitting in her high chair close by.
"Morning," David greeted them.
"Good morning sweetheart," Regina replied.
David leaned towards her and they shared a quick kiss before he pulled out a chair for himself as Henry smiled at him in acknowledgement.
"Did you have a good sleep?" David asked Regina.
"I did. No nightmares thank goodness."
"And your fever?"
"Gone I think. I can't even begin to express how relieved I am to see it go."
"Good, I'm happy you're feeling better and that you were finally able to get a proper sleep."
"Oh believe me, me too."
"And how about you Henry?" David asked. "Did you have a good night too?"
Henry looked up from the math problem he was attempting to work through. "Yep, I dreamed that I had a pet dragon and I could fly him wherever I wanted."
"That sounds like fun!" David said as Regina lovingly ran a hand through her son's hair.
"It was. I think it was inspired by the dragon in Shrek. Except mine was blue, and... he wasn't in love with a donkey."
"Sounds really cool Henry."
Henry smiled at him before returning his attention to the worksheets in front of him.
Regina placed her hand on the boy's arm, "Henry why don't you try working through the next few questions on your own. If any of them give you trouble just mark them and we'll go through them together afterwards. I need to talk to David for a little while."
"Alright," Henry agreed.
"We'll just be in the study if you need anything." She said.
Henry watched as the two left the room, David's hand was resting in the small of Regina's back. Kaelyn cooed from a few feet away and Henry looked at her. His little sister stared curiously back at him for a few seconds before banging happily against the plastic tray in front of her with her chubby hands and smiling proudly at the noise it made.
"You'll help me with my math won't you Kay?" Henry grinned.
Kaelyn stopped momentarily to listen to his voice. She gurgled in response and then continued to hit the front of the chair.
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David took a seat on one of the couches in the study and Regina sat down opposite him.
"I've given some thought to what you suggested last night. About going to see Dr. Hopper." Regina began.
David nodded, "and?"
"I think I should give it a try."
David stood up and crossed to sit beside her instead. "I think that is a great idea. I'm glad you want to do this, I'm positive Archie will be able to help."
"I hope so." Regina gave him a small smile.
David wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"David there is something else I need to say." She placed a hand on his knee.
"What is it?"
"Last night you asked if... I had been afraid of you... because I'd said I was afraid of what you might do if you thought maybe I would be a bad mother to Kaelyn..."
"Regina, I told you I'd never think that."
"David please just let me say this."
"Sorry. Ya, I remember."
"I was never afraid of you. I didn't mean it that way... it was just, it's hard to explain. I'm sorry. I just don't want you to think you are the problem because you're not."
"Regina you don't have to apologize for anything. I think I understand what you meant. You're just afraid of losing Kaelyn. That is every mother's worst fear. I should be the one apologizing. I should have been able to prevent you from feeling this way. I should have been there for you more."
"David you have been nothing but supportive since I became pregnant. You were always there. I know the problem is with me. I shouldn't have been thinking..."
David cut her off, he held her shoulders firmly, "Don't say that, you are not the problem."
"But then why, despite everything we have: our family, each other, why have I been so unhappy? It has to be me."
David circled his arms around her and placed a light kiss to her temple. "You won't always feel this way, I know you won't. Things will get better. In the meantime just always remember that I'm here for you. You never have to be afraid to tell me anything no matter what it is or how you'll think I'll react. I'll always stand by you. I promise."
Regina took in a shaky breath as she turned into his embrace and slid her hands up his back. When she closed the space between them David pressed his cheek against the side of her head.
"I honestly don't know how you put up with me." She said heavily, laughing somewhat in spite of herself.
"Because you're my world."
"I love you so much David." She whispered, pressing herself even closer to him.
"I love you too sweetheart."
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It was Monday afternoon and Regina was sitting on one of the couches In Dr. Hopper's office, the rims of her eyes were red and she was holding her arms tightly around her waist.
"From what I have gathered Regina, you have been haunted by the thought that other people see you as an unfit mother. You've also started to lose faith in yourself. We both know how much you love your daughter, how much you love both of your children. You could never hurt either of them. And no one else is going to try to take them I promise." Archie smiled at Regina who stared back uncertainly. " I'm sorry but unfortunately we are almost out of time. I'm really pleased with how much you've opened up to me today, we are off to a great start. Now, I am going to prescribe some anti-depressants but I'd like to keep meeting with you on a weekly basis if that's alright with you. I think in time we can help you get passed this."
"Yes, that's absolutely alright with me. I just really want to stop feeling this way."
"Don't worry Regina, everything is going to be fine."
She cleared her throat to respond, but then contented herself by simply nodding.
"I do have one more piece of advice to give."
Regina looked up at him expectantly.
"You are still working as mayor correct?"
"Yes, but I'm not going in every day. Most days I work from home."
"I'm wondering if it might be better for you to take a break from work for a while. It would allow you to spend even more time with your daughter; and taking the time off would give you the necessary rest you have been denying yourself. I know getting enough sleep isn't always something one can control, but by taking away the added stress that work brings I think you will be able to have a quicker recovery."
Regina considered it. It would be nice to just relax and not have to worry about any town business for once. "But who will look after everything? I don't want to step down as mayor."
"No no of course not, I'm not asking you to give up your position at all. I'm just suggesting maybe having someone stand in for you for a month or two, maybe even longer if you end up needing it. If you really didn't want to trust your position to someone else completely, you could still consult with them once in a while, but I think it would do you a world of good to let someone else deal with the town's problems for the time being."
"I suppose... I'll think about it. I already know David agrees with you 100 percent. He tried to get me to take some time off after Kaelyn was born."
Archie grinned as he wrote on a slip of paper. "Please do, I really think it would be a huge help." He handed the prescription over to Regina and she examined it before tucking it into her wallet. Archie stood up and said, "try to relax tonight, and if you'd like, discuss our session with your husband."
Regina nodded as she too stood up. Archie handed her her coat and she slipped it on. "Thank you Dr. Hopper."
"It was my pleasure Regina." He walked towards the door but before he opened it he paused with his hand on the knob, "don't be ashamed of your condition. Postpartum depression may be rare, but there are still 10-15 percent of new mothers who suffer from it every year. Even though every case is unique, some of these women are experiencing pain extremely similar to your own. You are not alone. And you are very lucky because you have an extremely supportive husband. He will help you get through this. For now all you need is lots of rest, and to spend as much time with your family as you can. I know you will start to feel better soon."
A/N: I'm pretty sure the next chapter will be the last one, but in the future I may write some one-shots with this EC family because I've grown very fond of the four of them. I also may post a dream scene that was cut from the story but I haven't decided yet. Thanks for continuing to read!