CHAPTER 12
When I woke up, it felt long past midday. Tobias or the baby weren't beside me. I shifted, trying to sit up, the pain was mild and everything seemed to hurt and I still felt exhausted. I wanted to get up and pee, I wanted to get up to see my baby, I just wanted my baby in my arms. I heard a soft crying outside of our tent which made me gasp.
I struggled to get into a sitting position, gasping at all the pain I felt in my back and legs. I glanced down at my stomach which was flatter than before but looked like I was still pregnant. Footsteps could be heard coming in this direction, with the sound of somebody mumbling, "Shh…" to a crying baby. Tobias.
He appeared in front of me, my baby boy in his arms. His face instantly turned worried at the sight of my face which must have been expressing the pain that I was in. "Tris, what's wrong?"
I held my arms out for my baby and Tobias gently placed him in them. "I'm just sore." He must have seen my whole face change when I locked eyes on the small child in my arms because he came to sit beside me, curling his arm around my shoulders and kissing my temple.
"I think he's hungry." I glanced up startled. This was new, I had never done this before, how do I do it? He brushed a hand across my cheek, smiling softly. "Don't worry, Edith and my mother are coming here to explain to you."
As if on cue, two women entered our tent. "So, it's time then?" Evelyn asked her son. He only nodded his head. Tobias and Evelyn exchanged positions so that Evelyn was now sitting in front of me. She grabbed another blanket which was behind me and threw it over one of my shoulders and chest, hiding the baby and my chest from view. I learnt how to nurse and burp my baby and soon, I knew almost everything on how to take care of my child.
"Have you decided on a name yet?" Edith asked Tobias and I as the baby settled in my arms.
We glanced at each and shook our heads. "I like Mason." I told him quietly, gazing down again at my son. He nodded and I asked a question that I hoped the answer would be yes for. "Could he have your surname, Eaton?"
A smile broke out on his face. "Mason Eaton," He said, trying it out on his tongue, me following. "Yes, I like that. So, is that our little boy's name?" I nodded. "Mason." Tobias said to his mother and Edith who smiled broadly.
***PAGE BREAK***
"When are we moving again?" I asked Tobias as we sat quietly in our tent, just us and Mason.
"We're staying here for a day or two, however long you need. You've just had a baby and I know you're sore and you need to rest."
"Hmm, ok." Was all I said, slipping into a lying down position beside my son and Tobias. I wanted to continue walking, to get home as fast as we could, but I knew I wouldn't be able move far right now. "Can we start again tomorrow?"
He glanced down at me as I yawned, a frown pulling the corners of his lips down. "Are you sure? Isn't that a little soon?"
I shrugged softly, casting my gaze to the small baby boy in his arms who was asleep. "Maybe, but—" I sighed, Tobias' eyes following my gaze. He touched a finger lightly to our son's forehead. "I'm not thinking of myself."
He smiled softly. "No," he agreed. "You never are." With the same hand he had used to touch our baby, Tobias reached down to me, brushing his fingers along my cheek. I allowed my eyes to flutter closed and felt my breathing to begin to slow, feeling the longing for sleep to pull me under.
It had only felt like a couple of minutes that I had been asleep for when I heard Mason's crying. My eyes flew open at the sound, fear seeping in. Why was he crying? What was wrong?
"Shh…" I heard Tobias' voice murmur softly. I glanced up, watching as Tobias' strong arms rocked the crying child gently in his arms.
"Tobias…" I mumbled groggily.
His eyes snapped to me and then back to the child. "I'm sorry, I think he needs to be changed—I can do it, you go back to sleep."
"No, no," I began, pushing myself into a sitting position, gasping at the pain that throbbed in my stomach and down my legs. "I can do it," I said through gritted teeth.
He rested his palm on my shoulder, pressing me down gently. "Tris, let yourself rest, you need it." Reluctantly I slithered back under the blanket with my eyes never leaving Mason and Tobias. Eventually he returned with Mason once again asleep in his arms. Once again I scrambled up into a sitting position beside Tobias, pushing through the pain and held my arms out. The boy beside me gently placed the small baby boy into my arms.
I sighed happily, my eyes filling with tears at the sight of my own son, just like the very first time I had held him. "Oh, Tobias," I whispered softly, allowing the tears to spill over onto my cheeks. "I can't believe that our little Mason is with us right now." My eyes trailed up to Tobias' dark blue eyes, then back down to his lips. "I love you."
He notices my gaze on his pink lips, closing the distance between us until our foreheads are touching. "I love you too." His mouth touched mine, expressing just how much he loved me. My stomach growled as if on cue and I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten. Tobias chuckled, pulling back to look me in the eyes. "Hungry?"
I nodded shyly. "Alright," he said, standing up into a crouch and placing a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently. "I'll see what I can do." I watched as he slipped out of the tent before focusing back on my baby.
Softly I began to sing to him, the words rolling off my tongue. Hush little baby, don't you cry. Go to sleep-y, little baby. When you wake you shall have all of the pretty little horses. Blacks and bays, dapple greys, coach and six white horses. Hush-a-bye, go to sleep-y, little baby.
The sound of someone's feet shuffling at the entrance had me glancing up quickly. Tobias stood in front of me, a peach and a can of peas in his hand, smirking. "I didn't know you could sing like that."
I had the baby asleep in my arms, rocking him gently, when I replied, "I don't sing that well."
He chuckled under his breath, smiling softly. "You do actually. You have a beautiful voice."
I smiled tiredly up at him. Sitting beside me, he exchanged Mason for the can of peas with a fork sticking up in it. "Thank you." I whispered and took a mouthful of the vegetables. As I chewed, I rested my head on Tobias' shoulder. He turned his head and buried his face into my hair, his eyes sliding closed and his breath coming out in a deep, tired sigh. I pull back from him and look at his face closely. I run my thumb underneath his eyes where dark circles and bags were. "When was the last time you slept?"
He shrugged, peering down at me, his dark blue eyes alight. "I'm don't know but I don't mind staying up with Mason." At that moment I had only just finished the can of peas and I was taking my baby back into my arms.
"Get some sleep, Tobias." I gently instructed, getting comfortable.
"Tris…" he began, beginning to protest.
"Tobias." I gave him a long glance, never blinking until he finally obliged. He slid down beside me, wrapping an arm gently around my waist and allowing his eyes to flutter closed.
***PAGE BREAK***
The baby began crying in my arms, waking me out of my stupor sleep, my head snapping up from where it had been resting on top of Tobias'. Tobias was still asleep although he stirred at the sound of our baby's cries. His arm tightened around me and I gasped at the pain it brought. I wriggled out of his embrace, gritting my teeth at the discomfort that wound around my body. With difficulty I got to my feet and stumbled outside, shocked to see that the sun was already setting.
Everything in my body ached, my stomach; legs; chest. Mason continued to cry in my arms, despite the rocking motion I did.
"What's wrong?" I whispered to my baby. "Hmm? Are you hungry?" Outside Tobias and I's tent and offered my chest to my son. He turned his face away, crying harder. "Shh, Mason, it's ok." I pulled away his blanket and peered down his nappy although it was clean. I began to walk away from the camp site, jiggling my baby to and fro to help the child sleep.
Once I was a little way out from the safety of the tents, I began to notice just how cold it was without the warmth that radiated off Tobias. Shivering under the light clothes I had on, I decided to tread back, now that Mason had begun to settle down finally, the occasional whimper passing his chubby lips.
"Shh…" I murmured, brushing my lips against the soft skin of his forehead. Tobias stood barefoot outside out tent, his hair dishevelled and his eyes looking sleepy. "Hey," I mumbled.
"Hey," he whispered back, wrapping his arms around the both of us, Mason between us. "Where did you go?" He asked concerned, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear.
"Just for a walk, Mason couldn't sleep." I answered, brushing off his concern, curling his arm around me. "Why don't you go back to bed, I'm just going to stay out here for a little longer."
"Actually," Tobias said, stepping away from me and twisting his fingers in front of his body, looking nervous. I frowned, placing a hand lightly upon his clasped ones, the other arm still supporting my baby firmly. "Can you please come back into the tent; we need to talk about something."
So I followed him, rocking my baby back and forth.
"Tris," he began, once I was sitting under the blanket with Mason in my arms and Tobias was kneeling in front of me. "When I first called your name, down at the net after you were the first to jump, I knew you were strong but underneath all that, I knew who you were. You barely ever think of yourself, whatever you do is for the cause of someone else. Which is one of the many traits I fell in love with. You say you're not beautiful or pretty but you are, you are to me. I think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on and you are an amazing mother."
"Each month during your pregnancy, I had the honour of watching little Mason grow, watched your stomach grow and experienced the whole thing with you, I'm so grateful that I had that opportunity. He took a deep breath. "Which is why, Beatrice Prior, I am asking if you will make me even happier than I am and marry me?"
I gasped, a free hand flying to cover my gaping mouth. Typical, I was crying again, nodding my head passionately, whispering yes over and over again. A big toothy grin spread across his face and the next thing I knew his lips were pressing firmly against mine. He pulled a ring out of his pocket, whispering into my ear, "I've kept this for the past 5 or so months that we've been walking, waiting for the right moment. None have really come up but I think now is a good time." He slipped it onto my finger, the ring glowing brightly against my skin.
It was simple with just a blue lapis encrusted on the top and the band silver, my favourite colour in jewellery. 4 + 6 was engraved on the underside. I smiled at him through my tears, not wanting to ever forget this moment.
I patted the space beside me and watched as he crawled beside me, his arms gathering me up and holding me close to his body. "I love you," I murmured, kissing his cheek softly.
He smiled, snuggling his face into my hair. "I love you too."