A shattered Elizabeth enjoyed a temporary period of relative silence while Lydia was breastfeeding her baby. It was short of a miracle that she could still move her fingers given how hard Lydia had gripped her hand about an hour ago when she was pushing the baby out.
"Oh! Nursing bras. Tell mum to get some of those for me. And nursing pads too," Lydia continued her long list of requests.
"Okay. I'll text her. But I'm sure aunt Maddie will know what you need," Elizabeth replied with a yawn.
Her uncle and aunt had 4 children, the youngest of which was only three years old. The couple had been pleasantly surprised when Maddie learnt that she was pregnant, not expecting to have another baby after her battle with cancer. The adorable toddler, Hannah, therefore became a favourite in the family. Since they had been showered with too many baby clothes and presents for their little one, some of the items were still in 'as new' condition and some were even unused. They decided to share their baby equipment, clothes and accessories with Lydia to help her out as well as to save the Bennets from spending unnecessarily on things that would be quickly outgrown.
"I hope I don't get shabby and out-of-fashion hand-me-downs for my baby girl. I've already had to endure that growing up," Lydia managed to complain despite suffering from lack of sleep.
"Lydia, it is not really practical to buy everything new. We have other expenses too especially as it is the Christmas season," Jane explained.
"Besides, we do not have the time to go shopping for baby things. Most shops are closed on Christmas day," Elizabeth added.
"There's still today. When mum and aunt arrive, maybe you and Jane can buy me some new maternity wear," Lydia suggested. "I do not have any other clothes with me."
"You can borrow our clothes for the meantime. I am sure we have some leggings and button-down shirts that you can use," Jane offered.
"Stingy," Lydia muttered under her breath, but loud enough to be heard.
Elizabeth sighed. "Jane and I still have to do some food shopping later as we will probably end up spending Christmas in our flat. We will just have to make do with what is available in the supermarkets."
"Oh, God! How are we all going to fit in your flat? I'll take your room, Lizzy. I need a bed for me and the baby. I don't want to sleep on the couch. Jane, you can make a roast, right? And Lizzy, I hope you can make some cheesecake," Lydia almost demanded. "What time are they coming? I'm starving. Can you tell them to do a drive thru at Maccies?"
Just then, Elizabeth received a text from Darcy. She had messaged him earlier this morning but had not heard back for a few hours so she assumed he must have been driving to Derbyshire. After reading the message, she noticed the 'xoxo' at the end and smirked. No, that cannot be from Darcy. He must still be driving and asked Georgiana or Anne to reply for him.
"Who's that?" Lydia asked.
"Oh. It's Darcy," Elizabeth answered nonchalantly as she typed a short reply.
"Is he secretly your boyfriend?"
"What? No! He's my boss!"
"Really. He drove us here yesterday. He did not get angry when my waters broke in the backseat of his posh car. He brought back all of mum's shopping. And he bought you all that food last night," Lydia raised an eyebrow.
"He was just there at the right time so he offered to help. And it could have been mum or dad who bought the food for all of us," Elizabeth remarked.
"Mum or dad would not buy food from Marks and Spencer," Lydia countered, looking over to Jane for confirmation.
"You know what, maybe he was just being kind. It's Christmas after all. You should just be grateful that he was so patient with us yesterday. You could have given birth inside a taxi in the midst of London traffic," was Elizabeth's response.
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
"Since when did you learn to quote Shakespeare?"
"Since GCSE English required me to study Macbeth."
"And that's why you had to resit the exams…"
"Hmm?"
"Nothing. Darcy is asking if he can visit you and the baby. What should I say?" Elizabeth asked.
"Oh, he misses you already. It must be true love," Lydia teased.
"Lydia! What do you want me to reply?"
"Yes. As long as he comes bearing gifts. Or food," Lydia answered before adjusting her position in bed in preparation for a nap.
After making sure that Lydia and the baby were both comfortable, Elizabeth sent a reply to Darcy, then messaged her mum and aunt to bring some fresh clothes for her and Jane.
A couple of hours later, their mum, uncle Ed and aunt Maddie arrived. It took some time before the oohs and ahhs over the baby girl subsided. Elizabeth slipped away to enjoy a quick shower without washing her hair. She wanted to be clean but did not wish to appear drenched when Darcy arrived. Checking the contents of the bag their mum had packed, she frowned when she realised they were mostly Jane's clothes. She would have to squeeze into them somehow. Deciding to go barefaced, she sprayed Body Shop Pomegranate and Red Berries Hair and Body Mist then tied her hair into a loose bun.
"So mum and dad are taking Jane's room, and I will stay in Lizzy's room with the baby," Elizabeth heard Lydia explaining when she returned.
"How about Jane and Lizzy? Where will they sleep?" aunt Maddie wondered.
"The sofa in the sitting room converts into a sofa bed. And the two armchairs also recline. Mary and Kitty can use the sofa bed, and Lizzy and I can use the armchairs. But this is only a short-term arrangement. The landlord agreed after I explained the situation but we do not want to abuse his goodwill."
"Mary and Kitty will have to go back to uni anyway so they won't be staying long," Mrs Bennet commented. "And once your dad, Lydia and the baby are more settled, we can go back to Hertfordshire."
"I'm sorry that you are not staying with us," aunt Maddie sounded apologetic. "Josh is not coughing as much now but he still has a bad cold, and it would be best not to risk the baby catching what he has."
"Don't worry about it, aunt Maddie. You have your hands full with four children," Jane smiled.
"Have you thought about baby names?" Mrs Bennet was curious to know.
"I have a few in mind but I want to ask George too," the young mother replied. "How about something like Beyoncé or Adele or Rihanna or Zendaya? Or Madonna? You know, like those celebrities with just one name?"
"Twiggy!"
"Who's Twiggy?!"
"She's a model and singer. She became famous in the 60s--"
"Too old, mum! I don't think I'd like my baby to be called Twiggy."
"It's just a name that came to mind. Your baby girl looks like a doll, Lydia. Just like you when you were a baby," Mrs Bennet recalled fondly.
"Aww, mum…was my hair that colour when I was born?"
"No, yours was light brown, then as you grew older, it became darker. Your baby's hair looks more ginger. Hmmm… George's hair is not ginger… but babies' hair colour can change over time…" Mrs Bennet mused.
"How do you know about George's hair colour?" Elizabeth questioned.
"Sorry, Jane and Lizzy, what time do you plan to leave? Your mum and aunt will take over so the two of you can get some rest. I'll drive you home," their uncle cut in.
"She is waiting for --"
"Lydia, is there anything you need from the supermarket?" Jane distracted Lydia.
"Oh, yes! Some newborn size nappies, lots of baby wipes, some nappy sacks, some baby bath stuff… and ummm… some Pringles and Galaxy Minstrels…" Lydia enumerated.
"Well, while you finalise your shopping list, I'll go outside first so there are not too many people here. I'll get a cup of tea in the canteen while waiting. Text me when you're ready," their uncle said before leaving.
The man bumped into Darcy on the way out of the ward.
"Darcy, you are here again!" he greeted in a surprised tone.
"Ahhh… yes. I am just visiting Lydia and the baby. I hope they are both doing well."
"They have been moved to the postnatal ward. Same floor but a different wing. Lydia and her baby girl are well. She is tired as can be expected but they are both fine. Fran and Maddie are there. Maddie will be happy to meet you, but we have not discussed going to the gala with Lizzy yet," he reported.
Darcy nodded and asked, "How is Tom's hand?"
"Swollen and badly bruised. Boxer's fracture. Tom is not here. He chose to stay in Lizzy's flat," he spoke and released a deep breath.
"It might take a while for him to be able to drive again," Darcy guessed.
"Yes. In the meantime, I'm doing a lot of the driving. By the way, are you familiar with this area?" Ed showed Darcy a handwritten address on the back of a business card.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
After his conversation with Ed, Darcy proceeded to his intended destination. Once again, it was Jane who admitted him inside. As he entered, his eyes sought a familiar face and his breath caught in his throat. There, a few metres away from him, was a young lady who wore simple clothes, sans makeup, yet looked so alluring. Her attire, consisting of a grey long-sleeved jumper over black leggings, covered her skin but showed off her curves beautifully.
Lord, have mercy. I have been a good boy this year. Please grant me my one Christmas wish.
"You must be Darcy. I am Maddie. Ed told me about you. You look very much like your father," Maddie introduced herself.
"It is good to meet you, Maddie." Darcy forced his eyes away from the beautiful brunette. And her exposed neck.
"Ed also told me about the New Year's gala. Count us both in. I will speak to Lizzy later about it," Maddie smiled while her niece looked puzzled. "Go and see Lydia and the baby first."
Darcy tried his best to act and speak casually, very much aware of Elizabeth's presence. The typical questions were asked, like the time of birth, the baby's weight and so forth.
"Lizzy, could you hold the baby for a while?" Lydia asked before she opened the envelope Darcy had given her. "Wow! Thank you very much, Darcy!"
"I was not sure what to get so I played it safe," Darcy admitted. "I hope it will be useful."
"It sure will be," Lydia beamed, holding up the 100-pound gift card to show Lizzy then winked. "You passed. You get my vote," Lydia spoke in a mock whisper to Darcy. "Do you want to hold her? The baby, I mean."
"No. No, I do not know how to. I do not want to drop the baby," Darcy declined but happily stood near Elizabeth to watch her. The baby. Her holding the baby.
"Are you sure you do not want to hold her?" Elizabeth asked as she gently rocked the baby.
"Yes, I'm sure. You are doing a great job. Let us not make the baby cry," Darcy was content to observe. But I sure want to hold you.
"We will let you off this time," Elizabeth teased.
"She looks so tiny. So delicate and fragile. I am afraid I might hurt her neck or something if I hold her the wrong way."
"You won't. It's only scary the first time. But after you've done it once, you'll be fine," Elizabeth reassured him.
"Perhaps another time," he continued to beg off, still unconvinced he would be able to do it correctly.
"I'm sorry to hear about your cancelled trip."
"It's okay. We can go another time. Maybe you can go with us," Darcy suggested.
"Huh?"
"You won a weekend stay at Pemberley in the raffle, remember?" Darcy reminded her.
"Oh, yeah…" Elizabeth sounded unsure. She did not know if she wanted to go there by herself, meaning without Jane or a friend. It would feel awkward, intrusive even, she thought.
"You can always stay longer than a weekend. Nicola will look after you," Darcy said.
"Nicola?"
"Oh, you don't know her yet. Nicola is Mrs R's younger sister. She is the loveliest woman you can ever meet," Darcy explained.
"I see. Nicola… anyway, ahhh… mum, can you hold the baby please? Jane and I had better get ready to go before the shops close. Otherwise, we will have to do with potatoes and carrots for Christmas dinner."
Darcy accompanied the two Bennet sisters as they left the ward and kindly carried their bags to Ed's car, after which he made a few phone calls.
"Hello, Dr Lucas?"
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Sorry, had to stop there.
Knitting Princess: Love your ideas. Fantastic! I love it when readers share their speculations, predictions, thoughts… Thank you so much.
PixieKayGirl and Jansfamily4: Maybe Darcy is the type to prefer calls and emails over text. He is a more formal kind of guy. Maybe he does not have many female phone contacts who would use 'x' or 'xoxo' with him. I think men do not often use such codes. Maybe I'm wrong…
Levenez and Maria Teresa C: I am still considering different ideas for what to do with Wicky. I have a sort-of plan but it might change…
ChrisM0519: It's a baby girl… :0
tnet: Thank you for continuing to read. xoxo