A/N: Hellooooooo!
Thank you so very much for your reviews in my previous chapter! They put a smile on my face everytime I read them. I wanted to inform you all that the next chapters may take a little longer to be updated as I will be starting a second job from Monday, so I will have less free time to work on the story. I will try to work on it here and there during my morning work and I will try to update as soon as possible. Hope you will be patient with me as I am not leaving this story before I finish it.
So, in the previous chapter they announced the pregnancy to their daughers and Margaret didn't react very well. In this chapter we have the breakdown and talk with her mother.
A week had passed since the announcement to their daughters about the arrival of their new sibling. A difficult week for the Carson family as Margaret wouldn't talk to them, only if it was absolutely neccessary. Her behavior towards her parents was making her sisters upset with her, her mother sad and worried, and her father all of the above. Charles was upset with his youngest for her behavior towards them and the effect this was having to Elsie and worried for the health of his wife and the baby. He watched his wife knitting a blanket for their baby and noticed how sad she was and that there were tears in her eyes. Movement got his attention and saw his oldest coming in the kitchen.
"Anna.", he turned to face his daughter.
"Yes, dad.", Anna took a bottle of water from the fridge and opened it.
"Did you speak with Margaret?", he asked hoping that someone at least learnt something.
"I am afraid not. I tried a couple of times, but she wasn't having it. She told me both times that she didn't want to talk about it and left or closed her bedroom door.", she took a sip from her bottle and sighed looking at her father.
"Do you know if Sybil tried to speak to her?", he was desperately trying to find some hope as he was getting worried about his wife.
"She tried a couple of times as well, but got the same reaction as me.", Anna shrugged at her father and tried to find a way.
"I don't know what I can do. I don't like the effect this situation is having on your mother. I am worried her blood pressure will rise and have problems.", he turned to look at his wife who was still knitting.
"I know, dad. I don't like it either. Mom always had a way to calm Margaret, but now she can't do it.", the woman sighed and took another sip of water.
"We have to do something, but I don't know what.", Chalres said trying to find a way for this situation to be solved soon. What the two of them didn't know yet, was that the situation was going to be solved that very night in an unexpected way.
She turned around in the bed one more time and that was when she decided she wasn't going to get any sleep. She sat up slowly feeling a little thirsty, but discovered that the bottle on her night stand was empty. With a grimace, she stood up slowly and went to the kitchen for some water. Walking around the house while sipping her water her eyes stopped at the blanket she was knitting. She placed her free hand on her small baby bump and smiled a little.
"Everyone thinks that the blanket is for you my little one. Actually the blanket is for your sister Margaret. I never got the time to finish it when I was pregnant with her and I think it is time I did.", she looked at the blanket and smiled with teary eyes. "You are going to get a blanket as well, but I will get it started soon. It is going to be ready for your arrival.", she felt a little flatter and smiled thinking the baby agreed with her.
After a couple of minutes she froze while she heard something in the silence. Her eyes widened and the glass slipped from her hand upon realizing that it was coming from Margaret's room. Forgetting completely the glass that was now in pieces on the floor, she walked quickly to her daughter's room and opened the door. Margaret moving her head and body in her sleep fighting with the covers and sweating. Elsie sat down next to her daughter and grabbed her trying to still her. She seemed to get more afraid and tried to fight her, but started to calm down when she heard her mother singing.
"Blow the wind, blow;
Swift and low;
Blow the wind o'er the ocean.
Breakers rolling to the coastline;
Bringing ships to harbor;
Gulls against the morning sunlight;
Flying off to freedom!"
Once she saw that her daughter was calming down, she moved to sit against the headboard and gathered her daughter in her arms all the while singing the scottish lullaby her own mother used to sing to her when she was little. She stayed there rocking her daughter back and forth, even after she finished singing with tears in her eyes. After a few minutes she carefully stood up, left the room and returned a couple of minutes later with a cloth and some water to wash her daughter's face.
"Mummy?", Margaret whispered as she woke up to her mother washing her face with a cloth.
"I am here, my darling. You had a nightmare, but it's alright. You can go back to sleep.", she smiled warmly at her daughter and continued with her task.
However, Margaret couldn't go back to sleep as her mind started racing with the events of the last week. The news about the pregnancy and her behavior towards her parents. She felt tears gather in her eyes and took a deep breath. Looking down she noticed the small curve of her mother's baby bump. Slowly she lifted her hand from the bed and placed it on her mother's bump. Elsie hadn't noticed her daughter's hand and was a little startled when she felt it on her.
"Is it okay?", Margaret asked about the baby not knowing how she should refer to it as they didn't know if it was a boy or a girl.
"It is now that you placed your hand on my belly.", Elsie placed the cloth back in the bowl and just sat there. "You can't feel anything from outside yet, but he was a little upset when I was trying to calm you down. He has calmed down since you placed your hand here.", she carefully placed her hand on top of her daughter's. "Would you like to talk about it?", her voice was soft full of care and love.
"I love babies and I was looking forward to when Anna would have her own.", Margaret started speaking a low voice with her hand still on her mother's belly. "I guess I never thought that I would have a baby brother or sister very soon.", she stopped again to try and explain to her mother. "I have been the baby of this family since you got pregnant with me and I got really used to it that when you told us about the baby I got jealous.", she looked at her mother thinking she would be upset, but she only found love in her gaze. "The next day Anna and Sybil tried to talk to me, but I didn't want to hear them. They tried again about two days ago, but I didn't want to.", she felt bad for how she treated her older sisters as well. "Two nights ago I was in here trying to focus on a project I have for school when I noticed a paper under my door. I took it and read it.", she felt a tear fall from her eye. "It was a letter from Anna. She explained that no matter how many children you are going to have, you are going to love us all the same and that I shouldn't be a jealous of a baby that it's not even born yet.", she looked at her mother and saw a tear fall. "I knew I was being silly, but then my jealously for the baby turned into worry and fear about you.", she found herself rubbing her thump softly on her mother's belly.
"What about me?", Elsie asked confused.
"I know that a pregnancy in your age is not easy and there could be problems. What if something happens and I lose you? I don't want to lose you so soon. I want you next to me for years to come. I want you there for my graduation, for my first day at work, for my first date, for my wedding, for the birth of my children.", she started crying now and placed her hands in front of her face.
"Oh my sweet little girl.", Elsie moved her daughter so she could embrace her. "I am following my doctor's orders. I am trying to rest, eat healthy and not do anything to harm the baby. I will not return to school for the new year as the baby is going to be here before Christmas. I am doing everything I can to keep me and the baby safe.", she wiped her daughter's tears. "I promise you that I will not be going anywhere for a few years at least. I want to be there for all of these things, my sweet girl.", she took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Do you know that you saved me?", Elsie told her daughter while rubbing soothing circles on her arm.
"What do you mean? How I saved you?", Margaret was confused and intrigued to learn.
"When a woman gets pregnant, she has to do a bunch of tests the first few months to make sure that everything is alright with the mother and the fetus growing inside her. I had to do all those tests when I got pregnant with you. The doctor found that I had a problem with my theroid, but it wasn't anything bad. I just had to have tests regurally and once you were born, I had a minor surgery to fix it.", she stopped to take a deep breath to calm down. Talking about it brought back the worry of that days. "If I hadn't been pregnant with you, I wouldn't have had all these tests and I wouldn't have found out about that problem which may have caused more problems in the future. You saved me, my sweet little girl.", she smiled at her daughter and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"I love you so much, mummy.", Margaret sat up and hugged her mother.
"I love you so much, my girl.", Elsie held her daughter tightly to her glad to have her back.
Margaret pulled back from their embrace and looked at her mother's belly. With much more confidence she placed her hand again on it and smiled. Elsie placed her hand on top of her daughter's with a smile.
"Will I be able to hold it when it is born?", she asked in a low, soft voice.
"Of course you will be able to hold it, my darling. You will be the one who will spend the most time with your new sibling. Anna is getting married soon and Sybil has her studies. I am definitely counting on you to help me and your father with the baby and everything we have to teach it.", she told her and watched her face light up.
"Really? That's cool.", she grinned widely now and placed her head on her mother's lap next to her mother's belly. "Hello, little one. I am your sister, Margaret. I am so sorry for being jealous of you and not treating mummy right the last few days. I promise you that you are going to have the perfect room and the most wonderful parents in the world.", she placed a soft kiss on her mother's belly and closed her eyes.
Elsie had tears in her eyes after hearing her daughter speaking to the baby inside her. Her little sweet girl had the kindest soul she had ever seen, but jealously made her close off for a while. She started singing the scottish lullaby again and soon her daughter was asleep. Knowing that she couldn't just leave her like that, she managed to move them both so she could sleep with her in her arms. That's how Charles found them a couple of hours later when he came in search of his wife. Smiling at them, he covered them both with the blanket and placed soft kisses on their cheeks.
"Sleep well, my lovely girls.", he stood there for a few seconds before leaving the room to go back to sleep. He would make sure to arrange a day for just him and his four girls.
Please leave a review to let me know what you think. I would love to know your suggestions on baby names. Coming up next we are having a small time jump.
To Be Continued...