"Hello there young..."
"My name's William, come quickly Doctor, mamma needs your help!"
The Doctor, who had been relatively calm and slow about coming to the door, noticed the worried tone in the boy's voice and rushed up, with his black bag, following William and Emily to Jane's room.
As the Doctor came in, Mr Rochester left his wife's side to welcome him and explained that his wife was in the second stage of labour and that she would need some pain relief and possibly help with taking out the baby.
The Doctor advised Emily to stop giving Jane so much water, to hear that she had had ten mugs during labour shocked him. "You can give her something to eat and drink after labour."
Edward apologized, saying it was his fault for this mistake, seeing as he was the one who suggested all this water for Jane. The poor woman in question could hardly say a word for her pain and agony.
William had no idea what to do. If he went back to bed, he might miss the birth of his brother and sister or he might not be able to say goodbye to his mother if she died. If he stayed, he might only bother Jane, as the doctor knew more than anyone how to take care of her.
Eventually, Edward realized that his son was still in the room, watching as the doctor took some herbs from his bag and put them against Jane's nose, so smelling them would distract her from the pain.
"William, go back to bed or entertain yourself, Jane will probably not be giving birth to the baby for a while. It will not be an experience for the faint and heart either, so I shall inform you as soon as you can see the baby."
William was about to complain that he was not faint at heart, but he thought better of it and went downstairs to read. He picked up Gulliver's Travels, set in a world just like his but with people and creatures that one could only imagine. Opening the gateway of one of his favourite fantasy worlds, William read, but after half an hour he was thinking too much of babies than of Brobdingnagians, so he put the book down and went upstairs to see how his mother was faring.
A high pitched scream shot through William's eardrums like a cannon ball as he entered the passageway beside his mother's room. Running to the room, with panic, worry, confusion and horror filling up his mind like water in a bucket, William opened the door by a tiny crack, arriving to see the doctor cutting Jane's skin beside the baby's head. He considered stopping the doctor, thinking that he might be increasing her pain unnecessarily, but he was pleased to see, once the Doctor had made the cut, that the baby was coming out much faster. The bed around Jane's legs was dyed with blood and she was panting hurriedly. Mr Rochester was on the other side of her bed with the doctor. A minute passed as William watched the baby, ever so gently, make his or her way into the world.
The Doctor was the first to hold the small, wrinkled, crying baby, covered in blood. He checked the baby's breathing and moved his limbs about, before giving him to Mr Rochester, who presently gave the baby to Jane.
At that moment, everyone noticed the heir of Ferndean, who had opened the door more to properly see the baby. Jane called, "Come, William and meet your baby sister!"
Almost as if in a trance, William walked round the bed to stand beside his mother and the little baby girl, whose eyes were tight shut like the petals of a bud. She was only gently crying, as if Jane had particularly calmed her.
"She's... Strange," commented William. "I didn't know babies looked like this. But she's very beautiful."
Jane beamed and one of her hands grasped her son's arm.
"Don't get too relaxed," the Doctor reminded Jane. "You still have to give birth to your placenta."
Jane nodded grimly. "You can have a turn holding her when I am most in pain," Jane told Mr Rochester. He smiled, gazing intently at his new child, sad that he would never see her in the same detail and beauty as his wife and son did.
William felt relaxed. It was nine o'clock in the morning, his mother had given birth and was nearly recovered. The Doctor had managed to save her and the baby was doing quite well. Like Edward, William stayed as close as possible to the mesmerizing little child, even though Jane seemed to need time by herself with the baby.
Mr Rochester, William and Jane ate some late breakfast prepared quickly by Emily and the Doctor left, wishing good luck with looking after the baby. The messenger did not need to leave Ferndean for several days now, so he relaxed and admired the new baby.
After several hours of watching and learning how to look after the baby, William went back to wood carving, finishing his duck and starting a carving of his little sister. When it was finished, when the baby was two days old, it was placed by her cradle and it survived throughout William's sister's babyhood with a few toothmarks.
Two hours after the baby was born, after thorough discussion, Jane, Edward and William finally decided a name for the baby.
"Louisa Mary Diana Rochester," announced Jane happily, rocking about the sleeping baby in her arms. The whole family was happy, Edward and Jane rejoiced in having a new baby and William was fascinated with this new life in his life. He had not known what to expect from having a baby sister, but he found it most pleasing and wonderful.
THE END
For Bonbonnet and any others who have been following my story, I did consider continuing this further, but it did seem like a good place to end. If you feel that it wasn't enough, please demand more.