AN: And I'm back with another chapter! Thanks to everyone who's cared enough to review, you guys are the most wonderful! (PS: I don't own Downton Abbey.)
"How long can this go on?" Edith groaned, her fingers twisted in the bed sheets as another wave of agony hit her. "I am sorry Edith, but you're not quite half way there yet." Sybil sighed, glancing up at the clock. It had been six hours now, and her poor sister was still in complete misery.
"Mary?" Edith asked quietly when her pain had begun to wane. In a matter of seconds Mary was back at her side, gripping her hand. "Yes dear?" Mary asked. "I'm scared." Edith said, her lips quivering in fear. Mary's breath caught in her throat, and for just a moment she was fifteen years in the past, on a night when there had been a particularly bad storm, and Edith had crept into Mary's bedroom, and had said "Mary, I'm scared.". Of course in that instance, to comfort Edith, all Mary had had to do was pull back her covers, and let her fall asleep cuddled in her arms…but here she was powerless.
"Don't be darling, you're doing so well!" Mary promised though she couldn't be sure. Her own labor had lasted no more than three hours and ended with two beautiful healthy babes, and yet Edith's labor was so very different, so long, with no end in sight. "Mary, I don't think I'm going to make it." Edith sobbed, biting her lip as another wave of pain hit her.
"Of course you will darling, you're a Crawley by blood. You can do anything at all, especially this!" Mary insisted, gently swiping stray curls from Edith's face as she did so. Edith only nodded and slumped back against the pillows.
"Edith, please, you must try at least to rest, even if only for a few minutes." Sybil insisted. "Oh, Yes Edith, you should sleep if you can." Isobel added. "Mm-hm." Was Edith's only reply as she closed her eyes, and began breathing somewhat evenly, though her sleep could not last long.
"She's having a long hard go at this." Isobel muttered with a shake of her head. "The poor thing is absolutely exhausted- and there is no end in sight!" Mary sighed, glancing back at the bed. "I'm going to go and bring Gregory in here. He is a doctor, and Clarkson won't come until she is halfway there. And also, She needs him for strength, I believe." Sybil decided, and was out of the room as soon as she had received nods of agreement.
"What about you, Mary, shouldn't you be getting some rest?" Isobel asked quietly. "And leave Edith? No, I cant." Mary laughed bitterly. "Mary, it is well past midnight, and you are in the family way, you need to keep up your strength!" Isobel insisted. Mary bit her lip guiltily. "I'll stay until Gregory is here. And then I'll only sleep for two hours, or until something happens." Mary consented.
Isobel frowned, but nodded, somewhat surprised she'd managed a victory even that small. Just as Mary was about to go to leave, the door burst open, and Gregory, looking pale and anxious entered. "Greg?" Edith's voice sounded feebly from the bed. "My darling, how do you feel?" Gregory asked, taking Edith's trembling white hands. "Like I'm going to die." Edith said, so calmly that it Mary felt shivers down her spine.
"Mary, are you leaving?" Edith asked, observing how Mary was standing near the door. "No, no sister dearest, I'm going to stay right here with you until you're holding your little girl in your arms." Mary insisted, quickly crossing to the other side of the bed. "You take such good care of me." Edith sighed dreamily. "I try darling, I try." Mary smiled, and gently pushed a few stray locks of damp golden hair from her sisters eyes.
"She's lost a bit of blood." Gregory said, his voice tense. "I don't know what more to do for her Gregory- she's so far along, I don't think there's any hope of delaying the labor- but she's not yet half way there, and she's exhausted." Sybil sighed angrily.
"Raspberry leaf tea!" Isobel exclaimed suddenly. "What?" Mary asked, looking back at her mother in law. "I don't know why I didn't think of it before, Raspberry leaf tea! It's been known to induce labor!" Isobel explained, as she already was headed to the door.
"That's probably just an old wives tale, !" Gregory protested. "I know several women who swear by it!" Isobel insisted. "Well for heavens sakes, see if you can find some Isobel!" Edith practically begged. "I'll check the kitchens here- after that I'll go look in Crawley house- if all else fails I'll bang on the door of the market owner till he opens up the door!" Isobel promised, and then was gone.
"I do hope this will help, Oh!" Edith broke off again as she bit into her lip and screamed. Mary took a cool cloth, and gently swept it across Edith's forehead. "You're doing wonderfully, darling." Mary insisted, letting Edith's fingers dig into her palm.
"Dear lord, please let this child come soon!" Edith cried out in desperation. "My dear Edith, you're doing so well!" Gregory said, coming over to hold her hand. "I love you, Gregory." Edith vowed, and then began screaming once again. Two hours passed, with little progress. Edith's voice was hoarse, and her body felt ready to give out, yet she still fought on.
"Where is your mother in law with that blasted tea?" Gregory demanded as the clock struck two in the morning. "I'm sure I don't know Gregory!" Mary snapped, as she herself was beginning to feel the strain of exhaustion. "You seem rather eager for something you call an old wives tale." Sybil added. "I cannot watch my wife undergo this any longer- I'd be willing to see if almost anything would work." Gregory demanded, albeit quietly as Edith had fallen into a fitful, feverish sleep.
"I'll go, and ask Matthew to call on his mother." Mary decided, exiting the room swiftly, and making her way to the nursery, where she had a feeling that her husband would be. "Matthew?" Mary asked as she gently laid a hand on his broad shoulder. "Oh- Hello darling." Matthew yawned, and turned to face her.
"Have you slept at all?" Mary asked him worriedly, as she observed the tired bags under his eyes. "As much as you have." Matthew laughed shortly. "And I'm fairing a dozen times better than poor Edith is." Mary sighed anxiously. "How is she doing?" Matthew asked, pulling Mary to sit in his lap.
"She's doing so wonderfully, especially if you consider the fact that she's going on her ninth hour of labor, and has only just reached the half way mark, the poor dear. I'd say I know what she's going through, but I don't feel I do. I was blessed with a short- painful, but short, labor. She thinks she's going to die- And Oh! I came to see you, to ask if you could find your mother, she left two hours ago in pursuit of some raspberry leaf tea, and hasn't been back yet." Mary said with a quiet clap of her hands.
"Of course I'll go find her- where was she headed?" Matthew asked, making to stand. "The kitchen here first, then to Crawley house- but I assume by now she's trying to knock down the door of the market." Mary laughed, and then looked into the cradle where both of her children were sleeping.
"Have they slept well?" Mary asked quickly. "Mostly. They've woken twice, but I put them back to bed." Matthew explained. "They're such wonderful little children. God willing they'll have their first cousin within the day." Mary sighed. "They will, I'm certain. And soon after Christmas, a new sister." Matthew smiled. "A new sister." Mary agreed with a smile, and kissed him gently on the lips.
"Now, go find your mother darling, I've got to get back to Edith." Mary insisted, giving him a good natured shove as she did. "I know you don't want to leave Edith's side darling, but you can't stay up forever. Think of little Esther." Matthew insisted as he tugged his jacket on again.
"Esther?" Mary asked, raising her brow.
"Esther Josephine Crawley, I think we'll call our daughter." Matthew explained as they exited the room.
"Oh! I do like that- rather a lot- but what if it's a son? Have you a back up?" Mary asked curiously. "I was hoping, if it was a son, that you'd allow Reginald Carson Crawley." Matthew suggested.
"Carson- after- Oh darling, it's perfect. It seems you've already found the perfect name, and we haven't even known they existed for a month yet!" Mary laughed. "A good solider is always prepared." Matthew insisted. "Now, off with you. Go find your mother!" Mary said, this time determined not to keep talking. "Of course darling, as quickly as I can." Matthew agreed, and then was off.
Mary walked quickly back into Edith's old bed room, and the very air seemed stale and tense. "Well?" Gregory asked. "He's gone to find her." Mary explained to Gregory before she took Edith's hands. "She's making progress." Sybil said gently to Mary. Mary nodded, and then went back to gently mopping her sisters brow with a cool cloth.
"I think, we'll name our girl Belle." Edith said hoarsely. "Belle?" Gregory asked her curiously. "Belle- French for beautiful." Edith explained, suddenly biting her lip in pain. "Belle Elizabeth Lowe, then?" Gregory asked, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Yes. Oh how perfect she- will be. If only she wouldn't take so much- time getting here!" Edith laughed between hastily taken breaths.
"I'm here, I've got it- I'm so sorry it took so long, you see- oh it isn't important now! Here Edith, drink this." Isobel said as she burst through the door, holding a small steaming mug in her hands. "Here, Gregory, help me prop her up better." Mary said, and quickly went about rearranging the pillows behind Edith's back so she was sitting up better.
Edith reached for the tea with as steady a hand as she could muster, and sipped it as quickly as she could. "It's actually very good." Edith said with a smile. "I'm sure it is!" Sybil agreed, and then began to re braid Edith's hair. "I do hope this works." Edith sighed as she handed the empty cup back to Isobel. "As do we all." Gregory sighed under his breath as he kissed Edith's forehead.
It was at that moment that Mary's stomach lurched, and she knew quickly ran towards the door, barely making it out before she emptied her stomach into a nearby vase. "Mary- Mary is she alright?" Edith's hoarse voice was filled with alarm. "I'm sure she's find, Edith, relax." Sybil said gently.
"No- she's ill, she needs to get to bed! Sybil you should put her to bed, make her some soothing tea!" Edith insisted. "Edith, darling, don't get worked up now, I'm certain that Mary isn't ill." Gregory said calmly. "How can you say that? What if she's caught what Mama had?" Edith cried out, and then inhaled sharply as another pain tore through her. "Mary- oh Mary please don't be ill!" Edith's voice was feeble and hoarse, and Mary's heart ached at the sound of it.
"Edith, I'm not ill, I'm perfectly well." Mary said gently as she entered the stale aired room. "But Mary, you've just been sick!" Edith protested, her fingers twisted into the bed sheets. "I'm hardly sick Edith, I'm- oh, I might as well tell you, I'm pregnant." Mary said, knowing the only way she could put Edith's mind at ease was to tell her the truth.
"I don't- understand how you could ever- allow yourself to- become pregnant ever again after- going through- This!" Edith spoke slowly through the worst wave of pain yet. "It all becomes better when you hold your child in your arms. Believe me, in two months time, this will all seem like a dream." Mary reassured her. "More like a night-mare!" Edith groaned, and Mary would have laughed if she wasn't so exhausted.
For one and half more hours they listened to Edith's screams of agony, before almost blissfully she cried out "It's time, she's ready!" She gripped Mary's hand on one side, and Isobel's on the other, as she bore down, and pushed with all of her might. "You're almost there Edith, please, keep going!" Sybil encouraged as she assisted Gregory.
"I'm- hardly going- to give- up now!" Edith muttered. With one final push, Edith fell back against the pillows with a sigh of relief. But there was no cry.
"Why isn't she crying- is she alright?" Edith asked suddenly, her voice full of alarm.
"One moment!" Gregory said harshly, as he was much too preoccupied with his work . Though it was only seconds, to each person in the room it felt like an hour before a strong cry filled the room. "Thank God!" Edith sobbed with relief.
"Sybil, clean up my daughter." Gregory asked Sybil gently, and Sybil happily complied. "It is a girl then- she is?" Edith asked giddily. "A beautiful girl." Gregory told her with a smile as he went to handle the after birth.
"So Belle is fitting then?" Edith asked, staring off to where Sybil was tenderly bathing her niece. "Most fitting, my love." Gregory smiled, as Sybil came and laid the tiny, quietly crying baby in Edith's arms. "Hello Belle. I'm your mama. Oh what a pretty girl you are." Edith cried, and then turned to look at Mary. "Isn't she beautiful Mary? Oh is she not lovely?" Edith cooed.
"She's perfect, Edith. Absolutely perfect." Mary agreed, her eyes filling with tears as she looked at the tiny blonde haired bundle in Edith's arms.
"She's a bit small, but other than that she seems healthy for a child born before its time." Gregory explained, and then came to sit beside his young wife. "Oh Gregory, she's wonderful." Edith grinned. "She's as beautiful as her mother." Gregory said, wrapping his arms around the both of them.
"I'm afraid I cant stay awake a minute longer, I'd best go to bed." Mary explained quietly, though she doubted she was heard as she slipped into the hall way, and then down the hall to her old bed room.
"I take it the child has been born then?" Matthew asked when she entered. He was sitting on the vanity stool, staring out the window where the sun was beginning to rise. "Yes. A girl, named Belle Elizabeth Lowe. She's small, but she is lovely." Mary yawned, collapsing in her bed.
"Sleeping in your clothes then, are you?" Matthew asked with a smile. "I'm too tired to undress. I simply don't care." Mary sighed.
"Here." Matthew said tenderly as he unbuttoned her simple red dress, and lifted it over her shoulders, and then gently pulled one of her old nightgowns that had been left behind over her head.
"You're too good for me." Mary muttered sleepily as he tucked her in. "Nothing is too good for the mother of my children, and the love of my life." Matthew contested, with a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"I love you." Mary murmured happily.
"I love you too, darling." Matthew smiled, and wrapped his arms around her as she fell asleep.
AN: SO a slightly longer chapter than most, and a lot of things that happened- but all is well! Sorry for the long delay, I was a bit stumped for a while, but now I know exactly where the story is going. Not too much left now, bear with me!