December 30th 1722
I woke up to find Edward staring straight at me, one hand on my bump the other near where my hand was.
"I have been talking to the baby and he thinks today is a nice day to be born" he smiled at me, I wish I could have shared his enthusiasm but I knew different.
"Well unless we have been talking to different babies, this one said they want to stay until next year" I rolled over and shifted back so I was flush against him "I just want him here, is that too much to ask for" instead of feeling fed up today I just felt down and stupidly upset.
"Well then I suppose today is last chance to try every trick in the book, where do you want to try first" I felt him sit up behind me and lean over.
"Don't you mean what?" a cheeky grin spread over his face
"No you've tried everything else and it seems you won't stop trying everything until he's here, so seeing as I can't leave this room all day where are we going try and how would you like it?"
"Right here first, I can't be bothered to move" he'd made me smile I suppose, one hand slipped to the front of my shirt and started unbuttoning it. When he pulled it off my arm he planted kisses on each bit of exposed flesh, moving to my shorts he did the same thing. Our clothes were thrown as far away from the bed as possible, he stopped at first which confused me. Had he had doubts, did my body look that different that he didn't want me. I grabbed at the bedsheet to cover me up.
"Don't" he stopped my hand that held the blanket until I released it "I love looking at your body, its the most beautiful one I've seen" although we'd been together for almost two years hearing him complement me still made me blush. Still, he thought of everything even understanding it would be harder now than it was last month so Edward moved us to the end of the bed. His legs hung off the side as my knees propped me up on the bed, he stayed as close to me as he could although the bump made it a lot harder for us. Still, the touch of his skin against mine was so soft. He ran his hand along my hips and breasts, each time they brushed against me I felt a euphoria jolt through me. The rhythm we kept along with that feeling that I got from his touch meant it didn't take long until we were close to the edge, glad that no one would hear us I screamed his name and slumped against him in this heavenly feeling. His hands gripped my waist and I knew he had finished too.
"Well if you think that'll work I don't mind trying that every hour" we were both covered in a film of sweat, panting next to each other, I felt a movement although this was different to where I had felt it yesterday. But in the overall scheme of things, still nothing.
An hour later we did indeed try again, this time we tried against the wall. Still nothing. Again and again we tried, but afterwards I would just feel a wiggle and nothing more.
We went about as normal after that, just getting on with normal jobs. That night I went and sat in the hammock and watched as the stars started to show amongst the sky.
"Well whenever you decide to make an appearance, we can't wait to meet you baby"
December 31st 1722
When I woke it felt like any other day, making my way downstairs I went straight to the hammock. I sat there swinging on it when I felt my stomach go tight, it wasn't painful or uncomfortable it just felt tight. Within minutes of it going tight, it was gone, I continued to rock myself. That was until the first wave hit, the pain made me double over in agony. Being sat on an unstable hammock when I doubled over I hit the floor on my knees, my hands reached out for something to grab and found only dirt. After the pain had passed I managed to kneel on all fours, that's when I felt my waters go. Everything was happening much quicker this time around, and before I could shout to Edward a second pain ripped through me.
"Edward" I go to stand but my legs are numb "EDWARD" the sound of something being dropped and feet running in my direction, as soon as he reaches me his arm goes under my shoulder and lifts me to my feet. We make it as far as the stairs before I have to stop and pant through a worse pain than the last two, In the next attempt we make it to our room and he lays me on the bed.
"Mary, I have to go and get the doctor. I won't be long I promise, you'll be okay" he looks panicked searching round "I'll be right back" I watch as he sprints from the door and can hear him pelt through the main door and out into the town. Whilst he's gone I try and pant through as much of the pain as I can, I must be alone for less than five minutes before voices can be heard in the manor. Two women I don't recognise and Anne enter the room.
"I'm sorry sir, no men in the room at the birth" the doors are shut and I start to panic, I was hoping he'd be here this time "Okay Mary, how long have you been having these pains"
"About ten minutes, why can't he be in here?"
"We told him no men in the room, its not a man's place to be here" I wanted to tell her where to shove her bullshit she was spewing but a pain took me off guard and instead I let out a pained scream "With this being your second child it'll go a lot faster, but we need to have a look to see just how quick that could be. Is that okay with you? Can we take your shorts off"
"Well unless they are some magic material you're gonna need to so I can have a baby" I grit my teeth through yet another pain gripped me. The nurse just gave me a disproving look and readied towels whilst the other removed the clothing on my lower half.
"Anne if you could sit on Mary's right side, when the time comes to push you'll need to help hold her leg" she came and sat by me holding my shoulders similar to how I had for her.
"You don't have to be here Anne, I would understand if you wanted to leave"
"You were there for me when I needed your strength, I think it's about time I repaid the favour"
"Sorry to break up the happy times but any time soon we'll be ready to deliver your baby, Anne are you staying?" she nodded to the nurse and moved so she only held my hand. The room went silent, the calm before the storm I suppose. And what a storm it was, with every pain they made me push. I missed the hut and healer that had delivered Charlotte, he hadn't shouted at me if I was scared or too worried to push. We were at this for three hours, which in comparison was nothing but still towards the end I was shattered.
The cries that filled the room made it all worthwhile, they were bundled off by the nurse my eyes followed her back as she cleaned the baby up.
"Eyes forward Mary, we aren't finished yet" I may have not been able to tell what was happening but I could make out she was still screaming at me to push" by now Anne had all my weight and was the only reason I was sat up, I did as I was told until a slightly different pitch of cries filled the room.
"You did great Mary, I'm so proud of you" I was helped up and changed into a nightgown whilst the bed was changed, when I was sat back down there were enough pillows behind me that I was almost sat upright "I'll get Edward shall I?" I didn't feel strong enough to answer, so I held up my thumb. He was by my side quicker than I thought possible, he held me and possibly said something. I was so tired I almost fell asleep.
"Where is he?" I pointed over to where two women stood tending to our baby.
"There's no he Mr Kenway, I can assure you they are both girls" they both came over holding a child each, they handed me one although my arms were tired they still moulded to fit my new daughter perfectly. The other baby was handed to Edward, his eyes were wide with surprise but filled with so much love for his new daughters. The child in my arms was the spitting image of Charlotte, the dark mop of hair curled the same way and the same blue eyes were set in her face. I turned to face the child Edward was holding and saw the same face again.
"Well they certainly did make a shock entrance, we seemed to have gained an extra child in the space of a day" Edward still had that look of wonder on his face, however, like his promise he had made to my bump a few months ago he would protect these two no matter what. He studied her face as he had Charlotte's and marvelled at her every movement "Suppose we have to think of another name now though"
"Before you mentioned Eliza I liked the name Grace" he motioned to me and I handed him the second twin, he studied both of their faces.
"This one seems like an Eliza" he motioned to the twin on the left "So I suppose this one is a Grace" as I watched him in his first few minutes with them I realised this is what I had wanted when I had Charlotte, just to know she would be loved and want for nothing, that she would be cared for and protected.
"We're going to need another crib and a lot more clothes, I might have to stitch an initial onto them so we don't get confused" I said we but he knew I meant him, I had been able to tell them apart from their cries so I had no doubt that everything would be okay "When do you think Jenny and Charlotte would like to meet their new sisters?"
"I think any time now would be what they wanted" I realised that after telling Edward he was a father again Anne had left the room, "She told me she would go and fetch them after I had been let in" I smiled at the planning they must have had.
When Jenny ran into the room her face had lit up like it had when she'd met Charlotte, after being an only one for so long she was now surrounded by siblings. Anne handed me Charlotte to I could have cuddles with her, whilst she and Jenny extracted a twin from Edward.
"Jenny you have Eliza and Anne you have Grace" it was a perfect moment, all the ones dearest to me in one room. Anne didn't stay long she made some excuse about needing to open the tavern for later, so the five of us sat around one bed.
I fed the twins and put them into Charlotte's large cot, Charlotte had been upgraded to a bed purely because we needed the cot more than she did now. Edward stood holding her watching the twins sleep and explained who they were, whilst I sat on the bed plaiting Jenny's hair.
Later that night when all the children were asleep me and Edward sat in our room holding each other.
"Do you remember what you were doing last year?" he asked me
"I couldn't look at that beach in the same way again for a while"
"What about the year before?"
"We were sat in the room next door, you were watching Charlotte sleep I do believe"
"And what about the year before that?"
"I remember that one perfectly, I do believe that's how all this began" he planted a kiss on the top of my head like he always did when we reminisced over the past.
"I love you Mary"
"I love you too Edward"
Kinda struggled with this so I'm sorry if its complete and utter dribble, recently watched Little Women when Meg had twins and her husband was surprised so yeah sorry if it went a little cheesy :P also Edward probably and sadly wouldn't have been there, both my granddads weren't there when my mum and dad were born and that was in the 1950's.
thanks for the reviews, they mean a lot. Next chapter will be up soon.