Mary woke up and saw a familiar ceiling, she is in the infirmary lying on one of the beds, it took her a few seconds to remember what happened before she fell asleep. She was just trying to get up when she heard someone enter the room.
"Mary!" Francis rushed to her side
"Don't get up just yet, you still need to rest." Francis said calmly while holding her hand
"Francis" was all that she said while squeezing his hand, she's now relieved that her husband is here, sitting safely beside her, he look pale and thin but nevertheless, alive. Tears are slowly forming in her eyes and she saw her husband panicked
"What's wrong Mary? Does something hurt?" Francis said, his voice panic-stricken
"I'm alright… I'm just glad that you're here" she said while caressing his face.
"how are you feeling, does your ear still hurt?" Mary added
"it still hurts occasionally but you don't need to worry about me now, you must rest Mary, we're lucky we didn't lose our baby" he said as his hands moved from her face to her belly
"will you stay here with me?" Mary said almost pleadingly
"of course Mary, I will never leave your side again" Francis said while he kissed her forehead
They stayed still for a few moments but Francis finally spoke to break the silence
"…why didn't you tell me about your pregnancy?" Francis asked
"I wanted to surprise you, I didn't want to inform you through a mere letter, I wanted to tell you in person, to see the look in your face when you realize that you're going to be a father" Mary said serenely
"I should have been there with you in Scotland, I should have been there to take care of you, to fulfill your needs, and you shouldn't have gone through your pregnancy alone. I wasn't there when you needed me and for that I'm truly sorry. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to you or our baby"
"but nothing happened to us Francis, you don't need to fill yourself with guilt, I forgive you, you're here now and that's what matters. You only need to promise me one thing"
"What is it?"
"Promise me that you'll never leave us alone, don't let our child be fatherless, promise me you'll get better, I won't be able to raise our child alone…Francis please… promise me" Mary said with tears in her eyes
"I promise you Mary, didn't I tell you? I'll never leave your side again" Francis pledged to his wife
Their lips met, Mary grabbed the back of Francis' head and pulled him closer, and Francis did the same. They spent all afternoon together, hoping that this time, no one would pull them apart, this time, they would put each other first above everything else, even their duties as king and queen.
~^oOo^~
2 months later
Mary was looking out the window when Francis slipped his arms around her, attempting to comfort her and lessen her fears
"Francis, if I don't survive childbirth, please take care of our child" Mary said as she squeeze her husband's hand
"please don't say that Mary, you will survive it, we will raise our child together and we will witness them grow old and have children of their own" Francis said and kissed his wife forehead
Mary remained silent
"stop worrying about it Mary, we will get through this together, we always do" Francis said assuring his wife
"I'm just glad that you're here by my side, the first months of my pregnancy were unbearable without you" Mary said now facing her husband, her hands are on his arms and her eyes are locked on his
"I'll never leave you again, both of you" Francis said as he kneels in front of Mary and leans his head towards Mary's enlarged abdomen
"Your father is here now and I can't wait to see you" Francis said
Mary can't hide her smile when Francis looked up to her
"I'm very lucky to have you as my husband, you're going to be a great father to our children" Mary said as she touch Francis' curls
"I hope I will be…I'm your king and the Dauphin of France, but being a father to our children is what I value the most"
"Thank you Francis" Mary said while touching her husband's face. Francis caught her hand and kissed her palm
"You need not thank me for anything Mary, you're my wife and soon you'll be the mother of my children and for that you made me the happiest man alive… I love you" Francis said as he leans down to Mary and brought his lips to her.
Author's note
This isn't the end of the story, I'll still update it from time to time. Thank you for all the reviews, follows and favs, I appreciate every single one of them.