CHAPTER 54
- Darling... can you tell me everything that happened on the day our children were born? Wynn asked, as he held his wife in his arms on their bed.
- Wynn, my darling, of course I can tell you. But why?
- I'd just like to hear it, my love... but I'd like you to detail every bit of that day. Please.
- That night, I spent in your arms, I'd been in pain for days, because I was already dilating. But you stayed with us all night. I remember you talking to the children and wiping away my tears when my emotions exploded. I felt your love, and there in your arms I realized that you would be the best father in the world. When morning came, it was raining lightly, I stayed in bed, and my heart ached seeing you have to leave for work, I knew you were exhausted after a sleepless night by our side. I didn't get up for breakfast, because I was unwell; the butler told me that Grace wasn't feeling well either and at lunchtime, they brought me soup, which I remember eating all of, I was starving. Later, I fell asleep and when I woke up in the afternoon, the pains were very strong and bothered me a lot, which is why I couldn't stay asleep any longer. Willian had arrived, according to the housekeeper, he'd had lunch at home and had come back early because the forecast was for a storm that day. That's when I looked out of the window and saw the world of falling water. It looked like the taps in the sky had been turned on. There was lightning and thunder, which lit up the whole sky. The funny thing was that it was still late afternoon, but darkness was taking over the sky.
The pains were getting worse and worse, and I ended up calling the butler who was serving us, who told my brother and he sent for the doctor.
The house was silent, nothing could be heard apart from my moans of pain; I wanted you to be with me, but Willian told me that you had called, but that you had sent word that you were busy, at work and had obligations to fulfill for the country, as many people were being affected by the floods.
I thought I heard screams, moans, but it was something different, they sounded muffled. Shortly afterwards, my brother came into the room with his shirt folded up to his elbows, half-dirty with blood, his hair disheveled and asked me if I could hold on for a while, because they had only found one midwife, and the whole neighborhood was flooded and he wouldn't be able to take her to the hospital. When I questioned how disheveled he was, he told me that Grace was in labor and was helping out there.
The scullery maid was sent to my room, she was supposed to stay with me at all times, that was Willian's order.
Sometimes he would come to the door and say, "Calm down, sister, the midwife is coming.
When the midwife came into the room, she looked at me and then at Wiliam. I was in so much pain that I didn't want to talk. I just wanted to get it over with.
Willian stayed outside, but sent the scullery maid downstairs to fix the broths and hot water for the baths, and a lady came in claiming to be the housekeeper; she was older than me, already a bit stooped, she had a scar from her left eye to her mouth, like a big cut, I'd never seen that woman in the house before; I remember her shouting at me, she climbed on top of my belly and squeezed it a lot. Frankison was born, he cried and she put him on top of me, then I saw he was a boy; they took him from me and put him in the cradle, I remember him crying desperately, but my pain started and it was enormous, I no longer had any strength, it felt like I was running out of air, I also remember my vision getting blurred, she touched me and tried to turn the child who according to her was turned; it was unbearable pain, I screamed a lot, I called you, but nothing but that horrible pain.
Wynn sat her down and pulled Elizabeth into his arms, it hurt a lot to know that his wife had gone through all that alone, but today he needed to hear every detail, he could already see something strange in the whole story.
- Did Willian come into the room, my love?
- No, he stayed outside. But there were times when the pain was so great that I fainted, and it was then that I heard his voice; he was very angry, swearing and talking loudly. But when I came to and the labor pains began to intensify, I asked the housekeeper, but she said I was going mad from the pain. That he was a man and would never come into the room at that moment, because it would be embarrassing, and besides, he was in the room with his wife and baby...
- And his baby was what? Wynn asked calmly. Always stroking his arms and his long hair. His face was stone, emotionless, but his eyes showed something, he was there and he needed to find out.
- I don't know, Wynn. I was screaming so much, I was scared to death and the pain was enormous, but I remember her saying baby, at no point did she say anything else.
- The midwife made a maneuver, while the housekeeper pushed on my belly, she practically laid her whole body on top of me, they did this until I heard a cry, but at that moment everything disappeared... The darkness overcame and took me over; I struggled to open my eyes, I wanted to see our baby, our two children, but I couldn't open my eyes. I even heard a commotion nearby, the voice of William and other women, but then everything disappeared. When I woke up they gave me Frankison to feed and told me that our daughter hadn't made it... and they showed me her curled up, and that's when you arrived. Elizabeth cried, as she had done for all twenty-three years, when she thought of her precious daughter.
Wynn had tears in his eyes, but today he could see things wrong there, he never received a call from Willian and he would never let his wife go through the birth alone. Today Wynn could see that in those twenty-three years, his wife had been hurt by going through everything alone, she had thought all this time that she had been put second in his priorities; but he had called and Willian had said that she was fine and asleep; if he had known what was happening he would have faced everything, even a flooded city after the storm, but he would never have left her alone.
Elizabeth may have been old, now in her forties, but she could still think and analyze. Her years as a teacher had taught her to see and read people.
- Love! What's going on? Why are you asking me so many details about that day? I know you, Wynn Delane... and I know your voice and that look in your eyes...
- No wonder I fell in love with you, woman! You're the only person who knows me so well...
- Don't try to wind me up, Wynn. She winked at him, she knew he loved her eyes.
- Oh, my God! Don't look at me like that, woman. Even after twenty-five years of marriage, you know I can't resist that. Look, my love... I need to find out a few things first, but I promise you'll be the first to know.
- Okay, Wynn; I trust you, love.
- But you should know that I never said I was working. That day I called home, Willian answered, he said that you and Grace were fine and asleep, and that any changes he would let me know; I was working on the Hamilton flood, but I would have dropped everything and run to you, I would never have left you alone in a situation like that.
You know, Wynn, what hurt the most was having our daughter die after giving birth; but from then on I realized that Grace and Willian didn't want me around; they started playing tricks on me, and that's why I asked you to come back to Alaska to our house, even before the end of the maternity leave. And when we visited our little Beth, they also kept saying things to me and that's when Grace burst out and let out that story, that I wanted to steal her daughter to put in the place of our little girl who passed away. You can't imagine how much hearing that hurt me, but the worst part was seeing my own brother agreeing with Grace.
Wynn took a deep breath, he hoped that Willian hadn't done anything wrong, because if he found out that he or someone else had hurt his wife in a worse way than he had imagined, he would put an end to that person.
- Elizabeth, my dear wife. I'm going to ask you something and I want an honest answer.
- Okay, my husband.
- This birthmark you have here. And he ran his hand over her ass, making her sigh and him groan.
- Wynn... Elizabeth Delane laughed.
- That was my wife. You think I don't feel something with a beautiful young lady in my arms, even more so with this fragrant body and knowing that she has my heart here, and you pulled her into your arms...
- Love... wait a minute... my young lord! She said, already panting. What were you going to ask me?
- Ah! Yes... Do the men in your family also have this mark?
- Of course not, only the women.
- So your daughter would have this mark and Elizabeth too?
- Our daughter Melissa, yes, love. But not Elizabeth. The mark grows as the person's body grows, and then it takes shape. In Elizabeth's case, for example, she can't have the mark, because Willian is a man, he doesn't have the hereditary genes, and Grace came from another family, so only women with Thatcher blood will have the mark, only my daughters, Aunt Agatha and our daughter's children. Why is that?
- Curiosity, love! But it's good to know that I'm one of the few men on earth to have the honor of having my heart engraved on your wife's body.
- That's right... She said a little boldly, she might not have been young anymore, but now that she was alive and snuggled up to her handsome husband, she saw her desire growing and, using her charm, she kissed and gave herself to that man. Wynn's blood was boiling, it had been a long time since his wife had been this bold; today, she seemed happy, she seemed free; perhaps knowing that her husband hadn't left her for his country, at the most difficult time of her life, gave her heart the chance to open up again. They loved each other, with maddening passion, and fell into each other's arms, where exhausted they slept without the strength even to speak.
