Anne Shirley Blythe-Thank you! I loved writing Uncle Davy and am glad you enjoyed him too! Rilla has lots of people around her thankfully, and I hope you enjoy the other chapters as well!
"Hop onto the table," Her father tells her mid-morning after they all had breakfast and Rilla can only do what he asks. She is still in her kimono and undergarments, not having gotten dressed this morning yet after spending the morning lying in bed trying not to be sick. Willing herself not to be sick. On his desk are her medical records, fresh pages, with fresh scratches of ink on them, as if he was still in disbelief and had to correct things as he was filling things out.
"Early August?" Her father asks her and she looks at him for a moment. "Your last cycle?" He clarifies.
"Umm?" Rilla says thinking about it, and looks at the calendar on his wall. He sighs and passes her a smaller one, and she flips back through the months. "August…it was a Friday, umm the sixth?" She tells him blushing and watches him wheel around his card stock due date calculator.
"May 13th, which brings you to about nine weeks," Father says.
Rilla can only nod, and let him check her blood pressure and pulse.
"Any bleeding other than what you told your mother about?" Rilla can only shake her head before grasping at the ounce of bravery that lived inside of her.
"I was the one- I asked him, truly. I didn't want him to go without knowing I begged and pleaded until he gave in. I needed to know what the books said, what mother once told me. Last summer took everything…I needed to know and I knew he wouldn't hurt me. If he doesn't come back…if I find another one day…at least know?" Rilla tried to tell him, arms going around her stomach. "I'm better these days though, I can do this, I think I can anyway."
"Do the Fords know?" Father asks her simply, keeping his voice steady and professional.
"Ken doesn't even know yet, I wrote him this week, but it will be a while before he receives it and longer for him to write to his parents. Though I feel like it's his right to tell them and not me, so please don't say anything to them please?" She tells her father.
"I don't like them not knowing Rilla, I mean we cannot have them over for Christmas and have you well into your second trimester without them knowing," Father says reminding her. "They may wish for you to go to them as well, for Christmas of course. Not to stay indefinitely. I will refuse that even if they do ask for it. Your place is here with your mother and family to bring you through this. So you will remain here."
"They wouldn't expect me to!" Rilla squeaks not even considering that sort of a possibility that the Fords would rather her live with them because of a child. "But it's Ken's right to tell them himself, and I will tell them that if they ask why I didn't. He has his right to explain in his own words about…what changed on his leave Father." Rilla tells him sternly.
"Very well, I hope it doesn't take too long," Father hums. "Moving on then any cramping, aches or pains?"
Rilla could only shake her head, she was not going to be telling her father her breasts hurt all the time these days. The book said it was normal anyway or it did the year previous.
"Of course, given the circumstances, you will be expected to contribute toward the cost of an infant, unlike before." Her father tells her stoically.
"I understand," Rilla nods her head. "Ken made sure that I would get separation allowance, I will give it to you when it comes to claiming it?"
"You will not, you will learn to budget and learn how to keep money beyond your allowance Rilla. Do I need to help you set up an account at the bank, or has Kenneth already thought ahead for this" Her father tells her. "Babies cost a good deal of money, this is a choice you made and now you must learn to be an adult."
"I have access to one on the island in his name," Rilla says quietly. "He made sure I would have enough for an emergency or two, plus I started depositing separation pay into it as well. It's thirty dollars a month."
"Well, at least he had an ounce of common sense." Her father drawls. Still clearly unimpressed with this development.
Rilla nods her head looking out the window on the October day.
"I pray that he comes home for you," Her father said quietly.
"He will," Rilla tells him bravely.
He has too, she adds on mentally.
"Beyond financially supporting this child, I ask you one thing with brothers being at the front, I ask you to not overtax your mother. Of course, she will love being a grandmother and has plenty of mothering wisdom but she shouldn't be called upon for everything. Susan and I have. Plenty of knowledge, let your mother rest and enjoy the baby without the notion of it being favours or questions."
Rilla frowns but nods her head. "Is Mother all right?"
"Your mother is fine, I just don't want her being over-exerted," Father says to her simply. "You do realize though, that unless you opt to spend a month in the Charlottetown Hospital, you don't have many choices for the delivery of this child?"
"What do you mean?" Rilla looks at him head tilting.
"You know that Dr. Parker has his area of coverage and while we help each other in times of need. I don't see you being comfortable with him being your doctor. This leaves me with the task of bringing you through labour and delivery and while I had done so for your mother and plenty of other women, I have never contemplated the idea of being the one to deliver my grandchild."
"Can't…I mean Minnie," Rilla frowns.
"Mrs. Anderson almost died from her aunt's negligence," Father gives her a stern doesn't even remember afterwards, too embarrassed and mortified to face her Father for the rest of the morning, possibly day. So she went out into the cool October afternoon as soon as she was dressed. Trying her best to put those things away once more, to think of Ken…Ken whose letters take forever. He had no idea that their life was changing, and expanding. She is brought out of her thoughts as there is a knock on the office door. He goes to open it to see the old district nurse. "You got my message thank you for coming."
"What going on?" Rilla finds herself asking confused.
"Nothing I asked Nurse Francis to come help me today, I figured you would prefer it other than the alternative which is myself examining you," her father tells hers.
"What do you mean?" Rilla looks at him. "You just…?"
"We need to look inside you dear, to make sure that you are properly closed and whatnot," The nurse tells her. "Just because your husband was in the area, doesn't mean you want others poking around it, given your past and all. Won't take more than a few minutes and I'll be on my way."
"Right," Rilla nods her head, not looking forward to it at all, before looking to her father for some sort of guidance
"It's alright to be nervous, but usually for these check-ups it's good to check on the inside of things as well," Father tells her simply and she can only nod her head.
"Just relax dear," the nurse tries to comfort her. "Lie back and just take some deep breaths"
"Breathe Rilla, just breathe, we only have to do this once I can leave if you need me to?" Father tells her gently and she nods her head. "I'll be outside the door." He says and kisses her hair before leaving after a quick word to the nurse.
She tries not to think of the hands on her thighs, pushing her legs apart, and putting them into place on small ledges, pushing her petticoat aside, and then her drawers. She's talked the way through it. She pushes the images out of her mind, or tries to at the very least as they surface of the recollection of harsh fingers invading her.
"All done my dear," The nurse tells her, moving to wash her hands Rilla moves her legs until they are together once more and she sits up as her father comes into the room again the nurse tells him whatever she has discovered and he frowns for a moment but nods his head. She sits there for a moment before the nurse bids her goodbye.
"You may go on about your day," he says going to his desk. "Everything seems good, just take and easy, and since it's a nice autumn day you should get some fresh air
She can only nod her head but does as he says in the afternoon. Dressing warming as she walks the garden.
"Rilla, love," She hears mother call out to her. She flinches at her mother's touch but melts into it when it doesn't go away. "I wish I could say it will get easier, but this is only the beginning of what this process will be like this time around for you, I can promise in the throws of labour one day you will not care who is there to catch the baby, you will just want it out of you."
"I don't know if I can believe that," Rilla tells her and Mother laughs.
"You will my dear, we all feel this way, until we realize our mothers and friends were right all along," Mother hugs her. "However I will say that your Father has never liked having to doctor your children but that is the downside of being the town's regional doctor."
"The feeling is mutual," Rilla says under her breath. "Though by the time my letter gets there, by the time he reads it, writes back and posts it…it will be well into November. I almost feel as if I should have waited until I was further along?"
"He will be overjoyed I am sure, and I am sure everything is all right, just try and sleep more and eat and rest and you won't have anything to worry about," Mother tells her wrapping her arms around her and hugging her firmly and Rilla can only nod her head.
The weeks wear by and letters From Jem, Walter, and even Ken come dated back in late September to early October. All depict the life of a soldier in various ways, Jem was in Paris on leave, Walter was at the Front, and Ken switched out and spoke about the reserves and life away from the front, the games and mess tents, and medical tents for non-serious injuries.
It was a Friday evening when Shirley came home to a house shrouded in secrets, if their parents said anything to him he said nothing but her nausea was far from hidden her waist was slowly getting thicker and her hair was fuller and shinier than usual. He says nothing but walks with her around her on his Saturday afternoon.
"Do you like teaching?"She asks him curiously.
"It's a good day's work, I think I would prefer other things for a career one day mechanics possible?"
"Is that what you want to do mechanics?" Rilla looks at him.
"I want to be in the clouds, but that will take a while, the RAC already disbanded but there are talks about aviation training. With Jem and Walter there, I don't mind waiting a bit longer for something to come about." Shirley tells her truthfully looking down at his feet and then up into the grey skies of autumn.
Rilla can only nod her head.
"Have you heard from Ken?" Her brothers asked without pretense.
"I got two letters so far, it takes a while. I send him weekly letters, so he knows I'm thinking about him."
"And about the baby?" He says quietly and Rilla blushes.
"Who told you?"
"It's not too hard to suss out, you were ill this morning and Dad barely batted an eye about it. Mom and Dad whisper about it around thinking I won't hear as well." Shirley says with a shrug and Rilla can only blush red.
"You're not going to write an angry letter to Ken are you?"Rilla asks him slightly worried.
"Rilla, the man wouldn't do anything with you unless you gave him approval, whatever you did or happened, clearly weighs on the side of your feelings for him. I've seen the two of you in one of your moments when you think no one is around…it was only a matter of time. Walter wrote once that in the middle of a night terror, he was the only one who could ground you enough to make you feel safe, without waking you up. He did it the night you were married, you were screaming and Dad didn't know what to do and he didn't run away, he just stayed and whispered enough good things to you until you fell back to sleep." Shirley tells her quietly. "Which is why no one said a thing the next morning of you being in his room, we all already knew?"
"Oh," Rilla says quietly not sure what else to say after such a statement.
"Walter will probably send an angry letter, Jem I think will just be happy you're happy?" Shirley tells her changing the subject for her.
"Do you have a girl?" Rilla asks him curiously
"Not at the moment," Shirley shakes his head. "I did for a while but it didn't work out, don't see the point in it if I am just going to go off to war at some point." He kicks a rock with his boot with a sigh.
Rilla could only nod her head. "What if you found someone worth it?"
"Then I guess I will have decisions," Shirley tells her. "Just like you and Ken made for yourself.
Rilla can only blush, hand sweeping over her stomach.
Hope everyone is enjoying this!
