Hello lovely readers,

I hope you're all doing well. I'm so sorry for a late update but life has been very busy lately and I wanted to do this chapter justice.

Please let me know what you think. The next chapter, coming much sooner than this one, will bring some really big changes and I am really looking forward to your feedback .

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the love. It means the absolute world.

xoxo

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The early summer which unfolded alongside the end of Jane's second pregnancy happened a little later in the year than normal, yet when it came it was one of the most beautiful ones she could recall. In between the grass colourful flowers grew freely at will where they sprouted, their heavy scent changing based on where a person walked or in what direction the wind blew, but their beauty was visible all around. Jane had asked the gardener to leave the flowers and the grass long in some places, for she liked seeing them swaying in the breeze in the natural way they would have without human interference.

On the afternoon that the Rochesters relaxed in their garden the sun was especially warm and therefore impossible to ignore. Everything it touched was illuminated, including Jane's skin which was so warmed that she was able to drop the blanket from around her shoulders. She closed her eyes and turned her face towards it, taking in a deep, easy breath. Seated on a blanket amongst the grass, she watched her son wobble around and Edward chasing after him in the distance, scooping him up into his arms as he squealed in excitement. She raised her hand to shield the bright rays from her eyes, smiling at the sight of them together. Edward was swinging his son back and forth in his arms, dipping lower each time so that Henry squirmed in delight. And then his father would place him on the ground and step back until his son trotted forward to meet him. When he was within reach, he would step back futher and Henry would eagerly reach forward again, and Edward would step back until finally he allowed him to take hold of him. Then his son would laugh and be swept into his father's arms where Edward bounced him affectionately. In looking upon the pair, Jane wondered if it was possible for a heart to burst from love alone.

Edward had taken to fatherhood more naturally than perhaps any man had before. It was a role which suited him to the very core of his being. He never grew tired of caring for his son, nor did he ever expect his wife to care for him more than he did as so many other men did. Being a father had drawn out parts of Edward's person which he had believed to be long buried inside of him. The type of selfless love, and patience, and guidance he thought as a young man would never be required of him after his first marriage had been needed the moment Henry was born, and yet recalling them had been natural and easy. This had not come as a surprise to Jane, but she knew it had humbled Edward. He was so grateful that he had a child to love and care for that the question of how to be the best father from one moment to another was always on his mind.

Before her, Edward ducked behind a tree and out of sight of his son. For a moment Henry did not notice. He stumbled around, waiting to be picked up from behind, but when too much time had passed he turned and his smile fell. He staggered on the spot for a moment, looking for his father, but was unable to find him. He flapped his arms in frustration, his face scrunching in distress as he turned towards his mother who was too far away to help him. He reached out to her, beginning to cry, but in a moment Edward reemerged and had his son in his arms, kissing his cheek in reassurance.

"I'm sorry" he said, bouncing him gently, "I'm here, I'm here".

Abandoning their playing, they walked over to where Jane sat and Edward placed him on the ground a few feet from her so that he could totter to his mother on his own.

"Hello sweetheart" she smiled, kissing him as she helped him onto the ground in front of her.

"Ma Ma" he babbled "Ma Ma Ma"

"Yes?"

He turned and looked up at her, smirking briefly before turning around again.

"What are you trying to tell me?" she asked, squeezing him gently in encouragement.

"Ma ma ma ma" he continued absent-mindedly, grabbing a stick from the ground and waving it frantically in the air.

Jane picked up a small pebble and held it in front of him so that he quickly dropped what was in his hand for a new form of entertainment. As his fingers were about to close around it, however, she moved it out of the way. At first he looked surprised, and then determined. He reached for it again, and when she pulled it back he giggled, flapping his arms in excitement. As this routine carried on, Edward sat down behind his wife, pulling her into his embrace and kissing her cheek as she played with their son. She leaned into him comfortably, closing her eyes as his lips moved to her jaw.

"Are you hungry?" she asked after a few lazy moments, feeling Henry snatch the pebble from her hand.

Edward smiled at her apparent ease.

"I could eat"

She rummaged in the basket at her side until she pulled out an apple and some cheese wrapped in a cloth. She began cutting the fruit into bite-sized pieces, handing the larger ones to her husband and the very small bits to her son. As they ate together in silence, Jane smelled something surprisingly delicate on the air and breathed deeply, turning curiously to face it. Her brow furrowed as she tried to name it, but before she could Edward was already answering her unasked question.

"It's cherry blossoms"

She smiled,

"It's beautiful. I don't know how I never noticed them before".

"Those trees did not bloom last year as they have this year" he explained, and as Jane was considering this possibility he stood and was gone. She could not make out where he had disappeared to before he returned with a small branch on which several small pink flowers clung. Placing it into his wife's hands, he plucked the blossoms off and tucked them into her hair, and she could smell the delicate scent clinging to her skin. When he drew back he looked at her for a long moment, unable to stop his thumb from grazing her cheek affectionately.

"You are the prettiest sight in the whole world. Do you know that?".

She smiled softly, but then the smile slowly fell as she pondered why she was not quite able to draw her eyes away from him when his look was so piercing. He chuckled at the sudden intent look on her face. As he pulled her face closer to his, he teasingly kissed her forehead at the last moment instead of her waiting lips, and though when she pulled she meant to scold him, his own uniquely intoxicating smile forced her to forgive him instantly.

"That is not fair"

"I never said I play fair, Ms Rochester"

Grinning, she turned back around and lay in his arms, one thrown lazily over her chest and the other resting under her baby bump. She closed her eyes, but for the first time realised that she was not as settled as she had been. She suddenly had the desire to go back home and have some tea before getting into bed, even though it was not yet dinner time. The thought surprised her somewhat, though since entering her final months of pregnancy she had abandoned fighting against these urges when they occurred.

"Edward?"

"Mmm?"

The wind blew a breeze through the low hanging branches of the tree overhead and she paused, wondering if her next request would be what she really wanted. The day was the most beautiful one all year, and it felt like a shame to leave it prematurely, but she felt that her eyelids were heavier than normal and she reasoned that they had already been out for hours as it was.

"Do you mind if we go home now?"

He looked her a little curiously,

"Are you tired, darling?"

"I am, a little"

He considered her for a moment, not out of a selfish desire to remain behind, but because the request was a strange one coming from his wife. In the end he only nodded.

"Okay" he agreed easily, "I'll get us packed up".

"I can return home on my own. It is such a beautiful day. Why do you not stay out with Henry a little longer?"

"I would not be comfortable letting you walk home alone in your condition, darling. Not at nine months pregnant. Besides, I think we've all had enough sun today as it is"

"Well, if I were to collapse into some bush on the way home, surely you would find me on your walk back, anyways"

He chuckled as he began packing up their things and she smiled to herself, handing Henry a new piece of apple to replace the one he had dropped in the dirt and was reaching enthusiastically for. When the basket had been filled, Edward helped his wife to her feet so he could roll up the blanket beneath her. She rubbed her large stomach and held their other child by the hand as she waited, feeling suddenly frustrated by the heat of the sun. She craned her neck uncomfortably as she took a deep breath, waiting with less patience than normal for her husband to finish. When he finally turned, basket in hand and blanket underarm, his face fell.

"Are you alright, Jane?"

"I am. I'm just feeling a little flushed".

He laid the basket on the ground to touch his wife's forehead,

"I'm fine" she assured him, but he was unconvinced.

"You are flushed".

"As you said, we have all enjoyed the sun enough for today"

He kissed her temple.

"Come, let us go home"

He took Jane's hand before moving to put his arm around her.

. . .

The walk home felt oddly long. In spite of it being a walk which Jane always enjoyed, this day it was far more laborious than it usually was. Trudging the ten minutes back to the house took more than twenty, and when they arrived home Jane was so winded that Edward left her in his study while he went upstairs to put Henry to bed. Not knowing what else to do, Jane sat down on the couch in the corner of the room to look out the window at the now setting sun, but she could not settle her mind by convincing herself something wasn't wrong for she knew it was. In spite of sitting for several minutes, her heart was still beating too quickly and she was still hot and flushed. Feeling worried, she pushed herself into a standing position, clutching the side of her husband's desk to help her to her feet, but as soon as she was upright she felt a gushing between her legs and then heard the sound of something hitting the floor. Stepping back, she saw that the carpet was stained darker beneath her. Clutching her baby bump and carefully lowering herself down onto the couch once more, she called for help.

"Excuse me?" she called a little too quietly, and then louder, "EXCUSE ME?"

"Yes ma'am?" Peter asked as he stepped into the room, looking a little dazed.

"Peter, will you please have one of the stable hands call for the doctor? I believe this baby is coming- and then get Mr Rochester. He is up in Henry's nursery"

"Right away madam" he said, tripping slightly on the carpet as he stepped back a little too quickly.

When he was gone, Jane pulled in a sharp staggering breath. She massaged her stomach, trying to understand the sudden shock flooding her system. She was early, she knew that, but she was not sure exactly how early. She was in her early ninth month of pregnancy, but the doctor was scheduled to come by later in the week for a checkup, not expecting the baby to arrive before then. Feeling a rush of uncertainty she breathed, and breathed again, slowing her mind and focusing on the task at hand.

"Okay" she whispered to herself, "You can do this. You can do this, Jane"

With another effort she pushed herself to her feet again by gripping the top of the armchair for support. She was thinking of the best way to make it up to her bedroom when the study door swung open and Edward came running in.

"Jane, what's happened?" he asked quickly,

"I'm alright, everything is okay."

"Has your water broken?"

"Mmm. When I stood up from the couch"

She looked up at him, finding his eyes intense and serious.

"We need to get you upstairs. Has the doctor been called?"

"Yes" she replied, her husband putting his hand in her lower back as he guided her towards the door, "I asked Peter to send one of the stable hands"

"JENNY" Edward called the moment they stepped out into the hallway, "JENNY?"

She came spinning around the corner, looking alarmed.

"Has the doctor been called for Ms Rochester?"

"Yes, Peter has just gone himself. What has happened?"

"The baby is coming"

"Oh goodness-"

"I am going to get Jane up into bed" he explained, "As soon as the doctor is here, will you send him up immediately?"

"Yes I will show him up right away. Can I get you anything, ma'am?"

"No, thank you, Jenny" Jane said, smiling briefly before a wave of pain moved through her abdomen. She stopped their already slow walk, closing her eyes and gripping her husband's arm tighter.

"Oh, ouch"

In one motion she was in his arms and carried up over the stairs, but she kept her eyes closed until the contraction passed and then she drew in a deep breath, laying her head against Edward's chest. In another moment she was on the floor in their bedroom and was helped out of her clothes, feeling much more comfortable when she was eventually standing in only her light slip. As she unpinned her hair, watching one of the cherry blossoms fall onto her desk, Edward removed her shoes and stockings.

"Thank you" she said a little weakly, laying down the pins onto her dressing table.

He straightened up, kissing her briefly as his finger tucked under her chin encouragingly.

"Of course. Let's get you into bed, sweetheart".

It was not an unenticing offer, for it was more comfortable to be in bed than out of it- but she only grew more uncomfortable as the minutes of waiting for the doctor stretched into hours.

. . .

Jane's heart raced as the contractions grew closer together and more painful- each one taking more concentration to make it through, and using more of her depleting energy. Though feverish, and tired, and in pain, Jane lay in relative stillness, focusing on remaining as calm as possible.

As more and more time passed, Edward grew anxious. He paced the room, looking from the window, to his wife, and then out of the window again. She was curled into a ball in the bed, the palm of her hand pressing into her forehead while the other hand rested on her stomach. He watched as her flushed and dewy face contorted in pain over and over again. She made little noise, but Edward knew she was in a great amount of discomfort. Each time a wave of labour moved through her, he felt a selfish rush of frustration that he was forced to witness her in pain while he could do nothing for her. And then, in the same breath, the respect he had for her immense strength and endurance surged through him in a rush of humility.

A particularly painful contraction crippled Jane, and she moaned into the blankets she turned her face into. The breath she took was sharp and laboured and Edward clenched his jaw.

"Why does he not come?" he muttered angrily under his breath, but his wife was not listening. Until the doctor arrived she knew that she had to remain collected and centred. So she breathed through contraction after contraction until she suddenly felt stifled by the constricting blankets and pulled herself to the edge of the bed.

"Edward, help me up"

He turned,

"Is everything alright?"

"I just need to move"

In an instant he was at her side helping her up onto her feet. He supported most of her weight as she took slow, small steps towards the mantle of the fireplace where she pressed her forehead into her arm and groaned. The shooting pain running down her spine only lasted a moment, but it was painful, and she was concerned that too many more would use up all of her strength. And then she realised something else- that for the first time she was beginning to truly worry over how long it was taking the doctor to arrive. She knew that things were changing, and soon the doctor would be a necessity- not just a comfort. And then Jane was all too aware that Edward was watching her, trying desperately to tell from the small changes on her face what she was thinking- but she did not want him to worry, so she only stared forward into the fire. The moment his hands touched her, though, she found that she did not have the same ability or willingness to ignore him.

"I do not think the doctor is not coming, Edward"

"He will"

"Not soon enough" she said, turning to face him, "He was called hours ago now. If he was coming, he would have been here by now. Peter has not returned which means he cannot find him, wherever he is".

She stepped away from the fireplace with her husband's help and was guided back to the bed. When seated on the edge he crouched before her, his hand holding hers securely.

"Edward, I cannot wait for much longer-", but her voice broke under the stress and she sighed, wiping away the tears which brimmed in her eyes. She closed her eyes, gathering her composure so she could finish her thought.

"Soon I will need to begin pushing and this baby will come and there will be no help for us".

The clearly repressed panic which crept into her voice for the first time made Edward's heart throb, and his instinct to protect her was made more painful by its impossibility. In this he could only do so much to make her comfortable, and he could do nothing to ease her pain. But then he remembered a different kind of pain, one which he alone was responsible for. When Jane had delivered Henry he had not been allowed in the room, and this had always been something which he regretted because he knew that his wife had wanted him there and he had failed her. Standing outside, listening to her screams through the door, he had wanted to be part of what he only could have suspected would be the most important moment of his life. He could right that wrong, at least.

"You will not be helpless" he promised, but Jane only looked at him as he continued lowly, "If the doctor does not come in time, we will bring this child into the world together".

Her mouth opened and closed quickly. As another pain moved through her, her lip quivered and a second wave of tears brimmed in her eyes.

"Edward, there is no one in the world I love or trust more than you. You know that. But I'm frightened".

"I know" he said sympathetically, "I know that I am no replacement for a doctor".

"It is not just that. Labour is not a pleasant thing. You did not see the last time, you do not know what it is like"

He smiled ever so slightly,

"I can handle it"

"But can you?" she asked, putting her hand on his shoulder, "It may be long, and there will be blood, and I will be in pain that you will not be able to take away and I know what that will do to you"

At this, Edward was forced to consider her words. Standing on the other side of their bedroom door, hearing Henry cry for the first time, the feeling that moved through him was a sensation he had never known before. His heart had stopped, his brain had spun with anticipation, and unable to help himself he had forced his way into the room while the midwife was still clearing away the blood-soaked sheets surrounding his wife. As radiant and devastating as Jane had looked in that moment, as incomprehensible the child in her arms was, the image of the remanence of the delivery around her had been seared into his brain. But then the more clear and important thought emerged; As difficult as he knew it would be to witness her suffering it was an impossibility for him not to be there for her. She would need him, and he would be there for her.

"I know" he said meaningfully, "But you must let me do this with you, Jane. I should have been there when Henry was born and I swore to myself that if we ever had another child I would be there- and I have no doubt that you will deliver this baby. I know that when the time comes your body will know what to do and you will bring a healthy, happy baby into the world for us".

Jane considered his words for a long time before she spoke. When she did, the uncharastically small and unsure voice, the rarity of the moment in which she so genuinely needed reassurance from her husband, split Edward's heart into a thousand raw, painful pieces.

"Do you really think so?".

He reached forward, placing one hand on her cheek and the other on her chest as he kissed her devastating lips.

"Yes".

She nodded, somewhat unsure at first, and then more vigorously as a sense of confidence seemed to take hold of her. She closed her eyes, squeezing her husband's hand and sighing out an anxious, held breath.

"I would not be able to do this without you"

But then she gasped and clutched at her side, closing her eyes against the pain, and Edward's face fell.

"Just lay back, Jane. That's it".

. . .

Night had fallen, or perhaps morning had begun, and Jane was barely able to register the cold cloth laid against her forehead to wipe the sweat from her brow. The pressure was building inside her lower abdomen until it throbbed and pulsed to a point of complete distraction where she was robbed of any awareness of her surroundings. As it surged, she sucked in a deep breath, moaning through her pain until there was some release. When the feeling broke, so did her breath. She drew in fresh air as she turned to look at her husband who was glowing with pride and encouragement.

"Well done, my darling"

"Mmm" she said, closing her eyes, but just as suddenly as her lids shut they flashed opened again.

"Edward- Edward we have not even thought of a name for this baby"

He smiled,

"Let us worry about meeting this baby first. Then we shall see to a name"

"But surely a child should not enter the world without a name"

"Henry did"

"Oh" she realised, and then she sighed "I suppose it just feels as though we are not ready for this child to come. We should have been more prepared. Why did we spend all those nights doing nothing when we could have been doing-"

"Doing what?"

She hesitated.

"I do not know. You are just not allowed to argue with me at present"

Edward chuckled,

"Then I will not. But I do not want you to be worried of anything at present, Jane. We are ready enough".

At that moment there was a knock at the door and Jenny stepped through with fresh towels under her arms and a bowl of hot water in her hands. Maya trailed behind her holding a tea tray in her arms, looking slightly taken aback. The staff had been quite worried about Jane, and when Edward had gone downstairs to ask if anyone had experience delivering babies, and none had, his announcement that he would deliver the child had been quite surprising to them. Still, they all seemed relieved at his assurance, even if it was somewhat misplaced.

As the women laid their different items down in the room, Edward returned to the medical book he had been scanning for information that he hoped would be helpful to him. As he read, Jane was handed a teacup full of hot, amber liquid but she only pushed it onto the table beside her.

"Thank you Maya, but I fear I am overheated. Will you not bring me some water instead?"

"Right away, miss".

"And here you go, miss" Jenny said, moving behind Jane and fluffing her pillows somewhat unhelpfully, but kindly, "We do not want you to be uncomfortable now"

Jane thanked her for her efforts, but as another pain moved through her the words were cut short. Edward threw aside his book as Maya reentered the room with a glass of water, crowding at Jane's side along with Jenny who was still trying in vain to fluff her pillow. Though Jane's eyes were shut, and her head dropped forward as she rode out the contraction, Maya was trying to push the glass into her hand. In a rush Edward was on his feet, taking the water and moving in front of his wife so that Jenny and Maya took a step back.

"Edward" Jane said meaningfully, looking up at him with her expressive, green eyes, "I think it is time".

His heart beat a little faster.

"Ladies, if you will please leave us be now" he said authoritatively, and both looked rather surprised at being asked to leave.

"You do not wish for us to stay, Mr Rochester?"

"Jane and I shall manage well enough on our own. We shall call for help if it is needed".

They hesitated for a moment, but as Jane did not protest her husband they left the room, turning to look one last time before the door closed behind them.

The click of the door, along with the silence which followed, allowed for an immediate sense of calm to move over the space. Jane reached for her husband's hand the moment he sat down beside her, and she breathed a deeper, more relaxed breath then she had been able to in several minutes.

'How do you feel?" he asked lowly,

"Like it is time to push"

"Alright, darling" he said, kissing her feverish forehead. When he drew back she looked up at him and smiled, and as tired as it was, he could not help but think it was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.

"Will you hold me for as long as you can? Until it will be necessary for you to deliver the baby?"

He nodded, rubbing his fingers over her knuckles before bringing her hand to his mouth.

"It will not be long now, my love. Just a little more strength and then we will have our child".

Sitting behind her and pulling her between his legs, Edward secured his wife against his chest. She lay her head against him and sighed, wrapping his arms a little closer around her. With the next contraction, she began to push, remembering what she had been coached to do the last time she had given birth but also being surprised at how instinctual it was to her. She knew when to push and she knew when to rest, and she knew which contractions required more energy and which ones were more fleeting. Cradled in her husband's arms, Jane felt somehow connected to all of the women in the world who had delivered children before her, gaining strength from the thought that she, like them, had been made to do this. She had imagined that she would be frightened and scared without the presence of a doctor, but instead she was struck by how much more comfortable she was delivering in this way. She felt empowered, almost at ease if she had not been in so much pain- and the physical pain was agony, but the thoughts of holding her baby in her arms made it bearable. And she wanted this baby. She wanted them in her arms, and the wanting gave her a razor-sharp focus in which nothing else in the world mattered. And so she worked, for how long she did not know, comforted and encouraged by the presence of her husband until she felt the baby's head crowning. Clutching his hand through one last contraction, she gasped.

"Edward, I can feel the head".

Gently untangling himself from her, he moved to the end of the bed where, after kissing her knee, he parted her legs to reveal a head emerging with a little tuft of slicked-down hair. He could not help the grin which spread over his face.

"Our baby is almost here, darling. With the next contraction the head will be born, but do not push too hard, we do not want this part happening too fast".

She nodded, leaning back against the pillows and lifting her legs so that her feet rested against her husband's shoulders. The towels beneath her were soaked a dark crimson, more crimson than Edward had seen from his previous position. The realisation shook him. Laying down fresh towels over the blood-stained ones, as much for cleanliness as for his own peace of mind, he watched his wife throw her head back as another contraction moved through her. She pushed gently, even though the urge inside of her was to push as hard as she could, and she heard her husband chuckle once in amazement as his hands cradled the small head.

"That's the head, darling" he encouraged, "Just one more good push, Jane, and this will all be over".

She beamed in excitement, drawing a quick breath as her chest rose and fell dramatically. When Edward looked up at her, she saw for the first time that his hands were covered in blood, yet he could not have appeared less bothered by it. His only look was one of focus. And then Jane felt the last of her contraction pains come, and when the moment arrived in which she needed to push a deep groan rumbled in her throat and then mouth as she pushed, and pushed again, until in one instant all of the feeling and pressure and pain stopped entirely.

For a few seconds there was nothing but silence.

Dazed and exhausted, Jane pulled herself with her elbows into a seated position from which she could see her husband holding a small, bloody bundle in his arms. His eyes were amazed, and adoring, and wet as he wiped their child's face with the cloth in his hand. And then a shriek cut the air, and both parent's faces' broke into relieved smiles. As they looked up at each other, Jane witnessed an emotion on Edward's face that she had never seen before. And thought it was a moment which was seared instantly onto her heart, and one which she thought of time and time again over many years, she never could have put it into words.

"We have a son" he uttered in amazement, wrapping their boy in a blanket before moving forward to hand him to Jane. Her chest shook with emotion as she took the baby in her arms.

"Hello" she whispered, stroking his cheek and then kissing his forehead. "Hello, my love. Welcome to the world"

Utterly entranced, she hardly registered the weight of her husband as he sat down on the bed beside her, putting his arm around her.

"You are going to be so, so loved. You already are. You have no idea".

Unable to stop the tears which fell from his eyes, Edward brought his lips to his wife's temple, hesitating before drawing back.

"Well done, sweetheart" he whispered, his voice choked with emotion, "Thank you".

She chuckled once, and her laughter turned into tears as he bent his head to kiss their son.

"Look at him, Edward"

He nodded, bringing his hand to smooth the top of his head.

"He is perfect".

With her son cradled safely in her arms, Jane was able for the first time to take in the scene around her. She heard the fire crackling in the grate on the other side of the room, she felt how her nightgown clung uncomfortably to her damp, sweaty skin which was made more uncomfortable by the wetness of the blood-soaked towels beneath her, and yet she could not have been happier.

"Edward?"

"Mhm?"

"No more babies"

He chuckled,

"No more babies for at least ten years, maybe longer...maybe forever"

"Alright, darling" he promised, kissing her cheek in assurance.