AnneShirleyBlythe-I hope you enjoy Rilla's response haha! I did have a bit of fun with it. She's a doctor's daughter I like to think she isn't that squeamish and willing to give him details if that's what he wants is details lol. I hope you enjoy this one!

Guest 1 -I am glad you are still enjoying this story and thank you for the lovely comments!

Lieutenant Kenneth Ford

ID 163322

10th Battalion

CEF,

France

July 12th 1916

Darling

I didn't know how to tell you, and you were right...I didn't want to worry you about my health. Father said it can happen to anyone and it was nothing either of us did to make it happen. I don't know actually what your mother wrote, but I wasn't on death's door. I had some complications during the birth and it took me a bit longer to get better, but most women do Kenneth.

Being with a child, and childbirth isn't easy Ken, for the most part up until March. It was relatively easy going, and even when my blood pressure was going up it didn't feel that different, but it kept going up and stayed up and Father did what he could to help me manage it. Yes, he bled him a few times a week, and I was on modified best rest for the most part but I could sit around in the living room. I could read, and have a visitor or two if they didn't exhaust me, and your parents came when it wasn't getting better and your mother stayed until the summer. As for the birth, was long and painful, but if you want to know what I didn't tell you is that there are surges, and spasms that start in your spine that creep around and make the womb contract, over and over again. There is a constant leak of fluid from the waters that surround the baby, your body feels like it is on fire and you shake sometimes from the adrenaline.

I lost a fair amount of blood, and Father had the other issues managed well enough that I came through. Father was mainly worried about me seizing from the blood pressure and gave me magnesium as soon as I went into labour to make sure I wouldn't. What he didn't expect was for me to hemorrhage and that is all fuzzy because of the amount of blood I was losing, but again he got it under control because he is used to such things.

In the end, I slept the day and woke up confused, sore and like a train rain over me. I also realized I had stitches….

Stitches Ken…in places no one ever wants stitches, ever.

But I am fine now, and there isn't any worry about relapses or fevers. Truly, I promise you that Ken.

I spend my days with Seffie, working around her waking hours and nursing. She is growing every day. She has grown an inch and a half whole inches and weighs ten pounds already Ken, every morning it's like a new surprise waiting for me when I pick her up when she wakes up.

She coos more lately and knows the sound of my voice, to the point if she can't see me, she'll turn her head in the direction of where it's coming from people say. She eats every two to three hours and doesn't mind being on a blanket on the floor either. Both Father and Morgan agree that neck control is an essential time of day for her, along with fresh air and nap time. However Morgan and Father disagree about feedings, Morgan thinks I should have her on a schedule and have her on it. If she is fussy about it, make her wait it out type of mentality, and Father believes that is cruel and unnecessary. 'If she's hungry feed her like you would feed yourself,' is always his advice. Of course, if she is fed, dry and nothing sticking into her, there isn't a reason not to let her cry for a few minutes as you finish something you were doing. Self-soothing is important, you can always peek in on her, or come into her line of view but you don't have to pick her up when she cries instantly sort of thing? Still, Morgan's books have a lot of useful information and tips and tricks for new mothers. Though sometimes I see both sides of the argument when I feel like I spent most of my day nursing her and exhausted by her crying and cluster feeds, but how can one ignore such a cry?

Truly, as much as I would consider it, I just couldn't fathom it, Ken.

Minnie comes to visit with Little Jim, he is not quite that little anymore but he is the sweetest boy. We finally introduced them, and let him hold her with help, oh it was so sweet Ken. He was like 'Baby?' And gave her a small kiss on her forehead, something I don't let anyone do, beyond family. ( Something Father of Morgan agrees with believe it or not!)

Mother is already plotting out how they are going to grow up together and grow up and fall in love one day. I am not entirely sure how I feel about that just yet, and I am sure you won't like it either.

I am going to lay down my pen now, Seffie is waking up and she will want to nurse and have her mid-afternoon meal. I enclosed a bunch of photos for you, one of them no one else should ever see but you, Minnie took it for me and had it developed. You will be able to see why. The other ones is her wearing a dress your mother made for her, it's adorable if highly impractical but it works lovely for church when we go. Lastly, we have a photo of me and Seffie together of course.

I love you and stay safe.

Kisses from both of us

Rilla and Seffie.

It was a glorious summer day when Rilla had company over for the first time since she had been put on bed rest.

"Oh Rilla is absolutely beautiful," Miranda gushes over the bassinet. "Look at those lashes."

"She is darling, truly," Betty agrees as all the girls crowd around. Alice Marjorie, and even Mary Vance are there as well. "What did she weigh?"

"Eight pounds," Rilla tells them. "She a good eater, decent enough sleeper and just happy as a clam most days?"

"Is it strange to know she's yours?" Marjorie asks curiously.

"A little at times, but I love her so it all feels completely normal most of the time?" Rilla tries to explain. "Mrs. Anderson comes with her little boy and he is sweet with her as well. Ken's parents finally went back home on the promise that I'll send them lots of photos and letters about her."

"Mother couldn't believe you named her Persephone, or that your parents or Ken allowed it in the first place," Betty tells her. "Seffie is an equally adorable nickname for her though as well."

"Is truly an ordeal as it sounds like it is," Alice asks, wide-eyed and curiously.

"You have no idea," Rilla says with a shake of her head. "But she is worth it, every moment of it," she adds to reassure her friends. "So what have I missed since my time upstairs?"

"Nothing much honestly, Laurie from over-harbour lied about being eighteen and enlisted, his mother is dead, and Father didn't care to correct them," Mary tells them. "Those triplets from harbour head as well as leaving."

"They had a parade for all the boys, Fred Arnold was marching it. He got engaged to some blonde girl from Lowbridge?" Alice tells her.

"How are your brothers and Ken doing?" Betty asks next.

"Well, Walter was awarded a medal for saving someone in no-mans-land," Rilla says proudly. "Jem is keeping safe and joking in his letters, he is excited to know he has a niece. Ken is over the moon and doing what he can to move up the ladder of command, and to stay safe as well."

The other girls nod and take their seats when Rilla notices it for the first time. "Alice…" she says reaching for her friend's hand where it glimmered in the sun.

"Oh, this…well, you see," Alice giggles. "Papa is making us wait and all, but Felix and I have been courting for about a year."

"You never said anything!" Rilla exclaims, as do the others and Alice blushes.

"A lot was going on, and for the first little bit I wasn't entirely sure if we were courting at all!" Alice tells them all.

"Is there anything else that I have missed?" Rilla asks next reaching for Seffie who was grunting before she settled her in her arms. The other girls shook their heads and reached for the iced tea that Susan had set out for them.

The girls filled her in on all the gossip and sewing group gossip as well. How Irene Howard had managed to eject herself from two other war sewing groups because she was stuck up and annoying. They caught her up on how they had planned a bizarre to help the war effort and hoped she would be able to come to it.

Rilla smiles and discreetly settles her infant at her breast through the carefully placed slits and opening of her blouse and undergarments and when the little one had her fill and was settled back into her basket. Rilla picked up the first bit of war effort sewing she had in the longest time.

The summer weeks go forth in humid weather and trips to the shore with her siblings, her birthday passes with pleasant fanfare of cake and presents but also small milestones from Seffie who smiles at her on the morning of her birthday. The twins stay busy with various war efforts and Shirley splits his time between home and cycling to his sweetheart's place, promising to bring her one afternoon.

Rilla had just finished cleaning up her room and baby things when she made it back downstairs when Shirley came home with his girlfriend. Tall, blonde, and pretty Rilla noticed from the top of the stairs for introductions.

"Mother, Father I brought you someone I wanted you to meet." He says looking at his sweetheart. "Clementine, these are my parents, Mrs. Anne Blythe, and Dr. Gilbert Blythe."

"It's nice to make your acquaintance," she says stepping up to them. "You have a lovely home."

"Thank you, we do enjoy it here," Mother smiles at her. "It was Clementine was it?"

"Clem for short please, everyone calls me Clem. Clementine is a mouthful," the young woman responds as Rilla takes a step down the stairs, announcing herself, Persephone in her arms in a little white sprigged gown, lacy bonnet and cotton booties.

"Rilla," Shirley says looking up at his sister. "Good, you are here! I have someone I want you to meet, here let me take hherfor you!"

"She is being extra needy and clingy, which is fine of course, but she probably won't want to go to you" Rilla explains but he motions anyway, and a moment after she does Seffie is loudly crying.

"Right, then," Shirley says awkwardly handing her back and watching the little one quiet down before clearing his throat and looking at his sweetheart. "Rilla this is Clementine, Clem this is my sister Rilla…her husband is fighting at the front so she stays here with us," he explains as if he hadn't before.

"It's nice to meet you," Clementine says quietly.

"Likewise, oh, umm this is Persephone, my daughter," she explains blushing motioning to the child in her arms to the blonde young woman who had taken her brother's fancy. Rilla looked her over for a moment, taking in the light pink dress on, and even had a cross around her neck like a good Christian girl often did.

"Shirley told me he was an uncle," Clementine says, nodding, "she looks sweet."

"She can be when she isn't crying," Rilla agrees. "Shirley says you work in a bakery?"

"My father's, my older sister got married and he needed someone at the counter, but I guess it worked out if I wasn't in school and Shirley took over as the teacher?" She says looking at Shirley with a blush and a smile. "Does your little one have a nickname?

"I call her Seffie," Rilla explained as she tried to turn her baby around so she was facing the room but she objected to it noisily and Rilla sighed and adjusted her on her shoulder. "As you said, names can be a mouthful as much as one can love it."

"Are you staying for dinner?" Mother looks at their guest and then her son and Shirley nods his head while his niece grizzles and Rilla looks lost on what to do as she tries to comfort the infant.

"Let me try and take her," Mother offers but as soon as Rilla tries an ear-piercing shriek rings out and Rilla sighs.

"If you wear her, rather than just holding her it might suit her better," Father says from his spot, but gets up and feels the back of the little one's neck and rubs the instead of her palm testing out a simple reflex that caught his finger without a skipping a beat and for a moment Seffie looks at him with big blue eyes. "Or you want some deep rumbling chest voice from Grandpapa?" He says motions to see if she would go to him and Rilla holds her breath as she does. She watches Father says something in a deep voice and Seffie stays quiet and cuddles into him.

"I think she is most likely missing daddy?" Clem says breaking the silence.

"I don't think that is entirely possible," Shirley says quietly.

"Ken has been at the front since last September, he's only seen photos of her," Rilla explains quietly.

"Oh course, my apologies," Clementine says wincing at her thoughtlessness.

"Are you staying for dinner?" Mother looks at their guest and then her son and Shirley nods his head.

"If it is all right with everyone," Shirley says looking to his parents and Rilla who shrugs.

"Well, then I will go sort out things in the kitchen and bring out some tea, Susan said she would be back by three," Mother explains looking at the clock.

"I have to do something quick in my office," Father says and the adults leave the younger people to themselves. Rilla reaches out for her child, but Father shakes his head saying he would keep her for now.

"Shirley says it's your birthday in a few days?" Clementine says eagerly trying to be a good guest once more "Birthdays are always fun aren't they?"

"I suppose so? When one isn't actively trying to give someone a birthday," Rilla says wryly as she looks down at her daughter. "Sorry, it's still all rather…fresh?" She tries to explain.

"It's understandable," Clementine says waving her off. "You must be turning twenty if Shirley just turned nineteen?"

"Clem," Shirley squeaks and Rilla looks at him sharply. Married, with a baby…of course, he would lie…but it hurt.

"Something like that," Rilla says unsure of what else to say at that moment and stands up and goes towards the window for a moment, catching a glimpse of Ken and her in a photo together on the old mantle.

"Clem…" She can hear her brother start. "Rilla isn't older than me, she isn't even older than you, it's not a story we like to talk about and I won't without her allowing it."

"It's fine Shirley," Rilla says quietly. "It's not like it's a secret, or you are worried about her parents finding out and thinking we're an unsuitable family?" Shirley doesn't say anything, and neither does Clementine. Rilla sighed, frustrated that this whole thing was still affecting her and her family after almost two years.

"Rilla," Shirley says awkwardly and Clementine stops him shaking her head.

"No one has to tell me anything they don't want to, but my head hasn't been in the sand either and if what I think it is, my family won't care. I only assumed you were older because Shirley said one of his sisters was married but living at home with her baby because her husband was at war. I just naturally thought it was an older sister. Yes, he talks about his younger sister and his older sisters, but he never actually said who was married, it's just sisters most of the time?" Clementine tries to explain. "Honestly I thought his younger one was at school with the other older one at college?

"You did tell her Nan and Di are twins right?" Rilla looks at her brother.

"You and Di could pass more of twins than she and Nan," Shirley points out. "Where are they anyway?

"Mrs. Meredith asked them to help with a church thing, Nan goes because of Jerry and Di…Di just wanted to not sew for an afternoon?" Rilla explains to him. "They'll be home for dinner."

Meanwhile in France

Early August 1916

"You look like you just read something that horrified you," Bleaker says coming next to his fellow Lieutenant in the trenches that was near Belgium.

"Read this…and please please tell me that…isn't real?" Ken says shoving the letter at his mate.

Bleaker raised one eyebrow and looked at the neat loopy writing. "Nice cursive,"

"Bleak," Ken gives him a warning look. "Just the first two paragraphs and two sentences below."

Bleaker nods his head and reads the script carefully before chuckling.

"What has you horrified Ford? That your wife described labour better than my wife did to me, or the fact that she spoke about stitches? You do know how large babies' heads are don't you?"

"But stitches?" Ken looks at him with wide eyes.

"Yeah, stitches, you will truly have to buy her something nice, and one day when we are out of this place. Well, you will just have to give them the proper attention as well as apologies."

"Pardon?" Ken swallows.

"Pardon what Ford? You're the one who got a baby into her, you should be well acquainted with the area.

"We had one night together Bleak, I spent more time making sure I wasn't freaking her out to try anything more than let her be in control," Ken says quietly.

"Well, at least you know what I'm talking about and don't have to drag you to a tavern next time we're in Paris. Don't look like that I know how you feel about that stuff," Bleak says rolling his eyes.

"Being faithful to my vow isn't just stuff Bleak," Ken puffs his chest lightly.

"Either way your girlie has some guts and sass to her, which means she won't put up with foolishness," Bleak tells him. "Most young mothers won't even utter things like that around their husbands. Maggie sure didn't the first time around."

"She's a doctor's daughter, they are a fairly open household. I was the foolish one thinking she was dying after waking up to her bleeding one night." Ken said gruffly not willing to admit that he was admitting such a thing.

Bleak was about to say something as suddenly the siren rang out and Ken looked at him, stealing back his letter and shoving it inside his jacket. Mask, where was his mask? Gun, bayonet?

A quick prayer to god in the heavens above was added to that mix of thoughts.

Machine guns sounded off as his small platoon of men were awaiting direction from him. He shouts out commands pointing and whispering one more prayer to the gods above him. The artillery smoke is already in the air and he goes to his spot crouching in the afternoon sun. Finger on the trigger of his rifle, he dodges the whizzing sound.

He closes his eyes thinking of the family he was doing this for, before opening them again.

A deep breath, and a steady motion and he only feels the kickback of the gun and not anything else.

Dogs are barking, and smoke is heavy around them. No German would be crazy enough to get close to them in the daylight.

Still, he hears screams and some too close for comfort.

Medic!

Officer down!

He can still hear the whistle of Bleaker above it all and he calls back. The ground rumbles as a shell hits them, far enough away not to cause damage, but close enough to feel the warmth and explosion of it.

Something hit the bicep of his arm and he hisses at the stinging pain. He can only think of the photo she sent him with the others of her in the rocking chair, head tilted away from the camera gazing down at their daughter who was at her breast nursing. He can understand why she didn't want this one showed off. It was intimate and personal, her robe off her shoulders, nightgown unbuttoned. It was curve of her breast, that had grown in size since that night of course. It was the look of love and fascination from Seffie to her mother as they locked eyes on each other.

It was beautiful and worth protecting until death.