Under The Moon And Stars

Chapter 14

Seven Months Later

The pains started early in the morning waking Evie up. She woke Alexander who roused the house. Evie's mother and Lucy had arrived two weeks prior to help Evie and to be there for the birth. The two women came to Evie's room immediately. It lasted hours, the pain wasn't that bad at first but increased in intensity as the day went on. Around 3:00 that afternoon Abigail sent a servant to get the doctor; the time was getting closer. Once he arrived, he gave strict orders that no one was allowed in the room except Abigail and Lucy.

Evie had never felt pain like this before. The closer and more intense the pain got, the more frightened Evie became. She started calling out for Alexander. Once again, the doctor told her that no men were allowed in her room. Evie continued to call out for him and begged the doctor to please bring her husband to her. He refused. Finally Lucy whispered that she would get Alexander and Evie calmed down a bit. She was shocked when Lucy came back alone and told her that Alexander had said that her room was no place for him right now and he would see both Evie and the baby after the birth. The irritation was clear in Lucy's voice and Evie began to cry. In that moment a thought popped in her head from nowhere. Natti would've come, she thought to herself. Natti would have come to her no matter what anyone said.

But it didn't matter. None of that mattered. Natti wasn't her husband. He wasn't the father of her baby. What he would or wouldn't do made no difference to the situation. Her mother came over to her and placed a comforting hand on her forehead. She told her that everything was alright. That the pain was normal and it would be over soon. The doctor examined her again and said that her mother was correct and that it was time to push. Abigail and Lucy stood on either side of her, both holding a hand and at the doctor's instruction Evie began to push. She pushed and rested when told to do so until finally the doctor said that one more push and she'd have her baby. Evie bore down squeezing Lucy and Abigail's hands as she pushed one last time.

Suddenly Evie heard the sound of her baby crying. Her mother had teared up, and the doctor looked at her with a smile and said, "You have a healthy baby boy." Evie smiled and laughed despite her exhaustion. Things happened quickly after that. Abigail and Lucy took and cleaned up the baby while the doctor finished taking care of Evie. Evie was cleaned up and the bedding was changed. Evie put on a fresh nightgown and was finally able to get back in her bed and hold her beautiful baby boy. She marveled at the love she felt for him, this beautiful being that she had created. She kissed his tiny face and snuggled him close when the door opened admitting her husband.

Evie couldn't find it within herself to be angry with him. She was too overwhelmed with love. Alexander was beaming from ear to ear when he looked down at his new son. The doctor asked what they were going to call him. "Miles," Evie said, still looking at her son. "We're naming him Miles."

Alexander gently kissed his wife's lips and carefully took the baby into his arms. "He's perfect Evangeline. Absolutely perfect." Evie agreed. Miles was perfect. Their life was perfect. She couldn't imagine being any happier than she was right then, with her husband and son.

Evie took to motherhood as the most natural thing on earth. Her mother stayed for the first week and then declared that Evie was more than ready to handle things on her own. She hugged and kissed her daughter and grandson and left for Surrey with Lucy. Evie hired a nanny, an older woman named Edna Fields, to help when needed.

When Miles was about three weeks old, she invited Natti to come visit. He arrived with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Evie and a wooden toy ship for Miles. Natti told Evie to save it for him, knowing a newborn had no use for toys. "I'll put it in his nursery," Evie told him. It'll decorate the room until he's ready to play with it." Evie took Natti to the nursery where she placed the toy on the windowsill and then reached into the cradle to pick up her son.

"Natti, I'd like you to meet Miles." Natti looked at the tiny baby cradled in his mother's arms and smiled.

"He's beautiful, Evie," Natti said. "Looks like he got his father's dark hair."

Evie laughed, "Yes, he does. We'll have to wait a bit and see what his true eye color is. Would you like to hold him," she asked?

"I would love to," he replied. Natti sat down in a large chair and Evie placed Miles in his arms. Natti smiled and gently rocked the baby in his arms.

"You're a natural," Evie said to him. Natti chuckled. Natti held Miles for several minutes and when Miles started to fuss a bit Evie took him back. She rocked him in her arms for a moment and Miles fell asleep. She placed him back in the cradle where she rocked him for a couple of minutes before kissing his cheek and stepping away.

"It looks like you are the natural, Evie," Natti said. Then he did something unexpected. He hugged and held her in his arms the way he used to before she was married. Evie gladly returned the hug sighing in contentment. She missed holding Natti more than she would ever admit, even to herself. It felt natural to be in his arms, it always had. "Congratulations, Evie," Natti said while still holding her. "No one deserves happiness more than you."

Evie teared up a bit. "Natti, you deserve it too." Natti didn't respond. He just held her a bit longer, gave her a kiss on the cheek and told her that he was going to leave so she could rest.

Evie was sad to see him leave, as she always was when they said goodbye. But today it was worse. No matter what Natti said, Evie could tell that he longed for a wife and children. She wished he would find a woman to love him the way he deserved. That girl would be the luckiest woman on the planet.