Chapter 35
"Will, wake up." Elizabeth called him.
Snore.
The man was snuggled spoon-like against her back with his five ton arm around her, holding her in a way that made it particularly difficult for her to move. "William, your mobile." She elbowed him on the ribs.
Groan.
This time she escaped his hold and turned around so she could shake him awake.
"William," she spoke louder, "your mobile is ringing."
Darcy was usually an early riser, it wasn't difficult to wake him up, but when he was tired -and she was sure that the previous night's activities had left him exhausted- he slept like a rock. Cursing, a sleepy Elizabeth rose from bed and walked naked to the pile of clothes that had been left on the floor. She rummaged inside the pockets of his jacket until she found the item that had been piercing her ears.
"Hello?" She took the call.
"Lizzy?"
"Charles!" If she wasn't wrong, it wasn't even six in the morning yet, a very unusual hour for Charles Bingley to wake up.
"Is William there?"
"Yes, he's still sleeping. Is there something wrong?"
"No, yes, well, actually, Jane is in labor."
"Is she all right?" She asked, worried. For what she knew, Jane was due in two weeks and Charles didn't sound tranquil, in fact, he sounded like a man that was about to be a father for the first time.
"I don't know. Your mother says she is. She has been having pains for the last two hours and her water broke. We're taking her to the hospital."
"All right, we'll meet you there."
"It's not necessary, we'll … what? Oh, shit … I'm coming … " He was obviously talking to his wife right now and then back to her, "… Lizzy, I must go, I …"
"Chuck," Elizabeth tried to sound reassuring on hearing his panicking voice, "she'll be all right. We'll see you at the hospital. Send her our love."
"Lizzy, what happened?"
Elizabeth closed the mobile and looked at Darcy, who was leaning on his elbows, very disheveled, looking back at her. "Jane's in labor."
He blinked, twice.
When she realized he was not going to react, Elizabeth started dressing herself. Darcy fell back on the pillows with a loud groan.
"Aren't you going to get dressed?" She asked, sounding annoyed.
"Do I have to?" He answered, sounding sleepy and rebellious.
"William!" Elizabeth cried in disbelief, "Jane is in labor, I must be there for her!"
Growl.
She sat on the bed to put her stockings on, with her back to him. "All right, you continue to sleep. I'll go on my own. I'll …"
Darcy grabbed her by the waist and a screaming Elizabeth was thrown back over the pillows. "You aren't going anywhere without me, lassie."
Elizabeth was imprisoned in his arms, unable to move, giggling and struggling to free herself while he noisily kissed her ear. "William! Jane's in labor!"
"So?"
"She's having a baby and I want to be with her!"
"Her husband will take care of her. Your mom is there too, so, as you see, she's not on her own."
Now he was nibbling her neck and his hand was fondling her breast. "William, stop, I want to go too, she's my best friend."
She didn't sound very convinced of her own words, actually, her protests sounded more like a purr than a plea.
"All right," he patted her belly and kissed her nose the instant she stopped resisting him, "if that's what you want, we'll go." With that, he released her and headed towards the bathroom, leaving a slightly aroused Elizabeth lying alone in bed, observing his cute butt as he walked away.
"Bastard."
"Virginia looked clearly upset." Elizabeth told her mother as she helped herself to a glass of cold water from the dispenser.
"Really?" Good gossip, that was something that Amanda absolutely adored.
Elizabeth leaned in and spoke in a conspiracy tone, whispering so no one else would hear her critiquing her half-sister, especially Darcy, who was apparently asleep on one of the benches, and who would certainly be annoyed if he did overhear. "Absolutely, she did very little to conceal it. She's fat, mom, and not very pretty. And that dress! You should have seen her! Horrible. I don't understand how it is that someone with so much money could buy something like that. It surely probably cost a fortune but she looked absolutely ridiculous in it."
"How odd, John's wife was a very elegant woman, from what I remember. How did she allow her daughter to wear something like that?"
"You met her?"
"Not personally, but she came to visit your father at the theatre a couple of times. Very classy." Amanda commented as she filled her glass with water. "So they left, just like that? Quite rude of them, don't you think?"
"Yeah, maybe," Elizabeth replied with very little interest, "William says they were nervous, I know I was, so he's probably right, though I'm not sure."
Amanda would never miss the chance to join her daughter in her critiques about John's
other kids, if it was only to be supportive of her Elizabeth, but if her adored prospect of a son-in-law said so … "Well, he knows them better than you, doesn't he?"
"Anyway, I think it was better that way, we were able to discuss things more openly. I liked Dorothy's idea, though."
"Where were you when Charles called? We checked your room and you weren't there."
Elizabeth glanced quickly in her man's direction, he was stretched out on one of the benches of the waiting room, hands linked over his chest, sleeping. He looked very much like a mummy when he slept like that.
"In a hotel. William was too sleepy to drive back to Pemberley, so he preferred to stop."
"He's so responsible, such a fine man." Amanda sighed, so proud and happy for her daughter.
The Mummy opened one eye and smiled. His 'little thing' was not only lovely and sexy and beautiful and had the most perfectly shaped ass in the world, but she was also smart and discreet and so, so bright. He absolutely loved her, even when she was being unnecessarily vicious with her half sister. And she was right. Virginia's dress was indeed horrible.
As they returned to their seats, Elizabeth described to her mother John's house, then they discussed the decorations, the food, then Elizabeth's meeting with Anthony Hopkins, Virginia's dress -again-, and their plans for tonight's New Year's Eve dinner. All the time, Darcy, who was drifting between consciousness and slumber, marveled at the ability that mother and daughter had to chat uninterruptedly about the most absurd and diverse topics, jumping from one subject into another, practically not stopping to breathe and sometimes making no sense at all. Elizabeth could be a Lucas in appearance, but her tongue was pure Gardiner.
For nearly two hours, there were no news from Jane. Charles was in the room with his wife -he had been there with her since they arrived at the hospital, 5 hours ago- and now Jane's obstetrician had joined them for another check up. This one was coming quite slow, that's what the last report said, so everyone -except the father- had to wait outside so they wouldn't contribute to the future mother's anxiety.
The peace of the supporting team was disturbed when a very pale Charles Bingley came out of his wife's room, accompanied by a nurse.
"Charles!" cried Elizabeth and rushed to him. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing serious. We were giving Mrs. Bingley an injection and he almost fainted." said the nurse as he helped the actor to sit down.
The actor had always been sensible to the sight of needles, but in his wife, that wasn't something he could handle.
"Mr. Bingley," said the nurse before leaving. "It will be better if you wait outside until Dr. Pratt finishes his examination. We'll call you when you can come in."
Charles nodded and sat on the chair, holding his head with his hands. "I've never been so nervous in my life."
"Is she all right?" Elizabeth asked him.
"I don't know anymore. She says she's fine, the doctor says she's fine, but I can see she isn't. There's no dilatation so they'll try to induce it with drugs." He shuddered as he recalled the examination. "Now they are monitoring the baby. If everything is fine, they'll try a natural birth, if not they'll make a C-section."
"Don't worry so much, darling, there's nothing to be afraid of. I've been through that twice, and it's not as bad as it looks. This is a fabulous hospital and she has the best doctors assisting her. She'll be all right, you'll see." Amanda sat by the actor's side and took his hand, which she patted reassuringly. During these days she had stayed at Pemberley, she had grown very fond of the Bingleys, they were almost family, sentiment that was reciprocated by the actor and his wife.
Charles smiled faintly and leaned his elbows on his knees. For some time, they all waited. The doctor came and told them that the baby was fine and that they would try a natural birth. That didn't happen immediately, of course, it took several hours. Charles returned to his wife's side and Darcy and Elizabeth, who decided to stay and accompany their friend in his agony, asked Amanda to go to Pemberley so she would help Georgiana prepare everything for the small New Year's party they were going to host that night.
At 6:45PM on December 31, Sophia Bingley was born to the utter joy of her exhausted parents. The birth wasn't easy but Jane showed a strength and calmness that surprised everyone. Her husband was always there, encouraging her, supporting her and soon so much effort and unconditional love was rewarded when husband and wife were finally able to see and hold that tiny, bluish, swollen little bundle that was their daughter.
At Pemberley, everything was excitement when they arrived. The Fitzwilliams were already there, Richard, his wife and their two kids, and the couple was bombarded with inquiries as soon as they entered the house. How Jane was, what the baby looked like, how Charles had endured all this. They answered a few questions and then rushed for the bedroom to shower and change so that they could return to enjoy the festivities with their family.
This New Year's dinner was emotional to say the least. Though tired because of the lack of sleep and the long hours they stayed at the hospital accompanying Charles, both Darcy and Elizabeth couldn't have been more happy with how everything was evolving between them. If was as if their little 'chat' at the inn had settled any doubts and insecurities they had about the other's feelings and they were finally able to enjoy and dream and plan a future together.
For Amanda, things couldn't be coming out better as everything she had wished for was finally happening: her family was finally settling down and the future seemed prosperous and joyful for her and her daughters. Lizzy was happy, her life was getting better every day, the so-dreaded reunion with her father was less traumatic than she had imagined and she had found this marvelous man that loved her so much. The only one whose situation was still 'unstable' was Lydia. Her youngest daughter had changed a lot during her stay at Pemberley, she improved. She wasn't sure if this was just a phase or not, if she could really trust her, but Amanda sensed that Liddy was making progress and that, hopefully, she had found, in her elder sister and her boyfriend, an example to follow.
Midnight came and the countdown began. The New Year started and they all mingled in tearful and joyful embraces. Of course, Darcy's kiss to Elizabeth was the longest and most passionate, Amanda's greeting the noisiest one, Georgiana's the most silent and Lydia the most pensive. Darcy, very fond of pyrotechnics, bought a small arsenal of fireworks that he and Richard -a rocket maniac too- released to say farewell to the old year and welcome the new one. And what a selection Darcy had acquired, the Millennium Pack, as the box said. So the family stayed on the terrace, observing the superb succession of multi-bursts and rainfalls illuminating the sky.
Darcy left the honors to his cousin and joined the women to enjoy the fireworks closer to his dearest. The first thing he did, was to go to his sister. As he approached her, Darcy couldn't help feeling strange, with a sense of loss growing in his chest for seeing her so grown, so much her own woman. But, at the same time, he was proud that she was finally becoming the strong, confident person she was now. Was it time to leave all his ghosts behind, to end his watch on her? He didn't know. Many things happened in the past that marked them both and while everything seemed all right now, there was always the fear that things could come back again.
Georgiana saw him coming and smiled. They exchanged meaningful glances and he put his arm around her shoulder at the same time she embraced his waist. He held her tight against his chest and kissed her cheek.
"Happy New year, my little rabbit." He whispered in his sister's ear.
Georgiana glanced up at him, a radiant smile on her face. She kissed his cheek too and parted just enough to sign a 'Happy New Year, my big bear."
"Did she hear you?" asked Elizabeth, who was standing next to the girl, amazed by Georgiana's immediate response to his words. She had seen her startle with the fireworks, react to loud sounds on several occasions and she always wondered if she could hear them or not.
Darcy shook his head. "She felt the vibration of my chest and my breath on her ear. She knows that I said something, she only guessed what."
"I don't think she guessed, William, she knew." Elizabeth had always marveled at this silent way they have of communicating, at the connection that existed between them. Sometimes no gestures were necessary, no signs, just a glance or a smile or a frown were enough for them to know what the other wanted to say.
He looked at his little sister and their eyes met in a wicked, knowing smile. "She knows?" Without averting his eyes from Georgiana's, he asked Elizabeth, "Do you really think she knows?"
Georgiana smiled at him, her adoration for her brother clearly evident in her eyes. Of course she knew what he said, because he always said the same. She was his little rabbit, he was her big bear and were these and many other things, little details that only the two of them knew and that probably the others would never understand what made their relationship so special.
Lee, Richard's little daughter, came running and grabbed Georgiana's hand, pulling her closer to her mother, who was watching the show with her son in her arms. And it was Elizabeth who took the place she vacated, standing in front of Darcy, leaning her back on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm. A few steps away, Amanda and Lydia were observing the fireworks illuminating the sky.
"What do you think Charles and Jane are doing now?" Elizabeth asked the man that was holding her so lovingly.
"Worshiping their little daughter, resting. Who knows? Charles, sounded very tired when we called him to wish him a New Year so maybe they are sleeping."
"I'm so happy for them."
"Me too. Charles has indeed changed since he met Jane. I think that this was what he needed to grow up and settle down. In spite of his fame and fortune, he had always lived a very miserable, empty life."
"Was he that bad? She asked softly.
Darcy shook his head slightly. "No. He had always been a good man, he only lost his way once, or twice. Or thrice."
"I would like to have a family, someday." She said pensively.
He smiled, but didn't reply to that statement. She was thinking about the future, and that was a good sign. A very good sign.
"Would you like to have one?"
Darcy lowered his head to kiss her cheek. "I would, yes."
Elizabeth turned slightly to look at him and when their eyes met, their smiles grew broader. Though neither said a word about what they were thinking, they read their own wishes in the other's eyes. Elizabeth knew for sure that this man would be the father of her children and Darcy was already imagining her as his wife. But it was too soon to talk about this, they knew it, so they kept these thoughts to themselves until the appropriate time to voice them came. They had a lifetime together ahead of them.
They stood there, observing the fireworks, Amanda standing close to them with Lydia while Georgiana and Victoria, Richard's wife, were slightly apart, taking care of the children as their father -excited as if he were a child too- lit up a new rocket.
"Lydia," Amanda asked her when she noticed that her youngest was walking away, "where are you going?"
"I was going for my jacket. It's cold out here."
"Would you bring mine, too?" Amanda smiled gently.
"Sure."
"Thank you, darling."
Lydia walked into the house and climbed the stairs that took her to their room. She went to the closet, fetched her jacket and her mother's coat. She was about to leave when she saw her mom's gloves on the night stand. Surely her mother would love to wear them as she liked to keep her hands warm.
It was when she went for them that she did something she shouldn't. Her eyes were drawn the phone next to the gloves and, almost unconsciously, she picked up the receiver. Dialing George's number was something she couldn't control and Lydia sat down on bed, too shaky and nervous to stand as she waited for him to answer the phone. It rang one, two, three times. Gosh, he wasn't home. Should she try his mobile? No, she shouldn't, she shouldn't be doing this, she …
"Hello?"
That was him and her heart almost stopped. "Hi, George."
There was a pause before he spoke. "Liddy?"
"Yes, it's me." She smiled.
"Liddy, sweetheart, how are you?"
"Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year, too. But, what a lovely surprise, tell me how you are, I …"
But George was interrupted by something … or someone. She heard him giggle and tell this someone that he was coming and by the way the words rolled clumsily out of his mouth that he wasn't completely sober. Now that her heart wasn't beating so madly, she was able to discern the background sounds, she heard music, laughs -women's laughs- and she realized that George was hosting a party.
"I'm sorry, honey, it's a little noisy in here," he said cheerfully, "It's so nice to hear from you again."
"Yes, thank you. Just wanted to wish you a Happy New Year." She said quickly, having a strong urge to end this phone call as soon as possible.
"Oh, Liddy, you don't know how much I missed you. I…"
"Have to go, George," She said, her panic raising, "Bye."
Lydia hung up the phone before giving him time to reply. She grabbed her coat, her mother's and ran out of the room as quickly as she could. She descended the stairs and walked to the terrace where she gave her mother her coat.
Amanda's arm went around her daughter's shoulders. "Oh, Liddy, isn't this just great?"
The girl nodded against her mother's shoulder.
Always perceptive to her daughter's moods, Amanda glanced at her. "Is everything all right, my dear?"
"Yes, mom, it is."
Charles leaned his shoulder on the window frame and stared into the night. Behind him, his wife rested peacefully and in the crib next to her bed, his little princess slept. He stole a quick glance in their direction, for he couldn't avoid looking at them every five minutes, they were so perfect, so beautiful. Jane, his angel, was still looking pale and tired from the labor but she was still the loveliest sight he had seen in his life and his baby, his little Sophie, she was perfection herself.
A move inside the crib directed his attention towards it. Sophie had turned her head to the other side. He walked closer and observed her as she slept, marveling that someone so tiny would be so strong. Today, not three hours after her birth, he had felt her little hand wrapping around his finger, he saw his wife feeding her for the first time and he helped Jane to change the first diaper. And with each one of these little miracles he wanted to weep with pride and happiness.
He stood by the crib and very carefully, he arranged the blankets around his little daughter. They were impeccable, but he just couldn't resist the temptation of doing it again and again.
"Charles." Jane's voice startled him out of his reverie.
"Angel."
"Is she all right?" She looked at the crib.
"She's sleeping." He walked towards the bed and sat next to her.
Jane turned slightly in bed, trying to find a more comfortable position. "And you, did you get any sleep?"
"I dozed off on the spare bed, but not much." He smiled and caressed her hair.
"Why didn't you wake me up? You spent New Year's Eve on your own."
"Not really. I had a great time watching you sleep. Will called, and my dad, and your parents, and my brothers and my agent sent me a text message, so as you see, I wasn't so alone." He smiled playfully.
"Come here, Charles." His wife took his hand and pulled him closer while making room for him in her bed. "Come here with me."
"If the nurse sees us, she'll kick me out of the hospital," Charles said as he lay in bed next to her.
"What? And miss the unique opportunity of having the most handsome man on earth on her shift?" Jane laughed, "I think the only reason why all the nurses of this floor are so anxious to take care of me is because they want to see you. I don't understand how it is that no one has asked for your autograph already."
"They did," Charles snorted, "while you were sleeping. The guy from the laundry. The little queer, he was so excited that I thought that he would wake you up."
Jane smiled and brought her hand to his cheek. For the last two months they had been at Pemberley, having little contact with the outside world, but now that they were at the hospital, Charles' celebrity status didn't pass unnoticed. Nurses were more to check on him than on her.
"Your dad said that he would like to come to England to meet the baby." He said.
"My dad?" Jane was all surprise. At the beginning, her father didn't approve of their relationship. When they traveled to Texas to introduce them to Charles, her parents were cold and distant and Jane, though she loved her family, was very hurt by their attitude.
"He said that he wants to see you, that he misses you a lot and that he wants to see his grand-child. I guess he's softening a little. He also told me that he watched The Secret of the Mountain too and that he enjoyed it, even if it wasn't the kind of movie he likes to see."
"Really?"
Charles grinned as he recalled his father-in-law's words, "He said that it wasn't that bad, that the background is impressive, and he asked me if all those acrobatics were done by stunt men. He'll probably watch my other movies too."
"Please, not that one about the drug dealers." Jane laughed. "He'll be shocked!"
"Maybe I should send him a list with the stuff he can see, so there aren't any problems."
She put her arm around his body as he put his about hers. At last they were able to hold each other without her belly keeping them apart. "I'm so glad that you two are finally getting along. Did you call Joan?"
"Janie," Charles sighed, repressing the urge of saying 'fuck Joan Rivers'. "Can't we just forget about the circus for a while? Once the press knows about this, the phone will start ringing and this time on our own would be over."
"I'm just reminding you of the promise you made to her."
"I'll call my agent tomorrow. He'll take care of that."
Jane sighed tiredly as her fingers entangled in his hair. "Are you happy?"
"The happiest man on earth."
She smiled and just the sight of her made his heart full. They kissed and held each other until their little princess reminded them that they were not alone in the room.
Charles rose from bed and went for his daughter. Very carefully, he lifted her in his arms and walked the short distance to the bed without taking his eyes from her tiny, lovely face.
"She's perfect, don't you think ?" He asked as he sat on his wife's bed.
"Like her dad."
"Like her mom." He corrected.
"Give her to me," Jane sat up and extended her arms. The baby immediately recognized her scent and became agitated.
"Do you think she's hungry?" Charles frowned as he gave her the child.
"I don't think so, she ate two hours ago."
Jane put the infant over her chest and after a few little cries, Sophia fell asleep again.
Charles observed them silently, smiling. This was his wife, this was his daughter and never in his life he had felt so much joy. He bent to kiss his wife's lips. "Happy New Year, my love."
"Happy New Year, Charles." She smiled too.