11. Emergency Operation
For Immediate Release -
At 4:35 PM, the Duchess of Inverness was delivered a son weighing nine pounds, four ounces and measuring 54 centimetres in length at the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London. Both the Duchess and her son are doing well.
Attending the birth were HRH Prince Paul the Duke of Inverness, the baby’s father, and Dr Constantin Morris, the consultant on duty. The Duke and Duchess would like to extend their gratitude to all of the staff at St. Mary’s Hospital for their support. The couple will remain in hospital for the meantime as the Duchess recovers.
The baby, His Royal Highness Prince Keir Robert George James of Inverness, is the third in the line of succession behind his father and the Princess of Wales. The King and Queen are delighted to hear about the birth of their third grandchild and wish his mother a swift recovery from her labour.
It was never going to be easy. Natalie never expected it to feel good watching her sister-in-law cradle a baby while feeling so empty. She and Ed discussed this scenario to death. They prepared for it. And, yet, it was still so hard to imagine until she was staring down the nose at the baby. Sanne was tired but joyful. Paul bounced off the walls with energy that should have been prohibited by statute.
While it was difficult to feel happy when she felt so lost, Natalie reminded herself she could feel many things at once. Ed rubbed her back. He handled it surprisingly well. She’d expected more negativity from Ed but he was in full uncle mode. Natalie had a biological need that she couldn’t meet. There was a hole deep down.
“Nat, you should hold him!” Paul insisted.
Of all the family, Paul “got” it less than anyone. Paul’s childlike love of people and children made him struggle with how one could be so opposed to holding a baby. He’d never turn the offer down. He was always digging in to help people. It wasn’t out of malice or a lack of care for the infertility that Natalie and Ed admitted to. It was just Paul being Paul.
“Maybe in a little bit. I don’t want to hog him,” Natalie said. “And I’m going to go get something to drink.”
She popped up to find her father making drinks in the kitchen.
“What are you doing in here? I thought you would be the one hogging the baby, Daddy.”
“I did plenty of that yesterday. I relented and am letting your Uncle Duncan spoil him mercilessly. I should ask you the same.”
Natalie shrugged.
“I’m sorry it hurts, sweetheart,” Robbie said. “It gets better over time.”
“Does it? Because it’s hitting me in a way I didn’t anticipate, Dad. I prepped for this. I just came off an unexpectedly complicated flight and saving the day and I’m still unsatisfied.”
“Your mother can tell you this better than I can, but a pregnancy announcement still makes her twinge with jealousy. Yes, even at our age. Aunt Rebecca had such an easy time and… we struggled. It wasn’t that we didn’t love their children or we weren’t happy. It was hard in a way no one prepared us for. It’s okay to admit that. But think of it this way, Nat. That baby is different. Even Paul and Sanne don’t know why yet.”
“I don’t buy that at all,” Natalie shook her head. “I will treat them all the same.”
“You can tell yourself that, Natalie, but it doesn’t work that way.”
“Is that why I still disappoint you daily?” She said it as a joke, but there was more than a modicum of truth there.
“You have never been a disappointment to me, Natalie,” Robbie said. “You have been frustrating, challenging, amazingly brilliant, and frightening. I have felt pride and awe. I wish I could be you some days. You’re braver than I ever could be and shrewder at strategy. You’re a better leader. Overall, I have never been disappointed. I prepared to leave this to George for years, but even then… it didn’t turn out how I planned.”
“So, like I said, pointless.”
“Natalie, you weren’t the one we saw coming. You weren’t the one we asked for, perhaps, but you were the one we needed. The institution remains in your hands. It will continue and thrive. And that baby… he’s your future, Natalie. So, maybe think about it that way. He needs you to tell him he’s going to be a good leader. You must love him and give him a place to confide.”
“Like Uncle Duncan was for me?” Natalie asked.
Robbie shrugged. “I never thought about it that way, but yes. You know, it used to make me mercilessly jealous to watch you bond with him. You told him everything. He knew you so much better than I did. All because you two spent all those flight hours together. You had so much in common.”
Natalie chuckled. Her father passed her a drink.
“I was the son he never had.”
“You two are so alike. It made sense, but don’t think for a minute I wasn’t jealous that he got to teach you to fly. You’ll probably feel that way if he wants to learn. And that’s okay. But don’t let up. Be the adult he trusts that he needs, okay? We are blessed to be so big and have so many wonderful people.”
“What is this?” Natalie said.
“Old fashioned. Your mother bloody well demanded it. She’s in a mood today.”
“Daddy, what did you do?”
“Why is it always me?”
Natalie sipped the drink and he sighed. “I got into it with a member of the press this morning—on your behalf. Meredith smoothed it over. We need to release the statement, Natalie. You are right.”
“I look at Sanne and Paul. They are so happy, Daddy. I cannot harm them with this ugly news. Okay? We need to wait.”
“Fair, fair. God, Paul is the proudest father.”
“Reminds me of Uncle Duncan when Nora was born. It’s precious. I am so happy for them, even if I am hurting.”
“Go out there, hold the baby, cry later,” Robbie said. “Trust me when I say it will get easier. But it will probably always hurt like a bitch at first.”
Natalie nodded and took her drink to the living room. She brought her mother’s too. Her mother now held Baby Keir in her arms. He was snuggled tight like a burrito, sucking away on a dummy. Natalie sat the drink down.
“An old fashion, as demanded. Dad made me one, too.”
“Thanks, honey,” Vanna said.
The baby opened his big blue eyes and looked up. Natalie couldn’t feel anything but good feelings. It still hurt like a bitch, as Robbie said, but how could you be upset with a face like that?
“Take him. Give my arms a break,” Vanna insisted.
She wasn’t being honest. She could have held the baby for days but everyone wanted Natalie to try.
“Well, okay, if no one is fighting me for him,” Natalie finally agreed.
She gingerly picked up the baby. Ed gave up his seat so she could sit.
“He’s Paul’s mini,” Natalie said. “Baby K, you are your father’s spitting image.”
“Unfair,” Sanne sighed. “Totally unfair.”
“I would agree with that. Paul was the only proof I contributed half of the genetic material to these four,” Vanna joked. “The twins are like two sides of the same coin. And the coin is Robert.”
“The Lyons genes are strong as hell,” Duncan chuckled. “He’s a big baby. Like his father, I suppose. Paul, you were a hell-raiser.”
“He was bloody adorable and downright exhausting,” Robbie returned.
He handed Sanne a drink.
“Oh, see, look at this. First-star service. But I get nothing, Dad?”
“Make your own beverage. You’ve done nothing all day. Your Mum and Uncle Duncan have shouldered this burden,” Robbie chuckled.
Sanne and Natalie snickered.
“You always gotta take the piss,” Paul sighed.
“Get used to it. He’ll be as relentless as you were, my son,” Robbie said. “From two until seven, you were a walking middle finger. Welcome to parenthood.”
“I’m goingto die if this baby doesn’t exit my body today,” Lucy whinged.
“Luce, it will happen. He’s not even due for another week.”
“I know, I know. But Jesus this time has been worse. So much worse, Tony.”
Lucy was tired. She and Winston were in bed following what could hardly be called a rousing lovemaking session. If they would get a badge for said sex, it would have said, “I tried.”
That was sex at the end of one’s pregnancy. Lucy was, again, mercilessly horny. She was also bored out of her gourd. Winston was busy building a new animal sanctuary on the edge of the family estate while Lucy was unable to go far. She would soon be tied down with two under two in a castle and in a place where she knew no one. The only person she knew at this point was one of the board members—Rose Worthington-Benton—an English transplant who had married a prominent local barrister. She was a society darling who wanted to introduce Lucy to all the ladies in Edinburgh—The Ladies Who Lunched. Lucy felt unattractive and miserable, so it wasn’t going well.
This pregnancy kicked Lucy’s arse. It was better than Malcolm’s, fortunately.
Winston cupped Lucy’s face and kissed her slowly. “I wish I could stay in all day with you. Unfortunately, there will be a riot downstairs if we do so.”
“Can you not make an excuse, say I’m feeling unwell, and you must care for me? Your mum will understand, Tony.”
He thought for a moment. “Fine. I suppose I could play hooky and let Mac have the day with the grandparents and Aunt Bernadina.”
Lucy smiled broadly. It was all she wanted. She’d been saying all she wanted was more time with Malcolm before the new baby came, but today, she just wanted Winston to herself. It felt pressing. It was as if he was about to disappear into the parenting forest again. She just wanted to be loved and adored for a moment—just as Lucy and not as the woman incubating his child.
Winston disappeared. Lucy’s phone vibrated. It was Nat.
Natalie
You still surviving, love?
Lucy
Slowly. God, I need this baby to come. I am irrationally jealous of Sanne.
Natalie typed for a bit.
Lucy
I’m sorry. I didn’t think about how that must feel.
Natalie
It’s fair. I’m irrationally jealous of you both, but that’s just my life right now.
Lucy
I think about you every day. I miss you so much.
Natalie
Same. The minute Winston calls us, we are getting on the plane and coming right to you. Promise, Luce.
Lucy
I am so relieved to hear that. I need you here to run interference. You are the best at that.
Natalie
I promise to use my powers for good. Tell Winston to take care of you in the meantime.
Lucy
He is. Love you.
Natalie
Love you, too, darling. XX
Lucy smiled as Winston padded back and dove into bed next to her.
“You’re having a hard time. A dreadful day, darling,” he said.
Lucy giggled. He kissed her slowly in a way that would have made her weak in the knees. One thing she could say about Winston was that he never baulked when she was pregnant. He still worshipped her body. She felt lucky. She knew it wasn’t always that way for others. Her sister said she and her husband hadn’t had sex the entire time she was pregnant. Lucy couldn’t have handled that.
Winston played with Lucy’s nipple, sliding his fingers over it. She moaned a bit.
“You must keep it down if we are to keep up the ruse,” Winston kissed her neck.
“I will be good. I promise.”
“You’re always good, Lucy.”
Winston moved his hand between her legs, completely ignoring that she was the size of a bloated tick and the fact that he’d just cum inside her half an hour before. He wasn’t squeamish. She moaned louder, trying to keep it under wraps but Lucy was never quiet during sex. She was known to lose her mind, full-on eyes-rolling-back-in-the-head, screaming as she came. It was impossible.
“Oh, you’re not going to make it, are you?” Winston asked. “Damn, Luce, you want to fight it, but you can’t.”
“I don’t want to fight it,” she panted. “I am just trying to keep it down.”
“Cum for me, then,” Winston said.
He hit the most blessed spot with his fingers. She would cu hard. She couldn’t hold back. He covered her mouth as she climaxed.
Lucy came strong, filtering back into the pillow. It felt like heaven. She was positively orgasmic when pregnant. This was no exception. Winston flipped her over on her side and slid inside her, pulling her hips back towards him possessively. Lucy moaned again.
Then, she felt something else.
“Winston, stop!” Lucy said.
He kissed her neck, thinking he should play along.
“No, really, stop. I… I think my water just broke.”
“You just squirted?—”
“No, I think my water broke I feel like I’m leaking. You must stop.”
“Shit,” Winston hopped up and panicked.
“Stop panicking. Let’s get dressed and get out the door. I must get to the hospital. This baby is not going to wait long.”
They feverishly dressed and fled the estate with little said to Winston’s family. A second baby was an easy situation. Lucy was just relieved to deliver at a hospital. Winston drove, nervous, but excited. Within ten minutes on the road, unable to move or distract herself, Lucy struggled with contractions. They hurt. They came on like a tsunami. She groaned and moved as much as she could. Winston took note of the timing.
Over the forty minutes that it took them to get to the hospital, Lucy’s contractions went from ten minutes apart to five. This baby wasn’t going to wait. Winston dropped Lucy at the door and raced to find a parking space. Lucy doubled over in pain. An older gentleman on his mobile phone looked over.
“Miss, are you having a baby?”
Lucy could only nod.
“Do you need help?”
“My husband is… parking the car,” she said. “I am having a baby like… now.”
“Tom, I’ll ring you later. There’s an American lass here about to have a baby.”
He hung up and raced in, grabbing a wheelchair. She thanked her lucky stars for his generosity.
“Where is the baby and mother’s ward?” He asked a desk attendant.
The attendant barked out directions and the Good Samaritan raced her to the correct elevator. Lucy texted Winston that she would meet him in the ward.
“I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you,” Lucy choked out between ever-closer contractions.
“I have three of my own. My daughter has two. I couldn’t leave you there. It’s awful they make it so difficult to find a space.”
Lucy nodded. “Yeah. Still, they at least don’t leave you to die if you cannot pay.”
“You’re far from home, lassie. Where is that?”
“London,” Lucy replied. “I’ve been gone from the States for more than a decade. Home is London.”
“And you’re up here?”
“My husband is a Scot,” I replied. “Born here. So, our kids will be, too. We have a wee bairn, as you’d say. He’s twenty months now.”
“Oh, you’ve got your hands full.”
“We do, yes.”
The doors opened to the maternity ward. A nurse must have been tipped off because she was waiting to rush Lucy away. The man stuck with her.
“I’ll wait until your husband gets you here if you’d like.”
“You’re too kind,” Lucy said as the nurses gathered her paperwork and took her skyrocketing blood pressure. “What is your name?”
“Niall,” he said.
“And why are you here?”
“My mam’s sick. This is a good distraction.”
“I hope she is better soon,” Lucy said.
“Thank you.”
“Are you the grandfather?” Another nurse approached. “Father?”
“Just a friend,” Lucy said.
“You cannot come back with her.”
“I’ll leave you then. Her husband is on the way.”
“Thank you, Niall. Bless you and your kindness,” Lucy said.
The man faded into the distance. Lucy would never forget him—not in a million years. The nurses popped her on a bed in triage and checked her cervix.
“You’re in transition. This baby is coming now,” the nurse said. “We will get you a room by then if we can.”
Lucy grinned and bore the pain.
“I am sorry we cannot get you any pain relief now, love,” a nurse said.
“It’s okay. Last time, the baby came so fast, I gave birth at home. This is infinitely better.”
“So, yer a pro then?” Another nurse said.
“I can only hope my husband parks the damn car so he doesn’t miss it.”
Almost as if on cue, Winston arrived.
“Oh, good, you made it up here,” he was breathless. “Parking was a bloody nightmare.”
“Deep breaths,” Lucy said.
“That is what I am here to tell you,” Winston kissed her forehead. “I am so sorry.”
“A nice stranger helped me up,” Lucy said.
“She’s almost crowning,” a nurse called. “Last name is Ferguson.”
“Midwife will be here to catch the baby shortly,” another said.
Lucy nodded.
“Wow, you are… expedient,” Winston marvelled.
“I warned you, Tony. This always happens fast.”
The moments to follow happened in a flash. Lucy screamed a bit as her body shook in transition. She’d been here before. She felt the need to push and that her body might split in two. Three pushes later a baby’s screams filled the room. It was another boy. Lucy had a gut feeling it would be.
He was laid on her stomach, still in triage. Lucy couldn’t care less. It was better than on her bedroom floor, a vet at her feet. The baby’s sweet face looked up at them. She and Winston looked on, both tearful. This moment never got old. She’d do it dozens more times if it was this easy. Their son was perfect.
“Does he have a name?” The midwife asked.
“Niall,” Lucy replied.
“A family name,” Winston said.
“And the name of my Good Samaritan. It was meant to be,” Lucy said.
“Niall Edwin,” Winston said. “He’ll have a brilliant godfather, too.”
“He will,” Lucy said. “He’ll be so loved. By all of us.”
It is with great pleasure that we announce the birth of our grandson, Master Niall Edwin Nathan Ferguson, in Edinburgh. He was born this morning after only a short labour to the Countess of Lauderdale with the Earl of Lauderdale at her side. The baby weighs eight pounds, twelve ounces and measures 53 centimetres. He is a joy. Our family is blessed again with our third grandchild. His older brother Malcolm is over the moon. Mother and baby are recovering well.
-The Duke and Duchess of Lauderdale