"Don't apologize," Ross insists immediately, pacing outside of the stable gates as he squints under the bright sun in search of the taxi he's called.
The seconds between dialing Demelza's number and hearing her voice had been agony. He'd felt as though a spike of fear had pierced directly into his chest and even though he's forced himself to remove that fear from his voice while talking to Demelza, Ross can't help the way his hands are trembling. There's nothing to truly be afraid of, he knows, Demelza will soon be taken to the hospital where she and the baby will be safe, where they'll be surrounded by doctors who know exactly how to care for her, doctors who won't abandon her to give birth in a room with anyone who will drop their baby on his head. Her head. It doesn't matter, either way.
"And of course you'll be okay," he continues, bringing his free hand to rub at his brow. "There's no other option, is there? You have to be and so does the baby. Demelza, we'll get to meet our son or daughter soon. I'll have Abby bring your bag and Julia, and we'll be together as a family. Doesn't that sound grand? Our little family, growing ever larger."
They'd come so close to not having this, too close to having to mourning, and Ross had spent only a day engulfed in heartbreak for his daughter but it'd been a day too long. Now, they'll welcome new life into the world, a second child they'd created together not because that's what would be expected from them but because they love each other. Carrying a child isn't Demelza's duty, not as a woman nor a wife, and Ross would never imply that to be so. This child was created out of their love, and he or she will be loved, wholly and fiercely, for as long as Ross is alive. The same is true of Demelza and Julia, it always will be.
"I can see my taxi," he says suddenly, lifting his hand to signal at the driver. "Has the ambulance arrived yet, love? Is that woman still there with you, she hasn't left, has she?"
no subject
The seconds between dialing Demelza's number and hearing her voice had been agony. He'd felt as though a spike of fear had pierced directly into his chest and even though he's forced himself to remove that fear from his voice while talking to Demelza, Ross can't help the way his hands are trembling. There's nothing to truly be afraid of, he knows, Demelza will soon be taken to the hospital where she and the baby will be safe, where they'll be surrounded by doctors who know exactly how to care for her, doctors who won't abandon her to give birth in a room with anyone who will drop their baby on his head. Her head. It doesn't matter, either way.
"And of course you'll be okay," he continues, bringing his free hand to rub at his brow. "There's no other option, is there? You have to be and so does the baby. Demelza, we'll get to meet our son or daughter soon. I'll have Abby bring your bag and Julia, and we'll be together as a family. Doesn't that sound grand? Our little family, growing ever larger."
They'd come so close to not having this, too close to having to mourning, and Ross had spent only a day engulfed in heartbreak for his daughter but it'd been a day too long. Now, they'll welcome new life into the world, a second child they'd created together not because that's what would be expected from them but because they love each other. Carrying a child isn't Demelza's duty, not as a woman nor a wife, and Ross would never imply that to be so. This child was created out of their love, and he or she will be loved, wholly and fiercely, for as long as Ross is alive. The same is true of Demelza and Julia, it always will be.
"I can see my taxi," he says suddenly, lifting his hand to signal at the driver. "Has the ambulance arrived yet, love? Is that woman still there with you, she hasn't left, has she?"