As Mrs Fritz opened the door, the first thing she noticed was the sound of Lisa’s crying.
Mrs Fritz went into the room, still gasping from sprinting over. The sight she saw took her breath away and she felt faint. Bloodstains spattered across the rugs and sheets. The stains cast about with an accusatory eye, causing a sharp pain in her own.
Mrs Fritz sent Lisa away outside to get some air and then went over to Erna, who was sat on the bed, trying to compose herself. Tears flowed down the Grand Duchess’ cheeks in a great river of sadness.
“B-blood, s-suddenly…blood…” Erna screamed.
Erna had been getting intermittent pain for awhile now, but so long as she kept seeing signs that the baby was growing well, she endured it. It helped that Bjorn was there beside her, he had a presence that soothed her and allowed her to sleep. Though she would wake alone, the fact that there was a baby keeping her company, she was content.
She waited for Bjorn.
He would always repeat the same task for her.
Can I smile?
Erna repeated the task calmly, as if it were as easy as breathing, but when a question caught her off guard, she panicked. Gasping for air, she instinctively turned to her unborn child and stroked her stomach. She wanted to smile prettily for her child and she sought some sort of reassurance from her baby.
So that Mom can do well, even for you, please.
Did the baby hate such a mother? Erna let out a frustrated scream. Despite her best efforts to hold it back, she couldn’t conceal it, no matter how hard she bit her tongue.
“The doctor will arrive soon, hush now,” Mrs Fits said, sitting next to Erna doing her best to sooth the frantic woman.
Mrs Fritz sounded distant, as if she spoke from the next room. Erna nodded her head with difficulty as she sobbed, pressing her legs together, desperately trying to stop the blood.
After hearing the news that Bjorn had gone out, Erna decided to have a late breakfast, but no sooner had she taken a bite, than the pain started. Her heart raced from the anxiety and Erna decided to lay back down, hoping it would subside.
Despite the pain inside her, she felt like the child was coping well, it had the strength of its father. Erna found some comfort in this and felt she would be alright, she had to be.
After a while, the pain eased and when she got up to open the curtains, she felt something warm running down her leg. It took her a moment to realise that her foot were soaked in blood.
Bjorn.
She rang the bell frantically and called out his name. She knew he wasn’t there, but by saying his name, she could somehow protect her baby.
Bjorn.
The pain intensified and Erna called out more desperately. She was still waiting for him to come. If he could just come and tell her it was going to be alright.
Even if things weren’t going to be okay, just to have him beside her would be enough. The fear and the pain she was experiencing was unbearable and she longed to see him.
“Someone has gone to inform the Prince, he will be here soon. Just hang on a little bit longer, Your Highness, everything will be alright.” Mrs Fits said, her voice was trembling.
She wiped away cold sweat and tears from Erna’s face. Erna was a curled up ball of agony, but still managed a nod. Her little hands gripping a pillow with all her might.
Bjorn.
The only thing Erna could do was endure the pain and keep calling out Bjorn’s name.
*.·:·.✧.·:·.*
Passersby stopped and gawked as they caught sight of the Royal Carriage stop in the centre of downtown. They couldn’t believe their eyes and as word spread, the crowd started to grow. Soon the street was over crowded and the air was filled with the buzz of people’s chatter.
“Your Highness, are you okay?” The coachman asked, as Bjorn stepped down from the carriage.
He was uncertain about Bjorn’s decision to stand before the crowd, especially given the situation. They waited for Bjorn outside the Department Store as he waved to the gathered crowed, remaining surprisingly calm.
“Let’s go,” Bjorn said and led the way.
There was no hesitation in Bjorn’s thoughts or movements. The attendants hurried after him, trying to contemplate how to deal with the chaotic crowd, but surprisingly the crowd cleared a path without any cajoling.
Occasionally, as chaos broke out amongst the crowd, Bjorn would pause and survey the scene. The troublemakers would quiet down from his presence alone. His greetings and smile was flawless, elegant and skilful. Whether directed at those who called his name, or those that cursed Princess Gladys, he waved at each equally.
Even when they made it to the department store without any issue, the attendants still looked worried. There was very little in the way of anything that threatened Bjorn, but each time a commotion broke out, they jumped out of their skin, but there was nothing to worry about.
“Where are the baby dolls?” Bjorn asked a clerk, who looked at him like they’d seen a ghost.
“U…floor 2, Your Highness,” the clerk said.
Bjorn nodded and followed the woman’s finger as she pointed. He made his way up the fancy stairs to floor two and was quickly joined by a small collection of clerks, who helped the Grand Duke find what he was looking for.
Despite the young directors less than exciting stories about flowers and children’s toys, Bjorn patiently listened to him when Bjorn asked him ‘what would be a good gift to buy his unborn child?’ It was the reaction on the young directors face that had provided Bjorn with the most amusement.
Bjorn had intended to browse the toys and teddies on offer, and choose a gift out himself, but when he imagined Erna’s embarrassed and flustered reactions, he decided on something completely different. It wasn’t something that he would have typically done before and it didn’t seem like a big deal.
Shopping in a department store. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was losing his mind.
“Wow, Your Highness,” the clerk said.
Bjorn smiled at the clerk attending the toy section. Erna said she was pregnant when Bjorn wanted to make love to her, that night was all she had to say. He didn’t mean to do it, honestly.
It was a day filled with bad luck and everything that could go wrong, did go wrong and when the shocking news was delivered, his mind went numb. It was difficult for him to think clearly. Curse that man Walter Hardy.
When he found out he was having a child, he reflexively thought of a name and concentrated on that. He did not want his child to have any association with that filthy name. He worked to deal with any backlash from his decision, all to protect Erna. What a lame excuse.
“Your Highness, are you picking out a present for your baby?”
Bjorn nodded at the clerk.
“Which do you think would be good?” Bjorn asked, nodding to the shelf filled with teddies.
The young director had bragged about how his son had hugged the teddy bear so tight, they couldn’t prise it from his little hands. Even as the director said he had been worried about his son liking dolls so much, he wore a proud smile on his face. Bjorn couldn’t help but think the director had a screw loose, but it wasn’t a bad thing.
“These are the most popular dolls,” the clerk said, her face lighting up.
She pulled two teddies from the shelf. The right one was for a baby girl, the left for a boy. Bjorn was able to make that distinction pretty easily.
“Do you think it might be a son, or a daughter?” the clerk asked.
Son, or a daughter? Bjorn thought to himself. Twins?
The thought of two little humans growing inside Erna’s tiny frame seemed impossible, but despite what the outcome might be, Bjorn couldn’t help but wonder about Erna’s well being.
Bjorn accepted the doll the clerk offered to him and he studied every inch of it. Who would their child resemble more? There was going to be a long conversation at dinner tonight. In the end, Bjorn bought both dolls, hoping Erna wont be intimidated by such a gift.
*.·:·.✧.·:·.*
“I’m sorry Your Majesty.”
The doctor lowered his head as he apologised. Isabelle Dniester had been anxiously pacing back and forth about the parlour, let out a quiet sigh and closed her eyes in disappointment. By the time she received news of Erna’s bleeding, the situation already spiralled out of control. The doctor ahd informed the Grand Duchess that her body was too weak and the bleeding was profuse.
“Is there nothing you can do?” Isabelle asked.
The doctors face turned grim as he shook his head. Isabelle knew it was a foolish question, she already knew the answer, if there was anything they could have done, they would have.
“Where’s Bjorn?” Isabelle said, turning to Mrs Fitz.
“I sent someone to the bank, but the Prince had already left. Perhaps he is already on his way back.”
“At a time like this.”
“We are searching for the Prince at all his usual haunts, he will be here soon,” Mrs Fitz said, bowing her head in guilt.
Although his presence might not have made a difference to the Grand Duchess’ condition, it would have comforted her greatly.
“Your Majesty, we need to make a decision,” the doctor said. “If we continue like this, it will only put the Grand Duchess in more meaningless pain.”
Isabelle looked mournfully at the half open door, where she could hear the desperate wails of the Grand Duchess, calling out for her husband. She knew the gravity of the situation was not lost on Isabelle.