A New Chapter

fifteen

note: Just a little bit of a trigger warning? If that's what you call it; there is talk in this chapter about the termination of a pregnancy. It doesn't last long, last section of the chapter, but I understand some people may wish to skip that so just a warning if you do. The rest of the chapter is able to be read without it, just stop when you get to the second '****' and you'll be fine.

Tears stream down her cheeks as she sits on the edge of the bed clutching a basin on her knee while Lia attempts to gently run a brush through her blonde hair. It's been a little under two weeks since her first hospital admission and it's been nearly three weeks of absolute hell; there have been two more hospital admissions as a result of dehydration due to the sickness.

'Do you want me to braid your hair? Stop it getting tuggy?' Lia asks softly.

'Please.' Leah replies quietly. There are no enough words to describe just how much she's absolutely hating this. She's gone from being so active and such an active part of the children's life to basically not making it out of the bedroom unless she's going to the hospital. Courtney has taken over the kids, being able to adjust her work schedule around them while Lia has been spending pretty much all her time looking after the blonde.

'Right, that's you.' Lia says softly. She helps the blonde maneuver herself back until she's leaning against the pillows and reaches out to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

'I'm sorry.' Leah almost whispers.

'Don't you dare apologise, Le. You've got absolutely nothing to be sorry for.' Lia says moving to sit beside her.

'I feel like such a burden on everyone.' Leah admits causing the other woman to sigh.

'You absolutely are not a burden. You're sick and I can't even imagine how awful you must feel. All you need to do is focus on making it through the next three or four weeks, okay? That's when they're saying it should ease, isn't it? Twelve or thirteen weeks?' Lia asks and Leah slowly nods her head.

'Until then we've got you.' Lia says softly as Leah let's her head drop to rest on Lia's shoulder.

****

'I-Is Lele dying?' Bunny asks quietly, her eyes shining with unshed tears as Courtney immediately moves closer to her on the sofa.

'No, sweetheart. What makes you ask that?' Courtney asks.

'She's so poorly. I hear her being sick all the time. Sometimes when I wake up during the night I can hear her being sick and I just- She's been in hospital a few times now. She doesn't take us to school anymore.' Bunny replies causing Courtney to sigh as she wraps her arms around her daughter.

'You're right, Lele is very poorly right now.' Courtney says softly as immediately the tears begin streaming down the little girl's cheek.

'Hey, look at me... I promise there's no need to be said. Le's just- Well... Okay, mummy's going to tell you something and you need to promise me you won't tell anyone else? Not even Nanny Manda?' Courtney says wiping the tears from the little girl's cheek.

'I promise.' Bunny replies.

'Lele has a baby in her tummy. Now this isn't something mumma or Lele were planning on telling you just yet because it's still very early and sadly sometimes in early pregnancy things just don't work out the way we want but I don't want you worrying yourself about Le because I promise she's going to be okay.' Courtney says.

'But you weren't this sick when Charley was in your belly?' Bunny says and Courtney nods her head.

'I know but everybody gets affected with things differently and it just happens that Lele is getting hit pretty badly with it all.' Courtney replies.

'But she's not dying?' Bunny asks and Courtney shakes her head.

'No, sweetheart... I am so sorry I didn't realise that you were picking up on everything that was going on with Lele. I should have made sure you were okay.' Courtney says wrapping her arms around the little girl.

'I miss when she wasn't poorly.' Bunny replies and Courtney nods her head.

'Mm... So do I, Buns. So do I.' Courtney says softly.

****

'She's fast asleep.' Lia says softly as she makes her way downstairs and into the living room where Courtney is sitting with tears streaming down her cheeks.

'Oh my... What's happened? What's going on?' Lia asks immediately sitting down next to the brunette and wrapping her arms around her.

'Bunny asked me if Le was dying... I-I didn't realise just how much she was picking up on what's going on but it turns out it's a hell of a lot more than I ever could have expected.' Courtney admits shaking her head.

'Oh I wasn't expecting that... What did you say?' Lia asks.

'I had to tell her she was pregnant. I tried playing it off as yeah she's just poorly and then she started crying and I just- I had to tell her Wally. I couldn't let her spend the next however long worrying that her Lele, her mama was dying? I couldn't.' Courtney replies.

'Of course not.' Lia says.

'How's Le?' Courtney asks quietly.

'She's, well she's struggling. I don't think I've ever seen her this low, Court. In all the years I've know her, this is just next level. I got her hair brushed and we braided it to try stop it matting again but I just don't know what else to do.' Lia replies shaking her head.

'Sometimes I look at her and I just- In fact, no I can't even say that. Ignore me.' Courtney says quietly as she reaches up to wipe her cheeks.

'You can tell me, Court... Whatever it is, you can talk to me.' Lia says reaching for the brunette's hand.

'Sometimes I wonder if the best thing for this is to just end it... I know that makes me sound like an awful person because that's our babies, babies that we both so desperately wanted growing in her stomach but I just feel like every day I lose a little bit more of my wife. I feel like I'm watching her fade and I don't know what to do. I don't know how much of this she can physically and mentally take.' Courtney admits.

'It's hard, Court. I know she's not my wife or anything but it is hard watching her suffer. Do you think that's something she would even consider?' Lia asks and Courtney shakes her head.

'Never.' Courtney replies.

'Why don't you take the girls out for dinner tonight? Spend some time just the four of yous and I can stay here a bit longer to look after Le? I can try get her to eat something. See if she'll be able to keep it down.' Lia suggests.

'I can't ask you to do that. You already spend most of your time here, you're barely seeing Mariona.' Courtney replies shaking her head.

'I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, Court... Mariona understands and she wouldn't want me to be anywhere else either.' Lia says and Courtney sighs.

'I honestly don't know how we would've gotten through the past few weeks without you, Wally. Honestly, you've been an absolute godsend.' Courtney replies.