Princess Leonor : Viva la Reina! (English Version)

11. The Motherhood

March 2034.

"Carlos Felipe de Borbon Lawrence"

Sofia held the 4-month-old baby boy. The priest sprinkled water on the baby's forehead. 

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Baby Carlos was officially baptized as a Roman Catholic. The christening took place in the chapel of the Zarzuela Palace in early spring. His parents chose Queen Leonor and Prince Umberto as godparents.

Smiles radiated from both parents and both godparents in the photo session. The baby was calm in the arms of his mother. 

Carlos was second in line to the throne after his mother, Sofia. If his aunt, Queen Leonor, did not have children, Carlos would be the future king of Spain.

_____________

That night, Leonor woke up from her sleep.

"Umberto, did you hear that?" she asked her husband.

"What? It's normal for a baby to cry," he answered while rubbing his eyes and looking at the clock beside him.

"It's already 1 am, go to sleep, Leonor," Umberto continued.

"I'm going to check on them. Poor Sofia." Leonor pulled back her blanket and got out of bed.

"Okay, whatever you want." Umberto went back to sleep.

_________

Knock.. knock... knock.

"Sofi, this is Leonor. Are you okay?"

The door opened but it wasn't Sofia who was behind the door, but her husband, Alex.

"Sorry if Carlos disturbed your sleep. But we don't know why he keeps crying." 

"No problem. I'd rather help if I can." Leonor entered the room. Sofia was seen holding her baby while patting his back.

"Here... hey, baby, you wanna be with Aunt Leonor?."

Sofia handed Carlos over to Leonor. Miraculously, his crying gone once he was in Leonor's arms. Sofia and Alex couldn't believe their eyes.

"How can that be?" Sofia was amazed.

"Babies can feel the feelings of the person holding them. You must be tired, lacking energy. And Carlos can feel that," Leonor answered while kissing Carlos' cheek.

"Now you guys get some rest. Let Carlos sleep with me tonight. And think about it, maybe it's time you hired a nanny," Leonor continued.

"Okay. But about the nanny, I don't think so. We want to raise our child ourselves." Alex replied.

"You two are a stubborn couple." Leonor turned towards the door.

"Leonor, wait. bring this bag. There are diapers and frozen breast milk. You just need to warm it up in this device. Everything is in this bag." Sofia handed over the bag.

"Yes, yes I understand. Hey, Carlos. Say good bye to Mama and Papa." Leonor waved Carlos hand.

"Bye, honey." said both parents.

________

"What? You bring Carlos here?" Umberto woke up again when Leonor came in with baby Carlos.

"It's okay, isn't it? Only one night. Poor Sofi and Alex."

"I mean if he needs anything..."

"Don't worry, everything is in this bag." Leonor patted the bag on her shoulder.

"Okay. Just tell me if you need help, okay?"

"I need your help. Take the bassinet from the next room and put it next to my bed."

"Bassinet?"

"The bassinet that was supposed to our child's." There was a sad tone in Leonor's words. 

"Okay, wait a minute," Umberto replied while kissing his wife's forehead.

The bassinet was in the next room that stored the things they no longer used. But the bassinet was still like new because the plastic packaging had not been opened.

As Umberto brought the bassinet in, he saw Leonor making milk for Carlos. It brought tears to Umberto's eyes. But he wiped them away before Leonor could see them.

"Why are you so quiet, honey? Put it there." Leonor pointed to the empty space next to her bed. 

"Oh, yes, wait a minute."

"If you want to sleep, just sleep. You have an agenda tomorrow. I'll still put Carlos to bed." Leonor's eyes were still fixed on the baby in her arms. Her right hand was holding a milk bottle.

"Okay," Umberto replied.

___________

But Umberto couldn't sleep. He was thinking if Leonor hadn't miscarried that time, what if there wasn't a cyst in Leonor's uterus, what if they had a child of their own.

Two hours later Carlos's cries interrupted his thoughts. Leonor was still asleep. Umberto immediately checked on Carlos. It turned out his diaper needed to be changed.

Umberto didn't want to wake his wife up. He carried Carlos and put him on the side of his bed so as not to disturb Leonor. He took the diapers and wet wipes from the bag Sofia had given him earlier. With his limited knowledge, he managed to change the diapers.

When he was about to return Carlos to the bassinet, Leonor woke up.

"What are you doing, Umberto?" Leonor said with half-open eyes.

"Carlos needs his diaper changed. But it's okay, I already changed it. You don't need to get up."

"Thank you, dear." Leonor closed her eyes again. 

Again Umberto could not sleep. He looked at Leonor who had fallen asleep beside him. His mind wandered again.

She should have been a mother.

I should have been a father.

___________

The following days Carlos spent more and more time with his aunt Leonor and uncle Umberto. However, this caused a new problem.

"Honey, isn't it too much for Carlos to stay in their room so often?" Sofia asked Alex, her husband. That night Carlos went back to sleep in Leonor and Umberto's room.

"What do you mean?"

"This week alone our child has been there for 3 nights in a row. I'm afraid he doesn't recognize us as his parents anymore. We are his parents, not them." Unknowingly, tears flowed down Sofia's cheeks.

"Hey.. hey.. Don't cry, honey. I'll tell them later. Don't worry."

"Don't tell Leonor if this is from me. She is very sensitive, especially since she had a miscarriage."

"Okay, I'll just tell Umberto. We men use logic more than feelings."

______

"What? Only one night per week? No way." Leonor was shocked when Umberto told her Sofia and Alex's wishes.

"But they are his parents, honey."

"Who asked for this? Who told you? Sofia?"

"Alex, not Sofia."

"Why didn't they tell me directly?"

"It doesn't matter who says to whom. What is certain is that they have more right to Carlos. They also need bonding with their child." Umberto tried to explain.

But Leonor left her seat. Her eyes stared out through the balcony of her room.

"None of this would have happened if we had our own children. I'm not just a queen who wants to have an heir. I'm also a woman, a wife, who wants to have children."

Umberto hugged her from behind. The husband and wife cried together.