SPLITAPARTS: lessons in love ✔️

The Mourning After...

Sirius arrived home via the auror's floo to hear Cassie's voice raised in a blood-curdling scream and he rushed upstairs and burst into the bedroom to find Lily holding her hand and her midwife and a matron pushing on her belly and cleaning up the discarded contents of her womb. Lily looked up to see Sirius looking on in horror, his wand raised and pointed directly at them.

"Oh shite! Sirius! It's not what you're thinking!" Lily rushed toward him, trying in vain to keep him away and only barely managing to lower his wand arm. "Listen to me! They are working to get all the after birth out--if they don't, it'll rot and fester!"

"They didn't have to do that last time," he shouted, raising his wand once again.

"She wasn't this far along this time either," Lily said gently and she finally managed to lower his wand arm. "Why don't you get into some comfortable clothes and see if you can help," She's been hollering for you any way."

"She has!"

"You couldn't hear her?"

"No! The Dark Lord and occulmency and damn it!" He squeezed his eyes closed and shook his head. "The one time I close my mind and she calls for me!"

Lily nodded sympathetically. "I know--go and change your clothes."

"Doesn't sound like there's time for that." He practically ripped off his dress robes and removed his tie and kicked off his shoes and crawled onto the bed next to her. "Hey you--You're makin' an awful lot of racket--" he said gently trying to smile for her.

"WHERE WERE YOU!"

"I've been with your father."

"Oh--okay--you're forgiven--but GODS Sirius! This hurts so BAD!"

"Ladies, can you give her a rest for a moment please?"

The Midwife Abigail looked up and smiled sadly. "Good evening, Sirius. Why don't you scoot yourself behind her--let her lean back on you? You can help her push."

"Can't you give her something for the pain?"

"She said that she didn't want it," the matron offered as she eyed Cassie.

He craned his neck and looked toward Cassie hard. "Oh yeah?" He then looked toward the Midwife. "A word please?" Sirius left Cassie's side and ushered the aged midwife into the corridor.

"What's on your mind Sirius?"

"Earlier she said that she feels defective and that she deserves what ever pain she has to deal with--kind of like punishment."

"Oh really?"

"Mmhmm." He nodded his head. "Please give her something for the pain? Please!"

"And here I thought she was just trying to be brave." She shook her head and sighed, then walked over to her bag and rooted through some bottles and began mixing ingredients. "I should have known better!" She returned to Cassie's bedside as began to root through her medicinal bag for potion ingredients.

"What are you doing," Cassie huffed.

"Mixing up a potion for your pain."

"I told you that I don't want one!"

"LOOK HERE, DEE! YOU CAN EITHER DRINK THE DAMNED POTION SHE'S FIXING UP FOR YOU OR I CAN KNOCK YOU INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK! IT'S YOUR CHOICE, PICK ONE!" Sirius roared thrusting his fist into the air for emphasis...he would never actually strike her and she knew it.

Cassie stared hard at him while Lily and the other women stared wide-eyed. "You do that and I'll return on Monday to kick your ass!"

He smiled finally. "You do that! Be cooperative please? Babe, I know you're hurting--this isn't your fault and but damn it, you have to let these women help you!"