Be Careful What You Wish For

Chapter 5

Back at the castle, the storm raged. Drake hit his knees watching his love run from him. Carter came running out a few minutes after she left. "Where is Addy? She came to talk to you and Alex. She said she had news that she was worried about." Drake's sad eyes met Carter's worried ones. Once he told Carter what had happened, he got to his feet. "We have to find Alex, then find out what news she was so worried about." Carter nodded, "Where do you think she went?" Drake paused, she is in the woods, probably thinking. She needs her own time, then she will come home." The men rush off the find Alex. They found him a few minutes later, by the lake. They told him what happened and then went off to find Blanche, she would know what Addy had been up to earlier.

They found Blanche happily humming in the kitchen, baking pies. "Mother, do you know what Addy was up to today, she seemed off." Drake asked his mother. Blanche looked at the three men, faces etched with worry. She smiled, "Nothing bad, she just found out something today and said to give her some time to process it all, then she would tell you all. Why, what happened?" When they relayed the events of earlier, her face went deathly pale. "You let your pregnant wife run out in those woods in a storm, alone! Have you lost your minds?" she screamed at the three. They all paled, "Pregnant? Addy is pregnant? No wonder she was worried and upset, my God, the awful things I said to her." Drake began to cry. Alex and Carter put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, we will find her and fix this." Blanche glared at them "Make sure that you do." They nodded and ran off into the forest.

The men searched for days, never finding their runaway bride. They became depressed, the castle seemed to join them in their mood. It was like all the joy and laughter left with Addy.

Back at the cottage, Addy laid in her bed, crying as she had done for the past week. She guessed she was always meant to be alone. She laid her hand on her tummy. At least she had their child to remember their love. It may not have been the fairytale she had wished for, but they love they shared was beautiful. She missed them, their laughter, their kisses, their warmth. Now she was cold, always cold. After running for hours in the rain to come back, she just couldn't get warm. She took warm baths, build the fire, bundled in blankets, but nothing kept her warm. She would drift in and out of sleep. Her dreams were filled with her husbands and storms.

After a week, she knew she was sick, she had a fever but couldn't break it. She was miserable, so weak. Finally she slipped off into a deep sleep, one that she may never wake from.

Drake, Alex and Carter had searched every inch of the forest and had yet to find Addy. When they returned to the castle, Drake cornered Blanche, "She isn't in the forest, it has been a week. You know where she might have gone, you must tell me." He begged. Blanche figured that they had suffered enough, "She has returned to the Western Relm. Come with me, I will take you to her."  They gathered the others and entered through the tree.

When they saw the cottage, they knew she was there, there was smoke billowing out of the chimney. They burst through the door calling her name. Carter finally called out to them and they rushed to him. They all saw her tiny form, bundled in blankets, sweating and calling out in her sleep. They tried to wake her, but when Blanche touched her forehead it was so hot that it nearly burnt her hand. "She is very sick, we need to get her to our doctor and fast." Drake nodded and gathered the bundle in his arms as they rushed back to the castle.

They paced the waiting room outside of the doctor's office, waiting for some news on Addy's condition. Drake's chest burned with guilt, this was all his fault, he made the storm, he drove her off, he didn't go after her immediately. They all had similar guilty thoughts swimming around their minds as they waited.  Finally, Dean entered," Her fever was very high, we have given her medicine, but she is in a comma. She will wake when she is ready, but her fever is broken. The baby is ok, no damage that I can tell, but she is very early in her pregnancy, only about ten weeks. You can see her now." With that he left them.

They all rushed to Addy's room. She was laying on the bed covered in a soft blue blanket. It looked as though the nurse had bathed her and she was in a fresh nightgown. She had an IV in the left hand and she was still quite pale. Drake grabbed her right hand and kneeled next to her. "I am so sorry, my love. I have a bad past and I assumed the wrong thing. I love you so much. Please forgive me." He wept. Then stood placing a gentle kiss to her lips and left quickly, Blanche followed him. Carter placed a soft kiss to her forehead, "I love you. Please come back to us." He whispered and left to help Drake. Alex sank into the chair next to her bed and picked up her tiny hand. "My sweet Addy. I love you." He cried silently. He fell a asleep holding her hand.

After a couple hours, Carter came and told Alex to get some rest, he took his place and simply watched his heart sleep. He told her stories about their childhood, all their boyhood pranks. He told her about how each of them had lost their fathers in the great war and how their marriage was to bring peace to the Relms. After a few hours, Drake shuffled in and relieved Carter. Drake sat in the chair and took Addy's hand, "I hope that you can hear, my love. I really am so sorry. When you left you took all the joy and happiness in the land with you. You took our hearts with you and I know that is all my fault. I assumed that you regretted our marriage. That you regretted me." Large tears fell from his eyes and he placed his face in his hands and cried.

He jumped when a tiny warm hand touched his, He looked up and stared in to the ocean of blue that was Addy's eyes, "You know when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me?" She smiled and he laughed. He began to apologize again but she stopped him. "I heard everything that was said when I was sleeping, please don't apologize again, it is my turn. I caused you to turn from me by keeping something important from you. I am pregnant and I was worried how you all would handle it. We haven't known each other for long and I was so scared you would be angry with me."

He jumped up and gathered her in his arms, "Addy, I love you so much and it makes me so happy that you are carrying our child." He whispered. Then the door flew open and Carter and Alex bound into the room and smother them in kisses. They all laughed and it seemed that the world was right again.