To Love Someone

chapter 32

Judith wiped her tears as she smoothed back April's hair. Her lips were blue and her skin was cold. Too cold for her liking. She removed the coals from the pan and changed them to hotter ones before placing them back under the blankets beneath April's feet. Then she tucked in the blankets around her. She held her cold hand for a minute before setting it gently on the bed.

April lay still, hardly breathing. The same way she had been ever since they brought her back a few hours ago. Judith hated seeing her sister like that. She buried her face in her hands as she cried. It was a miracle that April was still alive. By all means she should be dead, or even have frostbite.

After Ian had explained everything to her, she had broken down. The healer had said that nothing could be done till she woke up, but he had given her some ointments to rub on her to chase away the cold. But Judith didn't know if that was working, April hadn't moved a muscle, and she was terribly worried. She walked over to the window and gazed out.

Please God, don't let her die too.

Arla was dead, and it hurt Judith a lot when Ian told her that the girl had died protecting April. The girl was young and was yet to live her life, but now she was dead. She closed the drapes and added some more wood to the fire. She went back to April and kissed her head before leaving the chamber.

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The heat must have woken April up. She groaned and sat up slowly. She felt weak. She  three back the layers and layers of blanket from her and swung her legs over. Her throat felt parched. She took the cup from the drawer beside the bed and drank. Looking around, she noticed that she was back in her old room and she sighed in relief.

Then she remembered all that had happened. Arla was dead! April felt her throat constrict as she closed her eyes and silent tears ran down her face. Why God, why?

Why did he have to take her away so soon? She felt like screaming. She looked down at herself and saw that she was wearing her white night which was stained. She stopped crying and frowned at the blood.

Wait, what? Blood?

April touched touched the cloth and it was wet with blood. She raised the cloth and saw that she was the one actually bleeding. She wasn't on her period because she was pregnant. If she was bleeding, then that meant that....

April screamed loudly as the cup dropped from her hands splashing water on her face and dress.

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Ian paced back and forth in his study. April had been asleep for nearly a full day now, and he was worried.

"Sit down, she will be fine, don't you worry," Myrcella said but Ian ignored her. All he could remember that was the fear in her eyes as McClain threw her off the cliff. Her scream as she fell below would haunt him forever.

They were fortunate that she had missed the rocks when she fell. He still recalled when he had pulled her out of the water. He hadn't thought twice before jumping in after her.

As he was reminiscing, the door opened and Marge ran in, "My Lord, you need to come with me!"

He noticed the blood on her hands. Thinking the worst had happened, he took off running in the direction of the room. If something to her, he would never forgive himself. He opened the door and saw a sight no man wished to see.

April was resting against the headboard, her legs were spread, her dress was bunched around her waist. And though he really couldn't see anything, he could tell that she was bleeding. Her white dress was stained, the sheets were half soaked. Her hair was stringy and matted and there were dark circles under her eyes.

Maids moved around frantically trying to clean the blood, but it just kept coming. She was crying, deep racking sobs that shook her whole body. Judith was kneeling on the bed beside her trying to comfort her.

He knew she was bleeding but what he didn't know was why? He took steps closer to her, and then he heard what she was whispering.

"Not my baby, please not my baby," she sobbed as she held a hand over her mouth.

And it hit him like a force that he almost doubled over. She is pregnant, was pregnant. He walked in a daze to the bed, sat beside her and gently took her from Judith's arms. She didn't resist, she didn't have the strength to. He didn't care that he was going to get stained as well.

As he held her close to him, he couldn't help but think that she was pregnant, and she hadn't told him. As much as he would have loved to shout and yell at her for not telling him, it was hardly the place nor time.

Judith got up from the bed and gave him a sad smile before quietly slipping out of the room taking the maids with her. He used one hand to gently push her head onto his shoulder and wrapped the other around her stomach. She wrapped both arms around his waist and buried her face in his neck as she cried.

"My baby! He is gone, my baby is gone" she hiccupped.

He did not say anything as he let her cry. There was nothing to be said. He kissed her head and closed his eyes as a lone tear fell down his cheek. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He still couldn't grasp the notion that she had been pregnant, and she had lost it.

And it was all his fault.

Sad chapter, I know *sigh*

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