05-29-2022, 04:00 AM
If he had any regrets in life (in truth there were many), it would be that he was not able to be there for Aurore during her previous pregnancies. A moral disagreement and her betrothal had happened so quickly that he hadn't known about Lucian until after his birth.
But this time was different, he swore to it as soon as they knew she was once again with child..ren. Two was a surprise.
He had temporarily promoted his quartermaster to acting captain for the year and barely left Aurore's side for six months. It was a strange existence to one so accustomed to sleeping with his boots on, this gentle domesticity. It had settled over him gently at first but now he struggled to think of a time where he would have to leave them all behind again, even if only for a few weeks at a time.
He had learned more about his children than he ever had before - Lucian was thoughtful and adventurous and so full of life that sometimes it amazed him at the time that had passed since he first held the boy in his arms who was now a breathing person with opinions. So many opinions. And Magdalen, soft-spoken and kind and smarter than Fintan could ever hope to be had Aurore's stubborn confidence and the quickest wit there was. Also an adamant aversion to green vegetables. He had long since given up on reading her bedtime stories to let her simply recount the latest novel she had read to him. Little Women had been a chore since he had difficulty remembering who each of the sisters were and she would have to frequently interrupt her dramatic retelling with a brief synopsis.
But as April 5th drew to a close, he was suddenly at the mercy of the household now veritably filled with little women.
As was tradition, he was left to wait out in the hallway like a truant child while the adults attempted to rectify the trouble he had caused. And he felt guilty, stewing in a dining room chair in the hall for what felt like a lifetime thinking about what he had done to her. Children were a blessing but birth was always a risk, a risk that was only hers to bear and it left him feeling hollow.
Lucian had come to sit with him in the hall and was sharply awoken from his unintentional nap when the door opened and Fintan was already on his feet to greet the doctor. He breathed a sigh of relief that the children were safe and healthy but he was already peering across the man's shoulder inside the room.
"Of course, doctor. How is Aurore? Will she be alright?"
But this time was different, he swore to it as soon as they knew she was once again with child..ren. Two was a surprise.
He had temporarily promoted his quartermaster to acting captain for the year and barely left Aurore's side for six months. It was a strange existence to one so accustomed to sleeping with his boots on, this gentle domesticity. It had settled over him gently at first but now he struggled to think of a time where he would have to leave them all behind again, even if only for a few weeks at a time.
He had learned more about his children than he ever had before - Lucian was thoughtful and adventurous and so full of life that sometimes it amazed him at the time that had passed since he first held the boy in his arms who was now a breathing person with opinions. So many opinions. And Magdalen, soft-spoken and kind and smarter than Fintan could ever hope to be had Aurore's stubborn confidence and the quickest wit there was. Also an adamant aversion to green vegetables. He had long since given up on reading her bedtime stories to let her simply recount the latest novel she had read to him. Little Women had been a chore since he had difficulty remembering who each of the sisters were and she would have to frequently interrupt her dramatic retelling with a brief synopsis.
But as April 5th drew to a close, he was suddenly at the mercy of the household now veritably filled with little women.
As was tradition, he was left to wait out in the hallway like a truant child while the adults attempted to rectify the trouble he had caused. And he felt guilty, stewing in a dining room chair in the hall for what felt like a lifetime thinking about what he had done to her. Children were a blessing but birth was always a risk, a risk that was only hers to bear and it left him feeling hollow.
Lucian had come to sit with him in the hall and was sharply awoken from his unintentional nap when the door opened and Fintan was already on his feet to greet the doctor. He breathed a sigh of relief that the children were safe and healthy but he was already peering across the man's shoulder inside the room.
"Of course, doctor. How is Aurore? Will she be alright?"
