A Daughter's Love

Chapter One.

Vannes was a beautiful small town that sat near the shore with beautiful old structured buildings and flourishing flower gardens. Narrow canals ran through some gardens and streets with bridges for us to walk across them. I remember seeing the various colored blossoms and the smell of them as they mixed in with the scent of the nearby sea. Rebecca, Nolan, Caleb and I all had enough to stay at an Inn for a few days which had been long enough for Nolan and Caleb to get work. They worked odd jobs here and there which was enough to feed us until later when I would get a waitressing and cleaning job at the Inn, moving among the people who laughed, drank and spoke of their travels since most of them weren’t from Vannes and had traveled far for various reasons to reach the small town. I enjoyed listening to their stories, their tales of the world and could muster up a few smiles or two during work even if they were somewhat forced to an extent. Rebecca had found work at a local bakery where she would knead flour day in and day out but you could tell that she enjoyed it since it reminded her of home. Eventually we all managed to raise enough money to buy the bakery and the small house that came along with it, no longer forced to live in an Inn but having a home of our own even if it were a bit cramped. Caleb and I got the attic room where a window sat overlooking the sea. Old furniture decorated the room, a large bed pushed up beneath the window while a dresser sat off to the side and some armchairs littered the walls with paintings and pieces of artwork and a green rug lay across the wooden flooring in the center of the room. It was an honest start, the start of Rebecca and Nolan’s bakery, the start of my and Caleb’s life together and it was beautiful. We headed to bed one night and I was about to climb into bed when a pillow flew across the mattress to strike me in the face. It flopped down onto the green sheets and I looked up at Caleb, eyes glaring. He was pretending to busy himself by the nightstand but I wasn’t having any of it. I scooped the pillow up, crawling onto the bed to slam it down on the back of Caleb’s neck. He shielded himself with his arms a few more times then, reached for my wrists to stop me from pelting him with the pillow. We were both laughing, though mine wasn’t as bright as it always was but it was a laugh none the less. I slowly began to feel again, began to smile and laugh and enjoy my life, the memories of Neptune having faded to the back of my mind whenever life got too busy between work and the bakery. It had been almost seven months since we had left the Sunken Soul when I was awoken in the middle of the night by a loud screaming. I shot up straight in the bed, noticing that Caleb too had heard the sound but was groggy and still trying to make sense of what was going on. Without thinking, I shot up and started for the door, running down the stairs and into the second story hallway were Nolan was pacing, his head in his hands and his eyes wild with fear. He was uncertain and frantic, muttering things to himself while his hands trembled “Rebecca?” I questioned, catching his attention. He locked eyes with me, their wide depths taking me in while he stopped pacing in front of their bedroom door. When he took too long to respond, I hurried past him and shoved the door open to reveal a panting woman sitting up in bed with pillows stuffed in behind her. She held her stomach and her forehead was coated in sweat. It was then that she let out another strangled cry through gritted teeth, throwing her head back with her legs bent beneath the creamy sheets. She had gone into labour during the night and from the looks of things she was too far along for us to get her to the town’s doctor or a wet nurse who were all asleep at that time. Caleb came stumbling down the stairs, rubbing at his tired eyes, his forehead creasing when he looked in my direction “What be happening?” he questioned groggily while Nolan only stared at his wife. None of us had yet to be married but they were having a child together, she had earned the title of his wife at that point. I turned on the men, hands gripping the door frame when I began barking orders “I need towels, lots of towels, a bucket of hot water, a measuring tape-.” I was about to turn away when I had remembered one of the woman’s words at the Inn. She was also a waitress but she was much older than I was and she didn’t do the laundry or scrub the dishes like I did. She had birthed three children and when I asked her about it, she had said to cut the umbilical cord after the baby had been born. Caleb had turned on his heels to head downstairs when I called out after him “Scissors! Bring me scissors!” he waved his hand to signal that he had heard me and Nolan quickly followed to go help. The poor man was already haunted by what he had saw, the harsh punishment a woman would endure for their children. I moved to her side and placed the back of my hand against her forehead, she was sweating and hot and her eyes were feral when they looked up at me “It’s okay, we’re going to get through this” I reassured her, brushing her hair back and out of her face. Nolan came bursting into the room with scissors and the measuring tape, frantic and unsure of what to do with them. Rebecca once again threw her head back and gave a strangled cry that made Nolan panic even more “The tape” I instructed, moving around the bed to stand between Rebecca’s legs, pulling the sheets up to reveal the sight below, her night gown having ridden up to her hips. Nolan began to pale as he stared at her and I knew that he as close to fainting, the color rapidly starting to drain from his face. He would be of no use to me or Rebecca in such a state. Caleb entered the room, chest bare as he set the bucket of warm water down beside me near the foot of the bed and sat the towels down on the mattress. He then took the scissors and tape from Nolan’s shaking hands and ushered him out of the room “Get ye act together, man! It be natural now sit and breathe” Caleb bellowed, forcing Nolan down onto a chair outside the bedroom door before he stepped back into the room and came to stand at my side with the things he held in his hand. I crawled onto the bed in my own floor length night gown, hiking it up to sit more comfortable “The tape” I repeated, holding out my hand, feeling as he placed it in my palm. I didn’t hesitate to lean forward, holding the tape up against her to get a proper measurement “She’s 6 centimetres dilated” I informed, handing him the tape to reach for one of the towels, standing when I dipped it into the water and began washing down her sweaty, heated flesh. She was in between contractions when Nolan peered back inside the room “Meaning?” it was Caleb who asked, watching me. He was oddly calm and collected with the situation and for a moment I paused, wondering whether he had seen many children be born during his childhood since he was raised in a brothel? The screams and sights had become normal to him whereas Nolan pressed his face into his palms and kept praying under his breath “It may take a while before the baby comes” I explained, folding the towel to place it upon her forehead. She closed her eyes there in the faint candle light, her lips parted while she panted, legs trembling. Another contraction shot through her and she cried out again, sounding like she was in excruciating pain as she threw her head back, hands gripping at the sheets “Don’t push. Don’t push” I repeated, afraid that she might start to push before she was fully dilated and harm the baby. Once the pain subsided, she managed to weakly nod her head and glanced in the direction of the door where she could see Nolan, watching her with scared and confused eyes. She wanted him there, with her. I left her side and went to kneel beside Nolan, placing a reassuring hand on his leg “She’ll be alright, she’s just in a bit of pain” I said, knowing that the pain was excruciating but didn’t want to cause him to worry any more than he already had. His eyes met mine and I gave a faint smile, managing to pull the corners of my lips upward enough to convey that everything was going according to plan “She needs you now, more than ever” I added, looking back to the woman in the bed. She held her hand out as best she could and Nolan noticed her longing, her calling for him to join her. He nodded and got up, moving on shaky legs to lay down beside her on the bed, taking hold of her hand and giving it a squeeze. I looked to Caleb who yawned and stretched out his aching muscles when a squeaking sound caught my attention. Joe scurried across the hallway, toward the room, frantic and having returned to the scene after digging through trash all night and scurrying about in the town streets “I don’t think so” I said, plucking him up, off the ground and holding him by the scruff of his neck. He struggled to get free but I shook my head, not even Nolan bothering to acknowledge the rodent. The effects of my blood had long since worn off on both Nolan and Caleb, however the rat had stayed by Nolan and Rebecca’s side like a pet, always worrying, always curious “She’s going to be alright-.” I explained to the creature who was filthy and in need of a good scrubbing. He continued to squirm when I stood and held him at an arm’s length, not wanting to smell the stench of garbage that clung to his pelt “There is nothing we can do at the moment but wait and make things as comfortable for her as possible” I explained when Caleb stepped out into the hall, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, eyeing the rodent. He and Joe never really got along, the rat having bitten him a few times since the former Captain had always been too rough with him “Ye stink” Caleb harshly informed to which Joe stopped struggling against me and squeaked a few times in Caleb’s direction as if to say ‘Screw ye, ye arsehole’ causing Caleb to chuckle, most likely thinking the same thing “In the meantime, you are in need of a bath” I informed to which Joe began to protest, squirming even more as I headed down the hall and to the stairs that led to the first floor. I readied his bath by filling a basin with cold water then heating some with the use of the fireplace, filling the rest of the basin with it so that I could place the rat inside of it “You can’t meet the baby like this” the moment I said those words it was as though he’d given in and allowed me to wash him with the oils and soaps that stood on the kitchen counter top. Caleb stepped into the kitchen and reached for one of the cookies that Rebecca had prepared for the bakery, nibbling on it while Rebecca’s cries echoed throughout the house “Those are for the bakery” I scolded but Caleb ignored me and sat down at the table in the middle of the room on which the treys of cookies sat. He munched on them as if they took him back in time to his years spent in Martin’s Port with the red head and now, twelve years later, there they were one of them having a child and the other madly in love “As if it be opening tomorrow” he said as I reached for the special towel that Nolan had designated as belonging to Joe to dry the rodent with. He shook himself out then scurried off once I had dried his ears to sit down in front of the fire, wanting to warm himself. I washed my hands and turned to steal a cookie of my own. Caleb shot me furrowed eyebrow look and I smiled faintly “Stress eating” I explained, sitting down beside him, tired and drained from a day of hard work and half a night spent waitressing. I had barely slept an hour when Rebecca had started screaming. The bakery would be closed the next day due to Rebecca needing bed rest and Nolan who would help look after the baby while she slept “Be more like cravings” Caleb uttered under his breath but I chose to ignore him and instead continued to bite down on the cookies. Time ticked on until eventually I headed back upstairs to check on how many centimetres she was dilated. I had to check three times before she reached ten centimetres to which I called for Caleb. He hurried up the stairs and into the room with Joe trailing behind. The rodent stayed by the door, not wanting to be crushed by our feet as we worked and watched silently, not even a squeak escaping him “I need you to raise her legs” I explained to both Nolan and Caleb. They shared a look and nodded, each hooking their arms beneath one of her knees to hold them up higher while I sat in between them. Rebecca didn’t care that Caleb and I could see what was happening, she was just grateful to have people there who could help her and her child. I met her tired gaze “You have to start pushing when the contractions start up again” I informed to which she nodded her head a few times, unable to speak but able to move. When she felt the pain, she began to push, holding her breath to be able to do so “Don’t stop until I count to ten” I said only to start counting afterwards. Once I reached then she let out a long breath and started gasping again. The contractions weren’t that far apart and soon she began pushing once more. The process repeated what felt like a hundred times “I see the head” I declared when I glanced down, tuffs or blond, red hair sticking out against the blood and embryotic liquid, the sack still wrapped around its scalp. I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking of the waitress at the Inn. Her name was Amelie and she had told me stories of when the babies came out with their feet first or had the umbilical cord wrapped around their throat. There were all signs that things would go south very quickly. I monitored her bleeding patterns, afraid that she might bleeding too much like most mother’s did. It was something only a doctor could help with so I hoped and I prayed to the gods that she would get through the birth without losing too much blood. The markings of their blessings had never left me and I knew that they never would, acting as a sign of their favour of me so I used that favour to ask them to ensure that nothing went wrong. The baby came quickly, my hands being careful not to tug too hard while she pushed, the blood and liquid coating my hands and arms when I manage to catch the infant. I moved to tear the embryotic sack away from its small body and opened its mouth, making sure that there was nothing lodged inside its mouth or throat. It was then that the baby started crying and Rebecca fell limp on the bed, tired from having worked so hard “The scissors, heat them” I instructed after the two men had let go of her legs. Caleb reached for the scissors and went to go place them on the fire for some time as I wrapped the baby in one of the damp, warm towels to clean its body with, being careful not to press to hard while I worked. When Caleb returned, I took the scissors and cut the umbilical cord in two separate places, once near the baby and once near Rebecca, leaving the access abandoned on the already ruined and stained sheets of the bed. Heating the blades of the scissors had managed to burn the cord and seal it off again, not leaving it exposed and open, the heat also sterilized it. I then reached for a dry towel and wrapped the bundle up in the dry one, dabbing at the damp skin while I stood and made my way toward the head of the bed. Rebecca and Nolan gazed at me expectantly when I held the child out for its mother to take “It’s a boy” I whispered, pushing the towel aside so that she could see his face, eyes still closed and hands balled into tiny fists beneath the fabric of the towel. Rebecca choked out a sob while Nolan fell back onto the mattress with a sigh of relief that it was over “Told ye it be a boy” he mumbled as Joe scurried toward the bed and along Nolan’s body to sat perched upon his shoulder, leaning toward the baby boy that Rebecca reluctantly showed him, her eyes filled with joy and tears “He looks just like ye, poor thing” Caleb informed, coming to stand at my side and gazing down at the child. Nolan playfully glared at him and shot him the finger. Caleb chuckled when I slumped down on the chair that was placed beside their bed, huffing and breathing hard. It was then that Nolan sat up and looked to me with concerned eyes “Ye shouldn’t be exhorting yeself so much, lassie” he warned to which I waved him off with a flick of my wrist while Caleb rubbed at my shoulders and arms as if to show that he agreed “Especially not with the wee one in tow” he added when I placed a hand on my bulging stomach. I was nearly seven months along and already I was as big as Rebecca had been because of my much shorter stature. The red head looked to me and gave a faint smile “Looks like you’re next” the thought terrified me after having seen what she went through, the pain she had experienced but as I rubbed at my stomach, I knew it would all be worth it. My child was the main reason why I had started to smile again, the reason why I laughed along with Caleb. The two of them made life worth living no matter how hard things would get “What be his name?” Caleb questioned to which Nolan threw his hands up and motioned to Rebecca as if to say that she was in charge which she was. The former pirate was nothing compared to her, she had him wrapped around her finger and whatever she said was law. Rebecca gazed lovingly down at her son “If he had been a girl, his name would have been Rose but-.” Nolan’s face scrunched up as if he didn’t care much for that name and Caleb nodded, knowing that the name would have been chosen because of the red hair that it would most definitely have due to Rebecca’s dominant red hair gene “He’s a boy so his name will be Ryker” at this, Nolan perked up and even Caleb smiled. The name was a fitting one, powerful and rich much like the names of the two men were. I breathed a laugh and leaned forward to catch a glimpse of his little face once more “It’s a fitting name” I whispered when I noticed that he had fallen asleep. It was soon after that, that I prepared the basket for her to lay him down in beside their bed. We didn’t have a lot of money and since the bakery had cost us a loan there really wasn’t much we had other than what came with the purchase so there were no clothes for Ryker, no bottles to feed him with, no diapers. We had to make do with what we had and that was part of life, a part that I enjoyed despite the hardships. Caleb and I had bathed before heading to bed in the early hours of the morning but before I crawled beneath the sheets, I paused to glance at myself in the rusty, cracked, old mirror that leaned against one of the walls. I was able to look at myself from the side, able to see the bulge that had formed along my abdomen and stomach. It would be just over two months before I would give birth and I was unsure of what life after birthing a child would be like for me but I knew that boy or girl would grow up alongside Ryker as friends, as something stronger, forging a bond stronger than that of family. The moon played out across my stomach, the cotton material of my gown seeming even more paler before I crawled into bed and had to get up early the next day. I dressed in a long brown cotton gown with a white apron tied to the front of it and pinned my hair back on the top of my head, slipping the flat shoes onto my swollen feet. I grabbed my bag that hung from a hook near the door and slipped out, the bell of the bakery chiming to announce my departure while the red sign on the door read ‘CLOSED’ in bright, bold, red letters. Usually Rebecca would be up at that time, already preparing for a long day of baking and catering while Nolan worked with the finances and greeted the customers but both of them were probably still fast asleep since the sun had only then started to rise over the town of Vannes. Only a handful of people dared venture into the streets at such an early hour, waving at me as I passed, some even asked about the baby. The people were friendly in that little town, they always smiled and had accepted us with open arms when we had first arrived. I shoved open the door to the Inn and kicked the rock that was used to hold it open into place before I ventured to the kitchen. Amelie was already hard at work preparing breakfast. The smell of bacon, sausages and scrambled eggs with toast filled my nostrils and my mouth began to water. When I had first started working there, the smell had caused morning sickness and I would often run out the back door which I would end up cleaning later in the day. That was how I had found out about my pregnancy with Amelie’s help “Good morning” she greeted in a sing song tone. Her cotton dress was shorter than mine and went to above her knees, not down to her ankles but the apron was the exact same. Her darker hair was tied back, out of her face and crow’s feet stretched out from the corners of her eyes, eyes which were a hazel brown color “I hope you slept well, it’s going to be a busy day today” she announced, turning away from the eggs to get started on the toast which she made over the fire of the oven. I sighed heavily and hung my bag on the hook near the back door, reaching for the butter that sat above the sink on a shelf and a knife to help smear the toast with “Rebecca went into labour last night” I explained to which Amelie looked up at me with wide, curious eyes that held excitement in their depths. Her thick French accent always shown through whenever she spoke English to me though at that point in time I had started to learn the occasional French word here and there “I barely slept” I added afterwards, busing myself with the butter and toast. She stood and turned back to the eggs on the stove to stir them in the pan with a wooden spoon “Did you reach the doctor’s in time?” she questioned, unaware that I had birthed the baby myself. I shook my head, placing the plate near the fire to ensure that the butter melt and the toast stayed warm for the guests staying at the Inn who would come down for breakfast soon “She was already too far along, if it hadn’t been for you telling me all those things, I wouldn’t have been able to do it” I said, giving credit where credit was due. Amelie’s head shot up to look at me in shock, eyes wide with wonder and awe. After a moment she realized that I wasn’t kidding and glanced back down to the sizzling bacon “You should consider becoming a wet nurse, the gods know this town needs a decent wet nurse-.” I paused, my body stiffening when I turned to look at her from the side, one hand holding the butter knife while the other was placed on my lower back. The pains had become annoying and unbearable as of late from the weight of the baby. One thing was for sure, he or she would be much bigger than Ryker “I’m sure Doctor Dubois wouldn’t mind offering you a job once he examines your handy work” it was a thought that I hadn’t considered. Would I make an excellent wet nurse? It was certainly a possibility after what I had done the night before, having stayed perfectly calm and knew what was happening at all times. Perhaps it was the gods who had given me the ability to deliver babies that I possessed? “Gods, know it pays more than this place” she motioned to the ceiling, the walls and windows with her wooden spoon then proceeded to file the eggs onto a plate before she could get started on her next batch. We did need the money if we were going to raise two children. The money from the bakery did help but whatever didn’t go to buying new ingredients for Rebecca’s baking went to pay off our loan each month which meant that Caleb and I were the only two bringing in money not that we complained. It was because of Rebecca and Nolan that we had a roof above our heads so we were happy to contribute in any way that we could “The Doctor will be stopping by the bakery later to check up on them” I announced to which Amelie shot me a brilliant smile, one that stretched almost from ear to ear. She was around thirty which meant that she was a year or so older than Caleb but she had never kept a man, having had three children, one of which was from another man after the first had run off with another woman, leaving her to take care of her kids on her own. She worked three jobs, one being at the Inn during the day until late at night, apart from when she had days off during which she would go from home to home, offering to stitch up torn or ripped articles of clothing for a price and on weekends she babysat for the locals since she was the motherly figure in Vannes. Everyone trusted her with their children and they paid her well, enough for her to give her children the life they deserved with proper clothing, a good education and a decent amount of spoils. She even managed to save some money for when she would decide to spoil herself. They lived at the Inn since it was more convenient for Amelie’s work “There’s you chance” she said with a smile. She had been right, it was my chance and when the Doctor had sent me a letter, asking whether I would consider joining his team of wet nurses, I jumped at the chance. I had never failed in delivering a baby from that day on. The women in Vannes would go into labour and people would send for me at all hours of the day and night where most wet nurses only ever worked during the day but I didn’t mind, I needed the money. I had never pictured myself as a wet nurse when I was little, I had always seen myself wearing extravagant dresses, living in a large mansion with a rich husband that my parents would marry me off to yet there I was, giving the gift of life to women, with my own two hands. I kept my job at the Inn, working whenever I didn’t have calls but getting paid less when I would have to run off and leave Amelie to work on her own. She got paid more that way and never complained. It was my life and it was beautiful.