"It's been reported that the Duchess of Cambridge was secretly admitted to St. Mary's hospital late yesterday afternoon. We've been told it's Spontaneous Rupture of Membranes which can become serious, but a palace representative has told us that both mom and baby are doing fine."
"Now this is a very different situation to past royal births. Never before have the media not been set up, and no one knows how long they'll be there. The duchess could have the baby now or it could be weeks, and most likely the baby will have to stay in the NICU. There are hundreds of cameras out there right now, some news channels from all over the world
"What's jaw dropping is that this baby will be third in line to the throne guaranteeing this baby will be a global icon. With The Perth Agreement, which is still a bill that is being worked on in parliament, it was agreed that on principle any child born after October 28, 2011 cannot be pushed aside for a younger male relative. Now succession is solely based on birth order and not gender.
"There's a lot of interest in this baby, and the nation is ready to celebrate. It's been reported that three million bottles of champagne have been bought over the last two days, and tourists from all over the world because they are global icons. William being Diana's son and being known as her successor with people, and people all around the world are in love with Jaclyn.
-----
December 27, 2012
That first day and night in the hospital was a blur. He remembers images and moments, as they flash through his mind through the night and into the next day.
Speeding back to London making a three hour journey in record time. Jaclyn had sat next to him, stone faced and pale, gripping the door handle with enough strength to make her hand tremble. Every time he asked her if she was in pain she solemnly shook her head while her other hand rested over her bump as if holding on to it.
He remembers running in through the back, the team of professionals already assembled and whisking her away. They managed to make it inside before the press were tipped off, but within the hour rushes of people were madly scrambling to sit outside Lindo Wing.
He remembers Dr. Setchell's downcast voice. "It's spontaneous rupture of membranes meaning there's very little amniotic fluid left around the baby," he said, and then the debates started.
Most took place in the hall or in the corner as all the doctors, nurses, and midwives looked over clipboards. Without the amniotic fluid protecting it the baby was at risk of infection, but the bigger threat loomed over Jaclyn. Inducing labor seemed like the best option, since the baby had a ninety percent chance of survival at twenty-nine weeks. But women with EDS hardly responded well to the drugs needed to induce.
So they sat for hours, her sheet like hand clasped in his and listened helplessly. No one wanted to lose her, but it was clear that most of the doctors, who had reputations to uphold, were more concerned with keeping the baby alive. Afterall the last heir to have died after birth had been William IV's daughter nearly two hundred years ago.
A helpless feeling clouds over them, entwining through his veins until it's overwhelming. It's a miracle he's kept his cool, perhaps it's Jaclyn's shaking hand, or silent pleas, but he wants to challenge them all. Desperately, wants to demand that they care about his wife too, but he can't. Because they do care about her, they just care slightly more about the baby, and he can't fault them for that because she does too.
He feels like a bad father and a bad husband at the same time, and it's eating away at his heart until he's slumped over at her bedside. Unable to do anything, but not sure what he would do if he could.
"Plenty of women continue to carry post rupture and they end up fine," one of the nurses points out the following morning. They're outside the door, the crack of light at the bottom disrupted by their shadows.
"Just as many babies live if born prematurely," another adds, this one's voice is muffled, but William's used to deciphering intelligible words through closed doors.
Jaclyn's trying to look like she's not listening, instead reading one of the many books her mom picked up for her before they returned from Anglesey. The hospital gown washes her out making her pasty skin appear translucent, and darkening the crescent purple moons under her eyes. Neither one of them slept much, their eyes focused on the monitor hooked up to her stomach.
"She's not showing signs of infection, the baby's heartbeat is still strong, and I will not put her through the risk of induction unless we have to." Dr. Setchell finally adds, and before anything else can be said the door is opened.
"It looks like the baby's doing just fine," the doctor tells them with a smile, looking over the ultrasound and heart monitor that are hooked up to Jaclyn's belly. They exhale just slightly, but all the other uncertainties cling, sucking them dry of hope and energy.
There's not much else to say, nothing's changed, and no one wants to receive the same bad news day in and day out. So, after Jac's been given more antibiotics and another steroid injection for the baby's lungs everyone files out.
"I agree with Dr. Setchell, as long as the baby still has some fluid protecting it I think we should try to carry to term
"And what about you?"
She softens knowing his concern isn't unreasonable. Now it's not if she gets an infection, but when. "Look at me. I'm going to be fine." And she sounds so calm and sure he nearly believes her.
-----
December 29, 2012
She's only been in the hospital for four days, but she's already grown tired of the experience. The magnesium that's helping the baby makes her groggy and ill, and the antibiotics that are trying to fight off infections add dizziness to the equation.
A nurse distributes another set of antibiotics, and takes out the magnesium drip, but Jaclyn's so out of it she feels partially stuck in a dream. She's aware of her mom beside her, her golden graying hair glowing slightly from the sun that sneaks through the blackout curtains.
Even though Jaclyn's eyes are closed she can hear the fast switch of voices meaning her mom's channel surfing. Just as she can hear the clicks of Caleb's plastic Legos on the floor.
"The Duchess of Cambridge has been in St. Mary's Hospital for four days, and though there is little update since it was first announced her water broke from SROM, we're assuming no news is good news."
The arm that's not hooked up, tosses over her eyes, with a groan. Her mom reaches out to squeeze it, and when Jaclyn peaks her smile is slightly amused. She forgets that her parents aren't used to the attention, that it's a bit of a shock every time they visit. Sure, they saw her wedding and they watched people chase her and Caleb down, but each time they left. Nothing numbs a memory like space.
"I'm still curious if this condition she has is being overdramatized." Another faceless man on the news says, and it sounds like there's a shrug to his voice. "Looking into it there's a lot of information that's contradictory."
"Ass," her mom seethes, and before anything else is said the channel changes.
"We're right outside Lindo Wing with some fans who've placed their bets-"
"Hundreds possibly thousands of people have gathered outside Buckingham Palace waiting for the easel-"
"The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were spotted leaving the hospital last night-"
"Mom!" Caleb snaps, sitting up straight from the floor, his halfway finished Lego x-wing in his hands, to glare at Michelle. Realizing that the channel surfing and cut off sentences were probably driving him crazy, she stops, gingerly turning it off.
"I suppose I failed to realize how big this would be," her mom sighs. She turns to the window as if expecting it to be uncovered with natural light flooding in, and she stares as if contemplating pulling the blacked out curtain back, but even from the bed Jaclyn can feel the vibration of people down below. She doesn't have to see the street to know people are packed in like sardines.
Before she can answer her dad returns in a huff, pushing open the heavy door before falling in the reclining chair near where Caleb's spread out on the ground. "William's still trying to find something you'll eat."
"And what were you doing that got you so wound up?"
"So wound up you forgot to get Caleb's lunch," her mom tacks on, eyebrows raised up as her arms cross. She settles Brad with that questioning look, but he just runs his hands down his face. Too tired to be scared.
"I just don't understand people," he shrugs, head collapsing back with closed eyes, "None of us can go anywhere in this country without someone pulling out a phone."
"I know it's a hard adjustment, but once they're used to you being here it'll die down." Her voice is slightly desperate, edged with exhaustion, but desperate all the same. The last thing she wants is for her family to turn around and go back home just when she's convinced them that staying could be good.
"Besides, everything's worse because of the baby," she adds with a dry laugh and big smile that aches in the corners.
"You're not the first woman to have a child-"
"Bradley!" And before Jaclyn can get between her father's joking and tired grumbling and her mother's scolding, the remote flies across the room and hits him in the head.
Caleb looks up between all three of them, for once his blonde hair not falling in his big blue eyes, and shrugs, turning back to his Legos. "You deserved that, lizard." Hearing the new name he's given their dad makes the tightness from her nervous smile relax. He means the villain from the new Spider-Man movie, and Jaclyn thinks it's kind of fitting.
"This is the heir to the throne." She's able to get out, collapsing back into the pile of stiff pillows. Another Braxton Hicks contraction starts, it's not painful, but it is an odd sensation to feel her belly tighten and harden and then relax.
She massages her belly waiting for the contractions to release while she watches her family.
It's a big adjustment dealing with not only the press but everyone else, and the first few months are the worst but the most crucial. It feels like everyone's prying into your life, sneaking up to the window and watching. Not only are they dealing with being surrounded by leeches, but they're sitting by her bedside while she struggles.
Through the haze in her eyes and the throbbing in her head she can see her mother's eyes grow more glassy. She can see Caleb growing more confused as everyday he brings her a new Lego creation and asks her to play only for her to inaudibly shake her head. Her dad seems fine on the outside, but as the days drag his words become aggressive, and his patience wanes.
"You'll have to go out and say a few words to the press after the baby's born," she tells them, but pauses just picturing her dad awkwardly blabbing something on live TV. "Mom I have lots of approved things dad can say in my bag, please go over those with him."
-----
December 30, 2012
Despite everyone's best efforts she did take a turn for the worst. After five days of holding on, and only two days from reaching thirty weeks the infection hit.
She wakes up from an afternoon nap to the throb in her head intensified so her eyes have to stay closed under the harsh light in her room. The antibiotics have made her itchy and achy so she can't lie still, and slowly the room starts to descend into a sauna.
"Will, can you-" she trails off pointing to the call button beside her, and her voice is so soft he nearly misses it though she's sitting right beside him. The nurses will be in soon to check on her, they always are, but this feeling is new.
After pressing the button he turns to her leaning over in the awkward chair to place a hand against her head. She watches through cracked eyes as his face clenches and his own eyes take a second to close. "Jac, you're burning up."
"Oh."
It's the only response she can get out as suddenly the heat pooling from her skin fogs up her senses. She can feel her breathing grow more shallow as her chest tightens. Her stomach cramps and spreads until her back is screaming as well. It lasts and holds on to her body until she's inaudibly hissing, and in a moment of peace she closes her eyes once it's gone.
"The nurses have been in here all day," William says, speaking to reassure them both, but he's far away in her mind.
"Oh."
There's a pause before a kiss is placed on her head and then the comfort of safety is gone. "Caleb, stay here with your sister." Feet pound the tile and the door is thrown open and slams with just as much force, but before her hand can move a small one slips between her clammy fingers.
She probably looks like a mess, knotted hair sticking to her neck and skin so on fire there's no way she doesn't look red. Do her eyes look as lifeless as she feels, and can Caleb see all of this?
Jaclyn forces bloodshot eyes open, and gives her nearly thirteen year old brother a quivering smile, but another cramp rolls through her stomach like a punch and he catches her recoil slightly.
"You're hot," he deadpans, his wide eyes sweeping over her body looking for the cause. She doesn't know what to say to him, not able to gauge if his blank stare is one of curious observance or detachment. What was too much and how much could he comprehend?
He asked questions, he asked plenty of questions, but there was never any follow up. Why are we here? When can we go home? When will Jac feel better? Will the stupid baby just come?
And with each one they all tried to carefully explain that it was either the baby, or that she was sick, and that they didn't want to rush the baby. He would always nod his head and go back to his task at hand. Whether he understood or just didn't care Jaclyn wasn't sure.
She couldn't blame him either. No kid wanted to spend their Christmas break locked within the gray walls of a hospital.
"Are you sad?" He asks, growing tired of holding her hand and now opening and closing her fingers. When she doesn't answer he pokes her cheek. "You're crying."
Her hand moves through the aches in her bones to hover over where he poked her, and it's only then that she realizes tears are slowly running down her cheeks. Her skin is sticky from where some dried, but numb to the feeling of more rolling down from her eyes.
"I'm nervous to meet the baby," she croaks, choking on the little air being squeezed from her lungs. Without warning, maybe he heard her, maybe he didn't, he leans over and nuzzles the top of her head sniffing it like he used to do when he was younger. They don't say anything else, he mumbles movie dialogue against her hair but that's it, and that's how her parents and Will find them with the nurses and midwives right behind them.
Michelle runs over, crouching down and taking her daughter's hand. It's limp and warm, and Jaclyn doesn't have time to worry about the crestfallen look from her emotional mother as another cramp contorts her stomach.
Trills start to blare in the distance, a beeping that rises to fall. It's screaming far away, or perhaps based on the horror in her mother's face it's not far at all.
"It's going to be okay, what's going on? Someone tell me what's going on with my daughter?!" A hand desperately pets her hair, but recoils at the warmth, and before Jaclyn can truly relax into her mother's touch, the hands that smoothed away her illnesses in the past, are replaced leaving and unknown fading touch.
Her eyes open, but her neck is too stiff to turn, glaring into the lights above her while strange hands shove and move above her. Words are thrown around, but the inside of her ears are throbbing.
"Baby's Heart… distress… infection… baby out… induction… C-section…"
She's starting to shake her head, alarms blaring in her head that already hurts, and she starts to protest like their words are a death sentence, but they have to listen to her. She doesn't want a C-section, she's scared what induction will do to her, she's scared what an infection means.
"Will," she chokes, trying to sit up, but a midwife gently tells her to lie down. "I don't want a C-section…"
"Alright, Your Royal Highness, just take a deep breath." It's Dr. Setchell, and his kind eyes above are enough for her to try, but her lungs still burn. If she gazes to the side she can just make out as he pulls William closer to the bed. Somehow in minutes he's managed to become completely disheveled. Hair askew and shirt wrinkled, biting down on his lip with a dooming downcast look as the doctor talks.
"Treatment… immediately… pitocin… C-section… risks…"
She wants to scream, to pull the man who's been nothing but accommodating down by his scrubs and demand he talk to her. But she's clearly not in the right state so who honestly would, but it's an isolating feeling being surrounded yet entirely alone in knowledge.
"Hey, Jac?" William slides down beside her, wiping away the tears from her eyes. He tries to smile, but a mask has fallen over his eyes. The one he uses to keep from crying. The one he used at his mom's funeral.
"You've got an infection, and they need to get the baby out before it spreads and so they can treat you properly. So you're going to have to decide, do you want to be induced or do you want a C-section?"
Plenty of babies were born early and thrived. Knowing that was a small comfort. Laid out helplessly while strangers discuss her fate makes her realize how not ready she is, how afraid she is. She fears going in and never coming out the same. She fears never coming out at all.
That was the worst of all because before this she never had anyone to live for. She had her family and William, but she had hope that if anything ever did happen to her they would survive. The thought of never seeing her baby, of never knowing who they would be, terrified her.
I can't be a ghost people tell them about.
At the same time she knows she'd give her last breath for the child she's never met.
"Do the induction." It feels less final even though she knows the pitocin, which intensifies contractions will be unbearable for her joints. It's better than a C-section which she knows will be nearly impossible to recover from.
" Darling, everything's going to be alright."
"You're going to stay right?"
He kisses her hands, "of course I'm going to stay, what a silly question."
Once he's got the go ahead Dr. Setchell splits everyone into teams. The specialists wait off to the side for emergencies with the NICU team, and the nurses who are ready to take care of her after. The doctor himself instructs the delivery team. "Do not tell Her Royal Highness to push, do not press on her abdomen to get the baby out, be prepared that as soon as induction starts the labor will be quick."
After the injection is given, followed by the epidural, it's more waiting. The medications start to flood through her veins easing the burning in her lungs and the throbbing in her head, but her skin still burns despite the air that feels cold enough to make her shiver.
Her family is whisked away to the waiting room once they're sure she'll be fine, but she can't get her parents' final look out of her mind. Stares so strong like they were committing her to memory.
"It's a girl," William says after an hour or two, she's too groggy to really know.
She turns to him, closing her copy of Anne of Green Gables, she hasn't read a single word anyways. "And if I say it's a boy?"
"You can say it, doesn't mean you're right."
The corners of her lips twist up, and she's about to throw something back at him when another contraction hits. One big enough to make her feel nauseous, until her eyes are clenched closed.
"I thought they gave you an epidural?" He's holding her hand, but she doesn't feel bad enough to squeeze like women do in movies. "They did," she huffs, falling back once it lets up, "If you want to ask what's wrong, be my guest. They keep telling me to be patient."
It's only after another two hours when she's hissing and panting that the midwife's eyes go wide. "You shouldn't be feeling this."
You think, she nearly snaps, but bites back the retort with a scream that she refuses to let out.
"Sometimes epidurals don't work on people with EDS, but it's something that's not understood really well in the medical field," Dr. Setchell explains as she transitions into the second stage of labor.
She grunts, because of course that's the case with her stupid luck. Every seam in her body feels like it's ripping and shredding, and her hands curl in the sheets while William rubs at her shoulders. "I just want this to be over."
"It won't be long now," he soothes, but it's easy for him to say. She's the one with skin on fire and pain cramping her entire body. The closer she gets to delivering the more the dizziness returns, and she sinks into the hospital bed helplessly hiding into the pillows to ease the hot clenching pain over her eyebrows. It's all so much she barely has time to think about the baby, let alone herself.
Her hips hurt from the pressure, and as her head spins she's starting to wonder if she'll ever walk again. Time continues to pass, equally dragging and racing. In the back of her head she's aware that things are progressing quickly that it's only been a matter of two three hours since induction started.
As she clenches her eyes and claws at the bed she can't help but want it to be over. She wants to hold her baby, she wants to go home, she just wants everything to be okay.
William's there, running his fingers through her tangled hair undoing the knots, or brushing away the sweat soaked strands away from her glossy forehead. "I love you, Jac. You're doing wonderful."
She doesn't have the energy to respond, blinking back silent tears because she refuses to sob or scream. She can barely look at him, so intently focused on every part of her body that's screaming. Her joints that have gone rigid and her legs that sting like fireworks have been set off on them. Her body's ripping and stretching, and to do so the pain that contorts through her skin is paralyzing.
"Why didn't the epidural work?" She hiccups, lip trembling as she shakes from the latest tight contraction. Her grip tightens on his hand, but the soft safe smile stays. "Hey, you're going to be okay, I promise it's going to be okay."
Her stomach contracts again until she's gasping and wheezing. This time a choked broken sob escapes. Something's pressing heavily down on her sacrum, in between the chills and the crippling pain, she knows without a doubt it's her baby.
"The baby's ready," she gasps, inhaling a shuddering breath through her body's tight seizing.
"We'll see," one of the nurses laughs, but she comes over nonetheless to check her cervix. A minute later she steps back eyes wide in disbelief before running to get Dr. Setchell who momentarily stepped out.
"I swear she was just six centimeters minutes ago-" the nurse explains, breathless and bursting through the door, but Dr. Setchell despite his age is spry and ready. "Didn't I warn you?" He grins, giving her a wink, but never before has she had a stronger urge to smack someone. It doesn't even have to be him, she just needs to hit something.
"Let's have a baby," he declares, easing her legs open while William helps her upper body readjust. "The head is crowning, now do not push at all until I tell you to."
Her body's ripping. Maybe not literally, but that's what it feels like. A searing pain that's so hot it's nearly numbing. "Oh my God," she finally screams.
"Breathe Jac, everything's going to be okay, you just have to breathe." She gulps, trying to breathe with William, but it only does so much to take away the pain that's breaking her bones. Sharp flares sting all over her lower half until her limbs are trembling, knee bouncing under the harsh hospital light.
It's enough to make her think she can't continue, but William's still there holding her hand whispering how she's strong and resilient and other cheesy things just to keep her going. He said it would be worth it earlier, and it will be.
Think of the good
She waits through the numbing pain for Dr. Setchell to tell her to push by thinking. Thinking of the baby they'll take home, the first steps she'll record and the first word she'll jump up and down over. Their first day of school, dancing together, and running around outside.
The pressure is sitting so low she thinks her hips are breaking, but she holds William's hand tighter and hisses through it thinking of little boys and girls following their dad around in complete awe, and crawling into her lap when they need to cry. She thinks of the lessons they'll teach them and the fights they'll have, taking the good for the bad.
"Okay ma'am, I need you to just slightly push the baby is just nearly out." She's aware of how wrong this can go if she pushes too hard, but she's taken such specific corrections for years. An inhale fills her tight lungs and as she exhales there's just enough force to push followed by a sudden relief that lets go of her body.
It's not easy after. She falls back, one leg sagging with her, while the world goes in and out of focus above her. Her skin still burns and the air is still cold, and her stomach still contracts but it's bearable. William is pushed aside as the nurses rush over to clean her up and hook her up to more monitors, but she breathes without a weight in her a slow blink rolling her eyes closed.
But there's not a weight in her…
A familiar weight that she's fought and protected and that has become part of her is gone.
"Ma'am you need to stay down." One of the nurses instructs as she has the sudden urge to sit up to see where her baby went.
As much as her head will allow she turns, meeting William's eyes which are flashing between her and the far corner where so many people are crowded around she can't see. "How's the baby?" She asks, coughing from how dry her throat is.
Her heart is sinking, chipping with every second that the only sound filling the room is the monitor. Babies are supposed to scream. Babies are supposed to cry. They're supposed to be laid on their mother's chest to bond. She won't have her child handed to her only so she can hold her as she dies.
"Someone please-"
But before she can finish her strained plea a shrill cry fills the room and she exhales loudly again.
"Your Royal Highnesses." The nurses step back allowing William to come closer by the bed as the head midwife steps forward carrying a bundle of blankets that wails. She turns around revealing a pink-faced baby, and Jaclyn has to fight to keep her arms at her sides reminding herself she's still infected by whatever she got hours ago. "Someone wants to meet her parents."
"Her?" William asks, and there are glittering tears in his eyes as he leans forward. The nurse hands him their daughter who's little face is screwed up in a tired scowl as she cries. Jaclyn, who managed to keep her crying to a minimum during labor finally bursts into tears seeing their perfect little girl.
"Hi sweetheart," she hiccups, dumbly waving to the baby.
William holds her so easily, swaying while completely besotted by this little human he's just met, and the sight makes Jaclyn cry more. "We have a daughter," she wails, unable to tear her eyes away from the baby who has now relaxed in her father's arms.
The nurses take her quickly to the NICU, explaining how she'll have to be in there with all the other babies and families, but neither of them care. Their daughter's here and she's okay.
"Do you have any names?" The nurse who checked her dilation earlier asks, excitement shining through the lenses of her glasses as she gets everything ready for the birth certificate.
They share a secret look, William telling her with his proud smile that they're going with his name. She knows better than to argue and after going through all that, she's fine with the choice.
"Amelia," they declare together, both beaming.
"I like it, Princess Amelia."
William starts to fill everything out, but before he can get far she clears her throat. When he turns her arms are crossed. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
He pauses contemplating before it hits him. "I have to call Granny."
-----
Princess Amelia of Cambridge is here!!! I literally love her already I don't know about you guys.
Btw Happy Easter! I hope this is sufficient and exactly what you were hoping it would be. We have a bit before I finish out this part because I want to go up until the christening, I'm estimating 4-5 more but you know me and my estimations.
I would like to say a special thank you to @Christmas2580 for her insider information on what the delivery room is like. I literally needed all the help I could get guys, I was watching birthing vlogs while I did my homework, and I was getting some weird looks for the tabs that were open on my laptop. She literally saved my life with this!!!
Let me know what you guys think or if you have any questions about things that happened, I love you all❤️❤️❤️❤️