Chapter Text
Jane and Edmund passed the night before together in her house after another romantic getaway in a not very small cabin full of roses with an enormous lake of shining water nearby them. Despite being in a hot season of the year, the most if the cabins were free. They took advantage of it and lost their shame about bathing naked in the lake at night when no one could see them. During the day, Edmund also discovered one thing he liked so much about Jane. Despite her appearance of a lady, true in some things, she also loved making works that include getting dirty. Due to the fact that both were very sporty people, they were much time to go hiking in the forest. It was a weekend to remember.
Even though they loved to be hugged by the bed, they had to go back to work. In his work Edmund could decide the timetable he wanted to follow, always with some conditions, but not Jane. As the most of the people she had a defined one and she had to get up or she would be late.
He took a quick shower after his eldest brother called him announcing his new daughter has already born. Edmund thought for a moment about if he should tell Jane to go with him or not but he decided not doing it even though they were going to the same clinic together. It was extremely soon for them as a couple to involve the family. In fact, she hasn't already said nothing about hers.
Jane and her father didn't have a good relationship. She had practically raised herself all her life or with a nanny when she was a baby but never with her father. The few times they talked, they always end up arguing about the same thing. Her father always said that she never lacked money and that she lived in luxury thanks to his company. Jane didn't say it wasn't true, only that she needed her love more and his money less. It wasn't too hard to see when you met her that Jane's insecurities about having a partner were because of her father. The two of them had barely seen each other once a year since she left home, and for Jane's regret, her father didn't seem to need her. She had no other family as her mother abandoned her after giving birth and months later died in a car accident. Or that is what he said to her all her life.
Even though Edmund didn't know anything about Jane's family, he assumed that the relationship was not good and that being suddenly immersed in his could be overwhelming for her. So they decided to go separately to the clinic. That way, they could both drive and not depend on each other.
"Are you sure you don't wanna me to go with you?" Asked Jane while they were finishing breakfast in the kitchen praying that he wouldn’t change his mind.
Edmund put the cup of coffee on the table and took Jane's had known what was on her mind.
"No, I prefer not. It is better to focus all the attention on the baby or you will see my very hormonal sister-in-law really angry. Besides, my brothers can be very intensive, so it's better to take it at the time.
Jane arrived before Edmund did to the clinic.
She greeted the receptionist as usual and went through the medical records of the patients she had to see that day. A tall man approached perpendicular to her to speak to the receptionist but she paid little attention to him útil she heard his voice. A very familiar voice.
"Excuse me, ma'am, my wife has been ringing the bell for several minutes to be attended by a nurse but no one is coming." The receptionist called the nurse's office and apologized to the man for his wife.
"Edward?" Jane had raised her head and couldn't believe who she was seeing.
"Jane... Eh... Hi... I didn't expect to see you here. It's been a long time since we've seen each other." Edward was astonished to see her ex-lover the same day and in the same place, his daughter was born.
"I work here. What are you doing here?" Asked Jane. She knew it was his wife because of what he said in reception but still hoped it was nothing serious.
"My daughter was born several hours ago. My wife is recovering from her C-section."
"Oh. Well, I hope everything is fine and congratulations for your newborn."
It was an uncomfortable situation but even though they ended up in bad manners they didn't have to be always like that. After all, what were the chances of them ever seeing each other again?
Edward thanked her for her congratulations and for a moment, the two of them looked each other in the eyes without knowing what to say.
Shortly afterwards Edmund entered in the reception and saw his brother talking to a woman from behind.
“Hey, Ed!” Edmund went to him and saw Jane then. He had no idea that they knew each other, nor Jane that they were brothers. “Ah, Jane! Do you already know my brother?
“Your brother? Asked Jane.
“Wait a moment.” Interrupted Edward. "How do you two know each other?”
“We are dating” Replied Edmund without understanding anything.
Jane couldn't believe it. It felt like she wanted to die right then and there. Instead of continuing that conversation, she remembered that she had patients coming at any time. She made the excuse that she had to leave, took the medical records, and left quickly. It was finally Edward's turn to explain to Edmund how he knew Jane and from what.
The rest of the morning the family was together in the hospital getting to know the new addition to the family. On Elizabeth's side was also her mother Jacquetta and her brother Anthony, who was taking care of Lizzie, Mary and Thomas.
The atmosphere was quite tense especially because Jacquetta and Cecily didn't get along. Both Jacquetta and Cecily had so much different personalities because they had been raised and had raised their children in very different ways. In truth, Cecily always thought that Jacquetta was very vulgar and Jacquetta though that Cecily was so snooty. In due to the bad atmosphere in the room, Edward decided to use that moment to announce that the baby would be named Cecily after his mother. It wasn't a joint decision. Elizabeth had chosen the names of all her previous children, and this time it was Edward's turn. In those moments Jacquetta looked disgusting to the floor.
The nurse came to pick up the newborn and Elizabeth took advantage of it for resting accompany of her mother. Anthony took the children to their home, and Edward went out to the café with his mother, George and Isabelle before she went to work again.
Edmund left because he couldn't stand to be in that environment anymore. He didn't know what to think of his relationship or Jane. Not even from his own brother.
Margaret had taken a taxi to the clinic because she was too nervous to drive, so she came back with Richard to their building.
"Do you think Kate was a mistake in your life?"
"What is the point of that Meg?" Richard was surprised.
"Just curiosity."
"No, I don't think Kate was a mistake. In any case, a surprise but not a mistake. Yes, I was very young but I think I haven't done things so badly and she is healthy, loved and happy."
"Don't you think it would have been better for her to be married to her mother?"
"No, absolutely no. We weren't on good terms after all and that would have harmed Kate in her childhood. The only thing that I regret is that she has to grow up without her mother."
"But she can have one. Not her biological one but another. Anne seems very fondly of her and Kate loves spending time with her. Don't you feel nothing for her anymore?"
"What do you expect me to say? I am not looking for a substitute for Kate's mother, Meg. It is insulting for her memory and I don't wanna my daughter to suffer. I am not a teenager anymore. Why are you asking me this?"
"Because I am pregnant."
"Really? I mean, that is wonderful. Congratulations. But, are you happy? Is the father too?"
"I honestly have a mix of feelings. I never imagined myself as a mother. Charles is surprisingly happy. But I don't know how we will do this. He travels a lot for his work and well, he already has a daughter from a previous marriage. He is now obviously divorced and we were planning to live together."
"Are you considering abortion?"
"No! Not anymore. I was so worried that I thought about it only for a second. But I wouldn't forgive myself if I did."
Richard parked in the garage while he was talking to his sister. When they got out of the car, he was surprised to see that she was going to the street and not to her house.
"Aren't you coming up?"
"No, I'm leaving you my apartment so you can be alone with Anne and tell her once and for all that you still have feelings for her and that you want to try having a relationship again."
Richard sighed at his sister's insistence, thinking that she was partly right.
"It's not that simple, Meg. "
"Nor will ever be if you don't dare to take the first step."
When night came, Edmund could not continue with so many doubts in his head about everything that had happened that day. He didn't want to talk to anyone but doubts were killing him so despite the time he went to see Jane at her house. As it was too late, he had to call her on the phone to open the door.
"Hi." Said Edmund without looking at her.
"Hi... Please come in."
They entered her house and he began talking even before she could notice.
"I need to ask you something." Started Edmund.
"Okay."
"Why did you wanted to be with a man that you knew that would never love you? Did you loved him?"
What are two questions, thought Jane but it wasn't a moment for being fussing.
"I never loved him. I just felt that in that way he would never be able to hurt me. Anyone could hurt me in that situation. That is why I felt safer."
"Safer with him that with me? "
"Yes. Because I really care for you. It is so soon to speak of love but I believe that with time I will love you. I don't know exactly why but this experience makes me feel vulnerable in such ways. But I don't care because you are here, with me. A year ago I would have fled without thinking but now it is different. Now it is all I want. You are what I want."
"And now you are gonna tell me you didn't know we are brothers."
"Of course I didn't know!"
Once again, both of them were left without knowing what to say but without wanting to end the conversation. But after a while, she was the one who started.
"I know this is shocking. Okay? It is also for me but we have to decide if we wanna try to… to resolve this. Because I really want to and I know this is harder for you but I can be always like this."
"I am sorry. But I need to think before saying something I don't want to. I promise that I will call you when I'm ready"
Edmund approached her, gave her a kiss on the forehead as she repressed her desire to cry and left. Both had had a hard time in their love lives and naively this time they thought that maybe everything would work out.