Love is Precious

The next few weeks passed in relative peace, and despite feeling horrible and absolutely drained, Ash did his best to rise every morning and at least take care of Thorne. He’d still failed to have his monthly, leading them all to believe that he was, indeed, carrying yet another of his husband’s children.

One morning about a month after he first took ill, right after Independence Day, he woke with the sun from his stomach roiling like a hurricane-tossed sea. He blindly reached for the chamber pot, knowing he wouldn’t have time to make it to the water closet, and barely got it under his face before he started wretching. He accidentally woke Andy, who immediately rolled over and pulled his hair back for him, trying to gently rub his back at the same time as he always did.

A few minutes after he started, he set the chamber pot aside and wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his night gown. He flopped back down on the pillows he used to prop himself up with, panting harshly after expelling the remnants of his supper once again. Thankfully, baby Thorne was still asleep where he lay in his cradle, having never heard a sound, which was good since he shouldn’t be up just yet.

“Are you all right, my love?” Andy asked softly, his voice deeper than usual since he was still half-asleep.

“Mmm,” he groaned, holding his belly.

“Awww. I am sorry, Ashes,” his husband whispered, gently kissing his temple. “It will get better soon.”

“I know it will,” the younger man moaned miserably. “That does not mean I have to like it while I feel so unwell.”

“Understandable, my love,” he agreed. “I am going to begin getting ready before waking Kegan and Kelly. Would you like me to hand Thorne to you?”

“Yes, please,” Ash answered, nodding. “He needs to be fed, and no doubt his diaper is at least wet.”

Nodding, Andy rose from their bed and walked over to the cradle at its foot, a piece of furniture that had been there since the twins were born. He bent over to view the child it held, smiling and cooing softly when he realized that he was now awake. It turned out that his young bride had woken him, but he’d stayed quiet, as if sensing he didn’t feel well.

The young man cradled the babe in his long arms, gently bouncing him as he danced his way back to the head of the bed. Ash had readjusted himself so that, although he still lay on his side, it would be easier for him to nurse their son. He had his husband lay Thorne down on the mattress beside him, gently using one arm to both hold him in place and prop his head up. When he realized where he was and for what purpose, the babe snuggled closer before latching onto his swollen, tender nipple.

A soft wince was drawn from the younger man, but he quickly forgot his pain as he enjoyed bonding further with his son. Andy smiled at the tender scene before bending low enough to gently kiss his temple, then turned to take a trip to the water closet. His young bride sighed softly as he watched their youngest son, gently stroking his downy hair as he suckled at him greedily.

“If you do not need any help with Thorne, I am going to wake the twins,” the young man said after dressing a short time later.

“Can you send Mama in to help me?” he requested.

“I can,” his husband answered. “Do not push yourself too much today, my love.”

“I never do,” Ash answered, drawing him in for a kiss. “I love you so much, Andy. Forever and always.”

“I love you more than I can ever scream, Ashes,” Andy answered. “Always and forever.”

As he sat up with their son on his lap, he couldn’t help but wonder just how much more of this he could take. This would be his third pregnancy since getting married just over three years ago, and there was only about six months between the beginning of this one, and the end of the last. Surely it wasn’t healthy, even for a woman, to have one child right after another like this.

When Thorne finally burped, he swaddled him in his thin little summer blanket before holding him in his lap. The babe wasn’t about to fall back to sleep just yet since he wasn’t a newborn anymore, but he didn’t feel like getting up to put him back in his cradle. He was afraid of suddenly feeling sick and being so all over him if he tried to move, or worse yet, dropping him in the middle of wretching. He would never intentionally endanger his children, and knowing that could possibly happen, he wasn’t about to take any chances. Setting him aside and grabbing the chamber pot in time would be hard enough, as it was.

Shortly thereafter, there was a knock at his bedchamber door, and he called out permission for the person to enter. The door opened to reveal Daisy, who quickly took in his condition as she entered. It was obvious that she worried more about him than a normal mother, but after the way he grew up and considering that he wasn’t a normal young man, it wasn’t really all that surprising. He was just thankful to know that she genuinely cared about him, something he hadn’t thought her capable of for many years.

“How do you fare this morn, Ashley?” she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed by his hip.

“Better, but I still feel a bit unwell,” Ash answered, smiling.

“That is good to hear, son,” his mother said, returning the smile. “Have you already fed and changed Thorne?”

“I just finished right before you knocked,” he told her, nodding.

“Let us put this little rascal back in his cradle so you can dress,” Daisy said, gently taking her grandson. “Good morning, Thorne.”

“Day-Day!” the babe cried happily, acknowledging his grandmother. It was the closest to her name as he could get for a seven-month-old baby, especially since he definitely couldn’t say “Grama” or anything close to it yet.

Ash chuckled as his mother laid the child down in his cradle, bending low enough to kiss his chubby cheek before straightening again. Once he was settled, squirming and cooing happily to himself, she came back to the head of the bed and helped her son sit up. She made sure not to make him move too fast, lest he get sick again.

With her son upright, she allowed him to reorient himself as she walked over to the wardrobe to get his clothes, making sure he wouldn’t get dizzy and fall after she walked away. He told her what he wanted to wear and she grabbed it, surprised when he went with a darker purple than he normally did, as well as black undergarments. He just shrugged and said that he was feeling a bit chilly, and knew that darker colors would hold more heat. Daisy thought about it for a moment, chuckling as she agreed.

She quickly helped him get his stockings, garters, and under drawers in place, not paying the slightest bit of attention to his crotch as she did so. She’d changed his diapers as a babe, so it didn’t affect her, although it did make him blush slightly. Once they were on, she pulled his chemise down over his head, then had him stand long enough to do the same with his petticoat. Ash held still as she pulled it down to his waist before holding his arms up for her to button it, not saying anything as she smoothed the fabric down. She gave him a moment between that and his dress, knowing he may need his chamber pot again.

The moment he told her it was okay, Daisy started pulling his dress down over his head, careful not to allow his arms to get stuck. As she pulled the skirts down over his hips properly, he wormed his arms through the three-quarter sleeves. He then stood stock-still for her to fasten the buttons marching down his back, wincing when he felt the silk pull just a bit too snugly against his lower belly.

“It is not too tight, it is?” she asked worriedly.

“No, not at this moment,” Ash answered, shaking his head. “It probably will be in another month’s time, if that, though.”

“Do you wish to try a different dress?” his mother asked, only wanting the best for him and his unborn child.

“It will do. I just will not wear it again until after the babe is born,” the young man answered.

“Hmm…” She appraised him with a critical eye for a moment. “I think I have an idea…”

“What?” he asked curiously.

Daisy took the material of the dress and hiked it up a bit, folding and pinning it in such a way that one couldn’t tell she’d pulled the tighter part of the fabric up just a bit unless they knew the original length of its skirts. He was relieved that it was no longer tight around his belly where his child grew, and satisfied that it didn’t appear any different than normal, so he turned to embrace her.

“Thank you, Mama. This feels much better now,” he said softly.

“It is no problem, Ashley,” she answered, gently kissing his cheek. “I just want what is best for you and the babe.”

“So do I,” the younger man agreed. “My children are of the utmost importance to me.”

“That is how every mother feels unless she is not of sound mind,” his mother agreed. “I know Amy and I feel that way.”

With a grin on his face, Ash followed her out the door of his bedchamber after she took Thorne from his cradle. It wouldn’t be long before he’d have to give up the piece of furniture for his younger sibling and start sleeping in the nursery with his brothers. He decided that they’d best start getting him used to sleeping in there soon, before this next babe was born, so it wouldn’t be quite as hard on him.

“Good morning, Ashley,” Amy greeted as they walked into the dining room.

“Good morning, Mother,” he answered, gently kissing her cheek.

“Feeling better now?” she asked.

“Much. I still have a bit of unease in my stomach from time to time, but it is not so bad,” the younger man answered, nodding.

“That is good to hear,” his mother-in-law told him, his husband nodding his agreement.

“My dresses are already beginning to get tight, though,” he said. “We will have to bring the looser ones out of storage again.”

“You do not look like you have grown that much,” Andy said, sounding confused, yet thoughtful.

“That is because Mama pinned this dress before we came down so that it does not look so,” Ash chuckled. “It was just a bit too constrictive around my lower belly.”

“Ah, I see,” his husband agreed, nodding. “I will do that as soon as we eat, then.”

Moments later, the chef came into the room from the kitchen with several platters balanced in her hands and on her forearms. Her apprentice followed behind her with another platter in each hand, quickly setting them down so she could help the slightly older woman put down her load. She looked thankful, as they were undoubtedly hot, although her long sleeves kept her from getting burnt too badly, if at all. Once the food was on the table, they curtsied to everyone and took their leave as they always did.

“Andy, since we are going to need Thorne’s cradle for the new babe after it is born, I was thinking that we may want to start making him sleep in the nursery with his brothers,” the younger man said after a few bites.

“Why now, though?” his husband asked. “We have many months before the babe will be born.”

“I did not mean every night,” Ash clarified. “I meant at least once a week. And I think the earlier we start doing that, the better it will be.”

“He is right, son,” Amy agreed, nodding. “He will already be at least somewhat adjusted to sleeping in the nursery by the time this babe is born if you start now.”

“Start him off with one night a week, and gradually increase how many nights you do that until he is sleeping in there every night,” Daisy advised. “That is how I got Ashley used to sleeping in his nursery starting about six months after his birth.”

“I am guessing he did not like that,” Andy chuckled, smiling as he squeezed his bride’s hand.

“Not at all. He would spend the entire night crying the first few times I did that,” she answered, chuckling as well. “He did not like being separated from me.”

“It is obvious, even now, that once he grows attached to someone, he does not deal with separation very well,” the slightly older man said.

His mother-in-law cocked her brow at him in curiosity.

“The only time I have ever slept in the barn to avoid hurting him, he clung to me like a monkey for a week afterward,” he told her. “If he did not cling to me like a monkey, he would not let me out of his sight.”

“I remember that,” Amy said. “I thought he would be clinging to you like that for the rest of your lives.”

Ash pouted at the trio, making them all laugh. “Stop laughing at me!” he whimpered, feigning tears for a moment.

“Awww, my love. I am sorry,” Andy said, gently kissing his temple.

Daisy and his mother-in-law agreed, feeling bad for making him upset.

With a grin, the younger man let them know he’d just been messing with them and they all continued eating. By the time they were done, he felt much better than he had for a while now, glad that his stomach wasn’t so upset that he immediately lost his breakfast. He leaned back in his chair for a few moments, not wanting to move too much or too quickly so he didn’t upset his stomach, which was relatively calm.

Once sure he wouldn’t lose his breakfast if he got up and started moving around, Ash allowed his husband to help him up. They headed back to their suite, where he took a seat at their piano so he could play for a bit. Thorne sat in the floor near him with strings of wooden spools and other homemade toys, quietly entertaining himself with them.

Andy gently kissed his bride’s temple as he played before leaving the room, going to get Kegan and Kelly settled with his mother before going up to the attic. There was an old wardrobe up there that they stored the younger man’s looser dresses in when he didn’t need them. He’d said he was going to go bring them out of storage when they first sat down to breakfast, and he was a man of his word. Assured that his older sons were settled with their grandmother, he headed to the attic to begin his task.

It took about an hour to bring all of the dresses downstairs, then down another flight of stairs to the laundry room. The maids didn’t look too happy that he’d brought all of this down to them, but knew that his bride was going to need them again soon. He told them that he’d be more than willing to take up a scrub board and help them if they wished, but they refused. They claimed it was a woman’s work, and even if it weren’t they still wouldn’t let him since he was man of the house.

“I am going to check on Ash, Mother,” Andy said, peeking in to check on his older sons.

“All right. I just got Kegan and Kelly down for their naps,” she told him, smiling.

“I love you, Mother,” he murmured, hugging her.

“I love you, too, son,” Amy answered. “Go see to your bride’s needs.”

Upon walking into their suite, he saw the younger man sitting in the rocker he’d built shortly after the twins were born. Ash held their youngest in his arms, one side of the top half of his dress pulled down so he could feed their son again. His head was bowed so that he could look at the babe, soft words and melodies spilling from his lips as he rocked him to sleep. It was a sight as precious as their love, and it never failed to bring a smile to his face whenever he got to witness it.

Andy quietly took a seat on the sofa, waving at his bride when he finally noticed him so he wouldn’t disturb their son. He mouthed that Thorne was almost asleep, which made him glad that he hadn’t spoken. Aside from Kegan, he was the hardest of their children to get to sleep, whether it was for a nap or the night.

It wasn’t long before the babe fell asleep, so deeply that he let go of his mother’s nipple in his sleep. Ash continued rocking him for a bit longer, not even moving to pull his dress back up enough just to cover himself so he wouldn’t be exposed. Once sure that he was asleep and wouldn’t wake, he motioned his husband over to take him so he could be put in his cradle. The young man gently lifted him into his arms, cradling him to his chest the same way his bride had moments ago, and turned for their bedchamber. He murmured soft reassurances to Thorne as he laid him down, setting the cradle into motion so he wouldn’t wake.

By the time he returned to the sitting room, the younger man had pulled his dress back up and gotten his arm through the sleeve, but it still gaped a bit. Andy immediately walked behind the rocker to rebutton it, knowing that was the problem. He’d always been able to manage unbuttoning the top of his dress to nurse their boys by himself; getting it buttoned again was a different story.

“Thank you, Andy,” he said, giving him a smile before leaning in for a kiss.

“You are welcome, my love,” the slightly older man answered. “Ready for a nap of your own now?”

“Yes, I am,” Ash told him, yawning softly. “Childcare and expecting combined are greatly fatiguing.”

“I can imagine,” he chuckled, helping him up.

“Are you to lie down with me?” his young bride asked, yawning again.

“If you wish,” Andy answered. “I need to go down to the stables and check on the horses at some point, though.”

“One is due to foal soon, is she not?” he asked.

“Mmm hmm. I need to check on her, possibly help out, if need be,” he answered, nodding. “But I will lie here with you until you fall asleep.”

Nodding, Ash settled down against his mound of pillows, something he hadn’t stopped sleeping with since before the twins’ births. He’d gotten so used to being propped up after having to be just to breathe that it was a force of habit now. Once he was settled, he wrapped his arm around his waist, cuddling up to him as he sang quietly. It wasn’t long before he was sleeping deeply and peacefully, so Andy gingerly rose from their bed to carry on with his busy day.

Notes