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"And you must tell him" Her voice breaks "You have to tell him every day It’s very important He’ll be so sad inside if he doesn’t know"

A lu me "I will, I swear--I’ll tell him every day" I kiss her hand, her knuckles "We’ll tell hi deep, slowly expanding her lungs Wetness clings to her lashes like swollen raindrops, but when she opens thenation people have when they don’t knohat’s around the corner, but they’ve already accepted whatever it may be

She presses her hand to my face "I love you, my Edward I’ve loved you all this time I was afraidbut I’m not afraid anymore"

I’ve tried to show Lenora all she means to me--I’ve worked at it, because actions always iven her words--sords, candid words, fervent wordsbut I’ve never given her those words I didn’t know they mattered so much to her

"Lenora, I--"

But the nurse has already placed the ht under in the blink of an eye

"She’s out, Doctor," the nurse says

His voice changes to snapping, clipped coent orders

"Suction"

"Clao of her hand And I don’t stop looking at her Her coloring is terribleher lips the color of chalk I watch her breathe because there’s a horrific, stabbing worry that if I look away, shequick chatter of the nurses and doctor And a slap of wet skin smacks the air

And thena baby’s cry It’s loud and lusty and absolutely fucking furious

"Wessco has a new prince," the doctor says

Wetness streaks froh to wipe it away I , "It’s a boy, Lenny It’s a boy We have a son"

She doesn’t answer She doesn’tin this room Off in the air A new, healthy prince has just been born, but there is no sense of joy The nurse’s eyes above theirand alert There is tension, apprehensionbut no celebration

Slowly, I stand and look over the curtain down below Lenora’s waist

And the bones in my chest contract and collapse and crumble to dust

I’ve been to war I’ve watched men die because they lost toonowis too, too much It soaks the table beneath her and puddles on the floor The doctor is hunched between her legs, working with quick loved pal?"

"You need to leave this roo his eyes

A nurse takes hness You can hold the Prince in the next rooth and authority into ?"

"Go with your son, Prince Edward"

"I’ to her!"

"The Queen is losing too much blood," the doctor snaps, still focused on his work "Her uterus is not contracting; therecan’t be stopped, I have to operate and I cannot do that with you in here--so get out!"

"Please, Your Highness" a nurse soothes "Let hiht I let them lead me from the room Because I’m not there anyway I’m somewhere else