Page 105 of The Un-Apparent Heir

The nurse looked confused.

“I know. People think she’s fearless. She usually is, but she’s terrified of needles. War hero afraid of needles doesn’t compute, I’ll grant you.”

“Understood, sir,” the nurse said. “Okay, I will mention this to the rest of the staff and we'll proceed as if this will go off without drugs. But just be aware it will make the process harder.”

“I am aware, as is she. But she’s tough. Just very frightened of needles.”

The nurse left it. Natalie had enough of a problem sitting through the inevitable saline lock they put in her arm. She screamed. Everyone thought it was a contraction, but she was protesting the IV. Ed fought laughter at the ridiculousness. She could handle g-forces and control a million things at once. She didn’t flinch when a gun went off. Now? She was miserable and frightened.

“You’re okay now,” Ed brushed Natalie’s hair back. “It’s over. No more, alright?”

Natalie’s contractions, which started that morning, were stronger and closer. They checked her cervix, something painful, but manageable, and determined she was only four centimetres dilated. It was not what everyone wanted.

“Let’s take a walk,” a nurse said.

Their security detail protested.

“I’m acting head of state and I will tell you to ring the damn PM if you don’t bloody well like it,” Natalie barked.

She was not acting head of state anymore on paper, but her father’s second operation recovery was still underway, and he relied on her to do almost anything.

They let her through, girding their loins. Ed proceeded with her, knowing better than to intervene. She was the athlete on the edge of a major win. His job was to support her. Anything unhelpful would shatter her confidence and concentration.

After forty-five minutes of walking the corridors, Natalie’s contractions were right on top of one another. They took a beat.

Soon, the indelicate business of labouring in a birthing tub began. Ed gathered that birth was nothing like what television prepared him for. It was far less polished, much more sweaty, and nightmare-fuel. Watching Natalie shake in pain, sob, and shriek was torture. She looked miserable. Ed worried for another hour if she would survive.

Then, there was a sea change. She calmed, quieted, and became intensely focused. It was like Ed got before a race. She was close. Somehow, some way her body knew what it was doing. She settled. It was time.

With each passing moment and each push, Natalie climbed a mountain. She strained and cried a bit, but it wasn’t dramatic. It was controlled. She was an endurance athlete preserving her energy for the end. How she knew what to do, Ed didn’t know. It was primal and instinctive. No matter how many races he won, Ed had to tip his hat to his wife as she survived what he gathered was unimaginable agony. And then, there was the finish. Natalie grabbed the baby first, aided by a nurse. It was wild.How in the hell did she figure that shit out?

Born into the world, their baby screamed once he was out. He wanted everyone to know his own opinion on matters.

“A healthy baby boy,” a nurse said. “Good lungs.”

Natalie held the baby to her chest, sobbing. Time stood still. That was it. They were parents—forever. The battle was won but the journey had just begun.

For Immediate Release-

The Princess of Wales has been delivered a baby boy weighing nine pounds, 2 ounces and measuring 23 inches in length after a swift labour. Both mother and baby are recovering well at St. Mary’s Hospital. The birth was attended by midwives of the Lindo Wing and the baby’s father, the Duke of Cornwall.

The child, now second in line to the thrown behind its mother, will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Duncan Paul Robert John named after his great uncle, uncle, and both grandfathers. The King and Queen are delighted with the safe delivery of their eighth grandchild.

“You love him, don’t you?” Natalie cooed as Lucy held the baby.

“He’s precious as can be, Nat,” Lucy said, tearful. “And he will be a wonderful friend to whatever we will call this little girl. Won’t you be?”

“I have never met a baby so inquisitive,” Natalie sighed. “He is perfect. Isn’t he?”

“Everyone thinks that about their kids,” George joked. “But yes. He’s wonderful.”

“A good combination of the both of you,” Kiersten said. “Isn’t he adorable, Cecilia?”

Cecilia wasn’t convinced about her younger cousin. “He’s a baby.”

“He’s a baby, darling, but isn’t he precious?” Kiersten asked.

She grimaced. “He’s a baby.”

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