Was it so strange to say that this week spent by his wife’s bedside was perhaps the happiest time of his life thus far? Now that they had admitted their feelings for each other, and now that Florentia was so clearly marching toward good health, he felt relaxed around her in ways he never had before, comfortable and content beyond his wildest imaginings, and above all of that, he was happy.
That was perhaps the biggest revelation. That something as simple as sitting with his wife and talking could bring him such unbridled joy. To speak of so many things, and somehow to speak of nothing at the same time, would see hours pass as if they were minutes. When it came time to sleep, he would feel a pang in his stomach because he did not want to say goodbye.Is this what Elias has been speaking about all this time? I really should have listened sooner.
There was one small hiccup that arrived toward the end of the week. Funny that it happened at the same hour when Florentia was finally working up the strength to climb from bed for the first time. For five days now it had been nothing but laughter and joy, but with this final hurdle to clear, a most sensitive topic arose, one which Hudson had been careful to avoid.
In hindsight, seeing who it was that he had married, knowing how they now felt for one another, he realized how foolish he had been.
“I will tell you one thing...” Florentia groaned as she slowly sat herself up, preparing to stand for the first time. The color had returned to her skin fully. The fullness was back in her cheeks. To Hudson’s eyes, she looked as beautiful as the first day he had seen her. “I will not miss this bed. Personally, I cannot wait to never have to lie in it again.”
“Very presumptuous of you,” Hudson responded. He was holding her by the hand, there to help if she needed it, but willing to let her to most of the word as she had insisted.
She looked at him flatly. “Is it now?”
“I take it to mean you plan on sleeping on the floor?”
“Careful, now....” She raised an eyebrow at him. “I am the funny one here, remember. Personally, I do not know how I feel about this apparent humor you’ve somehow managed to develop. I suppose I have only myself to blame.”
“Ah, I see your meaning. You intend to move into my room. Is that it?”
“Would that be such a bad thing?”
Hudson could not hide his smile. “So long as you do not snore, I think I can manage.”
She laughed and shook her head, swinging her legs off the bed. “And do not worry yourself, for I can see what really troubles you.” A decisive look. “You think I am going to try and force children upon you. The game is up!” she pretended to cry out. “This entire sickness was a ruse to make you feel bad for me.”
Hudson meant to laugh but his stomach twisted. Still, they had not spoken once of children, which had saved him having to tell her what the doctor had told them. A conversation which he knew they’d need to have eventually. Now, it seemed.
“I am only joking,” she assured him, seeing the look on his face and mistaking it. “I know how hard it was for you to tell me that you loved me. I do not expect you to change completely overnight.” A wink. “Perhaps two nights will do it.”
“Florentia...” He grimaced and looked at her painfully. “There is something we must speak of.”
“Can it wait? It has taken all my mental strength to get this far, and I fear what will happen if I do not see myself from this bed this instant.”
He shook his head as he squeezed her hand. “The doctor...he told me that...” He tried to meet her eyes, the sickness rising in him. “He told me that after what happened to you, the poison and the pennyroyal tea, he could not say for certain if you will be able to have children. There is still a chance,” he made sureto add quickly. “But he thought it best that I know so that...” He squeezed her hand again. “So that we are prepared.”
“Oh...”
“But we will still try,” he assured her. “Do not think that we will not. I know what I once said, but that was the old me, a man who is dead as far as I am concerned. And for as long as it takes, we will try, and I just know…”
“Hudson...” She reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder. Surprisingly, she was not as saddened as he had expected her to be. In fact, she was smiling. “I know.”
“You...” He blinked. “You know?”
“I guessed,” she laughed softly. “I am not a fool, and I know how these things tend to work. No doubt, what your stepmother has done will complicate matters, and I pray that she had not ruined me completely.”
“She could never,” he assured her. “I love you no matter what and if it turns out that we cannot?—”
“Then we will have each other,” she spoke over him, still smiling. “I used to think that all I wanted was a child, as if that would bring my life meaning. And while I am certain that it would, if I have to settle instead for a husband who loves me as much as I know you do, then...” She exhaled and her smile grew. “Then that won’t be such a bad trade, I think.”
“Are you sure?” he said slowly, searching for the lie.
“No,” she said. “I am not. But for now, there is little I can do. So, how about I get out of this bed, we go for a walk, and we live the rest of this day as if it is our last. And then, when we wake tomorrow, we do the exact same?”
Hudson could not help himself, and without thinking, he swept in and kissed her on the lips. Not their first kiss since she had started to heal, but easily their most passion filled. He kissed her fully, breathing her in as if she was life, letting that life swell through his body and lift him from the floor.How have I gotten this lucky? How is it possible that I deserve a woman like this?
“I love you,” he said as he pulled away.
“And I love you,” she said, her voice a whisper. “Now, let us free ourselves from this room.”
