Winter Legacy -3-

The Darlings seemed to be experiencing a string of bad luck, everything that could break in the house did.

But for Erik, all of his frustration melted away when Agnes skipped into the kitchen and pounced on him. "Guess what! You're going to be a daddy!" She announced. For Erik, that would be the best day of his life, the only thing that would top it would be the day he met his child for the first time.

That evening the Darlings headed to a party Cornelia was hosting. Cornelia and Erik were the furthest things from friends, their mother died when they were young and Cornelia took charge of raiding her little sister, in her mind no one will every be good enough for her baby sister.

It just so happens that the first person Agnes met when she stepped through the door was a beak-faced woman. Agnes stared at the woman the rest of the night, she was so pale and her eyes were strange, but there was something beautiful, distinguished about her.

"Hey there big cousin." Agnes greeted her nephew. Mortimer adored his aunt, she was the only adult who paid him any attention at his parents many social gatherings. "Morty honey, where is your father tonight, I thought he and Uncle Erik could get to know each other."

"Father's at work."

"Of course." Agnes murmured.

"You called me big cousin." Mortimer turned the conversation in the direction he wanted it to go. 

"I'm having a baby." Agnes announced. 

"Yay!" Mortimer squealed then placed a hand over his mouth, his parents had told him that it was not becoming of a young man to be loud.

Weeks later, Agnes' pregnancy was making itself known. She woke up at three in the morning and began spewing partially digested food. Agnes was a person who hated to vomit, it was disgusting, her dislike of throwing up and the bad feelings that came with it was her motivation not to drink.

Before the sun rose Agnes sat in front of her computer and began a book. She had written two before she got married. Agnes had already taken time off from her daycare duties, today was to be her last day, she would have a lot of time to get another book out.

"You're up early." Erik said joining her with a bowl of cereal.

"I felt sick." 

"What are you going now?"

"Working on a sew book."

"Sifi?" 

"Yup." What had attracted Erik to Agnes was her beauty, but what kept him there was her brain, her wit and her strength.

"How are you working today?"

"I'm working in the day, so I'll be at home with you tonight." He smiled at his wife. He had started working shifts and lately Agnes had become clingy, perhaps it was the baby that made her want to attach herself to him all the time. 

For the first time since she started her daycare business Agnes was peeved to see the children, she was fatigued and wasn't sure if she could keep up with the active, crying toddlers all day.

Somehow she got through it though and when Erik came home he was ready and willing to help. As he stared at the children he couldn't help but imagine what his and Agnes' baby would be like. He imagined a son, with Agnes' big gray eyes and their blond hair.

A month later Agnes' pregnancy began to show and she couldn't help but be excited. This was her first child, this was her and her husband officially starting a family, this was the first step in the adventure called parenthood.

Time went on and Agnes became bigger, the baby heavier, it began to move inside her, respond to voices and touches.

Erik was probably more excited than his wife was, they had found out they were having a girl, for Erik the gender of the baby didn't matter, as long as she was healthy and happy like he knew she would be. He couldn't wait for her to hurry up and be born, he couldn't wait for Erika to hurry up and be born. Agnes had let him name the baby and of course he chose a name that sounded like his, his wife got to carry the baby, birth the child, the least he could do was stick the child with a name that would be his legacy.

"What are you doing?" Agnes asked her husband one night.

"Writing a letter to my boss, I think it's time for me to have a promotion."

"Erik, a promotion will mean longer hours, I'm eight months pregnant!"

"I know, but the hours are a meas to an end, when I've succeeded in my job I'll have all the time in the world to spend with you and our children."

Agnes glowered at her husband, she wanted desperately to say more but she was not in the mood for an argument, not that Erik would argue with her but he would not listen to her either.

"Are you angry?"

"Of course I'm angry." She snapped and that ended the conversation.

Agnes' contractions started that same night.

The best part about a husband in the medical profession, he was able to monitor her contractions and keep her calm. 

Agnes even found the time to drop her sister a quick email to let her know that her contractions had started.

She'd just send the email when an intense contraction made her double over, it was immediately followed by another one. "I think it's time for us to go to the hospital now."

When they got to the hospital, Erick was pleased to see that he was not the only man who would beginning the journey of fatherhood that day. "Let's go get you settled in." Erik beamed at his wife.