Julia's Baby - Chapter Forty Nine

Julia was heading down to find her mother when she felt a horrible pain in her stomach. She called out in pain for the ladies to get the nurses. "Something is wrong. I just know it!" Julia screamed.

The nurses arrived and had Julia lay on the bed to examine her. "Everything is fine. You're supposed to hurt like this when you have a baby. You are early, but that sometimes happens. I'm sure the baby will be fine." she told Julia. Hours passed well into the next day as her labor continued with pain and agony. You could hear her screams throughout the castle. Everyone was getting exhausted, and then there was a little tiny cry. The baby was born.

Julia was handed the little baby boy. I think I will name you Daniel if James agrees," Julia told the tiny baby.

Isabel and Kristen came to see the little baby. "Has my son been here?" Kristen asked Julia. "I've not seen him since going into labor," Julia replied. "I'm going to find James to tell him he has a new son," Kristen told Julia and Isabel.

Isabel held the tiny baby and looked at him closely. "You can't tell yet that he's not with the curse. According to the queen, they don't show the effects until they are at least a year old. He looks a bit pale." she told Julia. "Do you think it will work?" Julia asked her mom impatiently. "I think so, but only time will tell. We can always say that he got lucky and was born without it due to taking after you," she told her.

"James, come see your new son. He's so tiny and cute! You now have an heir." Kristen told James. James said nothing; he just grumbled as he followed her.

Kristen and James arrived, where Isabel and Julia were with the baby. James tried not to make any eye contact with Julia. He wanted nothing to do with her or the baby. He wanted to run to the dungeon and be with Amelia. 

However, that didn't last long as Kristen placed the tiny baby in his arms. He just stood there and held the baby. He looked down at the baby and felt sorry for him. He was born from an affair between his mother and a man that he did not know. He hoped one day, this would not bring harm to this innocent child. Even with his pity, James still did not want anything to do with the child. "What do you want to name your son?" Kristen asked him, concerned by his lack of interest. "I don't care; let Julia name him," he replied. "We could name him after you," Kristen said with a smile. "No! I don't want him named after me; just have Julia name him." he then returned the baby to his mom and headed out of the room.

James was sick to his stomach and mad all at the same time. He was now considered the father of a child he knew as not his. He had never been with Julia. He tried to tell his mother that he was not the child's father before it was born, but she refused to believe him, and now he was being forced to claim a child that didn't belong to him that was his heir to the throne if something happened to him after he took reign. He had no idea how to get out of this mess.

William held his new grandson for the first time. "He's so small and handsome. How is our son? Is he happy to be a father?" William asked Kristen. "He was not even present when she went into labor. When I handed him the baby, he acted like he wanted nothing to do with the child," Kristen told William. "He's a lot younger than we were when we had him. I hope he comes around," Kristen said as she stroked the baby's cheek.

"I'll try to give him some pointers. He's probably just scared. I'll have a talk with him. What name did our son give him?" William asked. "James let Julia decide. She choose the name Daniel. James didn't want him named after him. "I hope this is just a phase that James is going through. I'm getting really worried about him. He has not acted right since he married Julia. I know it's going to take some time for him to adjust." she said, trying to convince herself more than anyone that this was true.

"Keep in mind not to be too hard on him. He needs us to support him through this tough time in his life." he reminded Kristen. "I know I'm a bit hard on him. I just want him to be a good man," Kristen replied.

Later that day, Daniel appeared very weak and cried a lot. It was apparent that the baby was very sick.

The nurse tried to help him. She rocked him and tried everything to quiet the baby, but nothing was working. He cried nonstop. Every time she fed him, he would throw it all up. He acted like he was hungry but couldn't keep any of it down. 

The nurse summoned Kristen to the nursery. "I'm not sure, but he was born about a month before he was supposed to be. If he makes it through the next month, his chances are really good. I think we need to ensure he gets all he needs to be healthy." the nurse explained. "Are they mixing his milk?" Kristen asked her, concerned. "Yes, they are, but he throws it all up. He can't keep any of it down. Do you think it's possible he doesn't have the curse and took after Julia? That the mix might be making him sick?" the nurse asked. "He should have it. It always seems to be passed down. We will try both to see how he does." Kristen instructed the nurse.