#loving another

Fleur sighed “Come on Vee, eet eez alright, can you calm down for me? Mama needs some sleep.” She spoke softly as she paced the nursery bouncing Victoire against her body as the small girl grizzled and struggled in her arms. Fleur had resorted to taking her from their room after both of them had been woken early in the morning by their newborn daughter sending cries out in search of her parents. Fleur thought it would be best if she took Victoire into the next room while she attempted to breastfeed her allowing Bill to go back to sleep and stay asleep without any interruptions if Victoire happened to play up. And surely she did. “We ‘ave zo go out today, you do not want me looking like I ‘ave not slept in weeks do you?” Fleur was already feeling nervous about the day, she didn’t need to be sleep deprived and looking like she was Victoire’s grandmother rather than her mother. “I ‘ope you are not like this when we go visiting today. I need you to behave yourself, your Papa and me ‘ave an important day a'ead" Fleur knew that asking Victoire to behave herself wasn’t going to make any difference to how she was that day. She remembered telling her to behave the morning of the memorial, the morning she was born, she didn’t listen, she did the opposite.

Victoire took her time but what seemed like hours later she was finally able to creep back into their room, laying her back in her bassinet that stood next to her side of the bed. “je t’aime” Fleur whispered adjusting the blanket wrapped firmly around her body before turning to her own bed. She hoped that she would sleep soundly until in the least it was time for them to get up, just give them a couple hours sleep before they had to face the day ahead. Slipping inbetween the sheets, she pulled the covers over her shoulders snuggling in close to Bill’s sleeping body, letting her tired head relax against the soft pillows.

The last several days had been a blur; nearly every moment was assigned to Victoire, looking after the newborn felt like a twenty four hour job. It felt like a life time since they had brought Victoire home for the first time, but then again it felt like the days sped past so quickly to this day that had been on her mind every day since. Her days seemed an endless cycle of changing diapers, breastfeeding, calming her cries, putting her to sleep before she would collapse against the mattress to get some rest before she would be woken again and have to repeat, but through all this her mind was constantly on the news they had received the evening they had brought Victoire home. She would spend her days and nights in her nightdress and robe, not having the energy to put any effort into her appearance. Unless someone happened to pop over for a visit, Fleur would rush upstairs leaving Bill to answer the door while she speedily made herself look decent for guests. It was exhausting work particularly with her body still recovering, but she wouldn’t give it up for anything. Victoire was worth every middle of the night feed, every blister that was added to her tender and raw breasts. Today she would have to go to a lot more effort, she would have to fight the exhaustion her body was suffering, this would be the first time she would leave the house since her and Bill had brought Victoire home from St Mungo’s.