Chapter Five
Vincent lifted his eyes from his book.
"Good morning, Catherine. Can we help you in any way?"
Catherine stopped at the entrance of Father's study, and nodded apologetically to him and the children. "Hello, everyone! Sorry for disturbing the class, but Father said he wanted to see me, and..."
"You'll find him in the hospital chamber. He's waiting for you."
She gave him a dazzling smile.
"Thank you Vincent. See you later!"
He remained for a long time staring at where she had been. Her smile was like sunshine, staying imprinted in his eyes....
"Vincent?"
He came back on earth. "Yes Kipper? Where were we?"
A strange noise came from Samantha, like a muffled sneeze, and the gazes plunged back into the books.
****
"Catherine! How are you feeling this morning?"
"Fine, thank you Father!"
He examined her with a sharp physician eye. "You do look better. Any morning sickness?"
"Yes, a little, when I woke up, but Samantha brought me a cup of that special tea, and it did a lot of good. By the time I got to the kitchen I was even hungry enough to eat that monster of a breakfast William put in front of me!"
Father chuckled. "So it's Samantha who won? She and Eric had an argument about who would bring your tea."
"I feel a little uneasy to be waited upon like that, Father. I could have gone to the kitchen!"
"No, it's important that you drink it right on waking up. And I'm glad to know that you ate everything. William, Mary and I established that diet together long ago. It conciliates the limited resources we have here with the needs of a pregnant body, and must be followed exactly to ensure you and your child all the necessary nutrients and vitamins."
"Speaking of resources..."Catherine began.
"Yes, William told me of your generosity, but, Catherine, you need not..."
"I must tell you that I arranged with Mrs Long for deliveries to be made every week..." she cut in ".... and it's not subject to discussion!"
Father sustained her determined eyes for a few seconds, then gracefully capitulated.
"Very well. Thank you, Catherine. I only hope you haven't been too... extravagant."
"It depends on what you call 'extravagant'!" she answered with an impish grin. "But mostly I've stuck to basics. Winter will soon be here, and I don't want my family to lack anything vital! So I asked Mrs Long what she'd send to you if she had the means to do more than she already does."
Father nodded his approval, silently admiring the wise and tactful way in which Catherine had handled a matter she had reasons to consider as possibly thorny. Mrs Long had been helping the community for many years. She knew what their needs were, and she had surely been delighted to be asked for advice..0
Catherine let out an imperceptible sigh of relief. Father might frown some in the future, on seeing what she and Mrs Long had planned for some special occasions, but he wouldn't prevent her from being a little generous. Money was nothing...
"And now let's take care of you, young lady!" Father said. "I'll examine you, but we might have to ask Peter to come down and do some tests when he comes back. This pregnancy... is something of a miracle, but it might encounter some problems. Frankly, my dear, I would never have thought it possible at all..."
"Vincent taught me that with love, all things are possible." Catherine answered with a smile. "And there don't seem to be any problems so far." She handed him a folder. "I brought down the results of my blood tests, and the ultrasound."
He looked at her. "Catherine, forgive me for asking, but... were you... hurt, in any way when it... happened?"
"Not at all. Not even a scratch!" she answered fiercely. She could see incredulity in his eyes and went on. "It wasn't some kind of a rape, Father! We made love! Vincent was... very gentle."
Father shook his head, remembering the wild, terrifying roars coming from that dark cavern which he'd been too frightened to enter. Yet Catherine had not been afraid, not for herself, and not only had Vincent spared her, but he'd been...gentle! He sighed. Logic and science reached their limits there. What had happened could only be explained by another truth... a truth beyond knowledge. The bond between them, the love they shared, had protected them both, and created a miracle, his grandchild-to-be!
He came back on a more professional ground to ask Catherine several questions about her symptoms, before making her undress. It was a somewhat awkward moment for both of them at first but finally the embarrassment receded, and they were only doctor and patient.
Father performed a very thorough clinical examination, then carefully studied the papers Catherine had brought, while she put her clothes back on. Finally, he looked at her.
"Well, your child seems to be in perfect health, Catherine..." his eyes became stern "...but I can't say the same for you! You are at least five pounds under your minimum health weight, your blood pressure is much too low, and you show signs of anaemia."
"That's what the first doctor told me. She had about the same look in her eyes as you have now." Catherine answered with a smile. "She said I had to eat and rest, and, if possible, go and stay with friends or family for a while, because she didn't like the idea of my living alone. You see, I did follow her prescription!"
"And you did well! Your doctor was right. You were sinking into depression... and we didn't know it. I'm sorry, Catherine, for not keeping closer contact. Especially as I knew Peter was not there to watch over you!"
She smiled sadly. "You had good reasons..."
Father shook his head. "No, I hadn't. Keeping you away was both unjust and useless, I've had the proof of that ever since I announced your arrival. You're one of us just as Vincent is, and we certainly could have taken care of both of you. We would have found ways. I've been over-protective of him...as usual.
"Not without reasons either! My presence did trouble him!"
"While he was sick, lying on his bed, yes, it did. Even your image distressed him, and I had to put away that portrait of you both which was in his chamber, because he kept growling at it. I did have reasons to keep you away from his chamber... certainly not entirely away from the whole tunnels! I know it would have been difficult for you, but at least you wouldn't have had to face it all on your own. And then when Vincent got better I just... stayed on the safe side. I didn't want to take the smallest risk for him, and I didn't consider what you might be enduring alone Above."
Catherine smiled fondly at Father and patted his arm. "Don't put all the blame on yourself. I know I could have forced my way down here, if I'd really wanted to, but I was afraid, too, and feeling guilty. I'm glad to be here, now, even if Vincent..." She sighed.
Father looked at her intently. "Won't it be too... difficult? Too much stress could have bad effects on your pregnancy."
She shook her head. "It won't. I won't let it. I thought about it all yesterday night, and I hope, no, I know that everything will be all right!"
"All right?" Father inquired, intrigued.
"Maybe my presence here will help Vincent recover his memories. Our bond seems to be lost, but I'm carrying his child, and it's not impossible that he will feel it."
"Not impossible." Father acquiesced. "Vincent's perceptive abilities have always been special, and if this child is anything like him..."
"I know that if he gets his memory back there will be some hard moments, for all the pain he went through will come back too, but we'll all be there to help and support him. He'll know he didn't harm me, and even if he's shocked about my pregnancy at first, he'll be happy about it, too!"
Father smiled at the animated, hopeful face. "I believe he will! But what if his memory doesn't come back?"
"We might have to start again on a new basis." Catherine answered with a small, lopsided grin. "But I'm not giving up on him, Father!" There was a touch of defiance in her voice, and Father hastened to reassure her.
"I'm not asking you to. Never more. Just be careful, my dear."
"I will." she promised. "He's been...very nice to me, and I'm sure we'll soon be good friends...for a start."
"For a start..." Father nodded, with a twinkle in his eyes.
Catherine suddenly thought of something. "Father, what shall I do if Vincent asks any direct questions about those months he doesn't remember? I don't want to hurt him, but I don't think I could lie to him!"
"I don't think you will have to." he reassured her. "We asked ourselves the same question, but the problem never arose so far. As I told you, Vincent doesn't seem very... eager to find out. There may be some unconscious protection mechanism involved, as if he knew deep inside that some answers might be too painful for him to bear. You know, I put away those of his journals which concern that period." He saw Catherine's shocked look and explained. "When he started writing again he was still weak, and had nightmares almost every night, so I... couldn't take that risk! Well, he didn't ask about them then, and hasn't asked since. He, too, is staying on the safe side, it would seem. At least for now. So, don't worry, Catherine. It's best not to volunteer any unrequired information, but you can answer his questions, if any. If and when he does ask, I think it will mean he's ready for the answers..."
She nodded her understanding. "Thank you, Father."
"Now I suggest that you go and rest a little."
"Father, I wanted to talk to you about that, too. Everyone's done so much to welcome me here! I don't want to be a useless burden on this community. Surely there are things I could do to help. I want to do my share!"
The tunnel patriarch shook his head. "I understand, and that thought honors you, but it's out of question for the moment." He raised a hand to hush her protest. "Not until you regain some weight and your blood pressure is back to normal. I'll see you again in two weeks and if your state has improved I promise you we'll consider it. Until then you are to do absolutely nothing but take care of yourself. Sleep, read, visit with your friends. Short walks will do you good, but don't exert yourself. And you must eat everything William gives you!" He chuckled at her wary expression and put his hand on her arm. "Your presence among us is not a burden, Catherine, and you're already bringing us the most precious gift imaginable. Please let us take care of both of you!"
She surrendered with a smile and rose to leave, but he held her back. "I have something to give you!" Walking to his desk he retrieved a small item from a drawer and handed it to her.
Catherine gasped on recognizing the leather pouch she'd sewn for Vincent many months before. She looked at Father with questioning eyes.
"I had to put this away, too." He explained. "After taking care of Vincent's wounds I put it back on him, but once he regained consciousness, he went through very violent episodes, and in one of those rages he ripped it off his neck as if it burned him, and threw it at the portrait with a roar. I'm sorry."
Catherine nodded, fighting back her tears.
"Open it," Father prompted.
Catherine's eyes widened as, along with the small ivory rose, something else fell into her hand, softly sparkling in the candlelight.
"My crystal! I thought it was lost!"
"Mouse and Jamie found it in the dust, on the floor of that cavern, only a few days ago. Nobody had gone there since...that day, and they decided to go and 'explore' down there. Without telling anyone, of course..." he scolded with a frown "... but when they found your crystal they brought it to me. If you hadn't decided to come I would have sent it back to you..."
This time Catherine didn't even try to check her tears. "Thank you, Father! You don't know what this means to me! I must thank Mouse and Jamie, too, as soon as I can find them!" She put the rose and crystal back in the pouch, then tied the ripped ends of the leather thong together. She put it around her neck, and after a small hesitation, slipped it under her clothes. "It's best that I wear it this way...for now."
"Yes...for now." Father couldn't help a smile. At that moment, he almost felt as confident as she did that, one day, she would put the pouch herself back around Vincent's neck.
****
Later that day, Catherine peeked into Father's study again.
"Father, I just wanted to tell you that I'm going for a walk, to the Chamber of the Falls."
He frowned slightly. "Isn't it a little too far away?"
"I'll go slowly!" she reassured him "And I'm taking something to read, so I'll rest there a little before coming back." As a proof, she exhibited the copy of 'Great Expectations' he'd put in her chamber. "I've listened to Mary and taken a nap after lunch, but now I need some exercise!"
"Catherine?"
She started on realizing Father was not alone in the library. Vincent was emerging from behind a bookshelf.
"Do you mind if I... walk with you?" he asked almost shyly. "I haven't been to the Falls for a while."
She beamed up at him. "I don't mind at all, Vincent! It will be a pleasure to have company!"
He gently took the book from her hands. "Please let me carry this. Oh, 'Great Expectations'! A wise choice. Shall we go?"
Father watched them walk away, a twinkle in his eyes. Good luck, Catherine!