Chapter 19
Killarney, Ireland, 1847
The herbal remedy only lasted for so long, and before too many days, Aislyn was clearly ill again. This time, she was hardly conscious by the time the midwife got there, and though she checked her over thoroughly, she could not tell what was the matter. Without a diagnosis, she was unwilling or unable to make a recommendation and left, telling Aaron she was sorry, but his wife would likely die within a day or two.
This answer was not acceptable to him, and though he had to travel far to find a third midwife, he was able to do so. Leaving Aislyn alone was not ideal, but he was fearful to ask a family member to sit with her because he did not know if the illness was contagious. He’d called upon Kian to see if he might come over and sit with her while he traveled to town, despite the fact that he had yet to come by and assure Aaron he was not angry about the situation with Shannon, but Kian was nowhere to be found. Ultimately, Aaron had made the decision to leave her for the morning as he rushed off in search of help.
He was relieved to find Aislyn was in the same condition when he returned a few hours later, though the midwife was still making her way to the house, traveling much more slowly than he could. His relief was short-lived when she finally did arrive and gave him nearly the same answer as the last midwife. She also could find nothing specific that was wrong with Aislyn, but since she was unresponsive, feverish, and pale, she only gave her a few more hours before she passed on.
Unwilling and unable to accept her fate, Aaron tried the herbal remedy again. He retrieved her mother to see if she might have any suggestions. She wailed at the sight of her daughter’s condition and ultimately had to be escorted back home. When Aaron returned, he took up post right next to Aislyn’s bed, holding her hand and praying that God would restore the health of his beautiful wife and save their child.
Despite her condition, lying there on their marital bed, clammy and more pale than usual, she was still the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. He spent many hours reflecting on the time they had spent together. From the day he’d first set eyes on her, running through her uncle’s back yard, to the dance and their first kiss, to the day they’d declared their love in front of all of their friends and family, each memory was precious. She was more than his wife and the mother of his child; she was everything. He’d built his world around her, and the idea that he may have to continue on without her soon was unthinkable. Now that Kian was gone, he wouldn’t even have a Hunter nearby to end him. He thought, if Aislyn did pass, he’d soon be putting Ward’s theory that a Guardian could not be killed to the test.
Aislyn began to move, and with a new hope stirring in his chest, he sat down beside her on the bed. “Aislyn?” he said quietly. “Aislyn? Can you open your eyes?”
She moaned and turned her head to face away from him. Her breathing began to shallow, and her body became very still.
“Aislyn?” Aaron called. “Aislyn, please, stay with me, love. Please. I need you.” Tears were streaming down his face as he bent forward to place his ear on her chest. Not only could he detect no heartbeat, her breathing had stopped as well. His Aislyn was gone.
He continued to call her name for several minutes as he cried, his body spasming with each choked breath. Without her, there was no reason to continue to live. How could the world even keep spinning without her light?
Through his tears, he gazed upon her pristine face. He gently turned her head so that he could look upon her and straightened the red curls that framed her beautiful face. She was every bit as beautiful in death as she had been in life, and with a soft kiss on her exquisite lips, he ran his hand down her cheek one last time and then ripped himself out of the house.
In the yard, he collapsed on his knees on the ground. “Why, God? Why?” he screamed into the early evening sky. “How could you do this to me? Take my wife and my child? How can you expect me to go on—alone?”
If God had an answer, He did not share it just then, and Aaron eventually crumpled on the ground, crying himself to sleep in a heap on the front lawn.
“Aaron? Aaron? What are you doing?”
His eyes were still closed, but he would recognize that voice anywhere. At first, he thought perhaps he was dreaming, that he only thought he was awake, but as he opened his eyes, he realized Aislyn was standing in the doorway, her face calm and serene, one hand atop her bulging abdomen, the other below it.
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Jumping up from the ground, he ran to her, forgetting about disguising his speed, and threw his arms around her. “Aislyn?” he called. “Is it true? Are you alive?”
“I seem to be,” she laughed.
Her eyes were a bit swollen and her skin was paler than usual, but she had been sick for so long, it was natural to think she wouldn’t quite be herself just yet. “You were dead,” he explained. “I watched you die.”
She looked at him inquisitively and then, with a shrug said, “Well, I’m alive now.”
With no further explanation needed, Aaron kissed her. “I love you,” he whispered, kissing her on the forehead. “I love you so much, sweet Aislyn.”
“I love you, too,” she said with a smile, her teeth gleaming in the moonlight.
“You should get some rest,” he said, unable to take his hands off of her. “You may feel better, but you’ve been sick for quite some time, and there’s no reason to jeopardize your health.”
“Fair enough,” she replied, and he helped her back to the same bed he’d spent hours worrying and crying over earlier.
Once she was safely tucked in, he asked, “Are you hungry?”
“No,” Aislyn replied. “I’ll eat later.”
With a smile and a kiss on her forehead, Aaron smoothed her hair, thanking God for returning his perfect angel to him, and their baby. Once again, he felt like the luckiest man in the world.
