Her heart immediately broke for him as she settled into her seat, taking each herb from the satchel, laying it out so he could see that they were correct as she waved off his concerns with a shake of her head.<br/><br/>"I sleep fine," was all she said to that as she turned her attention more toward him. "Why are you sitting up? And<span style="font-style: italic">why are you trying to get out of bed</span>?" On her feet, her hands resting gently on his shoulders to try and keep him from moving. "You need to be resting. Stop being stubborn or you'll never leave this bed..."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">A grumble left his lips but he relented. “IF you don’t get rest how am I supposed to just lay here? I need you strong for our baby and I need you strong so that when I’m better I can just focus on holding you close and getting us away from here…”</span><br/><br/>"I am getting rest," she insisted, sitting back down now that he'd stopped trying to get out of bed. "I need you to heal, to recover, so you don't...so you don't die on me..." The words were out in the open, the thought instantly causing a lump to form in her throat that she choked back as she forged ahead. "All I do as a royal is rest. Making sure you're looked after isn't going to hurt anything, whereas you trying to get up and out of bed will."<br/><br/>After a long moment of silence, eyes focused on the door as she listened for anyone who may be coming to check on him. "You shouldn't speak so openly like that...what if someone heard you?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“I’ve told my nurses to leave me be when you come to see me, because I don’t want to appear weak in front of my princess,” he sighed and rested his head back into the pillow. “If they come claim I am delusional with pain and nothing more. Plus, I think the King has sworn them to secrecy so there is that…” another sigh as he fought back a twinge of pain. “Does the baby stir yet? I hope I’ve not missed that moment without while I am stuck here…”</span><br/><br/>"Sworn to secrecy or not, we shouldn't tempt the fates...but, I'll try not to worry so much about someone overhearing if you've asked us to be given privacy."<br/><br/>But at the mention of the baby, she shook her head, a small smile crossing her lips as a hand rested atop her stomach. "You've not missed it. The moment I feel anything, I'll find a reason to come to you so you can feel it with me."<br/><br/>Shifting the topic, she cleared her throat, eyes glancing at the herbs. "So they need to be ground and mixed with wine... How much of each do I need to add? I want to make sure I make this right for you, so you can be clear of any danger, and on your way to a full recovery."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Four petals from the red plants, two purple berries, one blue flower and then the whole of the root that I had you get,” falling silent for a moment. “Ivor came to see me…” Brad spoke into the silence. “He said he would name the baby after me if it’s a boy…” another pause. “I don’t want our son to have my name…I want him to have his own identity…”</span><br/><br/>Making a mental note, she intended on going to get a mortar so she could begin grinding them down, lips parting to tell him just that as his next words stopped her.<br/><br/>"Bradach is a strong name...one any boy would be proud to carry as his legacy...but I do understand your wish for it to be another name entirely." She paused, only for a moment, before continuing. "I don't think he'll listen to me when it comes to naming, so I can't guarantee I can talk him out of it, but I can try. ...If you could name him, name would you choose?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“I don’t know,” he said with a groan. “I never thought I would have children…so names were not something that I thought about or considered…” he answered honestly. “What about you? Do you have names picked out?”</span><br/><br/>She shook her head. "Naming was never something I was taught to focus on, instead needing to learn how to properly care for the baby even if I was to have a nurse with me. But, it's tradition that names be passed on generation to generation, and is the reason for my name being so...egregiously long... And, given the need to keep the lineage known through naming, a son's name isn't something that I'd have much say in. I could give an opinion should my husband be open to it, but I'm not certain Ivor would entertain the notion of allowing me that curtesy."<br/><br/>Another moment was taken as she rested a hand atop his gently. "He may listen to you if he comes by again. You saved his life. You're the reason he's still standing to have that talk with you. Maybe if you stress wanting a different name, he'll take that under advisement."<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“You are such an optimist…” he whispered to her with a weak smile. “If you think my name is a strong name then our son shall have it. Our daughter could be named Maria, as I am sure she will match you in intelligence and beauty.”</span><br/><br/>"I think I'd want to name our daughter after one of our mothers, if not both...as neither can be with us now, they would be carried on in this way. If you wanted, of course. I'm not sure how you'd feel about that, but it is something I always considered for my future daughter."<br/><br/>At how weak he looked, she frowned and stood, hands smoothing out her dress. "I've overstayed. You need rest. I'll come by with your remedy when it is finished, and will include it in my daily visits to make sure you're able to take it until you're able to administer it yourself." Leaning in as close as she dared, the back of her fingers smoothed over his cheek. "Promise me you'll rest? You'll not give anyone a hard time or insist on getting out of bed any sooner than you should?"<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">His hand reached up and held her’s there against his cheek. Leaning into it, “I promise. And I love the idea of naming our daughter after one of our mother’s. I honestly don’t care what our baby is named as long as its healthy and I get to be there when its born. I want to hold them and let them know that their father will always be there for them…” the pain and lack of sound rest was making him overly emotional though in this moment Brad did not care. All he cared about was having her there and being able to see her even if the visits were brief.</span><br/><br/>That sentiment had tears forming in her own eyes as the idea of it was a beautiful one, but she knew all too well it wouldn't come to pass. By the king's own words, their child could never know, and being at the birth was all too personal a thing; theirs was a love that couldn't be acknowledged, so he'd miss out on all of it. He wouldn't be there to see their child take their first breaths, be able to hold it, or allow the child to know him as anything but a family relation.<br/><br/>He was too tired, too raw, to remind him of such a fact so she let it be. Instead, after glancing over her shoulder, she pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, lingering there for far longer than was respectable. "Please try to get some sleep..." she whispered. "...I love you..."<br/><br/>Pulling away completely, she gathered up the herbs and left his room for her own. A mortar was to be gotten, and only the best wine for him procured. Until then, she was going to take her own advice and rest for him so he'd worry less. For him, she'd try to sleep soundly.