With his daughter's cancer in remission, Arthur must try also try to save his marriage while at the same time try and find peace with his real father and avoid infidelity. Set after the event's of "Arthur's Daughter" and "Dream Collapsing"
The Family Man
1.
~ "She left two months ago. Took Katie with her." Cobb said and shook his head as if it didn't really matter.
The Point Man didn't know what to say. The two old friends sat in a booth at the hospital's cafeteria. They were pretending to enjoy the horrible excuse for coffee; the trade mark of hospitals world wide.
"What did she say when you talked to her?" Arthur asked. He felt ashamed he hadn't noticed Sarah was gone. What was happening with Darcy, Ariadne's pregnancy, news of his real father, not to mention his crumbling marriage. All of it had proved too distracting for the Point Man to focus on Cobb's life.
"She's back in America. With her family. She won't pick up the phone, won't return my calls." Cobb explained sadly.
"She just took the baby and left?" Arthur said in shocked disbelief.
Despite all the troubles he had with Ariadne, Arthur was suddenly very grateful she never denied him his children. He would have lost his mind if Ariadne had left with the kids and he couldn't see them everyday.
"Cobb, I'm so sorry." Arthur breathed as he took in what his friend must be going through.
"She's been very depressed lately. I tired getting some therapy for her. I think its a postpartum thing. It's like she's changed so much." Cobb said smoothing back his hair.
Arthur suddenly remembered how Sarah had been the few times he had seen her after Katie was born. How 'absent' she was in everything since the baby arrived. Then Arthur's own troubles started. His failed inception into Ariadne's mind. His wife's near break down that caused her to be rushed to the hospital. Their separation. Darcy's illness. A temporary reconciliation as they fought for their daughter's life. Not to mention finding out his father was not the man he always knew, but a piano player named Albert Castus.
He had completely forgotten about Cobb and Sarah.
"What are you going to do?" Arthur asked.
Cobb shook his head.
"Cobb, she can't just take Katie. That's your child to." Arthur said.
"We were never married. I already spoke to my lawyer. He would have to order a paternity test. Now that's she's back in America, it might take years." Cobb sighed.
"So? Go to America. Leave the kids with Ariadne and I." Arthur offered.
Cobb shook his head.
"You have a sick child who is still in the hospital. You have a newborn and two boys under the age of three. One of them is blind. You don't need my problems." The Extractor sighed.
"Cobb, were your friends. That's what were here for. James and Phillipa are no trouble." Arthur insisted. "We have a full-time, live-in nanny and the kids are in school. Hell, Phillipa is 10 years old now. She can probably help out more then you think."
The Extractor let out a deep sigh.
"Cobb, if there is one thing I've learned from this past year, you have to fight for the ones you love." Arthur told him.
~ Ariadne was holding Drew. The new born needing feeding every two hours. She had to admit, even with Arthur's deception, she was glad to have this new baby. There was nothing better then holding her newborn. The few day's after Daniel's birth had been awful. The shock and worry over him ruining the happy days of having a new baby.
Not Drew. Drew was perfect in every way. She had Ariadne's eyes exactly. The size and shape of them were purely the Architect's. Even her little face looked like Ariadne. It was as if she were her child alone and that was how she wanted to think of her.
"Hi." Arthur whispered from the door.
Drew's hand was curled tightly around Ariadne's little finger as she was nursing. The Architect looked up at the Point Man interrupting the very privet moment.
"Hello." She said to him. Her hand going to her breast to shield her body from her husband. It was only a few hours ago she had told Arthur about contacting his real father.
"How is she doing?" Arthur whispered as he stepped into Ariadne's private room. The Point Man started tying pink balloons to her bed rail. All of them boldly shouting 'It's a Girl' in Mylar glitter.
"She's good. Thank you." Ariadne said nodding to the balloons.
"I was thinking we could go see Darcy after you're done. Maybe talk about a few things." Arthur offered as he gazed over his new daughter suckling. Her dark hair hidden by a pink cap to keep her warm. The baby's face calm as her perfect lips moved silently.
His view was obstructed by Ariadne closing her robe over her breast and the baby's head.
"We can go see Darcy. I'm not sure what it is we need to talk about." Ariadne said stiffly.
Arthur leaned back.
"Sarah left Cobb. She took Katie and went back to America." Arthur told her.
Ariadne looked back at him in shock.
"What?" She breathed. "When?"
"Few months ago. We were so involved with Darcy, that we didn't notice. Cobb didn't want to burden us." Arthur said.
"Oh, God." Ariadne breathed.
Arthur nodded and looked as his daughter's perfect finger nails as they curled around Ariadne's finger.
"He should have told us. Poor Cobb." Ariadne said.
"He thinks Sarah was depressed." Arthur told her. Not able to avoid stealing a glance at Drew when Ariadne's robe slipped.
"She was." Ariadne said readjusting her robe to cover herself and the baby again. "Poor Sarah." She added.
"She's taken their baby to America. Cobb is going to have a hard time ever seeing Katie again." Arthur said harshly. He didn't like that Ariadne was taking Sarah's side in this.
"Well, let's just say I can see it from both sides." Ariadne told him.
"Both sides?" Arthur asked. His brows going up in surprise. "No, there's only one way to see this. That's our friends side. Cobb's side." Arthur told her.
"Sarah is my friend to. I know what it's like to no longer be able to stand to even look at the man you love." Ariadne said simply.
How easy it was to use words to hurt someone. The expression on Arthur's face showed he was wounded to the bone. He looked shocked and hurt by what had so easily slipped out of her lips.
"Ariadne." Arthur breathed.
"Let me finish nursing her and we can go see Darcy." the Architect interrupted him.
~ Arthur felt a deep pain in him. He had never felt so hurt in all his life. Perhaps he was only fooling himself that Ariadne still loved him. The battle over Darcy's cancer had brought them closer, but now that the little girl was on the mends, it was as if their own war was picking up where it left off.
~ Arthur said nothing to his wife as they left maternity and went to the cancer ward. The Point Man wanting to tell the Architect how shockingly beautiful she looked. Her cheeks naturally pink, her lips rich and red from the rush of life giving force at having the baby.
They had to leave Drew behind. Darcy was especially susceptible to all kinds of cross contamination now that her cancer was in remission.
Darcy was getting stronger. She still wore a paper face make and hat over her bald head, but she could walk easily now.
She was standing by the window and watching the people outside when her parents found her.
"Papa!" Darcy shouted and tried to run.
"Careful, Darcy." Arthur laughed as he picked her up. Their little girl was gaining weight again and although her hair had yet to start growing, it was only a matter of time.
"Darcy, how are you feeling?" Ariadne asked as she pulled up one of Darcy's brightly colored socks.
"Better. When can I go home? I miss Dominic and Daniel." the little girl complained.
"I know you do. They miss you to." Ariadne sighed. "We can go home when the doctor says you're strong enough."
"I feel stronger." Darcy said as Arthur carried her back to her room.
"That's good sweetheart." Arthur said happily.
"You look pretty, Mama." Darcy said suddenly.
Ariadne laughed.
"Thank you, honey." She siad.
"When can I see Drew?" Darcy asked.
"We can see her right now, but you can't hold her and you have to wear the face mask." Arthur told her.
"And you'll have to see her through the glass window." Ariadne told her sadly.
"I don't care. I'm her big sister and she needs to know I'm there for her." Darcy informed her parents.
~ The other family members were the worst. The treated Darcy like something to be afraid of. Her large bald head, her paper face mask, her IV pole. Their moment of looking at the new babies spoiled by such a sick child.
Arthur felt sure they were hoping their baby would never become that sick.
The other babies were crying and fussing. Drew was swaddled neatly in her pink blanket. The only girl there out of four other babies and the only one sleeping.
"She's a very good baby." Ariadne told Darcy. "Just like Daniel was."
"Can she see?" Darcy asked as a new grandfather openly gawked at Darcy so much that the Point Man stood between them and glared at the older man.
"Oh yes. She's perfect. And you know, Daniel's condition might not be forever." Ariadne said soothingly.
Arthur watched Drew sleeping. Her long dark eyelashes and pink cheeks, so much like Ariadne it was incredible.
"Actually, when she was in my tummy," Ariadne was laughing. "She kicked me worse then Dominic. They have that same kicking foot."
Arthur snapped his attention to his wife.
"You never told me she was kicking." He whispered.
Ariadne straitened up slightly. Her hands readjusting Darcy's pajamas and not looking at him.
"Why didn't you ever tell me when she was kicking?" Arthur asked.
"We can talk about it later, Arthur." Ariadne whispered as the families looked at Darcy worriedly and wanted to leave the viewing window.
"Ariadne?" Arthur said in disbelief. A cold feeling of being distanced from Drew coming over him.
'This is how it starts.' He thought.
