Under the Sea
The Fight McDonagh's Tavern was filled with high spirits. The place was mostly empty expect for the remaining four patrons, three of them giving hearty, albeit tipsy, slaps on the back in congratulations.
"So what's your baby girl's name?" Bill asked, filling up his own glass again.
"Anna," Booker replied, a small smile crossing his face.
"Very close to wife's name, no?" Ivan Karlosky said, a pale haired Russian man, he poured him-self another glass of what passed for alcohol here in Rapture, he offered the bottle for Booker to take.
"She wanted to name her after her grandmother," Booker said his fingers itching to take the offer, instead he declined. Karlosky shrugged and passed the bottle to the thin African American man beside him who spoke up next.
"You got a kid your-self don't ya' Bill?" Redgrave asked.
"That's right, little Sophie was born a few months ago," Bill said, a proud smile on his face.
"Well, at least I don't have to worry about her now havin' any friends when she gets older," Booker liked Bill, he was a good man and easy to get along with.
"Elaine will be happy as well, maybe give er' some piece of mind to know that little Sophie will have someone to play with down here," Bill added. Booker nodded, both he and Bill were well aware of how their wives felt about raising a child in Rapture.
Karlosky startled the two of them as he slammed empty glass on the counter top.
"Come now more drinks, should celebrate while we still can," and Booker was reminded that things were starting to heat up in Rapture's security, the increase of smuggling was starting to make the place busy. Booker was his own private investigator and in being so he was able to be cut out from the whole smuggling business with Fontaine, he mostly dealt with smaller problems that plagued Rapture, mainly small domestic cases or thefts. Though he still had to send reports to Sullivan, the head of security in Rapture.
"Let's not get him too drunk, he's got a little tyke to look after now," Bill added, putting a hand over Bookers glass as the Russian attempted to fill the half empty glass back up.
"He barely had enough to make him tipsy, let alone drunk!"
"I'm taking Bill's side on this, besides my drinking days are behind me now."
"Ha!" Karlosky laughed, slapping his knee, and spilling some of his drink onto the floor in the process, "Your wife whip you like little boy, eh!"
"Damn right, Annabelle will have my hide if I come home even a bit tipsy." Booker chuckled, pushing the remainder of his drink aside.
"Well, let's at least have one more toast then," Bill said, pushing the glass back towards Booker, and raising his own glass in a toast, Karlosky and Redgrave did the same with theirs.
"To Booker DeWitt and his new baby girl!"
The others finished their drinks, but Booker left his half-empty glass alone.
Booker ended up leaving after their toast to him was over, and made his way back to his flat that resided on the fifth floor of Artemis Suits in Apollo Square.
Annabelle Dewitt was seated on the small couch they had, beside her was their neighbor, Nicole Callaghan, cooing over the child his wife held in her arms, swathed in a number of blankets.
The two of them looked up as Booker entered, a tired smile crossed Annabelle's face, Callaghan smile was turned upside-down for a moment towards Booker's presence, she forced her frown into a small smile as she bid his wife a goodnight.
Booker held the door open for her, and in turn she scowled at the wet, light brown stain on his sleeve and the cigarette smoke clinging to his clothes.
"I don't think Miss Callaghan fancies me that much," he said once he and closed the door, it was just the two of them now.
"I think she doesn't appreciate a husband who comes home smelling like he's been drinking," there was a scathing tone in her voice, she slowly stood up, rocking the baby in her arms gently.
"It was just a few drinks, now don't give me that look! I'm still on my feet aren't I?" Booker raised his hands in defense as Annabelle focused a harsh glare towards the brown stain on his white sleeve.
"Karlosky spilled a bit of his drink on me." He quickly explained, and rolled the sleeve up to his elbow.
"I don't want to go back your old ways again," she sighed, cradling their child close to her, "we have a child to think of now,"
"It was only a few drinks, nothing serious, Bill just wanted to celebrate," he sighed, running his hands through his messy brown hair.
His wife smiled and moved closer to Booker, giving him a small peck on the cheek. She carefully moved the baby into Booker's arms "Alright, its fine it was only a few drinks, but nothing more than that."
Booker had stopped listening as soon as Anna was in his arms, he stared at his child in a sort of dazed wonder. Annabelle smiled softly, but a stray though turned it into a worried frown.
"Booker," she moved closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder "are you sure we can raise a child here, in this place?"
"We have to, there's no turning back now." He laid his head against hers, "and besides was our old life any better?"
"I don't know," she sighed and took Anna back into her arms, walking towards their bedroom. A fairly small room occupied by their bed and a crib just on the other side of the bedside table.
"No more debt, no more running, we don't have to worry about those things anymore," he said quietly, following behind.
"I just don't want our daughter to grow up never once seeing the sky," she said, glancing out the window that overlooked the underwater world of the dark ocean.
"I won't be like that forever, once Ryan gets his head straight thing will change, you'll see." Booker said, wrapping his arms around her waist, and laid his head on her shoulder reassuringly.
"I hope your right." She murmured as she laid Anna down in her crib, the reflection of the ocean water dancing across the walls, surrounding the room in a cold blue light as night began to fall in the underwater utopia.