Guys! I'm back!
How are you? I feel relaxed, and by now sleepy... It's near dawn here. I slept till half past eleven, and then decided to write this chapter.
Okay, I have a couple of questions for you. Is the story progressing too slow? I'm just trying to convey everything.
Do you like this development? Did you expect it? Is my writing understandable? That's about it, for now.
I don't own Hetalia..- a disclaimer.
I'm excited to hear(read) your opinions, and also to answer any questions, if you have them.
8. The Seventh Step
After this shocking introduction, the room was left in silence. The young man in front of them was the family of the baby Arthur held so dear, and also the one who hurt their mother, although not on purpose. They didn't know how to respond to this, so they just sat in quiet, too baffled to respond. When Alistair saw that his family, along with the doctor and the nurse, was too surprised to do anything, he decided to take action.
"Well, I can see that that was a shocker for all of you. I'll briefly explain. Last night, I didn't leave the hospital, but I loafed around the nurse office and talked to them, trying to find out more about the illness our brother has gotten. Around 1 a.m., I decided to check-up on Arthur and Rhys. Just when I neared their room, I saw Arthur exiting the room and heading down the corridor. I decided to follow him, curious to see what will he do so late. After walking a little, he sat on a bench and stared into empty space. After a couple of minutes, at which time I already wanted to approach him, he stood up and entered one of the rooms in front of which he sat. I quietly came to the door of the room he entered and saw him." At this point of the story, everyone turned to Arthur, looking at him. Alistair let a chuckle escape from his lips and then continued.
"He was playing and talking to a toddler he had never seen before. I could see that the toddler fell asleep after some time and that Arthur tried to put him back into his crib, but the babe wouldn't let go. And that was how Arthur decided to bring him to his room. Fortunately, I hid before he saw me, and then I watched him as he laid down next to snoring Rhys and placed the child next to him so that both of them would be fairly comfortable. That's it."
After this statement of Alistair's, Mairead started laughing, and tried to stifle it, knowing that she could wake Alfred up if she laughed too hard. Rhys looked a little shy and apologetic, while Arthur just rocked sleeping Alfred contentedly. Kiku and Feliciano just stared astonished. So that's what happened last night.
"And how did you meet Mathieu?" This question came from Rhys, who observed Mathieu, trying to see his character. He didn't feel anxious or worried around this person, so he let it go for now. At this, Mathieu turned to him and smiled timidly. He then told them what happened.
Apparently, that morning, when he came to the reception to check in, so that he could see his brother for a short while, Alistair heard him asking about the woman he hit the previous day and also about his brother. When he saw him panicking at the news that his brother was missing, he approached him and talked to him. He said that he probably knew where his brother was and asked him if he was willing to talk to him for a short bit. After that, they sat on a couple of waiting chairs; highly uncomfortable things, mind you; and talked business. That's how they came to an agreement over many things.
"My name is actually Mathieu F. Williams, but I use Jones when signing in because of Alfred. Nurses are aware, don't be afraid. You see, there are some complications around mine and Alfred's connection. I'm afraid that I can't take care of him in the way that is appropriate. That's why I agreed to Alistair's proposal. It seems that he knows his brothers well enough to predict their actions. I'm impressed." At that point, Alistair jumped in with a comment that such a thing is a requirement when you are a barrister aiming for the top. Everybody laughed at that, and then Mathieu continued with his story. But now, something seemed wrong. Kiku and Feliciano already knew what was the problem, but didn't butt in. Mathieu sighed once and then again, crossing his hands and avoiding eye contact. Then he straightened his anxious expression and looked at all of them with determination.
"Although Alfred and I are brothers, we only share half of the same blood. We have the same mother. Before anyone interrupts, listen to me. I came to this country two years ago with Alfred in my custody. I was stationed as a sergeant in arms in this country's military, and unfortunately, unable to care for Alfred as I should have done. I've tried nannies, in-house employees who would care for him, but nothing was right. That is when I decided to pull some strings and get Alfred admitted here. In exchange for a certain amount he would be cared for well. I visit him as often as I can, but I know he needs a stable family and ground to stand on. After seeing this" he pointed at Arthur who was still rocking Alfred in his arms happily, "I'm sure that you would be a perfect family for him. I can read people, you know.
I can see that all of you have a strong bond between you. I have orders to come back to my original base in Canada, and I know I wouldn't be able to care for Alfred, and I wouldn't want anyone like her to get a hold him."
Mairead, puzzled by what she just heard, asked what bothered her. "By 'her', you mean your mother?" The tone he spoke in when he mentioned her was with bad insinuations. Mathieu nodded his head, his expression turning stony and unreadable.
"Yes. My father married my mother young. Everything was alright in the beggining. She was pregnant and soon I was born. But three or four years after that, everything went downhill. She started acting weird, and my father discovered that she had started drinking and already had serious issues with her health connected to her addiction. He tried to help her in every way you can imagine, but it was futile. He divorced her and I chose father to be my caretaker. We left when I was thirteen." He shook his head in remembrance, biting his lower lip all the while.
"I lived in France for five years before I decided to go back to Canada. I got accepted into military, and after some time I decided to track my mother, just to see if she left the hell she was in. What I found astounded me. She had a newborn with her, and she was unconscious. Immediately, I called a social worker and found Alfred's SIN, along with some other documents. When the help came, we took them to hospital. For her there was no help. She died couple of hours later of cocaine overdose, but there was hope for Alfred. He had cocaine in his system, but fortunately a minute amount that could be removed through medication and milk from other pregnant women in the hospital. After three months, we could say with confidence that he was clean. Social worker that I had contact with assured me that I would get custody, because apparently, supposed father appeared out of nowhere. We won the trial over custody, and just a month later, I got reassigned here and brought Alfred with me. That's the story." When Mathieu finished, he breathed in and out several times, trying to calm himself. He ruffled his hair with his hands, knowing that what he just said was hard to accept for many people. He hung his head low, not wanting to see the expressions of the people in front of him. What happened at that moment astonished him. He was embraced by the woman he hit yesterday.
"It's alright, Mathieu. Everything will be alright. I will adopt Alfred, and you can go back to Canada with a calm heart. We will take care of him. But I expect of you to visit us from time to time, it's my only requirement." Mairead, as well as Alistair, Rhys and Arthur were all saddened by the story that they just heard, and they knew that now it was final. Alfred is a part of their family.
In Mairead's heart, Mathieu was also put into the family chart. Oh, her thoughts flowed, I have two more sons now. God bless me. What will happen from now on?
After all the drama disappeared and everybody calmed down, Kiku turned to Arthur and asked him if he was ready for his tests. Arthur was reluctant, as Alfred seemed to start crying every time he was let go; but when he saw that Mathieu could calm him, he accepted and went with Kiku and Feliciano; who, by the way, couldn't hold in his tears after Mairead exclaimed what she would do, and then went out for some time to cry his heart out, so now, his eyes were red and puffy.
On the way to the room where he would be examined, Feliciano explained him that MRI meant that they will take a picture of his brain to see if there was an injury that could have caused his seizure. He even promised him to show him the picture later. Then Kiku told him that after that he will have to take an EEG test, that will record his brain's electrical activity. They will put a special kind of hat on his head, the one that is connected to a computer that will help them read what is happening in his brain. Arthur listened to all of this in silence. This got Kiku worried. He crouched to Arthur's eye level and assured him that he shouldn't be scared because nothing of that will hurt. Arthur then just smiled and shook his head.
"I'm not worried about that. You will do what you must, dr. Honda. What is on my mind is what will I do here when you find out what happened to me, and will I be able to return home at all." This took Kiku by surprise.
"Why do you think that you won't be able to return home after this?" Although Kiku asked, he was afraid of the answer. Arthur looked at him and smiled gently, so gently that to Kiku it seemed that he tried to soothe him.
"Because every happiness asks for an equally bad fortune." Kiku felt his back shudder. Not an answer that was expected of a nine-year-old.
"And your happiness is?" He inquired, now impatient to know.
"Meeting Alfred." The child before him answered with conviction. He was sure in what he said. Kiku decided to argue his point.
"But, Arthur. What if it is the other way for you?" Arthur stared, not comprehending what Kiku said. He shook his head in confusion. "What if you had to experience a bad fortune to meet your happiness?" After this, Arthur gazed at him like he told him he knew the formula for transmuting iron into gold.
Arthur slowly nodded. "Could be...why, yes. It could be so. I needed to deserve him." Kiku breathed deeply, now relieved. But something still didn't seem right. Shaking off that feeling, he straightened and started walking again. A little hand grasped his. He glanced down.
Arthur held his hand, letting him lead the way.
Behind the two of them, Feliciano pulled out the cross he wore and looked at it, and then put it back underneath the uniform.
