AN:/ Thank you all for your readership. I truly appreciate it.
A special thank you to: sharmini, fdarcy1, whitecrossgirl, arthurgwen2010, larasmith, and IslandGem. Your reviews continue to inspire me to continue writing this story.
I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and has a wonderful and safe work/school week.
After Arthur and Morgana revealed the news of Tilly's pregnancy to Gwen last night at her office, she became a bit distant, almost forlorn. Once Gwen took a moment more to think about the baby, she recovered and offered the detectives some coffee; not wanting to come off as a rude hostess, to which they politely declined after sensing how the news of her dead client's baby had changed her mood. Morgana and Arthur got the sense that Guinevere wanted to conclude their meeting but was too well-mannered to ask them to leave, so Morgana was the first to suggest that they 'call it a night'; claiming that she had an early shift at work the following day. Consequently, Arthur was not able to return Guinevere's I.D. bracelet, yet again; to which Morgana was kind enough not to remind him of said failure.
However, the following morning, after a good night's rest and in a more jovial spirit than usual; although having just walked into the stationhouse twenty minutes after her shift began with an equally tardy and smiling Leon, one might assume that to be the reason behind Morgana's extra zest, the female Pendragon detective saunters into her brother's office, without so much as a knock, and with a thick, manicured arched brow, her crushed velvet-red lips curved; almost inquisitively and her arms folded across her chest, she asks Arthur the million dollar question,
"So, my 'Golden Prince', when exactly do you plan on reuniting Cinderella with her glass slipper?"
Arthur, who doesn't even bother looking up from his desk as Morgana jests with him, mentally kicks himself for thinking that she would let the subject of Guinevere's bracelet go already.
"Morgana, unless you were at a different meeting entirely last night, there simply was no opportunity for me to return Guinevere's bracelet to her; especially after you suggested we end our rendezvous" Arthur looks up from the file that he was reviewing and at his sister accusingly, with his pout ever-present.
Morgana resists the urge to smile at her brother; now fully understanding his affection for the unruly-curled hair attorney. So she redirects her quipping efforts toward him and changes her tone, "Arthur you saw the look on her face when we mentioned Tilly's pregnancy. She was near to tears, her entire demeanor had changed. Prolonging the meeting would not have gotten us any closer to solving the mystery of Tilly's pregnancy; if there is any mystery to solve at all".
She was right. The image of Guinevere's tear-filled eyes was all that Arthur could ponder as he pumped iron in his flat complex's gym last night. The moment he reached his flat he was so tempted to call her to see if she would be alright. But the thought of having Guinevere answer her phone with tears in her voice, and he not being able to be there to console her as he had done on the night of Tilly's murder, then the thought of having her lash out at him for comforting her instead of focusing on Tilly; as she had done on the night of Tilly's murder, gave him pause. So in the end, Arthur resisted the urge to phone Guinevere, and after a hot relaxing shower, sleep came easy.
"The bracelet can wait for now" Arthur says after a few moments. "I need you to get Lance for me".
"Sure thing, partner" Morgana ruffles her brother's hair, much to his annoyance, and sets out to complete her task, but not before Arthur stops her.
"By the way Morgana, why are you twenty minutes late?" he looks at his watch then back at his sister, who avoids his questioning stare and averts her eyes down to her oxfords, as her porcelain cheeks proceed to take on a rosy colour. Arthur eventually takes the hint, grimaces and, for good measure, shakes his head of any image of his sister and dear mate frolicking before work "Never mind. Chief came snooping around…but I already covered for you. Now, if you could get Lance please". Morgana breathes a silent sigh of relief, thanks Arthur, and then ducks out of his office to go find the computer tech.
A husband abusing his wife, unfortunately, is nothing new. Killing one's wife is not novelty either. Guinevere just couldn't picture Magnus killing his own child. Then again…she definitely could.
Gwen carpooled with Mona; as the later decided to spend the night at the former's home last evening, to work. Mona thought it best that she drive Gwen home last night after seeing how desolate she looked upon emerging from her office with the detectives and concluded that because of Gwen's compassion and ability to put herself in another person's shoes- even after their death, the Romney case was taking a heavy toll on her friend. Mona turned to her right to gauge the attorney.
"You okay Gwen?" Gwen keeps her eyes fixed on the road and nods in response, but then decides to elaborate a bit more.
"I was just thinking about Tilly's pregnancy. Surely Magnus would have noticed his wife being pregnant- if not at two or four months, definitely in her third trimester. And though Tilly may not have been able to stand up against him…I have no doubt in my mind that she would ever allow any harm to come to her child- she would rather die first".
After a moment or so, Gwen realized the implication of the last words of her statement, and so did Mona.
"Maybe…" Mona says gently "…Maybe that's why she died, Gwen…Protecting her child from the father".
Gwen ponders a while longer. "…Maybe. There is also the possibility that Tilly suffered a miscarriage. Tilly never mentioned a child to me, and that is not the kind of thing that slips someone's mind. Perhaps that is why she never brought it up. Not to mention, I have been to the Romney residence prior to, and following Tilly's death and never saw anything to indicate the presence of a baby. The crime scene unit as well, they combed that house from stem-to-stern, and there was absolutely no evidence that a baby or child lived at 21F Main Street".
Gwen finally arrives at the firm and hearing a car's horn honk twice, she looks across the street to see that Elyan and Gwaine have just arrived to work as well, so she honks twice, returning the greeting as Mona opts to wave, popping her hand and head out of the passenger's side window to do so. Gwaine returns the favour; adding on a wink and an air-kiss, to which Mona rolls her eyes and giggles. She then pops back into the car and turns to Gwen and addresses her.
"So let us say that Tilly did die to protect her child. That means that Magnus has no idea where his child is and can't, in turn, go after him; or her. So that is a good thing, right?"
Gwen acknowledges the theory as she turns and grabs her briefcase from the backseat of the car, with Mona following suite. The two then exit the vehicle and look for any oncoming traffic before crossing the street stride-in-stride as their heels click against the asphalt and then the pavement. "Magnus having no knowledge of the whereabouts of his child is a very good thing, Mona. But the fact remains that the existence of the child is a riddle wrapped up in a mystery" Gwen opens the firm's front door and ushers Mona in as she follows behind her "…A mystery that I intend on solving".
Lance knocks on Arthur's door, although it is wide open, and waits for the detective to acknowledge him; as he is in the midst of a phone call. Arthur waves to Lance to enter the office as he ends the call. "You wanted to see me, lieutenant".
"Yes. Lance, I would like you to dump all phone records from 21F Main Street; paying particular attention to phone numbers that appear the most frequently. If you can, go back as far as two years if possible".
"I can do that" Lance nods. "Is this about that Romney case? Merlin's told me some about it".
"Yeah" Arthur nods and runs a hand through his wheaten locks.
"I heard it was a really rough on" Lance shakes his head, remembering the bits and pieces of conversations that he heard between the coppers at the station.
"One of the most gruesome I have ever witnessed" Arthur confirms.
"I'll get on it right away then" Lance makes one final nod before turning to leave, but then Arthur remembers to say something that has been nagging at him since last night.
"Lance" the computer tech makes it to the door before turning around to be addressed by his colleague; and friend. "I didn't know that you knew Guinevere" Arthur says in what he hopes is a casual tone, even throwing in a brief, light chuckle.
"Guinevere?" Lance furrows his brows "No one but Mr. Leodegrance- and my gran, calls her by her full name. But yeah, Gwen and I have been friends since we were tots; "sandbox mates" is what she used to call us" Lance, and even Arthur, smiles at the memory of the two curly haired toddlers. "I've even saw her naked a few times".
"What?" Arthur fumes, not at all trying to hide his abhorrence.
Lance holds up his palms in defense and unintentionally moves a step backward. "Relax mate. We were only about four years old at the time and our mums thought nothing of it to bathe us together" Arthur calms down at this and immediately feels the need to apologize, but Lance, realizing what feelings that the detective may harbor for his childhood friend, decides to toy with him a bit more. "She always brought her teddy bear "Butterscotch" along, as I would bring "Monkeyan"; my little monkey, but our mums would sit them on top of the hamper so they wouldn't get wet in the bath. You should have seen her Arthur. Gwen had the cutest little bum" Lance closes his eyes, shakes his head slightly and smiles at the memory, while trying his best not to burst out laughing at the growing rage in Arthur's eyes or the sound of his back teeth grinding against one another. "While Gwen has certainly grown up since our bath time adventures…she has definitely kept the cute bum, wouldn't you say Arthur?"
Arthur shuts his eyes and draws deep, calming breaths before opening them again. "Lance…" the computer tech in question can't hold it in any longer, and begins laughing at the detective; holding the knob of the door for support.
"Listen Arthur" Lance takes a step forward and closes the door behind him. "I was only teasing you because it's now become quite obvious to me that you feel something for Guinevere, don't you?" he questions his friend.
"Yes" Arthur nods "But I'm still trying to figure it out myself, so don't you go telling her anything about it" he warns.
"Hey" Lance says slightly offended "I may have known Gwen longer, but I value yours and my friendship just as much as mine and hers. Besides, it isn't my place to tell. Although I think you should warn Morgana about that". The two friends share a knowing glance and then a light chuckle.
"Sorry" Arthur says genuinely "I didn't mean to offend you Lance".
The computer analyst shrugs "None taken. Just be sure that whatever it is that you feel for Gwen…make sure that it's real, not just a game or a challenge…"
It's Arthur's turn to feel offended "I would never do that to Guinevere. After what Vivian did to me…I would never do that to anyone- least of all to Guinevere".
"Sorry Arthur, I actually forgot about that. You're much better off anyway. But back to Gwen, she is like a sister to me- as is Elyan a brother. I take it you have not met Elyan yet. Trust me…he is a lot more protective of Gwen than I am, so consider this the preview" Lance smiles shrewdly at the detective. "Anyway, let me get on those phone records and see what I can find you" Lance makes his way to the door for a second time and Arthur calls out and stops him yet again.
"Thanks Lance".
"I'm just doing my job" he says.
"No…" Arthur elaborates "…for the preview" he quotes his friend.
"Like I said" Lance reaches the doorknob and pulls the door open "…just doing my job" and with a final nod he departs.
Merlin spun around in his chair while looking up at the lab's ceiling for the twentieth time now. Before that, he went down to the morgue to take a head count of the bodies to make sure that they were all accounted for, tagged, and in their proper chambers. He also made sure that the morgue was spotless and that it's thermostat was at 35 degrees Fahrenheit to keep the bodies from decaying. Then he went up to the lab to re-re-examine and experiment that he had, consisting of refrigerated skin tissue specimens that he earlier introduced to flesh-eating bacteria to see how rapidly the bacteria could destroy the tissue, after which he carefully dissected the bacteria to extract their saliva and digestive membranes to later see if he can use them to formulate an antidote for victims who are suffering or have suffered skin tissue damage by the flesh-eating microorganisms. After that, he called Lance to see if he would like to go out to lunch, to which the computer analyst declined citing that he was busy at work reviewing phone records for the Romney case. Merlin finally stopped spinning in his chair and decided that if there was nothing for him to do at the lab, perhaps he should go and pay his uncle Gaius a visit at the hospital.
When Merlin arrived at the hospital he was greeted warmly by a few doctors and nurses who had come to view the medical examiner as their own nephew. He made his way to the elevator and finally reaching the operating unit on the seventh floor, he stepped out into the hallway and turned right where he was greeted immediately by PA Elena; Dr. Gaius's operating room assistant.
"…Merlin!" Elena puts down the medical chart that was in her hand onto the nurses' station desk and warmly hugs her friend, as Merlin hugs her back. "What brings you to Albion General?"
"Slow day at the lab- which, don't get me wrong, is a good thing" he quickly adds "But I was bored out of my mind, so I thought I'd pay Uncle Gaius a visit; see if he could use a hand".
"You know Gaius has everyone at his beck and call here. So what's the real reason you popped by? Could it be a certain pediatric nurse on the sixth floor?" Elena asks wittily.
Merlin blushes profusely at the thought of Felicia, then, just as quickly, he scoffs at the implication that he would leave his place of work just to snoop around a hospital in hopes that he would catch a glimpse of the pixie haired petite brunette. "Honestly Elena, you and Lance are so simpatico it's a wonder why the two of you aren't together". Elena then reddens at the mention of the computer tech's name and decides not to tease Merlin any further, but not before he notices and tells her, "I think he likes you".
Elena's milk-green eyes brighten up even more than usual "You do?"
"Yes". Then Merlin thinks of how girls tend to get all giddy and spread news life wildfire, "But don't tell him I told you" and just for some added insurance "I think it would be much better if you let him admit it to you". Elena smiles to herself, a sign that she agrees, and Merlin breathes a sigh of relief then moves forward to continue on his path to his uncle's office.
But Elena stops him. "Dr. Gaius is actually at a meeting right now with the heads of the medical board" Elena picks up her chart from the nurses' station desk and pulls Merlin along with her to further down the hallway so that no one will be within earshot. "I've heard a rumor that Dr. Alice may be in trouble with the medical board".
Dr. Alice is Dr. Gaius's wife and Merlin's aunt. She is the chief obstetrician/gynecologist and is one of the kindest generous doctors at Albion General Hospital. She gets on well with her colleagues and her patients; so much so that some of the babies that she helped deliver years ago come back to her to have her as their primary obstetrician when they are pregnant. So Merlin can't imagine how she can be in trouble with the medical board.
"You must be mistaken Elena. My aunt is one of the best in her field, in all of Albion. So surely there must be another Dr. Alice on staff here. Besides, Uncle Gaius would have mentioned this to me".
"That's what I'm trying to tell you Merlin…No one was supposed to find out".
"No one was supposed to find out what?"
Elena looks down the hall in both directions and moves in closer to Merlin "Dr. Alice helped deliver a baby about two years ago, and then after that she helped her patient to fake the baby's death to the husband. I'm not familiar with the particulars, as it is only just a rumor, but as the rumor goes, her patient was a domestic violence victim and she wanted to keep her baby away from her husband- for fear that he may try to abuse the child too. You know how Dr. Alice is…and as her patients' physician she was sworn to tell no one of her patients' suggestion, under the Hippocratic Oath, so she told the patients' husband that his wife suffered a miscarriage during the delivery while they figured out a way to put the baby up for a silent adoption without him knowing anything of it. They were successful…until now. Someone has found out, and now Dr. Alice may lose her medical license". After Elena finished recounting the tale, she stood back and looked at Merlin. The look on his face told her that the wheels of his mind were in overdrive, trying to figure out what to do with the information that she'd just share with him. This was his family after all, and she began to feel guilty for having burdened him with this, albeit very possibly the truth, rumor.
"Merlin, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told…"
"Elena" Merlin silenced her "Do you have any idea what the patient's name was?"
Elena looked confused for a moment "No. I don't think so".
"Please" Merlin begged "try to think of a name".
Elena thought for several moments longer, and then her eyes widened.
"I'm not sure of her name…but I think it was that poor woman on the news who was murdered by her husband".
Shivers ran down Merlin's spine as realization dawned on him. He stood there stunned and he whispered to himself "The baby's alive…Tilly's baby is alive".