Chapter 10: Lost
Edited By: Naoko Suki
Wesker hadn't been in a good mood since he'd left Claire's apartment. She'd 'ditched' him with all her baggage; including the dogs. The nicer one of the dogs just wouldn't sit still, invading every corner of the area. The dog, who stared at him before back at the apartment, did it the whole time here sitting at his labs' door entrance. This was the last thing he needed, he didn't know why he was putting up with this madness Claire was driving him to, but his patience was sure thinning.
Eventually, after doing his damned hardest to ignore the mongrels occupying his living area, he heard the front door open and close, followed by a 'thud' of a bag dropping.
"Rosso! Get off of me!" He heard Claire yell from the doorway. Her temper seemingly to have returned. Her footsteps came a bit closer, yet she only yelled at the dog sitting at his doorway to move, threatening to pick him up if he didn't. His air felt more pleasant once the dog left his work area, but it was the Redfields' fault in the first place.
Claire made her way into the kitchen, annoyed at everything right now. Normally she wouldn't have minded her dog seeking attention from her, but what Jill had said made her world upside down. Jill couldn't be serious, right? There's no way she could be, especially since she's 'dead'. What would Albert say? What would Chris do? Her stomach growled seemingly hungry again.
But she shouldn't be.
The hunger took control of her, and her hands made their way to the freezer to make something easy. Her dog Rosso sat by her feet, like she hadn't even left his side in the first place. Her hands grabbed some cannelloni frozen dinner than only needed to be thrown into the oven. Her hands dove into some boxed crackers while she waited; feeding her dogs a cold steak each since she hadn't brought over any dog food yet. The second the meal finished heating, she consumed every last bit of the large food filled pan and made her way back to her room, not even bothering to talk to him.
How could she yet?
A large sigh left her lips as she began to run the bath for herself. She sat upon the toilet seat, and Rosso nosed his way into the cracked open door.
"I'm sorry buddy, I missed you too," her hands wrapped around him, planting a kiss upon his furry head.
She stripped down and turned off the water after stepping and sitting in the tub. Her head lay back, and her eyes closed. But relaxation never came. Body tense, her head was hurting.
What if she is pregnant? It's only natural for it to happen. A man and a woman consummate and that's usually the result. Would Wesker take care of her? Will she be told to leave, or told to get rid of it? Claire's eyebrows furrowed. No. There was no way she'd let that happen to her. Her first child; it could be completely normal. Maybe a family and…
Chris.
Claire rubbed her face, even more worries about Chris rejecting her because she carried his greatest enemies' child ran through her head. Then her heartbeat quickened at one word; infected. She was infected. The baby, would it be too? Would it mutate and grow to kill everyone and- Stop it, Claire.
There was a fat chance she'd barely survive the stress if she didn't calm down right not. Wesker will suspect something soon, sadly, he isn't that stupid, she thought. Claire wasn't even 100% sure she even was pregnant. If she was still sick tomorrow, she'd need to be out to do it. There was no way she'd even let Wesker get a hint of anything wrong with her right now, she didn't want to take any chances yet. Claire's eyes closed, finally at peace with her plan. She was feeling tired, but wait;
She shouldn't be.
The water had already gotten a lot colder so she pulled the plug for the bath and got out to dry off. Her favorite pajamas were already packed in her dresser. I'll really have to thank him again later. She put them on, and collapsed onto her bed, where her dog Rosso slept. She hugged him tightly as her face laid upon the back of its head; asleep within minutes.
Wesker hadn't heard Claire move for hours. After finishing the last few sentences on his form, he stood and went to the Redfield's room. She was asleep again. It was quite confusing. Her body should have already completely transformed, and she should have no requirements for rest or sustenance. He'd have to take another blood test, something was up. Both of the woman's dogs lay upon her bed, and the one who tended to watch Wesker only turned his head for a second, seemingly knowing Wesker was not going to tread into their territory. Wesker only shook his head, and closed her door.
.
"I'm going jogging," Claire said standing in Wesker's labs door. Her face was stern, hoping she could reason with him.
"What for?" he asked. There was no need for her to be out there more than she needed to.
"The dogs enjoy exercising, and I might as well make Rosso move a bit more, he's getting a bit chubby," her reply was quick, but she made no mistakes. "Besides, you wouldn't want them to have an accident on your floors, would you?" She turned and walked away, stopping at the door to pull up her socks at the heel of her shoes. Rosso was already by her side, and ran with her out the door into the forest.
Her legs ran fast, but it took a minute to realize her canine companion was far behind her. She forgot and didn't even think about her ability to run, even if it was a bit faster. Her head turned backwards, and her legs stopped to allow her pet to catch up.
Then it happened, she took a leap over the smallest of obstacles, and once she landed, her stomach began to turn. She covered her mouth and tried to swallow, but the sickness inside rose in her throat causing her to hunch over and release all the contents from her stomach. Her eyes watered, and her breathing came out in coughs.
"Why…now?" Claire cried, her fists clenching the dirt under her palms. The sound of pattered footsteps came and stopped beside her, hearing the panting of her dog silently waiting for her.
The woods kept silent as her cries finally went silent. After wiping her eyes, she spat out the remaining sickness and spit in her mouth; legs bringing her back to a standing position. Her mind raced to find a solution. The idea of her being pregnant seemed more and more realistic; her body got cold at the realization. But first, she'd need to confirm it. Sometimes, a Redfield's intuition isn't the best option.
If all of this was true, she'd tell Jill, then her brother. Wesker would find out last. He had to for it would be the worst situation to live from, right?
Her face paled down, and went back to normal cueing her to finally return to the house.
.
He looked at her weird when she returned the night before. It was obvious he could smell what she did when she ran last night. She paid him no attention and walked right by him to wash out her mouth at the sink. Today, Claire wasn't taking any chances. I had already felt nauseous enough, but was somehow able to keep it down since she hadn't eaten a thing. Claire grabbed her keys and shoved them into the pockets of her pants; wig, contacts and glasses all applied.
"I'm heading out!" Claire yelled with little patience. The door closed behind her before Wesker walked out of his room.
Wesker's eyes fell upon the cell phone that seemed purposely left behind.
.
An hour later Claire strode through the corridors she knew all too well, stopping at the reception desk where a woman she'd never met before sat. Claire asked to see the man she came here for, but she promptly replied with a large fake smile that he was too busy.
"Please call him, and tell him it's Maia Birkin. I assure you its very important."
The woman sighed and caved in, "Alright hold on a second," Claire nodded and turned when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"…Maia! What are you doing here?" Claire's friend Corn had asked happily.
"I came to meet with Ferry. How's work today?" She smiled, feeling as though she came in to work.
"It's been better. Listen I…wanted to talk with you, when will you be free?" he asked with an unsteady tone in his voice.
"Oh, I can be after I meet with Ferry,"
"Alright, I'll find you after." Corn's face returned to a full smile before walking away. Claire nodded and heard the nurse speak up behind her.
"Miss Birkin, Mr. Ferry will be able to see you. Do you know where to go?"
"Yea, I can get to him. Thank you for the help," Claire smiled and went to use the elevator to get to the third floor. Stepping out, the office she needed to get to was literally across the hall. Knocking the door, she heard a feint 'come in' from the other side of it.
Claire stepped in and the door closed behind her. Her face had an uneasy smile and her hands seemed to not stop fiddling with each other.
"Hey Ferry,"
"Oh Claire," Ferry stood and opened a hand towards a seat for her to take, so she did. "You know, your mother came to me one day with that same smile. What's wrong?"
She hesitated; the words seemed caught in her throat. "I wanted to ask you for a favor." Claire watched his head nod to continue.
"Can you check me…uh," why she felt like a little girl right now, she would never know.
"Check you for what?" He asked again, clicking the pen that was in his hand.
"IthinkIampregnant," It had come out so fast, but he had heard it. She saw his eyes widen; hearing his mouth let out a quick rasp of air. But thankfully, he didn't congratulate her yet, he needed to test her.
"Did you want it through a blood test?"
"No!" her head shook rapidly, that was the last thing that needed to be let loose in a hospital. She was sure Ferry didn't completely 'understand' what she was. "Just an ultrasound, please."
"Alright, leave your coat and bag here and come with me." Claire nodded in agreement, following him out the door.
.
She was right. Lying on the hospital bed, her eyes stared at the machines screen. A tiny circle showed with a bumpy figure sitting inside of it. She was pregnant.
"It's looking fine, it's only been two weeks so I don't know too much about it," Ferry stated, but Claire's stayed silent. "Does anyone else know about this?" he asked softly.
"No…not yet," Claire sighed, her brows furrowing. "I can see it but, what am I suppose to do now?" her tears began to flow, even if her face looked angry.
"Look, you need a friend to talk to. Not family, and definitely not Mr. Wesker," he took a deep breath and continued, "Listen, Corn told me you visited your apartment, and he kind of stated you looked very similar to the 'real' you. He started asking questions and, I told him everything."
Claire's head flipped on the pillow to face him, eyes wide. "You did what?"
"I had to tell him Claire, It was so hard not to. He knows most of the story, and he also knows not to tell a soul or else everyone would be killed. He didn't care; he was overjoyed that you were actually alive!" Claire nodded in response, her eyes finally calming.
"I suppose that's why he wanted to talk to me today."
"And you should go; it will help you a lot. And don't worry; I'll be with you throughout your whole pregnancy."
Claire smiled and sat up, thanking Ferry for all his hard work to keep her secret 'mostly' a secret.
"One more thing, when are you planning to tell Chris?"
"Today, I want it all out on the table." Claire replied, her face determined.
.
Claire wasn't able to meet with Corn since he was about to begin surgery, but she promised to meet him soon. Now, all she was waiting for was for Chris to open his damned front door.
"Hey sis!" Chris greeted her with a wide smile when it finally opened, "What's up?"
"Hey Chris, I kinda need to talk to you."
"Oh sure, come in." He said, stepping to the side to allow her sister in. The door closed and he followed her to the living room where they proceeded to sit on the couches.
Claire removed her sunglasses, and watched Jill come into the room. She looked at her with worried eyes.
"Hey Claire," Jill said biting her lip, wondering if this was the confirmation.
"Hey Jill, I was going to call you, but decided to come instead." Jill nodded in response and left to go into the other room. Chris' face smiled, but he looked a bit confused when Claire looked towards him.
"I've got something to tell you." Claire couldn't hold it; her eyes already began to tear, again.
Chris tiled his head in wonder, "What's going on Claire? What's wrong?"
"Chris, I'm…I'm pregnant Chris," a few tears escaped her eyes, but she never let them leave her brothers sight.
Chris' face stayed in a smile, but it didn't look right. His face looked menacing as his eyes went wide, and finally it went into a scowl. "You're…what?"
As if it wasn't true; Chris didn't understand. His hands unclasped themselves as they gripped his knees.
"You're WHAT? Pregnant?" His voice yelled, and Jill ran in from the kitchen to stand at the doorway, her eyes on Chris. "With…with HIM?" He continued, his face reddening.
"Chris..please calm-"
"How the hell could you do this, Claire?" Chris' hand covered his own face as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can't believe it; do you even understand what you let happen? You're pregnant with Albert fucking Wesker!" Claire only jumped to her feet at the raised level of his voice.
"Do you think this is something that I wanted? Think that this is easy for me? I'M the one who's pregnant, not you! What if he killed me, or the child; or both?" She yelled right back at him, but Chris's face deadpanned at her.
"I don't care."
Her own brother; he doesn't care?
"What?" Claire's whispered her mouth agape.
"I don't care anymore. YOU chose to be the fucking idiot and sleep with him, but worst of all, YOU let this happen. I don't even know how it's even goddamn possible for it to happen!" Chris let out a mocking laugh, "You were DEAD, Claire."
She held her breath, and she could see Jill in her peripheral vision clutching the shirt at her chest; eyes crying.
"You are NOT Claire. You are NOT my sister. Get out of my house." His eyes only showed fury, his thoughts irrational. But Claire didn't know.
She only nodded, placing her glasses back onto her face while Chris continued to spew profanities. Jill could be heard yelling at Chris, and telling Claire to come back but her legs already carried her out the front door and into her car.
The little Claire Redfield was dead.
Her car stopped in front of Wesker's house. She got one thing out of the way, there's no way Wesker would overreact like her brother, right? She knew he was mechanical and non emotional and—
Well, she hoped so.
.
It was already after 3 in the afternoon when she stepped inside the house to look at the clock. Maybe I should eat? She thought she should for the child, but she didn't feel like she could stomach it.
Her feet carried her a bit more inside, and her head turned to see Wesker sitting on the couch. He must have heard me arrive.
"Why were you at the hospital?" his face was stern when he asked. It was a good thing her shades were so dark that he couldn't see her eyes go wide. Did he still track her without the phone? My car. She sighed and hung up her coat before making her way to sit a seat away from him.
"It would be wise to answer my question. You do know how dangerous it is if you were to be found out, correct?" He stated again, in a berating tone. Claire only looked at his empty face. She really wanted to hit him, hard. He's the one who did this to her.
"I'm pregnant," Claire finally replied. Her jaw clenched waiting for his reply. Wesker only sat there staring at her, until he finally leaned back in the seat.
"Are you positive?" he asked dryly.
"No, I'm just joking around—YES I'm positive! I was getting out of the house to hide my puking from you." She looked at her lap, "It's only two weeks in."
"Any signs of mutation?" He asked coolly, as if she was some sort of subject. Oh how much she hated his voice right now.
"None, I was told it looks like a normal embryo-fetus thing."
"Have you thought about abortion?" He continued in his oh-so-hated voice. Anger boiled inside of her.
"How can you even ask me that?" Her breathing became a bit heavier, her temper beginning to show more than her regular emotions.
"Please try to calm yourself down dear-"
"Don't you dare 'dear-heart' me; you want me to calm down? You just asked me if I wanted to kill my child! You must really be insane!"
Wesker sighed and removed the sunglasses that always adorned his face. His eyes squared onto hers. "I don't know what ideas you have, Claire, but I have no intention to fulfill your dreams to start a family."
Of course, how could she even think Wesker would take care of her? She must have forgotten along the way who this man actually was. She stood up, and walked to her bedroom, feeling his eyes watch her as she did. She pulled out the largest suitcase that was brought here only a few days ago and began stuffing it full of necessities. There was no reason to cry. She was angry, mostly at herself to be so foolish. She pulled up the last zipper and looked towards her two dogs sleeping upon her bed.
"I'm sorry we're moving again guys." Claire whispered, and she finally stood from her crouched position. It was then when Wesker showed up in her doorway, arms crossed.
"There is no reason for you to act this way. What you're doing can be hazardous if I don't at least test you. I can always just rid any chances of a problem and terminate-" Claire interrupted when her fist flew for Wesker, and connected it with the side of his face.
His body flew backwards, but he was ready for the next angered punch and grabbed her forearm.
"Now now, dear heart-"
"Don't ever call me dear-heart, let alone think about killing my child ever again. I really wish you just left me to die," Claire seethed, her dogs walking up to her and snarling at Wesker.
His eyes remained on hers, but Claire twisted and ripped her arm from his grasp, pushing him backwards in the same motion. He watched her leave the house with the animals, and didn't even bother following. Irrational woman.
.
Her car finally stopped back into her parking spot at her old apartment. She must have looked like a mad woman when she sat silently, and out of nowhere slammed her hands on her steering wheel, yelling at the top of her lungs. She eventually leaned back, and let her body calm down before she got out with her luggage and dogs.
After riding up on the elevator, her hand knocked on a certain man's door. Please God, let him be home. Her heart felt like it began beating normally when she heard the footsteps from behind the door. Corn's face looked right back at hers, and then her tears fell.
Corn reached out and caught her when her body began to waver on the spot. He pulled her into an embrace, rocking her as she cried.
"Claire…what's happened to you?" he asked softly and helped her walk inside with all her stuff and her two pets. He sat her down on his couch, and reached to remove her glasses, only pausing for a moment until he watched her remove the wig, and unzip her jacket. She looked like a train wreck, but he was so relieved to be looking at the regular Claire he thought had passed away.
"Please tell me what's happened…" Corn repeated, and Claire finally eased her sobs.
Why not? She thought. She'd already lost everything else. Her brother, and the man she—
"Ferry already told you who I lived with…"
"With Wesker, right?"
"Yeah, that's right. I made the mistake of trusting him too much. I'm pregnant, "she stated, and she felt Corn hug her tightly. "I was just abandoned by my brother, and abandoned by the only one who could ever understand or help me." She finished, and her hands began to tremble.
"Claire, never forget that wherever you go or what you do, I'll be here for you as your friend no matter what." He said, and Claire dried her tears once more.
"Thank you," she smiled, and lay back on the couch. Her body was so exhausted from the day's events, she almost immediately passed out.
Corn sighed and pulled his arm away from her and moved her suitcase and dogs into her apartment using the keys she'd given him recently. He came back for her, but even after the light movements of trying to wake her up, she didn't stir. He lifted her, being as careful as possible while he transported her back to her apartment into her bed. He knew she needed a real night's sleep. He'd stay here until she wakes to keep her safe; happy that his best friend had finally returned.
.
The man was preparing food for her, ready for when the woman wakes. The video of them both in the woman's apartment was being watched tenderly as the light from the monitor left a glow in the room, and on the face on the unknown male sitting in front of it; eyes watching every breath the Redfield woman took.
Okay, I hope everyone like this chapter! I am really sorry I'm not updating regularly, but please uderstand. I'm going to school now, and I'm really trying to write. I have notebook, so I write chapters when teachers aren't looking xD I got almost all Same Team new chapter, and I'm going to type it today, but my editor is busy too, so please forgive us, if there are some delays in updating! But I assureyou, we will finish all my stories, just be patient please :)! I hope this won't discourage you! Thank you so much for your reviews and being patient with me! I love you all!
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