Stuck In A Bakery (With You), Chapter 58
Morning arrived, once again... and found everyone in the beds in which they were accustomed to sleeping. It did not approve or disapprove of the empty sofa, but merely nudged the sun into its customary position and carried on with its daily routine.
Around ten o'clock, Adrien's phone rang, distracting him from his kitchen activities.
Tom noted that the ringtone was the opening of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor. "Do I even want to know who's calling?" he asked.
"Ah. That's Nathalie," said Adrien. "I figured that she needed something with the right kind of tone to it."
Tom got a chuckle out of that as Adrien picked up the call and sat his phone down. "Hello, Nathalie," he greeted her. "My hands are messy right now with dough, so I've got you on speaker. What's up?"
"Some good news," Nathalie told him. "The latest round of test results are back... and your father and I are clean again. The two workers who tested positive are responding well to treatment, and the others tested from the studio have all come up negative, so... with all due caution, we are starting things back up again around here. Tentatively at first, of course."
"That's good. That has to be a huge load off of Father's mind," Adrien replied.
"To say the least, yes. We are even considering a photoshoot two days from now, one with facemasks in place as a good-faith piece. One of those 'we're all in this together' kinds of public service advertisements."
Adrien stared at his phone. "And I suppose that might be tricky to coordinate, with me being over here," he said, evenly.
"Just a bit, yes. So if everything checks out... we will be able to bring you home tomorrow, perhaps even tonight!" declared Nathalie. "Which must come as some relief to you. We did not mean to keep you away this long, but you know your father... he held your health and safety as his highest priority."
"Uh-huh," grumbled Adrien.
Tom frowned slightly as Adrien continued. "So what do you want me to do in the meantime?" Adrien asked.
"Gather your things up, I suppose. I'll give you some warning before the big move. Watch the front door - someone will be coming by shortly, as well," said Nathalie before hanging up.
"...Someone is coming here?" wondered Tom. "What does she mean by that?"
"Hard to tell," sighed Adrien. "As you can tell, they don't give me a lot of input into things. Much less choice."
"Now, let's not go too far with that," Tom instructed him. "You knew that your stay here was a temporary thing. Your father didn't allow you to spend these weeks with us as a vacation; this was to keep you safe and happy and sheltered from the pandemic."
"I know," Adrien replied, trying not to sulk. "I am grateful that he let me. I will always be grateful that you let me."
"It has been a pleasure and a privilege, my boy," smiled Tom. "You and Marinette are so taken with each other, that it's made Sabine and I feel young again just watching you two blossom together! I don't know when I have seen her quite this happy."
"The feeling is mutual," Adrien replied, blushing a little.
"And getting to know you has been just as rewarding for me, Adrien. You will always be a welcome guest in this house," beamed Tom. "However... we still have much to learn about each other. I do not know your father well at all; I cannot pretend to grasp the kind of lifestyle that you have together. I am not about to play the 'I am just a simple baker' card..."
"You'd better not!" exclaimed Adrien. "I have learned more from you about baking in these few weeks than in the rest of my life combined, and I'm still a novice. You are as much of a master of your craft as my father is of his. More so, perhaps."
"But I am not your father. The two of you may have strains on your relationship, but I am sure that he tries... in his own way. And I do not wish to get between the two of you, or second-guess his choices without knowing more. Any more than I would want him questioning how we have raised Marinette."
"I understand," Adrien said, quietly.
"This period away from you... I imagine that it has been hard on him. Perhaps harder than you imagine," Tom continued. "I am not saying, 'go home, forgive him for everything, and start fresh.' I am saying... when you do go, go home with open eyes, and see what happens next."
Adrien nodded, silently. He turned to return to his task at hand... and a large hand reached out and grasped his shoulder firmly.
"And should that impasse continue," said Tom, "and you need to talk to someone... if you need the perspective of a friendly almost-uncle, let's say... or just a sympathetic ear of a friend... you come to me. Because I will always make the time to listen."
The look on Adrien's face was one of pure adoration. "Sir... I will. That is a promise," he smiled.
Marinette watched out the front window of the bakery, nervously. "So who is it that you're expecting?" she asked.
"I'm not sure, exactly," Adrien told her. "Nathalie didn't give me a lot of details."
A familiar sedan pulled up to the curb, and a masked middle-aged man stepped out of the passenger seat. As he strode towards the bakery's front door, Adrien's eyes widened. "That's Dr. Linville," he exclaimed. "One of our family's personal physicians. But what is he doing here?"
"If you wanted to play Doctor that badly, Adrien, I suppose that I..." bantered Marinette, who then realized that her mother was still in the room. "...could recommend my own family doctor," she stammered.
Sabine suppressed a laugh at Marinette's feeble attempt to cover herself, but held her tongue. Adrien did his best to keep his blood pressure steady.
The physician, a small and unassuming man, entered. "Hello, Adrien," he announced. "And this must be... Marinette with you?"
"I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng, yes. And you know me how...?" Marinette ventured.
"Mr. Agreste gave me a rundown of Adrien's current situation," Dr. Linville explained. "Including the unexpected living arrangements and those you have been in contact with, Adrien. He understands that you are in good health - you certainly appear to be, at least - but he would like me to do a precautionary exam before you come home, just in case. Nothing too complicated, I promise."
"I see," mumbled Adrien. He turned towards Sabine and asked, "Do you mind if he and I go upstairs? I'm not about to undress here..."
"No, no," Dr. Linville interjected. "Nothing so intrusive. A temperature check, a little bit of listening to your lungs, looking at your nose and throat, some questions. That's all."
Sabine pointed to a small door nearby. "There is a small room over there, sort of a mini-office. You can go in there," she directed them.
With a look back towards Marinette, Adrien walked into the room, with the doctor following.
A couple of minutes later, they reemerged, with Adrien walking over to Marinette's side.
"So you're going to live?" Marinette smiled, hopefully.
"Uh-huh. For a while, anyway," quipped Adrien. "No signs of any infection. Not that I couldn't have it and not show symptoms yet, of course..."
"Very possible, yes," the doctor told them. "So there will be a proper COVID test once you arrive home to be sure. The nasal swab isn't a lot of fun, but at least it's brief."
He turned towards Marinette, smiling. "All right. Now, Miss, if I could have you join me in there as well?"
Marinette gaped with surprise, as Adrien stepped in front of her protectively and Sabine stiffened up.
"Tom! Get in here, now!" Sabine called back into the kitchen. Turning back towards the doctor, she exclaimed, "And what is it that you think that you are doing now?"
"Mr. Agreste directed me to test Marinette as well. As Adrien has been in very close contact with her during his stay... it would not hurt for us all to know that she is equally healthy." He turned to Marinette and added, "Less chance of a quarantine period once you part, hmmm? And just like with Adrien, strictly non-intrusive."
"I don't think so," Sabine declared.
"You are refusing my services?" Dr. Linville asked, looking puzzled. "There will be no charge."
"I am sure that you are quite competent, Doctor," snapped Sabine. "And we have nothing to hide in terms of health, I assure you! But frankly, I don't know you from Adam, and I am not about to put my daughter in the hands of someone who just strolled in here, even if you are a doctor."
Tom marched into the room, standing by his wife's side. "What is going on here?" he asked her, with a glare at the new arrival.
"Mister Agreste," Sabine declared, putting a bit of spice in her pronunciation of that name, "seems to believe that he can just send a doctor here to examine our daughter for signs of infection."
"What?"
Seeing the anger rising on the big man's face, Dr. Linville closed his instrument bag quickly. "I am sure that there has been some miscommunication here," he apologized. "I will simply be on my way..."
"Wait," Marinette said, reaching out and touching his arm lightly. "Look... Doctor? I'm not about to agree to just anything... but what can you do right here?"
"Well," the doctor considered. "A quick scan with this," he said, indicating his no-touch temperature wand, "a quick listen with a stethoscope, a few questions about your health and behavior... with your permission, of course."
"That's no worse than I'd get than if I went to the hair salon," suggested Marinette. She gave her mother a questioning look, who nodded back curtly.
"All right," Marinette addressed Dr. Linville. "What would you like to know?"
A few minutes later, the doctor put his stethoscope back into his bag, satisfied. "Healthy as a horse, it appears," he declared. "Thank you, young lady."
"That is all you need?" Marinette asked him. "Just to be sure that we're all on the same page."
"That is all," Dr. Linville confirmed. "For me, at least. I would encourage you all to be cautious and not hesitate to get tested, should symptoms emerge... but for now, I'm satisfied. I cannot guarantee that my employer will not have further questions for you or your family..."
"And if he does..." thundered Tom, "you will tell your employer that he will call me first, before he turns our home into an impromptu clinic, or presumes that he can make decisions for other people."
"Somehow... that sounds awfully familiar to me," Adrien noted, dryly.
"It does, doesn't it?" Tom told him, as an aside. "Remember what I told you earlier? When you tell me what I need to know about him... I promise to listen. And to believe you."
Adrien grinned up at him, gratefully.
"Let me phrase it another way," Sabine interjected. "You can tell Mr. Agreste that, parent to parent... our children are going to be part of each other's lives for quite some time, I suspect. So we can coordinate and communicate, and work out what's best for both of them..."
"Or he can be Mr. Agreste, with all that that implies," finished Dr. Linville. "Between you and me... I have known Gabriel for some time, so I understand your frustration completely. But I will pass on your suggestion, as tactfully as I may."
"Good," Tom smiled. "Through his assistant, he has both of our numbers, if he or she needs to reach out to us."
The doctor left, heading out to the car. Adrien followed as far as the door, waving to the Gorilla behind the wheel of the sedan, who waved back.
"Well! That was... something," Sabine sighed.
"I apologize for that," Adrien declared. "My father can be a real piece of work sometimes."
"You didn't do that. He did," soothed Sabine. "No apology required."
"Adrien, do you need any help getting your things together?" Tom asked him.
"Not really," said Adrien. "I don't have all that much here, honestly. I did my laundry yesterday, so almost everything I have is clean. I'll go organize everything in just a minute, in case Nathalie decides that 'later today' means 'now' all of a sudden." He thought for a second, then added, "Unless you need me for something in the kitchen..."
"I will be fine," Tom smiled back. "Both of you, go do what you need to."
As the kids rushed upstairs, Sabine moved to Tom's side. "Strange as it sounds, it's going to seem awfully empty without him here, won't it?" she noted.
"Only up to a point," Tom assured her. "Do you really think that he won't be here every possible chance that he gets?"
"Very true," agreed Sabine. "That man, though... we're all probably lucky that Adrien's father didn't accompany that doctor."
"It might've worked out," replied Tom. "The doctor could've helped him remove your bread paddle from where you'd have stuck it."
Upstairs, Adrien and Marinette busied themselves with refilling his suitcase and the bags that his belongings had arrived in.
"I'd almost be tempted to leave this here, except that it's not mine," noted Adrien, indicating one of the board games that the Gorilla had brought. "We hadn't had a chance to play this yet..."
"Mmm-hmm," mumbled Marinette, moving slowly.
"Are you all right?" asked Adrien, sensing that something was bothering her.
"I'm okay," Marinette replied, a trifle jittery. "I'm just... I'm telling myself that I'm not going to cry, that's all. I know that this isn't goodbye; of course I do."
"Hey! Come here," Adrien called to her, wrapping her up in a hug. "It is most definitely not goodbye, and you do know that. I'll call and text you every night. We'll visit each other as much as we possibly can. When school restarts... whenever that will be... we'll see each other almost every day again."
"And we do have our other way of getting together," smiled Marinette.
"Right! Marinette... this wasn't some spring vacation fling for me," declared Adrien. "This was me waking up to what was always meant to be."
Marinette's arms wrapped even tighter around Adrien. "You have quite a way with words sometimes," she whispered to him. "But it is still going to sting not having you here all the time. I mean," she added with feigned horror, "who am I going to tuck into bed at night?"
"Somewhere, Tikki is asking, 'What am I, chopped liver?'" laughed Adrien.
"That's not the same and you know it," grinned Marinette. "But you're right. This isn't an ending..."
"...it's the end of the beginning," Adrien finished her thought.
And all at once, words were less necessary for a little while.