Word Count: 548
"Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Iemitsu was a workaholic. He admitted that fact to himself a long time ago. There were very few things that could pull him from his job. In fact nothing fully did, even his recent marriage to Nana hadn't dragged him away for very long.
That was, until his wife's first pregnancy.
He had only been married to her for two years when she had called him with the news. He had flown over immediately and stayed with her for a month and a half, showering her with affection and gifts. He knew he must have irritated his subordinates and friends to no end with his constant updates, but he simply couldn't help himself. He was going to be a father. Despite how scary the thought was, he was still extremely excited.
He eventually had to go back to Italy. The Mafia didn't care that he was going to be a father soon and his Family needed him. He kept in contact with his darling wife by calling her every day and sending little gifts. He visited when he could and still continued to annoy his subordinates.
Then, things took a turn for the worst.
What started out as a happy occasion turned sour when Nana's health took an unexpected nose dive. He abandoned his work once again to be with his weakened wife. Seeing her so pale and sickly made his heart ache. She still smile and he couldn't help, but marvel at the strength of the woman he married. He hired the best Doctors in the Family, but they shook their heads.
He did everything he could for her, but her eyes still dimmed and her smile faded. He tried his best, but the misery overcame him. He finally broke down in the arms of his Boss, the only father figure he ever had. Timoteo let him cry before quietly telling him to continue being with his wife for as long as it takes. He would handle the CEDEF.
Few words were exchanged during the following weeks. They both knew the inevitable, but were unwilling to speaking those traitorous words aloud. There were days Nana would simply stare out their bedroom window, sentenced to bed-rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. She couldn't have really seen anything from her position on the bed, but she told him that even a small glimpse of the sky soothed her.
He was on the verge of giving up.
Then a miracle occurred.
His darling wife suddenly regained her health overnight and the pregnancy resulted in a healthy birth of a healthy baby boy. He was reduced to tears when he saw his wife holding that precious bundle.
He ignored the clenching of his gut in favor of rejoicing.
He ignored the whispers of the nurses. Their quiet exclamations over the tiny child's bright red hair and deep green eyes. After all, he vaguely remembered a red-headed aunt from his childhood and Nana would never be unfaithful.
For a several days, he also ignored the glare sent to him by his infant as well, but those were harder to simply brush away.
He stared death in the face numerous times through-out his life, but looking at the hatred in his sons eyes was too much.
It was simply too much.
Okay, I think that's enough for tonight. I'll upload a few more tomorrow. Review and tell me what you think! :D