I thought of how I was going to write this while I was lying in bed last night, so here it is!
Disclaimer: I don't own Les Misérables or the characters.
Just to recap...
The doctor walked over to the door, but before leaving the room, he paused. "There's one more thing." Eponine looked at him.
"Yes?" she asked.
"You're pregnant."
Eponine's jaw dropped. And, with that, the doctor left the room. Eponine blinked a couple of times. She was shocked. Yes, she'd been throwing up a lot, but she'd thought that was from being sick. She hadn't even considered that possibility that she could be pregnant... with Marius' child... Marius looked at her, not sure of what to say. He hoped that it didn't belong to Montparnasse, or to any of the Patron Minette for that matter. To his knowledge, it couldn't belong to someone that Eponine truly loved. Surely she would have told him if she way seeing somebody, wouldn't she? Or, Marius thought, maybe her father finally forced her down to the docks... maybe she doesn't even know who the father is... But maybe she does...
"'Ponine–"
"I know what you're going to ask, Marius." Eponine said in a very forcedly calm voice, "And it's you. You're the father." Marius' eyes widened. Eponine coughed a bit.
"But we never... well, we never..." then it dawned on him. The dreams... but they weren't dreams, they were memories... "The night I got drunk with Grantaire." he said. Eponine nodded. "But how? I mean, what exactly happened that night?" he asked. Eponine had been dreading this question.
"Well, you were really, really drunk, so I helped you home." She cut herself off by a series of horrible, choked coughs. Seeing that Marius looked alarmed, she waved him off and then continued, "I didn't want you to end up laying in some alleyway... And then, when we arrived at your flat... um... you uh... well... you..." she hesitated, not quite sure of how to continue.
"Yes?"
"You pushed me up against the wall and kissed me. Quite passionately, actually. And I, well I kissed you back. Then you picked me up and carried me to the bed. You told me that you loved me, and then we..." she trailed off, knowing that she didn't really need to continue. Marius thought about this for a moment. Well that definitely explains the dreams, he thought.
"But why did you...? I mean, you... you could have said no, so, uh, why didn't you?"
"Because I love you, you fool!" Eponine told him. Her hand flew to her mouth as she realised what she'd just said. Oh God... I just told him that I love him... Oh God... Eponine thought. Then she coughed again, but she didn't even notice that blood splattered her hands each time she coughed into them, she was too focused on Marius. He looked surprised.
"You... you do?" Marius asked, not noticing the blood either. Eponine nodded. "'Ponine, I–"
"It's okay, Marius. I know you don't really love me. You were drunk when you said that you did. It's okay, I understand. You deserve better than me anyway..." she said. "I love you, it's true, but I understand that you don't feel the same way."
"'Ponine, I–"
"But I do have one question... why did you pay so much money for medication for me? Why, when it might not even work? Why do you want me to live?" she asked, not really noticing that she'd asked more than one question.
"Because I love you, you fool." Marius said quietly. Eponine's breath hitched in her throat. She hadn't been expecting that. She had never actually believed, apart from that one night, that he would ever return the love she felt for him. "'Ponine, I love you. I'm sorry it took me so long to realise it, but I do. I love you 'Ponine. You're beautiful, funny, smart, kind, caring, and you're my best friend. I love you." He took her hand and was about to kiss it when he noticed the blood splattered on it. A horrified expression came across his face. "'Ponine..." he looked at her. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she started to shake and convulse uncontrollably. She was having a seizure. "Oh God..." he whispered. "Help!" he called out. The doctor came rushing in. He hurried over to Eponine and carefully moved her so that she was laying on her side in the recovery position. He went and grabbed a sponge and then dampened it in a basin of water. He went back to Eponine and gently dabbed her face with the damp sponge. After a couple of minutes, the seizure stopped. Eponine blinked and then looked at Marius, who had tears rolling down his cheeks. "Oh 'Ponine..." he whispered shakily. He kissed her forehead lightly.
"Seizures are more a sign of tuberculosis than pneumonia, but it's not completely unheard of for someone with pneumonia to have a seizure." the doctor said. Then, noticing the blood, he cleaned her hands with the sponge. The seizure had left Eponine tired and weak. "If she has another seizure, let me know." the doctor said before leaving the room again. Eponine reached up and gently wiped the tears away from Marius' face. He turned his head and softly kissed the palm of her hand. He was so worried about her. What if it was tuberculosis? What if she did die? But it wouldn't only be her who died, she was with child. He'd lose them both... Marius glanced at her stomach. He knew now why it wasn't quite as thin as the rest of her. Their child was growing in her stomach. Their child... it was still hard for Marius to believe. But he found himself strangely happy that it was his. But if he lost them...
"You have to live..." Marius whispered brokenly, "both of you..." Eponine glanced at her stomach. She rested a hand there.
"July." Eponine said suddenly.
"Huh?"
"The baby should be born in July. It's been about a month since we... and it's November now, in 8 months it will be July." she explained, smiling weakly. Marius smiled slightly as well, but the smile did not touch his eyes. As she said this, Marius was wondering if she would live that long.
Not very long, but there you have it! So what gender do you guys think the baby should be?