Laszlo couldn't sit still. His knee kept bouncing up and down, his foot tapping on the floor. He was looking out of the window as they made their way to the hospital, Stevie ensuring that the carriage went as fast as possible. The atmosphere was tense in the carriage. No one dared to talk or even mention why she might be going to the hospital. The only thing that Laszlo could think of was that it was to do with their child. Why else would they be taking her to a hospital? But a hospital should not be undertaking the type of procedure that her parents clearly had planned for her.
The rain had started to fall, the noise of the hooves of the horse echoing into their ears as they hit the cobbled floor. The carriage soon went through puddles, splashing loudly and water hitting the sides of it. Laszlo chewed down on his tongue as he knew they drew nearer to the hospital. They were so close. They were so very close.
"We're almost here," John commented first. "What do we do? Do we split up?"
"I don't know if that is for the best," Sara admitted reluctantly to John. "If her father is there then we know how volatile he can be…and he took Marcus's gun."
"Sara is right," Laszlo said. "It would be best if we stayed together. We know that she is going to be there and we don't leave without her."
"Understood," John said and removed his hat, leaving it on the bench and out of the way. Sara looked between the two men and wished that she had brought her own pistol with her. But they were going to a hospital. How much trouble could they get into? She hoped not that much.
Abruptly, the carriage drew to a halt and they clambered from it. Laszlo ignored the pain in his side from where Elizabeth's father had beat him. He limped forwards, John running ahead to the gate. The rain poured around them, instantly drenching them. Droplets of water poured off of their skin and stuck to their hair. Looking around for any sign of life, Laszlo couldn't see anyone as John pushed at the gate, but it didn't open.
"It's locked," John said.
"There has to be back entrance or something," Sara called above the falling rain, her hand running over her face to clear her vision. "Come on."
Sara ran around the building, looking for any gap inside. But a steel fence covered the entire perimeter. She rushed ahead and looked to a window that was slightly opened. Glancing to John, she nodded her head at him as he saw it. He reached out for it, pushing it upwards and then helping Sara to climb into it. He pushed himself up and swung his legs around until he was stood on the ground and then helped Laszlo in, the doctor grunting in pain before he stood on his feet in the building.
"This looks like an office," Sara spoke and John shut the window to the room.
They ignored the papers that had been dotted around and moved into the corridor. The lights were completely turned off, the entire place seemingly bathed in darkness. They tried to get their eyes to adjust, the only noise in the corridor that of their deep breaths and their footsteps.
"This place is like a maze," John complained as they came to a stairwell and looked up, seeing that there were almost four flights of stairs above them. "How will we find her?"
"We keep searching," Laszlo said and he moved up the first flight of stairs.
They wandered down the corridors, looking into rooms as they passed by. Sara's eyes widened in shock as she looked into a ward with women in beds, each of them looking emancipated and sleeping soundly in their beds. She could hear the crying of babies, but no one seemed to be bothering with tending to them. Sara continued glancing around as they stepped slowly past the ward, careful not to interrupt anyone or get in anyone's way.
Laszlo glanced around, not entirely paying attention to the women they were passing by. His eyes flickered over their faces, but he was only interested in finding Elizabeth. The hospital was for women who gave birth, often those from less fortunate positions. It relied heavily on charity donations, Laszlo knew that much about it. But Elizabeth was not due to give birth for several months.
"You shouldn't be here."
A voice rang through the corridor and the three of them looked to the end of the corridor before spotting a familiar man moving behind her and down another corridor.
"Michal!" John was the one to yell his name.
"I said that you cannot be here!" the nurse yelled once more at them, but they ignored her.
Instead, they focused on running ahead, barging past her and following in the direction where Michal had gone. But he had seemingly disappeared. Sara stayed back as John and Laszlo continued running ahead, trying to catch up with him. But Sara turned back to the nurse with red hair and a white cap on her head. Her uniform was immaculately crease free on her body and she was holding a bottle of some kind of liquid in her fingertips.
"Have you seen a woman called Elizabeth Johnson…or Martins…?" Sara questioned. It depended entirely on her maiden name or her married name. The woman shrugged her shoulders.
"Don't think so," she responded. "But you should leave here before Doctor Markoe or the Matron find you here. Visitors are not allowed after hours."
"Listen to me," Sara said, ignoring her warnings and stepping towards her. "This young woman has been taken by her parents and brought here. We think she might be in danger…please…just tell me where she is."
The woman looked apprehensive as Sara continued to stare at her, refusing to relent. She had to do something. How could she stand there and claim ignorance when a woman was in need?
"Please," Sara tried again.
And then the woman sighed. Nodding her head, she looked down the corridor. "Doctor Markoe is with a woman…we assumed it was her fiancé…he said that she had been suffering stomach pains."
"Where did they take her?"
"You need to go to the next floor and take the door on the right…it's his private room…"
"Thank you," Sara said to the woman and she raced off, finding John and Laszlo running back towards her.
"I know where she is," Sara snapped out to them and ran up the stairs once they were back in the stairwell. She took the steps as quickly as she could, knowing that John and Laszlo were close behind her. Running down the corridor, she pushed the doors in her way open, seeing a light in the distance. There was a door with a glass pane in it, the room illuminated. The walls were white and the floor was also tiled in white tiles.
Coming to the door, Sara pushed it open and looked inside. She let out a deep breath at the sight she saw as Laszlo let out a strangled noise. Looking around the room, they saw that it was empty. There was no one there. Laszlo's eyes darted across to the bed in the middle of the room, a steel trolley next to it containing numerous medical instruments. He could see scalpels, clamps and knives. His spine instantly stiffened at the sight he was greeted with and he struggled to comprehend that those were intended to be used on his Elizabeth.
"She's not here," John stated the obvious.
"The nurse said she was here," Sara said, looking around the room, almost as though she expected Elizabeth to jump out of nowhere. But that was not the case. The woman was most certainly absent.
"Can I ask what it is you are doing here?"
They turned around at the sound of a new voice entering the room to see a man with a receding hairline stood behind them, dressed in a suit with an apron over him, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His face was long and thin, his eyes beady and his lips pursed. Folding his arms over his chest, he waited for a response from them.
"Doctor Markoe," Laszlo spoke his name. He had met the man at particular conferences before and he had to admit that he did not agree with him on anything that he said. He did not share his ethos, particularly when it came to women's sexual health.
"We could ask you the same thing," Sara snapped back loudly at him and he arched a brow in her direction.
"This is my hospital," he replied. "And until now, there was a patient on that table. Where has she gone?"
"We don't know," John spoke up. "She wasn't here when we arrived. Why was she brought to you?"
"It was an emergency," Markoe said, tugging his apron from over his neck. He knew that there was no chance he was going to perform the procedure now. He tossed the apron down and onto the bed, hands dropping to his hips. "Her father brought her in with Mr Rosen. They informed me that she was in a delicate condition and that she was suffering with stomach cramps. They asked for me to check on her."
"And this?" Laszlo asked, his chin motioning over to the steel trolley. "This does not look like a routine medical check up."
"They were placed there in the case of an emergency," Markoe said to Laszlo. "I did not know what I would be dealing with when she came in. Most of the time, stomach cramps indicate miscarriage."
"Did you know who she was?" Laszlo demanded from him, his voice taut and full of anger. He continued to glower over to Markoe who responded with a similar look. "Did you not think to ask who she was?"
"I do not make it my business to know my patient's private lives," he said to them. "As I said, her father and Mr Rosen brought her to me because they claimed that she was suffering with cramps. That is all I know…and now…well…as you can see, she is missing and the two men are nowhere to be seen."
"He's right," John said hurriedly. "We need to try and find them, Laszlo."
Laszlo nodded. He agreed with him. He limped behind the two of them, but shot one final look in Markoe's direction. "I know there is more to this," he warned him. "And I know that you are hiding things."
"That is preposterous nonsense," Markoe responded. "Although, I am not surprised that an alienist would jump to conclusions…the consequence of an overactive imagination, I am certain of it."
Laszlo's gaze darkened and his lips tugged upwards in disbelief. "You can mock me all you want, but I am no fool."
They left the room then without a second glance back. Heading back down the corridors, they ignored Markoe shouting after them and telling them that they had no right to be in his hospital. They had no care for what he was saying. Coming back to the stairwell, Laszlo stood still as they heard the noise of a slamming door beneath.
"Did you heart that?" Laszlo questioned, voice a hushed whisper to avoid attracting suspicion.
"I did," Sara confirmed.
"It came from downstairs," John agreed with Laszlo on that matter.
They took the stairs and listened intensely for anymore sounds as they entered another corridor. They continued walking hastily, but then suddenly froze, gasping for breath as they heard the noise. They heard it loud and clear. It was a gunshot.
Several Minutes Earlier
Elizabeth could curse herself for not grabbing hold of Marcus's hand when she saw him outside of the carriage. How had he found her? Why was he there? She didn't know, but she knew that he had been her ticket to safety. She had fought the entire journey to the hospital, knowing exactly what was going to happen to her. They had sedated her once again on the way, seeing her droop down onto the seat and become more pliable. She did her best to stay lucid, knowing that it was the only way she could get out of this.
She had laid on that bed in the clinical room, the smell of cleaning product entering her nostrils as she tried to stay awake. Looking around, she tried to see if there was anything she could use to get out of this. She remained silent as her father held her shoulders down to stop her from squirming and the doctor she did not know stood at the other end of the bed, her legs bent and spread before him, chemise rolled up to her hips as he spoke in hushed tones.
"I will need to give her something stronger to keep her from moving around," he said and moved to stand up straight as Michal stood behind him, his gaze lifting from in between her legs as Markoe lowered them and tugged her chemise back down. "I will need to go to the office where I keep the stronger sedatives. Stay here and just give me a few moments."
"Of course," Daniel said with a nod of his head.
The doctor left the room and Elizabeth looked around. She blinked numerous times, trying to wake herself up even more. Daniel chuckled as he let go of her shoulders and folded his arms over his chest, glancing over to Michal.
"You know that she will not be able to give you an heir immediately, yes?" Daniel said to Michal. "There will need to be an appropriate amount of time before she can marry you…make everything look convincing."
"I'm a patient man," Michal said.
"You're a bastard," Elizabeth interjected and the two men looked down onto her, seeing her red face and her narrowed glare over to them.
"I see that alienist wasn't able to put you in your place judging by your crude language," Daniel said to his daughter. "You know that I always wondered what Jacob saw in you…and what you were like for him to beat you as he did."
"You think it was my fault?"
"You must have provoked him," Daniel shrugged, hands in his pockets and Elizabeth shook her head firmly before her father looked back to Michal. "But don't worry, I am certain she will be better behaved for you, Mr Rosen."
"Doubt it," Elizabeth grunted and she swore that her father was close to striking her, but he didn't. His jaw twitched and his eyes narrowed before his hand convulsed by his side. Before he could do anything, the door to the room opened wide and the matron entered.
"We have company," she said to the three of them. "Two men and a woman are here making quite the commotion. I would suggest leaving for an hour and returning when we have gotten rid of them. Where is Doctor Markoe?"
"He went to his office," Michal said. "And you're sure they're here for her?"
"Who else would they be here for?" Daniel demanded and he moved to grab hold of his daughter, his hand wrapping around her forearm and forcing her to her feet. She was uneasy, struggling to stay upright as he pulled her arm around his neck and his arm took her waist. "It's got to be the three who were at the house earlier."
"You need to go," the matron whispered in a hiss and the men nodded.
Michal led the way, Daniel following with Elizabeth in tow. As they left the room, she heard the matron whisper lowly: "Stupid girl."
She had no idea. Elizabeth simply ignored her, looking around for any sign of Laszlo. They hurried down the corridors, Michal rushing ahead to ensure that there was no sign of them. He must have spotted them down one corridor because he quickly turned back around and they took off in the other direction, Daniel pushing his hand over his daughter's mouth to stop her from yelling out loud as they hid in storage cupboard, footsteps passing them by without noticing the door that was ajar.
Once silence engulfed them, Michal opened the door and looked up and down before nodding. They were gone. Moving back to the stairwell, Elizabeth saw that the gun her father had wrestled from Marcus was in his inside pocket. She saw it glistening in the light and she knew she had to make her move. Once they were back in the corridor, she used all the strength she had to move her free arm across her body and snatch the gun from where it sat. Her father startled at the sudden movement, but he grabbed hold of her wrist as she pushed against him, trying to free herself.
"Give that back!" he snarled.
Leaning forwards, Elizabeth bit down on his hand. Her teeth sunk into his flesh with as much force as she could muster. It was enough, however. He soon yelled in pain and his grip on her relented. She moved back down the corridor, trying to ignore the nausea in her stomach and the dizziness. She raised the gun and held it firmly in her hands, pointing it in the direction of Daniel and Michal who were watching her.
"What are you doing?" Michal demanded from the woman. "You cannot be serious, Elizabeth? You won't shoot us!"
"Do you want to test that theory?" Elizabeth enquired from him.
"She's bluffing," Daniel said and Elizabeth looked to it. Did it have a safety lock? Did guns have those? She had no idea. She had never held a pistol. She kept her finger on the trigger as her father glowered across to her. "Don't be an idiot, Elizabeth."
"You threatened me and my baby," Elizabeth said to him. "If you think that I will not pull this trigger then you are sorely mistaken."
"Now, listen here, you little harlot," Daniel said and advanced towards her. "If you think that you are going to get away with this then you-"
He never finished his sentence. Elizabeth pulled the trigger and recoiled from the force of the shot. The bang echoed through the corridor before her father's screams followed. Michal turned on his heel and instantly ran away while Elizabeth looked at her father as he fell to the ground, hand holding onto his shoulder and blood pooling from the wound.
"You whore!" Daniel yelled at his daughter and she kept the gun focused on him on the ground.
"I warned you," she said to him with a hiss.
She didn't know what to do next as he continued to lie on the ground, groaning in pain. But she didn't have to do anything. Footsteps soon sounded behind her and she turned her head over her shoulder to see Laszlo, John and Sara approaching. Their runs turned to a walk as they approached them and Elizabeth saw how they looked between her and her father on the floor.
"Elizabeth," Laszlo breathed out her name and she nodded at him.
"I'm fine," she promised him and he knew that she was lying to him. She was anything but fine from the sight of her. Her chemise was sticking to her body and she was sweating profusely, her cheeks red and her hair clinging to her skin down her face. Her eyes were droopy and she looked ready to collapse.
"You're clearly not," Laszlo declared as he moved his arm around her waist and held onto her.
"You think you can get away with shooting me?" Daniel demanded, moving to his feet and Sara pried the gun out of Elizabeth's hand as Laszlo kept her steady. She handled it easily, holding it in her hands as though it was natural.
"Do you think you can get away with kidnapping her and bringing her here for God knows what reason?" John retorted.
"She was suffering with cramps," Daniel said, hand still holding his shoulder and he remembered the cover story they had come up with. "I brought her here to help here."
"So why did you run?" Sara retorted and he ground his teeth together. "You will not get away with this. You've been caught. A detective is watching your wife. And we know where Michal Rosen lives. This ends now."
"What is going on here?" Doctor Markoe's voice suddenly entered the corridor.
It was then when Elizabeth's tiredness took hold of her and she finally went limp in Laszlo's grip, passing out. Her eyes rolled back into her head as Laszlo tried to hold onto her with one arm. He looked down onto her as John moved quickly and helped him hold her.
"Elizabeth," Laszlo spoke her name. "Come on…wake up…"
"Give her to me, Laszlo," John encouraged from him.
"She was sedated when she came to me," Markoe said. "I imagine it is finally kicking in and exhaustion too has caught up with her."
John managed to take Elizabeth from Laszlo's grip, holding her in his arms as Laszlo moved the back of his hand to her forehead and he wondered just what they had given her.
"We need to call the police."
"Do you think they will listen to you?" Daniel wondered from Sara.
"I think they will have no choice when they see what has happened," Sara retorted. "Either way, you are not getting out of this."
"I shall call them," Markoe said and he shot Daniel a look that told him to keep quiet. If anyone were to find out what they had planned then they could be in even worse trouble. Besides, there was a way for Daniel, Michal and Josephine to get out of this mess. Money spoke and Markoe knew that. He would call Byrnes and involve him in this matter.
…
Elizabeth was groggy when she woke up. She could hear the rain hitting the window and she even heard thunder in the distance. She groaned loudly and Laszlo peeled his eyes open from where he sat in the chair at the side of their bed. His stiff limbs protested as he moved to lean forwards, hands clinging onto the arms of the chair as Elizabeth moved to sit up.
"Don't move," Laszlo said to her and he saw her look over to him. "You need to save your energy."
"You…you're here," was all that Elizabeth could say to Laszlo. He nodded his head and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, feeling her wrap her arms tightly around his neck and cling onto him. His own arm went around her waist, holding onto her firmly, cheek buried in her hair at the side of her head.
"I'm here," he confirmed to her. "I have you."
"I...I was so scared, Laszlo…" Elizabeth muttered against his neck, inhaling his familiar scent and adjusting against the warmth of his body.
"I know," Laszlo whispered, kissing the side of her head. "But you're safe now. You're back home and you're safe."
Elizabeth nodded and Laszlo reached up to brush a tear away from her cheek. "What happened?" Elizabeth dared to ask from him. "I remember…I shot him in the arm…I remember I did that, but I don't remember anything afterwards."
"You passed out," Laszlo said. "They had given you a sedative. You were at the Lying-In Hospital…apparently your father claimed that you had been suffering from stomach cramps and they wanted to check on you, but I suspect there was another reason why you were there."
Elizabeth nodded, her hand going to her stomach as Laszlo looked down at the movement. "They…they planned to…to take our baby," she said to him and shook her head. "But I couldn't let them. I wouldn't let them."
"And you didn't," Laszlo promised her, his hand resting on top of hers. He prised her fingers apart so that his could slot in between them and curl around them, holding her tightly. "They didn't get a chance to do anything to you."
"And the baby?"
"As far as the doctor can tell, the baby is fine," he promised her and she let out a deep sigh of relief, sinking back against the pillows behind her. Laszlo watched her move a shaky hand to her hair and run through it, tossing it behind her shoulders. "And you are fine too. Although, you have been advised to rest after such a traumatic ordeal."
"And Charlotte?" Elizabeth asked after the young girl.
"She is well," Laszlo promised her. "She fell asleep by your side and I took her to her own bed so that she could get some proper rest. I promised her that you would wake up and be fine."
Elizabeth nodded and reached her hand out to his cheek, stroking the bruise there and seeing his split lip. "And you?" she asked. "You're badly bruised."
"Nothing that won't heal," he assured her.
Elizabeth shook her head and he took her hand from his cheek and kissed the back of it. "I can't believe my own parents…what they planned to do…how did you even find me? What happened to them?"
"I asked for Sara's help," Laszlo told her. "I tried to involve the police, but they informed me that they would look into it, but did not promise that they could help me…and I knew that they had been bought."
"Easy to do," Elizabeth scoffed, his thumb running over the back of her hand.
"I suspected the main reason why they would want you back would be for monetary reasons and it turned out I was correct. We discovered that your father had been betting again and had lost money to a Goo Goo Knox. We visited the pub where he regularly fought and the owner informed us that he had been in there with a man carrying a document folder with the engraving of MR…and I remembered that you mentioned a Michal Rosen."
"You remembered that?" she asked, her tone surprised.
"I thought back to everyone you had mentioned before," Laszlo told her. "We went to the house and I knew that he was lying when he said he did not know where you were. Marcus found us there and told us that the police were not investigating, they were simply mocking us and that only confirmed my suspicion that they were covering this up."
"Michal…I think he knows Byrnes…" Elizabeth said.
"I would not be surprised," Laszlo said to her. "Anyway, Marcus kept watch on the house and we stayed around the corner. We were too late getting to you before they took you to the hospital, but your mother stayed behind. We got to her and she told us where you were going."
Elizabeth's brows knitted together at hearing that. "She told you?" Elizabeth double-checked. "Why?"
"I…I told her that I would clear their debts," Laszlo said and he saw her face fall. She looked down to her lap and a sad smile took hold of her face.
"I should have known she wouldn't have told you to help me and do the right thing," Elizabeth said and closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I know who she is. Foolish of me even to think such a thing."
Laszlo shook his head, moving his hand from hers to curl under her chin and pick her gaze up so that she could look him in the eye. "It is not foolish to want to have faith in people who are supposed to love us," he said as the rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.
"It is when they've never given you cause to have faith in them," Elizabeth retorted. "And what happened to them?"
Laszlo nodded and move his hand back to hers. "Michal has not been found," he said to her. "We have no idea where he has gone. Your father and mother are currently in police custody, however, but they are claiming innocence…that you went to them willingly."
"And do the police believe that?" she asked from him.
"I do not know," Laszlo admitted to her. "There is a lack of evidence. It is merely our word against their word and we have been in this situation before."
Elizabeth nodded. "With Mary's death," she responded, remembering exactly what had happened to her.
"Indeed," Laszlo said, an awkward silence taking hold of them for a moment.
Elizabeth moved so that she was sat up again, legs folded underneath her body. She toyed with Laszlo's hand inside of both of hers, resting them in her lap. He looked to her, seeing the way her hair fell in front of her face. She was chewing down on the inside of her cheek before she dared to speak, her voice soft and questioning.
"My mother…you didn't intend to pay her off, did you?" she asked.
"I would have done whatever was required to bring you home," Laszlo said to her. "I would not have seen it as an exchange, however, not as Jacob or Michal did. I would have viewed it as me getting them out of your life so that you can live peacefully as you deserve."
"Thank you," Elizabeth said gratefully to him. "I'm glad it never came to that, however. But…you…you really think I am worth all of this?"
Laszlo chuckled at hearing her and he bent forwards, forehead pressing to hers gently. "Of course," he said to her.
"I love you," was all she could say to him and he smiled softly, nodding his head before he let her take the lead, her lips moving closer to his.
"I love you too," he responded honestly before kissing her.
…
Laszlo sat on the couch with Elizabeth sat next to him. Cyrus and Stevie had gone out for the evening. Laszlo knew that Cyrus was looking at purchasing a saloon. He wanted to branch out and make his own way in life after working for Laszlo, and the doctor understood and even encouraged him to go for what he wanted. Charlotte was slouched next to Elizabeth, wrapped up in the older woman's arm and nestled to her side. Elizabeth's other hand sat by Laszlo's on the cushion of the seat, his fingers brushing against hers.
Sara was sat in the armchair with John in the other one and Marcus and Lucius Isaacon stood around. They had come to inform them of the case and the progress that they had made, but Elizabeth had to confess that she was not entirely optimistic anymore.
"Michal Rosen is still not in New York," Marcus began, rocking back and forth on his heels, hat in his fingertips. Laszlo held tightly on the cup of tea in his grip, his guests also sipping on their own drinks, cups clattering against their saucers as they lifted them and placed them back down.
"But from what we can gather, no one is actively looking for him," Lucius added on. "The claim is that he was only trying to help…as were her parents…"
"Help?" Sara questioned, the word twisting on her lips.
"Yes," Marcus said. "Her parents have the same story. They claim that they were concerned for your welfare," he looked to Elizabeth and he had to admit that she looked rather relaxed. She did not look fazed with what she was hearing. "They were worried that Doctor Kreizler had taken advantage of you after he took you in and they saw that you were engaged."
Laszlo chuckled darkly at hearing that, keeping silent and just having another sip of his tea. He placed his cup down before reaching for the other cup on the table. He handed it to Elizabeth and she smiled gratefully to him.
"And so they kidnapped her?" John checked, twirling his hat in his hands, one leg folded over the other as he sat back in his seat.
"They thought that she was protesting because she was scared to leave," Marcus said and perched on the piano bench, placing his hat down next to him on the seat. "And they do claim that they were at the Lying-In Hospital because they were worried about the baby."
"And did the police believe any of this?"
"Indeed," Marcus said.
"Unfortunately," Lucius added on.
"There was no evidence otherwise and I hate to tell you that your word is not worth as much as theirs, Doctor Kreizler," Marcus said and Laszlo appreciated his bluntness and his honesty. "You know that you don't have many fans in the Police Department."
"I am aware," Laszlo promised.
"And the Johnsons, well, they have links," Lucius said. "Josephine Johnson built up those connections when they regained favour in society following Elizabeth's marriage to Jacob."
"And now?" Sara wondered. "They simply return to their normal lives?"
"I doubt it," John said. "Word of them being arrested will have spread by now. No doubt they will try and worm their way back into the good graces of society, but they will always be the talk of the town."
"And I will remain a social pariah," Elizabeth said, sipping on her tea.
"Then I shall join you with that status," Laszlo said to her, knowing full well that if they were telling people that Laszlo had taken advantage of her then he would also be whispered about. But he didn't care.
"Not necessarily," John said. "I was talking with Violet and she informed me that there are certain people who believe you both have been treated particularly unfairly."
"Let them think what they want," Elizabeth said and she finished her tea, Laszlo taking the cup back from her and resting it on the table next to him. "Besides, the only people who I care about what they think of me are in this room."
She knew that it sounded cliché, but it was the truth. Sara stood up then and held her cup in her hands.
"To friends," she said and held the cup high.
"To friends," John echoed back, holding his own cup as Lucius did the same and Marcus reached for his. Elizabeth smiled as she bent down and kissed the top of Charlotte's head, the little girl turning to look up to her one more time and Elizabeth winked down to her.
…
Laszlo had gone to work at the Institute a week later, despite asking Elizabeth numerous times if she wanted him to stay with her. She had insisted that she was fine and had walked Charlotte to school, the two of them hand in hand as Elizabeth held an umbrella over them, jumping around puddles down the street. Laszlo had watched her go from the carriage, seeing the big smile on her face before he had gone to work.
The Institute had taken in a number of children, despite the news that had followed Laszlo around. He had not read a newspaper in a long time and had no intention to start now. He saw one sat on a chair in the foyer and picked it up, tossing it into the bin without another look at it. Moving up the stairs towards his office, he removed his hat from his head and entered the large room, looking around for a few moments before he removed his coat and hung it up. He placed his hat on top of the peg before moving to sit down and looking at the papers that Helen had left there for him, glasses on his eyes.
He glanced at the names of the new arrivals and made a note to set up appointments with them. He moved a hand to his cheek and stroked along his beard, the bruise there not bothering him and beginning to fade. The bruises on his ribs were taking longer to heal and Elizabeth had insisted on him not doing anything strenuous until he no longer winced whenever he made a sudden movement. His cut lip was also beginning to heal too, but he had to admit that he did aggravate it when he had spent the previous night kissing Elizabeth rather forcefully after she had insisted on helping him relieve his tension.
"Doctor Kreizler, you have a visitor."
Helen's voice entered his ears and he nodded. "Who is it?"
"A woman who said she knows you…wants to talk about Elizabeth…I can send her away if you so wish?"
"No, send her in," Laszlo said, the intrigue taking hold of him.
Helen nodded and left the door open. Laszlo removed his glasses, placing them down on top of the folder he had been looking at. His eyes widened and brows rose on his forehead at the sight of the woman walking into his office. He shook his head and moved to his feet.
"It amazes me that you have the audacity to show your face here," Laszlo said, his tone curt and haughty.
"We had a deal," she said, closing the door behind her.
She wore an intricate patterned red coat with a black collar. He could make out the red shirt she wore underneath it tucked into a black skirt. Her heels clicked on the wooden floor and she removed her leather gloves, dropping them into her purse.
"You can consider the deal null and void," Laszlo said to her.
"The point is that you promised to pay us if we agreed to leave," Josephine Johnson said to him, holding her head high. "We can still do that. I told you where she was with the belief that you would honour your word."
Laszlo shook his head. "The audacity of you coming here is unfathomable to me," Laszlo informed her. "And if I do not pay you, what do you intend to do? How can you hurt your daughter anymore?"
"I do not intend to hurt her," Josephine said. "But I want to leave this place…do you not think that would be for the best? If I stay here then I will tell anyone I meet what it is I think of you and Elizabeth…continue spreading rumours and gossip…but if we go then you do not need to worry about any of that."
"People already talk. It is no concern of ours what they say," Laszlo responded.
"But do you want that for her? Do you want me to continue spreading rumours? Telling people how you were the one who took advantage of her. You have a professional reputation, do you not? Don't you want to think about that?"
"My professional reputation is none of your concern," Laszlo said. "Besides, it has weathered the storm so far."
There was a knock on the door again, but Laszlo had no time to respond. The door was pushed open and Elizabeth walked in, talking as she entered the space. "Laszlo, I was hoping that we might be able to…" she trailed off when she saw her mother stood there. "What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded, leaving her umbrella in the holder by the door.
"I simply came to talk with Doctor Kreizler," Josephine said to her daughter.
"She came to exploit me," Laszlo responded.
"Exploit you?" Elizabeth asked, closing the door and removing her coat. She hung it up and Laszlo wondered why she looked so relaxed. She nodded her head and turned back to her mother, pointing to her and waving her had animatedly. "Oh, you mean that you want him to pay you to go away? To leave me alone? Because you only see me as a financial transaction?"
Her mother pursed her lips.
"It is nothing personal, Elizabeth."
"It does feel personal," Elizabeth retorted, removing her gloves and leaving them on the bookshelf against the wall. "But I had anticipated that you would do this and so I thought of ways around it because I assume you have told Laszlo that you will continue spreading rumours if we do not pay you to leave?"
"That won't happen if we go," Josephine said.
"No, I know," Elizabeth said. "But I don't want him to give you a single cent. I do not want you anywhere near him and if you want to spread rumours then you should know that two can also play at that game."
Josephine's brows furrowed.
"I do not want to do any of this, but if I have to tell my side of the story then so be it. I will tell anyone who listens how terrible you both are as parents…about your money issues…father's debts…all of it will come out and I will ensure that it comes out in the front pages of two well-respected newspapers: The Times and the Journal."
Laszlo moved both his hands into his pockets then, wondering what she was doing. She adjusted her hair over her shoulders and her mother had the decency to look worried. She was not underestimating her daughter. Nor should she. Laszlo wondered if he had ever seen Elizabeth look so determined before.
"You see, I spent yesterday out at lunch with John Schuyler Moore and Violet Hayward. You know Miss Hayward, yes? She is courting John. Her godfather is William Hearst. Well, she was very sympathetic towards me when I told her what I had been through and she informed me that if I wanted to tell my side of the story to her godfather then she could arrange it, just as John could arrange it with his editor at the Times. You might be friends with William Hearst, but his goddaughter is more likely to have his favour than you," Elizabeth moved around the office, her finger running along the edge of Laszlo's desk as he remained stood behind it. She shot him a knowing look, indicating that she knew what she was doing. "And people might not believe me. They might not take my word as the truth, but journalists can dig, mother," she turned her glare back to her. "They can dig and they can find out that your finances are not as healthy as you make out. I might be a social leper, but I would do everything in my power to rebut any claims you make against Laszlo."
"You wouldn't," was all that Josephine could say.
"Really?" Elizabeth questioned from her. "You know that I was minutes away from that doctor taking my baby from me?"
Josephine gulped and glanced away as Elizabeth moved towards her, her glare narrow and harsh.
"And you threatened my baby," Elizabeth said to her. "So, if you think that I wouldn't do this to protect this baby…to protect Laszlo…even Charlotte…then you're mistaken. Because they're my family now." She looked the woman up and down. "You're just the woman who gave birth to me. You're nothing to me. Nothing at all."
Josephine's eyes widened and Elizabeth wondered if she was about to cry. But she would find no sympathy from her daughter.
"We have nothing, Elizabeth," Josephine said, her voice on the verge of breaking. "Goo Goo Knox…we cannot pay him…"
"And you should have thought about that before you did what you did," Elizabeth responded. "So, perhaps it is for the best if you do leave town?"
Turning her back to her mother, Laszlo finally saw her face and how her shoulders were tense.
"And you know," Elizabeth said, turning her gaze back to her. "That day when you came to us…when I thought that you were apologising…if you had just told me all about your trouble back then…well, I might have had sympathy for you. I might even have tried to help you…asked Laszlo…but now? Now, I have nothing but contempt for you."
"Elizabeth-"
"-We're done," Elizabeth interrupted her.
"But-"
"-I said, we're done," Elizabeth snapped, voice high and loud. Her teeth clenched together and her jaw jutted out. She motioned to the door once again. "Now get out and never come back."
Josephine stumbled, opening her mouth and looking as though she wanted to say something. But nothing came out of her parted lips. Instead, she picked her skirts up and turned around, moving to the door and leaving, slamming the door behind her. Elizabeth finally let her shoulders droop in relief and Laszlo moved out from behind the desk, his hand going to the small of her back.
"Are you alright?" he asked from her.
"Better than I have been in a long time," she promised him, turning to look up at him. "I'm sorry that she came here and tried to take advantage of you."
"Not at all," Laszlo shook his head. "Besides, what I just witnessed was particularly…well…I do not know if I have the word to describe it just yet."
Elizabeth scoffed and turned to face him, her arms linking around his neck and he took hold of her waist, keeping her close to him.
"I didn't think you would be able to be lost for words," she said to him.
"You were strong," he decided on saying. "What you just did was very strong."
"I meant it," she said. "I did it to protect my family."
Laszlo smiled and bent down to kiss her chastely for a moment. Pulling back, he kept his forehead to hers. "And did you truly go and visit John and Violet yesterday at lunch?"
Elizabeth nodded. "I did," she said. "I anticipated my parents coming back and I wanted to ensure that we could be protected…and if I had to fight them then I would, though I didn't want to. But I would have done it for us."
Laszlo picked his hand up and brushed her hair behind her shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me last night?"
"I didn't want to worry you," she said. "You had a lot on your mind as it was with the Institute and work. Besides, I didn't know if anything would come of it. I merely went as a precaution."
"You could have told me," Laszlo said and she brushed her fingers along his jawline, toying with the ends of his beard. "You don't need to worry about me being overworked. I always have time for you."
"I know. I just…after everything…didn't want to add something else to your plate," she said to him and he was about to protest, but she kept him quiet as she stood on her toes and kissed him once more. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, her body pressed flush to his. He felt her hands run down his shoulders, holding onto his upper arms before she pulled away from him.
She sighed and Laszlo stared down at her. "What is it?" he asked after he heard her sigh.
"I just keep thinking about all the women…how many women have there been who have been to that hospital who did not make it out with their babe?" she wondered from Laszlo. "And how Doctor Markoe can get away with what he does, if he does what we think he does?"
"Going after Markoe is something I intend to do, but everything about his hospital seems legitimate," Laszlo responded. "And the reason why you were there…no one has admitted the truth and there is no evidence about what they intended to do to our child."
Her hand slipped down his arm and took its place on her stomach. Laszlo knew that she was having nightmares again. She would wake up, sweating and murmuring. And she had confided in him what she dreamt of. She dreamt of her baby being taken from her. Laszlo moved to place his hand on top of hers then.
"Nothing shall hurt you or our baby. I shall see to it," Laszlo promised her, trying to put the doubts in her thoughts at bay.
"I know," she said. And she did believe him. How could she not? Reaching up, she kissed him once more and smiled, laying her cheek against his chest as he indulged himself in a few moments of peace.
...
A/N: So we'll be moving onto season 2 shortly! Would love to know what you think/if you're still interested and have any ideas/suggestions. Also hope the updates aren't coming too quickly. Do leave your thoughts!