Meg brushes her hair, watching as Adrian feeds Molly. He's sitting in a chair near her bed, pink bundle in his arms, talking nonsense to the baby as she sucks on the bottle greedily. His accent is much stronger than normal, Meg notices. She remembers it slipping around her and Billy, but this… this is different.
This is what Adrian sounds like when he's in love.
"Oh, good girl." Adrian pulls the bottle from Molly's mouth and sets it aside. He stands and begins pacing, putting the baby over his shoulder and patting her back with firm, steady beats. A pleased smile teases his lips as he paces, and he hums a lullaby.
Molly lets out a belch and spits up on the cloth Adrian has draped over his shoulder.
"That's my baby. All better?" He carefully wipes her mouth and plants a kiss on her cheek.
The baby coos and yawns.
"You should put her down," Meg says. "She's probably tired. You've been holding her for hours."
"I'm not tired of holding her." He cradles Molly against his chest and walks to the bed, sitting next to Meg. "How are you?" Adrian kisses her on the top of her head.
Meg shrugs and pulls the brush through her hair. "I'm fine. Tired, I guess."
"Of course. You've been through a lot. First the embolism, now the birth." Adrian shifts Molly so he can put his arm around Meg. "I was thinking that we should hire another nanny, one just for Molly. I know that you'll want to take care of her, but in your condition, it'd be better for you to have extra help."
"I thought you wanted to help," she says, frowning.
"I do. Of course I do. And I'll be at your side as much as I can." His eyes darken. "But I have obligations that must take me away."
Meg nods and looks away. She sets the brush in her lap and begins to pull her hair from it, needing a distraction. "Will we be going back to New York soon?"
"I'd say in another month. You should be recovered from the embolism by then, and Molly will be older." Adrian traces his fingers down Meg's neck, raising unpleasant goosebumps. "Are you eager to get back?"
I'm not eager to do anything but be left alone. "It might be nice to be somewhere familiar." She finishes pulling all the hair out of the brush. Sets it down. Rolls the hair into a ball between the palms of her hands. "Of course, it's just another tower I'll be kept in, I suppose."
Adrian is silent a moment. Then, he gets off the bed and puts Molly into the crib. He comes back and sits facing Meg. "I'm not keeping you in the penthouse, Meg." He takes the ball of hair from her hands and sets it aside. "You've been ill. And very pregnant. I didn't want you to wear yourself out, make yourself sick."
"And you didn't want me talking to the press."
His eyes grow cold, but he smiles. Takes her hand. "I'm not worried about that."
"No?"
"What are you going to say, Meg? Do you really think anyone will believe you? Oh, yes, you managed to convince some crackpot malcontents scattered across the country, but their fire is going out as we speak." He laces his fingers with hers and squeezes her hand.
She gasps as her bones are pressed together, heart in her throat.
He eases the pressure, pleasant smile never leaving his face. "For nearly nine months, the world has been at peace. Crime is near nonexistent. Poverty is dwindling away. Orphaned children have loving homes. Nuclear bombs have been dismantled, and Veidt Industries has reappropriated their parts for the good of humanity. Do you really want to undo all that simply because you're angry with me?"
Tears stream down her face. She shakes her head, and tries to pull her hand away.
Adrian holds tight. "I love you, but I cannot help being astounded by your selfishness. I did what I did to save the world, and I feel that pain every day. Do you think I don't regret what I had to do?" He squeezes her hand again until she looks up at him.
There's a haunted expression in his eyes as he says, "I made myself feel every death. I never turned away. I made it personal for me, so I would be as affected as everyone else."
A sob escapes her mouth. "But you didn't. We survived." Meg puts her free hand to her face, covering her eyes. "You killed the world, killed my friends, my coworkers, the people I talked to every day. The kids I worked so hard to save. You killed all of them and somehow, you missed me." Meg doubles over, crying so hard that her lungs feel like they're being torn out of her chest.
Adrian releases her hand. Puts his arms around her and pulls her into his lap. "Oh, my love." He kisses the top of her head, rocking her.
Meg wants to find the strength to push him away. If she could, she'd punch him. Kick him. Bite him. Do something. But he's familiar. He's warm. She associates his cologne with safety and comfort, and it's working. Despite herself, Meg finds herself putting her arms around his neck. Clinging to him. Burying her face in his chest and shutting off her mind.
"Survivor's guilt is common," Adrian says, running his fingers up and down Meg's spine. "But none of it was your fault. Stay angry with me, darling. I'm the one who is to blame. You did nothing wrong by leaving." He kisses the tip of her ear. "I'm so glad you did. My smart, brave, strong Meg who always does what's right for herself and her son. I want you to always do that."
"I can't anymore. I don't know what to do." Her head spins and she's finding it hard to breathe as her nose becomes clogged.
Adrian leans over, taking her with him. After a moment, he moves her head and then holds a tissue up to her nose. "Blow."
She does as he says.
He wipes her nose, then tosses the tissue into the trash. "Right now, what's best for you is to rest. To sleep and recover and get to know your daughter. You'll be released from the hospital tomorrow morning. I'll put some feelers out for a nanny today, and we'll start interviewing tomorrow afternoon." Adrian wipes a tear of her cheek. "And I think you should start taking daily walks by the beach."
Meg shakes her head. "I don't think…"
"I do. You need to get out of the penthouse. Get fresh air and start getting regular exercise. I'll have to start working from home next week, but I'll accompany you on your walks until you're comfortable." He grabbed another tissue and used it to dab at her eyes. "We can take Billy and Molly, but you can also go alone if you like. It will be good for you."
"What about the press?"
He nods. "You'll have a security team with you, and I'll see if we can find a secluded beach or path for you. I'm sure there will be some paparazzi around, but I'll do my best to try and keep it to a minimum."
Tears well up again. "Promise? You won't leak anything for a photo opportunity?"
"Will you agree to be interviewed with me to introduce Molly to the world?" Adrian asks. He gazes at her avidly.
Meg swallows. She hasn't been interviewed since their honeymoon tour. At first, those interviews had been torture, but, eventually, she got so used to them, they became easy. It'd been second nature to smile before answering a question, or pause and glance at Adrian if she needed a moment to think. She'd never enjoyed interviews, but she could do them.
"Yes," she finally says. "I'll do it."
Adrian smiles. He touches the tip of her nose. "Then I promise I won't take the opportunity to leak a candid photo of you. Although, every unplanned photograph I've ever gotten of you has made you look incandescent."
Meg rolls her eyes and unwinds her arms from Adrian's neck. "An incandescent troll, maybe."
He catches her before she pulls away. "Meg." Adrian runs his knuckles over her cheek and then along her jaw. "Your features are too big for your face. You've been underweight most of your life, although you're filling out now. Your bottom teeth are crooked. Taken apart, as separate features, they aren't attractive. But put everything together and animate it with your passion, you are beautiful."
Her laugh sounds more like a sob. "I'm not looking for an inspirational speech about how everyone is pretty in their own way."
"Forgive me. You gave birth to my daughter yesterday. I'm feeling excessively fond of you today." He kisses her, his hand splaying possessively against her lower back.
When he breaks the kiss, she looks at him suspiciously. "It's not happening again, you know."
"That's a discussion for another day, I think." Adrian presses a soft kiss on her lips, then pulls away. "I think I'll go check with security and see if any mail has arrived for you. Perhaps some well wishes will cheer you up." He stands. "Can I get you anything while I'm gone?"
"No. No, I'm fine." She sets her brush on the table and straights the bedclothes over her. "I'm feeling tired. I think I'll take a nap."
"Good. I'll be back soon." Adrian drops a kiss on top of her head and leaves the room.
A discussion for another day? Is this nightmare ever going to end?
