Febuwhump Day 19: Delirium
Word Count: 437
Author: aquietwritingcorner/realitybreakgirl
Rating: G/K
Characters: Mrs. Bradley
Warning: N/A
Summary: Mrs. Bradley knows that people think she isn't living in reality. But she doesn't care.
Notes: N/A
Delirium
Amelia Bradley knew what people said about her. She heard the whispers that followed her when she went to functions or she showed up in high society places. She read between the lines on the society pages of the newspaper.
"Amelia Bradley's delirium" they called it. She thought that was ridiculous. For starters, it wouldn't be delirium, it would be a delusion. And second off, they were wrong.
They said that after the death of her husband and son, she had fallen into a state of delirium. They hadn't been entirely wrong about that. The strain of losing them both, of having the confirmation of what they both were—not that she hadn't suspected about them both. She had known that King was not exactly human, but she hadn't loved him any less. When he had brought Selim to her, she had her suspicions, but she had never treated him as anything less than her son—had sent her spiraling down. She had ended up having a breakdown, and in bed for at least a week or two afterwards. The only thing that had brought her out of it was Selim.
Of course, the rumors had started up after that. She was living in a delirium, they said. Delusion, she kept correcting in her head. It had started during her convalescence, they said. She had been pregnant with this second child, they said, against all odds. That she wasn't able to accept that Selim was dead, they said. That was why she named him Selim, treated him like Selim, dressed him like Selim, they said.
Her delirium, they said, had led to a delusion.
Even those who knew the full story were wary around her. How could she still love a monster like King Bradley, they said. How could she love and care for a monster like Selim, they wondered. Sometimes Amelia would see Lieutenant—no, no, now Captain—Hawkeye, and she always sharply watched Selim, as if expecting the worst out of him. Of course, considering she had been told that Selim, before, had threatened and spied on her, Amelia couldn't really blame the woman for being a little uncomfortable around her son.
Amelia didn't care what people thought, though. She didn't care if people thought she was in a delirium or a delusion. She didn't care if they pitied her or were scared of Selim. Let them think she had something wrong with her. Let them think she was treating a new child as an old one. Let them think what they wanted to.
Amelia Bradley knew the truth, and that was enough for her.