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Nathan thought things really perked up for Claire after Peter's visit – made sense. Claire was close to her uncle. Nathan and Heidi thought that, with some time, Claire might open up about it to one of them.
She was getting out more, being more active. It was a good thing. She even went home for a visit, to Odessa. Bennet told Nathan that it went well, very well, but that Claire had said she preferred to stay in New York, no offense.
Things got better. Claire smiled more. The Petrelli's collectively started to relax about the circumstances at hand.
As Peter had said privately to Nathan and Heidi late one night, even if it wasn't an ideal situation, it's not like Claire was a child. She was almost 21. Old enough - certainly not a teenage statistic.
After a few more weeks Heidi prodded very, very gently for the details surrounding the father. When she received only a blank stare, she made an appointment for Claire with a therapist that one of the gals in Heidi's book club had mentioned.
Claire went religiously, never discussed what was going on, and the Petrelli's never asked.
She spent a lot of time locked in her room after that.
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Peter emailed her every few days. When he was somewhere with net access at least.
The stilted, short little emails that she sent him back were nothing like the long, rambly ones she used to send him when she was younger. The ones that chattered about her school and her day and were filled with odd little conglomerations of letters and numbers that he would have to squint and study and try to decipher as a facial expression of some sort.
Actually he used to call her on the phone, for awhile there, too. They had had nice conversations, he thought. He'd used to really look forward to them.
He didn't remember exactly why or how they had stopped talking so much, but it was probably his fault.
Peter knew that he'd promised her that he would be there for her. He intended on keeping the promise. It's just that he and Mohinder were so very busy, and Mohinder could barely keep up with the work unless Peter was helping him out.
Mohinder never guilt tripped him. This was all his choice. Besides, its not like he would actually be doing any good for Claire in New York. Despite what she seemed to think. Nathan was good. Heidi was more than good.
But for some reason she wanted him there. At least that's what she'd said to him the last time he was in New York.
She never tossed it up in his face, never recalled his promise. He was grateful for that. He already felt guilty enough as it was.
She doesn't say much when she replies to the emails, but she's not exactly rude, so he keeps emailing.
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The baby was born on a hot, sweltering day in August. Early, nearly three weeks early.
Claire had been lying on the floor in the sunroom. The tiled floors were cool, and Claire often stretched out across them. Some days Heidi thought she resembled a cat – perfectly feline except for the bump in her middle.
Really, Claire was quite lucky. She had none of the strange puffiness in the face that some women had when pregnant (Heidi included). Claire was positively ethereal when pregnant. They all agreed, even Peter when he visited in July. He'd been very cute with his little niece, had patted her stomach and her hair, told her what a great mother she'd be.
Nathan nodded. Peter had been right. It wasn't perfect or ideal, but she was going to be okay.
Claire's water broke on the cool tile one morning. She'd shrieked and called for her stepmother. Lucky that Heidi had been home so that Claire didn't have to mess with an ambulance or, god forbid, a cab.
They drove quickly to Mt. Sinai, Heidi telling the boys to keep an eye on their sister. Monty squeezed Claire's fingers, his little boy hands doing the best they could to comfort.
C-Section, pronounced the doctor briskly after he'd been scrubbed. Heidi asked why, and the doctor brusquely said that Claire was too small, and that he wasn't taking any risks.
Heidi felt Claire tense, and she knew that Claire couldn't explain why the stitches would heal immediately, that she had hoped that the doctor might change his mind at the last minute.
But he didn't, and Heidi dialed Nathan's cell phone from the waiting room. She got the boys some juice and called the nanny to have them picked up. She called Nathan, who said he was in D.C., but would try to make it home tonight. She called Mrs. Petrelli, who was visiting friends in Connecticut and said to take a lot of pictures.
When Heidi went back in, Claire was nearly in tears, all alone in her small hospital room. Claire gritted her fists and said that this was not fair, that everything was supposed to be in three weeks, that everyone was going to be here in three weeks.
Heidi tried to comfort her, but what could she say? At the very least she was able to tell her that the Bennet's were catching the very next flight available. She told her to try and keep calm and brushed the hair off of Claire's face until they wheeled her into the surgery area.
After the nanny came for the boys, Heidi ventured into the surgery area. Claire looked agitated, and when she saw Heidi, she waved her arms frantically and told Heidi to call Peter. That she wanted him to come.
Peter was in London, last she'd heard, but Heidi didn't want to upset the girl, so she started rummaging through her purse for the last number she'd been given for her brother-in-law.
The line was ringing when Heidi told Claire not to expect much, that Peter had planned on being here in a week or so, closer to the due date.
Claire was nearly panting with pain and she told Heidi to shut up and ask him anyway. It really surprised Heidi until she remembered the fingernail marks that Heidi herself had left in Nathan's arms during her first labor experience.
When the line crackled through she was greeted by a distracted voice, and Heidi breathlessly began to explain to Peter that Claire had just gone into labor, and that she was asking for him.
Peter's voice stumbled nervously. He said he was in Glasgow and that he couldn't do the Hiro-travel-pop thing; that he hadn't even tried to do it in years.
Claire, her eyes reeling with pain as another contraction hit her, grabbed the phone from Heidi's hand. She practically screamed into the phone that that wasn't true, that she knew Peter could do it if he just tried hard enough and would he just freaking get here?
Heidi never heard the answer. She just put the phone away and scrubbed up when the nurse directed her to. She had mentally prepared herself to help Claire through this, somehow, and was absolutely floored when she saw Peter come shooting through the doors of the surgery prep area, his dark eyes frantically darting around the room.
Peter didn't even seem to see Heidi, didn't greet her at all, just insisted on going into the room with Claire to no one in particular. Heidi said that only one person was allowed in. He turned to the head nurse and tersely asked for some scrubs.
Peter finally noticed his sister-in-law. He told Heidi that he was an RN (like she'd forgotten) and that he really thought that Claire would want him there. To make sure everything went smoothly.
She didn't argue. Just walked into the surgery with a mask held up to her mouth and asked Claire if she wanted Peter.
They'd already started the meds. Claire's eyes were clouded, just a little confused, but she squeaked out the word through soft lips – Please.
