Hello, Hello!:) Good news for you, bad news for me. It's update time! (yay-I hope) However, it only is update time coz my flight got cancelled and I'm still stuck in Britain :/ Anyways, I will try to fly home tomorrow so keep your fingers crossed for me. Also, because of the stupid situation I was in last night...I decided to write a "Dummy Twins" continuation...only a tiny bit...but I like the idea so far, so I might post it soon. lol Anyhooo, a bit of Drama going on in this chapter (as the title suggests) but with only 2 more chapters to go the happy end is in sight. lol Did you guys see Lauren and Danny on Fran's show? :) Anyway, I'll try and get some sleep now...gotta get up at 5.30 tomorrow to head to the airport...oy...but as long as I make it home this time I don't mind!;) Review please and make me happy again!
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine...the plot is...and it's not very good.
Chapter 8: Beware: The Mother
After the attack on Fran, C.C.'s behaviour changed. She wasn't exactly ignoring Niles or distancing herself from him, but she still withdrew from everyone else surrounding her. It was in those moments like when she asked him to hold her early in the morning, when he felt how strong their bond had already become.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, my love." he repeated, having done so numerous times before.
"But I cannot remember and this man attacked her. She was brave enough to go to the theatre alone, she risked her life and I can't even remember if it was the man..."
"C.C., you might not even have seen him coming. So even if you didn't have amnesia you might not be able to say for sure that it was him. And Fran risking her life was entirely her own decision and she shouldn't have done it."
"I just hate feeling so helpless," she muttered and turned around in his arms.
"I know," he said, hating the feeling himself "but you're making yourself sick over this and I'm getting worried."
He softly caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes, enjoying the coolness of his touch. It was true, she had worked herself into such a frenzy that her headaches were becoming stronger and occurred more often, usually followed by strong waves of sickness. He sighed and eyed her concernedly, her skin paler and yet oddly hot, as if she was having a fever.
"I think we need to get you checked-out again." he voiced, but immediately she drew away.
"No, I'm fine, Niles. I don't need a doctor."
She had reacted in the same fashion ever since he had first brought it up and he wondered if some subconscious aspect was behind it all.
"If your temperature gets worse I will take you personally, like it or not." he replied sternly and watched how her eyebrows moved into a frown.
"Fine," she spat out and he chuckled, for she resembled a petulant child.
"I am going to have to get up soon," he said, tracing his fingertips up and down her arm "they will want to have breakfast."
"Do you have to?" she asked, clinging on to him as if he wasn't just about to pop downstairs, but disappear forever.
"It's my job and you know that. Besides, why don't you just join us for breakfast? This way I could keep an eye on you." he suggested, tenderly capturing her lips.
"No," she said quietly, withdrawing once again "I think I'll just stay here and think some more."
Maxwell and Fran were already in the dining room when Niles breezed through on his way to the kitchen, apologising profoundly for the delay. Fran who was sitting on one chair, her leg up on a second, grinned amusedly while Max scowled.
"I cannot count the number of times this has happened."
"Well, sweetie, he was probably with Miss Babcock. She has been terribly upset since the attack."
"I was quite concerned as well." he sighed deeply "I guess I'm just not used to them being "a thing"."
"Darling, if you don't mind...please don't call it a "thing"...our "thing" was enough already."
He looked at her quite nervously for a second before she eased the tension by chuckling softly.
"I like it, I didn't expect it to happen not the way they are always at each other's throats, but Niles seems to like her and Miss Babcock...let's just say I hope she doesn't change her mind if her memory returns."
"Why would she?" Maxwell asked perplexed, once again displaying awkwardness in the matters of the heart.
"Because she's always hard on him for being a butler, at the moment she doesn't care but who knows what's gonna happen when she remembers."
"Niles isn't completely innocent though. He's always been picking on C.C., since her very first day, as a matter of fact. She looked quite taken aback when it first happened..."
"Well, ya know what they say."
"What?" Maxwell asked, confused.
"It's like the little boys in kindergarten. The girls they tease are usually the ones they like."
"This droll allegory aside, do you really think that's it?"
"Yeah, take it from someone who knows. It's scary falling in love with someone who's so much better off than you are. And given Miss Babcock's frosty nature, Niles has definitely shown resourcefulness in getting her attention."
Both were quiet for a minute, silent smiles rushing across their faces as they remembered all the pranks the butler had played on the socialite.
"Breakfast is ready," Niles announced, setting several plates down in front of them and the air was thick with the smell of sausages, bacon and egg.
He served the couple as best as he could, before Fran noticed his nervous fidgeting.
"Are ya alright, scarecrow?" she asked and he gave her an apologetic smile.
"Yes, it's just that...Miss Babcock isn't feeling very well and if you wouldn't mind I'd like to take a plate of breakfast up to her and watch her."
"Is she still upset about the attack?"
"Yes," he sighed "while I understand her annoyance at her lack of memory, I can't quite believe how hard she's being on herself."
Fran looked at Maxwell, trying to get him to understand that only he could give Niles permission to leave. But the poor man just sipped on his tea and only got the hint when Fran kicked him with her good leg under the table.
"Oww, what was that-" But she just shook her head and pointed at Niles. "Well, under the circumstances, old man, you can leave, of course."
"Thank you, Sir." Niles said, mostly looking at Fran though, and briefly disappeared into the kitchen to get some breakfast for C.C.
When he silently entered the room she appeared to be sleeping, but her eyes fluttered open when she felt him sit down on the bed.
"I brought you something to eat." he softly said, setting the plate down and smoothing her hair.
"I'm not hungry," she said, her voice oddly raspy "actually, I don't feel too well."
He pressed one hand against her burning forehead, before he firmly said: "I am taking you to the hospital now."
She tried to contradict but the room began to swim before her eyes and she closed them hurriedly. Niles rounded the bed and randomly picked out items of clothing for her to wear, before he helped her to sit up. Gently and with the greatest care he undressed her, grabbing a cool cloth from the bathroom and running it over her body.
"Niles, I love you," she quietly said as pictures flashed in front of her.
Maxwell and Fran kissing in a bar, Niles kissing her hand on a ship, her and Fran locked in a cellar, Niles dancing in his underwear, Niles insulting her...
"Stay with me." his strong baritone said and only then did she noticed that she had been sagging back down on the bed.
She tried to focus on his face, his handsome face and his deep blue eyes, but her body ached and so did her heart from the insult she couldn't forget.
"I don't know what's happening," she muttered, tears welling up in her eyes and spilling over.
"It's going to be ok," he promised, wrapping an arm around her waist and lifting her up.
She didn't know where he was taking the strength from, as he essentially carried her down the stairs. Sitting down with her on the bottom stair he called the ambulance, inwardly panicking himself.
"Don't hurt me," she whispered, leaning her warm head against his.
Niles' arm was still preventing her from collapsing and he breathed soothing words into her ear until, finally, help arrived.
"Oh my God, what's wrong?" Fran asked, who had appeared on her crutches the moment the doorbell had rung.
"I'm taking C.C. to the hospital," Niles explained and from his worry-lined face Fran could clearly detect the love for the woman slumped against his shoulder.
"She is going to be fine," she said, watching as the paramedics manoeuvred her into a wheelchair "Maxwell and I will be there as soon as possible."
Niles rode in the ambulance, holding C.C.'s hand while offering explanations to the paramedics. When they finally arrived at the hospital Niles was asked to wait again and he did so, but fairly reluctantly. When he didn't get any news on her, he decided to find Nurse Anna, because she would make sure to keep him updated. To his disappointment, however, he was told that she was off duty for personal reasons which left Niles behind with tumultuous feelings. Finally a doctor strode straight towards him, extending a hand.
"Mr. Brightmore? I'm Doctor Smith. We've contacted Miss Babcock's mother and father and they are on their way."
"What's wrong with her? Is it serious?" he pressed, not really paying attention to anything else.
"Are you her husband?"
"No, I'm...we're just dating." he explained awkwardly.
"Then you can't see her. Maybe once her family arrives they will give you permission, but it is up to them."
Niles clenched and unclenched his fists feeling entirely useless and desperate. There had to be a way...
Help arrived in the form of Fran Fine and Maxwell Sheffield, wildly arguing.
"You should have stayed at home, in your condition..." Niles heard the latter one mutter.
"It's not like I'm pregnant...oy..." she replied, propping herself up on her crutches "What's with the face?"
Niles, realising that he had been addressed, opened his mouth and said: "They won't allow me to see her, because I'm not family and we're not...together...properly."
"Sweetie, could you get us some coffee from the cafeteria? I think we'll be here a while." Fran asked Max and then turned to Niles to whisper: "I've got an idea."
With the producer out of the way Niles and Fran slowly made their way to the elevator and took it up to the floor C.C.'s room was located at. They found the room with ease and Fran knocked to alert a nurse. Niles waited around the corner and watched as the brunette worked her magic. Dramatically complaining about her broken leg it was only a matter of minutes before the nurse followed her into an office, giving Niles just enough time to slip inside C.C.'s room. She was asleep, though because of tiredness or because of medicine he couldn't tell. Just to err on the side of caution he tried to be a quiet as possible and carefully approached her, pulling a chair up by her beside and sat down, taking her warm hand in his.
"I'm here now," he quietly told her "and you just have a little cold. Soon you'll be perfectly fine again."
She didn't react one bit and Niles was beginning to assume that she had indeed been put to rest. So he just contented himself by sitting by her side and holding her hand, any contact reassuring. The silence was eventually shattered when the door flew open and a tall blond woman marched inside, followed by Stuart Babcock and a sheepishly looking nurse.
"Who are you?" the woman asked, eyeing him coolly while Stuart went to shake his hand.
"Niles, my man, good to see you again."
"Stuart, why is this man holding my daughter's hand?" B.B. Babcock asked disdainfully.
"I'm assuming because he cares about her," he answered, with the slightest hint of amusement in his tone.
"I wasn't aware that Chastity was seeing anyone."
"Chastity?" Niles asked, finding his voice again.
"Yes Chastity, my daughter, whose hand you're currently holding." B.B. informed icily.
"Well, it's been a...uh," Niles managed, clearing his throat "a recent development."
"I'm glad to hear it. I knew C.C. would eventually manage to overlook these silly class differences." Stuart declared proudly.
Niles chose to remain silent, certain that this wouldn't be the best moment to tell him that C.C. knew that he was a butler, but that she wasn't quite herself anymore.
"Are you telling me that this is Maxwell's butler? The one Chastity constantly moans about?"
"Um well...yes," her ex-husband said, giving Niles an apologetic look.
"I want you out of this room, servant, you have absolutely no right to be here."
"But Blanche, can't you see that the man is clearly in love?"
"Excuse me, isn't it against hospital policy for a stranger to be in my daughter's room?" B.B. asked the nurse, smiling faux-sweetly.
"Yes, Ma'am, it is."
"Well, we wouldn't want to risk that, would we?" B.B. continued, smiling still, before she turned around to Niles and said: "Out!"
Completely on purpose Niles lifted C.C.'s limp hand to his lips and placed a kiss on it, whispering: "I won't be gone for long." before he proudly rose to his feet and left.