Chapter 17- Macarons
Delphine watched Charlotte run ahead of her through the door, her heavy backpack staying in place despite the enthusiasm of the young girl. The blonde admired her daughter's energy, something that she had been lacking as of late. She walked through the front door and closed it behind her, dropping her briefcase in it's usual spot on the front bench.
"There's my little scholar" Helm called out, picking up his granddaughter and hugging her. "How was school?"
Charlotte threw her arms around the large German man's neck and kissed his cheek "So good. I finished my first class and Maman says I can take the exam Friday" she beamed.
Delphine sniffed the air, something smelling familiar and nostalgic. She kicked off her shoes, wiggling her toes and sighing against her exhaustion as she stepped further in to see her mother in the kitchen. She knew that smile.
"Well it's a good thing I made macarons to celebrate! Ma petite fille, t'es tellement intelligente. My granddaughter, you're so smart." the older blonde praised.
"Mamie!" Charlotte cried out.
Helm put the girl down and let her run to her grandmother as he hugged his tired daughter-in-law. Delphine welcomed the embrace.
"And how was your day?" Helm asked her.
She sighed "Exhausting" she breathed, letting go of him and taking a step back. "Grade 8s are so apathetic."
Helm chuckled "Well you should put your feet up, Annette and I are cooking dinner tonight. You've been working too hard lately."
"And it's not good for the baby" Annette chastised from the kitchen.
Delphine rolled her eyes "Maman, we don't even know yet" she whined.
"Delphine, vraiment? T'es toujours épuisée, t'as jetté toute formes de fleurs dans la maison, et je peux deviner que tes seins sont incroyablement tendres. Delphine, really? You're always exhausted, you threw out all forms of flowers in the house, and I can guess that your breasts are incredibly tender" Annette noticed, returning to her chopping of an onion.
"How did you…?" Delphine started.
"A mother always knows" Annette told her daughter with a twinkle in her eye "When I was pregnant with you, my breasts were always so very tender. Oh, and you loved to breastfeed. I should have guessed then" the older woman joked.
"Maman" Delphine whined.
Charlotte chuckled and looked to her grandfather "Were your breasts tender with Mummy?" she joked.
This caused the large man to laugh in response, ruffling Charlotte's hair "Yes they were" he responded.
Delphine chuckled "Charlotte, take a break from studying tonight. You've earned it. I'm sure Opa could use some time with you."
"Thanks Maman" the girl told her.
"And get over here and get a macaron" Annette instructed.
Charlotte skipped over.
Delphine smiled at the sight and headed downstairs. She walked in Cosima's room and smiled at Scott who was finishing an article from the journal he'd been reading Cosima.
"Oh, hi Delphine. How was work?" he asked.
She smiled "I had grade 8s today" she explained.
He blew out the air from his cheeks "Rough" he responded.
Delphine walked around Cosima's bed, leaning over and kissing her cheek softly. She put a hand on her wife's shoulder and examined the monitors "How is she?"
"Same as always" he responded "Just keeping her company with some light reading."
Delphine smiled at the young man "I'm sure she appreciates it. I know I do" she whispered.
The tall blonde tucked an errant dread behind Cosima's ear. She sighed. It had been three weeks and Cosima was stable, but still comatose. It had been a lot: the weekly scans at the hospital, the daily tests at home, taking care of herself and Charlotte in the midst of it all, and to top it all off, she'd started work last week; although, that had proven a silver lining. It was good that she got out of the house.
Delphine checked Cosima's IV bag before she allowed herself to smile at her wife. She was beautiful, even now.
Scott bookmarked the page and stood up "Well, I should get going" he told Delphine.
She turned towards him and put a hand on his shoulder "Why don't you stay for dinner, Scott? Our parents are cooking and it is bound to be great" she offered.
He smiled at her and blushed "Actually, I have a date tonight. Krystal and I are going to this sweet little italian place up on Spadina and King. Thanks though" he informed the tall blonde.
Delphine chuckled and smiled, turning to Cosima "A date, with Krystal, you'd make a few jokes if you were awake, wouldn't you, mon amour?"
Scott chuckled "Something along the lines of Krystal asking to beam me up" he noted.
The teacher laughed and nodded "That's our Cosima" she said sadly, letting out a breath. The blonde took Scott's seat.
Scott put a hand on his friend's shoulder "We'll get her back, Delphine. We'll find a way. We always seem to find a way."
"I know" she nodded "I know we'll try. I just do not know what else we can do short of umbilical stem cells."
"We could get marrow from Kira again" he suggested.
Delphine shook her head "It's too soon from the last harvest and she's run out of baby teeth. We need something synthetic at this point, or…" she sighed again.
He nodded "I'm sorry."
Delphine looked up at him and smiled "I know. I knew this was coming, but I never thought it would quite be this difficult. She's here but she's...not." Delphine looked over at Cosima again "Tomorrow's her birthday. I had a big surprise honeymoon planned. I'm giving it to Maman and Helm. They'll have fun" she informed him.
"You'll just have to reschedule it for when she wakes up" Scott told her, shouldering his bag "I'll be back tomorrow, same time."
Delphine nodded "And Scott, have fun tonight" she told him.
He smiled, nodded, and patted her shoulder again before heading upstairs to leave.
Delphine pulled her stockings off her legs and propped her feet up on Cosima's bed, scooting the lounge chair closer so she could hold the brunette's hand. She felt its heat and intertwined their fingers. She looked behind her to see that she was alone with her wife.
"You would not believe the day I had. Would you believe that those kids made a betting pool at recess about who would get to date me first? The worst part is I think they thought I could not hear them talking about it" she laughed, stroking the back of Cosima's hand softly. "You would have so many hot teacher jokes. I can almost hear your laugh in my head right now."
Delphine took a deep breath "Charlotte finished that class. She takes the exam Friday and will be one class closer to her degree. Cosima this is so much harder than I thought it would be. We miss you, we miss you so much, mon coeur" she whispered, wiping the tears as they fell.
"I bought a test today. I know I can run a blood test here, but there's something so very how would you say it...retro about a home pregnancy test. Maman is convinced I am, but I don't know. I have been under a lot of stress lately and that can account for most of the symptoms."
At that moment, Delphine reached behind her and unsnapped her bra, moaning in relief as the material that had been pressing against her tender flesh was finally loosened. "Maman was right though, they have been very tender. I don't know, maybe I am pregnant."
"I baked you a cake. It's in the fridge. If you wake up, I want to make sure I have it. If you do not, then Charlotte and I will celebrate. I plan on taking the test at midnight, there is something poetic about finding out on your birthday." Delphine chuckled "I may have to nap before then though."
The blonde doctor stood up slowly and bent over, kissing Cosima's lips softly "Je t'aime, mon amour. And mon Dieu do I miss you so very badly. Our bed is so empty without you. I've been having a hard time sleeping."
"Maman?" Charlotte called from the doorway.
Delphine smiled, turning around and wiping her tears "Charlotte, I was just telling Mummy about my day, come sit" she instructed, waving the girl over.
The tiny clone limped towards the bed, sitting down in the now empty chair and taking Mummy's hand in her own. She looked up at Maman "I didn't know you were having trouble sleeping."
"It's fine, Charlotte. I just miss mummy so much. I am so used to having her in bed with me" she admitted, smiling weakly "It'll just take some getting used to."
"I can sleep with you. You need to be getting lots of sleep Maman. You need to take care of my sister" the young girl reminded her mother.
Delphine nodded "You're right and I would love some company."
The brunette nodded "Then it's decided. See mummy? I'm taking care of her, just like you asked"
Delphine's heart melted. She walked over and kissed Charlotte's cheek "Why don't you visit with her while I go get out of my work clothes?"
Charlotte nodded and turned to her mother, launching into a monologue about her day.
Delphine yawned, hearing the beeping of the alarm she'd set. She rolled over, turning it off: 11:57. She smiled and heard Charlotte whine in her sleep, rolling over. The blonde turned towards her daughter and pulled the duvet further over her shoulder, smoothing back the girl's hair before she got out of bed. She walked to the bathroom and shut the door.
She was excited and nervous. Trembling hands reached for the medicine cabinet and she pulled out the test. She could barely get her fingers to cooperate and ended up tearing open the cardboard. She yanked down her boxers and sat on the toilet, doing her best to pee only on the stick. She capped it off and finished.
The blonde stood, wiped, flushed, and washed her hands before she set a timer on her phone. Three minutes. She paced the bathroom.
Cosima needed this. If there was any hope, then it would be in this baby. Delphine doubted her wife could hold out that long, but it was all they had. She smiled: she'd wanted this for so long, a baby with Cosima. She'd wanted to be pregnant since she was a little girl. And now, she couldn't wait for her family to expand. She knew Charlotte was excited to be a big sister and that her Maman and Cosima's Papa were more than excited to be grandparents.
She chuckled. She never noticed that they had a Maman and Papa.
But a baby would change so much; it would change her body, the way people looked at her; and she worried it would change the dynamics of her extended family. Sure, being pregnant with her parents, partner, and daughter would be a delight, but she was worried about Cosima's sisters and what this would mean now that it was real and not just some idea.
Still, she could almost picture the tiny little bundle in her arms and she bursted with love and excitement. The only sadness clouded over her was that of the realization that Cosima should be here. Delphine wondered how she would break the news to her wife. Balloons, a bun in the oven, an extra setting at dinner? She smiled at the possibilities.
The timer beeped and she ran to the test.
The blonde bit her lip and smiled.
She was pregnant. She looked at herself in the mirror and put a hand over her belly. She was pregnant. At this very moment, there was life growing inside of her: a part of Cosima was growing inside of her. Her eyes closed and happy tears flooded her cheeks. She smiled brightly and shook her head, not quite believing it. These things never worked on the first try.
But this time it had: she was pregnant.
A/N: I was hoping to get this out sooner, but do not fret: this will still be a double update week. Expect another chapter Thursday around 4pm EST.
Thank you for all of your comments, kudos, reviews, messages, and for everyone still with this slow burning little bundle of fun. For those who need to hear it again: Cosima will not die. See you tomorrow...or I guess later today!