Chapter XXXI

In late June, the orphanage was ready to open its doors. Though Gabrielle was in her sixth month of pregnancy, she had no inclination to slow down. She had never felt better, and was ecstatic to see the way Enjolras lit up from within every time he surveyed all of the work they were doing. She loved being a part of something with him, loved that they were building something real and tangible together.

On June 29th, they arrived at the orphanage when the moon was still in the sky. They had no idea what to expect when the doors opened in a few hours; would there be children there immediately or would it take a few days for word to spread? Some of the staff had stayed all night to ensure that breakfast would be ready in the morning for anyone that did arrive early, and baths, beds, and clothes were prepped.

As the fiacre pulled up to the curb, Gabrielle peered out of the window at four dark little shapes on the sidewalk. The largest looked up from where he was sitting as they rolled to a stop and Gabrielle caught a look at his face in the moonlight.

She started in recognition.

"Antoine," she said slowly. "I know that boy." She struggled to place him for a moment, but exclaimed excitedly, "Oh! He delivered a letter to me once and I gave him breakfast! His name is Henri!"

Enjolras looked curiously out of the window and climbed down, then helped Gabrielle safely to the ground. "Do you think they're here for...well...?" Enjolras inclined his head towards the building and Gabrielle shrugged.

"I don't know. I suppose we better ask them." She turned towards the children and called softly, "Is your name Henri?"

"Madame Enjolras?" Henri answered hesitantly. "I remember you."

"As do I. What are you doing here so early, Henri?" Gabrielle took a few steps towards the children, and noticed the little ones behind Henri eyeing her warily. They were skinny and filthy, and probably no more than three or four years old, unless their malnourishment made them seem younger than they really were.

"Well, see...I heard about what you're doing. Lots of kids are talking about it, and some families who want to get rid of 'em. I thought we might come see."

"Are these your brothers?"

Henri shook his head, and Gabrielle asked quietly, "Where are their parents, then?" She felt Enjolras' hand on the small of her back as he moved to stand next to her.

"Dunno. They've been alone as long as I've known them." His eyes flicked to the building behind them, and Gabrielle knew he had probably never been in a house so grand, even if it looked significantly different than it would if a family lived there.

"Well...would you all like some breakfast?" Enjolras asked. "You can come in and take a look around, if you'd like." His voice was carefully neutral.

Henri looked back at them and said slowly, as if he could see right through them, "I'm not staying, you know...but they might. I mean, they're little. They need help taking care of themselves. I'm almost grown. I don't need a place like this."

"Of course," Enjolras replied softly. "That's entirely up to you, Henri." He held out his hand for the little gamin to shake. "You can call me Enjolras."

Henri shook his hand, albeit a little distrustfully, and Gabrielle stifled a grin; of course, she felt pity for the boys, but she couldn't help but feel excited to see their first little charges finding their way home.

"I used to listen to your speeches, Monsieur," Henri suddenly said. "I knew Gavroche. He was always going on about your meetings."

Enjolras smiled wryly. "Yes, well. Things didn't turn out the way I hoped. Will you come inside, Henri?"

Henri nodded and reached over to pull the little boys to their feet. "Come on, you lot. This is where you're staying from now on."

Gabrielle and Enjolras let Henri and the three little boys walk a few steps ahead of them, each taking in their skittish steps and skeptical looks. Enjolras unlocked the doors and pushed them open, and Gabrielle was grateful to see that some lamps were still lit in the front entrance hall.

"I'm sure there's some breakfast ready for all of you," Gabrielle said quietly. Now that she was faced with their first children, she wasn't quite sure what to do, and decided to just see what happened as they went. "Henri, you're welcome to eat, too; it doesn't matter whether or not your stay is permanent."

Gabrielle took Enjolras' hand and they led the boys to the dining room in the back, lighting candles along the way. Enjolras sat with the boys while Gabrielle went into the kitchen, surprised to find Musichetta already there with their cook, Molly.

"'Chetta! You're here even earlier than us. Good morning, Molly." Gabrielle kissed each of them lightly on the cheek and then lowered her voice. "Peek out into the dining room and look what we found!"

Both women curiously tiptoed to the door and peeked through. Musichetta turned back with a wide grin on her face. "Where did they come from so early?!"

"They were waiting on the sidewalk! I know that oldest boy, he delivered a letter to me from Genevieve Durand once. He said word about the orphanage is spreading, and he's dropping those three little ones off here. They don't have any parents! I suppose he's been trying to care for them himself. Goodness, I don't even know their names yet," Gabrielle said in a rush.

Musichetta smiled and laid a calming hand on her arm. "It's exciting, isn't it? Seeing what you've been working for actually happening? I'm sure they're all starving."

Gabrielle helped Musichetta and Molly gather breakfast for the boys and carry it to the dining room just as the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon. Her heart constricted when she saw how wide their eyes became as they glimpsed the food, and she wondered if they had ever had a decent meal in their short lives. The littlest one was literally twitching and squirming in his seat, about to reach out for the food as soon as they set the trays down, but Henri slapped his hand sternly and said, "Wait, you. It's ain't polite."

Gabrielle put one thing in front of them at a time, urging them to eat slowly so as not to upset their painfully empty stomachs. No one said a word through the whole meal.

The little boys didn't even glance up from their food, and when they were finished, they barely even looked at each other. They were so strangely blank; the only emotion they expressed was the excitement over the food. Other than that, they seemed content to stare at the wall with guarded eyes. Gabrielle cleared her throat, wondering why she felt so awkward; they were just children.

"What's your name?" she asked the one nearest to her, and he finally turned his large, hollow eyes in her direction. He just shrugged.

Gabrielle raised her eyebrows and looked at Henri, who helpfully supplied, "They don't really have real names, I suppose. I named them, though. I call this one Louis, this one Phillipe, and this one's just George." He pointed to each in turn and grinned, wagging his eyebrows at his own little joke at using the names of the king.

"Oh," Gabrielle said quietly, feeling profoundly sad at the thought that these little gamins didn't even really know who they were. And no one else did, either. Well, hopefully, they could build their own identities here, become educated, and be whoever they wanted to be. For the first time, Gabrielle realized what a hard road that would be for children like them, who came from nothing, and spent their first years feeling completely and utterly unloved. She was suddenly overcome with wanting; she couldn't wait, even needed, to hold her own child. How unfair that these children didn't have loving parents. No matter what they received here at the orphanage, nothing would ever quite make up for the years of neglect they had already endured.

"Henri, you know you're welcome to stay here, too," Enjolras said carefully. "With a roof over your head, three meals a day, and a comfortable bed to sleep in."

Henri cocked his head and said knowingly, "Ah, but there's a catch, right? Like, I'd have to go to school and follow rules. And I wouldn't be able to leave whenever I want, and do as I please."

"We wouldn't allow you to do anything illegal, no," Enjolras said firmly, "but the rules here will be fair and not unreasonable. I wouldn't force you to attend school, but the option is there."

"What if you worked for us, Henri?" Gabrielle asked suddenly. "We could pay you to help out the groundskeeper and to run errands for us. It would be honest work, and you would earn money." Enjolras squeezed Gabrielle's knee under the table, obviously approving of her new tactic.

"Obviously, Henri, an intelligent young man like you understands that a place like this will provide a better life than the streets of Paris, or you wouldn't have brought your friends here," Gabrielle said knowingly.

Henri still looked wary, and sat in contemplative silence for several minutes. Finally, he said slowly, "I could try it, I suppose. For a little while, especially if the food's always this good. If I don't like it, I can leave, right? You won't have me arrested or nothin'?"

"No, of course not," Enjolras said gently. "Although there will be rules for you to abide by, just as there will be for everyone in this house - nothing that I don't think you'll agree to, though; I can see that you're a reasonable man." Gabrielle covered her mouth to hide another grin. She loved hearing that firm, but conspiratorial tone in Enjolras' voice. She could just imagine the lectures he would give their own child someday.

Henri nodded slowly, and then jerked his head toward the boys. "I don't suppose we could get that bath now? I don't think they've ever had one before. They've probably got lice, just so you know. I don't think I do, though...I don't itch much." He scratched his head as he spoke, as if reminded just how itchy he actually was.

"Of course!" Gabrielle rose just as Musichetta came into the room. She introduced herself to all of the boys and Gabrielle couldn't help but smile at the playful, but no-nonsense tone she automatically adopted as she spoke to them. 'Chetta had all of them ushered upstairs before Gabrielle could blink, and she turned to look at Enjolras, who seemed a little shell-shocked.

He looked up at her and blinked. "We have children already," he said slowly. "And did we just bribe him into staying here with a job? I don't even know what he'll do."

Gabrielle laughed and shrugged. "We'll think of something. He obviously wants it or he wouldn't have come here, no matter what he said. You were wonderful with him. And those little ones...can you even imagine? They don't even know their names. Or perhaps their parents never even gave them any!"

Enjolras stood and pulled Gabrielle into a tight hug. "I think this is going to be the most interesting thing we've ever done."

Over the next few weeks, more and more children trickled through the doors of the orphanage. Sometimes, they were accompanied by their parents, with tearful promises that they would return for them when times were better, while others simply seemed relieved to be getting rid of an extra mouth to feed. Though Gabrielle grew up poor, she had never seen poverty quite at this level; children who didn't have any ideas of social conventions or manners, who looked distrustfully left and right as they devoured the food in front of them, who had trouble actually sleeping on a soft mattress because they were so used to the hard ground.

Many had no idea how share with each other, or interact in any way but with violence. Playing quickly turned to fighting, often in the blink of an eye. Even the older children, who should have had someone to teach them in their early years, reached out and grabbed things from others without asking, then seemed surprised when they received a slap or punch in return. Taking was easier than asking; indeed, it seemed all they knew how to do. It was harder than anyone expected to establish and enforce rules and consequences, and every member of the staff often found themselves trying to patiently explain how to treat people properly several times a day, as well as the philosophy behind why that was important, which, come to find out, was unbelievably hard to explain to a child who had never seen the results of kindness. Everyone but Gabrielle, only because of her pregnancy, became quite good at restraining children throwing tantrums, as well. More often than not, everyone was exhausted, and exclaimed in a fit of frustration that they should just throw in the towel and give up. They never did, though, and doggedly kept moving forward.

Surprisingly, Cosette took to the most troubled children the fastest and they responded to her the best. The most violent and distrustful children, no matter their age, found a confidant and nurturing figure in her, and Gabrielle was more than grateful that she so often came to help. She spoke their language and understood them, and was often able to help them understand why what they had done was wrong. Gabrielle thought they loved her so much because they never felt judged by her, and once she began trying to emulate Cosette's words and actions, found she grew a bit closer to several of the children, too. Musichetta, especially, had a newfound and almost grudging respect for Cosette, and the two had grown much closer over the last several weeks.

The plans to actually teach academics were mostly put on hold, however, due to the lack of social and emotional well-being so many of the children had. They all collectively agreed that helping them understand how to feel and express themselves with words, rather than violence, would probably be the most helpful first step of all. The youngest children in the orphanage, though, the littlest who was still just a baby at fourteen months old, needed nothing but love to flourish. They craved it, and clung to the women's skirts and the men's legs whenever they were near, each trying to scramble onto the nearest lap whenever someone was sitting. Most of the youngest ones didn't talk very much or well, at all, but Gabrielle saw a slow improvement the longer they were at the orphanage and had regular interaction with adults. She supposed that either at home or on the streets, their parents mostly ignored them and shoved them aside, thinking them nothing but trouble. What a horrible, unfair existence.

Gabrielle was a bit frustrated that she couldn't do more, but Enjolras kept a careful eye on her all the time; when dark circles appeared beneath her eyes because of her lack of sleep and her ankles swelled from being on her feet all the time, he insisted she begin to rest for at least three hours every afternoon, even if it was only laying on the comfortable sofa in his office. Joly agreed with him, of course, and came to check on her every chance he got, anxiously checking her vitals. Even Musichetta, who was quite vocal about the fact that women, because of the fact that they could give birth, were just as capable, if not more so, than men, agreed that at this stage of her pregnancy, she should rest while she could.

The summer flew by, and when the fall was upon them, Gabrielle began to feel more and more anxious for the birth of their child. It was mid-September, and with a month or more still left, she felt enormous. Though she had enjoyed being pregnant so far, Gabrielle was just beginning to think she was ready for it to be over. Enjolras was back to being incredibly nervous, and wasn't even attempting to hide it. He carried on as usual, however, and dealt with the pressure he felt in the only way he knew how: work.

One afternoon, Gabrielle awoke to Enjolras and Joly's hushed voices outside the door. She sat up and stretched, surprised to find the light quite dim in the office. She must have slept the afternoon away without meaning to.

"Antoine?" she called, loud enough for her voice to carry through the heavy oak door.

The talking paused and Enjolras poked his head into the room. "I'm sorry. Did we wake you?"

"No," she lied. "Come in, please. I'm awake. What does Joly need?"

Joly practically bounced into the room around Enjolras, clearly excited. "Good afternoon, Gabrielle! Or should I say evening now? How are you feeling?"

"Huge," Gabrielle said simply, and managed a tired smile. "It's hard to imagine I have at least four weeks left."

"Well, we don't want the baby coming early!" Joly said happily. "It's better to tough it out and have a healthy baby." He pulled up a chair and sat on the edge, his eyes shining. "I have something new for you!"

Enjolras rolled his eyes behind Joly's back and mouthed 'I'm sorry' at her, but Gabrielle smiled indulgently, amused. "What?"

"It's a new instrument! Well, it's not really new, doctors have been using them for a while. But this design is fairly new, and it's rather expensive. But I've managed to get my hands on one. It lets you listen to a heartbeat."

"Oh? What is it?" Gabrielle asked curiously, and watched Joly pull the instrument out of his bag. It was quite strange looking, with two long, curved metal prongs and flexible tubing at the bottom.

"It's called a stethoscope. Here – you put these over your ears." Joly put the device on Gabrielle and motioned for Enjolras to come near. He sat down on the couch next to Gabrielle, and Joly placed the other end over his heart. "And you can hear someone's heart."

Gabrielle listened, and heard the steady thump of Enjolras' heartbeat. "That's very interesting," she told Joly. "But why are you so excited?"

"Well," Joly folded his hands together and took the stethoscope back from Gabrielle. "I've been shadowing a doctor friend of mine who is quite experienced with childbirth, just...you know, to make sure I'm as prepared as I can be." Enjolras looked a little nervous at that fact, but Gabrielle squeezed his hand reassuringly. "And today, he used the stethoscope to hear a baby's heartbeat! While still in the womb!" Joly exclaimed.

Gabrielle raised her eyebrows. "Really? You can do that?"

"Well, hopefully," Joly explained. "See, it depends on the position of the baby and several other factors, but I thought we could try it. Imagine, hearing an unborn baby's heartbeat! Science is truly, truly remarkable. Who knows what new things we'll discover even just tomorrow!" Joly grinned and shook his head, still practically bouncing with excitement.

Gabrielle looked at Enjolras, trying not to laugh, but also feeling incredibly excited. Joly's good mood was infectious, and it was incredible to think they may actually be able to hear their baby's little heart. "I'd like to," Gabrielle said. "Do you mind, Antoine?"

"No, of course not. What does she have to do?" Enjolras asked, squeezing her hand.

"Well, I thought we could do it at your home this evening," Joly said, suddenly a bit uncomfortable. "See, she shouldn't be wearing all these clothes...you know, undergarments and a corset and a dress...I won't be able to detect the heartbeat through all of those layers. So." Joly looked distinctly uncomfortable practically asking Gabrielle to undress in front of her husband.

Gabrielle laughed. "Joly, darling, you're going to deliver this baby. I think the time for modesty on my part has passed."

Enjolras looked a bit uncomfortable with the thought, but finally shrugged, and mumbled, "Very well."

"Great! I'll go find 'Chetta. We'll go with you when you're ready to leave." Joly walked out of the room with an excited spring to his step and Enjolras turned to Gabrielle, laying his hand on her stomach.

"Hearing a heartbeat? That seems almost impossible." He moved his hand in a slow circle and Gabrielle smiled.

"Well, he said it may not work. But it would be amazing." She gazed at him a moment, then said quietly, "You look tired. You scold me for working so hard all the time, but you seem as if you're about to fall over. You know you can slow down a bit, right?"

Enjolras frowned. "We've only been open a few months. Things aren't falling into place as easily as I thought they would, and some of these kids are just...walking disasters." He sighed. "I feel like I have to be here as much as possible, or our staff will quit."

"They won't," Gabrielle reassured him. "Musichetta does an amazing job here. You need to let her take over for you a bit. And Molly is running the kitchens so well; everyone under her knows exactly what to do. Everyone you hired is more than competent, Antoine. They don't need you breathing down their necks all the time."

Enjolras didn't respond, but stood and gently pulled her up with him. "Are you ready to go?"

Gabrielle nodded and grabbed her shawl, wrapping it around her shoulders. She took Enjolras' arm and they met Joly and Musichetta in the front hall by the door. Musichetta was humoring Joly's excitement and grinned at Gabrielle behind his back.

"I hope you don't feel like one of his science experiments, darling," she said apologetically. "Although if it works, I imagine it will be rather exciting."

Gabrielle laughed. "It's fine, really. I'm happy to be his experiment for now."

They climbed into the waiting fiacre and talked animatedly until they arrived at home, where Joly immediately exlaimed, "Alright! Gabrielle, the best place to do this is probably in the bedroom. I'll need you to lie flat on your back, and remember, it's best not to have so many clothes on..."

"Joly, darling," Musichetta interrupted gently, "Perhaps Gabrielle would like to eat something before we begin? It is time for dinner."

Gabrielle patted Joly's arm reassuringly and smiled. "I'm fine. I'd like to get started, actually. Antoine, will you help me?"

Enjolras followed her into their bedroom. She soon felt him slowly unbuttoning her dress, and she stepped out of the material when he was finished. She changed into her comfortable and loose cotton nightgown and laid down on the bed, pulling the covers up to her stomach to at least have some semblance of modesty. She gave Enjolras' hand a reassuring squeeze, and he called softly to Musichetta and Joly. Musichetta must have given Joly a good talking-to because he was all business as they entered the room, even walking in a more measured and grounded step.

He laid his bag on the other side of the bed and took out the stethoscope. "Now, Gabrielle," he began, "Do you know where the baby's head is right now? I'm going to have to poke and prod a bit to see if the baby is in the correct position for this to work."

"Here," Gabrielle motioned low on her abdomen. "I think, at least. I've been feeling her kick on the other side today."

Enjolras stood near Gabrielle's head, holding her hand. His grip tightened as Joly began to push at Gabrielle's stomach, a look of concentration on his face. "Does that hurt?" he asked worriedly.

"It's not bad. It isn't pleasant, either, but it doesn't really hurt, love. I'm fine."

Enjolras didn't look convinced, but didn't saying anything else, his lips drawn together in a tight line. Gabrielle winced a bit as one of Joly's prods made the baby suddenly roll over, and Joly exclaimed, "Ah! Now we'll see..." He pushed again and nodded, then glanced up and explained, "The baby was lying forward before, but he...or she...just rolled over. Now the baby's back is against my hand, and that's exactly what we need."

"You can tell all of that just from feeling?" Musichetta wondered.

"Yes. It's really quite easy," Joly said, obviously proud of himself. He took the stethoscope and put the ends in his ears, then laid the flat part against Gabrielle's stomach. He was silent for several minutes, then reached up and took Gabrielle's wrist, feeling her own pulse. After a minute, he grinned, and exclaimed, "I can hear it! Quite a strong little heartbeat. I had to make sure it wasn't actually yours, Gabrielle, but the baby's is much faster."

Gabrielle smiled excitedly. "You can really hear it?"

"Yes. Here, Enjolras, listen." Joly grabbed Enjolras' arm and shoved the stethoscope at him. "Just put the other end where I had it, and you should be able to hear it." Enjolras looked a bit uncertain, but did what he was told, quietly listening for several seconds. His eyes flicked to Gabrielle's face, who was watching him intently, and she could tell when he realized what he was hearing.

His face flushed with emotion as two spots of color rose high on his cheeks, and his mouth grew slack. He cleared his throat as he finally pulled the stethoscope away and helped Gabrielle sit up, putting it on her ears. "Maybe you can hear," he said quietly, and put the other end back on her stomach where it had been before.

It took Gabrielle a minute to hear it, but she soon felt, rather than heard, the rapid thumping against her own eardrums. It sounded like the most beautiful music she had ever heard and she looked excitedly up at Enjolras. Joly's pretense of professionalism was dropped and he was shifting excitedly from foot to foot, and Musichetta just looked impatient.

"Alright, everyone has heard but me!" she finally exclaimed, and Gabrielle laughed happily.

When all of this began, she never would have imagined she would have such a home, and such a wonderful family. It made her indescribably happy to know her baby would be unconditionally loved by so many people.

Over the next week, Gabrielle managed to convince Enjolras to slow down a bit, and they began going home at a very reasonable time each night. Once she reminded him that these last few weeks were the last time they would ever be able to spend time completely alone together, just the two of them, he relented.

Gabrielle found herself especially tired one evening, and went to bed early. She could barely keep her eyes open, even though she hadn't overexerted herself at all that day. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow and didn't wake again until the morning. She felt a dull ache in her back, and uncomfortable cramping in her stomach as soon as consciousness hit her. She lay still for a minute, letting herself wake up and try to think clearly. The pain wasn't that bad, and it seemed to be constant, not coming in waves like Cosette and Musichetta had described to her. Gabrielle didn't think she was in labor; that should still be a few weeks away...

Maybe I've just been lying here for too long. She slowly sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, twisting a bit to try and make her back pop. It didn't work. She stood slowly, glancing over at Enjolras' sleeping form.

As soon as she was upright, she felt a wet trickle running down her leg and froze. Gabrielle closed her eyes and counted to ten, trying to push back the rush of panic she felt, then lifted her nightgown and glanced down. A small but steady stream of bright red blood was running down her leg. Gabrielle gasped and turned to the bed, pulling back the covers. More blood was on the sheets, quite a significant amount, and enough to tell her something was absolutely wrong.

"Antoine," she choked out, but it was barely more than a whisper. She tried again, finally screaming hysterically, "Antoine! Wake up!"

Enjolras jolted awake and sat up groggily. He mumbled incoherently for a minute, then finally focused his sleepy gaze on her. His eyes widened as he looked at her frightened face, and when he saw the blood, Enjolras froze, his face losing its color.

"Something is wrong," Gabrielle said calmly. "I need you to get Joly. Fast."

Enjolras immediately jumped up and dressed, then ran into the next room, coming back with a towel in his hand. He laid it on the bed and helped her lay back down, his eyes wide with worry and fear.

"Don't move," he said sternly. "I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you." He quickly kissed her, and then was gone, leaving Gabrielle to worry by herself. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe deeply and stay calm, but the panic was slowly rising.

This couldn't happen. Nothing bad could happen. Nothing could go wrong. Please, she prayed, and anxiously waited until Enjolras came back with Joly.

Uh-oh. Ended on a bit of a cliffhanger there for y'all. Sorry about that...*whistles innocently.*

First of all, the descriptions of those kids in the orphanage come straight from my own life and the things I've observed working in a very high-need school the last two years. Right now, in these last few weeks of school, I'm seeing a LOT of kids acting out and becoming hysterical. Why? Because the summer is almost here. They have to go home for two months. They don't trust us to actually be there when they come back. One little girl locked herself in the staff bathroom the other day and screamed for an hour and a half, talking to our therapist through the door. Poverty and neglect and abuse is just absolutely FUCKED UP, y'all. No other way to put it.

Also, the whole thing with the stethoscope/heartbeat...that can be done! When my cousin was pregnant, we were able to hear the baby's heartbeat in about her 35th week of pregnancy with a stethoscope. Stethoscopes, in their "current" design were just starting to be used around 1830, too, btw. And I wanted a last bit of lightness before the blow at the end.

And last (or not)...sorry for not updating sooner! My round of strep was NOT done last weekend and I have had a horrible week. I completely lost my voice Wed, Thurs, and Fri! I'm feeling better now, though.

Oh. BTW. AARON FREAKING TVEIT. sduvsibvpansdviubis The audio and videos I've seen from the show last night are to die for. I have a deep, deep, deep jealousy of everyone that gets to go.

ANNNNNNNNND. I joined tumblr! Follow me on there at moonlightandmagnolias85...although I've really done nothing there so far but look at other people's Tveit gifs. Whatevs!