Two weeks later, Eponine is allowed to move around again, though still cautioned to take it easy. Throughout her time on bed rest, all of their friends pitched in to try and keep her entertained, with at least one person stopping by for a few hours every day. Even his mom spent a lot of time at their house, for the first time ever; in fact, she was pretty invaluable in the cleaning department, and even taught Enjolras how to cook a few simple dishes so they didn't have to eat out all the damn time. He feels closer to her now than he has since he was a child, and wonders why he was always so hard on her when it's really his dad he has a problem with.
Now that Eponine can move around again, she is plowing full steam ahead on everything she neglected until this point, and before Enjolras knows it, she's ordered everything for the nursery and is picking out paint colors with Musichetta. He voices an opinion here and there, but for the most part, isn't really picky. All he requests, and he doesn't even really need to since Eponine isn't fond of the color either, is minimal pink. Musichetta is mostly in charge of the design, since it's what she does for a living, and he knows they're in good hands.
Eponine has just entered her third trimester and Enjolras is beginning to feel anxious. He can't wait to meet his daughter, and he knows Eponine feels the same way. He comes home on an unusually hot day in March to find her in the kitchen, wearing a light summer dress and no shoes on her feet. He grins at the sight and she pouts at him, her hands on her hips when she hears him chuckling in the doorway.
"You're so nice. You come home from work and the first thing you do is laugh at me? What?" she asks indignantly as she turns to look at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I don't know. It's just...you're the epitome of that saying right now. 'Barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen'? You're cute."
"Oh." Eponine laughs and shrugs, leaning against the counter. "It's too fucking hot to wear shoes! You're lucky I'm wearing clothes at all, actually. I've been laying in a cold bath all day. It's miserable."
"It's only 83 out. And March 16th. You're going to really know what miserable is in two months if this is how you feel now, babe." He kisses her quickly as he crosses the room to the fridge, grabbing the pitcher of lemonade he made last night and pouring himself a glass.
"I know. By the way, everyone is coming over tonight. I feel like being sociable, but I don't really feel like leaving the house. I probably should have run that by you..."
"It's okay. It's a Friday, no big deal." He loosens his tie and unbuttons the top few buttons of his shirt. "Did you invite Marius and Cosette?"
"Yeah, they're going to come for a little while and bring the baby." Eponine grins and pokes his arm. "You, my friend, are going to learn to change a diaper tonight."
Enjolras raises his eyebrows. "Oh, no, I'm not. I will change our child's diaper and no others. No way."
"You have to learn sometime! You don't want to experiment on our kid, do you?"
Enjolras laughs uproariously. "But it's okay for me to experiment on Marius and Cosette's?"
"Well. She'll be okay as long as I'm there. I know what I'm doing."
"Whose diapers have you changed?"
She gives him a long suffering look. "Uh, Gavroche? Who the fuck do you think kept him clothed and fed as an infant? I may have been only seven years old, but my mother certainly wasn't going to do it. It's been a while, but as far as I know, babies haven't changed."
Enjolras pauses and looks at her seriously. "I knew you took care of him, but really? All of that? Did your parents do anything?"
"They did as little as possible. But it's in the past." She shrugs and reaches up to tug on his tie, pulling his head down to hers. She kisses him hungrily, her lips dancing against his, and Enjolras forgets the lemonade and wraps his arms around her. After a minute, Eponine pulls away and smiles. "You look really hot with your tie like that."
"Why thank you. The whole barefoot and pregnant thing suits you, too." He brushes her hair back and kisses her forehead before pushing himself away from the counter. "I'm gonna change. Are we cooking or ordering out for everyone?"
"R is bringing Chinese," she calls after him. "I've been craving it."
Enjolras quickly changes his clothes and gives in to Eponine's pleas to turn the air conditioning on. It's really not that hot, compared to how miserable and humid New Orleans can be, but he wants her to be comfortable. She finally stops complaining after she sits in front of a fan and a cool air vent, and Enjolras rummages around in the top of the closet for the games they always play every time everyone comes over. With a start, he realizes that these game nights will probably become the norm now that two couples from their little group are parents. The norm used to be late nights at their favorite bars, not that Enjolras ever drank much. Eponine, however, can put some alcohol away. He has a feeling those days are over.
Around 5:30, Marius and Cosette show up with their daughter, Cecilia. As soon as Cosette sees Eponine, she exclaims loudly, "Oh my God, I fucking hate you."
Eponine laughs and raises her eyebrows. "Uh...hi? It's nice to see you, too."
"Seriously. Look at you! You're freaking gorgeous! I was a nasty, puffy mess by this point. You're just all belly!" Cosette hugs her and Eponine makes a face.
"Well, thanks, but believe me, I feel kind of like a mess, especially today. Not as bad as I thought I would, but hell, there's still eleven or twelve weeks to go."
"You look great, Ep," Marius says, and hands her the baby. "And here! Practice."
Eponine takes the baby from Marius and becomes absorbed in a conversation with Cosette about breast feeding, which he and Marius completely tune out. They're saved from that awkwardness when everyone else eventually arrives, and Enjolras busies himself getting a plate of Chinese ready for Eponine. He's met with a chorus of "awws" when he puts it in front of her, and rolls his eyes.
"Aw, look at that," Courfeyrac says teasingly. "He's waiting on her hand and foot. Where's my food, Enj? And I'd like a beer, too, while you're at it."
Enjolras just snorts and sits down next to Eponine at the table with his own food. "Listen, Courf, the next time you happen to be carrying my child, let me know and I'll wait on you, too."
Eponine grins and sticks her tongue out at Courfeyrac. "And he just likes me more than he likes you."
"That's true, too," Enjolras agrees, and ducks when Courfeyrac throws an eggroll at him in mock indignation.
"Don't waste the eggrolls, asshole!" Eponine exclaims vehemently. "I have wanted these all week, and I swear to God, I will cut you if I don't get everything I want!"
Courfeyrac innocently holds up his hands. "Okay, okay. I promise I'll play nice."
They eat their fill of Chinese and then play a round of Cards Against Humanity, but the real entertainment starts when Courfeyrac and Bahorel decide to have a Just Dance-off with the Wii. Everyone is practically rolling on the floor by the time they're done dancing to "Call Me, Maybe" and Eponine tells them they have to stop for a few minutes or she's going to pee everywhere.
"Oh my God..." She leans back against the couch and wipes tears of laughter from her eyes. "That was amazing. Apparently the baby thinks so, too, because she's moving like crazy and jabbing me right in the ribs." Eponine rubs her belly and winces.
Musichetta squeals and claps her hands. "Cosette never let me feel her belly! Can I touch?"
Eponine nods, but sighs in exasperation. "Yes...I guess I don't mind you doing it, but I swear to God, if one more stranger touches me without permission, I might murder someone."
"It's the worst, isn't it?" Cosette sympathizes. "Whenever I was in the grocery store, I thought I had to be wearing a big neon sign that just said, 'Feel free to touch me.' People have no boundaries when you're pregnant."
Musichetta lets out an excited laugh as she feels the baby kick and gives Joly a significant look that no one misses. "Aw, I can't wait to feel what that's like one day. It seems so amazing."
Joly clears his throat uncomfortably and immediately launches into medical talk, his go-to topic when he's uncomfortable. "You're what? 28 weeks, Eponine? Did you know she has eyelashes now? And probably weighs at least a little over two pounds. You really don't have much longer to go..."
Musichetta frowns. "I think she stopped moving. Maybe she wants you guys to dance again, she seemed to like that."
"I think I'm danced out." Bahorel sprawls on the floor.
Eponine grins and looks at Enjolras, and somehow, he knows he's about to be embarrassed.
"Or maybe she just wants her daddy to talk to her. Or sing. She always starts moving when she hears him."
Grantaire's eyes widen and he points an accusing finger at Enjolras. "I told you you'd turn into the biggest sap known to man! I called that the moment we found out Eponine was pregnant. Oh my God! You sing to your unborn child?"
"That's incredibly sweet," Combeferre says in his defense, and Enjolras appreciates the support.
He's pretty sure he's as red as a tomato now, but he says defensively, "Oh, come on. You'd do it, too, if it was your kid. It's...well, it's cool, how she responds to my voice and starts moving around."
"I kind of want to feel," Courfeyrac says unexpectedly, and eyes Eponine with some trepidation, like she might slap him for even suggesting it. "Can I...?"
Eponine laughs and shrugs. "I guess...she's not moving much right now, though." Courfeyrac eagerly plops down on the couch next to her and puts his hand on her stomach.
"Weird. Your bump is like...hard. It's not squishy."
Eponine raises her eyebrows. "That's the weirdest thing you've ever said. Of course it's not squishy, there's a human being inside of me, not a gummy bear."
Grantaire suddenly adds his hand to her stomach and Enjolras just watches in amusement. And they call him a sap. "How do you get her to move?"
"They were never this interested in our kid," Marius pouts to Cosette, but she just smiles and rolls her eyes, gently rocking Cecilia to sleep.
"I can't make her move," Eponine says. "Sometimes if I press around, she will, though...I can try if you seriously care that much."
"Well now I'm curious." Courfeyrac looks at her eagerly, so Eponine starts pressing on the top of her stomach.
"Whoa!" Grantaire suddenly exclaims. "She totally kicked me!"
"That is wild. Enjolras, have you felt this?" Courfeyrac asks in amazement.
Enjolras rolls his eyes, but smiles, a bit surprised at his friends antics. They're strangely interested in this baby, which he guesses is a good thing. "Of course I've felt it."
"Have you picked out a name yet?" Bossuet asks curiously.
"Well, actually..." Eponine looks at Enjolras questioningly and he nods. They decided earlier to share the name tonight, and he thinks she should have the honors. "We do finally have a name picked out. First and middle."
Grantaire immediately sits up, and it's clear he's trying to look nonchalant as he moves to the floor in front of the couch.
"R picked her first name out, actually," Enjolras says quietly.
Grantaire's eyes widen as he turns his head to look at him. "Seriously? You're using it?"
Courfeyrac echoes Grantaire, looking shocked. "Seriously? This dope named your child?" Grantaire reaches over and smacks the back of Courfeyrac's head, glaring.
"He did. We're going to name her Evangeline Thalia. I don't know where Evangeline is from, but Enj thought of Thalia."
Combeferre laughs and cocks his head, thinking. "Didn't you meet on Thalia Street? I was there, too."
Enjolras blushes at being found out and just nods. He turns back to look at Grantaire and asks curiously, "How did you come up with Evangeline?"
Grantaire is smiling widely, clearly pleased that he is playing a part in such a monumental event. And a big part, too; names are one of the most important factors in shaping a person's identity. "It was my grandmother's name, actually. I was really close to her growing up and I always thought it was pretty. And God knows I'll never have a child to use it on. That's awesome, guys, seriously. I didn't really expect you to like it. Thanks."
"I'm glad you suggested it," Eponine sats gratefully. "We knew as soon as we saw it. It just feels right."
"It's a really beautiful," Musichetta agrees. "Very New Orleans, too. I'll have to incorporate her initials into the nursery design."
"Cecilia and Evangeline – we picked classy names for our kids. I hope the rest of you doofuses don't screw up that trend," Cosette teases. "Are you guys going to use a nickname?"
"Probably," Eponine muses. "We haven't really talked about that, but I like Eva. Either is fine to me, really."
Enjolras nods in agreement, and lapses into silence again as another round of Just Dance soon gets going, this time between Bossuet and Joly. (Marius discreetly starts moving breakable objects out of Bossuet's vicinity as soon as the song begins, which is a good thing cosidering he trips over the coffee table halfway through and almost cracks his head open.) Eponine is still too busy laughing to even notice.
Marius and Cosette leave fairly soon after that because of the baby, but everyone else continues to hang around. After a few more songs and another epic fall on the part of Bossuet (while trying to twirl), Eponine struggles off the couch to go use the bathroom.
While she's gone, Enjolras hears her cell phone ring from the other room, but doesn't really pay any attention when he hears her answer. She appears in the bedroom doorway a few minutes later and immediately meets his eyes. She is pale, her face drawn, and he can clearly see the anxiety written all over her. He stands immediately after she inclines her head for him to follow her into the bedroom. No one else even notices their absence.
"Are you alright?" he asks as he closes the bedroom door. "Who was that on the phone?"
"I'm fine, it's nothing to do with me or the baby or anything," she reassures him. "But, Enj...that was your mom."
"Okay?" He's confused; why does she look so shaken and upset?
"Babe..." She reaches out and softly touches his arm, her eyes studying him closely. "I...Shit. I don't..."
"Eponine, you're scaring me." He gently takes her arms and squeezes. "What's going on? Just say it." He has no idea what could be making her so upset.
She looks up at him, her eyes wide with something akin to fear, and says quietly, "Enj, your dad...he died tonight. Your mom found him in his study. He had a heart attack."
Enjolras stares at her, uncomprehending, for several moments before his hands drop heavily to his sides. "What?"
Eponine opens her mouth, but quickly closes it again, obviously not knowing what to say. His relationship with his dad is so complicated, so volatile...
His mind feels like it's moving in slow motion. Enjolras knows exactly what she said – the words make perfect sense; however, it suddenly feels like he's not even in his body, like he's watching this happen to someone else.
Eponine reaches up and wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him close to her. "Enj? Baby, say something."
"I...I don't know what to say." His arms stay stubbornly by his sides, though some part of him registers that he wants to put them around her, and should. They just won't move. How did this happen? Why does he even care? Does he care?
He hates his dad. Hated? Does he have to use past tense now every time he thinks about him?
When was the last time they even talked? Enjolras honestly doesn't remember.
Eponine pulls away a little bit to look at him, her eyes filled with worry. He's suddenly angry; this isn't a good thing to happen now, not for her. She's going to kill herself worrying about him, and God knows that kind of anxiety isn't good for the baby. Of course, his dad would pick the worst possible time to die.
Is there a good time to die?
"I'm gonna go get rid of everyone," Eponine says quietly. "You should call your mom when you feel up to it, okay? Sit down." She leads him to the bed and he sits automatically, robotically. He doesn't even realize when she's left the room.
He had a dad.
He used to have a dad.
His dad is dead.
Enjolras vaguely registers that this seems to hurt an awful lot for someone who always claimed to not even like their father, but no tears come. His chest is tight with emotion, but at the same time, he's incredibly numb. Inside, there's turmoil. Outside, there's calm. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and stares at the screen. He should call his mom. It's what a good son would do.
He's not a very good son, though, because the thought of hearing his mom's voice right now and facing this makes him want to scream. Not wanting to even look at it, Enjolras throws his phone behind him on the bed.
A car door slams outside and he hears his friends voices as they leave, sounding concerned and hushed. Once everyone is gone, Eponine comes back into the bedroom and sits next to him, one hand absently rubbing her bump, and the other finding his hand and squeezing. She doesn't ask how he is, because she knows him too well, and Enjolras is silent.
Finally, she says quietly, "Do you want me to get you anything?"
He shakes his head slowly and finally turns to look at her. His voice sounds surprisingly, incredibly normal once he figures out how to use it again. "How did my mom sound?"
"Pretty hysterical," Eponine admits quietly. "She said your aunt is there with her, and her friend, Susan. So she isn't alone. She said we should stay home tonight, but we should probably go there tomorrow morning."
Enjolras makes a face unconsciously and Eponine frowns. "Enj, I know...I mean, I know your dad isn't your favorite person, but things have been so much better with your mom. She needs you right now."
Enjolras feels a quick burst of anger and sucks in a breath. "Yeah, well. I don't...Fuck! I don't want to deal with this right now. We've got enough to worry and think about. This kind of stress isn't good for you."
Eponine turns to face him, soothingly rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb. "I'm fine. Completely fine. You know I'll just worry about you."
"Well don't, Ep. I'm fine, too. It's not like this will really change my life, when you think about it," he insists. "We lived in the same city and never saw each other. It's not like he was really much of a dad, and he didn't seem to have an interest in being a grandpa, either. So whatever." He shrugs.
Though his words should be true, they somehow feel and sound hollow, but he isn't going to analyze why. His dad doesn't deserve his time like that.
Eponine nods slowly and sighs, turning her head to look out the bedroom window. After a minute she says slowly, "Okay...so, I can tell that you're going to need to process this on your own terms. I promise I won't push you, and if I'm annoying you or being overbearing, just tell me, alright? I just want to help."
"You do help me," he says quietly. "You always do." Enjolras raises her hand and presses his lips firmly to her knuckles. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Eponine stands and kisses the top of his head. "I'm going to go clean up a little bit. Nope! Don't say anything." She puts her hand over his mouth as he starts to protest. "I'm pregnant, not sick. I can handle loading a dishwasher just fine. You just sit here and try to process this a little bit, okay?"
He finally nods, and Eponine goes back to the living room, leaving him alone. Everything is too quiet; he can barely hear Eponine and the street outside is still. He can't stand it, so Enjolras gets up and starts getting ready for bed, brushing his teeth in the bathroom and changing into a soft t-shirt and just his boxers. Even though he hates having a TV in the bedroom, there's one there now for the days when Eponine didn't want to move to the couch, so he turns it on just for the noise when he climbs into bed. He doesn't really hear it, though, and just watches blankly.
After a little while, Eponine slips into bed next to him, already in her pajamas, and Enjolras realizes he completely missed her coming into the bedroom and getting ready for bed. He's in a daze, which is completely unexpected. Really, though, it's not like he ever thought about how he would react upon his dad's death, so it can't be that unexpected that he feels this way. How does he feel?
He wraps his arm around her shoulders and she curls into his side, resting her head on his shoulder as they sit up in bed. "I'm sorry, Enj," she says, and softly kisses his jaw.
He just nods and rests his head against hers. He finally says quietly, "I just...obviously, it's unexpected. But it sucks. I didn't like him, but, fuck. He was still my dad."
"I know. Even though I haven't spoken to them in years and they were horrible, horrible parents, I would still be upset if something happened to one of mine," Eponine reassured him. "It's okay to feel sad. I understand."
"I don't know how I feel."
Eponine reaches over and turns out the light, then switches the TV off. "Come on, lay down and try to sleep. Everything always looks different in the morning."
Enjolras fixes his pillows and lays down next to her, closing his eyes as he feels her hands in his hair. This always relaxes him, the feel of her massaging his scalp and her fingers twisting around his curls. He scoots lower and wraps himself around her, snuggling his head against her chest. He falls asleep like this, and though Eponine is always a comfort, he still doesn't feel like himself.
I guess I'm just going to go through little bursts of writing for both of these stories, haha. Now I'm going pretty good with this one and Breaking the Rules is kind of just sitting there waiting for me to figure out how to write the next chapter.
Hope you enjoyed this update, and the bigger role Les Amis played in it. I know the ending was a bit unexpected, but it will be kind of interesting to have Enjolras work through his feelings about losing his own father while about to become one himself. Please let me know what you think! (And Happy Thanksgiving, U.S. people. Again...didn't think I'd update again before tomorrow, but this chapter came quickly!)