Sorry for the wait! A/C broke again and it was 98 degrees in our house so we cut off all electronics. I'll be moving soon but I promise I'll make sure this continues to get updated in a timely manner. Now, on to Chat-ter 17!
Chat flew from building to building, dividing his attention between the GPS on his baton that was currently leading him to the Hospital De L'ermitage in the northeastern part of the city, and his fiancée's limp body. His body felt like it was on autopilot as he swung over another building. Of course, he mused to himself, that could be Plagg's doing. One never knew when the little black cat would decide to lend a helping paw. His mind was a different story. It felt like he couldn't grasp on to any one thought, they were racing around his skull far too quickly. He could only think about the woman cradled to his chest. His kitten. So. Much. Blood. Familiar bruises along her skin, caused by the disgusting creature he had left to bleed out back in that building. His father. Marinette. Marinette and Luka. Her screaming Luka's name while Adrien watched. Him and Marinette by the fireplace. The golden orb Plagg spoke of. His kitten. His thoughts continued to race as his body raced to the hospital.
Getting closer, he dropped down to street level and detransformed. It would be easier to walk in as Adrien than have to explain who Chat was, or more importantly, what Chat was. Exhaustion hit Adrien like a ton of bricks as soon as the power released and he stumbled. Taking care to make sure Marinette wasn't jostled too much, he ran towards the automatic doors leading in to the ER, trying to outrun his own exhaustion and their problems. Unfortunately, his bad luck chose that moment to rear its ugly head. As he stepped into the cool air of the waiting room, the world dimmed and he blacked out.
When Marinette came to, the first thing she felt was a thick warm blanket tucked all the way up to her chin. The warmth beckoned to her, telling her to drift back asleep, that there was no reason to wake up, no need to open her eyes. Her arms shifted the blanket as she sought a different position. Her body ached, like she had been drug across several streets. She took a deep breath and tried to lift her arm out of the blanket.
"Wha…?" her throat scraped as she tried to speak. She heard shifting to her right and suddenly Marinette's eyes snapped fully open. A bright light directly above her forced her eyes shut again immediately and she started to thrash underneath her blanket. It was a dream, she thought as tears began to sting her eyes, Chat didn't make it on time. I must've passed out and dreamt the whole rescue up. That means I'm still with Luka, at his mercy. Oh god, what has he done to me while I was unconscious? What-
"Mari! Marinette! Girl, it's just me! Alya!" Alya's frantic whisper shouts finally filtered through Marinette's panicking, taking all of her energy along with it.
"Alya? The lights…" Marinette croaked, hoping Alya understood what she was trying to say. Merciful semi-darkness greeted Mari when she opened her eyes after another moment or two. "Thanks. C- can you sit me up? How did I get here?" Mari gratefully accepted a cup full of ice water with a bendy straw in it, sipping the refreshing liquid only to immediately feel nauseated again. She remembered a moment too late that water no longer agreed with her body since she got pregnant. However, it seemed her body didn't have anything to throw up as nothing happened beyond the nauseous feeling.
"Don't make that face, girl! Water is good for you! And your baby." Alya's voice trailed off as she got done adjusting Mari's hospital bed to a sitting position, plunging them both into an awkward silence. After a beat, Alya sighed before continuing, "Adrien brought you here. He collapsed as soon as you both got in the door, however." Alya looked away.
"Oh my god! Is he going to be okay? Why isn't he in here with me? Tell me!" Marinette started to panic again as her eyes ran across the room. She was in a hospital bed in the middle of the ICU room, with a hard plastic chair pulled up to it on the left side. The right side had an uncomfortable looking recliner with a messed up collection of sheets and a single pillow in it. Alya was perched on the edge of the recliner, looking at Marinette through worried eyes. Mari's eyes continued their sweep of the room, noticing a large window in the corner. It looked like weak morning light was filtering through it, but the cloud cover made it impossible to tell for sure. A closed door, more than likely leading to a bathroom, was directly opposite the foot of her bed. The entire left side of the wall was glass, allowing Mari to view the massive circular desk situated in the middle of the ICU floor. Nurses and doctors bustled back and forth, families with worried expressions passing by every so often. Looking away with a lump in her throat, she glanced down to see a number of wires and tubes disappearing underneath her blanket. Taking a deep breath, she removed her hands from under the blanket and pushed it down to her knees.
Alya was unable to control the gasp that slipped out of her mouth, a hand flying up to cover it as she saw the extent of Mari's injuries for the first time. Or, rather, saw just how many bandages were covering Marinette's petite body. She had a large square bandage over her right cheek, but Alya had seen that one since the blanket hadn't been covering it to begin with. Marinette had bruising all along her neck, most of them just turning purple. A large bandage peeked out of the top of her hospital gown. Her left hand was completely covered in a large bandage, she flexed it but could only move the tips of her fingers. Bruises randomly trailed down her arms.
"Alya…. Please close the curtain. I- I need to see something. I need to check on…" Mari stopped talking as her best friend walked over to the curtain and pulled it across the wall of glass to give them some semblance of privacy.
Marinette struggled to get the hospital gown off of her, her whole body aching and protesting the movement. Alya gently reached behind her and untied the strings keeping Marinette's modesty. She let the gown fall down her arms keeping her gaze averted from Alya so she wouldn't see the horror. She was terrified to see all the bandages over her baby bump. She tried to smooth her hand over it, but it was covered in bandages as well. Looking up into Alya's eyes, she asked the question she was both terrified and excited to know the answer to, "Is the baby okay?"
Alya's eyes searched hers, although Marinette couldn't tell what she was looking for. She found it, whatever it was, because her face broke out into a sunny smile as she uttered the four words that set Mari free, "The baby's just fine."
Marinette choked back a sob as she rubbed her non bandaged hand across her stomach, seeking the reassurance that her bump was still there and their kitten still safely nestled inside of it. "Tell me what happened to Ch- Adrien. Where is he?" Mari looked at Alya expectantly.
"He's on a different floor. He didn't have any physical injuries, the doctors think he just pushed himself too hard getting to you. Nino is down there with him now. I think they are going to release him later on today. You, on the other hand, are going to have to stay in until the doctors think you're out of the danger zone. Whatever happened to you that caused that long cut across the top of your stomach, it sent you into early labor. The doctors managed to stop the labor and stitch up the wound, but they're gonna have questions you'll have to answer before they let Adrien back in. I guess it's just a precaution? In case Adrien was the one that did this to you?" Alya shrugged her shoulders. "Let me just call Nino and let him know you're awake, and then you can start telling me about all of this." She gestured to all of the bandages before moving away from Mari's bed.
Marinette could hear her murmuring into her phone, but she tried to block it out as she concentrated on the positives. The baby was fine. Luka would never again be a threat to their family again. Adrien was okay. Despite being banged up, she was okay. Small mercies.
"Okay, girl, spill. What the fuck happened to you and why didn't you tell me you were pregnant? Is it Luka's?" Alya rambled on in her nervousness and Marinette waited for her to trail off before she started in on how Luka had tracked Adrien to the train station and then followed him home. She made it all the way up to her second rape before she started crying again. She was totally inconsolable for a while, until Alya finally got her talking about the baby and how they knew it was Adrien's. Marinette's heart ached for Adrien's warm embrace, for his soft reassurances that everything was going to be okay. Just as Marinette started to describe their home in Loire, a commotion outside caused Alya to stand protectively between Marinette and the wall of glass that was still covered by the curtain. Fearing the worst, Marinette's heart rate kicked up, causing the machine to start beeping faster. Images of Luka coming back covered in blood and seeking revenge filled her mind.
The door to her room burst open, the curtains swinging to the side to reveal a half crazed Adrien. Nino was a step behind him, as was the floor security guard. Marinette held out her arms at the same time Adrien started to sob. She made room for Adrien to climb into the narrow bed with her, combing through his soft golden locks while he continued to weep into her chest. He tightened his grip around Marinette, thanking every deity known to man that his fiancée and kitten were going to be okay.
"We're gonna have a kitten, Mari! You and me, we're gonna have a family. A family…." Adrien continued to hold on to Marinette like his life depended on it. He feathered kisses all along her stomach, cooing at her bump and tracing it with his fingers. The light touches caused goosebumps all along her arms. He finally pulled back to look into her eyes. His hand came up to cup her cheek and he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. He rested his forehead against hers, still sniffling. "So- sorry about t- that," he hiccupped, "I was just s- so worried about you and the kitten."
"Chaton. We're fine, everything's gonna be okay now." She rubbed circles in his back to sooth him, saturating her words with all the love she felt for the ridiculous cat in front of her.
"Actually…." Alya's voice was hesitant. "We still need to know what happened to Mari. All we know is Adrien showed up at the hospital covered in what we can assume to be your blood, with you half dead in his arms. The police are going to have questions, the staff have already alerted them to your presence." She walked closer to the bed, making a motion to Nino to get rid of the security guard still hovering in the doorway. "I'd like to know what story you are going with before the authorities get here. Just in case they question me or Nino. I assume that Luka was behind this. Are you going to tell them that?" she talked softer the closer she got to the hospital bed.
Adrien and Marinette broke apart, but only far enough for Adrien to wrap his arms protectively around Mari. She rested her head against his shoulder as she willed the tears back. There would be time to fall apart later. For right now, they had to figure out a plan before Adrien went to jail for a psychopath's murder.
"Yes, it was the blue haired bastard and yes I killed him. He kidnapped Mari and tortured her before raping her again. What the hell else was I supposed to do? He needed to die!" Adrien's voice was low and dangerous, daring Alya to disagree with him.
"Kitty, this is Alya, she isn't against us. She's on our side. Calm down. Right?" Marinette intertwined her fingers with Adrien's, which were resting on her bump. She raised her eyebrows in apology at Alya, but she waved it off.
"I can't help it, my Lady. When I think of what could've happened if I hadn't gotten there when I did…." Adrien rubbed his nose along Marinette's jaw, nuzzling her as he spoke. "He needed to die."
"No one is arguing that point, Adrien. What I want to know is, what will you say to the police?" Alya sat down in the plastic chair just as Nino came back in the door, shutting it and pulling the curtain back across for privacy. "You probably don't have very much longer before they arrive."
"What should we do? Do we tell them everything? Do we lie our asses off and hope they don't snoop any further into it?" Marinette started to panic, things were happening too fast now. She was raised to believe you should always tell the truth, yet she couldn't just hand Adrien over to the whims of the law. They wouldn't understand why he did it, they wouldn't understand how bad of a person Luka was, and how many lives they had saved by killing him. They needed to come up with something, and fast.
"I have an idea." Every eye turned towards Nino, who was standing behind Alya's chair silently up until now. He quailed slightly at the looks of hope on each of the faces staring at him, but he rallied, clearing his throat before he continued. "Tell them that Mari went to the market and got mugged. You got worried about her when she didn't come back on time, went out to look for her, found her and brought her here." He shrugged and rubbed the back of his head.
Mari could see a million different things wrong with it, loopholes that could be exploited, but they were out of time. "It's gonna have to do. I'll say that a man wearing a black mask tried to grab my basket that had my wallet, phone, and keys in it. When I refused to give it up, he brandished a knife and started taking swipes at me. A scuffle ensued, and I was knocked out. I came to in here." She looked over at Adrien expectantly, waiting for him to pick up the narrative.
"I came along a little later, looking for you, only to find you knocked out and shoved behind some bushes. We can say it happened in that little park off of your route to the market. Anyways, I found you bleeding and unconscious and brought you straight here on foot. Not thinking. I can blame adrenaline for that. Since I came afterwards, I won't have to give descriptions of the assailant. But you will have to think of some identifiers to give them something to go on, Bugaboo." Adrien lightly ran the back of his hand against her bandaged cheek. He choked, feeling the press of tears yet again but pushing them back. "I'm so so-"
"Don't you dare apologize again, Chaton." Marinette placed a finger against his lips. When he opened his lips again, she shook her head. "Kiss me. Instead of apologizing for saving my life, for saving our kitten's life, just kiss me like it means something to you."
Adrien smiled. "You and our kitten mean everything to me. I can certainly do that, my Lady." He brushed his lips over hers gently.
The door burst open right as he was about to deepen the kiss. Alya and Nino stood up protectively, and Adrien spun around and angled himself to where Marinette was hidden behind his broad shoulders. Two police officers, the security guard, and a doctor all filed into the room. The officers took in the way everyone was angled to shield Marinette with narrowed eyes.
"Sir, please step away from the woman." The officer rested a hand on his gun. "The rest of you please leave the room. We need to speak with the woman alone."
"Please, Adrien. It'll be alright. Let's just get this over with and move on with our lives." Marinette murmured to the back of Adrien's head, running her hand in circles on his back.
Adrien was reluctant to let Marinette out of his sight, but he obeyed her request anyway. If it meant them being one step closer to being back home, he supposed he could play nicely.
Adrien, Nino and Alya waited in the ICU waiting room for nearly an hour before the police officers finally emerged. One of the officers had followed them out when they were ordered from the room to take Adrien's statement. Alya and Nino had only come because Marinette had listed Alya as an emergency contact at some point when they were younger and she ended up in the hospital. They didn't know anything beyond what the nurses had told them so they weren't questioned. It seemed like the officers were trying to find something to pin on Adrien, but finally gave up once they couldn't find any loopholes in their stories. Since it was Chat that tortured Luka, not Adrien, there wasn't even any of Luka's DNA on Adrien. Now the only worry would be if they insisted on doing a rape kit on Marinette. Adrien shot up as the two officers approached. They exchanged a few more words, gave Adrien their business cards with a case number written on it and bid them goodbye. Unfortunately, they were immediately followed by the doctor. He beckoned them to follow him back to Marinette's room with a grim look on his face. They exchanged looks before following him in silence. Adrien's mind whirled a hundred miles a minute, each thought more and more dire. Nino clapped a hand on his back as if he could tell what was going through his best friend's mind.
Adrien immediately went over to Marinette as soon as they walked in the room. She greeted him with open arms that were slightly trembling. He smoothed a hand over her hair, pressing a kiss to it.
"It was awful. Th- they thought I was lying…" Marinette sobbed into Adrien's chest as he held her and cursed the officers for upsetting her. She had been through enough, she didn't need the people that were supposed to be on her side upsetting her. He tilted her face up to his and pressed their foreheads together.
"It'll be okay, Bugaboo. They were just doing their job. You're the only one that knows what really happened, they can't take that away from you. They're gone now, it's done. You just concentrate on healing and growing our kitten." He continued to smooth her hair and press kisses to her forehead.
The doctor cleared his throat, not looking at Marinette or Adrien. He dimmed the lights and turned on the x-ray screens. He popped two films on it before turning around and facing the room. "Miss Dupain-Cheng, do you still refuse to let us do a rape kit?" His stiff posture and stern expression radiated his disapproval, but he couldn't force her to take one, either.
"That won't be necessary." Marinette's voice was tired but firm. She had already refused twice while the officers were in the room. She had been pressured by them to take one, but she knew the moment Luka's DNA came back their story would fall apart. Especially since he was currently dead in an abandoned building. No, it was safer just to refuse it. After all, she was already pregnant, and Tikki could take care of anything else.
"Let's review your injuries." He pointed at the film closest to himself. "This is your left hand. You can see the deep cuts, indicated by these dark lines here," he pointed, "and here. You had hairline fractures across three of your fingers." He stepped over to the second film. "This is your lower abdomen and pelvic region. You have multiple tears in your vaginal walls, as well as massive damage to your abdomen from the knife wound." He stepped away from the films, and Marinette couldn't help but picture a stern professor slapping a ruler. "You also have damage to the nerves surrounding your left areola from what appear to be more knife wounds. You have a bite mark in that area as well, which is starting to get infected. You have another shallow cut across your stomach, deep scratches on either side of your abdomen, a cut across the area where your heart is You have deep scratches on both sides of your abdomen, a cut between your breasts, your right cheek is severely swollen, your right wrist has a scissor shaped gash along it, your jaw was overextended, and various other parts of your body are littered with bruises. You also told the officers that you were elbowed in the stomach as well." He ticked off each injury, ignoring the gasps from Nino and Alya and the murderous glare from Adrien. "Because of that alone, I would like to do a sonogram. Just to make sure the fetus is still doing as well as can be expected. As I understand it, you didn't even know you were pregnant until today, is that correct?"
Marinette flushed. "I didn't. I thought I was just exhausted from moving out from the city and stressed out about… Other things…" She didn't appreciate the way the doctor was speaking to her. It felt like he was implying she was an idiot for not knowing she was pregnant. Tears began to leak out of her eyes, she furiously swiped at them not meeting the doctors eyes.
Adrien, however, had no problem looking the doctor in the face with an openly hostile expression. How dare he make Mari cry after all she's been through. I studied fucking quantum mechanics and I didn't know for sure she was pregnant. Adrien angrily thought to himself. Just as he was about to open his mouth and give the doctor a piece of his mind, the doctor held his hands up.
"It is completely normal for women in their first pregnancy to not notice it right away. Especially when life events otherwise occupy your attention. You weren't trying to get pregnant either, correct?" The doctor attempted to make his voice softer. He approached the side of the bed her fiance wasn't occupying to make it seem less like he was lecturing her.
"No, we weren't. But we're happy it turned out this way, we wouldn't have it any other way." Adrien jumped in before she could answer.
"Of course." The doctor nodded. "I would like to do an ultrasound so we can pinpoint how far along you are and when your due date is. I would also like to make sure there was no damage to the baby from that elbow jab. Is that okay?"
"We would get to hear our baby's heartbeat?" Marinette looked at Adrien with wide, hopeful eyes.
"That's right. If you'll excuse me, I'll go put in the order for the sonogram. Someone will be back in shortly." The doctor went over to the sink to wash his hands.
"Do you know when she will be able to go home?" There was no mistaking the wishful tone in Adrien's voice.
"As long as everything checks out on the sonogram, and her cuts continue to heal nicely, she should be out in a couple of days. We need to make sure her pain is under control and that labor doesn't start again as well. I'm sure you both are ready to get home and put this behind you, we just have to make sure she's out of danger before you do. I'll come check in on you again here in a little bit, Marinette." The doctor lifted his hand as a departing gesture before opening the door and walking out of the room.
Marinette slumped back down on the hospital bed, her eyes starting to close. It felt like days since Luka's attack, instead of just mere hours. She vaguely heard Alya and Nino saying their goodbyes to Adrien a few minutes later, sleep already threatening to take her over. After another few moments of silence, in which she struggled to stay awake now that it was just her and Adrien, she felt the bed dip as Adrien sat beside her.
"Go to sleep, love. I'll wake you when the ultrasound technician arrives. You must be exhausted." Adrien's voice was soothing as he brushed her hair back from her face.
"Mmmm… wanna spend time with you though…" Marinette tried to stay awake, but the lull of sleep was too powerful. She heard Adrien's laugh and then the darkness rushed up to greet her.
What felt like a few seconds later, but in reality was more like an hour or so later, Marinette felt Adrien slightly shaking her. "The ultrasound tech is here, Mari. I'm gonna sit your bed up a little."
"Actually, her lying flat is just fine. Just roll onto your back, dear. I'm going to put some of this gel all over your belly. It's going to be cold." The tech warned her as she shifted to lay on her back. The technician was an older lady who reminded her of Louise. She had a similar build and mannerisms, and something about her facial features just...
"Do you have a sister named Louise?" Mari asked without thinking as the tech smeared the gel over her bump. "Jeez, you weren't kidding. This is freezing."
The tech laughed and replied, "As a matter of fact I do. I take it you two have met? My name is Alice."
"She's a good friend of mine. She was the first person to reach out to me when I visited the market near our house for the first time. She's so sweet." Marinette reached out to take Adrien's hand as Alice got the wand ready.
"Sounds just like Louise. Okay, here we go!" Alice put the wand on Marinette's belly, moving it this way and that. Every now and then she stopped and clicked a few buttons, taking what looked like snapshots. "Okay, now we get to hear the little one's heart beat…" She tapped a few more buttons and suddenly a rapid thumpthumpthump filled the room. Marinette's eyes misted over as Adrien looked at the screen in wonder.
"Our kitten… Mari, that's our kitten!" Adrien whooped with joy, squeezing Marinette's hand. She squeezed back, unable to talk over the lump in her throat. Their baby had made it through the ordeal with Luka. They both listened to the heartbeat in silence, words deserting them.
"Did you want to record the heartbeat? If you do, now's the time." Alice waited for a moment before turning around.
"We uhhhh. We don't have our phones. Mari's was lost when the attack happened and I didn't have mine when I went out looking for her. So, we'll have to wait until next time…" Adrien explained in a sad voice.
"Well, let me see what i can do. Hang on just a second." Alice walked from the room, leaving Marinette and Adrien in the semi-dark of the room together. She emerged a moment later, triumphantly holding up a small flash drive. "I'll download it to this and you can take it home with you. After all that you have been through, sugar, you need to have some happiness to listen to."
"We really can't thank you enough, Alice." Adrien took the proffered flash drive after Alice got done.
"Nonsense, honey, I'm happy to do it. So, it looks like you're about 11 weeks, 5 days. So, that'll put your due date on December 31st. Looks like a New Year's miracle! I'll print out the pictures of the sonogram and you can take those home as well. Once you're released from the hospital that is. You take care of yourself and say hello to my sister for me the next time you see her." Alice smiled warmly at both of them before wiping off Marinette's stomach. "I'll let you clean her up, Dad."
Adrien's eyes shined as he turned to Mari. "Did you hear that? She called me 'Dad'. I'm a father, my Lady!" He grabbed a couple of paper towels and finished wiping Marinette down before placing a gentle kiss on her stomach.
"Papa Chat. Has a nice ring to it, don't ya think?" Marinette giggled as he kissed her stomach, carding her fingers through his hair. He looked up at her with love filled eyes. He gently cradled her head in his palms before bringing his lips to hers in a sweet kiss. Marinette moaned quietly, it felt like forever since they had gotten to be just Adrien and Marinette. Well, Adrien and Marinette and their kitten. She wanted more, more of Adrien's loving hands stroking the fire within her that burned for him alone. She wanted Adrien to erase Luka's touch, a balm to the painful memories of the past. She deepened the kiss, pulling him closer until there was nothing but a whisper of space between them. Adrien groaned as her kisses became more frantic, more intense. He finally broke away, resting his forehead against hers as they caught their breath.
"Marry me." Adrien said softly.
"...what?" Marinette came down from her lust induced fog at Adrien's hoarse whisper. She had clearly heard what he said, but shock held her back from her intended response.
"Marry me, Marinette." Adrien pulled back to look her in the face. "I was going to propose six months ago, but you got accepted for the position in Milan and…" he broke off, gazing to the side. He shook of those thoughts and continued, "but even with you being gone those six months, no one filled the part of my soul you took with you when you left. I tried…. To get over you. To move on. But it felt dirty. Wrong. You are my heart, Marinette. You are my soul, my home, my everything. Now you are carrying our child and I just want us to be a family. I promise to love you forever and never leave you. I want you to be MY Lady for the rest of our time here. Please, Marinette. Marry me?" Adrien knew it was the cheesiest thing he had ever said, but it came from the heart. He just wanted to spend the rest of his life with this broken woman in front of him. Nothing else mattered in this moment except his and Marinette's future. He watched as her eyes filled with tears before spilling over to track down her cheeks. On her right side the tears just dampened the bandage taped to her cheek.
"I'm broken, Chaton. I'm messed up, I don't know what's gonna happen now that Luka is gone, I don't want to trap you with me…" She took a deep breath and raised her fingers to his mouth as he opened it to protest, "But…. I would love to be your wife. Now, tomorrow, every day afterwards. Of course I'll marry you. I thought we had already discussed this though?!" She laughed through her tears.
"We did, but I want to make it official. As soon as you get out of the hospital, let's go ring shopping. I want the world to know you're mine." Adrien declared with a crooked smile.
"What about your father? When are you going to tell him?" Marinette hated to bring up Gabriel at a time like this, but she needed to know what to expect if she was going to become an Agreste.
"My father…." Adrien clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth together before answering. He had forgotten that Marinette had passed out when Luka finally provided the information they were looking for. Adrien took a deep breath before breaking the news. "My father…. Was the one that put the hit out on you. Apparently you are so amazing that my father felt threatened by you and wanted you gone. He hired Luka. I promise you, Bugaboo, I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. If it means going up against my father, so be it. I don't want you to be afraid…" he traced a hand over the bandage on her cheek before lightly tracing her swollen jaw. "You mean everything to me. I'm sorry… I'm sorry that my father… that…" Adrien couldn't finish his sentence, collapsing against Marinette as sobs racked his body.
Marinette was stunned. Out of everyone who didn't like her, she would've never thought Gabriel Agreste would feel threatened by her. Adrien was nearly inconsolable, so she rubbed his back until his sobs subsided. She had never really liked Gabriel Agreste, who was always so cold and so indifferent to Adrien, his only son. He had driven the one good thing in his life, his wife Emilie, away with his cold demeanor and indifference to his family. She knew he was ruthless in a business sense, but she didn't ever think that he was that ruthless. Although, the more she thought about it, the more it started to make sense. He didn't get to be number one in the fashion business by talent alone. Even the most talented designers had teams and teams to help their designs be realized. Oh my god Gabriel is the head of the fashion mob. Marinette couldn't contain her hysterical giggles, soon breaking down to laugh outright while Adrien stared at her incredulously.
"What the hell is so funny about my father wanting to kill you?!" Adrien whisper yelled as Marinette continued to laugh. He was just about to ask her if she had lost her mind when the doctor knocked on the door and opened it.
"Good to see you in better spirits, Mlle Dupain-Cheng. I have your printouts from the ultrasound and I've got good news." The doctor handed Adrien the printouts and walked around to the other side of the bed to check Marinette's IV fluids. "Your baby's growth is right on track, and it appears that the fetus suffered no lasting damage from any of your wounds. I would advise against sexual intercourse for the next two weeks to allow the tears in your walls to heal. Other than that, the antibiotics we've been pushing through your IV have been doing their job, and the infections from some of the knife wounds have already started to clear up. You are healing at a remarkable rate, Mlle Dupain-Cheng. I'm having a hard time grasping how you are, but the important part is you are. At the rate you are healing, you might be able to leave the hospital in the next few days. Until then, we are going to discharge you from the ICU and move you to a private room in the maternity ward. The doctors there will continue to monitor your baby for any signs of distress or preterm labor. It has been my pleasure meeting you, Mlle Dupain-Cheng, and I wish you nothing but the best." The doctor shook Marinette's hand before shaking Adrien's and departing.
They stared at each other in silence for a moment before breaking out into grins. "Tikki?" Marinette said, relief evident in her tone.
Tikki phased out from under the pillow, pulling a sleepy and still filthy Plagg with her. "Yes, Marinette?" Tikki's sweet voice was filled with innocence, but Marinette was onto her.
"Are you to blame for my increased healing abilities?" Marinette side eyed her while trying to contain her smile.
"Who… Me?" Tikki looked the very picture of innocence with her hands clasped in front of her and her eyes fluttering.
Meanwhile, Adrien and Plagg were staring at the two, completely nonplussed.
"Kid, do you have any idea what the hell is going on right now?" Plagg shook his head at his other half as she dissolved into helpless giggles with her holder.
"Not a fucking clue, but I love listening to them laugh, so I'll take it." Adrien said, looking on the scene fondly.