Klaus sat back against his cot, worn playing cards dealt neatly in front of him on the dusty floor as he played solitaire for the millionth time. His days were tedious and boring. It was only when he retreated inside his head that he felt any kind of peace. That way he was able to ignore the fights between prisoners and the money that passed between the guards after a brawl was finally won. He could forget about the maggots that infested his meals and the rotten smell of feces that constantly permeated the air. It was a constant struggle to push thoughts of Caroline away and he'd slipped up more times than he could count. She was his most frightening nightmare and his dream come true. In his mind's eye she was always smiling, her golden hair bouncing as she twirled to the sound of music. If he closed his eyes and concentrated hard enough, he could almost hear the sound of a trumpet being played. He'd always hoped to take her to New Orleans so she could hear some real jazz music, but then he'd open his eyes and reality would set in, the iron bars that kept him caged, shadowing his cell.
"Mikelson, you have a visitor," a guard hollered by his cell door, as if Klaus were hard of hearing.
He didn't look up from his cards, even though he hadn't made a move in some time. "Who is it?"
"Do I look like your secretary?"
He bit back a cutting remark, Elijah's voice warning him to be good. Klaus wasn't scared of getting bruised up from the guards, but he'd rather not have a blemish on his record when he went for parole. Whenever the hell that would be, he thought.
"Maybe some broad who's looking for an easy husband," the guard provoked and Klaus glanced to the stack of unopened letters that sat in a neat pile on the cell's tiny desk.
"I'm not seeing visitors," he replied, looking back to his playing deck and roughly shuffling the cards in his hands. He couldn't take the chance that it was her. Her presence in his head was enough to break him, he didn't know what he'd do if he could actually see her.
"Suit yourself."
His eyes strayed back to the letters after the guard walked away. He'd almost cracked and opened them too many times to count, but he couldn't bring himself to throw them away either. In the beginning she had written every day and sometimes he'd even receive two letters. He'd smile in the darkness of his cell at night, holding a letter close to his nose, soaking in the floral scent that always clung to her, but not once did he dare to open one. He knew if he opened one then the rest would follow. Envelopes would litter the floor around him as he devoured each and every word she wrote, which was why he knew he couldn't read them. Not having her there would eventually drive him mad, so instead he collected the letters as someone would a stamp, tucked away not to be used. Even though he never read them, his heart would race when a guard would slip one into his cell. But eventually the letters started to taper off. Three times a week, two times, one time and then finally once a month. He knew when she was the one to visit him because he always got a letter after, but those stopped after some time as well.
Within the past year or so he'd only accepted a visit from Elijah twice, once was an update on an appeal which thankfully went through and the last was when his brother came to tell him about his upcoming nuptials to Katherine. He had figured it was only a matter of time before they got hitched. In Klaus's opinion, it had been long overdue. After that he stopped accepting visitors all together. Elijah still wrote, but every word had an undertone of remorse and guilt that Klaus barely had the patience to read them. Another year later and Klaus received a letter, but this time with a picture. His breath had caught in his throat as he looked at it. He ignored his brother and Katherine holding a cubby cheeked baby and instead only had eyes for the smiling beauty who stood next to his sister-in-law. Caroline looked more beautiful than ever, her eyes gazing lovingly at the baby instead of the photographer, but he could imagine how they must have sparkled. He'd stared at the picture for what felt like hours and eventually tucked it away, only taking it out when he could no longer hold himself back. The days, weeks and months dragged on after receiving the picture. Hope was a dangerous thing in prison.
ooOoo
3 years later
"Doctor Forbes?" the young lady asked, her breath coming out in pants as another contraction hit.
"Not a doctor yet," she answered with a smile and went to guide the woman back to the small bed.
"Soon enough," Dr Saltzman replied with a small smile, readying himself for the delivery.
Ever since the day Alaric had practically dragged Caroline out of Jenna's house to help with a delivery all those years ago, she hadn't looked back. She loved helping people, but she found that birthing was what she really wanted to do. She wanted to help life come into the world and bask in the glow of the celebrations when a child took its first breath into the world.
Every day she went from house to house in the city, checking on patients and doing exams. Katherine chided that she barely had time in the day to think of anything else, but thinking was what got her in trouble. She had plenty of time at night when she lay awake to think and even years later, he would inevitably drift into her thoughts. Sometimes she was so angry and would roll over, gripping her pillow over her head, as if that would keep the thoughts of Klaus at bay. Other nights she'd stare at the ceiling, remembering what it was like to have his lips on her or she'd remember how his warm hands would skim down her sides when he held her close as they danced. Anger at herself usually followed those thoughts, but she liked living in that dream land where they existed together. But eventually day would come and she'd busy herself once more with other people's lives instead of dwelling on her own.
"I don't know why you asked me to come. You're a perfectly capable midwife, not to mention you're almost a doctor yourself. You'd be able to handle anything."
She smiled thankfully as she patted the woman's brow with a damp cloth. "Thank you, but Ingrid's mother couldn't be here. I needed an extra set of hands."
Alaric gave her a nod and smiled toward the expecting mother. "You know, Ingrid, my wife is expecting too. Caroline will be kept busy that day. Jenna's a little…"
"A little what, Ric? I'd love to know," Caroline asked with a teasing smile, but Alaric just laughed.
"Excited," he finished, but Caroline rolled her eyes. Jenna had always been assertive, but since she was pregnant, the word took on a whole new meaning.
Hours and a baby wail later, the two walked out of the small apartment, tired, but relieved there hadn't been too many complications during the birth.
"I'm glad you were there," she admitted, pulling on her day hat.
"You would have handled a breeched baby the same as I did. What's really going on?" he asked, pausing to allow her to gather her thoughts.
"My exams are coming up," she admitted.
"Easy," he declared. "You know your stuff. Don't stress yourself about it. I know you're a perfectionist, but you don't have to get 100% you know."
She rolled her eyes. "I'm just nervous. What if I don't pass?"
"Then you study harder and take it again. But, Caroline, you know what you're doing. You won't fail. Just visualize what the question is asking. You could sew up a wound in your sleep."
She sighed, hopeful.
ooOoo
He winced as he shifted in the infirmary cot, a little bit of blood trinkling from his back.
"I said sit still," a cantankerous older doctor demanded. Klaus thought the prison was probably the only place the man could have gotten a job as a doctor, if he even really was a doctor. He'd witnessed the hack jobs the man had done on some of the other inmates. Nothing was sewn neatly or precisely. It always looked like a five-year-old had decided to sew up the wounds.
"You lost me some coin, Mikelson," a guard berated from the hall. "Who knew you were so scrappy," he laughed.
Klaus gritted his teeth as the doctor tried to sew up the wound on his side. "Sorry to disappoint."
Once the doctor finished and packed the angry looking incision, Klaus finally let out a breath of relief. The wound hurt like hell, but at least he was alive. The fight had taken him off guard and he suspected the guards had put the other inmate up to it in the first place. The man had jumped him in the showers of all places, but he figured it would be the easiest place to clean up if blood were spilled. He had tried talking the guy down from whatever infraction it was believed Klaus had committed, but nothing had quelled the other man's actions. Plus, surprise at one's movements were one thing, but to take on a man while his back was turned was just cowardly in his opinion. The punch to the back of the head had him seeing stars before his anger and adrenaline had kicked in. Elijah had always said Klaus was as strong as an ox if he were angry enough and he was thankful for that. The toothbrush turned shank was a surprise, but it only had fueled his anger that had been tinged with a sliver of fear.
He looked to the cot next to him at the unconscious man. Klaus looked closely, but couldn't place him. He was pretty sure they'd never come in contact before, further driving his suspicions that the guards were behind the attack. Would there be more attacks, he wondered. He let out a calming breath, wincing when his side felt like it was burning. He only hoped the wound wouldn't get infected, but as he looked around the cramped dirty room, he didn't have much hope.
ooOoo
3 years later
"So, first big date," Katherine stated with a waggle of her eyebrows.
Caroline rolled her eyes. "It's just dinner. Nothing more."
"Hmmm," her friend murmured, inspecting her nails.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, checking her purse for the essentials. Nerves were getting to her, but she tried to quell them. She just had to be herself and if it didn't work out, then no harm done. It was always nice to get out and do something with someone anyway. It had been a long time since she'd even been able to pull Katherine out and away from her family for a fun night.
"Nothing. I'm just surprised it's taken you this long to finally go on a date."
"We weren't married. We only knew each other for two weeks," knowing Katherine spoke of Klaus.
Klaus, she thought with a sigh. How she'd fallen into that relationship was still a mystery to her. It had felt so natural being around him, being held by him, talking to him. She knew she tended to talk too much when she was nervous, but he'd immediately put her at ease. Crazy, she told herself. He was the last person she should have felt comfortable around. She shook her head to try and dislodge any further thoughts, but she knew it would be pointless. She'd been asked many times on dates, but she could never bring herself to say yes, Klaus's face flashing in her mind each time. But when the handsome Dr James O'Keefe had asked her to dinner, she'd forced herself to dispel his image and agree. They'd had small conversations in passing at the hospital before and it hadn't been too forced. He made her smile with his little jokes and he was sweet, but mostly, he was safe.
"I better get going. Hazel is probably up from her nap by now. God knows Elijah barely knows what to do with babies. You'd think being the oldest sibling he'd have more experience."
Caroline laughed. "You're forgetting, they grew up rich. They probably had nannies running after all the children."
"True," Katherine agreed, standing from the chair in Caroline's kitchen and giving her a peck on the cheek. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," she exclaimed as she left the townhouse.
"What would that be?" Caroline called after her with a laugh.
The date was nice. He was ever the gentleman, holding doors, pulling out her chair at the restaurant, charming, but not overly so and she caught herself smiling more than a couple times, but she didn't get that tingle from being around him. Not like…
Stop thinking about him! she yelled at herself, completely missing the end of James's story, so she smiled and nodded. It was moments like these that Caroline really hated Klaus with a passion. He was a ghost that haunted her and all these years later she still couldn't get him out of her head. Even as James walked her home, keeping up their small talk, she couldn't help but compare it to the walks she'd had with Klaus. There hadn't been long stretches of silences or awkward small talk. She remembered giggling and practically being dizzy from being so happy. It was a nice walk with James and even though it didn't get her heart pounding, it was enough. So, when he dropped her at her door and asked to see her again, she agreed. She knew nothing could ever be like her and Klaus and she needed something uncomplicated, something simple. Nothing about Klaus had ever been easy.