Poppy realized that compared to missing her mom when she's at work, her mama when she's off helping people or Bruce when he's at school, or Alfred when he's grocery shopping, missing Thomas is like 10 times over, a word called grief she never exactly understood when her mothers and Alfred tried to explain it, until now.
"I'm honestly surprised.", Caroline admitted. "After just how bad the river looked rushing through; I would've sworn that she suffered at least some serious injuries, but she looks like she got through it all unscathed.".
"That was a strong branch she had, keeping her above the water, even if it broke on her and caused her to be in the rushing flood in the first place.", Bruce said.
Caroline smiled, "I suppose I was right about the angel watching over Poppy, huh?", and Alfred gave a chuckle, "Indeed...Oh, my, I forgot about lunch!".
"Don't worry, I have seen to feed Poppy and Waylon already.", Caroline reassured him, and Waylon smiled sheepishly, "I'm still hungry, Ma...", as Bruce said, "Now you mention it...I'm hungry too...".
Poppy nodded, "Me too!", with a chuckle, and Caroline replied with a laugh, "I should have known teenagers...but I'm surprised with Poppy...".
Kel replied, "My fault...I gave Poppy-pup my appetite.", and Caroline said, "Well, good thing I had stocked up quite well.", as Alfred replied, "May I assist you, miss?".
"You cook?", Caroline looked at him in surprise, and Martha smiled, "His cooking is superb.", and Caroline raised an eyebrow, looking back at Alfred, "Very well, but I ain't taking nonsense if you don't agree to compromising with my style of cooking, is that clear?", faintly remarking that Alfred is nice-looking for a man of his age which couldn't be more than a few years of her age.
"Of course; I certainly am very familiar with compromising with the cook.", Alfred chuckled, thinking back to the times at the manor when during charity events or some special social affairs; Thomas and later, Martha would bring in some top cooking help though insisted that he would help them.
Hell, sometimes when he was younger, Bruce would eat something different from everyone that only Alfred would cook, like one time Bruce, at 4 years old, during a party, wanted chicken nuggets and French fries.
It's a good thing that Alfred is flexible in that matter, and Caroline smiled, "Good. And don't call me miss or anything. Call me Caroline.", and Alfred nodded, "Yes, ma'a- er, Caroline. You may call me Alfred.", with a smile.
And so, with that, a beautiful friendship began with the Jones family from that day, with conversation, laughter, and lots of delicious food and Southern hospitality. It took a few days for Poppy to be able to go outside after the females of the family was agreeing on insisting to make sure that she didn't get sick or anything from the river with plenty of rest, food and such.
The plans of the Wayne family changed somewhat with wanting to know their new friends and all, and Caroline especially was so happy to see her son looking like the happiest boy while playing with Bruce and Poppy, and instead of two weeks of their planned stay in Louisiana, the Wayne family stayed a month and a half before leaving for another trip to some other state.
They made sure to trade phone numbers and addresses, and so, between school and such, letters and phone calls were happily received and given, with opportunities to visit on Halloween Weekend for Poppy's birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Break, Bruce's birthday and Mardi Gras, Spring Break, and of course, the summers.
It was a treat for the adults to see that Bruce and Waylon are as close as brothers, and that Waylon and Poppy are best friends as the next few years passed, with Alfred and Caroline happily becoming close friends with secret attraction here and there, with Martha and Kel so glad to have another private place besides the manor and the caverns to express their love intimately, with chances to fool Kel as a costume on Halloween Weekends and Mardi Gras.
2005 was scary with Hurricane Katrina, but luckily, the Jones family wasn't hit as severely, and the next few years was good, and then 2008, a phone call came upon the month of August to Wayne Manor, after a phone call earlier in June from the Jones family said that there was a spread of sickness around town and such, and they didn't want to put the Wayne family in risk of it.
Alfred was overlooking the staff as usual since it was a public summer party once again in Martha Wayne's foundation charity in the Wayne Manor, and a call from one of the staff called out, "Alfred, someone wants to talk to you on the phone!".
"Which line?", Alfred replied, and the staff member replied, "Line 3!", and Alfred nodded, "Right, I'll take it in one of the private rooms, link it to the phone there.".
The staff member nodded as Alfred was confused and curious, wondering if the Jones family is hoping for a visit from them, with perhaps the sickness in town gone for good now, since it's still summer, heading for one of the private rooms, closing the door and pressing the button to the phone as he picked it up.
"This is Alfred Pennyworth speaking. Who may I have the pleasure to talk to?", Alfred asked, and an accented male voice replied, "Mr. Pennyworth, this is Dr. Samuel Einburg of Acadian Medical Center. Do you know of a Caroline Jones?".
Alfred said, "Yes, I do. We're close friends. Has something happened?", getting concerned, and a deep sigh on the other side of the phone was heard, "I'm sorry, but we did the best we could...but she was deeply sick... she must have not realized what she had was in too late of a stage to do anything to help... I'm afraid she's dead, sir. She came to us in her final hours, barely able to talk while carrying a note asking for you."
Alfred's heart nearly stopped by hearing that. Caroline... dead? It was practically a shot in the heart, considering the past few years; the visits, he and her were getting close. More than close actually, they shared several nights with each other, practically the first woman in his life he truly loved. Not the way he loved and cared for Martha, but someone he almost was seriously considering in dropping to one knee and proposing to.
"Were you an ex of hers?", the doctor asked. "Did you have a relationship with the patient?", patiently waiting for Alfred to answer.
"Yes... yes, I am... was... her fiancé, well, I planned to be...", Alfred thought it was better to say that than simply 'lover' or something, making it sound not as emotionally attached as the words might imply.
"I'm deeply sorry for that, sir...", the doctor replied. "Listen, I'll come down there by tomorrow, I'll take care of any issues. Is Waylon there with her?", Alfred asked.
"No, we found her alone. There was a Waylon she mentioned in her note, how much she loved him and thanked him for the happiness in her life, but we never encountered a Waylon.", the doctor explained. Alfred was beside himself hearing that part. Where in God's name did that boy vanish then? Why wasn't he there with his mother?
Alfred exhaled, "Did...did she suffer?", and the doctor replied, "No...We gave her some mild medicine in her last few hours, and she died in her sleep as far as we know, through the funny thing was that the window was strangely open...One of the nurses told me that she wanted to see the outside one last time before she left the room. No damage or anything.".
His eyes closed in both relief and pain, relieved that Caroline didn't die alone in her final hour yet pained that the boy suffered the trauma of seeing her getting sick and seeing her die, leaving Waylon an orphan as far as he knew.
Alfred replied, "C-Caroline never liked a day without a view...Thank you, doctor...Thank you for easing her suffering...", and the doctor's voice said, "Of course, sir...We will inform the hospital that she...her body will be in the hospital morgue to keep intact for your arrival by tomorrow, for your arrangements.".
"I very much appreciate that, doctor. May I be excused then?", Alfred said, and the doctor replied, "Yes...My condolences...Goodbye.", before the phone clicked off, and Alfred stared at nothing, his hand shaking on the phone as he put it back, and then collapsed into the chair behind him, giving out a heartbreaking sob, and then crying, burying his hands into his face.
Meanwhile, Martha was warmly chatting with some of the good people she knew, including Gordon who had recently became the captain of his precinct in Gotham.
"You are looking well, Captain Gordon. I must congratulate you for the promotion...", Martha smiled kindly. Gordon chuckled, "Years of hard work, Mrs. Wayne, and I must congratulate you for your hard work with your charities and of course, Wayne Entreprises. Why, my officers are delighted with the latest phone technology, and better battery life for the radios and making them smaller and easier to handle.".
Martha smiled, "I know my husband would've wanted Gotham to be safer and such for our children, and what kind of woman am I if I don't show his dreams into reality with my hard work, and of course, teamwork with Mr. Fox?".
Gordon nodded, "I'm grateful for it, Mrs. Wayne, and your children are looking quite grown-up in their own ways...I wish I would've have brought my daughter, Barbara, along to interact with your daughter, but she is with her mother, as...we're taking a break.", with a soft sigh.
"She must be what, 9?", Martha asked as Gordon hummed, nodding, and Martha replied, "I won't intrude personally like that, but try to listen to your wife...hash it out...just call me if you want to bring Barbara over as she doesn't deserve to hear it all, okay?".
Gordon gave a small smile, "Thank you for the offer, Mrs. Wayne...I'd might consider that...", and Martha smiled before a staff member came to her, clearing his throat, "Ma'am?".
"Oh, yes, Daniel?", Martha nodded, and the staff member replied, "Mr. Pennyworth...he got a call, and now he isn't coming out of his private room near the kitchen.".
Martha blinked, "Oh, my...", looking around before she saw Bruce talking with people his age, laughing and joking with a drink in his hand, and she called out, "Bruce!", and Bruce looked her way before apologizing to his group with a smile, and then came over to Martha.
"Yes, mother?", Bruce politely replied, and Martha said, "Would you see to the kitchen, please? There's a situation with Alfred...Go find out what's going on?", with a concerned glint in her eyes.
"Sure.", Bruce quickly finished his drink and headed to where Alfred was. He knocked on the door. "Alfred, you in there?", he asked.
"Y-yes, sir...", Alfred responded though Bruce could tell that something was wrong, "Are you okay? Why's the door locked?".
"I... I'm sorry, sir, I've just been told some... devastating news.", Alfred admitted, though he didn't want to say, not while everything else was going on at the moment; he knew Martha would end things in an instant.
Bruce frowned, trying to think of what would rattle Alfred like this...He knew that his mother and his mama, and Poppy and he himself is fine, unharmed. He knew that Alfred has been friends with Leslie, but she's at her clinic for the weekend, and there is sometimes a group who watches the news on tv in the parties, but as far as he knew, there had been nothing devasting in Gotham.
And for Mr. Fox, he's in the party, socializing, though not for long as he is determined to head back to do some late-night work on some tech. That leaves the Jones family in Caroline and Waylon...Alfred would have immediately left the room if something happened to Waylon, to tell Poppy as she was the one who most cared for Waylon next to him and Alfred...so it's Caroline...
He and the others weren't blind to the blooming relationship between Alfred and Caroline...He gulped, taking a deep breath, "Alfred...is it Caroline? You know I am scarily smart like a detective...".
A sob was heard, and Bruce replied, frowning, "You don't have to say anything right now...you are excused to stay in there...There's still a hour left in the party...Can you trust me to take charge of the staff?", and Alfred's voice, "Y-yes...I...I promise I will tell you e-everything when the party's over...Please don't tell your mother or she'll be distracted...I know how hard she worked for this one party all last month...".
Bruce nodded, even if he knew that Alfred couldn't see it, "I won't...Just hang in there, Alfred...Don't do what part of me is afraid of...You have us...", and Alfred replied quietly, "I-I know...Please go...".
Bruce sighed and then left the door, and then took a deep breath, looking at the staff that was trying to work yet worried, out of hearing distance barely to hear the short conversation as he narrowed his eyes, "The private office is forbidden, do not dare to go near or touch the door, or ask. It's up to all of you to prove your dignity for Wayne Manor, and do not let, I repeat, let anyone down by doing your jobs. Keep smiling, keep working, and keep focused, we need to make this last hour the best, is that clear?".
They all nodded before Bruce gave one of his own. "Alright then, thank you. Just continue as normal.", he said as he returned to the party, but feeling a knot in his stomach as his mind was racing at that moment. Obviously, putting things together, he could probably guess that Caroline had died somehow and that he had gotten the news from someone. Perhaps Waylon, but he didn't have any true evidence to think that was who had called.
Bruce acted like a well-mannered teenager, almost adult, laughing and smiling, injecting himself into conversation here and there while carefully avoiding Martha, teasing Poppy as she craftily sneaked a few tidbits off the food table.
As the party was winding down to the last half hour with a few leaving here and there, Martha glanced at her son once again while sipping her drink, and he gave the most believable smile before turning his attention to say a joke to a group, and Kel's voice mentally replied in the back of her head, "I don't know about you, Martha, but something smells off, and no, it's not the salmon cuts on the crackers.".
"I've felt it too, on the back of my neck... ever since I was told that something was wrong with Alfred. Bruce didn't say anything, but I get the feeling he's keeping something from us.", Martha mentally said.
"Why?", Kel asked mentally with a frown. Martha mentally sighed, "Probably trying not to ruin the mood; I'm sure he'd tell once everyone starts to leave. Still, let's not press him.".
Kel gave a mental nod of agreement, and so, it seemed forever until the clock rang out at the hour mark, with Martha thanking the last of the stragglers as the hostess and happy that the charity has gotten a wonderful goal of several thousand, to help Gotham's unfortunate and such.
Martha ordered most of the staff to head home, with some cleaning up the ballroom before she went to confront Bruce who was helping Poppy straighten out the coatroom, "Bruce Wayne, what's going on with Alfred? Did you find out? I know he got a call and that he didn't come out of the private room reserved for calls of importance, thanks to Daniel.".
Bruce took a deep breath as he went to sit down. "You might want to take a seat, you two...", he said as Martha now was getting worried. "He didn't exactly say it, but I pretty much guessed... Caroline's dead.".
One could practically hear a pin dropping as all sound practically left and the air leaving the lungs of Martha and Poppy. "D-dead...?", Poppy whispered as Bruce nodded.
Martha exhaled, "A-and Waylon?", and Bruce replied, "I...I don't know...", shaking his head, and Martha heard Kel's voice mentally reply, "We need to go to Alfred...We can't lose him too!".
"Come on, children, we have to check on Alfred...", Martha urged them, and the siblings nodded, realizing the same thing, and they headed to the kitchens, with Bruce leading the way to the door of the private room, knocking again, "Alfred...Party's over...It's just me and Mom and Poppy...I kept quiet until after the party finished like I promised...Alfred, can we come in, please?".
Alfred's voice spoke quietly, "I-I suppose so.. Door's unlocked...", and Bruce gently opened the door, with the trio walking in, and closed the door, while Martha choked back a sob at how awful Alfred is looking.
His well-pressed suit is pretty much all over the place with pillows visibly punched or thrown around as Alfred's hair is out of place, with his warm brown eyes all red with signs of tears and having a pale, depressed look to his features, sitting in a desk chair, hands shaking as he is staring at a black velvet ring box, closed.