Participants:
| Scene Title | Unexpected Miracle |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Griffin and Nadira have one. |
| Date | March 04, 2011 |
Confucius Plaza - Nadira's Apartment
Nadira's apartment is very well kept. The entryway leads into an open living room, where two matching green couches sit 90 degrees from each other around a black coffee table that looks like it might have been bought at an antique store. The walls of the apartment are rich in color, though they tend to stay in the darker hues, with several bookcases filled with books, most of which are on mythology from various different countries. There's a moderate sized TV with a small collection of DVDs under it, though the thing doesn't appear to be used very often. Of all the rooms, the bedroom is most decorated and complete, with a rich, almost muddy dark red on the walls and a bedspread with almost a quilt-like pattern of black, red, and gold. The four-poster bed is complete with several yards of see-through black fabric which decoratively drape along the top without hanging down too far.
It's been a bit of research. Scrawled on a piece of paper, Nadira's got a list of doctors. It was hard researching ones that seemed like they'd be friendly to someone Evolved as well as unregistered, but she had backup plans in case it turns out they were going to check ID. She'd located some places that weren't totally up-to-date electronically, which meant a fake Registration card could help her get in and out with no difficulty. She folds the sheet of yellow legal paper in half, snatches her purse, and moves for the door. It'd take a while to get to more than one if she had to, especially on foot.
Aside from pouring alcohol on Ziadie's pants, Griffin has had a fairly interesting past few days. He's helped one Nocturne Ziadie in ventures to quit drinking, and gotten away from the alcohol, himself. He's confronted the man who arrested him back in November, and successfully caught the speedster off guard. And managed to walk out without knocking the guy out. He's feeling fairly good about himself, so he's decided to top it all off with a visit to his beautiful fiancee.
It's as she's moving toward the door that Griffin is knocking on it. In one hand, he holds a bouquet of flowers. In the other, a box of chocolates. And on his face, a charming smile.
The door is opened with a look of surprise. Nadira offers a small smile to Griffin, albeit a slightly awkward one. "Griff… I really wasn't expecting you. But you are so sweet to bring me gifts." She reaches to take the flowers from him and let him in, dropping the yellow legal sheet in the process.
Griffin, in turn, looks rather surprised that Nadira answered the door so quickly, his brows raising a bit. But, he happily greets her with a warm hug, before passing along the gifts. "It's been a few days since I stopped by, so I felt the need to get you some nice things." A kiss is planted on Nadira's lips, then one on her forehead, the man offering a warm smile to her.
Then, green eyes turn down to that yellow legal sheet, the man scooping down to pick it up for his fiancee while her hands are full with the gifts he brought. "What's this?" He unfolds it, peering over the list of doctors with raised brows. "Dr. Sulu…Dr. Tran…" he blinks a few times, eyes lifting to the woman's face. "You're not feeling sick, are you?"
Nadira's face flushes for a moment. "It's… Griffin… I mean." She clears her throat. "I'm not feeling sick, I just… I need to go to the doctor and so I was trying to find one that would do something fairly routine without getting in trouble with Registration."
Concern flashes over Griffin's features, the man reaching out to wrap an arm around Nadira's shoulders. "Is there something wrong?" He promptly trades Nadira the list of doctors for the gifts he got for her, moving to enter the apartment, to put the flowers into a vase. This is swiftly accomplished by way of his ability, while he holds Nadira close. "There's a nurse on Pollepel…she's been treating the H5N10 patients, but I'm sure she could see you…"
The paper is tucked away. "Have you gotten your vaccine yet?" Nadira questions with a little concern. "Because I haven't. But… no. It's not that there is something wrong. Not… not entirely. I wanted to be sure with a doctor that I wasn't worrying over nothing before I talked to you but now you're going to worry either way…"
Griffin blinks a few times, before he's gently guiding Nadira over to the couch, sitting down with her if she'll allow it. "Yes, I've gotten my vaccine. I got to fight some FRONTLINE-OS fuckers to liberate some of their vaccinations." He tips his head toward Nadira. "The Ferry has a pretty good supply, some on Pollepel, and there's some in Grand Central Terminal."
Her further statements prompt his brows to raise, and he offers a gentle, comforting squeeze. "What's going on, Nadira? What's got you so nervous?" He plants a kiss on her temple, reaching for her hand.
"Well, I should get vaccinated quickly, then. I don't know how my immune system will be in the future…" Nadira murmurs, allowing him to guide her into a seat. Good, they're sitting, at least. Don't want him getting weak knees. "I-I really do not mean to alarm you, Griffin, and I am not entirely sure. I mean, I am fairly certain and there was a test…" She slides her fingers in between his, squeezing gently. "I'm pregnant."
Griffin blinks a few times as she starts out. She doesn't know how her immune system will be in the future? His brows crease with concern, though he listens carefully to her, squeezing her hand as she speaks. She's not sure about what? A test? What? He looks more and more confused by her words, and concerned, and worried for his wife to be.
Oh.
That's what she was getting at.
For a moment, Griffin just…freezes, a look on his face akin to a deer in the headlights as she says those two words, those three syllables strung together so simply. If only the situation was nearly as simple as the words that reveal it. "P— pregnant?" His voice is odd, a bit high pitched, strained with the absolute shock that the statement brings with it. "With a baby?"
As if she could be pregnant with kittens, or something.
"W-With a baby. I was late and usually that doesn't always worry me but I had a feeling so I took a test and it was positive and I did not want to tell you until I was sure, but finding a doctor was a little harder than I anticipated," Nadira's grip on his hand tightens. "And I know it is complicated and it isn't the best timing and we didn't think it would happen until later, but…"
Still holding tight to Nadira's hand, sure to not let go, Griffin just…sits, for a moment, turning to stare at the wall with a stunned look on his face. A baby? Really? There's a baby in Nadira's belly? He's going to be a daddy? Again? Owain's going to have a little brother or sister? How is this going to work? He's a very much wanted terrorist. She's the not-so-wanted fiancee of a terrorist.
It's kind of awkward, the silence that comes from him for a moment as his mind whirrs to life with questions, doubts, fears, surprise, shock, and many other things. While Nadira is talking a mile a minute, Griffin's thoughts are crowding his head right now.
Finally, however, Griffin moves to free his hand from Nadira's. It's only briefly that the touch is interrupted, as the man suddenly lays down, his head in Nadira's lap, forehead resting up against her abdomen, hugging her to him as he does so. "We'll take you to see Megan, on Pollepel." His voice is still strained by the surprise, but…he's doing his best to take it well.
Griffin could really use a drink right about now, though.
The fact that Griffin's lying like that against her is a relief, but Nadira is not entirely sure this is all okay. Really, she's know Griffin long enough to know how he sounds, and this isn't perfectly normal. She inhales deeply, trying to keep her composure. "Griffin, a-are you okay with this?"
The man rests against her like this for a while longer, closing his eyes. There's a baby in there. One that he made with her. He promptly lifts her shirt, planting a small kiss on her bare belly, before turning his green eyes up to her, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows. Then, Griffin raises up, wrapping his arms around his wife-to-be and pulling her close to him.
"Honestly? This is big. I mean…a baby. I don't know what to think." He takes a breath, leaning down to plant a kiss atop her head. "It— it's a good thing." He thinks? "It's just…"
After a moment, a smile forms on the man's face, strained and yet not. "I'm doing that man thing where I'm freaking out a little, to be honest." He plants another kiss on her forehead this time. "It'll be okay. I mean…we still have a good nine months to wrap our heads around it, right?"
"Well, yes, but I have to start dealing with the repercussions a lot sooner than you do, I'm afraid," Nadira murmurs, fingers sliding into his hair. "I know it's a man thing and you are allowed to be a man at a time like this, but… please do not freak out too much because I think I would cry. I… I am happy, but I am very scared."
Griffin leans against her touch, closing his eyes. Then, he dips his head down, planting another kiss, this time on her nose. "You kidding? I'm along for the entire ride. If you want, I'll even puke with you. I will even let you subject me to whatever weird pregnant concoctions of food that you come up with, though I can't promise I won't be the one puking afterwords." He's trying to put a positive spin on this, at least.
Then, he pulls her tight against himself, burying his face against her shoulder and enjoying the closeness, before pulling back to smile down at his wife, and apparently the soon-to-be mother of his second child. "I get one night of drunken freaking out, though you don't get to see any of it. You don't need to see it." Another kiss planted on the woman's forehead. "Just one night. Then I'm going to stop freaking out and man up. Okay?"
Then, he plants a kiss on her lips. "I love you, Nadira." One of his hands comes to rest on her abdomen. "And this is our little unexpected miracle. And I will do everything I can to be here for you."
"I wouldn't make you puke with me, Griffin. Just take care of me when I feel miserable and be by my side and I'll be happy," Nadira says, smiling back towards him. She shuts her eyes, leaning in to rest her head against his shoulder. "You're allowed to freak out. But I expect the same. Only I'd rather you be here to hold me when I break down and cry." She pulls back to kiss him lightly. "You can go get drunk if you want."
"I will happily take care of you, any time you need it." Griffin plants another kiss on her lips. "And if you need to freak out and sob your eyes out, I will hold you close." With a faint smile, he plants a kiss on each of her eyelids, then her nose. "We'll be okay, Nadira. We'll work through this, somehow. You and me and Owain and our little bundle of joy on the way."
Then, he smiles. "I would be lying if I said I don't look forward to getting a second chance…"
"Do you want me there when you tell Owain? I don't know if it would be better for you to have a man-to-man conversation or if we should tell him together. I… I don't want to make him feel like I am crowding him out or trying to replace his mother or anything," Nadira murmurs. "I hope he will be excited for a little brother or sister…"
"Let…let me talk to him, first. Have a man-to-man chat with my son. Just in case…you know." He nuzzles his face against Nadira's hair. "He likes you, but…this is something big, having a little brother or sister coming into the picture. I think…we should ease him into this one. This way, I can help lay down any concerns he might have." He then brings his hand down to rest on her tummy.
His mind is still racing, though. His dad— he'll have to tell his dad. This is just so much to take in. A baby. A new baby. A second chance, in a way, to succeed where he ultimately failed with Owain. Or at least, he feels that he fails. And he wishes that his sister was here. She would be so happy…
The man sighs softly, kissing the top of Nadira's head. "We'll be okay…" He says this as much for himself as he does for Nadira.