THE UNKNOWN

[diwa]

With every breath, Clarissa felt the pain somehow subsides. Still stings, but manageable. Seconds pass her head was wee bit clearer. Adrian being there also helped, of course. He was sweet and kind but her tummy hurt. Even if this was false labor or not she'll not stand and stay still. Not until she saw her doctor and tell to her face that everything was fine.


'Oh,yes.' Clarissa sneered. She pushed him away lightly, but used his arm to stand up. Her back is still cramping. 'go run the water. I'll be needing it when I get back.' And yes, she was still furious at him. Clarissa took one step at a time to their armoire and grab herself some coat. An angry scowl was on her face as she grab her phone from the nightstand and dialed the 24 hour cab service. After a few rings, she manage to got hold of the operator and she told her their address.


'I'm going to the hospital.' She mumbled quietly as she opened the door and closing it with a loud bang behind her. Clarissa waited on the couch for their cabbie, The lady on the phone said that it will be arriving in twenty to thirty minutes tops. 'Hang on Swooshy, hang on.' She whispered as she rubs her stomach.

 

[The Condescension]

He frowned and laid down on the bed, if she didn't want his help he wasn't going to force it. "I'll be here." He said mumbling something to himself as he shut his eyes, letting the girl do whatever she wanted at this point. It was cute how concerned he was at first and annoying how easy she got under his skin, though he was just stressed out like she was probably worse than she was but not about to show it.

 

[diwa]

Within the hour she made it into the hospital. The cabbie was a bit scared and drove a little bit faster, he thought that she was giving birth. It was his bad day, the cabbie suffered Clarissa's snarky attitude. The nurses assisted her immediately, the pain on her stomach was gone but the pain on her back was still there, annoying the crap out of her.


Good thing her good doctor was there. She was surprise to see her all alone and wondered where Adrian was. Clarissa stop her mouth before she could even snap at her, instead she gently told her that he was gone and not available in the moment.


She performed a lot of test, just to make sure that the baby was fine. She was cooped up in the room for the rest of the night. Clarissa was frightened and nervous. She was panicky, and emotional. She's been crying ever since the doctor told her to wait. Weeks from now, a watermelon size human being will come out of her. If the pain she felt earlier was like that during labor, and labor takes hours and hours, she didn't knew what to do. Clarissa fished out her phone and started dialing. Never thinking of the time difference, she just wanted to talk to someone. After a couple of rings, her mum answered with a worried voice. 'Mama,' Clarissa's voice was shaky, 'je suis peur.'


She heard her mother sighed, she knew that this was because of the baby and it wasn't her first call to her while crying, 'je t'aime mon chérie. Parle moi.' Her mother's accent was comforting and they talk and talk and talked that night up till morning.

 

[The Condescension]

It wasn't Adrian who came by the next day to see the girl, no it was Nicolas. A nurse opened the door to the room that Clarissa was staying in for the time being and shut the door behind him as Nicolas came in staring at the girl sighing.


He sat down on a chair that was next to her hospital bed, staring at her frowning slightly. "Are you alright?" He asked her softly, surpisingly calm. "I see you're still pregnant so that's good."

 

[diwa]

She's been resting the entire time. Clarissa fell in and out of sleep waiting for her doctor, who finally deliver the result: The baby is fine. She is fine. She was just stressed. No more stressing out. But by going to the hospital, she earned a a day stay. When she wanted to leave, her doctor told her that she needs to stay, at least for 24 hours to monitor her in case the pain comes back. She thought about calling Adrian but with him in the room right now would be disobeying one of the doctor's orders. She was beyond furious at him, she knew that when she saw him, screaming will follow.


To her surprise, it was Nicolas who dropped by that morning, "She's fine." Clarissa said while rubbing her tummy, her head and back was propped up by a couple of pillows to ease the discomfort. "Doctor said I was just stressed out." she shrugged at him. "but just to be safe, she made me stay for the day."

 

[The Condescension]

He nodded staring at the girls stomach for a moment before turning his attention back to her. "That's good." He paused for a moment like he was thinking. "If I told Adrian to leave early are you alright with that? He came by last night and Apollo rubbed him wrong he was already so pissed off he broke his nose. I mean.. I just don't know if its better for you if he stays for now or leaves." He sighed quietly. "I know right now is stresfull for you both and hes so ticked off at you this moment he told me he didn't want to get married anymore, though that's just rage talking so don't pay mind to it."

 

[diwa]

'I know he signed up for that thing before we met, I know he had a life before us. I'm not angry with that.... i'm trying not to.' Clarissa said softly as she looked at him. 'What i'm pissed at is that he told me a little too late. I know we will still fight if he told me earlier but telling me ages ago would soften the blow, it won't give me an impression that he'll be here. With me. When I deliver this thing. I know I sound so selfish. I think I am but that's how I feel right now.'


Her emotions turned into a mix when Nicolas told him about the marriage. Yes she was hurt, big time even if rage made him say that, but there's something else. Something else entirely. She looked at her hand, the opal ring with touch of black and green was colorful against her pale hands. The diamonds glinted at the morning light. 'If that's the case then maybe . . . . . . ' she trailed off. She removed the ring from her finger and just held it in her hand. 'Yes.... Send him earlier. It's up to you, you know this things better.' Clarissa said quietly. Her eyes never leaving the ring in her hand.

 

[The Condescension]

"You do realize me telling him to leave earlier is for your sake alone? Right now he's in his old bedroom crying into that lions fur, well when I left he was. Honestly I swear that boy is bipolar at this point." He chuckled grabbing the ring putting it back on her finger. "He's stressed out probably more than you are and you just pushing him away crossed a line with him considering he's going to be gone shortly. I highly doubt he was serious about calling off you guys getting married. I'll personally see if I can get him to leave after this child is born if you want him here, I have far more power than he does."

 

[diwa]

'I don't want him to leave! Period. I want him to stay here but he can't.' Clarissa said defeatedly, 'I want him safe. . . . . I want him here, beside me but I don't want to fight.' Knowing Adrian had been crying makes her want to bawl her eyes out too. Her hands wiped the tears that escaped from her eyes. 'He said he had two more years to finish, even if he's going away for a month what about the other months he needed to fill?! Now if you can say directly in my face that he'll come home safe, well and whole, I don't care if he starts his two years now. . . . . I just want him to be safe.' Clarissa's vision of Nicolas was starting to get blurry. Tears are flooding in her eyes.

 

[The Condescension]

"The month he's going away for is only the training, basic training again. I can pull strings around and see if he can get a job with the government for the two years he's only leaving for training though. If he gets a job here in the states, he might not even get sent over seas again considering he has PTSD and honestly probably depression too at this point." He sighed. "I know you don't want him to leave but I can say he won't be killed, he has to pass mental health tests to get sent out into combat which I can see him lying like a motherfucker just to get sent back home to you. Right now he's mostly pissed because Apollo said it sounded like you went into labor so he missed the birth of his daughter because of some stupid fight or that something happened to her and he doesn't know. Really if I were you, the way he described your pain you never should've left without him. That is his child too and he has a right to know what's going on."

 

[diwa]

'I honestly don't know how that works. But if he can get a job without going away for, then fine, please, I just want him to be safe.' Clarissa pleaded though she knew that Nicolas wanted his son to be safe too, but being patriot trumps it.


'He's depressed and we aren't even married yet. You think its wise to continue? She said when Nicolas brought up Adrian's depression. But just the thought of being away from him makes her all kinds of sad and gloomy. 'I'm the one who's gonna push out a baby inside me, and he's the one getting more frustrated. Your son is something. . . .' Clarissa smirked at him. 'Can I borrow your phone? I want to call him, mine's drained out.' Finally, she decided. Clarissa did miss him even if he could be a giant baby sometimes.

 

[The Condescension]

"He loves you and that child both, even if he is hormonal sometimes." He laughed quietly, rolling his eyes. "I think it would be better if I just had him come here to you, besides I left my phone in the car though if you don't want him here I can go get it." He said as he stood up.

 

[diwa]

'Yes, as I said he's the girl in our relationship, you see.' Clarissa laughed for the first time since last night. 'Yes. I want him here. Thank you Nicolas.' She added earnestly, a tiny smile was on her lips. 'I'll try not to cause a fight.'

 

[The Condescension]

He nodded. "I'll see you around then." He said as he left the room, it taking a decent amount of time for Adrian to show up. Nicolas probably forced him most likely.


The man stepped into his fiancés room looking depressed and angry all at once. He stood against the wall staring at her. "My father said you summoned me?" He asked, it being clear Adrian at that very moment didn't seem comfortable around her.

 

[diwa]

'What are we? In French court?!' His scowl as soon as he stepped inside fueled Clarissa's snarkiness. But remembering her promise to Nicolas about causing a fight, she tried to soften her expression. 'I'm sorry. Crappy hospital food.' Clarissa cleared her throat as she watched Adrian stood by the corner, all awkward and somehow looking annoyed. 'Listen. I love you and I wanted to apologize. What I did last night, screaming at you, snapping. . . . I was just in a lot of pain. But still, leaving you like that. i'm sorry.' She smiled sheepishly at him. 'forgive me?'

 

[The Condescension]

"I forgive you." He sighed, still not looking at her for a moment. He fiddled with his hands like a nervous child before actually looking at her. "Sorry I've been forcing my problems onto pudding for the time being. When are you able to leave here?"

 

[diwa]

'I'm not infectious you know,' Clarissa pouted, she raised her hand and reach out to her big baby. 'I was told I can go home tomorrow morning.'

 

[The Condescension]

He rolled his eyes, going over to her and hugged her gently. "I've been crying into a giant dogs fur, I'm embarassed shush. You'd be proud of me though you should see my brothers face." He laughed quietly. "I beat the shit out of him."

 

[diwa]

'I know, I was told. Pudding might be traumatize, though.' Clarissa laughed as she patted Adrian's hands.' She moved a bit on the bed, making a space wide enough for them then pulled Adrian in. 'I'm always proud of you. But you can reward Pudding by letting him eat Apollo, you know.'

 

[The Condescension]

He sat down on the edge of her bed, holding onto one of her hands gently. "Apollo is a few floors above this one. Pudding is in the car waiting, I would bring him in if it was allowed." He snickered. "I almost put Apollo in a coma. Bless his heart."

 

[diwa]

Clarissa was about to laugh at his joke, Nicolas told her that Apollo just suffered a broken nose, but then she sensed that Adrian was actually telling the truth. 'What the hell Adrian?!' She swatted his chest. 'What the hell did you do to your brothe!?' Clarisda sat up and looked at him with disbelief.

 

[The Condescension]

"Well after you left I went to their house with Pudding and me talking to my dad woke the princess up. Apollo is a total shit when he's tired so, he kept pushing my buttons and I just snapped. How I'm not pissed at you right now, I worked it out of my system by fighting Apollo and almost my dad. Then I spent a few hours crying with Pudding then slept off everything else. Apollo is on my shit list for getting with you and shoving his tongue down my throat anyway. He won't pull shit again."

 

[diwa]

'Wow. And should I be thankful that you put Apollo in the hospital just so you won't go bitching on me?!' Clarissa snapped. Clearly her promise not to fight was on the verge of breaking. You moaned. She wanted to scream at him but stopped before doing it. She doesn't need more ammunition for the fight. 'Adrian, you and your temper.' Clarissa suddenly became scared. 'If Apollo wasn't there to vent out your anger, would you hit me?'

 

[The Condescension]

His happy mood went unphased by the girl, clearly beating the shit out of something got a lot out of his system. "No I wouldn't have hit you.. Well.. Maybe pulled your hair again but I highly doubt it. I'm only violent when I'm extremely pissed, I felt bad enough for pulling your hair that one day. I probably never would have bitched at you to begin with, by not showing up and all."

 

[diwa]

'I wasn't exactly physically punished as a child,' Clarissa said softly, she grimaced a bit because of the memory. 'when you pulled my hair that actually hurt me....' And that was a scary bitchy move, Clarissa added internally. 'What i'm trying to say is, i'm glad you don't vent your anger at me . . . but the people around you. . . .' she looked at him warily. 'I don't want other people getting hurt because you're angry at me.'