"You know", Adrien stated, "this is the second time that I went to New York with you on a regular flight and returned unscheduled on an aeroplane, my father chartered privately. Just this time I am not sad about it."
Marinette gave him a weary smile. She was scared, excited and totally exhausted after experiencing some new, more or less painful contractions over the night. Around 4 o'clock AM, Claire had placed an IV drip containing a much higher dose of magnesium, that had finally done the trick and stopped them.
But still Marinette hadn't slept afterwards, as she was constantly waiting for another pain or tensing of her belly. She had dreaded the way to the airport and the flight back, but now, that they were up in the sky, she was getting calmer and relaxed a bit.
Gabriel, Nathalie, Chloe and Felix were flying with them, while Emily, though the decision was hard for her, stayed back with Audrey until the fashion queen would be able to leave New York for some time. They were planning on staying in London for some time then, to return to Paris when the twins and Nathalie's little girl were supposed to be born.
Less than an hour after their departure Marinette finally drifted off to sleep, as did her husband. The young physician sighed in relief and leaned back in her seat to close her eyes for a moment as well. She wasn't really sleeping though. She would be feeling much better, if there was an experienced doctor around, as she didn't dare to give the girl any medication in addition to the magnesium, because most of them had quite some side effects and could really do harm to the babies in that state.
That was a risk, Claire didn't dare to take. So she was just blissfully happy, that the magnesium eventually had worked and the contractions had come to a halt. She could just hope, that it would stay that way for the next two days, so Marinette could go to her own gynaecologist instead of attending any hospital and get even more stressed out.
In fact the teenage girl was so exhausted from all the excitement, that she even slept through the landing, and opened her eyes only after Adrien had softly kissed her cheek and whispered something into her ear.
Now Marinette looked around in confusion.
"Welcome home, M'lady!", Adrien blurted out with a happy smile.
"Ugh, I wished I could sleep a little longer. And you know I can tell your fake smile from your real one, Minou!", the pregnant, young woman lamented.
"Want some help getting to your feet?", the model now changed the topic, giving her an honest but sheepish smile.
"I guess!" She sighed and took his hands to be pulled out of the seat immediately.
Of course she would not have been Marinette, if she hadn't tripped over her own purse, so Adrien had to catch her. He did, but struggled.
"Well Purrincess, it's getting kinda hard to get a hold of all three of you. Not that you were too heavy, I just don't know, how to hold you without hurting you or the twins!", he uttered, desperately hoping she wouldn't understand him wrong. Luckily this time she didn't.
Marinette only shrugged and held on to him, wrapping her arms around him, as far as it was possible for her, to snuggle into the crook of his neck with her face. Like that they stood there holding each other, mentally preparing for the coming days.
The young doctor laid a hand on each teenager's shoulder.
"Come on, let's get out of here and back to your home. I still want you to lie down again as soon as possible. Though you're better now, it can happen again and I don't want to take the risk. Okay?", Claire said as she rubbed the young woman's back comfortingly.
The mother to be gave her a quick move with her head, to then let Adrien guide her to the exit and along endless seeming corridors until they arrived at the car.
They spent the ride home mostly in silence. Nathalie and Claire were with them in the car, the tired doctor in the passenger seat, while the concerned, compassionate and also pregnant female went into the backseat with the young couple. Keeping Marinette in the middle, so she would feel protection and support from both sides, the adult woman grasped the teenage girl's hand with her own left and patted it with her right.
"Don't be so scared, Marinette. Remember what you told me? Happy mommy, happy baby or babies in your case", Nathalie soothingly narrated with a gentle smile.
But the girl just let out a sob and pulled her arm back, covering her face with her hands, then did what neither of her family members had expected. Instead turning to Adrien for comfort she leaned her head against the former assistant's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her, startling the still with her emotions struggling woman.
Only trusting her just now awakening mother instincts, she reluctantly began to stroke along the girl's hair with one hand, while her other arm held the crying child in a tight grip, affirming her of her presence.
Adrien looked as if he was about to cry too. He swallowed hard though and tried to not feel hurt by his wife, choosing Nathalie over him.
The woman, who took a major part in raising him, shook her head slightly, barely noticeable to the boy, to signalise him, to not interfere.
Watching the woman he loved so much cry desperately into Nathalie's shoulder, the model eventually understood, that this wasn't a decision against him, but just what Marinette needed right now. Being held by another woman, who was able to understand the way she felt right now.
After they arrived at the mansion and the car came to a hold in front of it, Adrien calmly said:
"I'll take a few of our things inside, just take your time, Bugaboo, okay?"
The young woman was still crying, though her sobbing had calmed. Without lifting her head, she now nodded.
The only a couple of years older female turned her head and looked at him, before she quietly replied:
"How about I text you, when you can come back? Or maybe we just make it inside on our own, despite our 'handicap'?"
The cynical tone in Nathalie's voice made the weeping girl chuckle shortly, while Adrien looked flustered. He was about to tell her, that he didn't think, they needed the men's help in anyway, but the woman, whose red fringe had almost turned back to black by now, due to not dying it because of being pregnant, simply mouthed:
"Just go!"
She then turned her attention back to Marinette. Head dropping and shoulders falling, the young model went to the back of the car, to take a few of their things out of the trunk and bring them inside.
On the backseat a high pitched voice suddenly whined:
"Miss Nathalie, what is wrong with Miss Marinette?"
Duusu, who had been eager to come out of hiding for hours now, flew circles around their heads, as soon as she noticed, that they were alone.
Tikki and Plagg, who looked concerned too, hovered much calmer in midair, waiting for an answer to the blue Kwami's question.
Marinette lifted her head a little bit and held her hand out to the little peacock.
"Don't worry, Duusu, I am fine!", she said with a husky voice.
But she just shook her head.
"Noooo, you're not! You're sad and scared and just like Miss Nathalie you feel so much love for your babies all the time.....", she paused and lowered her voice, "and you both have been....well....how do I say this......'longing' for your partners for ages....", she giggled a little sheepishly. "But why are you so sad?"
She flew towards Marinette's baby bump and half tried to hug it, half snuggled against it, while she looked, as if she was listening.
"They are scared too!", Duusu now blurted out, giving her an accusatory look. "'You' need to calm down, so 'they' can too. 'They' need 'your' help for that, Miss Marinette. I....sorry if I went too far....I...", the small bird looked to the ground, her eyes already glistening with tears.
Nathalie held out he hand for her Kwami.
"It's fine, Duusu. You did the absolute right thing. Marinette is scared, because the babies might be in danger. So It's not that easy for her, too calm down." The Kwami's face looked at the young woman with compassion now, while she listened to her owner. "You haven't told me yet, that you can.....what is it you do? Do you feel what the babies feel or are even you somehow able to communicate?"
Duusu blushed a little bit and, to her very untypical, muttered silently:
"I could communicate, but they can't understand that yet. But I can feel, what they feel and I maybe could make them feel what I feel, but I am scared and worried now too, so it wouldn't be of any help." She started to work herself up again, "so please, Miss Marinette, I don't like when everybody is feeling sa-had. I-It makes meeee cry, tooooo!"
Now the little blue creature clung her tiny arms around Plagg and Tikki and start to cry uncontrollably. While the tiny, black cat rolled his eyes, though he 'did' hug her back, Tikki whispered soothingly into her ear.
Marinette couldn't help but smile at the emotional outburst of the Peacock. She cleared her throat.
"Duusu?", she said very calmly to what the Kwami immediately looked towards her. "You don't have to be sad, okay? Maybe you can let them feel, how much Adrien and I already love them. And somehow let them know, that they don't have to be scared? I know that's probably difficult, but..."
Duusu now beamed at her.
"You're not so sad anymore! I don't have to let them feel your love, that's something only you can do. But I can....well....you probably wouldn't like it....I could give them a little....of...my....attitude? But....that...would make....them....a little....active...for a while...", she explained hesitantly.
"You mean, as hyperactive as you, Duusu?", Nathalie now teased her friendly.
The Kwami frowned.
"Why keeps everyone saying that?", she inquired.
"Because sometimes you act like 'Pinky Pie' on cocaine, you know?", the young guardian now giggled, "but I don't mind, if they are as overly happy, as you are for some time, Duusu. At least, I know, that they're alright, when they are that active!"
"Okay then, but I warned you!"
Duusu soared back to the girl's stomach and nudged her face against it. Only a few moments later, the teenager started to giggle.
"Wow!", she blurted out, "I have never felt them so strongly. Thanks for cheering me up a little, Duusu!"
She tenderly pressed the little blue Kwami against her cheek.
"Just easy, when you can sense emotions", Plagg scoffed. "One little 'mood-boost' for the babies and suddenly she's the guardian's favourite. She didn't even share her cheese with her for the last months!" He then turned away to pout.
"Oh Plagg", Tikki ranted in her squeaky voice, "can't you just be happy for Marinette, that Duusu made her feel better?"
"You know, that you take a special place in my heart, don't you, Plagg?", the pregnant girl now said, while she gave her own Kwami a wink.
Tikki turned away, so the little, black cat wouldn't see her laugh, while Plagg's face lit up a little bit.
"Really?", he questioned.
Marinette nodded.
"And to prove it to you, how about we're having a fondue tonight?"
"Swiss cheese or a different kind?", he asked suspiciously.
"Your choice!"
The Kwami of destruction whirled around in bliss, then placed a kiss on Marinette's cheek and flew towards the house, to tell his owner to order the cheese they needed.
Tikki just shook her head.
"Your spoiling him, Marinette. He sometimes needs a bit of a firm hand."
"Aha", the dark haired girl responded, "I thought about a chocolate fondue as well. How's that?"
Now the Ladybug Kwami began to smile widely.
"Who am I to judge", she squealed, "just keep on spoiling!" And off she was too.
Nathalie now looked at the smiling young woman next to her. Placing a hand on her forearm, she uttered:
"Come on, you are still supposed to lie down. And I don't want to be the one, to act up against Adrien's over protectiveness."
Marinette giggled, but also scolded the older woman:
"You know that he's scared of loosing me or the twins, right? After his mum just vanished and then almost died, after his dad ignoring him to then turn out to be 'the' supervillain. Then he learned about you, almost giving up your own life to help Gabriel bring Emily back. It's really annoying sometimes, when he acts up, but I know why he does it and so I let him do most of the time."
"I didn't want to upset you. I think it's sweet, how much he cares. I just thought, what you just said, it can be annoying. Believe me, I know what I am talking about! Well, I just wanted to cheer you up a little too", Nathalie justified her tiny joke.
Marinette grabbed the other woman's hand.
"I know, and I love that you're doing that. I just wanted to speak it out, because people sometimes seem to forget, that less than six months ago, everything was very different for him!"
The former assistant nodded. Then she got pensive, when she replied:
"Actually, you're right. It's been less than six months and the worlds of each of us are turned upside down. Not in a bad way though, but it's kinda overwhelming, to think about it. I....I....think....I need some....fresh air....I..."
Nathalie quickly opened the door and left the car. Holding on to the roof, she had her eyes closed and tried to take deep breath, but really struggled with that. Marinette pulled herself through the open door with her hands holding on to the same roof, and stood beside the panicking woman.
She carefully laid a hand onto her back and began rubbing in little circles. They were still standing like this, when a second car arrived next to them. Gabriel immediately jumped out of it and ran towards them.
"What's wrong, did anything happen?", he yelled.
"Everything okay", his daughter in law told him. "Just a little panic attack. But now, that you're here, I should probably follow the doctor's orders and go lie down."
Gabriel stroked along her head, then placed a kiss on her cheek.
"What you're waiting for then? Go take care of my grandchildren. You shouldn't still be out here anyway. I should have taken Nathalie into the other car with me, I'm sorry."
"Actually, Gabriel, she was comforting me, and then something I said made her panic. So don't blame yourself, okay? Everything is going to be good, ri...fuck!"
The girl reached for her back as she crouched down to the ground.
"I'm fine, help her!", came from Nathalie at the very moment. Seeing her young friend in pain pulled her out of her mental state and made her care for the girl instantly. The designer looked at his wife, to convince himself, that she was right, then nodded.
He lifted the young woman up into his arms and carried her inside, Adrien already running towards them.
"What...", he began, but Gabriel stopped him.
"Just open the doors, so I can bring her to your bed. We can talk then!"
The young man nodded and let this father pass until they reached the couples room and he placed her onto the mattress.
"Go get Claire", he hissed towards his son.
"I'm already here", the soft voice of the young physician was heard.
Gabriel nodded.
"I'll go look after Nathalie. You get better right now!", he demanded with a wink at Marinette, that made her give him a forced smile.
"I'll try", she mumbled.
After a quick examination the doctor summoned up:
"Well, Marinette, we are at the same point, as in New York before I placed the IV. It's not worse than then, 'but' it's not better as well. It's your choice now. Or rather your parents or Gabriel's, as you are both minors, though I am sure they will let you make your decision. We can try the same again and if it stops those contractions again and you stay in bed, they might stay away completely.
The other choice would be to get you to the hospital and let them do their best. There are pros and cons to each of them. In the hospital they have more experience 'and' they have every medication you might need. But there would be the ride there, the examinations, the stress from waiting for informations and so on.
If you stay here, you won't be put under even more stress, but I haven't the experience and I haven't the medications. And I am not sure, which medication I should give you in case it's getting worse. I would try and borrow a CTG from a befriended gynaecologist, if you would make this decision and I would consult him in case that anything happens, if you're okay with it. While you think about it, I would like to start with the magnesium anyway, so we can hopefully stop those contractions right away."
The young woman looked at Claire and said:
"I trust you and I would like to stay here", she looked to her husband, "sorry Kitty, that I decided this without asking you. But I don't want to go to a hospital, as long as I can avoid it. I...", she gave him a pleading glance, begging to not be angry.
Adrien just sat down beside her and hugged her tightly.
"Remember, what I told you, when we visited your family in Italy? It's your body and your decision. I will always have your back!"
The female doctor nodded.
"I will get the things I need and inform your father, Adrien. And you", she looked at Marinette earnestly, "you must stay in bed. Only exception for now, toilet, nothing else. Do you hear me?"
The pregnant woman nodded. "I will stay here!", she agreed.