I will love again

Part 43 - Despair

A week had past since the day, Nathalie had been shot by her own father. A whole week in which Gabriel had not once left his bedroom, after his little daughter had been delivered in an emergency C-Section and instantly brought to the NICU to be observed and for all possible complications to be immediately dealt with.

A week in which Marinette and Adrien had taken turns to spent hours with the tiny, fragile looking girl, holding her on their bare chest, talking to her, cuddling, singing softly and rocking her to sleep.

Gabriel hadn't even seen her yet. He wasn't talking, he wasn't answering when they spoke to him, he hadn't taken any responsibility for his child or the funeral of his wife.

He couldn't eat at all. He didn't even want to try. He drank though, wine mostly, until he had numbed each feeling inside of him, so he could pass out and spent a night in a deep and dreamless state between sleep and unconsciousness.

He hadn't taken a shower since that day, he didn't care. All he could do, was staring at the one picture, that was so precious to him. The one from their weekend, he had taken without Nat.........her noticing.

Even thinking of her name hurt too much.

"M-M-Mister Gabriel? What happened? Where are M-Miss Nathalie and the b-b-baby?", the voice of the little peacock suddenly posed the question next to him. Looking around searching for her previous holder, Duusu started to look desperate.

Nooroo approached Gabriel.

"Master? I-I mean, Gabriel, what happened?"

But the grieving man only shook his head and poured himself another glass of wine. He cackled bitterly. At least he was still using a glass and not gulping it down directly out of the bottle.

The Kwamis stared at him, then at each other. Only a moment later Marinette knocked at the door and slowly entered the room, not waiting for his permission. He looked up rather shortly, then back down at his hands holding the glass with the dark red beverage.

Marinette carefully spoke to him:

"Gabriel? You really need to get it together. Adrien is still here you know, and he too lost someone. Again. He is hurting too. But he doesn't just hide in his room, he is the one who has taken over what should have been your responsibility. He even had to make all the decisions according the further treatment of his little sister. He shouldn't have to do that! I am so angry at you right now, I would like to punch you in your face. The funeral will be on Thursday. Maybe you can clean yourself up and dress in appropriate clothes to honor your wife for the last time!", the girl was now yelling at him.

Tears brimmed in her eyes, as she continued a little calmer:

"Isn't it bad enough, that she never got to hold her little daughter? That your daughter will never even meet her mum? Maybe you can at least get your drunk ass up for her. She likes to be cuddled by the way. And she always falls asleep, when someone sings to her. Here", she tossed Nathalie's tablet onto the duvet right beside him. At least have a look at your baby and her development. I really thought better of you. I really thought you would try to be strong for her. But you haven't been there once. I hope, I'll see you at the funeral!"

Before Gabriel could react, the furious, young woman had left. He sighed.

"I didn't know that she is still alive", he replied after a moment, then he noticed that the teenager had already left.

With shaking hands he reached for Nathalie's tablet and unlocked the screen. The folder named 'baby girl' was right on the home screen.

He didn't care, that his wine glass slipped from his grasp and shattered into a thousand pieces as it hit the stone floor, wine splattering onto the sheets and on his bare feet.