"Have the nurses said anything of substance to you about your babies?" Livia asks, planting herself at the foot of Lucy Gray's bed.
She's made her best efforts to make sure Lucy Gray never felt unwelcome or like she's just being used by her to hurt Coriolanus.
"Just to keep on with the bedrest and that everything looks normal, at least given the circumstances." She says, still trying to wrap her head around everything since being revealed months ago and taken in by Livia.
"Groundbreaking." She mutters "Are you excited about being pregnant, at least? I know that's normal to feel for most mothers."
"Mm," Lu starts "I feel a lot of dread, and I'm fit to be tied. Don't get me wrong, I love my babies. But it was so unexpected."
"I wouldn't say it was unexpected," she says shrugging "I'd have been more surprised if he didn't get you pregnant."
"How? I never let him near me except for one time. Well, I didn't know he was plyin' me full of baby-making meds until it was too late, so I suppose it makes sense it was expected that he'd manipulate my body into doin' what he wanted..."
"Sure, but I meant more like..Coriolanus does whatever he has to to get what he wants. You wouldn't have to be awake for him to get you pregnant." Livia explains as a horrid chill flashes down Lucy Gray's spine.
Livia notices her change in demeanor and frowns "What?"
"...Well I...I dunno. 'Pose I shouldn't put it past him but..." she mutters, eyes tearing up.
"Oh...you hadn't given that thought. That would've been the first thing I'd have assumed but you also didn't know him in the same light I did until now."
"Am I stupid for holdin' out hope that there are still some lines he wouldn't cross?" Lucy Gray asks
'Yes.' Livia thinks to herself before responding more kindly "Perhaps a bit more optimistic than he deserves."
"Well you can't help a bird from flying over your head but you can keep it from building a nest in your hair." She says, giving it up to the stars. "You knew him when y'all were kids?" She asks, dark eyes glimmering with tears
"Unfortunately, yes." She smirks, almost rolling her eyes.
"Was he always...like this?"
She gives that some thought and says "Who knows?" She looks over at Lucy Gray, vulnerable and hurt in her home and pities her. If nothing else, Livia always knew what her husband was, or at least she guessed pretty well. She thought she had that in common with him only to be surprised at how much worse he could be in some ways. That was her problem perhaps, a lack of malicious imagination. He has a talent for that she never would've guessed. "He never really let anyone close to him except Tigris and that 'Plinth' dope."
Lucy Gray nods quietly, letting the subject die off before asking "So what will you do with us now? I doubt you want three loud babies livin' with you, especially when two of those aren't yours."
Livia sighs heavily and looks over to the broad window on the west side of the room. "When I'd first gotten wind of what he was doing I wanted to have you killed, but I'd course you knew that."
Lucy Gray couldn't even pretend to be surprised. She felt a rage similar when Billy Taupe had stabbed her in the back and badmouthed her 'till his throat ran dry.
"As long as I'm being honest, everyone who knows about this and cares about me thought I should. I'm still trying to convince the hold-outs to give up the idea." She continues "I just wanted to hurt him."
