Punch Drunk Kiss

5

Tabitha paced in the waiting room with a posse of employees. None of them were allowed in, even if Tabby had told the front desk that he and Harlan were friends. It was a no, so Tabitha had to wait.

He'd retrieved his cloak from his room; it was slung over his shoulder. He figured it would make a good gift for the baby. It had recently been cleaned, and it was soft. And durable.

How long had it been since he'd fallen out of that window? 5 hours? 6? Tabitha finally sat down, and plucked the memory lighters off of his cloak's hood. The baby definitely wouldn't need those. Pocketing them, Tabitha cocked his head as footsteps rushed into the waiting room.

"Well?" an employee demanded.

"The heir to the Aetherian throne has been born!" the nurse who'd run in said. "Harlan and Blaise have dubbed him Lantern."

Applause broke out in the room. Tabitha stood. "May I go see Harlan now?" he asked, careful not to call her Harl.

"Yes, Tabitha - she's been asking for you. Follow me," the nurse said, and they went down the hall. As they went, Tabitha passed Blaise. They glared at each other, but Tabitha was more concerned with where Blaise was going. Didn't he want to be with his child? Strange...

"I'll give you two some privacy," the nurse said, ushering him inside as she shut the door. Tabitha suddenly froze, clutching his cloak. How was he supposed to react to this?

Harlan opened her eyes. "Bee," she said softly, delighted.

"Harl," Tabitha said. He came to her, kneeling at her bedside. "This is for Lantern." He took the cloak off and handed it to Harlan.

"Thank you," she said. Her eyes were hooded with exhaustion.

"Are you OK? Where's the baby? Do you need anything?" Tabitha asked, but Harlan put a finger to his lips to silence him.

"Lantern is over there. I'm perfectly fine." Harlan smiled, and Tabitha anxiously came up to the little bed Lantern was in. Harlan had gotten out of bed and followed him. She put her arms around his waist. "Bond with him. He's your son," she urged.

"..." Tabitha peered over the wall of the clear box Lantern was laid in, his eyes catching onto the baby. Immediately he teared up. Lantern looked a lot like Harlan - a swoosh of blue hair was atop his head, and his eyes were more of a teal green as opposed to Blaise's peridot eyes. Lantern started to cry, breaking Tabitha out of his awe. "Did I do something wrong?" Tabitha fretted, his heart in his throat.

"No. He's just not used to you yet," Harlan said. She lifted Lantern, kissing him on the forehead. "This is your dad, Lantern," she said reassuringly. "And once you're old enough, we'll live happily together."

"Oh, Harlan." Tabitha's voice broke, but he tried to hide it by clearing his throat. Harlan looked at him.

"Are you crying?" she asked.

"No." Tabitha wiped his eyes.

"I'm sure you're not," she teased. "Do you want to hold him?"

"I'm scared I might drop him." Tabitha shook his head.

"You big baby. You won't drop him," Harlan reassured the older man. "Come, sit. I'll show you how to hold him properly." She and Tabitha sat together on the bed, and Harlan handed Lantern off to him. Tabitha ignored the roaring pain in his arm; his son was much more important than that. Lantern cried and cried, and Tabitha wanted to cry too. "I don't think he likes me, Harl," Tabitha said, carefully handing the baby back.

"He was just born, Tabby. The only father he knows is Blaise." Harlan suddenly started unbuttoning her hospital gown with one hand. Tabitha felt his face grow hot and he looked away, giving her privacy.

"You can look," she offered.

"I'm good." Tabitha was blushing profusely now. Harlan laughed.

"It's perfectly natural. He's just hungry, and where else does milk come from, huh?" she challenged. "Don't be a wimp."

"I have respect for my women." Tabitha immediately wished he could take that back. Harlan looked at him, smiling. "Not saying I have... more than one, I'm just saying, like, uh, in general, and-"

She shut him up by leaning in and kissing his cheek. "Shut up, Bee," she said sweetly.

Tabitha huffed a laugh, lowering his hand. He still respected her privacy, though didn't make a fool of himself this time. Harlan finished up, cradling Lantern. "I have a plan," she said, very quietly should Blaise be listening.

"Oh yes?" Tabitha inquired.

"I can't tell you here," she whispered. "I need to get the both of us off the Paradise. Blaise has this entire place bugged."

"Of course he does," the ex-head soldier growled. "He's worse than his mother."

"Aethers," Harlan scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Anyway... meet me outside tomorrow. I have an idea."

"When?" The uncertainty of the situation made Tabitha very uneasy.

"Noon." Harlan's eyes were firm, and Tabitha nodded. She continued,

"We can talk at the café on Route 1."