Downworld

Chapter 46

The news filtered down before breakfast; Stevie and Melody's first baby had been born. Malik took one look at me and told me to take off with a roll of his eyes.

I was happy to go. Not because I wanted to see the thing, just because this was a history making moment and I wanted to be there. The birth of the first mixed metahuman and human baby to be born in a post-exposure world. The first known, anyway. Melody had probably already live-blogged the whole thing -- she was crazy like that -- but I still wanted to see.

By the time I got to the hospital, there was already a few reporters waiting outside, under the watchful eyes of a security guard; apparently I wasn't the only one who thought this was historic. I gave them a wave, but didn't stop. They could have their sound bite later.

The hospital staff tripped over themselves to be helpful, one of the perks of being famous, and I soon find myself in a painfully pink room with Melody, Stevie and their wrinkly bundle of poop and sleepless nights. Melody, as I suspected, despite looking like she needed to sleep for a year, was tapping away on her phone. Stevie was too busying sitting off to the side and cooing at the bundle in question.

'You're supposed to bring a gift,' Melody said, a far cry from her former star struck self.

'If someone had called me I would have, I don't know if you noticed, but you're early.'

'Oh, I noticed. But you've had nine months warning, that's no excuse.'

'No time to call,' Stephen added. 'It happened scary fast. I thought we wouldn't even get here.'

'You're a paramedic, love,' Melody replied, 'we would have been fine.' She rolled her eyes at me. 'You can make up for the lack of present by making sure no one bothers us at home.'

That was already sorted, with the appropriate arrangements for bodyguards as necessary, but I promised I would. The lie by omission didn't bother me; it would keep me from having to go gift shopping.

'You want to hold him?' Stevie asked me.

'Ah, I'm not great with babies. I'm really just here for the... emotional support.'

Of course he did listen and I found myself holding the baby. Two sleepy, brown eyes looked up at me.

'Don't lie, Uncle Jay, I remember you baby sat us all the time, even when Else was a baby.'

Melody's phone made a shutter chime and I cursed under my breath. 'Please don't put that on twitter.'

'Too late,' she said gleefully. 'Caption: newborn James Rivers meets Uncle Jay for the first time. Ooo, people are already saying how cute you look. Maybe you and Malik should get a baby, everyone would love that.'

'I'm going to forgive you on account of the hormones.... James?'

They both looked sickening pleased with themselves, and that was all the confirmation I needed to know that they'd named the unfortunate child after me. Fortunately, I was saved from having to say anything by the arrival of Fiona, Kean, and Tinder. After the other two had come in, divesting themselves of flowers and passing out hugs, Tinder lingered in the doorway. Considering she'd avoided Melody like the plague, when she was not being openly hostile, she had reason to doubt her welcome. Not that she had anything to worry about. After exchanging one of those meaningful, married people looks, Stevie went over to his mother and brought her into the room.

Thus, I was divested of the baby burden so other people could have a hold.

After some time of oooing and ahhing over James, Fiona too extracted herself from the crowd. She then caught my eye and nodded towards the door, before excusing herself and offering to get coffee for everyone. Since she clearly meant me to, I offered to help.

It seemed today was the day for estranged people making up. Fiona and I hadn't really been alone with one another since our argument. Which is to say, the walk to the cafeteria was awkward.

'For what it's worth, I'm sorry,' I said, to get the ball rolling.

'You don't mean that.'

'I do. I wouldn't do anything differently, besides introducing you to Criswell, maybe the whole lying thing, but I am sorry that I used you.'

'Right.'

'So, how your campaign going?'

She grimaced. 'I'm not sure the world is ready to elect a freak to public office.'

'Don't worry. If not this election, it'll be soon. We're getting there.'

'You think so? Or are you just being optimistic on account of the baby.'

'When have you ever known me to be optimistic?'

'I don't know, thinking you could actually change the world seems pretty optimistic.'

'You're the one in politics.'

She shrugged. 'Maybe you were right,' she said under her breath, 'maybe it was worth it.'

We loaded ourselves up with what was probably awful coffee, dodged a group of people who looked like they recognized one or both of us, and made it back to the room without incident, where the coffee was inhaled by the new parents.

Despite her determination, Melody was flagging. Soon after, Stevie ushered the crowd out, with additional instructions for Fiona and me to deal with any lingering press outside.

'Would you all give me a moment with Jay?' Tinder said to them. And weren't those the scariest words I'd heard in a long time.

They went on a head, leaving me with her.

'Are you happy?'

'Just about, yeah.'

'You betrayed us. You betrayed downworld. Turned my children against me.'

So much for magical baby reconciliation.

'I was your friend and the only one who would even talk to you for years. Do you even care what you've done to my life?'

There was no answer I could see that would diffuse the bomb that she'd just handed me. No way to softly say that no, I didn't really care, just because she'd been happy as part of the system, didn't mean it was good. There was also no way to say that we didn't have to be at each other's throats just because of what had happened, we could retreat to the joyous land of ignorance that we'd dwelled in during the years of my exile.

She took my silence for her answer and walked away.