How It Should Have Been

Chapter 16: Hotel Denouement

Begin!

Universe*

~Kit's POV

I dropped off the Baudelaires and the Quagmire triplets at their safe house as instructed and now I have returned to Hotel Denouement. I put on my sunglasses and grabbed my handbag before stepping out of my taxi and heading inside. The lobby was bustling with people as usual, employees, volunteers, and other various guests alike. I recognized several of our clearly non-volunteer guests as I strode through the lobby. Hopefully, these people wouldn't cause us any trouble for the meeting on Friday; today was Wednesday. I inwardly scoffed as I noticed someone reading the Daily Punctilio. I wonder when my sister-in-law Moxie will take over that blasted newspaper and turn it around. Perhaps Duncan Quagmire would work for her in the future, if we're lucky.

It was always unnerving when the volunteers all got together like this. The last masquerade ball at the Headquarters proved that true when Olaf attempted to push Beatrice off a balcony. Thank goodness that dragonfly costume she wore had actual working wings or else her wonderful children would never have been born. I saw Frank, or Ernest, managing the concierge desk and nodded politely to him. Frank, Ernest, and Dewey were identical triplets and telling them apart was practically impossible, unless you're my husband Dewey of course. This made our interactions rather difficult as I intended to avoid Ernest as much as I possibly could during my stay. Damn the fact that those two men purposely never wear name tags. Even the Quagmire triplets put in the effort to make their appearances more distinct so others could tell them apart. Frank and Ernest just liked to confuse people, I suppose.

I was already checked in from my visit here after leaving the children in the mountains so I quickly stepped into the elevator and rode it up to my room. I never liked these old elevators, this one has been in need of repairs for a few years now but no one ever got around to it. Upon reaching my floor I stepped out of the rickety contraption and proceeded down the hall. I reached my room and set my bag on my nightstand before taking a seat in an armchair by the desk.

"It's been hard to find comfort these days in a body that offers so little," I said to myself as I patted my stomach, "But it'll all be worth it when you get here."

I opened a drawer on the desk and took out a paper that had been placed inside while I was out.

Dear,

I'll meet with you at lunch. Don't be late.

P.S. Mr. Fernald will be meeting us at 3 this afternoon, the Queequeg is expected to arrive at that time based on Captain Widdershins' call.

I smiled at the note so obviously left by Dewey before glancing at the clock on the desk. It was 11:30, meaning lunch wasn't for another hour. I got up and walked into the bathroom for a quick shower.

Upon finishing, I changed into some more comfortable attire, well as much as I could given my current maternal status. Dewey would be livid if he were here, he had been insistent on helping me with every little thing since my second trimester. I had to pry him off me when I was sent to retrieve the sugar bowl and save the Baudelaires and Quagmires from the hospital. My husband was wonderful, but goodness was he stubborn when he wanted to be. I pocketed the note, sat back down and pulled a book out of my handbag to occupy the time while I waited. Lemony always said, "Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them." That was a statement that I happened to agree with.

~...

I headed down to the hotel's restaurant where I sat at an empty table and looked over my menu. After a few minutes, a handsome man sat down beside me. I smiled at him.