Poison

Chapter Twelve

TW: Mentions of rape and abuse

Jefferson ended up staying the night at the hospital. The next morning was calm and quiet compared to the chaos of the night before. Jefferson sat by Hamilton's bed as he slept. Nurses came in periodically to check on Hamilton, but when they noticed he was sleeping, they left again. One nurse came in to check his vitals.

"You're his boyfriend, right?" the nurse asked.

"No, just his roommate," Jefferson clarified.

"Roommate, right," she responded, sounding unbelieving. "Anyways, the baby is fine, we were just waiting for him to wake up to give him the baby. Unless," the nurse paused, "do you want to hold him?"

"Oh." Jefferson looked shocked that she would offer him to hold the baby. "Uh, sure."

"Great, I'll be back." She quickly rushes out of the room. She emerged into the room a few minutes later with a yellow bundle in her hands. She instructed Jefferson the right way to hold a baby before gently passing the child into Jefferson's arms. Jefferson stared at the small child in his arms, its eyes still shut tight. He gently moved the blanket out of it's face, earning a small noise from the baby. Jefferson smiled and looked up at the nurse, who looked like she had stars in her eyes. She smiled at Jefferson before saying a few more words and slipping out the door.

Jefferson stared at the baby's face, gently bouncing up and down. "Hey, little guy," Jefferson whispered. He realized how much the baby looked like Hamilton; it had adorable puffy cheeks and a tiny little nose. Jefferson smiled and poked it's nose. "You look just like your dad, you know?" After a few moments, he added, "Both of them, actually."

Hamilton shifted in the bed, drawing Jefferson's attention. He slowly opened his eyes against the bright hospital lights. The first thing he noticed was the almost numb pain between his legs. The medicine must have taken effect by now, which meant he didn't feel the whole after effect of giving birth. The second thing he noticed was Jefferson standing beside his bed. Jefferson smiled down at Hamilton, then looked at the bundle in his arms. It took Hamilton a matter of seconds before he realized what Jefferson was holding. "Hey," he whispered, a small on his face.

"Hey," Jefferson replied, sitting on the edge of the bed beside Hamilton as Hamilton sat up some. "Want to hold him?" Hamilton nodded and Jefferson gently passed the baby to him.

"Oh my god," Hamilton breathed, a smile growing on his face. "Hey, buddy." Hamilton pressed a light kiss to his forehead. "I'm your dad." Jefferson smiled as Hamilton cooed over the baby, pressing light kisses to its nose and tiny hands. The baby grasped Hamilton's finger, it's tiny hands wrapped around his one pointer finger, and Hamilton gasped, looking up at Jefferson. "I think he likes me."

"Yeah," Jefferson whispered. "I think he really likes you."

Hamilton looked down at the baby, his smile going away slightly. "He looks just like John," he whispered. He went quiet after that.

"Are you okay?" Jefferson asked. Hamilton nodded. "Alex, talk to me."

"At least it's John's baby. I don't know what I would have done if it was anyone else's." Jefferson nodded, resting a hand gently on Hamilton's arm to show he was there. Hamilton looked up at Jefferson. "How long until I get released?"

"Only a few days. They want to make sure you and the baby are okay."

Hamilton nodded, staring down at the baby. He smiled at him, bouncing him in his arms slightly. "Philip," he finally said.

"Philip?" Jefferson asked, shifting slightly so I could see the baby's face. Which also just made him shift closer to Hamilton.

"Philip James Hamilton." Hamilton looked up at Jefferson and Jefferson smiled.

"I love it," Jefferson whispered, moving the blanket a bit so he could see Philip's face.

"Lexi!" the youngest Schuyler sister yelled, practically flinging herself across the room and wrapping her arms around Hamilton. Jefferson quickly and carefully swooped Philip from Hamilton's arms to prevent Peggy from hurting him. She let go of Hamilton and looked at the baby in Jefferson's arms. "Oh my god." She turned to Hamilton. "Can I?"

Hamilton smiled and nodded and Peggy gently scooped Philip from Jefferson's arms. "His name is Philip," Jefferson said as soon as Peggy safely had her arms wrapped around him.

"Hey there, Philip. I'm Auntie Peggy." Peggy looked up as Angelica and Eliza walked in. "He's so precious."

"He sure is," Angelica said quietly, walking over to stand beside Peggy.

Eliza followed. "What's his name?"

"Phillip." Eliza looked at Hamilton and smiled, a smile that Hamilton returned.

Everyone was silent as they stared at baby Philip. Then Peggy suddenly spoke, her words sending a wave of panic over Hamilton and Jefferson. "Does this mean you're moving in with John?"

Hamilton's eyes widened and he gripped the sheets tightly. The sisters must have seen his panic, too, because their once smiling faces twisted into concern. "Lex?" Angelica asked, stepping forward.

Hamilton shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "It would be too much of a hassle. With taking care of the baby and the moving and staying on top of school, it would just be too much," Hamilton lied.

"Alex," Eliza whispered. "Tell us the truth. Why don't you want to move in with John?" Jefferson looked down at Hamilton with a sad look. Hamilton looked almost as scared as he did the nights he came home late from Laurens's dorm.

Peggy gently handed Philip to Jefferson and sat down next to Hamilton. "Lexi, you can tell us," she whispered, grabbing his hand.

Hamilton nodded, looking at Jefferson. Eliza took Hamilton's other hand, and Angelica put her hand on Hamilton's shoulder. Hamilton looked panicked, as if he were about to cry at any moment. "Girls," Jefferson said, directing their attention to him. "Give him some room, please?"

TW START

They all immediately took a step back. Hamilton gave Jefferson a grateful smile, which he returned. "John, uhm..." He took a deep breath. "John would... he..." Hamilton looked at Jefferson, who gave a reassuring smile. "He would beat me," Hamilton said in a whisper. "And... and he would... he would rape me." Eliza gasped, Angelica murmured an 'oh no', and Peggy's eyes widened. "But, that's not it. He would... he invited his... his friends and... and they..." his eyes brimmed with tears and his breathing sped up. He brought his knees to his chest and looked down, hands tearing at his hair.

Jefferson passed Philip to the closest person, which happened to be Angelica, and sat beside Hamilton. "Hey, hey, look at me." Hamilton looked up. "Deep breaths, okay? In," he took a deep breath, and Hamilton followed suit. Jefferson waited a few seconds before releasing his breath, which Hamilton did a second later. He repeated, taking in a deep breath and letting it out, until Hamilton's breathing was steady. "Better?"

"Better," Hamilton whispered. Jefferson smiled and rubbed Hamilton's back.

"I'm so sorry," Angelica whispered, reminding the two of the sisters' presences. "I had no idea."

"None of us did," Eliza said, wiping away tears.

"Who?" Peggy asked quietly. She seemed enraged by this. Jefferson didn't doubt that the younger sister was already thinking of a plan to hurt them.

Hamilton started shaking slightly. "Ch-Charles Lee. James Re-Reynolds." Hamilton let a tear slip. "Hercules Mulligan," he whispered. Peggy gasped.

"H-Herc?" Eliza asked.

"Not Laf. Surely not Laf," Angelica said in disbelief.

"No, not Laf. But he knew."

"No," Eliza said in disbelief.

"He didn't tell anyone?" Hamilton shook his head. "How long has this been going on?"

"Since Sophomore year of high school." A phone rang, dragging everyone's attention to Peggy. She looked at the caller ID before a disgusted look crossed her face.

"It's Laurens." Peggy hung up and shot a smile at Hamilton. "Don't worry, Lexi, we have your back." Hamilton smiled gratefully, but doubts still flooded his mind.