No Emergency Exit; Merlin Modern AU (7/21)
Title: No Emergency Exit (7/21)
Authors: mydoctortennant
Pairings: Arthur/Gwen, Merlin/Morgana
Warnings: None for this chapter.
Disclaimer: Not real. Despite birthday wishes and night time prayers to Santa (all Hail Amy Pond!) Merlin still isn't mine!
Rating: Previous chapters make it NC17
Summary: Sometimes relationships just don't work in order. Or so they find out when one mistake leads to a life altering experience.
Author Notes: For the lovely noodlesishere; this is a modern AU based loosely off of the Abby/Luka storyline in ER series 12/13. Some medical info I have taken from ER, so it's totally their fault if it's wrong! Other stuff I researched myself, which may not be 100% correct but I tried my hardest =]
Also; totally OUT of my comfort zone with this, so I worked extra hard. Hope it pays off.
Thanks to mustbethursday3 for reading over it for me (and suggesting Costa should sponser me for mentioning it so much XD) and purely_distel for the name =]
My Merlin Prompts Table
| Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Part Seven
The weather outside was the best it had been for a long time. Midsummer’s day had just passed which had seen a few entertaining Druid cases that had intrigued Morgana more than they should have. She’d mentioned something about visiting Stonehenge next Midsummer’s. Merlin had nodded and agreed without listening and when Morgana had gone he’d asked Gwen what he’d agreed to.
Arthur made some half arsed attempt at a joke before he’d run away to find some coffee. Whoever had made the pot this afternoon hadn’t changed the filter or added new coffee and it was incredibly stale tasting, but it was rather that than nothing.
Otherwise what else would he have to stare into?
He heard the door open and click close behind him; “There you are,” it was Merlin, “Morgana wanted to know where you were. Something about a family dinner? I dunno, apparently I’m invited too.”
“’Kay,” Arthur swallowed nothing, staring at the dark brown liquid in his hand.
“Your Dad wants to make some sort of announcement,” Merlin shrugged slumping down on the other side of the lumpy sofa.
“Mhmm,” Arthur ran his finger down the side of his polystyrene cup.
“And then he’s going to do a naked lap dance for us all,” Merlin concluded looking at his friend.
“Cool,” Merlin raised an eyebrow, “Hang on, what?” Arthur’s head shot around to look at Merlin with his eyes wide.
“So you were listening then,” Merlin joked, taking Arthur’s coffee from him. He stuck his finger in it and his mouth upturned. Cold.
“Yeah, well no,” Arthur admitted, he cleared his throat and mumbled a hushed apology.
“What’s up?”
Arthur looked up to the ceiling; “Asbestos infused ceiling tiles.”
“What seriously?” Merlin replied looking worriedly up at the ceiling.
“What do you think, Merlin?” Arthur rested his head on the back of the sofa and glared at his friend.
“Okay, okay. Seriously, you’ve been a grumpy twat all day, what’s wrong?” Merlin asked, mimicking Arthur’s movement only minus the scowl and plus a concerned frown.
“I’m fine.”
“Liar. What’s wrong?” Merlin probed, he showed no sign of leaving before he got what he wanted. Arthur sighed.
“What if I’m not ready for this?” the blonde questioned. His vulnerability showing visibly on his face. It wasn’t anything Merlin had ever seen before. He’d only known Arthur since he’d gotten his job at Albion Hospital two years ago, but it seemed like he had known him for a lifetime. Arthur was the guy with the tough man exterior, it was very rare for him to show anybody anything remotely resembling the innerworkings of his twisted mind.
“For what?” the glare returned to Arthur’s face, “Oh. Have you spoken to Gwen about it?” Merlin asked, thinking it the most suitable solution to his problems.
“How can I tell her that after saying I’d be there for her I don’t know if I can?”
“If you abandoned her it won’t just be Morgana you’re running from,” Merlin warned, his tone suddenly dark and a glare in his eye, “This whole department will want your hind.”
“I didn’t say I was going to abandon her,” Arthur defended; he sat up from the sofa and rested his elbows on his knees and looked at Merlin.
“As good as.”
“It’s not what I meant,” Arthur said looking at the lino floor. One thing Merlin had been quick to learn about Arthur was that he didn’t have a way with words. If he expressed anything it was with a fist to a wall or pent up anger that he mulled over for weeks and let rip on the staff.
“Well maybe you should try explaining it properly,” Merlin said, leaning towards him. It wasn’t often that Arthur opened up to anybody; he wasn’t going to arse about now he was.
“I’m going to be a father,” Arthur said simply.
“Yeah…” Merlin prodded, he had been hoping for a little more than that, but it was evident that it was never going to come.
“That’s about it.”
“Right.”
“You’re really helpful, you know that?” Arthur said, looking over at his friend, resting his cheek on his thumbs. Arthur was one to talk. How could Merlin help when he was giving him so little to work with?
“Thanks,” Merlin beamed before his face fell, “Oh right, joking. From what I’ve seen Arthur, not only does Gwen - for no feasible reason I can understand - love you, but she trusts that you’ll do anything for this kid. There is something she sees in you that everybody else can see too: you’re going to be a good Father.”
“What if I’m not?” Arthur asked. To Merlin, Arthur looked truly like he couldn’t possibly comprehend the chances of him actually being a good father. It seemed like such a shame to Merlin. The man he knew for his ego and over-confidence looked broken. Merlin wasn’t one to stroke Arthur ego, but he looked so helpless.
“That’s not an option, really, is it?” Merlin said truthfully, “She brings out this side of you none of us have ever seen before. It’s that man that’s going to be the father you don’t see yourself being, yet.”
“How do you know?” Arthur asked him. He’d never trusted Merlin’s judgement before; he didn’t see why he should now.
“Because I see him whenever you look at her,” Merlin answered with that stupid smile he got on his face. It was the smile he’d had planted on his face the day Morgana had finally shut him up in the middle of the department. Grabbed him by the scrubs and kissed him. It hadn’t been expected by many, but in retrospect they really should have seen it coming.
“Thanks, Merlin,” Arthur said gratuitously, reaching out and clamping his hand down on his shoulder.
“Feeling better?” Merlin asked him, worried for both of his friends - and his own - wellbeing. Morgana would string him up and leave him for dead if he let Arthur do anything remotely stupid.
“Yeah, a bit. Thanks.”
“Come on, patients to see,” Merlin stood up, threw Arthur’s cold coffee in the bin and headed for the door, “You’re really okay?”
“I’ll be fine, Merlin.”
“Okay, good,” Merlin said, hand on the door handle, “Talk to Gwen about it, yeah? And I’ll see you at dinner later.”
“God, you were serious?” Arthur’s eyes went wide, he’d hoped against hope that Merlin had been joking. It wasn’t like his father to call them to dinner. They’d barely eaten with him when Arthur and Morgana had been younger. He’d always been so busy working at the hospital. They’d rarely eaten with Morgana’s mother before she’d died eleven years ago.
“Deadly. Morgana said something about a death threat to all those invited if they fail to show up. Something about being diced and quartered.”
“Fantastic,” Arthur replied dryly looking nonplussed by the whole thing. He didn’t need Gwen being subjected to the awkwardness of dinner in the Pendragon household. When it had happened it was all awkward silences and long pauses in conversation where nobody had nothing better that insults to throw at each other. At least these days Morgana and Arthur could bear to be in the same room with each other.
“See you later, Daddio,” Merlin chuckled as he finally exited.
“Bye, Merlin,” he said as the door closed, “and thanks.”
-
The Pendragon household was a grand affair. Eighteen bedrooms, ten acres, four horses and a large ornamental garden at the back of the building. It wasn’t like anything Gwen had ever encountered before. Day’s out as a kid had involved small fetes and food related endeavours. Her parents had never enjoyed historical things and avoided boring her with them.
When Gwen had visited Morgana after school it had always been in the town house they resided in during the week that had been closer to the school. Gwen had met her one day after her father had taken her with him on one of his electrician calls. She’d had the flu but he couldn’t turn down the job so had bundled her in, in a blanket with a hot water bottle, and sat her in the corner with a book until he had finished his work.
She was fifteen years old and he didn’t want to leave her on her own in case she’d fainted or needed him. It was all a bit over-kill, Gwen had thought, but she didn’t question it.
It was then that she had met Morgana.
Even at sixteen she was elegant and quite possibly the single most controversial person Gwen had ever met. Lived in a gifted world with all she could possibly want and all she wanted to do was live on the down low. Though, following in the family line. Well, her step-family line, one she has adopted as her own. It had pretty much been the family she had known for the last sixteen years, so why not?
The group of them were sat around the overly large oak table. The housekeeper had served the five of them, dishes of vegetables and a larger plate that heralded a joint of meat. Gwen knew better than to expect the meal to be cooked by anybody other than a member of staff.
Still, she could appreciate the work that had gone into it and it truly was superb. She’d managed to avoid being the topic of conversation over dinner. Merlin and Arthur had started a debate about the amount of work nurses did compared to the doctors.
“Yeah, you do more work than a doctor if that doctor is Arthur,” Morgana argued, she looked at her boyfriend pointedly.
“I didn’t mean you.”
“Really?” she raised her eyebrows, “Why don’t you specify?”
Gwen couldn’t help but laugh at her two best friends. It was an argument that broke up tirelessly among them. When his opponent was Merlin, Arthur never gave in. He would swear until he was blue in the face that he was the harder worker. But when faced with the hurricane that was an angry Gwen he didn’t think it worth it. Deep down, he knew she was right anyway. She was always dodging around at the hospital multiple things in her hands.
“Dad? Aren’t you going to defend our profession?” Arthur asked, looking to his right. Uther sat at the head of the table, the two couples of either side of him, his children sat immediately next to him.
“Both of you have valid points. Without the nurses the doctors wouldn’t be able to make ends meet. They make up smaller parts of a machine that works well together,” Uther reasoned.
“And your bias opinion?”
“I have to run a smooth operation, I can’t afford to have a bias opinion,” Uther said as he raised his wine glass to his mouth and took a long swig of the red liquid.
“But you do have one?” Gwen asked, more so interested to see how he would respond than his actual answer. She didn’t want to push him to snapping point, but she felt that she had to prove to him that she meant business. He’d respect her more if she didn’t back down and formed her own opinions rather than follow the crowd.
“Of course. I’m a doctor, but without the nurses at hand I’d not be where I was today. I didn’t save a single patient on my own. It’s women,” Merlin cleared with throat, “people, like the pair of you, that make that possible.”
“Oh come on, Uther,” Morgana probed, “Who does more work?” she circled her finger in the air, indicated the four youths, “Out of us lot?”
“From what I’ve seen? Gwen does,” Merlin’s jaw dropped in distain. Morgana laughed. Gwen blushed. Though he felt he should be the slightest bit offended that his own father didn’t think he did any work, Arthur beamed, looking to his left at his girlfriend, “Whenever I’ve been in the department recently she’s the only person who has actually been doing anything.”
“I do stuff,” Merlin huffed jokingly, strangely at ease.
"No, you don't" Arthur said with a laugh. The idea of Merlin actually doing any thing was highly amusing.
"He did finish that suduko puzzle last week," Morgana smirked, leaning over to pat her boyfriend on the knee.
"Well, actually-" Gwen started.
"Gwen!" Merlin coughed, none to subtly shutting her up.
Merlin had never been one to be comfortable in Doctor Pendragon’s presence. He’d never found him particularly agreeable but needs must. He had to actually seem like he did work in front of him. He didn’t care what Uther thought, just as long as he didn’t hate him enough to drive a wedge between him and Morgana it was all dandy.
-
It was late, the stars were in the sky and Arthur was glad he didn’t need to be anywhere particularly early the next day. He stood on his old bedroom’s small balcony overlooking the fountain in the gardens. He could remember the times when this was all he had. Back when he had no worries in the world. Back before Oxford and six years hard work.
It was nice to be able to breathe in the summer air and relax. He was exactly, well near exactly, where he had wanted himself to be. He had his degree, he was head of his department and he had the girl he’d wanted for the last ten years. Admittedly it was a bit screw up and the order was well, as out of it as it could be, but they were happy with where they were.
“Morgana said you’d be here,” Arthur turned to see Gwen stood in his bedroom doorway, “you’re still as predictable as you were way back when.”
“Morgana say that too?” Arthur asked looking back out to the fountain, watching the water run over the edge of the weather worn stone.
“Your father, actually,” Gwen approached, standing by his side. She took in all of what greeted her.
“Seems like you’ve made an impression on him.”
“A good one, I hope,” Gwen laughed. She leant on her side. She interlocked her fingers and rested her hands atop her small bump.
“How could anybody form a bad impression of you?”
“That little old lady who tutted at me when I corrected her when she asked me if my husband was anticipating the birth,” Gwen suggested. Arthur turned ninety degrees to face her.
“What did you tell her?”
“The truth; that my partner was, but we aren’t married. You know, if she hadn’t have crashed I think she may have told me that my baby was an illegitimate bastard,” they both laughed.
“Old-fashioned people scare me.”
“Scare? Not so much. Annoy the hell out of me? Yeah. They don’t know me; they shouldn’t be allowed to judge me,” she sighed. Arthur reached out a hand and gently cupped her cheek.
“Ignore them,” he soothingly rubbed his thumb over her cheekbone, “So your life isn’t perfect to them. As long as you’re happy.”
“I’m happy if you’re happy,” Gwen replied, she leant into his hand, revelling in the warmth of his contact.
“Well I’m happy if you are,” Arthur grinned dopily. Gwen opened her eyes and glowered at him with a mischievous glint in her eye.
“Don’t start that, we’ll get nowhere,” Arthur laughed softly. Gently, he pulled Gwen’s body into him, as close as he could manage with the baby between them, wrapping his arms around her. Gwen rested her head on his shoulder. He threaded a hand through her hair. Gwen’s hands rested on his chest, one balled into the material of his shirt.
“How’s Blobby today?” she could feel his hot breath on her skin behind her ear.
“Blobby is fine. A bit restless. I think it missed you.”
“Missed me?” Arthur enquired, still holding her close to him, “I’ve not been anywhere.”
“Not physically. Mentally you’ve been kind of far away,” he could feel the heat of her breath through his thin shirt. He ran one hand around to her front. Gwen moved one hand down to rest over his.
“I’m sorry,” he pressed a reassuring kiss to her hair. Gwen gently pulled away so she could look him in the face. She studied his solemn features, the light in his usually bright eyes was absent.
“What’s wrong?”
“It just hit me.”
“What did?”
“That I’ve got to be ready for this. That this is my life. The weirdest thing is, this is everything I ever wanted and I’m questioning whether any of it is real. Like one day I’ll wake up and it would have all been a dream and I’ll be seventeen again. Waking up having met you for the first time and wanting what I’ll never have.”
“If it’s a dream I’m having the same one,” Gwen admitted with an amused face on her face. She watched the man before her as he bowed his head in a laugh, “It scares me too. It scares me that I could lose everything in the drop of a hat, the blink of an eye-”
“A shake of a lamb’s tail?” Arthur added, the small shine slowly returning to his gaze.
“Exactly,” Gwen moved back from Arthur slightly. She kept her hand over his with a firm hold. She held his look, she needed him to believe her, “Yet I know I’ll always have at least on thing I want. One thing I don’t think I could ever face losing.”
“And what’s that then?” With her free hand she hit him upside the shoulder. Arthur’s smirk turned into a genuine smile but even that slowly faded away, “What if I’m not good enough? What if I’m my father’s son?”
“No matter how hard you try, you’ll always be Arthur Pendragon, you can’t escape that,” Gwen reasoned.
Arthur shook his head at her; “What if I turn into him? Like father like son? I never saw my father when I was younger. It was always nurses and nannies and people that weren’t him. Morgana’s father was a bigger presence in my life before he died and her mother married my father. It was like he was punishing me for my mother’s death,” Gwen raised her hand to the side of his face, delicately caressing the soft skin.
“That wasn’t your fault, he would know that.”
“Doesn’t matter. My mother died because of me.”
“She died because her blood wouldn’t clot and she lost far too much,” Morgana had told Gwen everything about their families. She knew every small detail of both their lives. She’s had ten years to do her research, if she didn’t know the finer details of their lives Morgana would have thought her a failure.
Sometimes Gwen felt sorry for Arthur. She knew all these things about him but he didn’t know them about her. He’d had to probe and ask. It was only fair if she divulged the information considering he’d never had the choice to stop her from knowing.
“But what if I’m like him though. What if I’m the absent father he was?”
“You won’t be.”
“How do you know?” He asked. The look on his face truly told her that he honestly believed he was going to end up being a disappointment. Gwen sighed and reached into her pocket reproducing her phone and going into her inbox.
“From: Arthur; ‘Running to Costa. Do you need anything? x’. From: Arthur; ‘Old Man Simmons asked how you were. Told him you were ‘gorgeous and glowing’. Thought I’d repeat the sentiment. x’. From: Arthur; ‘Merlin called you puffy. Punched him on the arm. Only I’m allowed to call you puffy. x’. Plus about thirty other messages. And that’s just today. From: Arthur; ‘If Dad murders me tonight: remember I love you. Name the baby Blobby for me. x’.”
Gwen smiled, unable to help herself laughing. She readjusted her grip on his face and looked into his eyes, pleading with him to trust her, “I have faith in you, Arthur.”
Strangely, though it had been the same thing he had been told by Merlin that morning, hearing it from Gwen had been that much more meaningful. Seeing the inbox screen of her phone had made him feel guilty. All he did was lovingly insult her and call her ‘fat’.
“No more of this, okay? You’re going to be a fantastic father. Trust me.”
“I trust you.”
Arthur scooped Gwen towards him, turning her so she was facing the gardens before them. He settled her back against his chest and wrapped his arms around her, hand still resting in the same place.
“You know, way back when, before he started dating my sister, I used to think you and Merlin had this whole ‘friends with benefits’ thing going on,” Arthur admitted, mood lightened by her reassuring presence alone.
“You think I slept with Merlin?” she asked, not even bothering to hide the laughter in her voice.
“Everybody did.”
“Everybody did?”
“Well, maybe just me, but you have to admit it looked a bit sus. You lived together, you worked together and you’re threateningly close,” Arthur jested, his hot breath on her ear.
“Really? You’re threatened by Merlin?”
“I would be if he wouldn’t incur my sister’s wrath,” the pair of them laughed. Arthur gently nestled his chin into the crook of Gwen’s neck, pressing his lips to her pulse point, “I love you.”
Gwen turned her head, smile locked on her face, “I love you too,” she kissed him firmly on the lips. The pair of them felt ‘Baby Leodegrance-Pendragon’ as it moved in her womb, “Blobby concurs. Don’t you, Baby? She/he loves you too.”
“Well that’s good to know,” Arthur smiled hugging her closer to his chest, protecting them both against the chill in the air that had started to settle in.
Next Prat Part
Authors: mydoctortennant
Pairings: Arthur/Gwen, Merlin/Morgana
Warnings: None for this chapter.
Disclaimer: Not real. Despite birthday wishes and night time prayers to Santa (all Hail Amy Pond!) Merlin still isn't mine!
Rating: Previous chapters make it NC17
Summary: Sometimes relationships just don't work in order. Or so they find out when one mistake leads to a life altering experience.
Author Notes: For the lovely noodlesishere; this is a modern AU based loosely off of the Abby/Luka storyline in ER series 12/13. Some medical info I have taken from ER, so it's totally their fault if it's wrong! Other stuff I researched myself, which may not be 100% correct but I tried my hardest =]
Also; totally OUT of my comfort zone with this, so I worked extra hard. Hope it pays off.
Thanks to mustbethursday3 for reading over it for me (and suggesting Costa should sponser me for mentioning it so much XD) and purely_distel for the name =]
My Merlin Prompts Table
| Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Part Seven
The weather outside was the best it had been for a long time. Midsummer’s day had just passed which had seen a few entertaining Druid cases that had intrigued Morgana more than they should have. She’d mentioned something about visiting Stonehenge next Midsummer’s. Merlin had nodded and agreed without listening and when Morgana had gone he’d asked Gwen what he’d agreed to.
Arthur made some half arsed attempt at a joke before he’d run away to find some coffee. Whoever had made the pot this afternoon hadn’t changed the filter or added new coffee and it was incredibly stale tasting, but it was rather that than nothing.
Otherwise what else would he have to stare into?
He heard the door open and click close behind him; “There you are,” it was Merlin, “Morgana wanted to know where you were. Something about a family dinner? I dunno, apparently I’m invited too.”
“’Kay,” Arthur swallowed nothing, staring at the dark brown liquid in his hand.
“Your Dad wants to make some sort of announcement,” Merlin shrugged slumping down on the other side of the lumpy sofa.
“Mhmm,” Arthur ran his finger down the side of his polystyrene cup.
“And then he’s going to do a naked lap dance for us all,” Merlin concluded looking at his friend.
“Cool,” Merlin raised an eyebrow, “Hang on, what?” Arthur’s head shot around to look at Merlin with his eyes wide.
“So you were listening then,” Merlin joked, taking Arthur’s coffee from him. He stuck his finger in it and his mouth upturned. Cold.
“Yeah, well no,” Arthur admitted, he cleared his throat and mumbled a hushed apology.
“What’s up?”
Arthur looked up to the ceiling; “Asbestos infused ceiling tiles.”
“What seriously?” Merlin replied looking worriedly up at the ceiling.
“What do you think, Merlin?” Arthur rested his head on the back of the sofa and glared at his friend.
“Okay, okay. Seriously, you’ve been a grumpy twat all day, what’s wrong?” Merlin asked, mimicking Arthur’s movement only minus the scowl and plus a concerned frown.
“I’m fine.”
“Liar. What’s wrong?” Merlin probed, he showed no sign of leaving before he got what he wanted. Arthur sighed.
“What if I’m not ready for this?” the blonde questioned. His vulnerability showing visibly on his face. It wasn’t anything Merlin had ever seen before. He’d only known Arthur since he’d gotten his job at Albion Hospital two years ago, but it seemed like he had known him for a lifetime. Arthur was the guy with the tough man exterior, it was very rare for him to show anybody anything remotely resembling the innerworkings of his twisted mind.
“For what?” the glare returned to Arthur’s face, “Oh. Have you spoken to Gwen about it?” Merlin asked, thinking it the most suitable solution to his problems.
“How can I tell her that after saying I’d be there for her I don’t know if I can?”
“If you abandoned her it won’t just be Morgana you’re running from,” Merlin warned, his tone suddenly dark and a glare in his eye, “This whole department will want your hind.”
“I didn’t say I was going to abandon her,” Arthur defended; he sat up from the sofa and rested his elbows on his knees and looked at Merlin.
“As good as.”
“It’s not what I meant,” Arthur said looking at the lino floor. One thing Merlin had been quick to learn about Arthur was that he didn’t have a way with words. If he expressed anything it was with a fist to a wall or pent up anger that he mulled over for weeks and let rip on the staff.
“Well maybe you should try explaining it properly,” Merlin said, leaning towards him. It wasn’t often that Arthur opened up to anybody; he wasn’t going to arse about now he was.
“I’m going to be a father,” Arthur said simply.
“Yeah…” Merlin prodded, he had been hoping for a little more than that, but it was evident that it was never going to come.
“That’s about it.”
“Right.”
“You’re really helpful, you know that?” Arthur said, looking over at his friend, resting his cheek on his thumbs. Arthur was one to talk. How could Merlin help when he was giving him so little to work with?
“Thanks,” Merlin beamed before his face fell, “Oh right, joking. From what I’ve seen Arthur, not only does Gwen - for no feasible reason I can understand - love you, but she trusts that you’ll do anything for this kid. There is something she sees in you that everybody else can see too: you’re going to be a good Father.”
“What if I’m not?” Arthur asked. To Merlin, Arthur looked truly like he couldn’t possibly comprehend the chances of him actually being a good father. It seemed like such a shame to Merlin. The man he knew for his ego and over-confidence looked broken. Merlin wasn’t one to stroke Arthur ego, but he looked so helpless.
“That’s not an option, really, is it?” Merlin said truthfully, “She brings out this side of you none of us have ever seen before. It’s that man that’s going to be the father you don’t see yourself being, yet.”
“How do you know?” Arthur asked him. He’d never trusted Merlin’s judgement before; he didn’t see why he should now.
“Because I see him whenever you look at her,” Merlin answered with that stupid smile he got on his face. It was the smile he’d had planted on his face the day Morgana had finally shut him up in the middle of the department. Grabbed him by the scrubs and kissed him. It hadn’t been expected by many, but in retrospect they really should have seen it coming.
“Thanks, Merlin,” Arthur said gratuitously, reaching out and clamping his hand down on his shoulder.
“Feeling better?” Merlin asked him, worried for both of his friends - and his own - wellbeing. Morgana would string him up and leave him for dead if he let Arthur do anything remotely stupid.
“Yeah, a bit. Thanks.”
“Come on, patients to see,” Merlin stood up, threw Arthur’s cold coffee in the bin and headed for the door, “You’re really okay?”
“I’ll be fine, Merlin.”
“Okay, good,” Merlin said, hand on the door handle, “Talk to Gwen about it, yeah? And I’ll see you at dinner later.”
“God, you were serious?” Arthur’s eyes went wide, he’d hoped against hope that Merlin had been joking. It wasn’t like his father to call them to dinner. They’d barely eaten with him when Arthur and Morgana had been younger. He’d always been so busy working at the hospital. They’d rarely eaten with Morgana’s mother before she’d died eleven years ago.
“Deadly. Morgana said something about a death threat to all those invited if they fail to show up. Something about being diced and quartered.”
“Fantastic,” Arthur replied dryly looking nonplussed by the whole thing. He didn’t need Gwen being subjected to the awkwardness of dinner in the Pendragon household. When it had happened it was all awkward silences and long pauses in conversation where nobody had nothing better that insults to throw at each other. At least these days Morgana and Arthur could bear to be in the same room with each other.
“See you later, Daddio,” Merlin chuckled as he finally exited.
“Bye, Merlin,” he said as the door closed, “and thanks.”
-
The Pendragon household was a grand affair. Eighteen bedrooms, ten acres, four horses and a large ornamental garden at the back of the building. It wasn’t like anything Gwen had ever encountered before. Day’s out as a kid had involved small fetes and food related endeavours. Her parents had never enjoyed historical things and avoided boring her with them.
When Gwen had visited Morgana after school it had always been in the town house they resided in during the week that had been closer to the school. Gwen had met her one day after her father had taken her with him on one of his electrician calls. She’d had the flu but he couldn’t turn down the job so had bundled her in, in a blanket with a hot water bottle, and sat her in the corner with a book until he had finished his work.
She was fifteen years old and he didn’t want to leave her on her own in case she’d fainted or needed him. It was all a bit over-kill, Gwen had thought, but she didn’t question it.
It was then that she had met Morgana.
Even at sixteen she was elegant and quite possibly the single most controversial person Gwen had ever met. Lived in a gifted world with all she could possibly want and all she wanted to do was live on the down low. Though, following in the family line. Well, her step-family line, one she has adopted as her own. It had pretty much been the family she had known for the last sixteen years, so why not?
The group of them were sat around the overly large oak table. The housekeeper had served the five of them, dishes of vegetables and a larger plate that heralded a joint of meat. Gwen knew better than to expect the meal to be cooked by anybody other than a member of staff.
Still, she could appreciate the work that had gone into it and it truly was superb. She’d managed to avoid being the topic of conversation over dinner. Merlin and Arthur had started a debate about the amount of work nurses did compared to the doctors.
“Yeah, you do more work than a doctor if that doctor is Arthur,” Morgana argued, she looked at her boyfriend pointedly.
“I didn’t mean you.”
“Really?” she raised her eyebrows, “Why don’t you specify?”
Gwen couldn’t help but laugh at her two best friends. It was an argument that broke up tirelessly among them. When his opponent was Merlin, Arthur never gave in. He would swear until he was blue in the face that he was the harder worker. But when faced with the hurricane that was an angry Gwen he didn’t think it worth it. Deep down, he knew she was right anyway. She was always dodging around at the hospital multiple things in her hands.
“Dad? Aren’t you going to defend our profession?” Arthur asked, looking to his right. Uther sat at the head of the table, the two couples of either side of him, his children sat immediately next to him.
“Both of you have valid points. Without the nurses the doctors wouldn’t be able to make ends meet. They make up smaller parts of a machine that works well together,” Uther reasoned.
“And your bias opinion?”
“I have to run a smooth operation, I can’t afford to have a bias opinion,” Uther said as he raised his wine glass to his mouth and took a long swig of the red liquid.
“But you do have one?” Gwen asked, more so interested to see how he would respond than his actual answer. She didn’t want to push him to snapping point, but she felt that she had to prove to him that she meant business. He’d respect her more if she didn’t back down and formed her own opinions rather than follow the crowd.
“Of course. I’m a doctor, but without the nurses at hand I’d not be where I was today. I didn’t save a single patient on my own. It’s women,” Merlin cleared with throat, “people, like the pair of you, that make that possible.”
“Oh come on, Uther,” Morgana probed, “Who does more work?” she circled her finger in the air, indicated the four youths, “Out of us lot?”
“From what I’ve seen? Gwen does,” Merlin’s jaw dropped in distain. Morgana laughed. Gwen blushed. Though he felt he should be the slightest bit offended that his own father didn’t think he did any work, Arthur beamed, looking to his left at his girlfriend, “Whenever I’ve been in the department recently she’s the only person who has actually been doing anything.”
“I do stuff,” Merlin huffed jokingly, strangely at ease.
"No, you don't" Arthur said with a laugh. The idea of Merlin actually doing any thing was highly amusing.
"He did finish that suduko puzzle last week," Morgana smirked, leaning over to pat her boyfriend on the knee.
"Well, actually-" Gwen started.
"Gwen!" Merlin coughed, none to subtly shutting her up.
Merlin had never been one to be comfortable in Doctor Pendragon’s presence. He’d never found him particularly agreeable but needs must. He had to actually seem like he did work in front of him. He didn’t care what Uther thought, just as long as he didn’t hate him enough to drive a wedge between him and Morgana it was all dandy.
-
It was late, the stars were in the sky and Arthur was glad he didn’t need to be anywhere particularly early the next day. He stood on his old bedroom’s small balcony overlooking the fountain in the gardens. He could remember the times when this was all he had. Back when he had no worries in the world. Back before Oxford and six years hard work.
It was nice to be able to breathe in the summer air and relax. He was exactly, well near exactly, where he had wanted himself to be. He had his degree, he was head of his department and he had the girl he’d wanted for the last ten years. Admittedly it was a bit screw up and the order was well, as out of it as it could be, but they were happy with where they were.
“Morgana said you’d be here,” Arthur turned to see Gwen stood in his bedroom doorway, “you’re still as predictable as you were way back when.”
“Morgana say that too?” Arthur asked looking back out to the fountain, watching the water run over the edge of the weather worn stone.
“Your father, actually,” Gwen approached, standing by his side. She took in all of what greeted her.
“Seems like you’ve made an impression on him.”
“A good one, I hope,” Gwen laughed. She leant on her side. She interlocked her fingers and rested her hands atop her small bump.
“How could anybody form a bad impression of you?”
“That little old lady who tutted at me when I corrected her when she asked me if my husband was anticipating the birth,” Gwen suggested. Arthur turned ninety degrees to face her.
“What did you tell her?”
“The truth; that my partner was, but we aren’t married. You know, if she hadn’t have crashed I think she may have told me that my baby was an illegitimate bastard,” they both laughed.
“Old-fashioned people scare me.”
“Scare? Not so much. Annoy the hell out of me? Yeah. They don’t know me; they shouldn’t be allowed to judge me,” she sighed. Arthur reached out a hand and gently cupped her cheek.
“Ignore them,” he soothingly rubbed his thumb over her cheekbone, “So your life isn’t perfect to them. As long as you’re happy.”
“I’m happy if you’re happy,” Gwen replied, she leant into his hand, revelling in the warmth of his contact.
“Well I’m happy if you are,” Arthur grinned dopily. Gwen opened her eyes and glowered at him with a mischievous glint in her eye.
“Don’t start that, we’ll get nowhere,” Arthur laughed softly. Gently, he pulled Gwen’s body into him, as close as he could manage with the baby between them, wrapping his arms around her. Gwen rested her head on his shoulder. He threaded a hand through her hair. Gwen’s hands rested on his chest, one balled into the material of his shirt.
“How’s Blobby today?” she could feel his hot breath on her skin behind her ear.
“Blobby is fine. A bit restless. I think it missed you.”
“Missed me?” Arthur enquired, still holding her close to him, “I’ve not been anywhere.”
“Not physically. Mentally you’ve been kind of far away,” he could feel the heat of her breath through his thin shirt. He ran one hand around to her front. Gwen moved one hand down to rest over his.
“I’m sorry,” he pressed a reassuring kiss to her hair. Gwen gently pulled away so she could look him in the face. She studied his solemn features, the light in his usually bright eyes was absent.
“What’s wrong?”
“It just hit me.”
“What did?”
“That I’ve got to be ready for this. That this is my life. The weirdest thing is, this is everything I ever wanted and I’m questioning whether any of it is real. Like one day I’ll wake up and it would have all been a dream and I’ll be seventeen again. Waking up having met you for the first time and wanting what I’ll never have.”
“If it’s a dream I’m having the same one,” Gwen admitted with an amused face on her face. She watched the man before her as he bowed his head in a laugh, “It scares me too. It scares me that I could lose everything in the drop of a hat, the blink of an eye-”
“A shake of a lamb’s tail?” Arthur added, the small shine slowly returning to his gaze.
“Exactly,” Gwen moved back from Arthur slightly. She kept her hand over his with a firm hold. She held his look, she needed him to believe her, “Yet I know I’ll always have at least on thing I want. One thing I don’t think I could ever face losing.”
“And what’s that then?” With her free hand she hit him upside the shoulder. Arthur’s smirk turned into a genuine smile but even that slowly faded away, “What if I’m not good enough? What if I’m my father’s son?”
“No matter how hard you try, you’ll always be Arthur Pendragon, you can’t escape that,” Gwen reasoned.
Arthur shook his head at her; “What if I turn into him? Like father like son? I never saw my father when I was younger. It was always nurses and nannies and people that weren’t him. Morgana’s father was a bigger presence in my life before he died and her mother married my father. It was like he was punishing me for my mother’s death,” Gwen raised her hand to the side of his face, delicately caressing the soft skin.
“That wasn’t your fault, he would know that.”
“Doesn’t matter. My mother died because of me.”
“She died because her blood wouldn’t clot and she lost far too much,” Morgana had told Gwen everything about their families. She knew every small detail of both their lives. She’s had ten years to do her research, if she didn’t know the finer details of their lives Morgana would have thought her a failure.
Sometimes Gwen felt sorry for Arthur. She knew all these things about him but he didn’t know them about her. He’d had to probe and ask. It was only fair if she divulged the information considering he’d never had the choice to stop her from knowing.
“But what if I’m like him though. What if I’m the absent father he was?”
“You won’t be.”
“How do you know?” He asked. The look on his face truly told her that he honestly believed he was going to end up being a disappointment. Gwen sighed and reached into her pocket reproducing her phone and going into her inbox.
“From: Arthur; ‘Running to Costa. Do you need anything? x’. From: Arthur; ‘Old Man Simmons asked how you were. Told him you were ‘gorgeous and glowing’. Thought I’d repeat the sentiment. x’. From: Arthur; ‘Merlin called you puffy. Punched him on the arm. Only I’m allowed to call you puffy. x’. Plus about thirty other messages. And that’s just today. From: Arthur; ‘If Dad murders me tonight: remember I love you. Name the baby Blobby for me. x’.”
Gwen smiled, unable to help herself laughing. She readjusted her grip on his face and looked into his eyes, pleading with him to trust her, “I have faith in you, Arthur.”
Strangely, though it had been the same thing he had been told by Merlin that morning, hearing it from Gwen had been that much more meaningful. Seeing the inbox screen of her phone had made him feel guilty. All he did was lovingly insult her and call her ‘fat’.
“No more of this, okay? You’re going to be a fantastic father. Trust me.”
“I trust you.”
Arthur scooped Gwen towards him, turning her so she was facing the gardens before them. He settled her back against his chest and wrapped his arms around her, hand still resting in the same place.
“You know, way back when, before he started dating my sister, I used to think you and Merlin had this whole ‘friends with benefits’ thing going on,” Arthur admitted, mood lightened by her reassuring presence alone.
“You think I slept with Merlin?” she asked, not even bothering to hide the laughter in her voice.
“Everybody did.”
“Everybody did?”
“Well, maybe just me, but you have to admit it looked a bit sus. You lived together, you worked together and you’re threateningly close,” Arthur jested, his hot breath on her ear.
“Really? You’re threatened by Merlin?”
“I would be if he wouldn’t incur my sister’s wrath,” the pair of them laughed. Arthur gently nestled his chin into the crook of Gwen’s neck, pressing his lips to her pulse point, “I love you.”
Gwen turned her head, smile locked on her face, “I love you too,” she kissed him firmly on the lips. The pair of them felt ‘Baby Leodegrance-Pendragon’ as it moved in her womb, “Blobby concurs. Don’t you, Baby? She/he loves you too.”
“Well that’s good to know,” Arthur smiled hugging her closer to his chest, protecting them both against the chill in the air that had started to settle in.
Next Prat Part