Marriage is Murder

Brian cae up ffrom the gym, wet from a swim in the pool--the last stage of a workout he'd done. He was slightly alerted to seeing all the faces at his bedroom door.

"Everything alright?" Brian asked.

"Your wife is stubborn," Robert said.

"Oh. That. Well, glad to know nothing changed while I was down in the pool," he said. He disappeared into his closed and wrapped himself in a thick white terry robe over his wet swim trunks. He came back out. "And exactly what are we debating this time?"

"Daddy wants me to take a long weekend," Khaat said.

"I just thought that was a no brainer," Brian said. "Why are we debating it?"

"Who's side are you on?" she frowned.

"Yours," he smiled.

"I suggested she consider a romantic weekend in Tuscany," Robert told Brian.

"What did you tell him?" Brian asked her.

"I told him no," she said. "Our kids miss us, and I just don't feel right going to Italy for a weekend with all this going on at home."

She sighed heavily. It just wasn't something she wanted to do. She didn't feel well. She just wanted to be home. Brian merely looked at her and smiled sympathetically. He went over and sat with her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"We always have a good time, and you know it," he said to her. "Its just for a couple of days. The sun and the warmth would do you good. And if you truly do want some time just to be alone, I'm sure that Jack and Jess would take the kids to their own place for a bit to give us a bit of alone time. I owe you a candlelight dinner anyway."

"What for?" she asked.

"I missed our 6 month anniversary a few days ago."

"Nobody celebrates their 6 month wedding anniversary," she frowned.

"Your mother and I did," her father said. "There's nothing wrong with that. Enjoy it. If he wants one evening alone in Tuscany, you're entitled."

Robert headed to bed, leaving it in Brian's hands. Brian made sure Khaat was safely in bed. He gave her just a small dose of a sleeping potion to ease her mind and let her sleep in peace. Once she was asleep, he changed for bed and then he packed for the two of them and then went across to the nursery and packed for the kids. He knew he would be lucky to get her to stay a couple days in Tuscany.

He left a note for Angus right on Angus's nightstand to notify him. He gave Angus the weekend off in case he wanted to visit his family. Then he headed to bed.

He didn't realize how tired he was until he allowed himself to actually go to bed beside her. He already had the illness now, so how much worse could sharing her bed be? He was tired of sleeping on the sofa. He decided to give in and just go to bed in his own bed for a change. The moment he got into bed, he fell into a dead sleep.

Brian woke and realized he'd slept longer than usual. He got up and showered and shaved and dresed and found his coffee and finished it in the quiet of the morning. He had picked some of Khaat's smallest sizes for her because most of what she had wasn't fitting anymore.

It haunted him. He hadn't said how much it bothered him. He resorted to conjuring more coffee for himself. He checked on the kids and found they were still sleeping. Then he went outside. The fact that she was so tiny again haunted him in ways he didnt want to talk about. It was frightening for him. He did not want to reveal to anyone how it rattled him to be going through this with Khaat again. And wondering if Robert was going to find a cure in time before she ended up like so many of the patients she'd recently lost.

And it made him wonder if he was doing the right thing to take her to Tuscany if she didn't want to go, or if he needed to let her stay in her own home if that waas what she truly wanted.

Kate went downstairs and found Robert picking up the copy of the Prophet.

"Brian's struggling," Kate told him.

"Yep," Robert said. "I know. He doesn't take his coffee for a walk unless he's bugged. I'm just very little comfort for him right now. She needs some time. Some rest. And some sort of interest in food again. And that won't come for her until she gets away from all these dying people."

"You do think Tuscany is good for her, don't you?"

"Yes. For a few days, to reduce her stress, so long as she's allowed to just relax and enjoy it. If Brian starts to hover or make the mistake of treating her like she's dying or something equally as stupid, then she'll get irritable and angry. If he doesn't overreact, they'll do alright."

"Well,, maybe they'll focus on Brian and not on her, then, and keep him busy."

"We can only hope," Robert laughed.

"I'd like to," Angus said to Jess, removing a breakfast casserole from the oven. He sprinkled some fresh chopped parsley over top for garnish. "And I think if Brian had a few days by himself with Khaat for them just to be a couple again, it would do them both good. He could take care of her himself for a few days. And I would think we could somehow share the duties of taking care of the kids, don't you, to give them some 'grownup time'?"

He removed, then, a large sheet of fresh cinnamon rolls from the oven. He flicked his fingers over the baking sheet in order to magically cool then just enough that he could drizzle the icing over them. He cut them and put them on a large platter. Then he floated the platter to the table and the breakfast casserole, along with a large bowl of fresh fruit.

"Do you mind taking the juice and the tea and the coffee to the table?" he asked her. "I think we're ready then. Kate--can you call Brian for breakfast? Jack, can you help with the kids? I think Kieran and Fi are in Brian's office discussing some budget things for Colorado. They could help you."

"Sure," Kate said. She looked at Robert. "You want to wake her up?"

"I probably should," Robert said.