Infinity

Prelude

September 18, 1926

3rd Person POV

The bland room was being showered in yellow light, which hardly seemed appropriate for the occasion. It scarcely seemed suitable for Thomas to be thinking about this at a time like this, but he couldn't seem to stop his mind from noticing these details. At least it helped keep him preoccupied from what he really did not want to be thinking about. This was the second and final time he would be sitting in a room like this. He would make sure of it. A woman dressed in a white nurse's outfit quickly walked by the window, catching his attention. She left as quickly as she came with no information for him on his wife.

He had been in this room doing nothing but pacing and thinking for over nine hours. How long did it take for a woman to give birth? The last time he only had to wait six hours before he was presented with a perfect baby boy. He praised his wife for giving him Thomas Wayne Edwards Jr., a boy that matched his father's likeness with dark hair and grey eyes. His attitude was not even dampened by his wife insisting on calling the boy Tommy. During both of his wife Nancy's pregnancies, Thomas Sr. had been adamite on the baby being a boy. Boys were useful to him, and both of his sons would be able to help him in his work and one day carry on his legacy. Even as a young boy, Thomas Sr. had a clear picture of his future family. He would marry an intelligent woman, who would be able to engage in intellectual conversation and would be the perfect housewife. After being married for a few years, they would have two sons two years apart, who would be just as intelligent as himself but not more (his ego would not be able to handle that). Today he would finally have the last piece of his perfect family. Of course, Nancy had warned him that it could be a girl, but he would dismiss these thoughts insisting that it was a boy.

Thomas Sr. was a proud man with a very impressive IQ score. As a young man he worked hard to achieve much in his life. He was rewarded for his efforts by being hired as an assistant professor at Stanford University immediately after graduation. He continued to work hard and by the time Thomas Jr. was born he had risen to a head teaching position. His hope was to one day become the Dean of the science and technology programs, and he was confident in his ability to achieve this goal. He had already set up a savings account to send Thomas and his new son to Stanford when they were older. Thomas Jr. had already demonstrated an above average intelligence that Thomas Sr. would continue to cultivate. He could not be prouder.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed the nurse coming by the window presenting a small red haired baby boy to him. He smiled with pride. He had his perfect family, but sadly for Thomas this did not last long. A second nurse came up to the window and presented another dark-haired baby. Thomas Sr. was confused, which did not happen often because there were no other men in the room waiting on a baby. To whom did this baby belong?

Thomas pushed these uncomfortable thoughts out of his mind chalking it up to the fact that maybe there was no father. These things do happen. Instead, he chose to focus on his new son. The boy, small with little freckles peppering his cheeks topped with dark red hair. If he had to guess, the boy would either have his grey eyes or his wife's green ones. The boy looked mostly like his mother, which was fine with Thomas Sr. because Nancy was a very beautiful woman. A nurse soon came to collect him to take him to his wife and son. Thomas Sr. gave no mind to the kind nurse congratulating him. If he had, he might have been more prepared for the reality strike he would receive once he walked into the room.

The nurse led him into the room, and he was greeted with the sound of a crying infant. His wife was laying in the hospital bed cradling the redheaded infant, who was making quite the ruckus in her arms. Thomas Sr. slowly approached the bed with a huge smile that he sent towards his wife. Nancy was just as beautiful as always, even after giving birth. Her Auburn hair braided down her back and her tired, yet joyful, green eyes studied the infant in her arms. Thomas Sr. was so proud of her and was about to say so when he was rudely interrupted by an infant's cries. He looked down, but his son was contently sleeping in his mother's arms.

"Dear, would you please hold your daughter. I can't hold them both yet."

Daughter? Both? The simple words confused him for the second time that day. Realization struck when he found the source of the new wails. His eyes found a second infant in a basinet next to his wife's bed. He slowly walked over to the basinet and saw the small dark-haired, freckled child from before. He could see it. The child had his hair and his wife's nose and freckles. There was no mistaking it, the female baby was his.

Anger boiled at how unfair this was. He was so close to having the perfect family and this girl just ruined it.

"Twins!" His exclamation brought a frown to Nancy's face. She had been hoping and praying that this would not be his reaction, but she knew better.

"Yes. Twins. A boy and a girl; it may not be what you wanted, but they are both healthy, which is what we wanted. I know we already named our son Jasper Morgan, but I was thinking about names for her and..."

Thomas Sr. chose this point to interrupt his wife. "I don't care what you call her, we are not keeping her."

"What do you mean we are not keeping her!?" Nancy Edwards was beyond angry. Growing up she had always wanted a daughter and now here she was, a perfect little angel that had no idea her father did not want her. It was up to her to protect her little daughter from her husband's anger.

"This is not what I wanted. It was supposed to be two sons not two sons and a daughter. There must be something we can do about this; we should just leave her here. I'm sure the nurses can find her a nice home."

Nancy Edwards had given up a lot for her husband. She dropped out of school once they were engaged because he did not see that it was appropriate or necessary for her to pursue academics, even though she was just as smart has him. Dropping out of school also ended her promising career as an engineer before it even began. All because of his ideals. But this was going too far, and Thomas Sr. knew it the moment he saw her face.

"Well sometimes the world doesn't conform to your ideals and desires. We have three beautiful children, and you are going to have to find a way to come to terms with that. Now, please either take Jasper or comfort your daughter before she bursts my eardrums."

Thomas Sr. was not going to pick up the little baby that ruined his family, and he was too angry to hold his son so instead he just left the room. Nancy watched her husband storm out of the room as a few tears spilled from her eyes. She placed Jasper on the bed in between her legs so she could grab her daughter. Her little daughter calmed almost instantly.

"I guess it's up to me to name you." She cooed fondly to the baby. "My mama was the strongest women that I've ever known and knowing your father you are going to have to be twice as strong. You need to know this because I may not always be able to protect you, and it may not always seem that I love you, but I promise you that you are loved. You are so loved. So, you always know of my love and so you have the strength of your grandmother, your name is Marleena Rose Edwards. Marleena after your grandmother and Rose after me. Love and strong."