Shattering Teacups

Chapter 9

The car ride was excruciatingly silent. She hadn't said a word to him, the last he heard of his voice being her whispered instructions to Will.

Persephone sat in Hannibal's passenger seat, watching familiar scenery fly past. She didn't dare touch him. Instead, she kept her fingers twisted together in her lap.

Hannibal would peek at her, but kept his eyes mostly on the road.  He assumed she would at least look in his general direction once they were in the obstetricians office.

She avoided eye contact, didn't speak except to the staff when asked questions about her lifestyle, all of her responses short. She made no expression as a technician drew blood, staring unimpressed at the small basket of too many vials. One of the male nurses had rubbed Hannibal's final nerves raw.

"Your paperwork says single? Do you plan on getting married?"

"Not in the foreseeable future." She said flatly.

His eyes wandered her body for a little too long. The paper gown did little to hide her body. Hannibal's fingers twitched to pluck the eyes from the other mans skull.

The nurse nodded, writing something down on a small sticky note. He eyed Hannibal before handing it to her. "The doctor will be in for the ultrasound, your blood work is running, just about done." A broad smile aimed at her before stepping out of the room.

Hannibal snatched the sticky note from Persephone as the door clicked shut. A phone number with a note.

'Call if he doesn't work out-Alex' In a disgustingly plain writing. She watched his hands with her brow cocked as he stuffed the note into his pocket.

"Terribly bold. You won't need it." Hannibal said, sitting in a chair by next to the exam table where Persephone was seated.

She smirked for a moment, slightly nodding her head. "There's always Will." She joked. The doctor walked in as Hannibal shot her a devious look.

"Good morning. I'm Doctor Crane. Your blood work came back perfect, I just need to do a pelvic exam, and then we can do an ultrasound to check the baby. Sound good?" She spoke with a slight accent, and was otherwise pleasant.

"Perfect." Persephone smiled.

"Alright. Go ahead and lie back. Sir, if you could step outside the room for a moment. I'll let you back in to see the baby."

Persephone gave Hannibal a look that told him not to argue. 'Do as your told' written in the microexpression. He nodded, pushing himself from the chair.

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A good twenty minutes had passed before Doctor Crane allowed Hannibal back in the room. Persephone was laid back on the exam table, the front of her gown undone just enough for her stomach to be exposed. There was a slight curve to her lower abdomen and it pricked at him that he hadn't noticed it before.

Doctor Crane flicked the lights off once Hannibal took his seat next to Persephone. A few dots of gel onto the ultrasound wand before being gently pressed and slid across the slight curve. Hannibal closed his eyes, listening to the sound of breathing, the slight clicks of the keyboard, the shifting of plastic as the screen was turned.

The sound of blood pulsing rhythmically, rapidly, filled the room.

"Heart rate one fifty three, healthy development, about eleven weeks." There we a few more clicks "Possibly twelve. Everything looks good."

Hannibal's eyes opened as Persephone's fingers weaved into his tightly. "Boy or girl?" He asked, the fetus on the screen moved slightly at the sound of his voice.

A few more clicks, the screen adjusting "it's hard to see right now. The blood work will give us a definite answer." Three small pictures printed, the screen going to black before the lights came back on. She held out the photos to Hannibal. He stared at them for a moment, taking them gently, as if they were as fragile as the baby itself.

"I'd like to see you back in a month. I've sent your prescriptions to the pharmacy. You can set up an appointment with the secretary on your way out." She smiled, handing Persephone a towel then closing the door behind her.

Hannibal's eyes were fixed on Persephone as she dressed. The cut on her chest from the night before was inflamed. There was a slight infection. She hadn't bothered to clean or cover it. Any infection would be harmful to the baby. Irritation pushed him to his feet, pulling open the drawers and cabinets to find what he needed. A small unopened box of polysporin, alcohol swabs, gauze and tape.

He stopped her from buttoning her shirt fully "why didn't you clean this?"

She hissed as he cleaned it with the alcohol. "Will cleaned it the best he could. I didn't think about it." Her lips pressed tight as he dabbed on the polysporin.

"You need to pay attention to these things, or tell me and I can help." He said, a small smile as he placed the bandage over top, satisfied with his work. Finishing the last few buttons of her shirt, he found her staring at his hands again. "Do you have a fascination with them?"

"I'm sorry?" The confusion in her face was something he enjoyed more than he should have.

"My hands. It's rude to stare, Persephone." He handed her her small bag, smiling at the indignant look she wore.

"Passing thoughts, that's all. I need to get home and start on dinner." She left before he could ask.