Mordecai broke for dinner a bit earlier than may have been financially strategic. Usually on a Frig’s Day he’d play right through to eight or nine, because people went home from work and then they went back out again. He would also be playing out in front of a theatre or a bar downtown instead of a bodega near the hospital, but he wanted to feed Calliope.

Calliope and the baby absolutely needed to be in the hospital in case anything happened, but that didn’t mean she had to eat the food.

He could always head towards downtown afterwards. People would be in and out of bars and theatres all night; he could play until the buses quit running.

Well, until just before the buses quit running.

He selected chips and sandwiches, and then he considered sodas. He was pretty sure he had seen Calliope drink sodas, even that kind of soda, she just didn’t like drawing the little guy on the bottle.

Well, not in one piece.

He chose an orange and a strawberry and he figured she could have whichever she liked best. And if she wanted to fling them at the wall or something, the hospital wasn’t super thrilled with them anyway and she’d be out soon.

There was a woman out front selling flowers. He considered buying some, but he was already carrying a large paper bag and a violin case, and he thought Calliope would be happy with just the food.

At the front desk, they wanted to be assured he was just there to visit and not for service, and that he was aware he would be removed if he did any magic. He smiled at them and vowed to find the break room and make some minor changes to the sugar and/or salt before he left.

It was reasonably cheerful in the maternity ward. It was a lot nicer with the lights on, and during normal visiting hours with people allowed to talk.

Husbands and fathers and families were there. There were flowers and stuffed animals and boxes of chocolates. A couple of women were making use of some rocking chairs (Were there rocking chairs in here the other night? He thought he remembered just beds…) to soothe fussy babies. There appeared to be an infant sleeping in a drawer taken from a filing cabinet, and that distracted Mordecai for a minute, but he didn’t want to stare.

This hospital… Are they running on donations? Do they need more of them?

Calliope was sitting up and nursing Lucy with her eyes closed and tears running down her face.

“Um,” he said. He started to walk off, then he turned and set down the bag and the violin so he’d be faster. “I’ll get a nurse. I’ll be right back.”

She opened her eyes and looked at him. “Why?”

“Because you’re in pain.”

“What will a nurse do about it?” she said.

“Medicine, Calliope.” Why was he having this discussion? Where were the damn nurses? Okay, he came in that way, so…

“Why should I have medicine?” she said.

“You’re crying.”

“I’m sad.”

He stopped. “Are you worried about it?”

She closed her eyes again and nodded.

He came nearer and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Calliope, you are going to be a great mother. And we…”

“He doesn’t seem to think so,” she said softly. She sobbed and put a hand over her eyes.

Tissues. Now he needed tissues. Where were… Oh. Right there on the table. He gave her three. That was… That was maybe too many tissues. What the hell was he doing?

“Who thinks you’re not going to be a great mom?” he demanded. “Some stupid doctor? Just because you’re not married?”

She shook her head. She had gathered all three tissues into her fist, and she pressed that fist against her brow. That was not regulation use of tissues, but… okay.

“He brought roses,” she said. “They didn’t want to throw the roses away. I made them throw the roses away.” She sobbed and shook her head. “I like roses.”

“What… Is this the father?” He thought she’d had all that sorted out. She didn’t want to marry the guy and that was it. He didn’t think the man even knew where she was.

He had to solve this logic puzzle in his head, and the more hints he required, the more upset she would get. He threw away his first impression — not a stupid doctor — and made a mental note on the subject of Calliope’s ex-boyfriend: I may need to go find this person, whatever his name is, and hit him. Later. On my own time.

“Chris?” said Calliope, blinking. “Why would Chris bring me roses? Chris likes me.” She pressed the tissues to her mouth to stifle another sob. “Em, I thought Milo liked me.”

“Milo…?”

Mordecai crumpled up his previous page of speculation and tossed it away. Milo brought her roses and doesn’t like her?

Was it possible Calliope had already had medicine? Like, a very large amount of medicine?

“Calliope,” he said, in accordance with his new hypothesis. “Milo likes you very much. I’m sure of it.”

She broke down. She curled up in the bed and tried to draw her knees to her chest, but she couldn’t quite do that and hold the baby too. She clutched Lucy against her, which had the effect of dislodging the infant from her breast, which Lucy did not approve of.

“If he likes me, why did he bring me roses?” Calliope said.

“I…” said Mordecai. He shook his head. He put out his arms. “Let me see Lucy. Please.” He understood the part with the crying baby. He could maybe do something about that.

“Hold her head,” Calliope said thickly. She was trying to adjust Lucy for optimal transference, but she was shaking and Lucy was struggling.

“I know.” He also knew how to cope with unhappy babies who were trying to get you to drop them. He bundled the blanket tighter and walked with her. Lucy quieted almost instantly. He regarded her with one brow raised. Oh, you’re going to be an easy one?

Erik had not been an easy one, but Mordecai thought he might’ve been a bit annoyed with the circumstances of his arrival.

Do you like having a nice warm hospital and a lot of people who know what the hell they’re doing to look after you?

Lucy had no comment, but she seemed like she was going to be okay with being put back in her bassinet. He attempted it. She complained softly and then settled.

“You’re really good at that,” Calliope said.

“I’ve had practice. Erik cried so much, Hyacinth was always threatening to sedate him.”

Calliope frowned. “That seems like a bad idea. Is that why he talks so slow?”

“Calliope, she didn’t actually… he…”

He is missing a visible piece of his head, he thought, and you’re looking for some other reason he talks slow?

Mordecai shut his eyes and shook his head. “Nevermind. Will you tell me what happened with Milo?”

“He brought roses.”

“Yeah, I got that part.”

“He must think I’m a horrible person.”

His mental notepad looked like one of Barnaby’s goddamned incomprehensible newspaper collages. I am going to get usable information out of you somehow, Calliope. I just know it. It was a little like talking to Cousin Violet.

You’re not like Violet, he thought. You want me to understand. So let’s just get there however you want to get there.

“Because of the roses?” he tried.

A soft, involuntary sound escaped her. She nodded. “Mm-hm.” She began to cry again.

He sat down on the bed and he held her. She was not wearing a shirt or anything, but he wasn’t going to tell her to put one on. It didn’t seem like she minded. She clasped her hands and pressed her cheek against his coat. He was very glad he didn’t have a lot of stupid ribbons like the General, or any more brass buttons.

“He thought it would make me happy. All those awful things he said…”

Mordecai drew back and looked at her. “He said?”

“He made Ann say it. I know he made her say it because she wouldn’t want to be hurt.” She shook her head and put her hands over her eyes. “But I don’t know if Ann thinks I’m horrible too.” She brought her hands down. “Em? Do you think I’m horrible? Do you think I don’t care about people? Do you think I care more about money than people?”

“I absolutely do not think that,” he said.

“Do you think I can’t take care of Lucy unless I have someone to mind me?”

“No.” He thought she was a little light on common sense and he was glad she was living with them so she’d have a house, but he didn’t think she was incapable. He thought she was pretty resourceful and strong.

“Calliope, what did he say?”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said softly. “I just wish I knew why. I thought he liked me.” She clenched her teeth and shuddered, as if swallowing bitter medicine. “He brought me all these records. All the people on the records were saying nice things. I thought he wanted to say those things. I guess he just likes the music.”

Mordecai shook his head. He’d heard Milo and Calliope listening to records, they all had. Maybe they thought they were being subtle about it, but they were happy and they liked each other and they really had no idea. He’d thought Milo meant the stuff on the records too.

Although, he guessed he knew Calliope didn’t mean the stuff about death and people’s faces melting off. And whatever that one with the gargling noise was.

But, they were sharing things they liked, and he was pretty sure they liked each other.

Milo, what did you do? And did you really have to get on the bus and come to the hospital and do it now? My gods, she’s tired. Doesn’t she have enough to deal with?

“Em?” she asked him. “Do you think I should still live there with you?”

“Yes,” he said firmly. “You should absolutely still live there with us. I don’t know what’s wrong with Milo, but all the rest of us love you and we want you to stay. If he opens his mouth… I mean, if Ann… I… Look, I will talk to him. I will straighten him out.”

Damn it, Calliope needed to live there with them. She was brave and resourceful, but it was going to be a lot harder for her if she didn’t have a place to stay. She’d have to go back to work right away. She’d have to pay people to look after Lucy. She might even end up in a shelter or a workhouse or something. This was a safety thing.

He put his hands on her hands. “Calliope, promise me you’ll stay with us. It’s a good place. I think all of us have our stupid moments, but no one there is trying to hurt you. I don’t know what this thing is, but we’ll get through it somehow. I promise I’ll help.”

She nodded. She looked up at him. “Please be careful when you talk to Milo. I think he gets scared sometimes.”

“Um,” said Mordecai. “Yeah.”

Oh, gods. She was so sweet and so weird. He sort of wanted to take notes on what she did and what offerings she preferred.

You need some weird art? Yeah. Calliope Marshmallow Otis does that. You’re going to need a record with screaming and a Pin-Min soda to set on fire.

Oh, yeah.

He retrieved the paper bag from the foot of the bed. “Hey, I brought you some dinner. It’s just sandwiches.” He drew out one of the soda bottles with a sheepish smile. “And a couple of these guys. But if you don’t like them, I’m happy to throw them at the wall for you. I don’t think the hospital could be any more bothered by me.” Not unless he actually could do magic, anyway.

She accepted the soda and smiled at him. “You’re a really sweet person, Em.”

◈◈◈

Hyacinth was sitting on the stairs and drinking coffee. She had been lying on the stairs, but she heard someone on the porch and she sat up. The coffee had liquor in it. She had intended whisky, but she wasn’t sure. It was brown? She didn’t really care.

Milo had been shivering when she looked in on him, and she was pretty sure that was a nightmare, but if she woke him up he’d be more scared. She was damn sure if she woke him up he wouldn’t let her touch him. So she sat next to him on the bed and pet him and that seemed like it helped. Then she had to check Erik and… at some point she had done coffee. She had some coffee.

She was in the middle of the stairs and she didn’t know if it was up next or down next. She guessed she’d just pick one and then do the other after.

Mordecai came in carrying his violin. He had attempted to walk off without the violin. Once at the hospital and then on the bus. He had also forgotten about re-flavouring the hospital break room. He saw Hyacinth on the stairs but he did not think that was particularly odd. He might not’ve thought a purple dragon was particularly odd. He had just been talking to Calliope.

He did not know about the liquor in the coffee.

He said, “Is Ann home yet?”

“Ann is not anywhere,” Hyacinth said.

“So, Milo is somewhere? In the house?” Again, talking to Calliope.

“He’s asleep.”

Mordecai mounted the stairs. “Well, I’m going to wake him up. Is that coffee? Can I get…”

“Like hell you are,” said Hyacinth, rising.

“You don’t have to get it,” he said, frowning. He had been hoping she would, but he guessed she didn’t know what he was doing. He guessed he didn’t know what he was doing.

“You’re not waking Milo,” she said. She had her head down like a bull who was ready to gore someone. “You’re not doing anything to Milo. No one is doing anything to Milo. Why in the hell do you want to do anything to Milo? Milo is a broken person; people should quit hurting him!” Her voice wavered noticeably on that last bit.

“Well, maybe Milo should be a little more careful with other people!” Mordecai replied. “Especially exhausted young women in hospitals!”

“What?” said Hyacinth.

“What?” said Mordecai.

“Did she do…?” said Hyacinth.

“He did…” said Mordecai.

“What do you mean ‘did she do?’” said Mordecai, hotly.

“Oh, what could he possibly have done?” snapped Hyacinth.

“I think we need to actually start giving each other information instead of just being pissed off!” said Mordecai.

“Well, you go first, damn it!” said Hyacinth.

“Milo went to the hospital and said something to Calliope. Ah,” he raised a hand, “that is, he had Ann say it. And it must’ve been something Milo-specific, because she doesn’t blame Ann for it. She didn’t want to say what it was, but she was crying about it and she wanted to know if I thought maybe she shouldn’t live here anymore.

“Let me remind you, this is Calliope. You can’t dent Calliope’s brain with a brick. So it must’ve been pretty damn blunt and pretty damn awful. She believes Milo thinks she is a horrible person who cares more about money than people and can’t take care of her own daughter. So, something along those lines. Oh, and he brought her some roses, so that’s nice.”

“Why would Milo say anything like that?” Hyacinth accused.

“You know, I really don’t know, but he is incredibly stupid when it comes to people, and I don’t think Calliope would lie about something like that.”

“Calliope is an idiot.”

“Calliope is weird and different but not stupid and she doesn’t lie!”

“Calliope made hash brownies at three o’clock in the morning and got Milo stoned at work with conveyor belts!”

“Well, I talked to her about that and she doesn’t do that anymore!”

Hyacinth pointed a finger up the stairs and spoke through clenched teeth. “Well, she’s still hurting him. I don’t know what he said or what she thinks he said, but she must’ve said something back. Did you think to ask her what she said back?”

“I can think of some things I would’ve said back!”

“He wanted to kill himself, Mordecai. I found him in the basement replaying ‘Yesterday’ on the radio and rocking back and forth under the worktable and when I asked him what was wrong he said he wanted to kill himself.”

“‘Yesterday’?” said Mordecai, blinking.

“Yes! Milo likes the Beatles when he’s suicidal! Is that what you’re getting out of this conversation?”

Mordecai put up his hand, then he turned it and put it over his eyes. “Give me two seconds to process it, please.”

“All right,” said Hyacinth. She rocked back and forth on her shoes, heel to toe.

“Is he all right?” said Mordecai.

“Well, no, not really, but I think we’re past it. Erik seems to think so, anyway.”

“Erik?” cried Mordecai.

“Oh, crap, yeah,” said Hyacinth.

“They were talking to him about Milo being suicidal?”

“Kinda…”

Mordecai dropped his violin case down the stairs and followed after it. Hyacinth followed after him. She called out as he crossed the dining room, “Listen, I drugged him, so he might be a little woozy.”

Mordecai wheeled around and thumped into the bedroom door. “You did what to Erik?”

Oh, my gods. Maybe she did sedate him when he was a baby!

“I gave him an antihistamine. Don’t have kittens. The poor kid needed something.”

“Why do I live here?” said Mordecai, weakly.

“It’s cheap,” said Hyacinth. She pushed past him and opened the door. “Come on. He asked me to wake him up when you got home, anyway. He thought you might not want to.”

The bedroom was pitch black with the curtains closed, but the blade of light from the open door helped a bit. The edge of it fell at the head of Erik’s bed. He was lying on his back with his empty socket staring up at the ceiling and his hands folded over the edge of the quilt. “You guys are really loud,” he said faintly.

Mordecai tumbled into the room and sat down on the floor beside him. “Dear one, are you all right?”

“Sleepy,” Erik said. He rubbed his good eye. “Is Auntie Histamine like Auntie Enora?”

“No,” said Hyacinth. “It’s just a kind of medicine. It’s good for hay fever, but it makes you sleepy.”

“Oh. Like when my uncle needs a nap, even if he doesn’t.”

Hyacinth and Mordecai exchanged a glance. “Uh, yeah,” Hyacinth said.

“Thanks for it. Please stop being mad. You’re loud and they think you’re funny and they’re loud, and I want to go back to sleep. It’s not something to be mad about. It’s just really stupid and sad.”

“Do you know about it, Erik?” Mordecai asked.

“Yes, but I want to sleep,” Erik said.

“Then that’s all right,” said Mordecai. He pulled up the blankets and tucked Erik in.

“It’s gonna be okay, anyway,” Erik said. He turned on his side and snuggled down. “Violet saw Dave. He likes taffeta.” He frowned. “But the path… It’s a big word for ‘two.’ Barnaby knows it, but I can’t…”

“That’s all right. It doesn’t matter right now.”

“Teapots,” Erik said. He sighed.

Mordecai sat quietly with his hand on Erik’s shoulder until he was certain the boy was out again, then he spoke softly, “If we wrote it down and came back to it later, it’d all make sense. Every word. Maybe in ten years. Maybe a hundred.”

Hyacinth was grinning. “Violet said this one was gonna be a boy, didn’t she? That’s why we ended up with names in a cup. Violet gets distracted and she gets things out of order. You think we’re gonna have a little guy named Dave running around here who likes fancy fabrics?”

“It is possible,” Mordecai said, frowning. “But Violet is cryptic and vicious, and she likes to change things. Make no assumptions.”

“Well, I won’t make any out loud,” Hyacinth agreed. She thought that would just be cruel, especially now, especially if they were wrong.

She left quietly, she wanted to check on Milo again. Mordecai stayed.

Hyacinth paused on the other side of the closed door and wobbled in place with a scrunched expression.

“Wait just a goddamned minute here… They’re gonna call him Dave?”