Chapter Text
Lucy Chen would forever be grateful that her fiancé had flown before and been to other countries. Because, after two plane changes and numerous time zone changes, she’d landed in Hong Kong dead on her feet. Excited but exhausted, she’d been traveling for almost a full day via air and sleeping on the plane had been restful but not as much as she’d feel at home in their soft bed.
“Beyond the basics, let me do the talking.” Tim told her as they made their way towards Immigration and Customs.
She smirked, “remind me, which of us is fluent in Cantonese?”
He sighed, “when was the last time you spoke the language beyond a ticket or two?”
Blue eyes rested on her so she started telling him about her report from the night before regarding the situation with Smitty in full Cantonese. Ticking off fingers over all the reasons why the man needed to be fired, eventually she looked up and found Tim’s expression one of surprise. She slipped back to English, “what?”
“Do I want to know what you said?”
Grasping his arm, she laughed softly. “Don’t worry, I was just repeating my report from the other night after the whole situation with Smitty. It’s all in English on your desk.”
“I thought you only spoke it with your parents and given you aren’t talking to them…”
“It hasn’t been that long since we stopped talking. If it was a decade or more, maybe I’d be a little rusty. Nana weaves our conversations through both English and Cantonese, to keep me sharp, or so she says.”
Tim nodded, “you’ll defend me if she starts talking about me behind my back, right?”
“Yes, absolutely.” Lucy shrugged, “probably won’t happen. My grandmother is very opinionated, that’s true, however I’ve spoken to her about you for years. She was one of the first people I told when you asked me out.”
“How well did that go over?”
Lucy rubbed his arm, “she said I had music in my laugh and she reminded me I’d been a teenager when that previously existed. You make me feel innocence and freedom instead of bearing the weight of disappointment under my parents.”
“There is nothing innocent about you, Lucy Chen.”
“Don’t say that here.” Lucy insisted and squeezed her arm around his. “Look, for how progressive my grandmother is, the last thing she needs to hear about is her granddaughter’s sex life. You’ll give her a stroke.”
Tim glanced at her, “so we’re just going to skip over the fact you’re pregnant until we leave in two weeks?”
“No.” Lucy rolled her eyes, “she knows I’m no virgin and she’ll be overly happy I’m pregnant but knowing something and hearing about it are two different things. It’s like you knowing I speak to the girls about certain things but you don’t want to know exactly what is said.”
“Fair enough.”
“I’m so excited.” Lucy said just as they got to the Immigration lines. “Oh that’s a lot.”
Tim pulled his arm from her hold and put a hand on her back, “trust me, has nothing on the chaos of a military base.”
“Oh, you mean your F-O-B?” She asked playfully.
“Be nice, I didn’t make a big deal out of your first day, did I?”
Lucy shrugged, “not at work, but at home…” she tapped her finger against his chest.
“Weren’t you just talking about keeping our thoughts PG?”
“Yeah, with my grandmother.”
Getting through Immigration and Customs was relatively easy, answering a few questions and declaring nothing they were home free. Lucy knew the first thing she had to do was find a bathroom due to having drank so much water. She knew her grandmother had a filter for her tap so she knew she could drink it but she’d probably boil the water to be safe. As they broke the hallways into the part of the airport that was Arrivals, she hadn’t been expecting anything but to get their e-sim cards and their transit cards, since they planned to take the public transit that was likely better than LA’s by miles. What she hadn’t been expecting was her grandmother standing at the bar that was near the front of the hallway exit, waving her hands upon seeing her.
Feeling Tim’s hand drop hers, she moved quickly but patiently around the remaining people in front of her. “Lucy.” Her grandmother, somewhat shorter, hugged her as she reached the woman.
“Nana.” She squeezed the woman tightly and felt tears in her eyes. “I missed you.”
As they pulled apart, she wiped at her eyes and she saw her grandmother grin while patting her cheek. “My good girl, how much older you look.”
“Thirty-five.” Lucy said, “I’m sorry it took me so long to come visit.” A familiar warmth behind her made her turn and she found Tim waiting patiently. “Nana, this is…”
“I know him.”
Tim reached for her hand gently, “it’s a pleasure to meet you in person, Mei.”
“Never call me Mei, you call me Nana now that we’re family.” She insisted, “my daughter-in-law hates you so I love you.”
Lucy covered her mouth to cover her laugh, “don’t let Mom hear you say that.”
“Your mother could learn a thing or two from this husband of yours.” She stated and turned away, “come, I have a ride waiting for us.”
Tim exchanged a look with Lucy, “husband?”
“Just go with it for now and we’ll talk about it later. I told you she’s a character.”
“I can see that.” Tim put a hand on her back. “Let’s go before we lose her.” His eyes looked for Mei, “she’s really spry for being eighty-four.”
“Hey.” Lucy kissed his cheek, “thank you for bringing me.”
Tim rubbed her side, “you’re welcome.”
The journey to Mei’s apartment was long but only because they had several stops in the airport before meeting the daughter of a neighbor who offered to drive Mei. It was full of conversation, the car ride, as the woman spoke with Lucy about her daughter at Harvard. Although the experiences were different, as Lucy was American, she wanted to know what her daughter was probably doing as a college student. Tim shared a look with her as they both knew that there were probably things her daughter wouldn’t tell her mother.
“…your degree?”
Lucy rubbed her hand against her leg, “psychology.”
“Bachelor? Master? Doctorate?” The woman, Yun, asked as they moved through the various districts in Kowloon.
“Bachelors, I dropped out of my masters program.” Lucy was honest, “my mother wasn’t happy.”
Mei piped up, “your mother is a fool.”
Yun spoke in Cantonese to Mei and Tim took the second to look at Lucy, she knew what he was asking. “She doesn’t like my grandmother is insulting my mom.”
“Hmm, if she met your mother maybe she’d say otherwise.”
Lucy pointed her finger to him before she spoke in Cantonese also, earning surprise from the woman driving at her fluency. “You speak Cantonese like you live in Hong Kong.”
“I taught her.” Mei said rather proudly, “at my school. She speaks two more, also.”
Lucy leaned in, “Spanish and French, but not with fluency.”
“You speak also?” The question was shot to Tim.
He waved his hand, “just Spanish, there is no way I could ever speak Cantonese without sounding like an idiot and end up insulting someone.”
“He’s a good boy.” The septuagenarian stated, “treats Lucy like she deserves, respects her. Much more than her mother treats my son. So what if he speaks only one language, he speaks the one that matters.”
Tim felt Lucy nudge him with her shoulder, “I’m sure Lucy will teach our children how to speak Cantonese.”
“Our own secret language.” She said softly.
Yun put up a finger, “a boy first, then a girl.”
“Oh no.” Lucy said firmly, “we have what we have, I’m not focused on a one over the other. Besides, if a boy is anything like him,” she pointed her thumb at Tim despite knowing the woman couldn’t see them, “he’ll need an older sister to keep the peace. I know his family and if I know anything, our nephews could have used an older sister.”
“Soon.” Mei insisted. “When I come to visit next year, I want to hold a baby.”
Lucy smirked, “I think we can make that happen, we’ve been talking about having a baby.”
The apartment wasn’t new-new, but it was newer compared to some in the city. Mei had ushered them inside and shown them around the two bedroom apartment. The space was about the size of Lucy’s former apartment and so they knew it was manageable, but the only difference being the rooms were separated by firm walls and there was only one bathroom. After a quick dinner of spicy beef noodles, of which Lucy allowed herself to enjoy as her hand couldn’t add her grandmother’s love, they decided to turn in early.
Halfway through the night, Lucy found herself rising from bed to go to the restroom. She left the small guestroom and headed to the bathroom. She heard the muffled sounds of angry Cantonese as she passed her grandmother’s room, the light on under the door. After using the bathroom, she washed her hands and headed back but knocked softly on the barrier. It took a minute before it opened and she found her grandmother standing there with her phone in hand.
“Everything alright?”
Mei nodded and waved her in, closing the door after the barrier closed. Lucy heard her mother’s voice come through in English instead of Cantonese. “You have guests, I’ll call back.”
“No bother.” Mei stated and turned the phone, the screen showed a video call with Vanessa.
“Lucy?” Her mother seemed surprised, “are you in town, Mei?”
The woman snorted, “the time change would be of no consequence if that was the case.” It was stated sarcastically. “Lucy and her fiancé came to visit.” They’d corrected Mei’s assumption they were already married over dinner, she’d merely waved them off stating it was only a matter of time.
Lucy nodded as her mother stared at her, “my anniversary present was a vacation to visit Nana. It’s not until next week but he surprised me, took me somewhere I wanted to come for years.”
“How is that exactly possible on a cop’s salary? Did you consider asking him that?”
Rolling her eyes, Lucy sat down on her grandmother’s bed. “Tim manages his money quite well, Mom. Besides, the flights were a gift from our friends so all we have to pay for is the everyday. Even more, we’re not in a hotel because Nana won’t let us leave the apartment.”
Mei nodded and turned the phone to face Vanessa, “that boy is quite sweet and loves your daughter and you hate him because of his job. You should be happy for Lucy, instead you hate her life because she chose herself instead of drowning under you. When I hold her child and you do not, I will pity you, Vanessa.”
“Unlikely before your visit in July.”
Lucy snorted, “try May.”
That gained both women’s attention, Vanessa just speaking one word. “What?”
Mei made her way to Lucy and smiled, “are you…”
She nodded, “found out the other day, six weeks.”
Hitting the end call button on the phone, Mei put the phone down and cupped Lucy’s face. “You are having a family.”
“Yeah.” She found herself engulfed in a hug. “I am happy, we’re happy. I mean, we weren’t not trying, but we were okay if it happened.” Biting her lip, Lucy winced. “He’s going to be so mad that he wasn’t there when I told you.”
“There will be another.” Mei patted her cheek, “now off to bed, you need your sleep more so now than before.”
Standing up, Lucy left the bedroom and spoke softly. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
Getting back into bed, Lucy relaxed back against the mattress with a slight desire it could be as comfortable as home. Tim’s arm snaked around her and she left him pull her against his chest. “Okay?” It was said half asleep.
“Perfect.” Lucy turned in his arms and tapped his chin with her finger. “Heard Nana and Mom fighting, she wasn’t happy that we’re in Hong Kong. Maybe even less so I confessed to being pregnant.”
Tim groaned, “who?”
“My mom.”
After a moment, he spoke despite his eyes being closed. “She needs a reality check.”
“You can tell her that.”
Feeling Tim’s lips against her forehead, he spoke against the skin. “Sleep, you need sleep more than I do.”
Tucking her head under his chin, Lucy relaxed against him. “Love you.”
“Love you too, baby.” His arm wrapped around her a fraction before he fell back under the pull of sleep.