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Adrien shushed Emma. ‘Be quiet, you don’t want your Maman finding us.’
His two-year-old daughter shook with quiet sobs in his lap as they hid under the nurse’s desk. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort both her and himself.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way.
Today was supposed to be a happy day. Both Adrien and Marinette had taken the day off from work to go to the doctor’s office at the nearby hospital, the family of three going together to see how far along and how healthy the new baby was. It was going to be the first time little Emma was going to see her new sibling.
There had been a commotion in the hallway just after their arrival. He and Marinette had immediately been on alert; Adrien scooping up Emma to protect her and Marinette scoping out the scene to ensure their safety. Years of fighting akumas and battling villains meant that they reflexively responded to sounds of distress and chaos. But what they found was beyond their training.
Two men were fighting angrily, carelessly, in the middle of the hallway, having clearly just emerged from the nearby private room. The woman in the hospital nightgown watched, tearful and distressed, as the men bellowed and brawled, tumbling and colliding in a red rage. The nurse dialled for security before stepping out from behind the counter to try and calm the furious men.
Adrien spotted the danger that was about to befall that young nurse, but Marinette was already on the move. She ran and jumped, shielding the young nurse from the incoming blow. One man’s foot made contact with her stomach in a devastating blow, the force of the blow sending her skidding along the floor. Adrien had cried out to her and ran over to her as the two men suddenly halted in their fight. Marinette was clutching her stomach in pain, crying, begging for their baby to be okay. The nurses rushed them into a room to check to see if the baby was hurt from that hit, their panic levels increasing with every step they took, the only thing stopping them from losing themselves to the panic was the hope that their baby was alright.
Their baby wasn’t alright. The impact of the kick to the stomach was too severe, and their ten-week-old baby was gone. Adrien’s heart shattered, Marinette screamed in agony, and Emma, poor little Emma who had gone through so much chaos in just half an hour, asked what was wrong.
He was in the middle of explaining when a purple miasma suddenly washed over his wife - one he knew all too well. He yelled for people to evacuate as he picked up Emma and ran out of the room, catching a glimpse of what looked to be a white Lady Noire out of the corner of his eye as he escaped. There was an explosion, people screaming as they scattered, followed by eerie singing.
'Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock.
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.’
Adrien shouted that there was an akuma attack and people ran about hysterically, trying to find safety. He ducked under the nurse’s table, clutching Emma to him as he searched for somewhere to keep Emma safe so he could transform and save Marinette. He was never more glad for the fact that they had decided to switch Miraculouses for the duration of the pregnancy, but he couldn’t go into battle until he knew Emma was safe.
'Rock-a-bye baby, gently you swing,
Over the cradle, Mother will sing,
Sweet is the lullaby over your nest
That tenderly sings my baby to rest.’
She was getting closer, so he gently shushed Emma, asking her to stay quiet. They couldn’t afford to give away their position; he didn’t have a plan yet, nor did he have a safe place for Emma. People ran frantically past them towards the exit, the stampede thunderingly loud, and yet he could clearly hear his wife’s spine-chilling voice floating above the chaos.
'From the high rooftops, down to the sea
No one’s as dear as baby to me
Wee little hands, eyes shiny and bright
Now sound asleep until morning light.’
He could hear the men from earlier apologising to her, their hysterical words suddenly cut off, the air thick and still in their wake. Adrien didn’t dare to peek outside his hiding spot to see what happened to the men.
'Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree top,'
Her footsteps were coming closer.
'When the wind blows the cradle will rock.'
Her fingernails clicked rhythmically against the top bench of the nurse’s desk above him.
'When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,'
A platinum white braid fell in front of him, and when he looked up, he met the bright cold blue gaze of Lady Blanc.
'And down will come baby, cradle and all.’