So slow to catch on

First topic message reminder :

Jill gave Leon a little push, then smiled. "Believe me, these things can last days." She assured him. "Besides, I want the chance to grill you myself."
"You doubt my suitability as a mother?" Claire asked thinly, folding her arms across her chest.

"Claire and Leon have a normal life." Jill pointed out gently. "You could too... With someone else." Her voice was far sadder as she spoke those last words, as truthfully it killed her to think of Chris with another woman.

"You know, Jill, if that's all you came to say you can just go now." Chris growled, unable to hide the pain that her words gave him. "Next time do me a favor and don't distract me so my head can blow off good and proper. Now get out!"

"Chris... You never needed me. You were always stronger without me." Jill breathed, a tremble to her usually proud voice as she turned to leave. "It's safer... For all of you, this way." She added in a quiet whisper.
Claire was fuming all over again, and she would have punched Jill, if Leon hadn't already been stood between them. "That's self righteous bitch!"

Chris coughed softly, trying to keep himself from showing any kind of emotion. "I'm no less of a monster than Wesker was...am I?" He breathed.

"No Chris, SHE is the monster." Claire told her brother firmly. "I can't believe she came in here, just to tell you it was definitely over!" She fumed, once again pacing. "Don't you dare waste another thought on her!"
As Claire cursed Jill's name, the elder woman was sitting in the hospital garden, barely holding herself together. If she lost control, it would allow Uroboros to use her body at will. Again she reminded herself out loud that Chris was safer not having her around.

Chris felt his world was spiriling out of control. Ever since he'd come back from Africa it had been nothing but a nightmare. "Do you blame her?" He asked his sister after a long moment. "I probably will never walk again...never mind use the area south of my chest. She did the right thing. It was me who fucked everything up." It was several long moments before he spoke again, this time his chest began to heave. "I can't ever use my head can I?" He gasped out, the warning monitors beginning to sound. "I always just do things and never think! I'm fucking stupid! I deserve this!" He was still yelling when the doctors and nurses rushed in and promptly pushed Claire and Leon into the hallway.

Claire was left to stare at the door as one of the nurses slammed it shut. "This wasn't supposed to happen..." She breathed. "Once he found her... Things were supposed to be perfect again! Jill was supposed to fix him, not leave him even more broken!"

Leon wrapped his arms around Claire and held her tightly, resting his chin on her head. "Maybe...she really wasn't the one and it's taken them this stuff to see that."

"I dint think Chris will ever see that." Claire breathed. "How could Sherry just shoot him?" She added, her fingers curling into the back of Leon's shirt as she clung to him.

"Sherry says he told her to." Leon tried to explain. "We don't know what happened before we found her, but I'm willing to bet it's time we went and got some answers."

"I can't leave him Leon. What if..." Claire couldn't even say the words out loud, but she also couldn't leave Chris... To die alone.

"Sherry won't come here." Leon countered, wishing that she could just get away from the hospital for a little while. "Maybe when we're sure that he's going to be all right?"

Claire hesitated slightly, then nodded. "I'll need answers if I'm going to yell at him properly." She added with a watery smile.

"That's the spirit." Leon laughed warmly. "Now let's go get a cup of coffee and wait." He put an arm around her shoulders and lead her toward the break room nearby. "I love you, you know." He added, whispering this in her ear.

Claire's slender fingers reached up and linked with Leon's where his arm was still draped around her slender shoulders. "And you'll never tell me why, will you?" She replied with a smile, though her sapphire eyes betrayed the fact she genuinely didn't know why Leon had stuck with her all this time.

"Do I really need a reason?" Leon asked with a laugh, pressing his lips to her forehead. "I just need you. I couldn't imagine living without you. Are you sure you want me to keep on being so cheesy?"

"Hey, a little cheese makes even the good stuff taste better." Claire teased gently. "I have been thinking though... About, well... You know, what Sherry said... Maybe it's time I got proof one way or the other about that possible addition to our family?"

Leon nodded, another huge grin spreading across his face. "I'll bet it's a boy. We're going to call him Fred." He teased. "No wait, a girl. Yeah. A girl with eyes like yours. I like that idea."

Claire couldn't help but smile, resting her head against Leon's shoulder as they walked. "And your perfect hair?" She added, toying with the ends of her own dark crimson tresses.

"This perfect hair can never be duplicated." Leon said matter of factly, making a show of perfecting it. "I hate to say our baby will have no..." He stopped in mid-sentence, a new grin possessing his lips. "Claire...this means...you have to marry me!" He'd been trying for months to no avail to get her to agree to marriage. As of yet, she hadn't given him an answer, no matter how romantic his proposal was or how often he reminded her of it.

"Have to?" Claire asked, her hands going to her hips as she looked up at Leon with an arched brow. "Was there even a choice in there somewhere?"

"Well...you can say no." Leon said softly, looking rather heartbroken. "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything....come on. Let's go find a doctor."

The look on Leon's face sent a fresh wave of sorrow washing over Claire, and she shook her head. "No... I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry Leon, I... I need to...go." She blurted, already running down the hallway before Leon could catch her. Claire barely made it into the restroom as she heaved over the toilet, unable to keep down the minimal contents of her stomach.

Like the good boy he was, Leon didn't follow her into the bathroom. Instead he hovered worriedly outside, pacing in front of the door and refusing to let anyone else inside.

Still slumped over the toilet, Claire felt like the worlds biggest bitch. Leon had asked her to marry him, and she had acted like it was something terrible. She didn't know why the thought of marriage terrified her so much, it's not like it would really change anything, other than her name.

"Claire?" Leon finally braved opening the women's room door, though he didn't dare look. He kept a hand over his eyes as he entered, immediately slamming his shin into the edge of one of the stalls. The curse that followed was not so gentlemanly. "Honey? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine... Just feeling a little sick... " Claire murmured, Her forehead still resting against the cool porcelain. "That... And I'm just a giant bitch."

"No you're not. I'm sorry I opened my mouth...Want me to get a doctor and come back?" Leon asked, afraid to move any closer should he slam his shin into something else.

Claire shook her head, holding her hand out to gesture Leon closer. "Don't give me that deer in the headlights look... I'll bet you used to sneak into the girls bathroom all the time, huh?" She teased.

"I did not!" Leon protested, still not coming any closer. "I was a good kid. I'm still good. Good guys don't look at women in the bathroom. Unless they're at home." He added.