What happens when you grow up

Chapter 15

Present day…

James sat up abruptly, a look of alarm spreading across his face. "What?"

"Well, that's not the reaction I was expecting," Tigerlily quipped, forcing a laugh. "I thought you'd be happy."

"Happy?" James repeated, his voice rising incredulously. "How can I be happy about that? You can't be pregnant! That… that ruins everything! The ship is finally finished and we were about to go off and have adventures and then… then you let this happen!"

Tigerlily suddenly felt very vulnerable, and she wrapped the sheets around her shoulders protectively. "Excuse me, husband, but I believe you helped this happen as much as I did."

James scrambled out of bed, pacing the room restlessly as he ran a hand through his hair. "This can't be happening. This is a really bad time. You knew how much I wanted to leave Neverland. And now—now we're stuck, and—and—" He suddenly whirled towards Tigerlily, eyes narrowing. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

"What are you talking about?" she gasped.

"You let this happen," James repeated, pointing an accusing finger at her, "because you didn't want to leave your precious Peter. You knew I wanted to leave as soon as possible, and now you've made sure that I can't. Pretty sneaky, sweetheart."

Hot pain sliced through Tigerlily's heart. "That's a lie, and you know it," she hissed. "All I wanted was for us to be a family—the four of us."

"Well, I don't want a family," James snapped. "I don't need another brat to chain me down. You have to get rid of it."

Tigerlily stared at her husband, horror seeping through her at his very suggestion. "You can't be serious."

"Of course I'm serious," James answered impatiently. "I know there are ways to fix these sorts of problems. Make it go away."

Tigerlily drew herself up stiffly. "If you are honestly asking me to murder our own child, you're not the man I thought you were. You're just a selfish, childish coward."

James flinched. "I never told you I was Prince Charming," he said quietly. "I never said I was some knight in shining armor. You knew what you were getting right from the start. And if you're suddenly having second thoughts, that's not my problem. I didn't ask for this—for any of this. All I want is to travel the world and have adventures and not worry about anything. I've worried about enough in my lifetime. If you're fine with that, then we can have fun together. If you need more, find it somewhere else. Find it with Peter—it's obvious you love him more anyway."

"Don't be ridiculous," Tigerlily snapped, as tears of anger and hurt started to slide down her cheeks. "You're my husband. I love you more than anything in the world."

"Well, you have a funny way of showing it."

He scooped up his clothes, hurriedly shoving on his pants and tugging his shirt over his shoulders. Tigerlily watched him pull on his boots, trying to find some way to reason with him, some way to reach the good heart she knew was buried under his fear and pride. But no words came.

She only found her voice as he started towards the door, and even then, she could only think to ask a simple question: "Where are you going?"

"Out."

It was no answer at all, yet it was all the answer she needed: James was leaving. She could hear it in his tone; she could see it in his eyes. He was heading out to pack his things, and he didn't plan on coming back.

"James, wait!" she cried desperately, grabbing his arm. "Don't do this! We can figure things out!"

"Let me go," James growled, trying to shake her off, but she held firm.

"Not until we work this out!"

"I said let go!" he snarled, shoving her away so hard that she crashed to the floor. Sharp pain spiked through her limbs where she struck the hard wood floor, but it was nothing compared to the pain that spiked through her soul. A deathly silence hung through the air as the two lovers looked at each other, each unsure what to say, each on the verge of reaching out to the other. Shame and regret washed over James's face, but as soon as they had come, the tender feelings were gone, stomped down by cold control.

Without another word, he left.

Tigerlily watched him go, a numbness washing over her body as his footsteps retreated into the distance. It was suddenly as if she couldn't feel or think or even breathe. She could just sit there on the floor as the footsteps became quieter and quieter. It was only after a heavy silence settled around her that the crushing reality crashed in around her, and all she could do was curl up against the bed and sob.