Who: Darcy & Haymitch What: Nurse Darcy Where: their house When: Tuesday afternoon Warnings: discussion of medical procedures Status: complete gdoc
Despite knowing that a vasectomy was a far easier and less invasive procedure than having her tubes tied, Darcy felt guilty that Haymitch was currently in pain so they wouldn’t have to worry about another accidental pregnancy. They loved Stephanie, but meeting her younger sister was enough to make them realize they did not want more kids and she appreciated that he was willing to take steps to ensure their daughter was an only child.
Said daughter was currently staying with her Aunt Jemma and Uncle Fitz for a couple of days until her father healed up a bit. Steph was at an age where she just threw herself at people indiscriminately and the last thing Haymitch needed was a stray toddler elbow or knee hitting his sensitive area and risking his healing. According to everything she’d read and everything the doctor said, he should have a fairly quick recovery so it seemed prudent to avoid the potential of setting that back.
Darcy came into their bedroom carrying a tray with some soup, fresh bread, and a bag of frozen peas. “How are you feeling?” she asked.
***
Haymitch would rather suffer the slight discomfort he experienced from the procedure than having to have Darcy go through a more serious and potentially more painful one. It made far more sense for him to be the one to get it sorted. He adored and doted on his daughter but it was true that they both knew she should be an only child, it wasn’t like she was going to go without. There were other young kids around and she had so many aunts and uncles, she didn’t need siblings.
“Little sore but painkillers are doing their job” Haymitch said giving her a small smile, he’d been told to wear fairly close fitting underwear for support and he was very glad he’d followed that advice, it was definitely helping.
***
“They aren’t going to be an issue, are they?” Darcy asked. Though his addiction issues had been with alcohol, she was aware that for some people, painkillers could be a problem and she was keeping a cautious eye on that. He’d worked too hard to get where he was and she would feel terrible if he had a backslide because of this.
She set the tray carefully across his lap and handed him the bag of frozen peas. “If you’re up for a movie, I have a few options,” she added.
***
Haymitch shook his head, “No, I asked them to give me a low dose and I’ve got a limited supply with no repeat” He’d made sure to tell them about his alcoholism and they’d been good about supporting him. He hadn’t had an issue with prescription drugs before but you could never be too cautious.
“Thanks Darce, you’re the best” he told her as he lay the peas across his lap, “Movie sounds great actually” He needed something to focus on and Darcy did pick pretty good movies, he’d become a bit of a film fan since being in Madison.
***
Darcy was glad to hear that he’d taken precautions. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, she just knew that battling addiction wasn’t easy and she didn’t want him to be tempted.
“I don’t think I’ve made you watch the Oceans movies, have I?” she asked. “They’re awesome. A bunch of criminals robbing high value targets.” Heist movies were fun and had plenty of action, but not really any violence so she figured they were a good option.
She settled next to him, careful not to jostle anything, and leaned over to kiss his cheek.
***
Haymitch understood and he appreciated Darcy’s concern, he’d gotten a lot better at asking for help. After all he couldn’t very well coach others through their addictions if he didn’t follow the advice himself.
“Nope, they don’t ring any bells” he said with a smile, “Sounds like a good action pick to me” He’d always trust Darcy’s judgement when it came to films, “Thanks sweetheart” he said, lifting an arm to settle around her shoulders.
***
Even as he settled his arm around her, she reached for the remote and pulled up the first movie on the streaming service.
“I think we made the right call sending Steph over to Jemma and Fitz for a couple of days,” she said while the opening credits were starting. “It’s virtually impossible for her to be still for more than 30 seconds at a time, I think.”
***
“Definitely, I know she’d try to be careful but we both know she’d forget” Haymitch replied, they were lucky to have friends like Jemma and Fitz who didn’t mind taking Steph for a while. And lucky that Steph loved all her aunts and uncles enough to be good about staying over at their houses.
“I’m just glad it won’t take me too long to be back to normal again” he grinned at her, “So to speak anyway”
***
“Well, we have to wait a week or two until we can test that out,” Darcy said. And even then, they’d have to be careful until they got the all clear from his doctor that there were no active sperm left. They’d been told it could take fifteen to twenty ejaculations to clear everything out. “Best homework assignment ever though.”
At least it would be once he was no longer in pain. She was pretty sure that he had zero interest in being touched at the moment.
***
Haymitch nodded, “Oh I know, still not too long really” The idea of anybody touching him currently might not be appealing, in fact he’d probably pass out from pain, but he knew it wouldn’t be too long before he was good to go again. And Darcy was right it was definitely the best homework they’d been assigned.
“And in the meantime there are others things to do” he winked at her, giving her shoulder a squeeze as he pressed a kiss to her temple.
***
Darcy laughed. “Yes, like watch movies,” she said. “And not have to pause them every five seconds to get someone more juice or take a potty break.” Toddlers did not have great attention spans.
“Although you might be disappointed by the lack of talking animals in these movies,” she teased.
***
“Exactly. I do miss being able to watch something uninterrupted” he admitted with a grin, he rather liked movies and made sure to watch anything he really wanted to once Steph was in bed.
“Hey, talking animals happen to make really compelling viewing” Okay so maybe he did like Steph’s movies more than she did sometimes. More than once Steph had decided to start playing Legos while he was engrossed in the movie they’d put on for her.
*** Some of the kiddie movies weren’t all that bad, but Darcy was pleased to be watching something with no animation for a change. “Man, you are such a dad,” she teased. “Never would have guessed that when I met you five years ago.”
Of course, she also never would have guessed that she would be a mom either.
*** “Me either” Haymitch said, not even minding it. He’d not seen it in himself ever, not even when Katniss came along, though looking back now it was fairly obvious he’d taken to her quickly. “I didn’t see any of this coming” he admitted, “And now I wouldn’t be without it”
***
“Neither would I,” Darcy said. It was a far cry from the way she’d lived when she first arrived in town, but she had no regrets at all. She loved Haymitch, loved her daughter, and was perfectly content with the way things were.