Neena Thurman pours drinks, kicks ass. (fallsinplace) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-09-18 19:02:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !trigger warning, neena thurman (domino), thomas raith |
Who: Neena Thurman and Thomas Raith
Where: Greymalkin
What: talking about things
When: 9/11
Warnings/Rating: conversation about a high risk pregnancy
Status complete
After her medical examination Neena was feeling even more anxious. She’d asked Nate to leave, but she wanted Thomas with her in the med lab so much it hurt. She knew he’d be back but the few minutes between Nate leaving and his coming were the longest of her life. She’d never felt so helpless before in her life. Even in the dreams few things hit this hard. She shivered and hugged herself, trying not to cry. This was all too much to bear.
Thomas hurried as fast as he could get there. Alas, his earthcrafting didn’t really do much to help him move faster when he wasn’t actually standing on literal earth. He poked his head in, not quite sure what to expect, except for the wave of emotions that hit him as he opened the door. “Neena?”
Neena looked up, sitting up eagerly. She wanted him to hold her. Maybe if they just willed it hard enough everything would be okay. “Please come here.” Her voice was soft, her fear and anxiety clear in her expression. Her emotions made her shoulders hunch forward, as though she could make herself smaller and protect herself from what was going on.
She didn’t even have to ask; Thomas was already moving to her side, anticipating her need. He wrapped his arms around her, tucking her protectively beneath his chin, and stroking her hair. “What’s wrong?”
She wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him tight. It took a minute or so for her to calm down enough to respond, but having him close by helped a lot. “I’m sterile.” It was the best place to start. She worried that the whole truth would hurt him too, and she wanted to ease into it if she could.
Thomas’ hand stilled in Neena’s hair for a moment as he tried to process what she’d said. Sterile? But she was pregnant. Magius had confirmed it. “What...exactly...does that mean?”
“We got pregnant when the weird shit went away. Guess that was our only chance for a couple reasons.” She took a deep breath and unfolded enough to look at Thomas’s face. “My body’s trying to get rid of the baby. That’s why I’m having so many issues, I guess.”
Thomas felt his stomach drop, and his anxiety level try to match up with Neena’s. He took a few deep breaths, and tried to ground himself. “Is there anything we can do to help you carry to term? What did you do with Christopher?” He didn’t know if Alter-Neena had the same physical issues or not, but the further they got along, the more he was suspecting not.
“Everything was normal with him. I didn’t expect this shit at all.” She shook her head and took another deep breath. “Nate says the medications I’ve been taking and the change in diet should help, and he’s going to work on some stuff to make sure everything goes okay. Once the baby’s over a certain age it’ll be safe-ish to deliver, so I guess we’ll have to gamble the effects of premature birth over whatever my body’s doing at the time.”
“Okay.” Thomas felt far from okay, but until they had more to work with...he’d just have to be as okay as he could be. “Let me know if there’s anything you need from me. I’m with you all the way.”
“I know.” She hugged him again, holding on tight. “I wish there was something we could do together. Some monster to fight, some asshole to shoot. I’m used to that kind of problem, not this shit.”
“Well, if taking it easy is what you have to do, then I’m sure I can help you with that,” he said, kneading the small of her back. “I’m not so bad at massages, after all.”
She sighed, trying to relax. “Yeah. I guess I could cut back at the bar a little more. I don’t want you to start skipping work, though. I can amuse myself for a few hours everyday.” Their child was important, but his work was important too. She wouldn’t let him risk losing work to keep her from climbing the walls.
“Fine, I won’t skip, unless there’s an emergency,” he said, “But I also don’t have to take any roles that require me to leave the country. I want to be here--actually be here. Not just be supportive from a distance.”
“I didn’t think about that. I’d rather have you around.” She shivered a little at the thought of being without him for a week or so. “I hope there won’t be any emergencies.”
“I hope so, too,” he said, kissing her forehead. “But even if the pregnancy was all smooth sailing, you never know what sort of tricks the OC is going to play on us. Sometimes, even the weather isn’t conducive to filming. Sometimes people’s clothes just fall right off! And if that ever happens again, I sure as hell want to be at home, with you.”
Neena snorted. “Yeah, if I get a clothing allergy again you’ll be the first to know.” The silliness helped lighten her mood. “Too bad you didn’t come by the bar the night I wound up bartending in my underwear.”
“I know,” he said, “That’s one thing I’ll probably regret until the end of my days.” Not a deep, soul-sucking, pit of despair kind of regret, but an, oh...damn. “It’s too bad you didn’t see my shirtless audition. Oh, wait. It’s probably on YouTube somewhere.”
Neena snorted. “The Internet is full of videos of you shirtless or less.” She sighed, letting her tension go as much as she could. “I’m just happy to get to see the real thing in person."
"True enough. I just hope Cora doesn't stumble across any of them, ever. But you're welcome to see the real thing any time." He smiled. And pulled up his shirt to flash his pecs.
Neena laughed three times, and that was when she lost the ability to deal. Mid-laugh she buried her face in her hands, and started sobbing. She felt so helpless and out of control.
Thomas could literally feel his own face cloud over as Neena began to cry. He stopped trying to be silly, and just held her, sitting on the edge of the exam table and rocking back and forth. He was pretty sure there were tears rolling down his own cheeks, too, but it was hard to tell when Neena’s pain felt just as tangible as his own.
She held on tight to him, her face buried in his shoulder. Over time she calmed down, or at least ran out of energy to cry. She felt hollow and ragged, but that would pass, she knew. She kept holding on to Thomas, breathing deep to clear out the last of her anxiety. Just having him near was a big help. She knew they’d find a way to help their child, and that they would give it the best life possible.
“I love you,” he murmured, “We’ll get through this.” He wished he had better answers for her, but he hoped his presence would speak more than words.
“Love you too.” She mumbled, clearing her throat and pulling back to look him around the eyes again. “We will, and our baby will have a full, healthy life. I know we’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.” She moved her hands down his arms, until she could hold both of his hands.
Thomas took her hands, and kissed them. “We will,” he promised, “Whatever it takes.”