Neena Thurman pours drinks, kicks ass. (fallsinplace) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-11-05 12:21:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, neena thurman (domino), thomas raith |
Who: Neena Thurman and Thomas Raith
Where: the future
What: Neena goes into labor
When: the future
Warnings/Rating: PG just in case, nothing too graphic
Status complete
As the pregnancy progressed, Neena found herself able to do less and less. By the beginning of her eight month she was all but bedridden. She didn’t even have the energy to argue or be upset. Chris was with her a lot, which was the only bright spot. He seemed very concerned for and interested in his little brother, which gave Neena hope for their mission’s objective.
Because she wasn’t doing much sleep was becoming more elusive as well. So she wasn’t asleep when the first contraction hit in the middle of the night. She gasped, but tried to keep herself quiet. Thomas still needed to sleep, and she’d be fine for a few hours. She just hoped Rachel would be able to help. The thought of going through the stress of birth in her current condition wasn’t one Neena liked.
Thomas, on the other hand, had been doing a lot--learning a lot, working a lot. Building leaner muscle. Learning how to catch whatever sleep he could, wherever and whenever he could, and be alert at the drop of a pin. He was also becoming incredibly attuned to Neena’s mood, so when her pretend sleep ceased to be restful, he found himself wide awake.
“You okay, babe?”
She should have known better than to try. She stroked his hair. “Yeah. Just hurt for a minute.” She wasn’t for sure that she in labor yet. It could be any number of things, and nothing to get worked up about in the middle of the night. “We should both try to rest.”
Thomas shifted, rolling into Neena’s touch, and sliding an arm over her middle. Sometimes, when Luke got restless, and the kicking kept Neena awake, Thomas would rub her belly--but there wasn’t much room left for Luke to move around in there anymore. Still, Thomas liked the connection it gave the three of them. “Okay,” he murmured, closing his eyes, “I’m right here if you need anything.”
“I know.” She put her hand over his, snuggling close. There wasn’t much room for Luke and the bed was feeling pretty small for the three of them now, too. “We’ll need to have Rachel check on things in the morning, but it can wait until then, as far as I can tell.” She kissed him softly, hoping to get a little more sleep if she was in labor.
“Okay.” He kissed her back, and tried to settle in as best he could. He’d just have to take Neena’s word for it that it wasn’t time yet. He had a feeling it probably wouldn’t be much longer, though.
She nodded, drawing the blanket over them both. “Can you feel if he’s stressed? I’m okay, but I want to make sure he’s alright.”
Thomas smiled, stretching out his senses to encompass both Neena and Luke. "I can feel him," he said softly, his voice gentle, even reverent. Another benefit of developing his affinity for water meant he could sense Luke's wellbeing as well as Neena's. He let his magic resonate with his son, who was surrounded not only by water but by Thomas' protective spells, and just sort of...Listened.
Things were subtly different with Luke, now. There was a sense of agitation and suspense. Neena rubbed her stomach, wishing they had a clock that worked properly.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong,” Thomas murmured, “His heartbeat feels normal. But I get the impression we’re all metaphorically holding our breath. Sitting on the edge of our seats. Him too.” That was the best way he could think to describe it. “It’s like he’s chewing his proverbial fingernails.”
Who knows? Maybe the kid really was gumming his little fist while he waited for...whatever it was he was waiting for.
Neena nodded. “Okay. So maybe it’s time, then.” She was nervous now. Very nervous.
Thomas felt the nerves kick in, and just kept on rubbing her belly. “It’s going to be okay,” he said, “I’m here. Rachel’s here. You can do this. You’re going to be fine.”
“I know.” She lied, trying to make herself relax. “I’ve been laid up for so long, I’m just worried.”
“Tell me how I can help,” Thomas said, trying to offer some constructive avenue of thought for the both of them. “Do you want me to wake Rachel, or rub your back while we wait and see if things quiet down?”
“We should really sleep. The labor could last hours when it kicks in for real, and there’ll be a long bit of ramp up.” She took a deep breath. “I wouldn’t say no to you rubbing me, though. Maybe it’ll help me conk out again.”
“Mm.” Thomas rolled again, getting himself into a better position to continue the rub-down. “If it doesn’t, I’m sure we’ll think of something to pass the time…”
Neena laughed. “You know, I have heard it could speed things up. Kick start dilation and all that shit.” She gently tugged him down for a kiss. They’d pass the time. No problem.
Her anxiety didn’t become unmanageable until hours later. The sun was up, and the contractions were becoming less spaced out. She was trying to get up and move around when she could, but it was hard to find the right balance between being on her feet and keeping her blood pressure down. Rachel was distant and quiet, which Neena took to be a bad sign.
Thomas was doing what he could, but he could only do so much, and he was definitely drifting in uncharted territory. Unlike Nate, he’d never been stranded anywhere with a pregnant woman before, much less had to help deliver a baby. But if it came to that, he’d be there with both hands ready and waiting.
If they were back home, he’d have drawn her a warm bath so she could soak for a while until it was time to get down to business. Here...well, he’d just have to improvise, since Rachel wasn’t giving him much to go on.
Neena wasn’t sure what to do, either. Rachel’s silence was making her anxious. She went to talk to the girl, and was intercepted en route by Chris. “What’s up, kid?”
Chris looked anxious for a minute. “Rachel’s trying to find Dad. She wants you to go home.”
Thomas caught a wave of anxiety and hung ten for a minute, grimacing a little until he got his metaphorical feet back on dry land, grounding himself like no tomorrow. “It’s crunch time, huh?”
Chris nodded. He wasn’t supposed to tell them anything else. “She’ll take care of you.” He said, squeezing Neena’s hand.
Neena took a deep breath, her stomach turning. “Yeah. She will.” She squeezed Chris’s hand, taking a deep breath. “It’ll be okay. I’m going to go lay down, okay? Let me know if she-” Neena had to take a deep breath as another contraction hit. Chris helped her keep her feet, nearly panicking.
Thomas moved to Neena’s other side, offering Chris a smile of gratitude. If Rachel did get hold of Nate, then it was crunch time--decision time--for Chris, too. It never rained but it poured. “C’mon,” he said to Neena, “Let’s get you someplace more comfortable.” If such a place existed. To Chris he said, “You can hang out if you want.”
He knew Neena would probably want to spend as much time with her eldest as she could, if these were going to be possibly their last moments.
Neena nodded and straightened when the contraction let up. “What was that, half an hour?” She asked as she headed to the back. Chris followed along behind, watching his mom and her new guy.
“Give or take,” Thomas guessed, glancing at the time. If they were in a movie, most of this progression would have probably been summarized in a few scenes, he figured, but in real life, it seemed to stretch on forever, no matter how much more quickly it was going now.
He wasn’t sure how he felt about Rachel being so tight-lipped, but he tried to keep that part locked down tight in the back of his mind where it wouldn’t trouble anybody else.
Neena didn’t like it either. It either meant that Rachel thought something bad was going on, or. . . she couldn’t even think of a second scenario. She didn’t like being babied, but maybe it was best that she didn’t know what was going on. It was hard enough to keep calm already.
She settled onto the bed, groaning softly. “I won’t mind being back in the land of epidurals and showers.” Neena admitted.
“I’m sure Nate will get you us there as soon as he possibly can,” Thomas said, smiling a little. He was growing strangely comfortable with thinking and talking about Nate as an integral part of the family unit. It was a good feeling, and he let it filter to the surface, figuring positive emotions could only help. “In the meantime, want me to make you some warm compresses for your back?”
Neena smiled at the wave of good emotions. "Yeah, that sounds nice." She knew she had to get herself under control. Her sons needed her to be strong, and she needed herself to be strong.
"Nate will come through. He usually does, and if he doesn't Rachel will just have to suck it up and deliver this baby."
“Okay,” Thomas said, squeezing her hand. “I’ll be right back.” He nodded to Chris as he stepped out, and just barely resisted the urge to say you have the bridge, Number One. Instead, he went with, “All yours, man.”
Neena squeezed his hand back, and smiled at Chris. He moved closer, wiping sweat off her face. “I’m staying here, mom.”
Neena tried not to let the hurt show on her face. She nodded, closing her eyes. “I figured.”
“Rachel’s here. I can’t leave her alone.”
“Rachel can come along. I’d love to have her too, and I know Scott wants her home.”
Chris shook his head. “We don’t have a place there, not really. Our family’s scattered. All we have left is each other, really.”
That hurt a lot, but Neena couldn’t disagree. She didn’t feel that way, but this wasn’t about her feelings. “You sure?”
He nodded. “Take care of Luke. Have a happy life with Thomas. Tell Dad I love him.”
Neena pulled him into a tight hug. He hugged her back, and they were silent for a moment. Finally they parted, and Neena stroked his hair. “I love you, Chris.”
“Love you too. I’ll be here until you go. Maybe I’ll get to meet Luke anyway.” He hoped he would, a little bit. He’d wanted a brother, but now he’d never get one.
Thomas returned and quietly brought the warm, damp towels to Neena. He’d steeped some herbs in the water to help with relaxation, on Elaine’s remembered advice, and did his best to help Neena get comfortable. He hoped someday the brothers would meet. “Maybe it will be under better circumstances.”
“Couldn’t be worse.” Chris said, then put his hand over his mouth.
Neena winced, but chose to ignore what he’d said rather than ask about it. “You’ll always be welcome with us. You and Rachel both.”
“Absolutely,” Thomas agreed. It didn’t matter whose genes the kids had. They were family.