“You look good.” Who: Shepard, Dani Moonstar What: Dani has the best news ever, Shepard has a question. When: 1/16, the day after this text message. Where: Urdnot Ranch Rating/Warnings: PG-13, warnings for medical things. Status: Complete!
When Faiza had first told Dani it was time to take her wrist apart, she’d actually been filled with so much relief and excitement that after she’d gotten done texting with the woman, she’d wrapped her arms around herself and taken several very long, deep breaths. It hadn’t even been that long a battle, but the middle of it had been terrible. There was no way at all to describe what she was feeling.
She still couldn’t describe it as she watched Faiza work, taking out the (ridiculously) small area of unhealthy, cancerous bone matter and then knitting her wrist back together. Healthy, and whole. Dani couldn’t believe it. Faiza had even done a check through the rest of her, restoring ovaries and other vital organs to good health.
Dani had tears in her eyes by the time the miracle worker was done working minor miracles. She didn’t even dash them away as she hopped off the table and glomped Faiza into a weak bear hug, “Thank you so much. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”
Faiza pulled off her gloves and then returned the hug. “Oh believe me, duck, this is more than enough thanks. I really rather would see you being happy and healthy. And to tell you the truth I’m relieved I have so much control back.”
She patted the woman’s cheek. “And that I can reverse so much of the radiation damage. I might need to make a discreet late night visit to the children’s cancer ward.”
"It's amazing, really. The rest of the damage will repair itself, but what you've done just... means a lot to me. A whole lot." It had been something like a far off dream, the idea of giving Shepard those kids she wanted. Now she could get started on that as soon as her body was finished recovering.
And it was actually going to get to recover. It was as relieving as it was terrifying, really. Between the Cancer and her addiction issues she'd thought that point was much further away.
"It couldn't hurt. You could do some real good there."
“Just needed to get over the hump. You’re good to go and pop out little ones! And I think I can.” Faiza looked at her hands. She had the power, she couldn’t just let it not go to use. Looking up, she started to guide Dani out of the office. “And speaking of she’s waiting for you.”
"I can't wait." Dani grinned, then gave Faiza another big hug. The thought of Shepard waiting outside for her suddenly made her feel nervous again, and she needed the hug - and the extra few seconds - to brace herself.
This was it. This was really it. Dani waved goodbye to Faiza and made her way through the ranch, trying to swallow down all of the emotions that were roiling in her chest. Fear, anxiety, hope, excitement, relief. They could start a family now. Were they really ready for that? Could she be a good mother? She knew Shepard could. Shepard could do anything, and that thought propelled her forward and towards her lover's office.
Shepard was standing in front of the ranch house instead of inside, wearing a dark red trenchcoat. It went down to her ankles and the hem waved in the breeze. Her hands were in her pocket and she had sunglasses on, and her longer-than-usual hair was haphazard on her shoulders. She had a gigantic grin on her face as she waited.
Seeing Tyra waiting there for her made Dani grin widely. It lit her face up and made her insides warm, though Shepard's appearance at the moment made her knees feel a bit like they were jelly.
She waved her hand in the air and her steps picked up speed. The wrist was free of any markings and perfectly normal looking, and for the first time in nearly seven months it didn't hurt at all. She thought she might cry. But she didn't. Instead she threw her body against Tyra's and wrapped her arms around her woman and hugged her, tightly.
She hadn’t been able to wait inside, not knowing that Dani was getting fixed. Even bald, the native woman was beautiful, and Shepard had to stop herself from tackling her. So when Dani wrapped herself around her, she kissed the side of her face and squeezed her tightly. Her voice was a little rough and hitched. “You look good.”
The roughness in Tyra's voice threatened to break Dani's composure. She squeezed the woman again and buried her face in against Tyra's neck, inhaling the scent of her and trying desperately not to cry. They weren't sad tears, but she didn't want to waste her energy on crying when there were so many more amazing things to do with it.
"I can't even believe it's over, but it is..."
Tyra kissed Dani’s face, and then her cheek and then her forehead and then her lips. “I’m so happy for you. You already look like you’re healthier.” She stroked her face, eyes moving over Dani’s features, drinking her in. She was smiling like she couldn’t contain her happiness or her giddiness.
"I feel better. No pain, and less tired. It can only go up from here." Dani grinned. She grinned so widely that her skin seemed to be emitting light. That glow hadn't been there in months. It was amazing what Faiza could do.
"We need to celebrate. We should get all the celebrating we can out of our system because by this time next year I might be as big as a house," She blurted out. She'd meant to approach that topic more gently, but she couldn't help it. There really wasn't a gentle way to bring it all up.
“I’m beyond excited,” Shepard nearly picked Dani up but refrained. She was completely enraptured by how much light was coming off of Dani right now. Despite that, Dani’s comment threw her off and both of her eyebrows disappeared into her hair. “Oh really??”
"That just blurted right out, didn't it?" Dani said, sheepishly. If she had hair, she'd be tugging on one or both of her braids right now. Instead, she tugged on her sleeve a bit and ducked her head. It was adorable and there was a bit of a pink flush to her cheeks, "Faiza fixed all the damage. I'm good to go, if you still wanted... that. At all."
Shepard touched Dani’s cheek, then took her chin between her fingers and gazed into her eyes. “I want it more than almost anything. Almost.” Really, she was thrilled. Ecstatic. Even more ecstatic about the fact that her girlfriend was into the idea. That Dani wanted it. She leaned in and kissed her lightly, then purred. “I want you more.”
Every nervous part of Dani's body relaxed instantly in that moment, and she grinned even more widely. It was like another beam of light, but it was only a mirror for the light that was beaming out of Shepard. To be able to make her girlfriend that happy made Dani feel like she was on top of the world, "Oh you'll get me. You'll get more of me than maybe you're even comfortable with. You're going to want to some personal space when I'm done with you."
"Move in with me," she asked, the words spilling out of her mouth before she could stop them. "Fuck...all of you could move in with me, I've got the room and it's nice having a little fucked up family like that."
"Yes," Dani replied without hesitation, then blinked a bit and waved a hand in the air, "Wait. They'd never just leave that place, it's super fancy and Lara owns it. Maybe Renji might move over, though, give them their privacy. But I don't want to break them all up."
She wanted to live with Tyra. She spent at least half of her week there as it was, but she loved the small little family they'd created. It had been her support system, and the nervous fear returned to her gut, "I want to. I just... don't want to lose them, either. Do you think I would? You all are my family, but you're the most important member of it. ...Hell, it's not like they don't live just down the street."
Tyra bounced on her feet, lifting Dani in the air and spinning her around. She kissed her, long and hard. "We'll figure something out. I don't want to lose them either, and I don't want you to lose them. I mean, how will they eat without you? They'll starve."
She flashed Dani a grin, still holding her with all the muscles in her body like she was a basket of flowers.
Dani's head was spinning, though delightfully so. And not just because Shepard had just spun her around like she was a ragdoll. She clung onto her woman, then smooched her lips against Tyra's again, and grinned, "Yeah. They'd be lost without me. If I do move in with you I'm going to have to make dinner and bring it over to them all the time."
That was a nice thought, though. They had a little community, and they wouldn't lose it even if Dani slept in a different place. She was almost sure of it.
"I'll talk to Lara about it but she'll probably tell me to go, anyway."
Shepard grinned at the thought, and ran her fingers over Dani’s scalp. Her eyes danced in delight and a little bit of trepidation. “We’ll figure something out. I just don’t want you on time share any more, Dani. Nights you’re not there I just can’t sleep.”
That wasn't something Dani had previously been aware of, and the admission stunned her a bit, "I keep the nightmares away?"
She ducked her head and stepped out of Dani’s arms so they could make it to the car without making out. “Yeah. You do.”
"Then there's no question. I'll move in with you, and the rest will work itself out." Dani replied, much more confident than she'd felt about the idea previously. Shepard needed her, and it took a lot for her to admit that. There wasn't any doubt in Dani's mind where she needed to be.
They'd survived a bout of Cancer, and a lot of that had been about her. It was time to give back.
Not that living with your girlfriend was a hardship, anyway. The thought had her grinning so much that her mouth was starting to get sore.
It was that smile. That smile right there and Shepard knew she was willing to give Dani her life. Not just in the traditional sense, but her live. Her living. It made her knees weak and her heart soar, and goddamn it was good to be alive.