InsaneJournal

Who: Faiza, Beth, and Alma.
What: Baby!
When: Tuesday afternoon.
Where: The ranch.
Rating: PG-13.
Status: Complete!



“Now this isn’t quite the same,” Faiza was saying as the ranchhands worked with the cow. “but the principle is what matters, and I’m still waiting for my dvds to arrive so you can view more human births.” She folded her arms. “Still beautiful, don’t you think, duck?”

Beth had been shadowing Faiza for a while, and she’d enjoyed it. She was going to school part time, and the rest of the time was training to be a midewife’s assistant. She loved it. She really liked being everywhere that women were happy with their children, she liked helping them out in their lives.

Leaning against the fence, Beth smiled happily. “It’s enough to make me want to give up meat, actually.”

“Well lets not go too far,” Faiza joked with a smile. “How are your studies coming along. Have you found someone yet to assist?”

“I have, actually.” Beth smiled, looking back at Faiza. “It’s a pretty busy practice, they’re thrilled I want to be in the room with the doctor when he does exams, and I can take BP and weights and stuff.”

“Brilliant! If you need my references please let me know? I can send them in right quick.” Beth was shockingly intelligent and Faiza found herself really liking the girl.

Beth admitted that she’d been bitchy before, but once she’d learned to trust people, she could sublimate the bitchy a little, use it when it was proper. “I will, thanks.” Beth smiled. “Want to go play with Elise? I bet she remembers you.” The little girl was leaps and bounds smarter than other girls in her peer group.

“For a baby just a few months old she’s doing very well,” Faiza said, nodding enthusiastically. “you’ll have your bloody hands full with her!”

“She’s got genius genes like her mom.” Beth was ‘papa’, and she was fine with that.

“And her father,” Faiza replied good naturedly. “Don’t discount your own genius.” She put her arm around Beth’s shoulders as they headed back to the main ranchhouse.

Beth chuckled. “I’m smart. Alma’s the genius.” Beth grinned up at Faiza. “When did you know you wanted to be a doctor?”

“I was five, and performing surgery on my neighbor’s Action Man doll.” Action figure. Whatever. “GI-Joe here.”

“I always thought I’d end up curing cancer. I’m sure someone will, probably Alma, but me, I’m going to help families. I think I didn’t know I wanted to do this because I didn’t feel like I had a family until recently.”

“Cancer is important, yes, but so is helping families. If there’s no support there, than when it strikes....” Faiza shrugged her shoulder.

“I was thinking I might try to specifically work with girls who don’t have much family. A girl came in the other day when I was interviewing for my internship, and she had nobody, and she was like, fifteen.” Beth sighed to herself. “Sometimes someone there to just smile would help.”

Faiza smiled at her, stopping and wrapping her arms around Beth and squeezing her tightly. “You’re a marvel, you know that? A complete and utter marvel.”

Beth blinked. “Huh?”

“Nothing. Lets check on Elise.”

Beth smiled, bouncing over to place where she and Alma and Elise lived. Grinning, she knocked on the door so that Alma would know it was her.

The door opened without any intervention. Inside, Elise as flying around in the air, Alma laying on the ground and watching her with a smile on her face. “she likes this game.”

“That’s brilliant,” Faiza said.

Beth laughed, grinning when her child giggled hysterically. “This is awesome.”

Alma glanced up Beth’s skirt and sighed happily, before floating Elise down towards Faiza and Beth.

“Well that’s one way to keep a baby happy,” Faiza said, unable to contain the smile that erupted forth. It was almost enough to make her want one. Almost.

Beth giggled, thinking at her soon-to-be wife. Wait a minute, we’ll get to that. Beth took Elise into her arms, grinning when her daughter giggled. Then she blew a raspberry on her tummy.

Alma’s grin only grew wider. She was overdosing on happy lately and she didn’t care. She looked between the three of them and sat up.

Faiza shook her head. “I need to see the bloody dentist. Such a happy little family. How are you feeling, Elise?”

“She’s healthy like a horse,” Beth beamed. “Do you want to hold her?” Faiza should have kids of her own, Beth had decided.

“Please?” She held her arms out for the baby. “I know you did all the work but I did help deliver her after all.”

Beth handed Elise over, smiling when the little girl looked up at the doctor who’d helped deliver her with curious blue eyes and dark brown hair.

“She’s beautiful, ducks...” Faiza held the child gently, looking down at her with a broad, happy smile. Someday she’d have one of her own. She wondered if it would have Obi’s eyes.

Alma glanced at Beth. Take a picture. Sneaky.

Beth blinked at Alma, grinning. What’re you planning, Pretty?

To send it to her boyfriend.

Faiza nuzzled Elise’s nose with her own.

That was the moment, and Beth couldn’t help but take a mental picture.

As well as one with her cell phone.

Alma did as well, the mental picture. It was warm and fuzzy, and made her so incredibly happy. She hoped Obi-wan felt the same way.

Faiza took a seat, still cautiously holding the baby. “She’s so fragile..”

Beth chuckled, watching her mentor cradle her daughter. “She’s stronger than you think. Think about how traumatizing birth is.”

“Well, yes. But she’s still so fragile..” Faiza looked up, smiling at the two girls. “I think she’s in rather good hands, too.”

Beth smiled and kissed Alma’s temple. “She is, and we know it.”

“Right now she is,” Alma said, smiling wider.

“What? What? Oh no you can’t possibly mean me!”

“You’d make a good mother, Faiza.”

Beth nodded hard. “It’s true, it’s pretty obvious you were born to be a mother.”

She shook her head. “I suppose some day. Not for a while though. I’ve got too much I need to do and I’ve just barely had the moving in talk with Obi-wan.”

“I didn’t say to go jump him and have a kid now,” Beth laughed. “But maybe think about it. You’ll be there soon.”

“Or at least jump him. You’ve been working hard, you deserve to get laid.” Coming from Alma that sentence was extra funny to Faiza.

“Well if you insist.”

Beth grinned at Alma, laughing. “I’m turning you into a pervert, aren’t I? I’m not really that sorry, I admit.”

“Neither am I . I feel like a normal girl!” Alma wrapped her arms around Beth.

“Perversion isn’t entirely bad,” Faiza admitted with a blush.

Beth raised an eyebrow, laughing to herself, trying not to laugh too hard and make either of the other women feel self-conscious.

Faiza exchanged a look with Alma, and then held the baby out to Beth. “Someone needs changing. I nominate you.”

Beth sighed. “C’mon, poop machine, let me take care of it.” She kissed the top of her baby’s head, delighted even to change her poopy diapers.

Faiza laughed, and Alma wrapped her arms around her. She patted the girl’s back. “Well then, we’ll leave you up to that.”