Something Special
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.I.
Each family has moments,
Moments of happiness and emotion.
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"And we shall call her Artemis!"
A cheer rose up across the infirmary as the news of the new baby girl born to the Queenscove couple spread through the tired and anxious family members who had been up all night awaiting her birth.
"Please, now let us all ask the Gods to grant her full health, and to allow her mother a speedy recovery."
They all bowed their heads and clasped their hands in front of their chests, muttering prayers as the weary mother passed the babe into Neal's arms. As he placed her into a crib by the bedside, a little four-year-old. Tohru grew bored while the grown-ups around him fell silent. Curious about how his new cousin looked like, he crept up onto a chair and leaned over the crib, peering in and poking her with a small, pudgy digit.
"Tory! Get down!" his adopted cousin, Tobe, said coaxingly as he noticed what the boy was doing, and tried to pry his finger out of the girl's grasp, secretly jealous but also worried in case she was to become upset. However, when the newborn started to cry at the eighteen-year-old's actions, Keladry chuckled at the sight.
"It seems my daughter has already recognised her family."
The proud father smiled softly, kissing her forehead briefly. "Aye. She's a smart one."
And as husband and wife lost themselves in each other's eyes, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins and grandparents alike all traipsed out of the room; sleep now being the foremost thought on their minds, they finally left the couple with their well-earned privacy.
However, for one youngster, it wasn't time just yet. Wrestling out from the firm holds of his father, Tory skidded back into the infirmary and hopped back up onto the chair again. "Bye, Arty!" he whispered, pecking her cheek. "Get big quickly, ok?" Kel and Neal looked on, amused by their nephew's antics. "Coming, Pa!" he called to his father, childishly pouting when he stormed back in.
"Bye, Arty!"
Five more installments to come.
The Ficship Competitions of Summer '09 have now begun, and this time, I'm on the judging panel. Feel free to send me any nominations of stories which you think simply take the cake! All the details and rules of the competition can be found on our forum at: www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/forum/the_ficship_competitions/54838. Get cracking!
- Khadeejah: 04/06/2009