A/N: So, my muse calls me to another fandom. Actually, you might say it's been there for a long time. Among my few computer games, I have The Sims 3, and I really like that game since it pretty much IS fanfiction all the way. You make your own character and their stories, albeit with a little more involvement. This little story came about as a result of telling people on The Sims Community about my family, which I've had for five generations.
All the names you see are names of my Daniels family, but some are pre-made. Ayana Yuki and Sun Young Kim are therefore the property of EA. All the rest are, for all intents and purposes mine.
I'm a bit nervous posting this, so I hope it's good. You might consider this chapter a prologue of sorts. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.
Beautiful Night Child
Chapter 1 - Night at the Hospital
Adam Daniels woke suddenly from his sleep, though he wasn't certain why. He wasn't startled out of his rest, as if he had woke from a nightmare, as he hadn't bolted upright from where he lied. He was sure it was a noise that stirred him, but he wasn't entirely sure what sort of noise it was. It might have been passing car. It might have been the incessant ticking from the clock hanging on the wall. It might have been a hiss or a whirl from the so-called silent heater that happened to be fixed to the wall near his head. Adam also wondered if he had heard the sounds of a doctor or nurse walking the floors of the hospital. As he thought about it, he began to think that he had only imagined the sound. Apart from the clock and the occasional beep of some medical equipment, the small room was as quiet as the serene winter's night outside.
The other thing Adam realized was that he was not likely to go back to sleep, but it didn't seem to matter. What sleep he had managed to find had been anything but easy or deep.
Adam moaned softly in that realization and in prolonged discomfort as he continued to lie on the small padded seat he had tried to use as a bed. His knees felt stiff from his curled position, and his neck felt sore from trying to rest his head against the hard armrest, even through a pillow. Adam shook slightly as the chilling air still managed to seep through the window under which he had made his bed. He could almost feel the goose flesh on his arms, even though they were covered by the long-sleeved shirt and jacket he wore and the blanket that the staff had provided. The pleasant warmth radiating from the heater made little difference beneath the thin pane of glass covering the opening in the wall.
Adam resigned himself to the fact that he would be awake for whatever remained of the night. How he managed to fall asleep even for a moment, he could not guess. Adam sat up, slowly and sorely, and he let his legs drop to the floor. The chill of the tiles pierced even through his thick socks, and he shivered again as the last traces of what sleep he had left him.
The room was dark, except for the light of the hallway blocked by a drawn curtain, and Adam could only hear the clock up on the wall. He wondered what time it was, although if he had to guess, he imagined it was almost four in the morning. He was somewhat glad that he hadn't had the chance to grab his watch from home. He imagined that knowing what time it was would have only irritated him more.
With a yawn, Adam ran his hand through his brown hair that always seemed to stand up, no matter what he did to it. He looked down at his side to the thin pillow also provided by the staff, and he glared almost hatefully at it. With a moan that seemed mixed with a low growl, Adam rubbed his sore neck.
"This night sure hasn't been easy," he whispered as another yawn escaped his mouth. He rubbed his bleary eyes and stood to his feet. He could feel every ache in his arms, neck, legs, and even his back. He stretched, quietly, hoping he could chase away the dull pains, although he imagined a hot shower would have done him more good. At that moment, Adam wished he could have had that luxury. He began to wish that a number of things were different as well.
"I wish we were home," he uttered. "I wish we were home in our own bed with that nice heavy blanket and pillows that are actually soft. At least, I wish I could have grabbed them." Slightly shivering again, Adam found himself wishing it wasn't in the cold midst of December as well. His eyes turned towards the bed in the middle of the room, and as they fell upon the sleeping form of the woman upon it, Adam found himself smiling.
He was tired, but he was sure he could not compare that to just how tired Ayana was. Adam found his smile growing wider and warmer as he stood there gazing at his wife. His eyes grew soft and happy as they took in the sight of her lying peacefully in the hospital bed. He could only see her partially in the dark, but in the two years they had shared as husband and wife, Adam had memorized her. He could make out the soft shade of tan that colored her skin and her jet-black hair that didn't fall quite to her shoulders but still just perfectly framed her face. Even without seeing her entirely, Adam could pinpoint the small beauty mark just below her right eye, the form of her lips, not small but not large, and the narrow shape of her closed eyes.
Adam felt a sense of pride beginning to swell inside him as he found himself staring at her mouth hanging open only slightly and each rhythmic rise and fall of her chest. He was cold, sore, and very tired, but he knew deep within his heart that there was no place he would rather be than in his wife's hospital room on this night. It was a night that he honestly wondered if either of them would ever experience.
He wished he could have found room in that small bed for him, just so he could spend the night as he had spent so many others; sleeping at his wife's side just to let her know he was near. Of course, he knew he couldn't, but he liked to think about it anyway. Sitting back down on the couch, Adam never let his eyes stray from Ayana, though his mind began to roam. He began to wonder if his family were sleeping in their own beds or if this night also tampered with it.
He was sure his father, Daniel, would have waked the house when he came home, and he wondered if they likewise could hardly manage sleep. He could just picture his mother, Sun Young, pacing the floors and rambling on and on, alternating between English and Chinese as she always did when excitement or anger overcame her. He wondered how his sisters, Min Wei and Aria, managed the night. Were they just as excited? Of course, Adam knew Aria never liked to have attention taken off her for even the slightest moment, and Min Wei was always such a subdued girl and was even more so at the age of twenty-two. Adam also wondered what Ning Shui was doing at this moment, and he had never particularly been interested in his brother's activities, despite being twins.
Adam laughed only once and quietly to himself. He attributed it to fatigue, but the thought of his family unable to sleep seemed funny to him. While he was sure they had reacted with some excitement, imaging just what they might be doing amused him. And then, as Adam continued to ponder in the darkness and the silence of the sleepy winter's night, his mind began to go backwards. He found himself recalling that day nine months before now that lead to this beautiful night.
I hope that wasn't too bad. I seem more comfortable trying to write medieval type work instead, but I tried. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and hopefully it doesn't take me long to update it.