Borra Week Day 7 topic: Say Goodbye
"Please don't go," Bolin whispered to the tiny bundle he cradled in his arms, though he knew it was an impossible plea. The tiny face of his daughter was ashen and still, not scrunched in the newborn wail he'd experienced when he'd held his first two children for the first time. Instead she drew tiny, ragged breaths. Korra was propped up in the hospital bed next to him, her heavily lined face looking more tired than he'd ever seen her.
"Look at how tiny her fingers are," Korra said in a raspy, quiet voice. "Everything about her is just small." A tear slipped down her cheek and Bolin carefully used his thumb to wipe it away. As hard as this was for him, Bolin couldn't imagine the toll it was taking on Korra. Her labor had been especially difficult, and she'd known all along that it would be fruitless.
He thought back to the day Korra had told him she was pregnant again. They hadn't exactly planned on having a third child, but the idea quickly grew on both of them. San and Katara, 7 and 5, had been overjoyed at the idea of a baby joining the family.
This was different from Korra's other pregnancies from the start. The first two times she'd visited Katara in the Southern Water Tribe and her old teacher and friend had used her bending to check up on the baby. It was an added comfort for Korra. Unfortunately Katara had passed away shortly before their little Katara had been born, so this time Korra didn't have that luxury.
She'd insisted that they visit Kya, Katara's daughter, which would be the next best thing. Kya had been happy to oblige them, and when they visited she performed the same checkup Katara had. This time, though, the grin dissolved from her face as she pressed her hands against Korra's middle.
"What's wrong?" Korra was immediately frightened. This look was not one she was accustomed to seeing.
"Korra, I have to admit. This is like nothing I've ever seen before. It seems that… Well, I'd like to get a second opinion, but something doesn't seem right." Later that day Kya had taken them to Buniq, an elderly woman who had worked very closely with Katara for much of her life. She was a kind woman and the moment she placed her hands on Korra's stomach, her expression wilted. At that, Bolin's heart had clenched.
"I'm sorry Bolin, Korra," The elderly woman began with sorrowful eyes. "It appears your baby has an extremely rare defect, one that will not allow it to survive longer than a few hours after birth. It will most likely be born prematurely as well. I don't have much experience with this; I can remember only one instance where this has occurred before."
"Isn't there anything you can do?" Korra was desperate. "Please!"
"I'm sorry, Avatar Korra. I truly wish there was. The only thing to do is wait, and when she is born, make sure that she is as comfortable as possible." Korra had tears streaming down her cheeks and her grip on Bolin's hand was vise-like. His heart broke all over again at the look on his wife's face.
The pregnancy had not been easy. Everything they normally had to look forward to was reduced to nothing. Korra was having trouble sleeping at night. Often Bolin held her as she sobbed herself into a fitful sleep. Only then did he allow himself to break down as well.
Eventually the day they'd all been dreading came. The contractions started and Korra was in a haze. Mako and Asami had taken the kids and Bolin spent every moment of the agonizing labor by her side. It was the most difficult thing the couple had ever done.
"I don't know how to say goodbye to someone I've barely even met." Korra carefully touched the small face with a fingertip. They'd spent the precious hours they did have with their daughter passing her back and forth, taking in every bit of her.
"What's her name?" Bolin asked, changing the subject because he didn't know how to respond. This was just as foreign to him.
"Anana." Korra was quick to respond. "Beautiful."
"And she is that," Bolin placed a tender kiss on Anana's smooth forehead. They sat in silence for quite some time, clinging to each other and to their baby girl. Eventually the time came to say goodbye, and with one final rasping breath she left the world as quietly as she'd entered. The look on the tiny face was peaceful at last and as Bolin and Korra mourned her passing, they hoped that though her time with them was short she somehow knew how very much she'd been loved.
This hurt to write, believe me. I knew from the moment I saw the prompt that this was the story I needed to write. As compensation, I will also be posting another fic for the same prompt because I'd hate to end Borra week on this note. Stay tuned!