Chapter 6: A New Generation has Begun
It has been a week since that night. The four; plus Kuroneko, lived in a house Vash had built himself near July. Things were fine, til Darlene began to become ill. Stella stayed by her side as she rested in bed. "Somethings wrong with me...Why am I so sick?" asked Darlene.
"I don't know, sweetie. Maybe you have a stomach virus...I don't know, honey," answered Stella, upset that she couldn't provide the answer Darlene was hoping for. A few minutes pass and Vash returns from July with some groceries. His first stop was to Darlene. Wolfwood was sitting on the sofa, watching TV. Vash enters the room, concerned for Darlene's health. "How is she?" he asked.
"Still the same...What could it be?" asked Stella. "Hmmm...Maybe its a stomach bug...We'll have to keep an eye on things to see if there's any improvement. Has she eatten anything yet?" said Vash.
"I don't think so...I know she's starving, but afraid to eat.." answered Stella. "I'll go make some soup...Stay with her," answered Vash. He rushes off from the room to the kitchen. Wolfwood watched this and so did the cat. "*Meow?*" Kuroneko wondered. "What's going on? Is she still not feeling well?" asked Wolfwood. Darlene remains in bed, still ill.
"You'll get better...We'll make sure, okay.." said Stella. Darlene gives a smile, knowing she'll get better. A feeling of nasuea began to form, causing her to get up from bed. "Getting sick again?" asked Stella.
"Yeah...I'll be in the bathroom..." groaned Darlene. She heads to the bathroom and immediately threw up. Stella was worried. After a few minutes, Vash comes in with a bowl of soup, but soon wondered where Darlene was. "Where'd she go?" he asked. Stella points to the bathroom. Now Vash really was worried. Darlene comes ot of the bathroom, heading back to bed.
"I don't think I'm hungry..." groaned Darlene. "You need to eat something, it'll help you get better. Here...Eat this. If your stomach tells you stop, stop. You need the nutrients," said Vash. Darlene slowly eats the soup, doing her best to get well. "This is really good," said Darlene as she ate another spoonful. Two more weeks pass and Darlene is still the same, but otherwise improved alot. Vash was suspecting maybe it really isn't a stomach virus.
"I don't understand...Why is she still sick? A stomach virus doesn't last that long..Hmmm.." said Vash. It was that moment that Wolfwood came up with a theory, "You said she was worse in the morning...But as the day goes on, she's alot better, right?"
"Yeah...She's even more nausious in the morning, but not very much during the rest of the day. Why asking?" asked Vash. "Vash...That sounds like something called 'Morning Sickness'. The only way to go through that is if..." answered Wolfwood. Vash thought for a second, then the pattern made sense. He knew that night three weeks ago she was in heat and they mated that night. It all of a sudden hitted him.
"Oh, my god...She could be..." gasped Vash. "Lets head to a doctor. That way we're not jumping the gun just yet," said Wolfwood. "Good idea...I know which doctor to go to," said Vash. In a matter of minutes, the group headed towards the doctors in July in the now customized Mazda, because if they ran out of gas, Gunsmoke wouldn't have it. The doctor Vash had in mind was Dr. Kitori; who had been studying Humanoid Plants for a long while. He was also Vash's doctor everytime he got injured or ill in payment for helping his Plant studies and saving him from bandits that roam the sands of Gunsmoke, causing trouble in the city of July.
He knows that evolution has turned the Humanoid Typhoon into an Angel Plant, which he is starting to study. Kitori is a wondering doctor, not very much people go to him, but his luck would change when Vash and Darlene enter his shack-like office. Kitori wore a traditional white coat like all doctors, along with the outfit. Thin rimmed glasses rest on the ridge of his nose and his slicked back brown hair rested at neck legnth. A knock is heard on the door and he immediately gave an answer.
"Come in.." he called out. As he turns around, he spots Vash, along with Stella, Wolfwood, Kuroneko, and Darlene. "Ah...The Humanoid Typhoon returns from his journey...Did you find your mate?" Kitori asked. Vash already told him this before he left to search for Darlene.
"She's right here...She's not feeling too good and its even worse during the morning. Can you help her?" answered Vash, actually pleading. Darlene was nervous, but she knew that he was a doctor and Vash trusted him. Wolfwood fills in their theory of what could be wrong as Kitori examined Darlene.
"Hmmm...That's definately Morning Sickness..Is it worse during the morning?" asked Kitori. "Yes it is, sir," answered Darlene.
"When was you in heat and when did you mate? I know its alittle personal, I understand, but it'll help out with the diagnosis," said Kitori. "Three weeks ago...Why?" answered Darlene. The timing struck Kitori and knew what the diagnosis was. "I believe I know what it is, but first...I'll need to do a sonogram to prove this," he said to the group. He preps the sonogram machine and prepares Darlene for the scan in a gown that her adoptive mother had to help her in.
"Its okay, Darlene...Your going to be fine. The ultrasound won't hurt you, I promise," said Stella. Darlene was nervous, but knew she had to do this test. Vash didn't leave Darlene's side, not for one second. "I've...Never had an ultrasound done.." said Darlene. "Its not painful, I assure you. The gel will feel a bit cold on your stomach, just to warn you ahead of time," answered Kitori, trying to calm Darlene with his sense of humor. It works and she soon feels the cold gel on her stomach, where the probe is going to be.
"Okay...Lets see whats going on inside here," said Kitori. Darlene turned to Vash and said, "Do you think I am?" "Dunno...Lets see and find out," answered Vash. After a few seconds pass, a sound fills the room. It went 'Swisha, swisha, swisha, swisha' at a fast pace, much like a heartbeat. Everyone turned to the monitor.
"There we are...Your theory was correct all this time. Miss Darlene, your going through the effects of Morning Sickness. The reason of this is because you are expecting right now," said Kitori. "Vash...Your going to be a dad..Oh, my god..." gasped Wolfwood. Stella was both shocked and happy for Darlene. Darlene looks at the screen of the machine at the developing embryo inside her, listening to its heartbeat.
"I already know your an Angel Plant..Vash told me. Since you and him; plus this little one, are the only ones existing..What will a Angel Plant pregnancy be like?" wondered Kitori. "Well...There's only one way to find out.." said Stella. "How far along am I?" asked Darlene.
"Since all this started three weeks ago...The gestation age of the embryo is at three weeks..." answered Kitori. After the doctor visit, they return back with amazing news of a new generation of Angel Plants. Darlene was alittle nervous, but knew in her heart that she always wanted to be a mother herself. "Your not going to bail out, right Vash?" asked Darlene as she laid in bed.
"I would never...Even though I've been around children before, this is all new to me; becoming a father myself. I'm not leaving you...I would rather throw myself into one of the suns of Gunsmoke than leave you. We're gonna go through this together," answered Vash. Darlene smiled, glad that they're going to get through this together. Weeks pass and the developing baby was growing normally. Now at week twenty-two, Darlene's abdomen was getting big and stretching to accomadate for the growing offspring. She was heading towards rhe couch, feeling the weight in her front. She sat down and turned on the TV, while sitting right next to Kuroneko. The cat meowed and cuddled up to Darlene's side and purred.
"Aww..." Darlene awed as she pets the cat. From the kitchen, Vash walks out with two glasses of lemonade he made; one for him, one for her. "How are things goiing?" asked Vash.
"Same old, same old...Including my stomach getting big. Its moving around in there very oftenly.." answered Darlene. The two drank their drink, watching the TV side by side. As Darlene rested her right hand on her abdomen, she soon feels something move inside her. The baby was becoming active. "The baby's moving again...Probably knows there's a good show on," said Darlene, "Here...Give me your left hand." Vash reaches over to her with his left hand. Darlene then holds his hand and places it where she felt the movement from earlier. He soon feels it, too.
"Oh, my...Active, huh...Oh! I just felt that," said Vash. "It kicked...I felt that, too," chuckled Darlene. During the night, Darlene was asleep on her side. Before going to bed, Stella went to check on her as any mother would. She kneels down to Darlene without disturbing her, but it was fruitless. Sensing her presence, Darlene wakes up.
"Sorry, I just wanted to see how your doing," said Stella. "I'm okay...The baby was active most of the day," answered Darlene. Vash was right next to her from behind, asleep. As Stella stroked Darlene's head, her adoptive daughter began to feel movement inside her stomach again. "Oh, gosh...The baby is active again. Here...Give me your hand," said Darlene. She holds her adoptive mother's right hand and places it on her abdomen where the movement was occuring. Stella felt them, including the kicking.
"Aww...Its moving...That's good," awed Stella. "Its been doing that most of the day...Even Vash knows, he felt it," said Darlene. More weeks pass and everyone is trying to make the house ready for the new baby and give the newborn the best they could offer. Now at week thirty-seven, Darlene and the others go to Kitori's new location near the caverns that the mating took place months ago. "I want to wait til the baby comes out to see if its a boy or a girl...It doesn't matter, really," said Darlene as Kitori examined her and the baby inside. After a few minutes of examination, everything was going all right.
"Everything is going perfectly...Three more weeks to go. It seems Angel Plants go through the same thing human females go through during pregnancy. Stunning..Aside from that, it won't be much long now," said Kitori. "Are we going to the hospital when labor starts..Or something else..." wondered Wolfwood.
"It would be a good idea at a hospital...In case if something happened," said Stella, taking caution on both Darlene and the baby. Darlene remembered one of her dreams, the dream that she was in that cave in a pool of water, giving birth. The dream was telling her that if she got pregnant, that is where she would have to go for the birth. "Mom...That dream that I told you about. About the one that I was birthing in a pool of water inside the cave...I have to birth there," said Darlene.
"Sweetie...What if something happens to you, the baby, or both...I don't know-" "Mom...That's what that dream told me...I have to birth in the cavern inside the water. I know your worried about me and the baby, I understand. I believe you about the hospital, but thats not what the dream is telling me to do," Darlene interuppted Stella.
"An Angel Plant instinct...They must prefer to give birth in the water...Since we are near the cavern, I guess we'll have to obey her dream. I will be there to make sure nothing happens...For her sake, I hope nothing bad happens," said Kitori. "Mom...Trust me, its what my Angel Plant side wants and what my dream is telling me...Please trust me," said Darlene, begining to cry. Stella understood completely, "Lets pray nothing bad is going to happen during that time..I don't want to lose the both of you." She hugs Darlene, trying to comfort the both of them from what lies ahead. Vash soon joins them. Stella knew that Vash had taught her well to listen to her Angel Plant side, and knew that is was one of those things that it told her to do. When three weeks pass, they will find out if the decision was a good one.
