Chapter 10 The Power to Save
Suki and Sokka waited silently outside Katara's room for hours. Suki sat cross-legged in a nearby chair watching Sokka as he continuously paced the floor in front of her. He sighed heavily as he ran his hand over the top of his head. He then crossed his arms tightly over his chest.
"Sokka," Suki called out, "why don't you sit down…you are going to wear a hole in the floor." Sokka glanced up at his wife briefly but continued to pace.
"I can't," Sokka sighed, "I can't sit still…not while she's in there." Suki stood and walked over in her husband's direction.
"I know you are worried," she replied as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Sokka paused as he wrapped his arms around his wife.
"She will be okay," Suki replied, "she is a strong person, she will get through this."
"I hope so," Sokka replied tearfully, "she has to, the baby needs her, Aang needs her….I need her." Suddenly the door to Katara's room creaked open and one of the nurses stepped forward. Sokka and Suki both anxiously turned in the woman's direction. The nurse gazed at them solemnly her face displaying a serious expression. Sokka's heart froze at the sight of her as he anticipated the worst. The nurse remained silent for a long moment.
"What's going on," Sokka questioned frantically, "Is Katara okay?" The nurse silently shook her head; her eyes were filled with sorrow.
"Its pretty serious," the nurse replied, "Katara has suffered a placental abruption."
"What does that mean," Sokka asked frantically.
"The lining of the placenta separated from her uterus…it caused a massive hemorrhage in her abdomen…she is bleeding internally." Sokka gazed wide-eyed at the nurse trying his best to make sense of the situation.
"What about the baby," Suki questioned. The nurse shrugged.
"The healers are performing an emergency cesarean section right now; they are trying their best to save the baby.
"What about my sister," Sokka implored, "they caught it in time right…she is going to be alright isn't she?" The nurse remained silent for a long moment. She gazed sadly in Sokka's direction.
"She's lost a lot of blood," the nurse replied, "she was already anemic after her attempted suicide right now it doesn't look good. The healers aren't sure she will live through the night." Tears immediately began to stream down Sokka's face.
"No," Sokka sobbed, "No…please." His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground.
"This can't be happening," Sokka mumbled, "Katara can't die."
"I'm very sorry," the nurse replied tearfully.
Aang walked with Roku down a long narrow corridor that seemed to be a part of a temple or shrine of some kind. The walls were ornately decorated with meticulous carvings and gold detailing. A pattern of the four nation's symbols was painted on each side of the long hall. Aang took little notice of the decorations, his mind was focused on Katara and his unborn child. He hoped that Roku was right and that the spirit he had spoken of would be willing to help him save his family. Aang gazed curiously ahead, he could see no end to the hall way. He turned his attention back to Roku.
"Who is this spirit," Aang questioned. Roku glanced over at Aang and smiled slightly.
"You know her already," Roku replied, "You know her well." Aang gazed at Roku questioningly.
"Well if it's not Yue or one of the past avatars…I don't know any other female spirits," Aang paused expecting a reply but Roku remained silent, "Do I know her from like a past life or something?"
"You could say that," Roku replied. Aang sighed heavily in annoyance everything in the spirit world always had to be a riddle. Not once had he ever received a straight forward answer to anything.
Aang turned his attention back to the path ahead. As they walked, the corridor began to change. The details slowly faded and the paintings that lined the walls seemed to lose their rich color until the walls were left pure white. Aang sensed that they were getting closer to their destination.
"How can you be sure this spirit can save Katara," Aang questioned in a concerned tone, "what if she refuses…what if I can't convince her?" Without a word, Roku turned from Aang and gazed ahead of them. Aang turned in the direction that his former self was staring. Before his eyes, a door appeared. He turned back to Roku questioningly. Roku smiled slightly.
"This spirit is the only one with the power to save her," Roku replied.
The door slowly opened. Aang squinted as he tried to adjust his vision to the bright light that emanated from behind the door. As Aang followed Roku through the door he suddenly found himself in the middle of a horrific scene. The room that they had entered was Katara's room in the healing center. In the middle of the room two of the healers hovered over a bed. Both displayed grave expressions on their faces, their foreheads were covered in perspiration as they fought bitterly to save the life of his wife. The healer's clothes were stained red with blood. The sticky red substance pooled on the hospital bed around Katara's body and filled the air with the pungent stench of iron Aang could hear the blood as it dripped to the floor forming a large scarlet puddle beneath the bed. The sound and smell were sickening and Aang had to fight the urge to vomit. He turned his eyes to his wife's lifeless body. Her face was as pale as the sheets that she laid upon, her eyes were dark and sunken in slightly and her lips were a sickly shade of blue. She held almost no resemblance to the water bender he had fallen in love with. Aang shook his head as tears began to stream down his face. His heart ached and he could feel his legs become weak and buckle beneath him. He fell to his knees beside her bed.
"How is she doing," one of the healers asked suddenly. The nurse that was monitoring Katara shook her head.
"Her breathing is shallow," the woman replied, "her heart rate is abnormal…but she is still with us." The healer nodded.
"Come on Katara," the healer said, "stay with us...that baby needs you." Aang remained beside his wife unbeknownst to the others in the room.
"I'm here," Aang whispered tearfully into her ear, "please stay strong." He turned back to Roku in desperation.
"We are running out of time," he cried, "where is the spirit that can save her?"
"She is here with us," Roku replied. Aang became increasingly agitated with Roku's answer.
"We don't have time for riddles Roku," Aang cried, "Katara is dying…we need to save her now!"
"It is not a riddle Aang," Roku replied calmly, "she is here now, with us." Roku turned and gazed toward the other side of the bed. Aang suddenly became aware of another presence in the room. He turned in the direction in which Roku was staring. He scanned the room frantically. Suddenly through all the confusion he saw her.
At the instant his eyes fell upon her the chaos that surrounded them slowed down to a crawl. The healers and nurses blurred into the background. Her lovely face was all he could see. The aura of her spirit gave off a radiant glow that in turn gave her the appearance of an angel. She stood close beside one of the healers and gazed silently at her own lifeless body. Her piercing blue eyes followed every movement of the healer's hands as the woman worked tirelessly to save her life. She took no notice of Aang or Roku and seemed completely unaware that the other two spirits even occupied the same room. Aang stared ahead in surprise and confusion. He felt frozen in place as he gazed upon the only person that mattered to him, the woman that he needed so very much, the woman he loved more than life itself.
"Katara," he whispered softly. He could feel his heart beating furiously as he stared longingly in her direction, "I don't understand Roku."
"Katara is aware of what is happening to her," Roku replied, "she knows that she is dying." Aang's heart froze in fear as Roku spoke.
"Katara is the only one with the power to save herself," Roku went on, "she just has not made the decision yet."
"What decision," Aang questioned tearfully.
"The decision to live…or to die," Roku replied unemotionally, "Katara's will to live is weakening with every passing second…you must convince her to return to her body…convince her that her life is worth saving." Aang turned to look at Roku only to find that the past avatar was no longer beside him. Aang glanced around in confusion for a moment and then turned his attention back to Katara.
"It's not too late," Roku's voice echoed through the room, "you can still save her."
Aang drifted closer to Katara's spirit until he was right beside her. He gently laid his hand upon her shoulder.
"Katara," his tearful voice startled her. She tensed up slightly and then slowly turned in his direction. She silently gazed at him with her icy blue eyes. Behind her eyes he could see the pain she still harbored.
"What are you doing here," she questioned tearfully, "I don't want you to see me like this." She glanced back at her frail body for a moment.
"Katara," he repeated, "you can't give up…you can't leave…it's not time." She shook her head as tears began to stream down her face.
"It's too late," she sobbed, "I can't go back." Aang's tears spilled from his eyes uncontrollably.
"No," he said firmly, "it's not to late…you can still chose to live…you just need to chose…please."
"Why," she replied, "why should I go back…there is nothing left to go back to."
"How can you say that," Aang sobbed, "how can you think that?" Katara just shook her head as she gazed up at him again.
"You have me," Aang replied, "you've always had me…and you always will…I need you Katara."
"I can't," she sobbed, "I don't want to hurt anymore…I'm tired." She turned her eyes back to her body, "Please…just let me go…let me rest."
"You can't do this Katara," Aang said firmly, "you can't just give up." He reached for her hand and held it tightly in his. She turned to him reluctantly but refused to look him in the eye.
"I won't let you," he sobbed as he took her face in his hands, "we can get through this together…just give me the chance to make things right…give us a chance to heal." Katara just shook her head in denial, her eyes remained on the floor.
"Please…look at me," he whispered. Reluctantly she looked up into his eyes.
"I am so sorry," his voice broke up as he spoke, "I'm sorry for everything, for leaving, for the fire, for Tenzin, for not being strong enough for you." Katara shook her head as she backed away from Aang.
"I don't expect you to forgive me," Aang replied, "and I'm not asking you to love me if you don't, but this is your life Katara…I can't watch you die...I just can't."
"You don't understand," Katara wept, "I love you Aang…I always will, but I don't know how to live anymore…I don't know how to live without Tenzin…I don't know if I want to."
"But I do understand," Aang sobbed, "Nobody understands better than me…I miss Tenzin too; he was my son too."
"Then you understand why I can't go back," Katara replied. Aang gazed at her with a hurt expression. He felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart.
"How could you be so selfish," Aang's voice was full of pain and anger, "don't you understand what you are asking of me…I don't know how to live without Tenzin either…how can you expect me to live without you too?"
"You don't have to," Katara replied tearfully, "You could come with me…we could be with Tenzin again, we could be a family again."
The shrill sounds of a child's cry suddenly pierced the air. They simultaneously looked up in the direction of the sound. The healer in the corner of the room held a baby tightly in her arms smiling with tears in her eyes.
"She is going to be okay," the woman sobbed; she quickly handed the baby to a nearby nurse.
"Clean the little one up," the healer replied, "I'm going to help with Katara." The nurse nodded and carried the squirmy child away. Katara followed the nurse to the far side of the room and watched as she placed the child on a warming table. The nurse gently wiped the baby with a warm soapy sponge. Aang stayed close behind Katara.
"It's a girl," Katara whispered emotionally.
"She's beautiful, "Aang replied as he gazed at the child. The baby looked up at the nurse with eyes as blue as Katara's. Her skin was as pale as Aang's and her peach-fuzz hair was a deep mahogany. Katara began to weep as she gazed at her newborn daughter. She smiled sadly.
"My baby," she sobbed, "my little baby girl." Aang gently placed his hand upon her shoulder. Katara reached up and placed her hand upon his. She closed her eyes and leaned her back up against him.
"She is ours," Aang whispered, "yours and mine." He sighed heavily as he held her close.
"Don't you see Katara," he whispered, "she is our miracle…she is our second chance…we are her family, she needs us both." Katara turned to Aang and gazed sorrowfully into his stormy gray eyes.
"I don't know if I can do it Aang," she sobbed, "what if I'm not strong enough…what if I can't feel anything for her…what if I can't love her the way I love Tenzin?"
"You have to be willing to try," Aang replied tearfully, "Our daughter deserves at least that…she deserves the chance to know her mother." Katara turned back to the tiny newborn once again. Her heart felt numb with fear and grief. She was drowning in uncertainty. More than anything she wanted to be reunited with her son…but the pull she felt toward Aang was strong. She loved him still as she always would but the death of her son had changed her, she was no longer the hopeful person she once had been. She didn't think she could be the wife Aang wanted her to be or the mother that their daughter needed her to be. Her heart felt as if it were being torn in two different directions.
"When Sokka came to tell me about you and the baby," Aang went on, "I wasn't sure I could do it either, I didn't know what to expect. After losing Tenzin I didn't think that there would be any room left in my heart to love another child...but then I came here and I saw you. I felt our daughter move inside you. In that moment I knew...it was possible. Most of all I knew that I had to try…not just for her, but for me and you, for our family. There is nothing in this world more important to me than us. No matter what has happened or how we've hurt each other…I will always love you." Katara broke down as she listened to Aang's words. She covered her mouth as she started to sob uncontrollably.
"I can't," she sobbed as she collapsed to her knees, "I can't let go of Tenzin…I miss him so much." Aang instantly fell to his knees beside his wife and wrapped his arms tightly around her.
"You don't have to let go of Tenzin," Aang replied tearfully, "I would never ask you to. We should always think about Tenzin…not how we lost him…but who he was. We should think about the happy little boy he was. We would have given him the world and he knew it. He knew how much we loved him Katara. Doesn't our daughter deserve to grow up that way too?" Katara laid her face upon Aang's chest as the tears continued to roll down her radiant face. Though her heart ached unbearably, she couldn't help but to feel comforted by the warmth of his tender embrace.
"I love you," Aang whispered softly in her ear.
"I love you too," Katara sobbed. Aang pulled back from her slightly. He grasped her face gently in his hands and gazed into her watery blue eyes.
"Please don't leave me like this," Aang pleaded, "I know it will be hard, but we can do this together…I promise I will be with you every step...if you just let me."
Suddenly the healer's were in a frenzy. Aang and Katara turned to the table where her body lay.
"We are losing her," one of the nurses yelled, "she isn't breathing and her pulse is fading." They watched in horror as the healer's worked frantically to save her.
"Katara," one of the healers cried in desperation, "don't you do this, don't you die on us now. You have a beautiful baby girl who is waiting to meet you, she needs you!" Aang turned to Katara with tears of desperation in his eyes.
"You are running out of time Katara," he sobbed, "please…please…I'm begging you, stay with me; don't give up. I'm nothing without you."
As Katara watched the unfolding chaos everything seemed to move in slow motion. Suddenly visions of her life began to flash before her. She saw Aang in the iceberg…the young air bender frozen in time.
"Would you go penguin sledding with me," his young voice echoed through her mind.
She saw them flying on Appa from place to place on their many adventures. She saw them practicing their water bending and fighting together against the fire nation. Her vision flashed forward to the kiss they shared in Ba-Sing-Se after the war had ended. She felt the love that she felt in the moment their lips touched. She saw the first time he told her that he loved her and the moment he asked her to marry him. She watched their secret wedding, and the later public one. She saw the birth of theirs son…and the loss. She saw herself falling apart after Tenzin's death. She saw the pain in Aang's eyes as she pushed him away. She saw the pain in his eyes as she walked away from him and left Ba-Sing-Se. Every emotion, every joy and every heart ache pervaded her heart once more. Through everything Aang was there. All at once she realized that everything came back to her and Aang. She realized that it all would mean nothing if it meant losing Aang.
"Her heart rate is too slow," the nurse screamed, "she's not going to make it."
"Please Katara," Aang cried frantically, "before it's too late…please go back." Katara continued to stare at her body.
"I love you Aang," Katara replied tearfully, "I'm so sorry, 'm sorry for everything…I'm sorry I hurt you."
"Katara," the healer nearly screamed, "don't you die." Katara turned back to Aang. She gazed sorrowfully into his tear-filled gray eyes.
"Please Katara…" he sobbed. Katara quickly leaned forward and kissed him as if it were the last kiss that the couple would ever share again. Aang wrapped his arms tightly around her, clinging to her as if she were the last hope he had left in the world.
"I love you," she whispered. Then just as suddenly as she had kissed him, she vanished from his arms. Silence fell upon the room as the healer's paused in their efforts. Aang began to weep uncontrollably.
"She is breathing," the nurse suddenly yelled, "her pulse is gaining strength!" Aang's sobs quickly became laughter. He breathed in a deep sigh of relief as he gazed at his wife in the hospital bed. Her appearance had already improved, she had color in her cheeks again and he could tell that she still had life left in her.
"That a girl Katara," one of the healers cried emotionally, "Stay strong now, you will be okay if you just stay strong." Aang knelt beside her bed and gazed lovingly in her direction with tears still poring from his eyes. He gently ran his hand over the side of her face. He then leaned over her and kissed her softly upon the forehead.
"I love you," he whispered, "I'll see you on the other side."
Aang opened his eyes to find himself back in his body, still sitting cross-legged upon the chapel floor. He smiled to himself as he wiped the tears from his eyes. He then quickly jumped up and ran as fast as he could down the hall and back toward Katara's room. He could see Sokka and Suki still standing outside the door. Both looked grief-stricken. Aang could only imagine that the nurse had just brought the couple bad news about Katara. He slowed his pace as he quietly approached them. He was breathing heavy and had beads of sweat across his brow. His heart was filled with joy and hope for the first time since he felt his unborn child kick his hand. An expression of pure love and determination was displayed upon his face. Nothing the nurses could say mattered, he knew in his heart Katara was going to be okay…she had made the choice to live.
"Hey," Aang greeted Sokka and Suki, "what did they say, how is Katara?" Sokka turned and glared at Aang. Suki squeezed his arm tightly to remind him to stay calm. Sokka was beyond angry that Aang had run from the room briefly while he had stayed behind to find out that his sister would not live through the night.
"She's dying Aang," Sokka replied through gritted teeth, "Katara is going to die." Without hesitation, Aang came up to Sokka and placed his arms around the water tribe warrior giving him a brief but comforting hug. It was totally unexpected to Sokka and he stood motionless unsure of how he should react. Aang gazed up at Sokka with tear-filled eyes and a slight smile upon his face.
"No," Aang replied, "she's going to be okay…you'll see." Suddenly the door of Katara's room creaked open and one of the nurse's stepped forward. She smiled at the trio though her face kept an expression of caution.
"Well," Sokka questioned, "what's going on?"
"She's stable," the nurse replied emotionally. Sokka nearly collapsed to the floor as he thanked the spirits above for saving his baby sister.
"She is not completely out of the woods yet," the nurse replied, "her blood loss was significant, she is in a coma because of it. Katara's condition is still very critical." Suddenly another nurse stepped forward with a small pink bundle in her arms. She walked over to Aang and smiled brightly.
"It's a little girl," the nurse said softly. Aang nodded with tears in his eyes as the woman gently placed the newborn in his arms. He smiled softly as tears of joy streamed down his face. He instinctively began to rock his daughter in his arms.
"You are so beautiful," he whispered to the child, "just like your mommy." Sokka and Suki hovered beside Aang as they gazed lovingly at the newborn.
"Oh Aang," Suki sighed, "she's just adorable…the most beautiful little girl I've ever seen…what are you going to name her?" Aang looked up to Suki with an expression of sudden confusion.
"I don't know," he shrugged, "I hadn't thought of a name, I hoped Katara would name her…I hoped she would be awake by the time the baby got here." He turned his eyes back to the little girl. Sokka stepped forward and gazed at the child lovingly.
"I know what Katara would have wanted to name her daughter," Sokka replied softly, "Kya."
"Kya," Aang repeated as he smiled up at Sokka, "it's perfect." He turned his attention back to his daughter. He smiled warmly as he cradled her in his arms, "my sweet little Kya, you will meet your mommy soon…I promise."