A/N: Whew! I was planning on the epilogue chapters being relatively short, but this one has a word count of exactly 7500 before notes and minor edits. It also happens to be the longest chapter in this fic, as well as the second-longest one that I've written ever. (In case anyone was curious, the longest is the final chapter of Ekou's Song.) So...um...enjoy! I'm planning to post the last, much shorter, chapter at the same time as the notes section.
WARNING: Minor mentions of blood.
As planned, they returned to Zaofu about a month before the baby was due, so that Opal could give birth in familiar surroundings. They would continue to stay there for several weeks after the birth, or until the baby was old enough to travel; possibly even longer depending on the weather. Due to the length of this trip, Kinalik accompanied them.
Shortly after her fourth birthday, Eska's daughter had finally asked why Mama Opal was getting so "fat." After a quick conference, the three of them had decided to keep it simple and tell her that her new brother or sister was growing in there, only providing additional information when it was asked for. However, Kinalik seemed content with this abridged explanation. She spent most of their first day back in Zaofu running around the house telling every person she could find about the baby in Opal's "tummy." They all graciously pretended that they didn't already know.
While Kinalik was thus occupied, Eska caught up with Desna, who had informed her first thing that he was now using third-person plural pronouns to reflect their non-binary gender identity.
"And how has married life been treating you?" they asked.
"Matters are satisfactory," Eska replied. "We have moved into our new residence, and I have painted my new bedroom purple. Kinalik was initially scared of the sink in one of the bathrooms for unknown reasons, but appears to be conquering this fear. Bolin continues at his job as a commentator, and is making progress in his classes. Opal has been kept occupied by her checkups and prenatal classes. I have taken on a part-time volunteer position at the Republic City Library to pass the time." This last thing had actually been Opal's idea; Eska wondered why she hadn't thought of it herself. In any case, she found the quiet rooms, the slightly dusty and papery smell that permeated the building, and her job of organizing the books to be soothing.
"You mentioned lessons with Akna at the wedding. How did those proceed?" Desna asked.
"I believe they went rather well," Eska replied. She had made a total of five trips up North, and had learned a variety of massage techniques and which pressure points alleviated which ailments. In addition, she had been taught some water-sensing techniques. By focusing on which of the contents of Opal's womb were not liquid, she was able to work backward and evaluate the unborn child in that way. Naturally, the healing waterbenders employed by Republic City Hospital's obstetrics unit had the proper licenses and were much better at it than she was, so it was mainly for fun when she did it. However, she was fairly confident that she had figured out the baby's sex, although Bolin and Opal begged her not to tell them since they wanted it to be a surprise.
"I have been working on improving my photography skills," Desna was saying. "My current project is to photograph all of Huan's art pieces in case something ever happens to the physical objects, and then catalog the pictures. We have also been attending his group therapy sessions together, which I feel are efficacious."
"And Huan has been reciprocating your efforts?" Eska pressed. If it was all give and no take, it wouldn't be a healthy relationship. She knew this from personal experience.
Desna paused before they replied, "He has. He recently got his first paying job at a museum; I believe that it is similar to what you do at the library. We have a goal of purchasing a house ourselves, once we have accumulated some savings."
"I meant no offense," Eska assured them. "I admit that sometimes I wonder if I am doing enough for Opal and Bolin. What if…what if I lose my temper with their baby, as I did with Kinalik?" It was among her darkest fears; one that she only felt comfortable discussing with Desna. "I continuously imagine myself getting an uncontrollable urge to drop the baby, or shake it."
"Those sound like what are called intrusive thoughts," Desna said. "We have discussed them at Huan's group. Many people have them; it does not mean that one is destined to act on them. In any case, I believe that the circumstances are different on this occasion. Your physical illness may well have contributed to your mental one at the time of Kinalik's infancy. What is more, you survived it and were ultimately able to successfully raise a child. I am certain that they will find your expertise comforting, whether you did, or do, everything perfectly or not."
They always seemed to know exactly what to say to calm her.
"I hope so," she answered. The anxiety was still there, so she decided to distract herself. "May I hear more information about your photography?"
Eska and her sibling ended up talking well into the evening, pausing only for dinner.
Winters in Zaofu could be brutal due to its location in a mountain valley. There was already a light covering of snow on the ground when they arrived, despite it being a month before the solstice. Over the next few weeks, two additional snowfalls occurred, each dropping several inches. Suyin had told them that later in the winter, blizzards depositing five feet or more in twenty-four hours were not unheard of in this area.
Although others might be unhappy about the cold and snow, Eska and Kinalik loved it. Kinalik in particular was enthralled; in the Northern Water Tribe, the air was always too dry to produce much accumulation. The two of them, plus Bolin, happily spent the days sledding and creating assorted figurines out of the snow. Opal joined them when she could. Unfortunately, she was at the stage of her pregnancy where even the act of existing seemed frustratingly difficult at times, and her excursions outside were limited. She was every bit as large as Eska had been; maybe even more so.
"Big babies run in the family," Suyin had said during dinner the day they arrived. "None of you first three were under nine pounds."
"It feels more like fifty," Opal grumbled as she stabbed at an errant water chestnut.
"Prince Kazuo of the Fire Nation weighed nine pounds and fourteen ounces," Eska offered. No one said anything in reply. Perhaps this comment was not as relevant as she thought it had been.
To raise her daughter's spirits, Suyin threw a surprise baby shower about two weeks after their arrival. This event was strictly women-only, no matter how much Bolin pleaded. Eska had only been informed about it the night before; thankfully, she had already spent the past few months hemming as many diapers as she could. Although she had originally been planning to present them to Opal after the birth, she decided that this would do as well.
This "baby shower" was supposed to be a harmless presentation of gifts, but it appeared to Eska to in fact be a contest of sorts. A large group of Suyin and Opal's female friends, outwardly genial but scheming and calculating on the inside, sat around nibbling on cakes and attempting to outdo each other with their presents. The winner was the woman whose present caused the crowd to emit the most and loudest eardrum-perforating squeals about how cute the item was. This winner got no prize except bragging rights. But like a good wife, Eska sat next to Opal the entire time and did not complain once. She saved her commentary for later, as she was doing Opal's nightly massage.
"I guess it kind of was like a contest," Opal said while giggling at the idea. "You have to admit, though, those outfits were cute. Can you move a bit lower? I have a really sore spot right…there. Ohh, that feels better. Thank you."
"Cute, perhaps, but often highly impractical," Eska pointed out as she moved her hands to the bowl of water to re-wet them. "The outfit that garnered the loudest squeals, with the exorbitant amounts of embroidery? That is not likely to feel pleasant on a newborn's sensitive skin."
"Well…"–Opal paused and sighed; Eska wondered if she'd gone too far with her snide remarks–"We don't have to use them all regularly. Maybe we could just put them on the baby for a few minutes, so we can take a photo to include in our thank-you notes."
"Did you enjoy the event itself?" Eska inquired. She didn't mind if they had differing opinions; her main concern was making sure that the surprise had been a welcome one, and that Opal hadn't done something she didn't really want to do simply to appease her mother.
"For the most part, yes. It distracted me from thinking about how uncomfortable I am for almost the whole afternoon. And I think I'm the only mom in the world who can put her baby in diapers that were hemmed by a princess."
"You do not care that the stitchwork is irregular?" Eska inquired as she moved on to Opal's feet.
"Of course not! And in any case, no one's going to be looking at the stitchwork."
"Mother would," Eska mumbled. However, she did not want to dwell on that train of thought. Instead, she commented, "I believe that you are also the only woman in the world who is getting her feet rubbed by a princess. Do not expect me to lick them."
Before Opal could reply, a knock came on the door.
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Bolin asked.
"You aren't. Come on in," Opal replied.
He did as she asked and took a running leap onto the other side of the bed. The remainder of Eska's healing water sloshed out of the bowl onto the blankets. Judging how Opal made a little yelp and dashed off to the bathroom, something similar must have occurred with the contents of her compressed bladder. Eska felt herself frowning a bit as she looked over at Bolin, but it was of little importance; she had been nearly finished anyway.
"So how did the party go?" Bolin inquired in a rush. "I want details. All the details."
"There is not much to tell. We had cakes and buns and tea. Many gifts were opened. There was much vocalization of high-pitched noises during the opening of said gifts." Perhaps Bolin should have gone along instead of her. It was highly unlikely that any of those women would have been able to best him in the area of high-pitched noise making.
"Yeah, I think I heard some of those once when I was passing by. Ki and I were trying to make a snow tower. We actually got it up to almost my chin before it fell over. She got pretty tired out, so Suyin and I put her to bed early. Pabu's sleeping with her."
The toilet flushed, the sink ran briefly, and Opal opened the door and walked back into the bedroom.
"Feeling better?" Bolin asked.
"For the moment, at least," Opal said. She sat heavily on the bed with a sigh. "I wish that someone would invent a bed that has a toilet built into it."
Bolin continued to stare at her.
"What? Is it that weird of an idea?"
"No no no. It's not that. It's just…you look so sexy right now."
Opal gave a surprised laugh. "Either you have a very odd definition of 'sexy,' or you need to get your eyes checked."
"No, really," Bolin insisted as he scooted across the bed to kneel behind her. "Why would you think that? You have my baby in there." He reached an arm around and rubbed Opal's stomach. "Anyone who doesn't think that's the hottest thing ever needs to get their eyes checked."
He began kissing Opal's neck, and she closed her eyes and leaned into it. Eska strongly suspected that they desired some time alone together, especially after Bolin had been left out of the festivities today. She turned and left them to it, and this time felt no shame when she pleasured herself after returning to her own room.
"Eska?"
"Hng."
"Are you awake?"
"I am now." Eska sat up and turned on the bedside lamp. "What is it?"
"I think I'm feeling contractions."
Over the last several days, Opal had taken to sleeping with Eska instead of with Bolin as she normally did. This was partly because Eska took up less room on the bed, but mostly in case of a scenario like this one. No one thought that Bolin would be of much help here, least of all Bolin himself.
Eska squinted at the clock. It was slightly past 5 AM. She turned to face Opal now that her eyes had adjusted to the light, and inquired, "How many?"
"Three."
"And how far apart?"
"About twenty minutes."
They had already had one false alarm; four days ago, Opal had felt some pains during dinner, but they had gotten weaker instead of stronger over time, and had ended entirely several hours later. It was best to take things cautiously.
"We will lie here and time them," Eska decided. And so they did. About fifteen minutes later, Opal made a little gasp.
"I'm having another one," she said. She seemed oddly subdued for someone who had so highly anticipated this, and admitted to being "a little nervous" once the contraction had let up and Eska had asked about it.
"You have broader hips than I do, and I survived the ordeal," Eska pointed out. "Therefore, it is highly unlikely that you will die horribly in a pool of your own blood." She patted Opal's hand.
"Uh…thanks," Opal replied. Yet she remained mostly quiet except to note the onset of another pain.
Was she worried about being unprepared? She need not be. A cradle, changing table, and rocking chair had been moved into Opal and Bolin's room, and they had fully furnished the baby's room in Republic City before they left. Opal had attended all of her birthing classes, and Eska, Bolin, or both had accompanied her every time. They even had names picked out: San, after Bolin's deceased father, for a boy, and Suyin for a girl.
Or was it her age that was concerning her? It was true that she had been one of the youngest women in her classes, but she still had five and a half years on Eska when she'd had Kinalik. Whatever the case, she opted not to pry.
By mid-morning, when most of the household was awake, it was seeming more and more like the real thing. Although the contractions were still relatively weak, they had started getting closer together; they were now consistently ten minutes apart.
"Would you like me to inform Bolin now?" Eska asked. Opal, still out of breath, nodded. Eska left the room, located Bolin at the breakfast table, and whispered the news into his ear. He shot out of his chair before she was even done talking.
"How long has it been? You know, since it started?" he asked as they hurried back to the bedroom.
"I believe that it has been approximately four and a half hours," Eska replied.
"Oh. Is that a lot?"
"She is still in the early stages. My labor took fourteen hours."
They opened the door only to find Opal dragging a suitcase out of the closet. She had also made the bed in the short time that Eska had been gone.
"Whoa, let me help with that!" Bolin exclaimed as he grabbed the other end of the suitcase. Opal seemed like she was about to object, but had to quickly sit down on the bed as a contraction overtook her.
"You will not require an entire suitcase," Eska reminded her. "Your stay at this 'birthing center' will only encompass a day or two." Although she had never heard of such a place until recent weeks, Suyin swore by it, and told them that it was more like a luxury hotel than anything else.
Opal admitted, "You're probably right. I just…wanted to make sure that there was enough room for everything."
Her hands were shaking slightly, and they each grabbed one.
"Hey now, what's going on?" Bolin asked. At Eska's askance look, he added, "Besides the obvious?"
"What if we rushed into this too soon? I've been looking forward to this day for so long, but now that it's here, I'm not sure how to feel…" She broke off and looked as if she were about to cry.
Eska was still thinking of what to say when there was a knock on the door.
"May I come in?" Suyin asked. It took every single ounce of Eska's restraint to not roll her eyes. She had to think in terms of what was best for Opal right now, and could not let her annoyance for this intrusion show.
Suyin let herself on in without being invited. She was carrying a bowl with steam rising from it, which she hurriedly set down on the night table as she saw Opal's facial expression.
"Talk to me, honey," she murmured as she knelt at the foot of the bed. Opal began to cry in earnest.
"W-what if I don't know what I'm doing?" she sobbed. Suyin silently directed Bolin and Eska to move to give her room, and sat down next to her daughter.
"I think every first-time mom has these fears," she said. "I certainly did. I was only about a year older than you when I had Junior. And he was an accident; your father and I had only been dating for a few months. We opted to continue the pregnancy after a lot of discussion, but when I was in labor I wondered if I'd made the right choice. As it turns out, everything ended up fine. Well, for the most part. Nobody's expecting you to be perfect."
"I was impregnated at sixteen," Eska added. "What is more, I was not even aware of that fact for nearly the entire first half of the duration. If anyone was ever unprepared, it was me. Nevertheless, Kinalik is alive and well." She echoed what Desna had said, and knew that she had to act as though she hadn't had her own worries about this subject recently.
"I never know what I'm doing in general," Bolin said. "Does that count?" This caused Opal to give a little watery laugh.
Suyin encircled her arms around Opal and said, "There, see? You're not in this alone."
"'Kay," Opal mumbled. She spent the next several minutes leaning on Suyin's shoulder and getting the crying out of her system. Eska felt somewhat like an intruder into their moment together, but she didn't want to upset Opal further by leaving the room either. It appeared from how Bolin kept darting nervous glances around the room that he was having a similar struggle.
Once Opal had calmed down, Suyin handed her a handkerchief and the bowl she'd brought in, and said, "I'm going to give An a call. You two make sure that she eats all that congee by the time I get back." She bustled purposefully out the door.
"Mom knows that I hate this stuff," Opal sighed as she poked at it with her spoon. With great effort, she managed to choke it all down with perfect timing; she swallowed the last bite as they heard Suyin's footsteps coming down the hall.
"An says to come in when the contractions are five minutes apart," she informed them. "In the meantime, Opal, you should keep moving as much as possible."
Eska remembered the interminable walking well. She and Bolin took turns escorting Opal around the house, since it was too cold to stay outside for extended periods of time. Someone must have told Kinalik that the baby was coming; she eagerly followed their every move until Eska clarified that it was not coming right now.
Shortly before lunchtime, the five-minute interval was achieved, and the family gathered in the living room to see them off.
"Good luck and all that. I have to go to work now," Huan said. He exchanged a kiss with Desna before slouching out the door.
"Can I come too?" Kinalik asked.
Eska shook her head. "You must remain here."
Her daughter stomped her foot and shouted, "But I wanna see!"
Poor thing. Everyone had been so excited about the pending arrival for so long, it was no wonder that she wanted to witness it. And Eska still had problems being firm with her at times. To her immense relief, Baatar Junior intervened.
"How about we go draw some pictures to welcome the new baby home?" he offered. Kinalik remained less-than-thrilled, but allowed herself to be led off. Eska shot a look of gratitude at the man who had been her boyfriend for such an infinitesimal amount of time. Since Eska's last visit, Baatar's legal restrictions had been relaxed. Now, he could go outside unattended as long as it was within city limits. His mental status appeared to have improved along with that, although he still isolated in his room too often for Opal's liking.
At this moment, however, it was time to focus on Opal. As they stepped outside and headed over to the monorail, Eska draped her own fur-lined coat over her wife's shoulders to protect her from the cold. She could do well enough without it.
An was a wiry woman in her late fifties, who impressed Eska by not missing a beat as she shook her hand. As part of the perks of being the daughter of the city's founder, Opal would be accompanied by this woman throughout her entire labor and delivery unless one of the other women currently in travail had an emergency.
Eska was pleased to note that their spacious room included a large tub, which was capable of holding multiple people and deep enough to submerge one up to the chest. She knew that this would be helpful for her massages; An had been happy to learn that Eska knew healing techniques. There was also a bed, of course, which could be adjusted by metalbending, a table with a radio and a pile of magazines to pass the time, and chairs and a couch. Several pieces of equipment were present to facilitate various laboring positions. Eska found herself wishing that she could have had this room for Kinalik's birth.
The first several hours passed smoothly. An confirmed that Opal was in active labor, and said that if things continued to proceed in this manner, the baby would be born by suppertime. They discussed the birth plan; Opal wanted things to be as natural and intervention-free as possible. Being an airbender, she had no problems with the breathing exercises and meditation. The walking continued, and sometimes they would pass one of the other expectant couples in the hallway, who all wished them good luck. Opal had particular fun bouncing on a large inflatable "birthing ball" to encourage the descent of the baby's head, and didn't seem to care that she looked supremely undignified while doing so. Every hour or so, she and Eska went to the tub for a massage session.
But suppertime came and went, and there was still no baby. Everyone tried to remain calm and talk in soothing tones, yet the concern in the room was growing palpable. As the night wore on, Opal began to vomit from the pain, and became slightly disoriented at times. None of her usual pain relief strategies were helping for long anymore. Despite this, she continued to stubbornly decline any pharmaceutical help.
"People won't think badly of you if you need a little something to take off the edge, if that's what you're worried about," Suyin said.
"No drugs," insisted Opal. And that was that.
Eska was unsure what she could say that would be of any comfort, since her own labor had been over at this amount of elapsed time. Bolin obviously felt out of place in this situation, and stood around wringing his hands.
"How about going on the bouncy ball again?" he asked at one point in an attempt to be helpful. "You liked that, right?
Opal currently had her face buried in a pillow, and did not acknowledge him.
"Opie?"
"Would you like to know exactly where I want to stick that ball right now?" Opal growled at him as she briefly lifted her head up.
"Uh…no, not really."
Finally, at midnight, An took action.
"I think you've been stalled for long enough," she said briskly. "I would like to go ahead and break your water manually if it's all right with you. This will likely give you stronger contractions, and will hopefully provide that little extra boost that you need. However, there are increased risks for infection and cord prolapse, so if you don't have any progress after a couple more hours, I'm going to transfer you to the hospital."
"Noooooooo," Opal moaned. Then, to Suyin, "What should I do?"
"That's something you have to decide for yourself," Suyin replied.
"Okay. Okay." Opal squeezed her eyes shut and thought for a couple of minutes. Then she said, "I want to do it."
"Are you sure?" An asked.
"Yeah."
Eska and Bolin helped Opal over to the tub, where the procedure was performed. An pronounced the resulting fluid to be "nice and clear."
"What time is it?" Opal asked.
"It is 12:03," Eska told her.
"Oh." Then, a few minutes later, "What time is it now?"
Eska reported, "It is 12:07."
"Ugh. I thought that at least half an hour had gone by. It feels like…" The rest of her sentence was cut off by a contraction. When it passed, she said, "Someone get me the bucket. I think I'm going to throw up again."
She did, in fact, vomit, although hardly anything was left in her stomach to eject.
"Bolin?" she said as An carried the bucket away.
"Yeah?"
"I'm going to kill you."
Eska remarked, "An understandable sentiment." She recalled feeling much the same way.
"Maybe I should just…leave," Bolin said as he turned towards the door. However, his escape attempt was thwarted by Eska reaching out and grasping his shirt collar between two fingers.
"You are not permitted to vacate the premises no matter how many times she threatens to cause your demise," she informed him sternly.
The promised intense contractions started shortly thereafter. Unlike Eska at Kinalik's birth, Opal was free to shout as loudly and often as she wanted. And since she was an airbender, it was indeed very loud. Bolin looked as if he would burst into tears at the slightest provocation, and even Eska was closer to tears than she would have liked to admit. However, she remained outwardly stoic; she had to be strong enough for all three of them.
Both Bolin and Eska eventually stripped down to their undergarments and joined Opal in the tub to hold her, while Suyin whispered encouragements into her ear. As agonizing as this process was for everyone involved, it did the trick. About an hour and a half later, Opal called out that she needed to push, and An confirmed that it was time.
They relocated to the bed for the delivery at Opal's request. As Eska bent the water off herself and Bolin and they redressed, An prepared the bed. With a flick of her fingers, the top portion stood up at an angle, and the bottom part dropped downward and extended slightly. Thus, it was converted into something like a very wide reclining chair with a footrest. She also covered the surface with several layers of absorbable pads, to keep the various bodily substances resulting from the delivery process from contaminating the bedclothes. A smart move; Eska had not thought to do this, and as a result her favorite sheets had been ruined.
Opal settled herself on the bed/chair, which was wide enough for Eska and Bolin to sit on either side of her and each hold one of her hands. Suyin situated herself in a chair at the bedside.
An hour passed, and Opal's face was becoming quite red from the effort. Eska herself had pushed for exactly twenty-eight minutes; she knew this because staring at the clock had given her something to focus on. She wondered if an hour was unusually long, or if twenty-eight minutes was unusually short. Regardless, it was only a few minutes more until An announced that the head was crowning.
"OWWW!" Opal screamed. She was squeezing Eska's hand with all her strength.
"Don't push!" An urged. "Breathe through it, like you're so good at doing. Think about finally holding your baby."
"This is the worst part," Eska informed her wife. Unlike Bolin, who had his hand over his eyes and was cautiously peeping through the gaps between his fingers, her gaze was unflinching.
"She's right," Suyin said. "But it'll all be over soon."
"Except for the heavy bleeding for a week," Eska added. "And the inability to move your bowels. And the…"
"Eska. That's enough," Suyin interrupted.
Eska grumbled, "No one told me of such things," but decided not to press the issue. She was too fascinated by this process to argue. Enduring it herself had been one thing; seeing it happen to someone else was an entirely different experience. At any rate, both had the same result: a healthy baby.
"All right, shoulders are out. Just one more push and…here we are! It's a boy!" An exclaimed as she held the large, blood and vernix-smeared infant aloft. "My word, does he ever have powerful lungs!"
Eska noted with some satisfaction that she had been correct in determining the sex. She slipped her hand out of Opal's, and shook it to dispel the soreness. Within seconds, the bed had been readjusted so that it only had a slight incline, and the baby was passed to an exhausted yet beaming Opal.
"Hello, San!" she said; her voice, hoarse from her own yelling, was barely audible over San's vociferous protests. Then she turned to Bolin and added, "I'm sorry I said that stuff to you."
"It's okay," he replied. His eyes were glistening with as of yet unshed tears. "I think that if I were you, I would've wanted to kill me too." He covered Opal's face with kisses and stroked his son's hand. The impending tears were shed once the baby closed his own fingers around Bolin's. He wiped away the tears with his free hand and croaked out, "He's beautiful."
"You did wonderful, sweetie," Suyin. "We're all so, so proud of you! Look at those chubby cheeks! I told you he was going to be big." She took a camera out of her bag and started snapping pictures, being careful to only do close-up shots since Opal was wearing her bindings and nothing else.
Seeing all these people happy together made the feeling of being an interloper return. Eska's strength crumbled as an image of her mother screaming at her flashed through her head. She hurriedly stepped out of the room to attempt to recollect herself, and walked a short distance down the hall.
No one immediately came after her; she wondered if they'd even realized that she was gone. So she just stood there, taking deep breaths to attempt to dispel the intrusive thoughts. After a few minutes, she heard a shocked cry from Bolin…Eska guessed it was a reaction to the afterbirth. A minute or two later, Opal emitted a much quieter yelp. Then, there was no sound louder than the indistinguishable murmuring of voices. She sank down onto the floor and looked down at her knees. Finally, she heard the door crack open, and looked up to see Bolin peeping out at her.
"Hey," he said softly, "What's up?"
"I thought that you were not aware of my absence," Eska replied as she arose.
"We were. Opal said that you might be getting overloaded from all the people talking, and told me to give you some alone time. We want you to be happy, too." He shut the door behind him and walked over to her.
"Please do not misinterpret my actions. I am happy. It is simply that…on the occasion of my own parturition, my mother was decidedly not."
"What's par…oh. You mean when you had Ki?"
"Yes."
"That stinks. Can I hug you?"
"As long as your arms are not paralyzed, you can. If you are asking permission, you may." She knew this was pedantic, but Bolin didn't seem to mind. He enfolded her in his arms, and Eska buried her face into his shirt. It was one of the rare times when she welcomed such an embrace.
"I wish so much that I could've been there," he said. "But when you have another baby, we're going to totally spoil you."
"You seem extremely convinced that I will have subsequent children," Eska pointed out.
"Well…I mean…if you want to. So what do you think? You feel ready to come back with us yet?"
"Yes."
They walked back to the room hand in hand.
A cozy scene greeted them on their return. Opal had changed into the extra-comfortable nightgown and bathrobe purchased solely for the occasion. She was propped up on several pillows, and a blanket had been placed around her shoulders to ward off postpartum chills. San, who had been cleaned and swaddled, had already latched on to a breast, and was sucking away contentedly. Suyin and An left the room shortly after this, saying that they were going to get something for Opal to eat.
Opal looked up at Eska and smiled at her. Eska bent down, planted a kiss on her forehead, and asked, "Are events proceeding according to your liking?"
"Yeah, things are going great," Opal told her. "Except…I had some tearing and An had to give me a couple stitches. But I got over it."
"I was planning to warn you about that," Eska said. "Unfortunately, I was interrupted."
"That's okay. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be."
Bolin abruptly chimed in with, "You know what? Now that everything's settled down, I think I'm going to go call Mako and tell him the news."
"It's three in the morning. He's probably asleep," Opal reminded him.
"Don't care! Calling him anyway!" Bolin sang out as he bounded out into the hallway.
By now, San had finished feeding. Opal tucked her breast away and asked, "You want to hold him?" Eska nodded, and the little bundle was transferred to her. She was surprised at how heavy this baby was, especially compared to how Kinalik had been.
"His bodily mass is substantial," she commented. "Did they weigh him yet?"
"Yep. Nine pounds and two ounces." Not quite as big as Prince Kazuo, then.
San looked up at Eska with the unfocused gaze of a newborn. He had kind of a generic baby face, so it was impossible to determine which parent he resembled most. However, his eyes did have a yellowish tint to them like his mother's. Unlike the mop of hair with which Kinalik had been born, he only had a dusting of fuzz on the top of his head.
"An acceptable specimen," Eska declared.
"It helped, how calm you were that whole time," Opal said quietly. "I wasn't sure whether you knew that. It must have taken a lot of effort, so I'm not surprised you had to leave for a bit. Thank you."
"You are welcome."
Bolin re-entered the room as suddenly as he'd left, causing San to fuss. Eska started rocking the baby in her arms and clicking her tongue to soothe him, while both women shot Bolin irritated looks.
"Whoops," he whispered. "Anyway, Mako says congratulations. Su and An are right behind me with food."
Sure enough, the two older women entered the room within seconds. An went over to check Opal's vital signs, and Suyin piled several takeout containers on the radio table. She approached Opal with another steaming bowl once An gave the all-clear; her daughter eyed it skeptically.
"It's not congee this time, I promise!" Suyin told her. "It's soup, made here specifically for eating after giving birth. See, it has tofu, chicken, fish balls, and even a poached egg on top. We need to make sure that you get plenty of protein."
They all ate, taking turns holding San so that everyone would get their fair share of both baby time and food. Then they spent the next several hours dozing off and on. In the morning, Opal and San were examined again and given a clean bill of health, which meant that they were discharged home about twenty-four hours after they had arrived.
Kinalik had been productive while they had been gone; the walls of the foyer and living room were liberally decorated with her artwork. Once Eska's daughter had been informed that her new half-brother had entered the house, she came running into the living room at full-speed to see.
"This is San. Ssh! We have to be quiet around him," Bolin cautioned. He omitted his own difficulty in adhering to this rule.
"Like in the library?" Kinalik asked.
"Exactly," Eska confirmed.
They got her settled in a chair and allowed her to hold San, urging her all the while to be gentle. Suyin took more pictures. Kinalik appeared overall satisfied, although she opined that San looked like a "red frog." Well, she wasn't wrong.
Then, as the male members of the family took turns holding the baby and posing for photos, Kinalik sat on the sofa next to Opal and patted the airbender's still somewhat swollen stomach.
"Can I see?" she inquired.
"May," Eska corrected.
"May I?"
"You may," Opal said. She lifted up her tunic, which was a special shorter version made for ease of breastfeeding.
"Wow. It's all wrinkly," Kinalik said. For some reason, she seemed particularly concerned about Opal's belly button, running her finger around it while frowning. With their sleep-deprived brains, none of them could figure out why she was doing this until Suyin saw and said, "San didn't come out from there, Ki."
"But Taro from school said so!" Kinalik protested.
Suyin quirked an eyebrow and answered, "I think that Taro from school was pulling your leg. Now come on. I think we need to have a little talk in private. After that, we can taste-test some of Chef's new dumpling recipes that he's trying out for the Winter Solstice party."
Kinalik took Suyin's hand and bounded off; Eska hoped that her mother-in-law would have the sense to not get too graphic in the details. As she turned her attention back to Opal, she saw the airbender staring wistfully at the front door, as if she had been expecting someone who had never shown up.
Suyin's annual Winter Solstice parties turned out to be the event of the year in Zaofu; virtually everybody in the city was invited. The turnout was even higher than usual this year because of the lure of getting a glimpse of the now four-day-old San. And with such a large crowd, there naturally had to be sufficient food for everyone. Great platters of dumplings stood on every available table; Eska believed that Suyin has said that there were eight different fillings. Of course, there were also huge bowls of tangyuan: savory and sweet, filled and unfilled, boiled and fried. Smaller bowls of mixed nuts stood wherever there was room for them. Kinalik, dressed in her winter best and also popular with the crowd, had to be reminded that one is not allowed to put disliked food back on the platter if one has already taken a bite out of it.
Opal held the guest of honor tightly against her body, as if afraid that one of his admirers might take it in their mind to abduct him. She had to endure another round of repetitive questions, some of which were extremely personal. After watching Opal's smile get more and more forced, Eska decided to take action.
"Did you deliver naturally?" one elderly woman asked
"No. It was very unnatural," Eska responded. "There were dark spirits everywhere."
Bolin snorted. The old lady could only manage a faint, "I see…" before backing away quickly.
A couple of minutes later, another woman asked, "Is he sleeping through the night yet?"
"He is. In fact, he never wakes up. Ever," Eska said, despite San's eyes clearly being open.
This time, it was Opal's turn to snort. Bolin hid his mouth behind his arm in an attempt to suppress his mirth.
A few minutes after that, a man inquired, "Shouldn't he be wearing a blanket?"
Eska sighed dramatically. "Every time we put a blanket on him, he devours it. We have already lost ten perfectly good blankets in this manner. He is too powerful."
Bolin couldn't take it anymore. He dashed out of the room into the hallway, and his howls of laughter were audible. After this, most people stopped asking them questions. San was getting grumpy anyway, so Opal left to feed him and get some rest herself, while Eska sought out Desna. They had not yet had the occasion to fully discuss Eska's experience with San's birth.
By the time they ventured back into the living room, it was well past dark, the guests has somehow been persuaded to leave, Kinalik had retired to her room, and the family was sitting around nibbling on leftovers.
"I honestly don't know whether to thank you or banish you from this city forever," Suyin told Eska.
"Give her an award for services to the community," Huan suggested. "Now if Desna and I ever adopt, we'll know exactly what to say."
Bolin was still highly amused by Eska's previous antics. He muttered, "He's too powerful..." and laughed quietly to himself.
Someone knocked loudly on the front door, and Eska barely managed to keep from biting her own tongue.
"Now who could that…be…" Suyin said; she appeared to have realized the answer to her question mid-sentence. She ran over to the door and flung it open.
"It's about time that one of you gave me a great-grandchild," their visitor grumbled as she stepped inside the room. Opal's face lit up.
"Grandma! You're here!" she exclaimed. "I didn't think you were coming!"
"Yes, well, I haven't figured out instantaneous travel yet," the old woman said. "Especially not in this weather. It's murder on my joints. Now I remember why I left Zaofu in the first place!"
So this was the famous Toph Beifong. Eska rose from her seat to get a better look. Toph was shorter than Eska had imagined.
After Toph had exchanged greetings–such as they were–with the rest of the family, she turned to Opal.
"Well? Aren't you going to let me hold him?" she demanded. "I can't see him properly when he's in your arms like that."
See? Oh, right, she must be referring to her seismic sense.
Opal handed San over. Despite Toph's gruff manner, she held the baby tenderly as she stroked his face with a bony finger.
"Not bad," she proclaimed. "At least that blockhead man of yours is good for something. And you…"–she turned to approximately face Eska–"You must be the third."
"I am their wife," Eska informed her.
"Yes. Of course. Kids these days. You certainly took long enough to get on with it; it made for some frustrating vine-watching. I suppose it's to be expected. Attraction to Water Tribespeople is a family trait."
"Hm?" Opal asked.
"Nothing. Just thinking aloud." And then, to Eska again, "Your cousin, on the other hand, was a pain in my butt."
Eska drew herself to her full height, which, although not especially impressive, was still taller than Toph. "I am nothing like my cousin. I am Eska, princess and former co-chieftain of the Northern Water Tribe, and I am not scared of you."
There was a pause. Then Toph laughed.
"I like her," she said. As she gave San back to Opal, she added, "Mellow baby, him. I remember the first time I held you, Opal. No sooner did your mom put you into my arms than you soiled your diaper and screamed about it. Still, that's better than Huan. He threw up all over me."
This entire time, the other family members had been sitting there like statues. But Suyin finally sprang into action.
"We're delighted to have you, Mom! How long will you be staying?"
"Just for the night. I don't want to importune."
"Well…all right then!" Clearly, this discussion had been held often enough that Suyin knew it was futile to attempt to change her mother's mind. "Do you want something to eat? We have dumplings; there's chicken with ginger, woolly pig with cumin, shrimp with green onion…"
"I'll have the shrimp," Toph interjected. "Meat gives me indigestion."
They passed a surprisingly pleasant evening. Opal nodded off on Eska's shoulder, and soon Eska began to feel her own eyelids getting heavy. Her state of affairs at the moment was quite tolerable.