January 2022
Delphine looks outside and sure enough, the weather channel hadn't oversold this one. The snow was coming down more frantically if anything. Great gusts of snow, and it was coming down enough that while she could see the row of townhouses across from them, she cannot see beyond it. "Wow." She thinks she sounds like Cosima. She's certainly seen snowstorms before, but one like this - that was unusual.
"Wow… like… this is the most snow I have ever seen." Cosima comes up behind her, looking out their bedroom window.
"Yes. Well… We were told about the snowstorm." Delphine reminds her. "I am not going to campus today." She hadn't really had to, but felt she should at least try to put in a few appearances before she vanishes on maternity leave at the beginning of next month.
"Did you have to?" Cosima leans into her back. "I can think of better things to do… that will keep us much warmer." Warm hands come up to her hips, and then smooth across the surface of her belly. Her wifes leans in enough to lay a light kiss between her neck and her shoulder.
Delphine quickly catches the drift. "We haven't even had breakfast. And… I thought you wanted to photograph me? Morning light and all that?"
"We're in the middle of a snowstorm. Light's terrible right now." Cosima shrugs at her wife. "I think going back to bed sounds pretty damn good."
"Cosima… I was supposed to see the midwife today."
"Liz? In person?" Cosima stops.
"Yes. Well… it will be virtual now. And I'll… have to go in another time to get measured." Delphine admits that, her midwives wanted to see her in person. More than half of her appointments had been virtual, but physical examination was important. Enough to risk going in.
"Well you could like weigh yourself." Cosima suggests. "We have a scale in the bathroom."
"I don't want to. Cosima… I have gained more than 30 pounds during this pregnancy." Delphine shakes her head. That number is two weeks old. And truthfully, it is well in the range of expected weight gain. But seeing the number on the scale shocks her.
Cosima is quick to dismiss her. "Yeah because you're growing an entire person."
"A person who is supposed to be about 7 pounds at birth." Delphine retorts. At least she hopes the baby will be about that size. Judging by the size of her belly she doubts the child will weigh more than 8 lbs. But perhaps it is deceptive.
"Yeah… And doubled blood volume, and a placenta, and amniotic fluid and… fat stores for breastfeeding." Cosima lists off the list of where the weight is going. "It's not like you had a lot of pounds to spare going into this."
"And it's not like we live remotely as hunter-gatherers and I require to burn my fat stores to survive while nursing my newborn." Delphine turns to poke playfully at Cosima's nose.
"I know… I know…" Cosima whines at her. "But it's not a big deal."
"I feel… very big. Trop enceinte ." Delphine drops her voice as her hand caresses her belly. And it is round but still… compact. It wasn't quite as big as she thought she'd be at 35 weeks. Not that the weight or her comfort level had anything to do with it. Sleeping was becoming more difficult. Élodie's little limbs were strong and her kicks hurt, even as she settled into a position. She always felt her kicking on the same side now. Knew where her little feet settled and where her bum was.
"You're fucking gorgeous pregnant." Cosima leans in and gives her a quick kiss. "Now let's go back to bed."
"I am not in the mood." Delphine shakes her head. Sex hadn't been as much fun lately and things were getting sensitive. Though, some of it remained very enjoyable. But it would involve limiting their activities, and she's not so sure Cosima is there yet.
"Not in the mood for sex? Or… just not in the mood for deep penetration?" Cosima catches her drift, remembering last weekend and how things had gone despite Cosima's enthusiasm.
"The second one mostly. But I also really want breakfast."
"Then breakfast we shall have."
"On y va, mon amour…" Delphine reaches for a robe, and grabs her wife by the hand to lead her downstairs. She has no intentions of eating alone. And she wants Cosima close by, not two floors up.
"Where are we va-ing to?"
"Just our kitchen." Delphine's wit is as quick as ever. "You know I am not letting you out." She tries to make it playful, but she knows there's honesty to it.
"No. I'm such a hot commodity they'd steal me away… to the ICU." Cosima sighs.
"Oh Cosima…"
"No I get it… Omicron is like everywhere. So many people are getting this one… and you're… terrified of me getting it. There is some good data saying it is milder. Not that I want to tempt fate."
Delphine bites her lip and sighs. "You have... Comorbidities." That is the reality they are grappling with. Sarah recovered without issue. Alison and Helena too, though they were unable to access PCR testing. But none of them had developed respiratory symptoms anywhere close to Cosima's before treatment. Then there were seemingly healthy people coming down with long covid. None of it was good. None of it.
"Delphine, anything respiratory could potentially take me out." Cosima points out. "I know more than a dozen Ledas have died from this. But… so have a lot of other people. Many of them have comorbidities… Some were just… supremely unlucky."
"Yes." She acknowledges it with a nod even as she continues down the stairs. 16 deaths. 16 unnecessary deaths of women that should have had years left. Who she cannot even get the telomerase treatment to. Even if she could travel, she's not sure she could successfully distribute it. Not without drawing unwanted attention. And Dyad is long gone, and some contacts have faded away. The trail has gone cold, and finding everyone again. And then getting them to submit to treatment sounds near impossible.
So they suffer while she and Cosima are safe in this house, They hadn't painted as much as she planned. Only their bedroom and Élodie's room managed to get painted at all. But there is time, Delphine thinks. Other years to finish transforming this home into something truly theirs.
"Ahh more texts." Cosima pulls out her phone. "The Sestras chat is blowing up again."
"Why?" Delphine had tried to take an interest. She can at least help Sarah, Alison and Helena. Even if she cannot help them all.
"Oh… Alison is two and a half weeks sober again. It's like we're giving her positive reinforcement at every step. Donnie is dry too… until they can stabilize again." Cosima brushes it off.
"Non, that is good!" Delphine feels some relief that despite the troubles there is support. That there is something they can do.
"Between us and virtual AA … hopefully back on track. And Helena and Sarah are doing a lot… and the kids… well they were supposed to go back today."
"It shouldn't have closed this time." Delphine grumbles. "Many doctors recommended against it… and the politicians closed schools anyway."
"Yes, I know your epidemiologist friend says school closures don't work… but the public pressure to do something or… just like squeeze the life from the public education system… pretty strong. And it will reduce transmission."
"Not fast enough. You know this." Delphine groans. "We've seen this all before."
"OK. No more Covid talk until after lunch, Dr. Cormier." Cosima teases her as they arrive into the kitchen. "Now what do you want for breakfast?"
"I don't know, Dr. Niehaus." Delphine begins poking around the fridge before settling on an omelet as her best option. She delights in being able to turn the tables. She wonders if this means they'll make reservations under Dr. and Mrs. Niehaus now. Then again, pronunciation may be more of a struggle.
"I'll make it." Cosima begins cooking, whisking the eggs, adding several different vegetables from their fridge. And Delphine finds breakfast entirely satisfactory. Perfect in fact.
"It's good." Delphine mumbles out between bites.
"Good… I mean I am really more of a brunch person… but not arguing with my pregnant wife. Or really… any pregnant person."
"Liz warned me that I'll be more hungry when nursing. I am not sure how ." Delphine helps herself to another piece of omelet. Cosima had easily made enough for three people, anticipating this. She snacked frequently, drank a ton of water to stave off braxton hicks contractions, and tried her best to exercise daily. Even if it was online pilates for pregnant women. At least it was something.
"I guess we'll find out." Cosima smiles at her.
"So… how are you feeling about being… potentially… 5 or 6 weeks away from meeting our baby?"
"Well… in your last virtual appointment Rachel said a lot of first time moms go 41 or…more. So I figure we have time."
"Cosima…." Delphine begins pleadingly. The car seat box was sitting in the basement unopened. Neither of them had even read the manual yet. It was next to the highchair, and the to-be-opened stroller. All BabyJogger. All… reasonably user friendly. She hopes. She certainly liked the look of it all.
"And I will install the car seat I promise… but I am waiting for February. I talked to that tech person, and I'll install, get the check and then… I will be a seat installing expert." Cosima grins at her.
Delphine snorts a little. "Thank you." Cosima taking care of that meant a lot. As did the piles of prepped cloth diapers already upstairs. There was a new baby stash of prefolds and covers for the first few months, and then an assortment of other options that Cosima had gleefully picked out to try. It should be fine, Delphine thinks. Cosima has it in hand. Diapering was a task they'd both get used to fast.
"Hey. I can totally read a manual and follow instructions. It can't be that hard, right?" Cosima lays a comforting hand on her arm. "I will get it right, I promise. Our baby will be totally safe in the car."
"I hope so." Delphine grimaces. "We tried very hard to find an easy one."
"Yeah but it wasn't on that tech list." Cosima points out. "Unlike that monstrosity of convertible car seat you bought… what? A year early? The thing weighs like 30 pounds!"
"She said it was due to the price, that there was nothing wrong with it." Delphine dismisses Cosima's concern. "And that monstrosity was on sale. And made in Canada. And I was told we may end up moving her next fall… it's just easier not to do in the winter."
"It's hot pink." Cosima stares down her wife.
"Well… they had extra stock, and the thing is… as you said, solid as a tank." Delphine brushes it off. Why does that matter? She gets to choose sometimes.
"It is." Cosima nods. "And it will install fine behind one of us in the Venza… but why pink?"
"It was on sale. It's not because the baby is a girl." Delphine answers very quickly, not eager to get into her decision making. What was the difference in what colour it was? Maybe Élodie would love it.
"It doesn't really matter." Cosima shakes her head. "I mean… it's just a car seat."
"Exactly. So middle names." Delphine prompts her wife, even as she's cleaning up after breakfast.
"What about them?" Cosima shrugs, sitting back at their square dining table. The highchair was in box downstairs, and Delphine thinks it can stay there until Élodie is six months old.
"Are we going to talk about them? Or… are we not giving Elodie a middle name?"
"Does she really need one?" Cosima asks.
"You have a middle name. You just never use it." Delphine points out. "It is on our marriage license… Cosima A. Niehaus !"
"And yours is ' Liliane '." Cosima remembers. "So what? My middle name is just… ridiculous. My ethnobotanist parents did that to me. So does Elodie really need one?"
"After my grandmother, yes my parents did that.." Delphine objects. "We could… follow the tradition. I like the idea."
"Like… Liliane? Or… are you saying we make her middle name Brigitte after your mother?" Cosima makes a face that tells Delphine that that is not an option. Not that it is one she's been considering. Her maman would love that, Delphine would not.
"It is easily bilingual."
"What about… Océane?" Cosima throws it out. "We liked that one."
"Too many accents." Delphine shakes her head. "Having one in Élodie will be enough I think."
"So… what? We… name her after someone? We get really crazy like my parents and name her Elodie Orchid or something."
"Doesn't orchid mean testicle?" Delphine's brow furrows and she dries her hand. Reaching for her phone to confirm. "I like… Madeleine. My other grandmother's name."
"That's… a lot of religious overtones." Cosima looks at her, hands stilled for the moment.
"Mathilde? Lila? Célia?" Delphine throws out suggestions. Maybe something will stick.
"You said Océane had too many accents. Celia too then. It's a cool name though. Elodie Lila is too sing-songy. Mathilde is too…French." Cosima sighs. "I don't know I just… I want her middle name to mean something. To us. You know? And maybe… not French."
"Why not French?
"Because she already has a French name. Élodie. We… we can do something different." Her wife is quick to argue her point, and Delphine has to admit Cosima has a point. But she's not agreeing to anything too weird.
"Well… what do you suggest, mon amour?"
"I don't know yet." Cosima shrugs at her. "I just… I need it to mean something."
"Élodie means something." Delphine points out. "I am certain your middle name meant something to your parents… and look what you ended up with."
"Cosima Amaranth Niehaus." Cosima sighs, covering her eyes with one hand. "Yes. And aside from our marriage license I have never used it… I write Cosima A. Niehaus and let everyone assume it's Anne."
Delphine giggles knowing just how accurate this is. "Je le sais." She'd discovered it when they got married, and decided it hadn't mattered then. Cosima certainly hadn't wanted to discuss it.
"Yes I know you know it, now you're speaking French just to be extra adorable." Cosima rolls her eyes.
Delphine changes tacts, wondering exactly how this morning before their virtual appointment will go. "Am I adorable?"
"Delphine… you know you are." Cosima is quick to wrap her arms around her, to kiss her lips lightly. "And if you change your mind on the whole sex thing… we can just… not do penetration if it's getting uncomfortable."
"True… But we have a Skype date with your parents."
"Not until afternoon… They won't be up yet. They're hours behind us." Cosima glances at the calendar. "Your midwife appointment is at 9:30 though. Do you want to take it together in the office? We can test out the pullout couch."
"Yes. Liz told me." Delphine nods. "We can absolutely both be in the appointment."
Cosima stops, looking a little uncertain. "Are you comfortable with them? I mean, I've met Rachel and Liz only …virtually. And they seem great, but also…I don't feel like I know them."
"Well… Liz is great. But I don't know her as well. Rachel has done more appointments with me. But it's important to be comfortable with both."
"Yeah because either could show up for the birth."
Delphine nods. "Exactly."
"Are they like… concerned?"
"My belly was a little small the last time they measured me… but that was early December. It's… why they want to bring me in again."
"Maybe you just have really strong abdominal muscles? Or maybe Elodie is just on the dainty side." Cosima shrugs.
"Probably. But…. our midwives have to keep an eye on it. If I am still small I will be sent for a growth scan. And to consult with an obstetrician." She knows enough about obstetrics to know that, even if her knowledge was largely general. And she would agree with the assessment, if she's not in the normal range for a test, she needs consultation and testing.
"I am guessing I won't be allowed at that one either."
"No. I'm afraid not, mon chou."
"I don't think you're too small." Cosima tells her, a hand to the belly. "This belly keeps growing. Elodie is active, and kicks a lot… I think… I think she's probably OK. It's not like she's… listless."
"She is far from listless." Delphine agrees. "Even if she is small." Elodie often kicks, and hard, she squirms and that much seems right. Seems like she is in good health.
"Do you worry it's from….something we did?"
"Sometimes." Delphine quiets. "But it may be from my smoking."
"You haven't smoked in years ." Cosima shakes her head. "I know you haven't. Though I am sure sometimes you wanted to. You don't even use those patch things anymore."
"No… but there is some evidence that mothers who smoked as teenagers deliver… small babies." Delphine says this very slowly. That would make it her fault. Even if nothing else was wrong.
"OK. So… she might be small." Cosima takes this in stride. "But wouldn't that include people, who unlike you, are still smoking?"
"Yes."
"Then let's not panic this second. She will be OK." Cosima cups her face for a moment. "I assure you, the belly is growing. And I have documentation to prove it."
"I feel her moving." Delphine smiles.
"Yup." Cosima moves a hand down so she can feel her too. "Morning Elodie. Nice and cozy in there?" Her wife is clearly talking to the baby, which makes Delphine smile until Cosima continues. "I know how cozy it is… well kind of…"
"Cosima…"
"What? I am like… 100% sure it is extremely cozy in there." Cosima's smile spreads slowly across her face.
"Cosima…"
Cosima pastes an innocent expression on her face. "What?"
"Non." Delphine tells her simply.
"No, what?"
"No fisting. No deep penetration. No toys." Delphine lists it out. Things are too sensitive and none of that is comfortable. She doesn't even want to try right now.
"OK. So we won't do that." Cosima shrugs. "I have hands… and a mouth… We can do other things."
"I know…I just… I am really worried."
"I know. And I am right here with you." Cosima assures her. "And if there's something to worry about, then we'll… worry."
"Right."
"I know you have anxiety, Delphine. Just… be right here with me." Cosima demands, stroking her face.
And she tries, Delphine thinks. She lets Cosima take her back up to bed for an hour. Lets her wife make love to her as gently as possible. Before she returns the favour. And it brings contentment. But it doesn't take away the fear.
Delphine lays out on the examination table, shirt up and belly exposed even as she's masked. Liz's hands smooth over her belly, first palpating out Élodie's position, and then measuring her fundus twice before recording the measurement. She likes the midwifery clinic, always has. And likes Liz's calm, no-nonsense approach to it all. She looks up at her midwife, and sees just her eyes behind her face shield and medical mask. And she wonders just how strange it must be to be doing this job with… this extra separation. That she'll have never seen their faces in person.
"So everything looks good, for the most part." Liz tell her. "But you're still measuring behind. We'd expect you to be bigger right now. Now… baby may just be small. Or there could be something up like IUGR… We cannot tell from the outside."
"So I need to consult with an obstetrician?" Delphine states. She can do that. Even if it will involve being in a hospital briefly.
"We have to send you for a growth scan. Which we'll book ASAP. I can probably get you in tomorrow or Friday at the Women's. Well… I strongly recommend it." Liz tells her cautiously.
"Recommend? It sounds necessary. No mother in her right mind would refuse this."
Liz looks at her sympathetically with dark eyes. "These things happen. Some patients do refuse… but if you refuse then I have a form for you to sign that you went against medical advice."
"Non… I will take the scan."
"I wondered what it might be like having an MD as a patient, it never happens. Like never, but you're pretty cool Delphine."
"I also have a PhD… and I'm French."
"I know." Liz laughs. "Anyway… so can you pee in a cup by now? Or still… empty?"
"I can pee in a cup." Delphine laughs.
"And you're taking probiotics daily?"
"Yes." Delphine nods. "I feel good. Tired sometimes. Less… interested in sex. But… mostly I feel good. The baby is active, kicking a lot."
"So… how are you and Cosima doing with planning for a homebirth? Are you feeling, good about that decision?"
"Well… Cosima ordered a birthing pool rental. It will arrive at the beginning of February. And… assuming baby is doing well in there… that remains our plan. That is what we want."
Liz is a calming presence, and though Delphine suspects they are about the same age, she feels like Liz is somehow… older. "And if… we do find something? Do you want to talk about that?"
"I assume… we'd go to the hospital… Whenever we are told to. And that I would have to be induced." Delphine doesn't like the sound of that from what she's read. Even if it is very common.
"It's… early… Induction would be stressful… and may not work. And it can take days. So if it is IUGR… you might be looking at a c-section. But Rachel or I would be there to support. We could help you prepare. Help you latch the baby on right after. And you'd get all the postpartum care from us as planned." Liz tells her calmly.
"A c-section?" That she doesn't want. That she's said 100 times that she doesn't want.
"We'd have to see what the OB says, or they may just… monitor the baby's growth and wait… we may have time."
"And if… baby is just small?" That remains a possibility. That Élodie is just small. And that nothing else is amiss. She clings fiercely to it. Cosima certainly believes it.
"Then she's small… And we move to homebirth as planned." Liz shrugs. "We have nothing against delivering small babies at home. As long as you pass 37 weeks, we can do it."
"I will tell Cosima." Delphine nods. And whatever happens, they will handle it together.
Delphine lays on the ultrasound table, double-masked and nervous. The technician is calmly poking at her belly and measuring Élodie's head and limbs. In all honesty, she finds herself uncertain whether or not being in hospital for this testing is better or worse.
The scan proceeds and she glances up at her large, still wiggly fetus on the screen. She is viable, Delphine thinks. At 35 weeks gestation, Élodie is viable, no matter what else happens. She will survive birth, and they will get her healthy if she is not.
"Well… she is small." The tech comments, disinterested as if she does this every day. And Delphine realizes, she probably does.
"But… is she OK?" Delphine throws back, knowing full well the tech probably cannot answer her.
"She looks proportionate. But she's sitting at the 25th or 30th percentile. But the OB needs to review. After we're done, I'll send you upstairs and they'll tell you what to do next."
"To consult." Delphine nods, trying to slip into Dr. Cormier mode. Wanting this doctor to see her as an equal and not just a patient.
"Hello." Delphine greets the office administrator. "My name is Dr. Delphine Cormier, I was sent for a growth scan today and to consult with one of the OBs."
"Right. That's Dr. Patel. I will talk to him and get him to take a look. Please, have a seat." The admin is friendly enough behind her mask and Delphine takes a seat. Hopefully this can all be brief and she gets a chance to ask questions about what happens now.
The waiting room is white and covered with informational pamphlets and posters. Many featuring multiple births, breastfeeding, or information on high risk pregnancies. She skims a little, particularly interested in initiation of breastfeeding. Eventually the admin returns with a small smile.
"Delphine Cormier?"
"So when do I see the obstetrician?" Delphine feels great irony knowing the OB she's waiting to see is male working out of a women's hospital. And has just dismissed her credentials.
"You don't." The administrator, who wears a name badge that reads 'Karen', tells her. "I spoke to Dr. Patel briefly. He says since your baby looks normal but small no need to meet."
"So when do I consult?"
"You don't, you're fine. Go to your next midwife appointment. You don't need to be here."
Delphine nods, learning quickly that Dr. Patel specializes in high risk pregnancies only, and that her small but totally normal fetus is of no interest to him.
"So… do I follow up with the office? If they want another growth scan?"
"No. You're fine. You can go. Your midwife will be sent the results." Karen shrugs at her, so Delphine figures she may as well leave. Trying her best to keep her distance from other people as they do.
She drives the Venza home from the hospital. Feeling both reassured and that the entire appointment had been a waste of her time. She has no ultrasound photos to show this time. Nothing except the all clear to continue with their midwives and birth their supposedly tiny baby whenever she goes into labour.
She parks the car underground, and takes off her winter gear in the downstairs closet. Even a smallish belly makes getting out of her boots more difficult and she must sit down to unzip them. Delphine remembers Cosima laughing at her last time she saw her attempt t get her boots off
She hears voices upstairs, Cosima of course. And what sounds like her in-laws on Skype.
"Cosima?" Delphine calls as she opens the basement door. "Is it alright if I join you?
"Great, you're home!" Cosima calls from the couch and waves her over. "I'm skyping my parents… please come join me."
"Show us the belly!" Sally calls loudly enough to be heard from the laptop on the coffee table.
"How did it go?" Cosima looks at her wife, and Delphine suspects that Cosima has not told her parents what is happening. They'd been cautious what they disclosed to Gene and Sally, and still Sally had mentioned lighting a candle for them both on a daily basis. A practice akin to prayer for her mother-in-law. One that had Cosima joking about singeing risks.
Delphine does with a small smile, lifting her shirt and showing it off. "Well she's small, but she's perfect. The OB wouldn't even talk to me. His administrator said that there was nothing wrong with us and to go home."
"Seriously? No consult?" Cosima raises an eyebrow and then decides to explain. "Uhh we had a growth scan. Well Delphine did."
"What is going on, Cosima?" Gene asks kindly. Her father in law looks at them, pale and calm next to her graying dark haired mother in law. They don't look like Cosima, but Sally's smile is exactly like hers.
"Delphine's belly was measuring small so she was sent for a growth scan. Just to check. We didn't want to worry you."
Sally looks intently at them. "Cosima, by all means, worry us."
Delphine is quick to sit next to her wife, she lets her shirt fall back down over her belly. "Sally, Gene - We just had the scan today. Élodie is small… about 25th percentile. But she is active. And she is proportionate. Which… suggests she is healthy. I have a follow-up scan to recheck her in three weeks. But for now… everything continues as normal. We are still planning a homebirth. Cosima is still starting her postgrad in April. And I go off on maternity leave the first week of February." That seems like all the news that needs to be communicated.
"Good." Sally nods. "Just… Please let us know if there's anything we can do."
"I am just relieved they actually get maternity leave." Gene shakes his head. "When you were born, Cosima, your mother was expected to be back at work after six weeks! It was insane."
"It was pre-FMLA." Sally points out. "But we knew we couldn't do that to you… So we had to bring you. We delayed our research trip until you were six months though.."
"Yes mom… I know, you literally wore me to work. And I was a tiny newborn. Being breastfed during your lectures as your students gawked at you."
Delphine remembers that picture, Cosima strapped in a baby carrier to her mother on campus.
"But I shouldn't have had to… activists pushed for 14 weeks! It should be paid. Three or four months! The system is so broken. Living in Canada is far… but the leave… I am so glad Delphine will get time. A year sounds like a lot. But better than what we get here." Sally comments, and Delphine is reminded that her in-laws are basically aged hippies.
"I won't." Cosima points out. "Because I don't qualify for any leave. I wasn't technically working doing my PhD. No matter how many research hours I put in. I was a student… and while I had some income… not enough to qualify. Plus… I haven't 'worked' since…. November? Delphine could take up to 18 months actually. Which sounds almost endless."
"But you arranged to start in April." Delphine reminds her. "You arranged to have some time off when Élodie is born. We will be off together for six weeks. Maybe more depending when she comes."
"Yeah. I told them my wife is going to give birth and we agreed I could start in April." Cosima sighs. "But it will involve lab time. Which in a pandemic…"
"You'll be fine." Gene tells her brightly.
"A year sounds long." Sally comments. "But you'll soak in the baby time."
"I will." Delphine tells her in-laws. "I am looking forward to it."
"Well I am now working on… creating parthenotes. Well embryos, for pluripotent stem cell lines… Like they don't develop. But parthenogenesis is of intense interest to me now." Cosima shoots Delphine a look.
Delphine just barely stifles a laugh.
Sally laughs. "I can imagine it would."
"Are you working in lizards or birds?" Gene butts in, her father in law's accent is nearly faded. But still familiar enough to Delphine. Cosima had told her Gene had been in the US since he was a young teenager.
"Mammals. Embryos only. We're essentially forcing parthenogenesis to create the stem cell lines. It's… adjacent to cloning, but not quite. And it's interesting." Cosima tells them. "And it's strictly research right now. Though apparently in birds the way their genetics work you get male parthenotes only. It's… pretty wild."
"It is an amazing opportunity, mon amour." Delphine cannot resist fussing over Cosima's new research prospects. It is perfect, she thinks. A good use of Cosima's skills, to learn things that may help their Leda side projects, and apply the vast knowledge of cloning techniques to new science.
"We are very proud of you, Cosima." Gene tells her brightly, stopping to clean his glasses on her t-shirt briefly.
"That reminds me." Sally interrupts, a hand to her husband's arm. "We want to visit after the baby comes. Maybe for Cosima's birthday… maybe later that depends on you too. But we're fully vaccinated, we will stay in a hotel.. Or on that sofa bed in your office… whatever you like… but…"
"What Sally means to say is, we… We want to meet Elodie, when she is a young infant. As soon as possible." Gene trails off. "Cosima… you are our only child… and if I understand you and Delphine correctly, Elodie will be your only child… She means a lot to us. And so do you. It's… it's been too long."
Cosima quiets digesting this, a likely two-week long visit with her parents, while they are lovely, sounds like a lot. Whatever they might bring in with them on a plan was even more of a concern as vaccination only reduced chances of transmission. They would have to formulate a plan, perhaps one where her in-laws quarantine in a hotel for 5 days before being permitted in their home. Or something.
"We… we will absolutely arrange a visit." Delphine quickly tells her ecstatic in-laws. "We will… arrange one a week or two after Élodie is born, if restrictions allow."
Her in-laws beam at her. And the rest of the call talks about how they're feeling, Cosima's dissertation defense… all the stuff of life. They don't need to censor quite as much. But… the Ledas never break into the conversation. She assumes they'll have to train Élodie to do much the same. The secrecy, Delphine muses, will be harder and harder to maintain.
"They're going to be naked in our house…" Cosima singsongs at her after she's hung up. "You'll have to pry them off the baby so you can breastfeed… If we put that jacuzzi up on the rooftop patio they will be in it non-stop…"
"No. It will be too cold." Delphine deadpans back at her. Before smiling.
"So… feeling better about all this?" Cosima waves her hand over the belly.
"Yes… She is OK. Just small."
"Tiny but mighty." Cosima quips when Élodie kicks again. "And very strong."
"She is… she'll have to be." Delphine thinks, staring off into the distance contemplating the world they are bringing this child into.
"She will be amazing." Cosima assures her. "Just like her maman…"
Delphine finds herself smiling despite herself as Cosima kisses her cheek.
"OK. Photo time. Upstairs we go… And then I'll order us some good Thai food for dinner." Cosima slips off the couch and extends a hand to help her up.
"You didn't tell your parents about your little photography project, did you?"
"Delphine… Like… they'd be totally into that. But no. I didn't." Cosima assures her.
"I cannot believe… this is almost done. I feel… too pregant most days. But… to think we have… 4 or 5 weeks of this left and then…. Birth. It's a little unbelievable."
"Yeah… so close." Cosima breathes back. "It's… a little scary."
"It is." Delphine agrees. "But… you will be a wonderful mother."
Cosima shakes her head, looking down for the moment. "Only you and my mom think that."
"We know that. We know you." Delphine assures her wife, tugging her in to kiss once they've settled onto the landing. "And … you will be wonderful."