Author's Note: What was that about things being convoluted again? *sigh* Well, enjoy the story for what it's worth.
Darkness in the Twilight
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
By Psycho Ferret and LunarCrystal
The New Arrival
Allen was thrilled. He could once more take up his swordplay as his career. Invigorated, he worked more and more with Chris to flesh out his easiness with instructing and when that week came when he'd begin, he could hardly sleep the night before. He paced, sat at the window, ran his fingers over the bumps of Braille in the book he was reading. That time when he'd met with Sarah that week, he was all too eager, too excited and he'd ended up spilling it to her. Ah, yes, his swordplay. He could go on for hours about it if someone wanted to listen. His spirits brightened immensely and when Celena would get worried about the child or such things, he'd laugh it off and tell her not to worry.
He was a good teacher. His students had been apprehensive at first, having a blind teacher training them for the tournaments for winter time. The first thing he told them was that he knew it put them off a bit, and he had forced them to focus and worry about their own selves if they were going to compete and win in the tournament. And even if they didn't win, what mattered is what they learned.
Meanwhile, Celena's stomach grew, and she couldn't help but feel oddly full or bloated at times with a severe pouch of human growing on her abdomen. It got to the point where she could no longer hide it, and beyond - she had to stop wearing her pants and skirts and buy . . . maternity clothing. Black, still - she insisted on black. Nikki had said nothing about her pregnancy, only insisting that she should be careful and go to a doctor - which she hadn't yet. Celena never said anything about the father - but it seemed pretty clear that Nikki . . . and the others, figured it out.
What relieved her the most, was that they did not turn away from them. If anything, they felt strange, but still obligated to take care of the other worldly friends.
Allen had gotten over his worry and had finally come out and explained his apprehension to his sister. He had a son... only he wasn't his own. The blonde was more than relieved at their friends' reactions towards them and, he noticed, that Ethan seemed to need to speak to him a little less. It made him happy for the other. Happy that he didn't have so many troubles, happy that Ethan could relax.
He continued his work at the academy, assuring and reassuring his students that they were safe so long as they didn't make any stupid mistakes around one another. He readied them carefully and proudly, pleased to be able to send them off to the tournament when that time would come.
It was funny how quickly things went. Allen was able to make enough money just at teaching to support both him and his pregnant sister, the rent, other expenses, and eventually a cell phone package for both his sister and himself incase the other ever needed anything - but it was mostly in case Celena needed to reach him quickly. Most of Celena's days were spent at home, or taking short walks before she got too tired and went home to sleep.
Finally, Celena was nagged enough to go to the doctor. She had to use her fake documents and go to a free medical clinic for prenatal care, but they did something called an Ultra Sound on her bulging belly. She was thrilled that it revealed not only a growing babe, but a healthy girl. Nikki had taken her there - there explanation was that Allen was her husband, making no mention of their sibling ties.
She did not want to tell Allen the secret of the baby's gender, and so she kept it to herself until that day finally came. With the tournaments passed them, and Allen's new wave a students, things were already stressed enough. Only to be woken up in the middle of the night by Celena, who was clutching her belly and panting the way they had taught her to do at the clinic.
"Um . . . Allen," she panted, in and out in sequence, ". . . Allen!"
The blonde jerked awake, sitting up and turning his head towards her, brow furrowed in worry. "Celena!? What's wrong?" Panic flared, a hand resting on her shoulder. Panting. Labor. Oh gods, he couldn't drive, they couldn't get her to the hospital in time. He couldn't do it alone, no...
Fumbling for the phone, holding down the first number as he'd been shown to get Nikki's phone. Nikki. She'd know what to do. He frantically waited for the phone to pick up, hoping she was a light enough sleeper.
"Lab!" came the yell on the other end, sardonic as always.
"Nikki, I-I think she's going into labor." Allen kept a hand on her shoulder, if only to remind her that he was there.
"Holy shit!" She fairly yelled into the phone, "I'm on my way right now!" And she hung up.
The pain she was feeling was dull, but potent. She'd already begun to sweat. Already she was trying to stand to get to the ready packed bag in time - prenatal care took care of thankfully a lot. . . Allen being insured through the academy now - although, she herself still had trouble figuring out how insurance worked, as it was never needed on Gaea.
Allen didn't bother with a shirt. He didn't spare it a single thought. He pulled himself from the bed, padding over to her side and bracing her weight with his own, helping her stand. "Are you sure you're okay to walk?"
"I need to be . . . ready," she panted, groaning again and leaning on Allen as another wave of pain came.
Luckily, Nikki and her brothers lived nearby, and the moment the Schezars were ushers into the care, she took off at record speed. Celena's head was in Allen's lap, with Chris looking from around the passenger seat to make sure they were alright. Such a rush, everything moved in a blur - and before anyone knew it, Celena was already at the hospital, in the delivery room, being given epidurals and told to push.
"I don't know what you mean by pushing! It seems to be doing fine on its own!" She practically screamed.
Allen had been pushed outside of the room to wait anxiously, his heart racing. He'd be worthless at work tomorrow, but damn it... this was more important, they'd understand. Ethan every once in awhile would start to drift off to sleep, only to jerk awake at another yell from the room. Thankfully he didn't have anything to do tomorrow.
Nikki and Chris were pretty much falling asleep on each other as they sat in awkward positions on adjoined chairs. Celena's labor seemed shorter than most, however. Not even an hour went by until the doctor, a short female woman with lots of laugh wrinkles around her eyes, came out to address the husband.
"So, which one of you is the culprit?" she asked.
Allen tensed, turning towards her. "Ah....? Me, ma'am." A warrior, of course, finely honed muscles tensing. Ethan had grabbed a shirt for him, which was nice enough. At least he wasn't half-naked.
The doctor smiled, acutely aware of Allen's empty gaze, and gently took his arm to lead him into the delivery room. "Well, sir, I congratulate you. You have a healthy girl. Ten fingers, ten toes."
"W-wel, I'd certainly hope she had ten of each..." Allen blinked sightlessly, getting led inside. His heart fluttered. A girl. He had a daughter... and he'd raise her to be a lady and make sure she got all the best treatment and, oh... oh, it would be SO much fun... so very much fun. And he could be her knight, too, and she'd be his little princess. Allen beamed, his thoughts trailing on and on with silly, giddy fatherly nonsense.
Celena was barely awake, though she still held her newborn, clean of placenta and now with a healthy pink tint to her skin. The babe's eyes were closed, so they wouldn't know exactly what color they were until later. She was barely aware of Allen sidling up next to her to take a seat. She swallowed dryly.
"Aren't you glad . . . that she's healthy?" she asked sleepily, "She's healthy, Allen. We have a daughter together, and there's nothing wrong with her."
Allen couldn't help but grin, grasping her arm gently, carefully. "I bet she's just as beautiful as you are, oh Celena. A girl..." He laughed softly, unable and unwanting to beat back his utter joy.
"A name, Allen . . ." she whispered, "What should we name her?"
"Ah..." he paused a bit, blinking, shaking his head. "I don't know. Something strong..."
Celena thought for a moment, smiling despite her fatigue. "Why don't you hold her and decided on one?"
Allen smiled softly, holding out his arms. "Ah... maybe it would be best for me to be shown. I've got no idea how..."
She laughed softly, supporting the newborn's head and telling Allen to do the same. Carefully, she handed the little girl to his outstretched arms, the little bundle barely bigger than a loaf of bread. The babe cooed slightly at the rustling about, her little lips suckling. "Gently . . ." she said.
Allen did as he was bidden, holding her carefully, wary of holding her too tightly. She was like porcelain in his arms, light, fragile. He held her close as he had never been able to do with his son, his eyes closed. That smile lingered, his body thrumming with his joy.
"What about Angelina?" Celena asked, thinking of the first name that came to her head.
Allen was silent a moment, then nodded slightly. "Angelina it is..."
~
And she continued to be healthy, every time the pediatrician checked up on the infant. Celena, though she was sore and tired and just starting to go back to being her thin self again, tried to take care of the babe as best she could. They had been warned about waking up in the middle of the night for a feeding. . . and the young girl was certainly not used to the baby suckling at her breast. But she'd done it as she had been instructed to anyway.
They were used to life there by now, thoughts of Gaea seemingly far behind them. So many things were different, the jobs, the government, and especially medicine. It was almost crazy how often the doctors insisted Angelina be checked up on. But Celena would not take any chances, knowing the baby was born out of incest. She felt in her heart of hearts that nothing could be perfect, no matter how much she'd hoped.
So she was proven right, three months after Angelina's birth. The short lady who had delivered the baby being quite frank and serious when Celena entered with Allen on her arm, and the baby's carrier in the other hand.
"We've been doing tests on your daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Schezar. Since about a month ago. And there are some results that we think you should know about." began the woman.
Allen tensed at those words beside his sister... nae, his wife, his grip on her arm tightening just slightly. Gods... it could only be too true, her perfection. Nothing could go perfectly right, could it? Allen steadied his voice, arching a brow. "What is it...?"
The woman, Dr. Lee, could be sympathetic the only way that she knew how. By not beating around the bush. So she bid them both to sit down and went on with her discoveries, taking a deep breath. "We do exams regularly on all of our patients, all the infants who are born, and we examine every one of their senses critically. Angelina has severe hypoplasia in her optic nerves, meaning that . . . they're underdeveloped. It's a congenial defect, and we can't be certain how it happens. But, from what we could determine . . ." Dr. Lee felt horrible to be giving this news to the young couple. Already, Celena had been blank faced, though her eyes had betrayed her and began to well with tears. It seemed clear what the prognosis was for the infant Schezar child, and it was a matter of sensitivity since her father was already blind.
Celena couldn't think, her head swelled with frustration, anger, and confusion. Her tears spilled, but no sound came from her lips. She only gripped her husband's arm before reaching down into the carrier to bring out her daughter, her Angel. She held the babe, and she did not stir nor open her eyes. Celena only wanted to hold her, and hold her close.
Allen clenched his jaw tightly... it would be too easy for her to have been fine, wouldn't it? But he said nothing, waiting for the doctor to leave. He slipped an arm about Celena's waist, holding her close to him. Optic nerves... those dealt with the eyes.
Dread descended upon him as it clicked just what was wrong with the child. And for a long chunk of moments, he wondered if he'd passed that down to her somehow. Bitterness began to knot itself in his chest at that thought. What if he'd caused it in his own daughter. Was she blind because of him? Allen bowed his head slightly, defeated.
Dr. Lee seemed to be able to tell where Allen's thoughts might have been drifting, from the way his head bowed. "Mr. Schezar . . . it's congenial, but it's not you. Your vision loss was caused by physical harm, if I recall you telling me once correctly. So not your fault. Neither of you are to blame for this." But there was probably nothing more she could say that would console them.
"Please," said Celena, "Isn't there anything . . . ?"
Dr. Lee shook her head slowly, sadly. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"And this is utterly permanent, I assume? There's no way to fix this?" Allen had to pause to steady his voice, the heavy weight of his upset still lingering. Their daughter. Blind. How fitting. He'd do what he could if there was a way, but he had the distinct feeling that there wasn't anything they could do. Of course, he didn't have any idea that you could fix blindness to a degree anyhow.
"The optic nerves send visual signals to the brain," she began, "But Angelina's are so underdeveloped that - they're hardly even there. Some cases can be fixed through surgery, but we don't have the technology to completely rebuilt the nerve in the eye."
Allen cocked his head to the side a little. Right now he couldn't ask, he couldn't bring himself to even dare to hope. If it could be done for these such cases sometimes, then was there hope for actual blindness?
But even still, he stayed silent. There wasn't something he could do for his own child. Again, he felt helpless. Why did this always happen to them?
It was a long while before the doctor felt it would be right to speak about the child's future, Celena grieving as she was as she held the infant so carefully in her arms. Finally, she moved in front of her desk to lean on it, when she felt it was right.
"It will be a while before you should start thinking about her education and adjustment. Mr. Schezar, I'll assume - that you should handle her just as much as Mrs. Schezar, if not more so because of your unique common ground. Sounds should be introduced to Angelina early, music, touching faces - she won't need to start proper education for the blind until she's five years old. You have some time to spend with her before then."
"Five," he murmured numbly, giving a slight nod. At least their daughter wasn't alone in the ailment. At least they did have common grounds. But even still. Their daughter was irrevocably blind and there was no changing that no matter how much they wanted to.
Allen had wanted a rather normal life for their daughter--as normal as one could get when your parents are siblings--. His arm trembled slightly around Celena's waist as he tugged her minutely closer.
Dr. Lee said when needed to be said, and now her bedside manner was telling her to leave them alone for a while. She didn't need her office for the time being, as she was still checking other patience. Quietly, she excused herself. The moment she closed the door behind her, Celena finally let out the sob that was held in her throat for the whole time.
"Allen . . ." She cried, "Angelina, she's . . ." she swallowed, unable to control the gasps that forced themselves from her lungs. "It was too good to be true. Wasn't it?"
Allen slipped his arms around her, tugging her close to him. "It's... it's alright, Celena, we'll raise her right anyway..." His lithe frame trembled softly as he held her and the child close to him. Both he'd vowed to protect. That was something he couldn't protect against, but he would do what he could to help her along the way with it.
It might be easier, never seeing in the first place.
So they went home, unsure of how to deal with the news, but still being ever gentle with the infant. Celena had gone into a sort of haze, and every time she held the babe, she wouldn't move, afraid that any movement might make things worse, might hurt her daughter. Her grief filled the little studio apartment to an overwhelming degree, and there came times when she would be to tired to even stand and walk around, to care for her baby.