"I'm getting a vase."
Murrue stood on a chair, balancing on her tip-toes as she stretched to reach the blue china vase that rested in a high cupboard. She had almost reached it, when a pair of strong hands took her by the waist and lifted her to the floor.
"Mwu!" she complained. "I could have got it!"
Her husband raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, you could have. But what if you'd slipped and fallen?"
Murrue pouted. "I wouldn't have. Quit treating me like I'm made of glass"
Mwu sighed and ran a hand through his long blonde hair. "I will if you stop pulling dumb stunts. The baby's due in a week, and you're still acting like this? I heard from the neighbours that you were up a stepladder trying to clean windows yesterday"
She didn't look at all concerned. "But they were dirty"
"That's not the point, and you know it. What if you ended up hurting yourself or the baby?" he replied, placing one hand on her shoulder, and another on her rounded stomach. "If you hate me worrying so much, then don't do stuff to make me worry"
Murrue looked down, casting her marigold eyes on the floor. "I'm sorry"
Mwu smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "It's okay, honey. Just be more careful. Now, which vase was it you wanted? The blue one?"
After he had reached it (easily) Murrue stood in their room, placing the flowers she had picked that morning into the vessel. She sang softly to herself as she worked, making Mwu smile from the new nursery down the hall.
He was adding the final coat of paint to the walls, a pale cream, since they didn't know whether this new baby would be a boy or a girl. The furniture that had been in the old nursery, the cradle they had used for Stellar, were all in here.
He felt so lucky. Coming from a family that had either treated him with disdain, or ignored him completely, the fact that he had a life like this now filled him with happiness.
I have a wife that is the most beautiful and kind person in the world, an adorable daughter, and now I'm going to be a father again soon. I...
His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp intake of breath, and a splintering crash from their room.
Mwu's heart stopped for a moment, then, dropping his paintbrush, he raced to find her. "Murrue!"
She was kneeling on the floor, leaning forward, arms wrapped around her stomach. Shards of broken china littered the carpet around her. Hearing him enter, Murrue looked up at him with a pleading expression.
"The baby...the baby's coming!" she gasped, then leaned forward again, curling her hands into fists so tightly that her fingernails dug into the palms of her hands.
Lifting her from the ground, Mwu carried his wife downstairs as quickly as he could, and placed her in the car.
"Hang on, just hang on. I'll get you to the hospital as soon as I can"
Driving like a maniac, he kept glancing over at her, panicking as her breathing became faster and faster.
I hope we make it in time. Looks like this little one is as impatient as their sister was. Thank God I was home this time...
A couple of hours later, Mwu gazed at the tiny baby lying in their mother's arms. They had another daughter, with wispy blonde curls and eyes as blue as the summer sky. She was perfect.
Murrue had her eyes closed, and she looked exhausted. Her face was paler than usual, almost white.
"Are you okay?" he asked, worried. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Yes, I'm fine"
Gently, she kissed the top of the sleeping infant's head. "Hello, Lily"
They had chosen the name for the baby several months earlier, he remembered..
"So, what shall we call this little one?" Mwu asked, as they sat together on the sofa. She blinked,
then smiled. "I hadn't really thought about it. If he's a boy...I don't know. We can't name him after your father"
"Definitely not. There's no way I'd ever consider naming this child after him. What about your father"
Murrue looked sad. "My father died when I was very small. I barely remember him"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you"
She shook her head. "No, it's okay. It was a long time ago now. Perhaps if he's a boy,
we could name him after one of our friends? But if she's a girl, then I'd like to name her after my mother. Her name was Lily"
Mwu kissed her, smiling. "That sounds perfect."
Murrue's eyes were fluttering, and her head was nodding. It was clear she was having real trouble staying awake.
Mwu reached out and stroked her cheek. "Get some sleep, my love. You need it." he said, taking the baby from her arms. Murrue smiled and reached out to him, pulling him into a kiss. Then she closed her eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.
He sat there for a while, cradling Lily in his arms while her mother slept.
She's adorable. But so tiny, much smaller than Stellar was. And the birth took so much more out of Murrue this time. I know I said I wanted a big family, but if it's going to affect her like this, then I'm happy with just two. I can't put her through this again.
"Excuse me, sir?"
"Huh? Yes?" Mwu asked, looking up at the nurse.
"Looking at the blood tests, it seems as though the birth has made your wife slightly anaemic. Not enough to cause concern.." she added hastily, seeing how worried he looked. "but we would like to keep her and the baby in for observation for a couple of days"
Mwu nodded. "If that's what it takes. I guess I'll have to bring Lily's big sister in to visit when she gets out of school." He smiled at the thought of how excited Stellar would be.
"How old is your other daughter, sir?"
"Six" he replied proudly.
The nurse looked apologetic. "Then I'm sorry, sir, but you can't bring her in here. Newborns are very susceptible to childhood diseases, and while your daughter may not be sick herself, she could be carrying something that the babies would catch"
Mwu's face fell. That means I have to keep Stellar at home. She'll be so disappointed. Not only that, but since it's the weekend, and she doesn't have school tomorrow, Murrue will be all alone. I can't leave Stellar by herself, and the kid and the pink princess are out of town...
Stellar sat on the wall, swinging her legs. School had let out a long time ago, and it was starting to get dark.
Mama sure is late. I hope she's okay.
Turning her head, the little girl smiled as she saw a familiar car turn the corner.
"Mama!" she cried, auburn pigtails bobbing as she raced towards the vehicle. But the peron who stepped out wasn't Mama.
"Papa? How come you came to pick me up? Where's Mama?"
Her father smiled, but he also looked kinda sad. "Mama's in hospital. But she's okay, and you have a brand-new baby sister"
Stellar's face lit up. "Can I go see them?"
"I'm sorry, sweetie. But the doctors say you might have something that would make the babies sick"
She frowned. "But I'm not sick"
"I know that. But you might have something that wouldn't make you sick, but hurt the babies."
Tears brimmed in her blue eyes. "No fair! I wanna see Mama!"
Her papa picked her up. "Don't cry. Mama will be home in a couple of days, and then you can see your sister too"
Stellar sniffled a little, but nodded. "Okay, Papa. What's my sister called"
"Lily. She's named after your grandma"
"Is she cute?"
"Very. She looks like you and Mama, but she has hair like mine"
I wish I had blonde hair like Papa, thought the little girl. But Mama is really beautiful, so I'm glad I look like her.
At around 9:30 the first night, the phone rang. Mwu picked it up, wondering who it could be.
"Hello?"
"Good evening." came a familiar soft voice, but so filled with acid that it made a shiver go down his spine.
"Uh...hi, sweetheart. Feeling better"
"Considering you scribbled some half-assed note and then left me on my own, yeah, I'm just fine"
"I - I had no choice. I had to pick Stellar up from school, and she's not allowed to come visit, and...and...I'm sorry"
Mwu stuttered nervously. Murrue when she was really pissed off was a scarier prospect than the battlefield had ever been.
"I know," she said, a note of loneliness creeping into her voice. "But it's so lonely here. And some of the other women have their husbands with them, which just makes it worse...Anyway," she said, a more cheerful tone to her voice, "How's Stellar?"
"Oh, she's fine. Looking forward to meeting Lily"
"You didn't let her stay up late and eat junk food, did you?"
Mwu gulped. Stellar was fast asleep on his lap, cookie crumbs around her mouth. "Uh...no"
"Liar. I knew you would. You took advantage of me being away and spoiled her, didn't you?"
"She was sad 'cause she missed her mama. Like I do"
"Don't try and soft-talk your way out of this one, Mwu. If I were there, I'd kick your ass"
"I know" he said, chuckling.
The two talked for a while more, until the nurse on duty came to tell Murrue that her time was up.
Having each told the other how much they loved them, they ended the call. That night, Mwu placed Stellar in their bed.
She can stay here while her mama's away. Because we're both lonely.
Two days after that, Murrue was sitting up in her hospital bed feeding Lily, when the doctor came by.
"Ah, Fllaga-san, good morning. You'll be pleased to know that your last tests came back clear, so you and the baby can go home today"
Murrue was delighted. Finally, she and Lily could go home.
"Is there anyone you'd like us to call to come pick you up?"
She was about to reply 'my husband', then she saw the time.
Only 8am? There's no way Mwu will be awake this early. And it's unfair of me to drag him all the way out here when I can get home just fine on my own...
Mwu was standing in the kitchen, fixing himself a cup of coffee. Man, I'm tired, he thought, his large mouth stretching in a yawn. I should have finished the nursery earlier...
The sound of a key in the door made him look up in surprise. As the door swung open, he could hardly believe his eyes.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Murrue smiled gently, shifting baby Lily in her arms. "They said I could come home, and I didn't want to wake you. So we came home on the bus." She swayed slightly as she spoke, and Mwu sighed.
"You idiot." Picking her up as though she weighed no more than a doll, he carried her inside, kicking the door shut.
Upstairs, he settled Murrue in bed, and placed Lily in her cradle in the new nursery.
"There now, get some rest. What on Earth persuaded you to..." He was cut off as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, her fingers entwining in his hair.
"This is why" she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder.
Mwu smiled and returned the embrace. "Yeah, I missed you, too."
When Stellar awoke, she was overjoyed to see her mother.
"I missed you, Mama! Are you feeling better now?"
"Yes, sweetie, much better. Did Papa take good care of you?" At her daughter's nod, Murrue smiled.
"That's good. Lily's in the nursery, if you want to see her"
Stellar beamed and raced off to meet her new sister.
From where they sat, Mwu and Murrue smiled as they heard Stellar tell Lily about all the things they could do together when she got bigger, and how much fun they would have.
Mwu took his wife's hand and squeezed it. "I'm sorry"
She was confused. "For what?"
"I didn't realise having Lily would take so much out of you. I know I said I wanted a big family, but it's not worth it if it makes you like this"
Murrue shook her head. "No, don't worry. This happens to new mothers all the time. And you don't want any more children?" she teased. "And here I was thinking that maybe one day we could try and give Stellar and Lily a little brother"
Mwu laughed, the boyish grin returning to his face.
"Maybe one day" he agreed, pulling her into a kiss.
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( I wanted to write how Lily was born for ages. But it took me a while to come up with a decent story.
Hope you likey. Please read and review! )
