ZEDD - A LITTLE OVER A YEAR LATER
I'm not in a good mood today. I'm heartily sick and tired of being pregnant. Not that I wish I wasn't, just that I wish the youngling was ready so I can be done. I look in the mirror as I go by. How in all the hells can Thomas stand to even look at me, never mind hold me, when I'm the size of a gondar?! Even my face has gotten fat. "Ugh, Thomas is so carrying the next one, I can't do this again. How in the hell Serena is even still alive and able to move is beyond me."
The child inside kicks me for what must be the tenth time this morning, apparently growing just as tired of our little living arrangement as I am. Lightly, I rub my protruding belly. "Sorry, little one. Father's just moping. Again. But you've really done a number on me, you know. Not to mention you're going to come out looking all adorable and perfect, and me, well, between tending to you, I'll very likely be living in the workout room for the next five months trying to fix what you completely destroyed with your demands for baked goods at three in the morning."
Right on cue, I hear Thomas speak. "Hey, handsome."
I sigh. "Thomas, you can stop lying to me. I know that I'm not anymore."
He pulls me into his arms and gently pulls me down to rest my forehead against his. Softly, tenderly, he says, "You are always handsome to me."
A female voice says, "Aww."
Before we can react to the unfamiliar voice in our home, Pina says, "See? I told you they can be cute - when Zedd's not completely hormonal."
And now I feel bad again. Especially since she's right, and I know I have been worse than normal with my temper lately, even accidentally doing more than a bit of property damage the last time I was on Eltar and a distant relative happened to catch me, making a comment about how married life had obviously agreed with me given my weight gain.
But before Thomas can scold Pina, the other voice does. "Stop it, Pina. After all, it's those hormones that help the baby grow and be healthy."
We both turn now. "Kira? What are you doing here?"
The young woman has blossomed beautifully and smiles hugely at us both. "Apparently, the two of you are driving everyone - including each other - crazy. So, since classes are over for the year, I'm currently single, I don't want to listen to my parents fight all summer and I don't have a job, I thought I'd let you guys unload on me for a while. Plus apparently the nursery is nowhere near done."
"There's no rush with that, Kira" Thomas comments. "For the first while, we're going to have the baby in the room with us."
"Uh huh. Until the day you decide you want to have one night of peace without two a.m. feedings and changes, but you have nowhere else for the baby to sleep." She takes her duffel bag off her shoulder and slings it at Thomas, who catches it with a grunt. "Figure out where I'm sleeping and put that there. My other suitcase is still on the ship." She turns to me, as I've been silent this entire time. "What's the matter, Zedd? Not so happy to see me after all?" she teases gently.
I blink back the tears that are gathering in my eyes. "Of course I am" I choke out. She smiles at me and pulls me into a hug. I squeeze her back as tightly as I'm able - until the baby kicks us both. "Ow."
Lightly, she rubs my stomach before talking to it. "It's okay, little one. Auntie Kira's here for a bit. Everything will be all right." She takes my arm. "Come on, Zedd. Let's get something to drink, okay?"
I lead her toward the kitchen. We're about halfway down the stairs when I hear a stunned Thomas say to Pina, "What the hell just happened here? When did she take over?"
"About two minutes ago" she answers, amused.
Kira giggles lightly. "From what I hear, you guys need all the help you can get right now."
"What do you mean?"
"Zedd, you're stressed and hormonal with the baby, Tommy's stressed trying to take care of you and deal with your mood swings and Pina and Dar are stressed trying to help you two deal with each other." It's still odd to hear her refer to Thomas by name instead of as Dr. O, although it took long enough. Even so, once more I feel bad about what I'm putting my husband through. She pats my arm. "Stop it" she warns. "Zedd, this is normal and Tommy's smart enough to know that. The thing is sometimes he just doesn't know what to do to make you feel better and that leaves him at a loss and frustrated. He doesn't realize that sometimes there's nothing he can do, that it's just the hormones."
"You are too young to be this wise" I tell her.
She shrugs as we reach the kitchen. "I've been talking to Pina about this for a while and doing some of my own research. Apparently, except for the duration, it's not a lot different from what a human female goes through. If Tommy ever does this, and after seeing what you're going through I'm not betting too heavily on it, according to Pina, he might very well be worse than you are."
Remembering his mood swings when I first rescued him all those years ago, not to mention as he was getting better, I shrug myself. "I've dealt with him moody before."
"We'll see" she laughs. "Now, on to more important things. Have you picked a name for the baby yet?"
"No" I frown. "We can't seem to agree on anything."
The girl shakes her head at me. "Odds are, you guys are making this way harder than it needs to be."
"The baby will carry this name for centuries, child. It has to be right."
"I get that, Zedd. What names have you considered?"
I sigh. "Do we really need to get into this right now?"
Kira fixes me with a look. "I am not going to keep referring to the baby as 'it' and nobody has said what it is yet. Besides, if a name can be decided on, you can start using it now."
Which reminds me… "Why did you call yourself 'Auntie' Kira? You aren't actually related to either of us in anyway." Believe me, I checked.
"It's a human thing, I guess. Often times close friends of the family are given the honorary title of 'Aunt' or 'Uncle'."
"Strange."
"Maybe so, but it's something we do. Now, about those names?" Still wondering how I've found myself in my own kitchen being ordered around by a human child - power holder or not - I fill her in.
