Tfw you have to choose between writing a trial scene and a labor scene. Neither are fun. Screeching babies & Pain Pompous lawyers & Pain.

"That's so interesting. I love writing dialogues. It comes much easier to me than describing scenery and I think it's one of my stronger suits." My IRL friend is like that too. I feel like most people I've talked to prefer dialogue. "I think you're good in writing them. I've noticed, that you're using them less than other authors, but you're writing strong ones." Thanks, I don't use as much dialogue, so when I do, I like to make it count. I recently started using a method I learned about using dialogue to squeeze in details that I have trouble adding in otherwise.
"To switch the roles between victim and offender this way" This is why it bugs me. "it would reduce every man down to a simple minded, barbaric and sex-driven creature with no moral and no self-control." This is the other thing that gets me. I'm under the impression that most men know how to control themselves around women who are dressed on the provocative side. I feel like bringing up clothing does to an extent imply that men have no self-control and that's pretty bad too. "She has also finally reached the bottom, but Azula has pulled her out at the last moment, when she was about to drown." She's kind of been at the bottom for a while but in a very reserved and stagnant kind of way. "Like I said and like you said, Tom-Tom is a little child, but he has noticed that something was wrong with Mai and that he was somehow linked with it. He doesn't understand things, but he does understand, that she doesn't feel well and he tried to fix things with his apology." I get the sense that a good many kids can pick up on when something is wrong even if they can't fully comprehend it and those little things that they do to try to make it better mean the world.
"Texting Azula has saved her. Azulas power is returning and so she had noticed the danger and she had the strength again to help Mai." Azula knew what was up because she had been there. And she kind of handled it how people handled her/how she wanted to be handled. It may be taken as being on the cold side, but Azula isn't that great at comforting people yet. "Both girls know each other and this has given them a level of understanding, which was vital to give and to recognize the warnings signs." But yes, their past bond and similarities were a great help. "She was forced to compare her situation with Mai was also important for her own progress. I think she is now even more confident. By the way, I like the dialogue between Azula and Mai ;)" I feel like this is a good example of how helping other people can help oneself. Thank you! :D
"That's what I mean, when I said, that I like creating and supporting sensations with dialogues. You're good in it, in my opinion" Thank you again. :) And yeah, Mai needed a little spark in her life. Unfortunately, Zuko wasn't in a position to provide, so she got Azula.

It was complete and utter agony, the pangs that shot up and down her back. They had gotten worse as the days wore on rather than better. There was nothing she can do but ride it out. The baby seemed to be ramming downward and painfully so.

The doctors said that these were contractions and she didn't understand how that could possibly be. She was only seven months along, she had two to go. She wasn't even done with her prep classes! She had scarcely started her maternity leave.

She pulled her purse over her shoulder, Sokka's trial was today and she couldn't afford to miss it. "Hnnggg, come on." She winced to herself as she made her way to her car. "No way…" she whispered to herself as fluid puddled at her feet. "Not, fucking now." She slapped her hand against the car and shouted for her mother. Her mother who vowed that Suki was on her own and that she would have nothing to do with this pregnancy no matter what.

Suki screamed for her mother again, hoping that she would draw a line and at least help her get to the hospital. Though she would love for her mother to stay there with her throughout.

She needed to be there for Sokka.

She just needed to.

But the baby had other plans.

And she was no more prepared to have it than she was when she first found out that she was pregnant. She cried out again as another sharp pang rocked her from the pelvis up. She need to support Sokka, but she also needed his support.

He was supposed to be doing this with her!

But she doubted they would let him off the hook because he had knocked up a girl who was still in high school.

She didn't have Katara either, she was probably already on her way to see Sokka, if she wasn't already there. Suki squeezed her eyes shut, what a nightmare!

It had taken all too long, but her mother was finally there. "It's happening." She winced out, it was all she could manage. Was she allowed to take a pain pill? Would that still hurt the baby? She clutched her stomach, going tense all over. "Don't make me do it alone, mom." She couldn't fight the tears. "Don't make me...I can't do this by myself."

"Get in the car."

"I can't!" Suki hollered. "It hurts! I can't."

Suki's mother drew in a deep breath. "You have to, Suki." Suki felt an arm slid under hers. "Lean on me."

She put all of her focus into using her mother's body for support. A bead of sweat trickled down her temple. How the fuck could Sokka do this to her!?

.oOo.

Every bump in the road had been searing. Every stop sign had hindered her, brought her one second closer to having a baby in the car seat. But she was in a hospital bed now and it was no less painful then it was before. They wouldn't give her the painkillers just yet, apparently offering them too soon would make pushing harder, more prolonged, and-she would imagine-more painful in the long run.

She clutches at the sheets, wishing that Sokka was there.

She was alone.

Her mother had stepped out of the room.

And she resented the woman for abandoning her like that. At least she knew that her mother was an honest woman. One who wouldn't go back on her word.

"It'll be over before you know it." The doctor assured.

Such pretty words, but she was well aware that he was wrong.

This was going to be long and rough. It was called labor for a perfectly good reason.

And she would be bearing it alone.

She gasped as another very forceful contraction hit. She wanted it to stop, she needed it to. She needed something to drink. Was she allowed to drink. She asked for a glass of water.

"We're going to try to limit your eating and drinking." The doctor replied.

Suki threw her head back, she couldn't even eat either? "What am I allowed to eat?"

"Jell-O and popsicles."

What a wide variety.

.oOo.

"You have to start pushing now."

It was the thing she wanted to do both the most and the least. She gritted her teeth and gave the first. She screamed again, unprepared for just how intense the feeling would be. This was like squeezing a softball through a hole the size of a water bottle.

The baby left her feeling heavy and sick. Any second now and she'd be throwing up, she hoped that the doctors were prepared for that. She gave another push, feeling entirely nauseous. She barely registered that her mother had wandered back into the room.

It didn't settle fully in until the woman's hand was squeezing her own clammy hand.

She gripped the sheets at the doctor's instructions to push again.

Her head was a mess of frightening thoughts. She was having a preterm baby. Was it going to make it? Would she actually get to hold a living baby? Or would she push out an infant that didn't cry. How could a baby cry if it couldn't breathe properly? She had heard that premature babies had breathing difficulty.

She pushed again as she contemplated what she did wrong.

So far the doctors were attributing it to her age and that alone.

She groaned in pain and gasped.

And she hoped that Sokka's trial was going less painfully than this.

Maybe if she was in labor long enough, he wouldn't miss the whole thing.

Or maybe they would throw him back in jail after all and he would miss every single crucial moment in their baby's life.

.oOo.

She had barely gotten to hold her baby. She had only a few seconds to press her goopy, slimy, little head to her chest before they took the child from her. "We have to watch her very intensely." Informed one of the nurses as though that would make up for taking such a precious moment away.

In the long run, it would.

But she wasn't particularly good at thinking in the long term.

As far as she could see, they had taken her Jing-Zao and Sokka hadn't even gotten to see her.

He hadn't gotten to see that squirmy, squishy little thing.

He didn't get to touch nor hold her.

She had hardly gotten to do so herself.

Suki wept quietly as they took her baby into neonatal intensive care.

She hated to think of her baby stuck on life support with tangled tubes and wires. Hooked up to a respirator. She didn't know what she was going to tell Sokka.

Their little girl…

She didn't deserve to be punished for their mistakes.