Chapter 5 – Perfect

We are still kids but we're so in love

Fighting against all odds

I know we'll be all right, this time

"Perfect" - Ed Sheeran, from ÷

Linka's replacement was a boy from Finland named Svёn. According to Gi, he was a "clumsy giant with shaggy blonde hair, very 'woodsy' but hilariously uncoordinated." The Asian girl had taken to whining about being the only girl on the team, but Linka knew that deep down, she enjoyed all the male attention coming her way. Plus, Gi had a way of bonding with men that Linka had often envied; it came natural to Gi, and guys were comfortable around her, at ease.

Wheeler had stated that he would never get used to Svёn and his brusque ways. The redhead had confessed that he had always loved the wind element for its grace and beauty; now, they were lucky the Finnish boy didn't create some tiny typhoon and blow them all away. Apparently, the newcomer needed more practice with his ring. But Linka knew that they were at least all getting along, and although she cherished the fact that her friends all greatly missed her, she was glad that the team was once more consolidated.

Personally, Linka had bigger things to worry about. She was currently seven and a half months pregnant. It was no small feat, ladies and gentleman. Even though settled into her daily routine, it was still incredibly difficult to get around with the protruding belly. The toughest part was accepting that there were certain things she just couldn't do. Like tie her own shoelaces, or run to hail a taxi. Or have an uninterrupted night's sleep without getting up to pee two, fifteen times. For a fiercely independent girl such as herself, it was a tough pill to swallow, but Linka tried consoling herself in all ways possible. The finish line was within viewing distance, just over the horizon. She could do this!

In the mornings, Linka enjoyed taking walks around the numerous parks the city had to offer, sitting in the playgrounds and watching small children playing, sometimes having friendly chats with the accompanying caretakers. Then, she would go to the local market to get this and that, before stocking up on muffins from her favorite bakery (the one indulgence while pregnant she just could not do without! Forget pickles and ice cream! Who could resist soft cranberry muffins, or flavorful macadamia nut muffins, or mouth-watering caramel chips muffins? Wheeler always made sure to pick up a few, or a boxful, before coming home. Another reason to love him!).

When lunch time came, uncle Dimitri would pick Linka up and they would have a lovely meal at his house. Barb could not cook, naturally, but they had a maid that took care of preparing delicious lunches, among other things. Then, once Linka returned home, she would spend the good part of the afternoon and evening working on Planeteers reports, as well as any extra research the team needed done for current or upcoming missions. A light meal/snack would follow, and finally the Russian beauty would collapse in bed, thoroughly tired out. Most of the time, she cradled the phone close to her ear under the covers and talked to Wheeler before falling asleep, if he wasn't right in the middle of a mission or anything. His voice helped to soothe her daily anxieties.

When Wheeler was with her, Linka's day looked a lot different. The pace was more relaxed. The young couple could be found mainly in the bedroom making love, or in the kitchen making dinner. No complaints about those days!, decided Linka with a smile.

Wheeler wanted her to rest while he was home and not work on anything. He'd go out for whatever little thing she needed, and even offered to help with little house chores here and there. An act of true love, indeed! The American behaved like a total darling, and she was very thankful for his strong presence, drawing strength from it herself.

The one thing Linka was not going to miss about being pregnant was how emotional it made her. Seeing that the Russian girl had never been a "touchy-feely" type of a person, she was even less equipped to deal with this novelty. Tears would just naturally come to her eyes and she did not know how to turn them off. She cried at least a couple of times any given day. They weren't sad tears by any means. It could be a song playing over the radio, or a distant memory that would trigger the waterworks. Most of all, Linka got emotional about all the changes taking place. New life, new home, new habits, new body. She had never been very good with change, per se, but having it happening all at once was quite a lot to deal with.

It seemed to be a lot worse when Wheeler wasn't there to console her. At first, the redhead had been so shocked by her emotional outbursts, he had all but freaked out! Never had Linka been so fragile before. Wheeler would promise to come home right now upon hearing the small tragedy happening on the other side of the receiver (not the easiest thing when they were tackling a mission overseas, for example). Then, Wheeler began to gradually understand that Linka just needed to get it all out, basically. Again, that dynamic was strange in itself, because Linka had never needed comforting before. And so, all Wheeler could do was listen and soothe her when she had her little breakdowns over the phone.

They were silly things she got upset about, really. Linka felt like the ludicrous issues could be on a "top ten list" of some late night talk show. They were a bit redundant as it was. She could easily hear them being read from some cue card, with the drum roll and everything, and the audience laughing at every pause. The podium was made up as follows:

Number Three: "My back is sooooo sore! Nothing will help at all! I cannot feel my feet, either! As if not seeing them in months was not bad enough!" (Sniffle)

Number Two: "I am going to be a terrible mother! I know nothing about raising babies! Oh, God, what if our baby hates me?" (Sob)

And Number One: "You do not find me attractive anymore! I just know it! How could you, I am as big as three buildings put together!" (Gushing waterfalls-style tears)

Incredibly enough, these trivial things seemed like real problems to Linka in her current state, and they would get her in a funk. She could only be grateful that Wheeler was very good at dismissing her fears and actually getting her to laugh once the sniffling had subsided. It would take some stupid, silly joke of his and she would feel whole again. In actuality, she knew none of those things were as crucial or as real as she made them out to be, but she could not help her emotional reaction to them. The hormones were taking their revenge, turning her into a teary, useless mess. After spending a lifetime of being in control of herself, the Russian girl could not overlook the bitter irony of it all.

Things were proceeding more or less fine. It was finally springtime, and Linka was mere weeks from her due date. Little did she know that her little bundle of joy would choose to arrive earlier than expected. She was in the company of her uncle, who had just driven her to the mall, since he was intent on buying the crib for the baby as a gift. Dimitri was getting very excited about the coming of the little one, and Linka tried to involve him as much as possible to show her gratitude for all his months of caring.

The blonde girl was about to get out her uncle's car, no small task at nine months, when sharp pains hit her abdomen, nearly knocking the wind out of her. Contractions! Linka's heart was beating faster than ever, but her mind told her to focus on her breathing. It did not take long for her water to break, and all she could think to tell her stunned uncle was "call Wheeler, now!"

The rush to the hospital, the buzz of activity surrounding her, everything was a massive blur to Linka. Only the contractions were real and the speed at which they came. It was hard to focus on anything else when it felt like piranhas were eating at your insides with gusto. She got placed in a room and helped into hospital attire, when fear gripped her. This was real! It was happening! Painful questions took turns tormenting her. What if she wasn't strong enough? Worse yet, what if the baby wasn't ready?

Dimitri was soon joined by Barb, and they stood by her bedside, calming her down and helping her breathe the best way they knew how, but all Linka wanted was for Wheeler to hurry to her. She suddenly did not think she could do this without him! Now was when she needed his strength the most.

Two or three hours went by in actuality, but to Linka it felt like mere frenzied moments. The pain of the contractions was considerable, and she prayed for extra strength to deal with whatever came next. There was still so much to do!

Suddenly, there was incredible commotion in the room. A distinguished-looking doctor was examining her and all Linka could focus on were his words, since he was saying that the baby was in complete breech position. What the hell does that mean? she wanted to bark out suddenly. The blonde girl was trying hard to listen to his words but all she felt was incredible fear. Something about really needing to push because it would be a more complicated delivery than most, and all Linka could hear was her heartbeat and the metallic taste of terror on her tongue. Strangely, not for herself, but for her baby, instead. Linka realized she no longer cared what happened to her, as long as the baby would be all right.

She was praying against the fainting sensation that was starting to rise in her chest (recognizing it as panic), praying for her precious baby to make it out alive and well, when Wheeler burst in the door. Tears of relief were surely lining her face by this time, but Linka had no time to think because a string of intense contractions were taking her breath away. Wheeler swiftly took her hand to hold it firmly in his own, and Linka was ever so grateful for his words of comfort that only she could hear. She felt she could do this now, with his solid presence beside her.

The doctor, on the other hand, was absolutely frightening her with his directives. He was making her dizzy, for crying out loud! All she could picture was getting up from the bed and punching him square in the jaw! For Linka kept pushing like he was coaching her, but it never seemed to be exactly what he was looking for. It wasn't like she wasn't trying with all her spirit, soul, body, and mind! Damn it! But no, "Push, Linka, you're gonna have to do much better than that, come on!" and hell, she wanted to see him try! Linka channeled her extreme hatred for the doctor through her pushing, along with the love for her unborn child, of course, and the combination of intense emotions seemed to do the trick.

The fatigued blonde girl was not even sure when it was over. The experience was quickly becoming a smorgasbord of pain and confusion her brain could hardly deal with anymore. Could this be the greatest achievement in the world, giving birth? Should all mothers get a massive trophy for enduring such madness? The air had the smell of blood and antiseptic to it, and she let her head finally hit the pillows behind her, as she allowed her breathing return to normal. Linka's eyes closed and she could feel Wheeler's cool hand on her sweaty forehead, before he spoke to her. His tone was joyful.

"You did it, babe!"

The blonde girl fluttered her eyes open and a tiny smile made its way on her face. As for the lower half of her body, well let's just say that she chose to tune that out for the time being, and she focused on breathing evenly, instead. Moments went by, there was movement in the delivery room, and then, the greatest thing in the universe happened. Like a ray of light shining through a violent storm at sea. A smiling nurse was handing Linka a tiny, wrinkled, flushed baby wrapped in a soft blanket.

"Congratulations, it's a healthy baby girl."

The world all but stopped rotating on its axis as Linka extended her arms in order to hold her daughter for the very first time. The sweat, the tears, the exhaustion, the madness, everything melted away in one of her precious little coos. It was love at first sight.

"Oh," was all Linka could muster, and she blinked back tears, as the words died in her throat. Her eyes hungrily took in the baby's body, her adorable little face, before Linka laughed through the tears when the infant moved her tight little fists in the air. Linka interpreted it as a sign of victory, and already she was proud of the little one.

"Hope," whispered Linka lovingly, before looking up at Wheeler beside her, whose eyes were fixed on the baby in her arms. They had opted against finding out the sex of the baby, preferring to wait until birth, and Linka could not have been more pleased at their decision to do so. This felt like an indescribable type of surprise, better than one hundred surprise parties all wrapped in one.

Linka kissed the little forehead delicately, before offering the bundle over to Wheeler. He seemed at a loss for what to say, and carefully took the baby from her mother's arms as if she were the most fragile, most beautiful thing in the world.

"Our little Hope," Wheeler let out in wonder, taking in his daughter as if she were vital oxygen underwater. The American seemed transfixed by her.

"She's perfect," he added, letting his fingers ever so gently caress her head, the shape of her face, her nose, and chin, as if he could barely believe she was finally in his arms.

Linka's heart was aching with love watching them, but she wasn't quite ready for what came next. It tugged at her heart, and disheveled all her emotions, when she saw Wheeler's eyes filling with tears. As they fell on his cheeks silently, Linka brushed them away gently, seeing that his hands were occupied, and also as a sign of reassurance. Never had she witnessed her strong Yankee being so vulnerable in front of her. It was something of a huge honor to be let in so deeply inside his core.

"Babe… thank you. For giving me such an incredible gift," the redhead whispered, his voice broken with emotion, and Linka smiled tenderly at him. She moved in to kiss him softly, then caressed Hope's head with soothing touches.

"You helped make her, too, Yankee," Linka reminded him with a bright grin, and he let out a low chuckle.

"Well, then, she's by far the best thing I've done so far in my life," Wheeler decided with proud determination, kissing the baby fondly on the head.

The two lovers spent endless minutes cooing over their brand new little ray of sunshine and sharing meaningful glances. It was as if they did not want to miss any gesture performed by their baby girl, everything she did was endlessly precious. Suddenly, happiness had taken on a new definition for Linka. Everything she had thought to be good or delightful before paled in comparison to how completely blissful she felt just sitting there with Wheeler and Hope. She was filled with more love than she had ever thought one single person could hold. Nothing, no treasure, no precious stone or metal, no earthly wonder, could ever be so vitally valuable.