Chapter Fourteen | Lanuah Trudy Sully
'A son is a son till he takes him a wife; a daughter is a daughter all of her life.' – Irish Saying
Everyone in the Omaticaya clan was ecstatic over the prospect of a new princess now. All except two people, who in fact didn't entirely belong to the clan.
Norm and Max.
Norm was furious at Jake and Neytiri, and he had enough gall to give them 'The Talk'. "What the hell were you guys thinking? You two are so irresponsible. Ever heard of the 'Rhythm Method'?" Neytiri certainly had. It was the only form of birth control the Omaticaya practised. The beauty of this birth control was that couples simply stopped having sex during those times of the month deemed most fertile. Norm concluded his sermon with, "So, congratulations. You have both created a child who might not be physically and mentally capable, for just a few minutes of pleasure."
Jake exchanged glances with Neytiri. "Norm?" He asked his friend. "Shut up."
Nothing was going to ruin Jake and Neytiri's happiness, except for one thing. Their first act after announcing to everyone of the pregnancy was to have a fight. It began the first thing the next morning, and continued until later that night. Just like with Tom, they could not decide on a name for their little girl. Jake shot down Neytiri's suggestions, and she shot down his.
"Tyra?" Jake echoed. "You've got to be kidding."
"Why? It is a beautiful name!" Neytiri argued.
"Yes, well I only knew of one Tyra in my life, and she was a slut. So, no thank you," Jake said.
Neytiri rolled her eyes. "Fine. What about Leslie? Or Rose?"
Jake grimaced noticeably. "Why don't we take your mother's suggestion, and name her Sylwannin?"
Neytiri gave a groan of exasperation as she repeated what had become her refrain throughout these arguments. "Because, as much as I loved my sister, I hated that name," she replied. She thought for a moment. "Okay then. What about Beatrice?"
Jake paused. He contemplated that for a couple of seconds before choosing his next words carefully. "On second thoughts... Tyra might not be so bad."
· · ·
As the months progressed, Neytiri's belly swelled as the child grew. Jake was continually complimenting her on how she looked. "You're glowing, you know," he'd smile at her.
Neytiri would laugh at that. "Well, as long as you don't mind the haemorrhoids and the morning sickness, it is quite the party."
Tom was terribly excited over the prospect of having a little sister. He would sit with his mother and place his tiny hands on her belly, feeling his unborn sibling kick, as if she was protesting being in solitary confinement. "We should name her Wiggles, since she moves a lot," he laughed.
Jake chuckled and kissed the top of Tom's head. "That can be her nickname, but she needs a proper name." They still hadn't come up with one. Eight months along, and it was still a battle between Jake and Neytiri. They could have easily suggested over a thousand names. None of them seemed to fit.
Tom hugged his mother. "When can I play with her?"
Neytiri chuckled. "A few months after she is born. Okay?"
Tom's ears drooped slightly, and he gave a melancholy sounding whine. "But that is ages away!"
Neytiri ruffled her son's hair. "You will just have to be patient. Can you do that for me?"
Tom nodded. "All right, mum," he smiled.
In all truth, Tom didn't have to wait long. A couple of days later, Neytiri awoke with painful cramps. She wasn't sure, but she had a feeling this was it. She nudged her husband gently in his side. "Jake... Jake, wake up!"
Jake groaned and stirred. "What...?" He asked slowly, his voice hoarse from sleeping.
"I think the baby is coming," Neytiri said.
Neytiri had Jake's attention now. "What?" He repeated, sitting upright.
"I am having bad cramps... We need to go and get Dieln," Neytiri said, gasping as the pain pierced her more.
Jake was on his feet in a matter of seconds, and he rushed to go and get Dieln. Dieln and a nurse by the name of Sareia were up in a flash, and Dieln was the picture of perfect ease as he broke Neytiri's water. "It should not take too long," he said. "You will be fine."
Neytiri wasn't so sure of that, but she tried to be positive about it. She took Jake's hand to hold and she groaned and grunted through the pain of labour. Jake wasn't really sure what to do, so he just tried to be supportive by offering her words of comfort, and saying things like, "You're doing great. Just keep going." At one point, Neytiri got so frustrated by her husband that she yelled at him, "So help me Eywa... if you tell me that I am doing great one more time I am going to RIP YOUR THROAT OUT!" Jake must have looked terribly wounded, for Sareia came over and squeezed his shoulders sympathetically, saying, "All part of the experience."
Unfortunately for Neytiri, she had to tough this out the old fashioned way. The Na'vi had no such thing as epidurals, and while they had their own form of pain killers, it didn't deliver pain-blocking oblivion to the central nervous system, so it wasn't that effective. Neytiri recalled how she had wished she could take the pain away from Kiyeri as she watched her struggle to birth Tom. Now she wished someone could do that for her.
As the moon disappeared and the sun came up, Jake came out to the lounge where Mo'at, Norm and Max had been waiting, and Tom had been too. Mo'at had been planning on keeping an eye on him while Neytiri was in labour, but Tom insisted on staying up with Norm, Max and her. Now, tiredness had prevented him from doing so, and he had curled up and fallen asleep on his Uncle Norm's lap. They all gasped as Jake came out. Jake beckoned them over with his finger and they came into his and Neytiri's section, where they found Neytiri holding a little bundle of cloth.
Tom stirred as he found himself being picked up and transported elsewhere. "What happened...?" he asked with a small yawn. "Is the baby here...?"
Jake smiled at his little boy and came over to sit beside Neytiri. Neytiri smiled at him and then looked back at the little bundle in her arms. "Everyone, there is someone we want you to meet..." Jake said, gently pulling back some of the cloth so everyone could see the newest addition to the clan better.
Tom smiled and pulled away from Norm a little, trying to look. He smiled more as he looked down at the swaddle of cloth, and saw large topaz eyes staring back at him. "She is so... tiny," he said. He looked at his father. "Was I that tiny?"
Neytiri answered for him. "Yes, once. Maybe just a little bigger," she replied.
Mo'at felt her heart swell as she looked at her granddaughter. "So, have you chosen a name yet?" Everyone looked up at Jake and Neytiri when that was asked.
Jake looked at his wife. "Go ahead," he smiled.
Neytiri nodded. "Well... we have decided on 'Lanuah Trudy Sully'." Norm gave a smile. He was so touched they were naming her after his old girlfriend, and Jake's old friend.
Tom smiled as he heard his mother announce the name of his sibling. He paused then. "I like Wiggles more."