Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA... yada... yada...yada...
Chapter 39
Appa landed in back of the cottage on Kyoshi Island as the sun began to dawn the next morning. The weary travelers unloaded their belongings and took them inside while Aang removed Appa's Saddle, then chuckled as the huge beast flipped onto his back completely exhausted. Deciding to unpack once they got some rest, everyone went straight to bed.
By mid-afternoon everyone was up and moving and the girls prepared lunch while the men unpacked their belongings. Everyone was famished by the time lunch was served not having eaten since the evening before, and attacked the food voraciously with very little conversation. Once satiated, they discussed their plans for the day. Aang decided to go in to the village to catch up on current events with the Village Elder, while Sokka took the children to the beach, which basically meant he planned to laze about and watch Tenzin attempt to build sandcastles while Kya destroyed them. Katara and Suki cleaned up the kitchen, then sat down to discuss their plans for the following day once the men were out of earshot.
" Okay, Katara, we'll head to the village healer after breakfast in the morning." Suki said.
" Really, Suki, I don't think it's necessary. I'm probably just being paranoid." Katara replied.
" Paranoid or not, I think you'll feel better knowing that everything's okay with the baby. We'll just tell the guys were going to do some shopping and see if they can watch the children." Suki said.
" You're probably right, it would set my mind at ease knowing that everything's progressing as it should, with no complications." Katara agreed.
" I'm sure the guys will watch the kids for a few hours, we can ask them tonight during supper." Suki suggested.
" What if they start asking questions? Like... Why do you need to go shopping after you bought all that stuff in the Fire Nation?" Katara queried.
" We'll tell them we need to stock up on supplies and I need to check in with the Kyoshi Warriors, or something. Don't worry so much about it." Suki replied.
" Well, I certainly don't want to concern Aang if there's no reason to, but I made a promise to him that I wouldn't ever lie to him again." Katara said anxiously.
" You won't be... I will." Suki replied with a sly grin.
" This is true. If your the one asking, I guess that lets me off the hook." Katara replied laughing.
The guys agreed to watch the children while the girls shopped, thinking it would be a good time to get some training in. They were getting a bit laxed with their training since the end of the war, and Aang could use the time to help Tenzin with his airbending skills.
" I can't believe they agreed to watch the kids without a fuss." Katara said amazed as she and Suki headed toward the village.
" I told ya, all I had to say was ' shopping ' and they'd agree to about anything to get out of it." Suki said laughing.
" I'll never doubt you again." Katara replied laughing with her.
The girls casually chatted as they made their way toward the village, agreeing that they would stop by the dojo to check in with the Kyoshi Warriors while they were there. But they wouldn't stay long because they couldn't return home empty handed, they would have to do some shopping lest their cover be blown. The closer Katara got to the village, the more anxious she became, nervously biting her lip. ' What if there really is something wrong?' She thought to herself.
" We're almost there, relax." Suki said, noticing how tense Katara had become. Katara feigned a weak smile.
They arrived at the village healer's workplace early and were surprised to find only two people in the waiting area.
" Can I help you?" A rotund woman seated behind a wooden desk asked them when they entered.
" Um... I need to see the village healer." Katara stammered.
" I assumed that much, since you're here." The woman said sarcastically. " What is the nature of your visit?" She asked Katara.
" Well... I'm fairly certain that I'm pregnant, and would like to make sure the baby's... um... developing properly." Katara replied.
" Are you having any bleeding or pain?" The woman asked.
" No." Katara said.
" Is there something else that may lead you to believe that there is a problem with your pregnancy?" The woman asked.
" Well, I feel like something is different, or unusual about this pregnancy compared to my previous one." Katara said.
" Different... or unusual." The woman said sardonically. " Can you be more specific?" She asked.
" I don't know how to describe it. My abdomen is much larger than it was with my first child at this stage of the pregnancy, yet I've hardly been able to keep any food down until recently." Katara said.
" I see. Have a seat ladies, she will see you shortly." The woman said, then went back to her knitting. Suki and Katara surveyed the room and found seats.
" I hope we don't have to wait very long." Katara said anxiously. Just then, a young lady came through the doorway from the examination room and called out the next patients name and he followed her back.
" Yeah, I'd hate to spend all morning with ' miss personality ' over there." Suki whispered, nodding her head toward the woman behind the desk. Katara stiffled a giggle.
Approximately fifteen minutes later, the gentleman returned through the doorway and nodded courteously at the woman behind the desk and bid her good day. A few minutes later the young lady came through the doorway and led the next patient to the back.
" I hope that lady's visit is as quick as his, then we'll be out of here in no time." Suki said softly. Katara just nodded.
The second patients visit was a bit longer, but not by much. Then, the young lady came through the doorway and asked, " Miss Katara?"
" That's me!" Katara said a bit too eagerly. " Can my friend come with me?" She asked.
" Sure." The young lady said smiling, then led the girls to the examination room.
A few minutes later an older woman entered the exam room from an adjacent room introduced herself, " Hello, I'm Kaikala." She said smiling.
" Hello, my name is Katara and this is my friend Suki." Katara replied.
" Oh, I'm well acquainted with Kyoshi Warrior Suki, she is quite famous around here. As you are also, Lady Katara of the Southern Water tribe" Kaikala replied grinning. " What can I help you with today?" She asked, and Katara explained the circumstances of their visit while Kaikala listened intently.
" When was your last cycle?" Kaikala asked Katara, and Katara gave her an approximate date.
" Well, then that would put you in your third month. First things first... I want to be sure you are pregnant, okay?" Kaikala asked
" Okay." Katara replied, then Kaikala reached up to grab something from one of the shelves and handed it to Katara.
"I want you to go behind that curtain and catch some of your urine in that cup, then bring it back to me." Kaikala said.
" Um... okay." Katara said bashfully, then returned a few minutes later with the requested specimen.
Kaikala reached up and pulled a small bag off of one of the shelves and opened it, then sprinkled some kind of powder into the cup of urine. Several minutes later she informed Katara that she was indeed pregnant.
" Hop up here and lay back on the table, I want to examine your womb." Kaikala said, and Katara obeyed.
Kaikala had Katara undress and open her legs so she could do and internal exam of her womb as she pressed firmly on her abdomen. After she finished the exam she allowed Katara to dress and be seated.
" So?" Katara asked anxiously.
" I cannot see any problems with your pregnancy, except that your womb is much larger than it should be if you are in your third month." Kaikala said puzzled. " Are you sure the date of your last cycle is correct?" She asked.
" Yes. I noticed how large my abdomen was too, that's what brought me here." Katara replied.
" You may just have an unusually large child in your womb, The Avatar is the father I presume?." Kaikala asked.
"Yes." Katara said softly.
" Do you think something's wrong with my baby?" Katara asked frightfully.
" No, child. I can't find anything to suggest that. But if the child becomes too large, preparations must be made for the delivery." Kaikala reassured her. " Come back in one month, and let me re-examine you." She added. " Are you having problems with nausea or vomiting?" She asked Katara.
" Yeah, it seems to be a little better though." Katara replied.
" Here, place some of these leaves into steaming water and drink it, that should help." Kaikala said reaching for another bag on the shelf and handing to Katara.
" Thank you." Katara said smiling.
" You're welcome. Now run along, but remember to return in one month." Kaikala reminded her.
" I will, thank you so much." Katara said as she left the room.
" See, everything's fine." Suki said as they exited the building.
" I hope so." Katara said smiling softly and rubbing her abdomen gently.
The girls rushed over to check in with the Kyoshi Warriors but didn't stay long, they still had to buy some supplies. They hurried to the nearest vendors carts and purchased miscellaneous produce, meats, and bread, then bought a pair of slippers each and headed back to the cottage.
Upon their return, the guys were lounging about lazily while the children slept.
" Looks like you guys had a pretty rough day." Suki said sarcastically.
" Yeah, it was tough, but we struggled through it." Sokka said casually, then yawned.
" How was your shopping trip?" Aang asked.
" You know, the usual. We picked up a few things we needed and checked in with the Kyoshi Warriors. Ty Lee is a born leader, she's really taken charge." Sukki replied.
" How are you feeling Katara?" Aang asked concerned.
" Pretty good today, we had a nice day." Katara replied smiling.
" How about you ladies whippin' up some supper, I'm starving." Sokka said.
" When aren't you starving?" Suki replied shaking her head as the girls headed toward the kitchen.
" Make sure it's got meat in it!" Sokka shouted to them from the other room.
As they were getting ready for bed that night, Aang noticed that Katara had been rubbing her abdomen gently for quite awhile.
" Katara, are you okay? You're not in pain are you?" He asked concerned.
" I'm fine. Why do you ask?" She replied.
" Well, I've noticed that you've been rubbing you stomach for a while, and it looks... kinda... swollen." He said. " I mean... more than usual." He added quickly.
" Oh, I guess I am getting pretty fat." She said chuckling. " I'm fine. Really, Aang." She added smiling softly.
Aang walked over to her and placed his hand on her abdomen trying to find the baby's energy and a huge grin spread across his face, he found it. He could feel the baby's energy but it was an unusual energy, unlike any he had felt before. Strong, but changing constantly. Almost like it was moving or coming from different places. He wasn't sure what would cause this, but he smiled at Katara as if all was well, he didn't want to alarm her. He didn't feel like something was wrong with the baby, just that something was different or unusual. He bent down and kissed her abdomen then they turned in for the night. Both having trouble falling asleep, both thinking about their unborn child.