Chapter 63: Liruna-Rani
A/N: Guest, thanks for your comment! I agree that Lilou is the underrated hero of the story. She's loyalty on four paws :-)
Tomalak, your comment made me laugh tears! It really wouldn't surprise me if Letant had had to break into his own bathroom back on Romulus!
romulanlover, I'm so please that you're enjoying the realistic touch I added to Asha's pregnancy and women's (and men's) bodies. I really don't know why pregnancies, relationships etc. are made so look so flawless and easy-breezy in tons of movies and books.
Yes, Letant is completely tactless and simply belts out his thoughts, much to everyone's annoyance. On the other hand, he's genuine, affectionate and protective about his loved ones.
And yes, there will be a sequel focusing on Asha and Vekal's daughter. Need to have some Human-Romulan girl-power in a separate fanfic :-)
Alaya Karangalan, Letant is great for comic relief. He doesn't care about social etiquette (whether Romulan or Human), but at the same time, he's shrewd, wise and very affectionate. However, Lilou managed to teach him a lesson by (literally) expressing her disapproval and ruining his pants for good. It also has to be said that Vekal handled the more challenging aspects of Asha's pregnancy rather poorly, too. Well, they'll all live and learn :-)
Note: "Ri'nanov" means "mother". "Rani" is a Hindi word and means "queen." I got the name "Liruna" from a Romulan name generator on the web. "Fvadt" is a Romulan swear word and means "Damn!".
Two months before her due date, Asha and Vekal went through names for their daughter and were able to quickly agree on that matter. As per Romulan tradition, the name of the child was only pronounced after its birth. Referring to the baby by name during pregnancy was said to bring misfortune, as it was taking the life of the baby for granted. Asha was not sure what to think about this, and her parents found it ridiculous, But for Vekal, whose first child had been a miscarriage, it was very important, and so they both followed this tradition. On the other hand, Vekal had become far calmer about Asha's pregnancy and stopped scanning her stomach secretly in the middle of the night, much to her relief.
During her next appointment with Doctor Metak, Asha mentioned how it hadn't always been the case with Humans that men were present while their partner gave birth. And that some who were present fainted.
"Romulan men and women have attended the birthing process of their partner since they arrived on Romulus! And I can't recall one ever fainting," Doctor Metak said proudly. "In some provinces, drummers are brought in to encourage the mother to give birth more easily."
"I really can't imagine having drummers in the room while I'm giving birth. I'd probably throw their drumsticks at them," Asha remarked.
Vekal chuckled softly in the background.
"I have no doubt you would," Doctor Metak said dryly. "Due to our warrior traditions, Romulan women prefer natural birthing. Medical interventions are only for emergencies."
"I want what's best for me and my daughter," Asha said firmly. "And from what all mothers have told me, giving birth is not exactly like spending the day at a spa, even in this century."
"Absolutely," Doctor Metak confirmed. "You'll be getting a painkiller, of course."
"So this is where Romulan tradition and practicality meet?" Asha joked.
"Yes," the doctor smiled.
"I wonder what breastfeeding her will be like. Mom told me it's not half as romantic as it it's portrayed and that it can be quite uncomfortable."
Doctor Metak reassured her that in this age and century, there were several ways to alleviate breastfeeding discomfort.
The ninth month rolled around, and Asha was quite breathless getting through the days with her huge stomach. She was used to her daughter's kicking, stretching and other acrobatics, but the body changes were a different story. Her ankles were swollen, her breasts were sore and her body had changed in other uncomfortable ways.
"Bah, just look at me! I have to waddle around like an intoxicated goose," she said to Kihika. "And everyone and everything is smelling of cows. Except for my deyhhan."
Kihika laughed. "You won't have to wait for long. Our baby is due in ten days."
Asha liked how everyone in the house was saying "our baby". It gave her a sense of security, knowing that her daughter would grow up in a warm community. Vekal kept hovering around her, much to her combined annoyance and amusement. When he made up excuses to drop in during lunchtime, she decided it was too much and practically marched him back his workplace. Doctor Metak, too, told him that Asha was fine on her own, and Letant wasted no time in teasing him mercilessly, after which he flounced over to visit Asha.
He was quite nonplussed when she wrinkled her nose and claimed that he smelt of cows.
"If you are attempting to retaliate for my blunder with the, er, flatulence-"
"Oh, that!" Asha waved dismissively with her hand. "Everyone else is smelling funny, too. Even Lilou has an odd musty odour about her. I tried giving her a bath, but she managed to hide under the bed. Only Vekal smells wonderful."
Letant's eyes widened, and he coughed delicately behind one hand.
"You tried giving Lilou a bath?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes. Of course she gets baths regularly, this would have just been an extra one."
Letant's mischievous expression crept back. "Your nose will sort itself out after you give birth, my dear girl," he chuckled. "As for Vekal proving to be the olfactory exception...He is your mate and the father of your child, so it's probably as simple as that."
She winced as she sat down.
"Are you in a lot of discomfort?" Letant inquired solicitously.
"Haemorrhoids."
"Oh dear," he murmured, patting her arm. "That will sort itself out too after birth."
"Why do I have the strange feeling that everything will sort itself out after birth?" she grumbled. Then she stroked her stomach.
"She's calm now."
"She knows she's due soon. She's getting ready," Letant smiled.
"Good. She's a real stomachful, and it's awfully uncomfortable."
Three days before her due date, Asha had a vivid dream in which she saw Thorek, Vreenak, Christine and an older Romulan couple – Vekal's parents, murdered by the Tal Shiar. She looked down at herself. Her stomach was flat, and she began to panic, but Thorek stepped forward and took her hand, guiding her towards she knew not what.
"Thorek'ev," she whispered, tears running down her cheeks, "where is my baby?"
"Here, Ashaya," he said. And a lovely young woman approached, very tall, Romulan, yet not, and Asha knew at once who she was, and called her by the name Vekal and she had chosen with such care. The woman smiled, and the dream ended.
Asha woke up calling out for her yet unborn daughter, her hands on her swollen stomach. Vekal, startled, turned on the light.
"Asha? Did you dream?" he inquired softly. She told him about what she had seen. Vekal was silent for a few moments, then he said: "Romulans say that sometimes, dreams are messages from the ones we have lost. When we sleep, our minds are…in the driver's seat, is that correct?"
Asha smiled and nodded. Vekal resumed: "Some might be of the opinion that dreams are only a part of the brain's filtering mechanism. Nothing more and nothing less. I believe that your loved ones and mine are preparing to guide our paenhe towards what lies outside your womb. Or maybe you are subconsciously calling upon their memories to give you strength for the labour."
Asha felt the child stir in her, as if she knew that her parents were talking about her.
Two nights later, Vekal was on tenterhooks as his wife shifted and turned, stroking her enormous abdomen every now and then. After a nerve-racking silence of about twenty minutes, she suddenly got up and went to the bathroom. She came out after a few minutes and turned on the light.
"Vekal," she announced, her eyes bright with eagerness despite the late hour, "our baby is coming."
For one of the very few times she could remember, Vekal shed his composure. He had commanded Warbirds during his later military service before changing careers, thrived in a leadership role and started afresh on Earth, but all this paled in comparison to the oncoming birth of his child.
He rushed for their bag, called out to Kihika to start the flitter, pulled on his trousers inside-out and helped her down the stairs.
"My ailhun, she won't be born in the flitter?" he asked.
"No, no, our daughter knows what she's doing," Asha panted.
"Are you sure?"
"Ask her once she's out…Fvadt!" She groaned as another contraction hit her. Kihika drove the flitter round to the front door, and Vereth had her hands full with soothing Lilou, who was stubbornly trying to join her owners in the vehicle, and alerting Doctor Metak.
Once Asha was inside the flitter, Vekal took her hand, and she squeezed his fingers.
As she focused on her contractions, breathing deeply, Vekal sent a message on his PADD to Letant. The former Senator woke up grumbling loudly. Then he saw the message and leapt out of bed, knocking over a large raptor figurine with a deafening crash. The heavy metal statue dented the floor, but he didn't care. He also kept a huge decorative gong with a powerful mallet in the room, shipped from Romulus, and was intrigued to discover that Humans had gongs, too.
"Asha t'Jo'rek is giving birth!" he shouted, grabbing the mallet and banging it several times against the gong.
In contrast to Humans, the quick metabolism and cardiovascular makeup of Romulans prevented them from feeling groggy or woozy after having their sleep so rudely interrupted, though being hasty-tempered people, they were mightily disgruntled at first. On hearing that their mayor's baby was on the way, however, grumbling soon turned into enthusiasm. One group of people left with Letant, the others remained behind to guard the building and lit lanterns to symbolically guide the baby towards the light outside the womb.
And so it was that Letant showed up at the Romulan hospital with half the embassy staff.
In the meantime, Asha was in labour, and when Vekal left her side briefly in quest of the bathroom, he discovered Senator Letant in the corridor, looking neat and pristine. A whole lot of Romulans were standing or sitting, speaking in hushed tones. Letant smirked slightly.
"Are you ready to go into labour?" he greeted Vekal.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Your trousers, my friend. Look at your trousers. They're inside out."
Vekal looked and rushed to the bathroom.
"You're quite a star," Doctor Metak said to Asha when Vekal returned and updated them on Letant's arrival.
"A...fan club, is that correct?" the Romulan assistant asked.
"Uuuunghhh," Asha groaned, too busy, sticky and sweaty to be impressed or answer questions about English vocabulary.
"Trust Letant to arrive with pomp," Vekal observed, smiling.
"The same cannot be said of our daughter," Asha snapped, gasping. "This is so undignified! I think I just shat!"
"Yes, that's completely normal in Romulans, too," the assistant murmured. Asha shot a triumphant look at Doctor Metak, who managed to remain completely deadpan.
"How beautiful!" the assistant said, gazing at the infant. Liruna-Rani Christine Sen t'Jo'rek was a big sturdy girl. She had inherited her golden-brown colour and heart-shaped mouth from her mother, together with her father's ears and brow ridges. She also had lots of fine black hair. Asha placed her hand tenderly on the warm sticky bundle which was put on her chest immediately after birth. Vekal had the honour of cutting the umbilical cord. While Liruna was checked and cleaned up, Asha was allowed to wobble her way to the adjacent bathroom and shower. She was soaked with sweat, her hair was a sticky mess, and her bowels had also had their say during the labour. She looked and smelt like a terror. There were certain things where even state-of-the-art healthcare had its limits.
As per Romulan custom, the couple was given special robes to initiate them into their new roles as parents.
Asha received her baby again, both of them fresh and clean.
"Liru," she whispered, resting her cheek against the baby's head. It wasn't long until it was time for the very first nursing, after which Asha was even more than thoroughly exhausted. When Vekal spoke to her and received no answer, he noticed she had gone to sleep. He sat down engrossed in his baby daughter, who showed her awareness of him by defecating on him.
Then Kihika and Letant joined him and took turns holding the baby. Letant was wearing a sappy expression on his face completely unbecoming of a Senator. Finally, he bent his head and planted a smacking kiss on the baby's forehead.
The other Romulans crowded around him. Liruna couldn't be bothered and continued to sleep as they took turns holding her, including an elderly admiral who was known for his grouchy disposition. He broke into an untuneful lullaby. Letant grimaced and rubbed his ear vigorously.
"Stop that infernal noise!" he barked. "You'll wake her up!"
Admiral tr'Maiek broke off and glared at him. Kihika quickly and skilfully extracted Liruna from his arms while a fierce argument broke out between him and Letant about the former's singing skills. It took six Romulans to calm both of them down.
Later, when Liruna opened her eyes (which were rather unfocused and settled on people in an appalling squint), her parents saw that they were brown like Vekal's and with the shape of Asha's large eyes. However, there was a sliver of green in the iris of her left eye. Heterochromia was unheard of in Romulans, rare in Humans and considered a fluke. It just happened. In Liruna's case, however, it seemed to have a genetic component, considering her mother's odd-coloured eyes.
Asha's parents and friends visited the next day. André, now a proud godfather, was sporting bright orange hair, and Asha's mother had worn a sari for the occasion. Maya, who was godmother, was telling her son about the common roots Vulcans and Romulans shared. Liruna was fussed over, covered with kisses and exactly twenty-four hours after her birth, her brow-ridges were painted green, to symbolise that she was a warrior who would defend family and friends with her own blood. Lilou, too, was introduced to the baby. The set'leth studied her closely, and Asha had the feeling that the two would band up together in the future and wreak havoc.
