Another long one.
Whilst waiting for Lo'ak to come back, Kaliua reflects on her pregnancy.
In other words, author published the last chapter too soon and needs to fill in the huge time gap ?
~
playlist/0ypdkGuQnq83SSSw5JmJzU?si=7f1d8bcb8bf44408
Looking back on it, Kailua realised she spent her whole, and potentially only, pregnancy worrying about everything and anything. She didn't actually enjoy any of it, worrying that she'd wake up one day with blood everywhere and another failed relationship. There were two, and only two, moments that she shared with Lo'ak and enjoyed.
One was the heartbeat. The other was finding out the gender.
Kailua had worked herself into a panic attack after Tsireya's test came back positive, leaving her little sister to talk her down again. That very same day, she begged Norm to run a test to make sure her baby was okay before she got her hopes up. Norm smiled softly and nodded. "Of course. Come with me, and I'll get Cass to do the scan," She briefly glanced back over her shoulder. "I'm assuming the baby is Jake's kid?"
Kailua blinked. "No," She said, frowning. "It's not Lo'ak's?" Norm asked back. "Oh. Yes. I thought you were asking if the baby was Jake's," Kailua sighed. "Sorry. Poor choice of words," Norm grimaced, opening a door. "I'll get him here. Lo'ak, that is."
"So, looking at your blood, I would say you're around five months, maybe nineteen to twenty weeks. We should, fingers crossed, be able to see what baby is." Cass smiled. Kailua's eyes widened. "So soon? But I only took the test a week ago!"
The nurse smiled again. "Well, before a woman even suspects she's carrying, it'll be five weeks along. Most don't even suspect until six or seven weeks at best." She cleared her throat. "And sometimes after... the first time, her cycles can be off kilter by a few weeks..."
Kailua side-eyed Lo'ak for a brief moment. He stayed looking at Cass.
"Right. Um... you can either close your eyes or leave the room momentarily. I have to insert this into Kailua's-" The nurse began. "Nope! I'm leaving!" Kailua giggled as the "man" rushed out of the room, covering his eyes. Cass laughed as well. "Happens every time," She said. "Now, it'll be cold. So fair warning," Kailua nodded and gazed up to the ceiling as the... thing... was inserted. She gasped sharply. "I know, I'm sorry. It is very cold."
She placed a blanket over Kailua's legs and called Lo'ak back in. "This is usually the part parents love the most," The nurse smiled. Kailua shut her eyes, begging her to hurry up.
But then-
A quiet, very quiet, whooshing.
Kailua frowned and craned her head to the screen. "What is that?" She asked. The nurse smiled softly. "It's your baby's heart. Very strong, and very healthy," Kailua's mouth fell open. She listened in awe, as the tiny, little baby, began beating. She turned to Lo'ak, smiling as he grabbed her hand. "I can also see the baby's sex if you'd like to know," Cass smiled, wiggling the... thing... in the air. Kailua glanced over to Lo'ak. "I don't want to know. But if he does, by all means, tell him," She covered her ears and began to hum softly.
Judging by the wide smile on his face, it was what he wanted.
Kailua approached her eighth month of pregnancy and wanted it over. She'd been sick constantly throughout, in pain for the last seven weeks and just felt like overall shite. After Ao'nung had forced Kailua to tell Lo'ak about the pregnancy, and seeing the baby, Lo'ak made the official announcement to her parents that they were courting again and had mated. They had yet to connect with Tsaheylu, and both were fine with that. Kailua didn't believe in mating with Tsaheylu without iknimaya completion, and neither did Lo'ak. Her mama and dad weren't the happiest about it was an understatement. Mama was outraged that it had happened again and began shouting and hissing about how "It isn't the way!" while Dad stewed in disappointed silence.
Jake and Neytiri took to it a bit better than hers did, though Neytiri had a similar approach to the situation that Ronal had. As per the rules, Kailua and Lo'ak were given an empty hut to live life in. Neither lived in it for longer than a few days before missing their families and returning to their old huts. Kailua hit her seventh month with no further issues other than that stupid sickness thing that Norm said she had. Kailua and Lo'ak had argued again, for the fifth time that week. She screamed that he left her to tend to the hut by herself, while he screamed he had to hunt for food because she couldn't… the standard, really. She turned away, bearing her teeth to the wall so she didn't rip out his throat.
Her pregnancy had also made her angrier, was that apparent? Lo'ak huffed angrily, slamming objects down behind her. She spun back, ready to tear him a new one when her stomach cramped painfully. She grabbed it tightly, breath frozen in her lungs. Lo'ak rolled his eyes. "Don't go using that as an excuse," He snapped. Kailua ignored him, focussing on her baby. Mothers bonded with the baby first, as the baby's queue was linked directly with their own. If the father wanted to feel the baby, he would have to connect with the mother via Tsaheylu.
The baby was quiet… too quiet. She looked up, fear turning her body to stone. "I can't feel the baby,"
After a panicked visit to Norm, the baby was fine. The little shit was sleeping. The pain she'd felt? The baby stretched out and kicked harshly. As she lay on their bedroll that night, Lo'ak long asleep at her side, she found her worry being eased when the baby chirped and squirmed softly within her womb. She grabbed her queue and began playing with the braids protecting it. They'd need redoing before the birth. Eywa knows a baby's grip is the strongest force. If her queue was grabbed by her little cherub and yanked, it may very well kill her.
She sighed softly and sat up, stretching her back to relieve the pressure on it. Lo'ak stirred softly as she moved from his embrace. She smiled wanly as his eyes opened. "Can't sleep?" He asked. She shook her head. "Me either," He grunted as he sat up. Kailua gestured to her swollen bump. "Baby's keeping me up." The anxiety of nearly losing baby is keeping me up.
Lo'ak put his large warm hand on her belly, nodding. "I get it," He whispered. Kailua dropped her queue and stroked the top of her bump. A smile split her face when the baby moved towards Lo'ak's voice. She reached for his queue, grabbing it and bringing it close. Lo'ak flinched back with wide eyes. "I'm sorry for whatever I've done," He said. Kailua snorted. "No. Baby likes your voice," She smiled. Her hand holding his queue faltered. "Do-do you wanna feel?"
Lo'ak grinned. "Hell yeah," He whispered. Kailua brought her queue forth and inhaled shakily. "Ready?" She asked. Lo'ak grabbed his and put them close. Her entire being vibrated with the proximity of the queues. "Ready,"
They connected, sending a rush of thoughts and emotions through Kailua's body. She shut her eyes tightly for a split second. The bed he was on felt warm and soft. He liked the feel of her loincloth. He liked removing it even more. He loved his family. He feels guilty about Neteyam and Spider. He misses his mom. He misses his dad. He misses his home. She smelled a little like his home. Not quite as sea-like as Ao'nung or Tsireya did.
He loved her.
Kailua opened her eyes, gazing into his large amber ones. She grinned. "Talk. And baby will move,"
Whilst all good things come to an end eventually, Kaliua didn't think it would happen to her. After her and Lo'ak made Tsaheylu, everything improved. She finally knew what it was like to have a mate. He always knew what she wanted, and what baby wanted. He knew when she was in pain, and would do what he could to lessen it. By now, it had become so natural, he'd come in from a day of training and hunting, connect their queues and talk to baby whilst Kailua finished sewing a baby cloth.
Yet; everything comes to an end. Kailua had just passed her thirty-sixth week, or eighth month, of pregnancy when the Sullys were called back to the forest as an emergent situation.
Mo'at was dying.
They'd packed up quickly. Tsireya insisted on helping, and so did Kailua to her best efforts. She helped pack up Tuk's clothing, a few toys and a couple of river beads she found. When she tried to help Neytiri load them onto the Ikrans, the usually stone-cold woman smiled warmly. "We will be back before the baby arrives. She placed her four-fingered hands across her bump, shutting her eyes quickly. "I promise. If we are to be any longer than two weeks, I will send my boys back early to be with you," She touched Kailua's shoulder softly. "Keep my grandchild safe, you hear me?"
Kailua grinned. "Wish Mo'at well for me," She bade goodbye and they flew off. She and Lo'ak had exchanged a goodbye of sorts the night before... not many words were said, but plenty of touching was.
Lo'ak had been gone four days when Kailau's waters broke. Whilst he was away, Tsireya had moved in temporarily in case she went into labour in the night. Handy. Still only being thirty-six weeks, she'd panicked herself into an anxiety attack. Poor sixteen-year-old Tsireya woke up to her sister struggling to breathe on the ground, crying that she was going to lose the baby. Tsireya had rushed over, stroking her head and focusing her breathing to match her own. After several minutes of reassurance, Kailua calmed down. "We'll take a nice walk to the hot springs, yes? Mama did it with Aroh and said it helped her labour pains. Come,"
Kailua waddled off slowly, pressing her fingers into the small of her pulsating back to relieve the pressure. Tsireya rushed off to summon a healer to the birthing hut and their mother as well. Tsahik was supposed to deliver the children of Oloy'ektan or Tsahik of the generation afterwards. So, Ronal would have to help her daughters give birth and help Ao'nung's mate give birth as well.
Kailua stayed in the hot springs with the healer checking her dilation every hour for twenty-six hours. Twenty...six...fucking...hours.
Lo'ak would be proud of the terminology. Finally, as she hit her twenty-seventh hour of agonising pain, the healer smiled brightly. "I think you're just about ready, yawne!" Kailua couldn't match her enthusiasm. "Yay..." She cheered weakly.
