Day 6

Moffitt suspected the pleasantness of summer weather wasn't going to last much longer. The warmth of the afternoon was gradually giving way to cool evenings, each one cooler than the last. The daylight, too, was getting shorter. As much as Moffitt enjoyed autumn, he didn't like going into work and driving home in darkness. At least there were a couple of months before he needed to worry about that. Right now, there were other things to worry about, namely, his wife. Vanora hadn't seemed well the last few days. She was finally seeing a doctor that day, but it meant Moffitt was alone on his drive to and from the university. His heart had been pounding rapidly, nonstop, all day. He hoped everything was alright.

He paused to greet the horses as he went from the driveway to the house, giving Snowstripe in particular some good scratches, then headed inside to check on Vanora. His heart was pounding with anxiety as he closed the front door and hung up his jacket. "Hello, darling!" he called.

"Hello, Jack!" Vanora called from the parlor.

"What did the doctor say?"

Vanora sighed. "You just got home, love."

"I know, but forgive me for being worried about you."

"Come on, dear, you knew this was going to happen," Anah said as she slithered out of the parlor. She smiled up at Moffitt. "I will get your tea ready."

"Well? What's going on?" Moffitt asked. "I don't like that neither of you will tell me. Is Vanora okay?"

"Yes, Jack, I'm okay." Vanora stepped out of the parlor, with a smile on her face. "I think it would be best that you sit."

"W-Why? What is—"

"Just sit, Jack."

Moffitt's heart was still racing in his chest as he sat, and he began clenching and unclenching his fists with nerves. "Alright, so what's this about?"

"I'm a little surprised you haven't guessed. After all, what did we talk about a few months ago? And what have we been trying to do since then?"

"We talk about a lot of things, darling, and we've done lots of things, too. That doesn't narrow this down."

"Just tell him," Anah said with a slight giggle as she started chopping some pieces of chicken.

"Oh, alright." Vanora took a chair closest to her husband. She took Moffitt's hands and squeezed them tightly. "Jack… I'm pregnant."

Blood drained from Moffitt's face. "Wait… hold on… you… y-you're—"

"Yes."

"Th-This isn't a joke."

"No."

Moffitt looked at Anah, who grinned at him before saying, "You did the deed, dear, I am surprised you did not suspect it right away. Have you forgotten how many times you told me to give you two some privacy?"

"Anah!" Moffitt flushed red. A hundred thoughts and feelings were racing through him as he turned back to Vanora. "Darling, I… s-sorry, I'm trying to process this."

"What do you think I've spent the last few hours doing?" Vanora asked.

"Doing the same thing, I imagine." Moffitt squeezed his wife's hands in return. "Well, I'm glad you're alright, and we're going to keep it that way."

"I have a few months before I have to start really restricting what I can do, love."

"Still. I want what'll be best for our future little bundle of joy. I'm not saying 'do nothing,' but just… be careful, alright?"

"I will."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Vanora leaned forward to kiss Moffitt's cheek.

Moffitt's worry over Vanora gradually gave way to the realization that he was going to be a father. He lay awake that night, heart pounding and stomach churning while he stared up at the ceiling. When he couldn't stand his own thoughts anymore, he looked at Anah, coiled up under his blue scarf on the nightstand. "Anah?" he whispered.

The cobra raised her head. "Yes, dear? Are you alright?"

"No, not really."

"Thinking about becoming a father?"

"Yes. I… don't think I can do it."

"Oh, nonsense, dear, you will be wonderful."

"No, I won't. I… L-Look at me, Anah. I'm a mess." Moffitt sat up, giving a heavy sigh. "Already, I've set them up for failure. I have no confidence. I blame myself for everything. I have combat fatigue. I'm—"

"Dear, dear, please," Anah slithered over to Moffitt's lap from the nightstand, "Shh. Relax." She wrapped her tail around his hand. "Everything is going to be okay. You are going to be a wonderful father."

"Honestly, Anah, what makes you think that?"

"I just know, dear. You have so many people who can help you, too."

Moffitt nodded. "You're right. I do."

"You know I am looking forward to helping, right?"

"Oh, I know. You were very happy when I told you that Vanora and I felt ready to try. You're going to be a very good… snake-nanny."

Anah gave him a look. "No, no, no, no, I am not going to be a nanny. Do not ever refer to me as a nanny."

Moffitt's expression became confused. "Why?"

"Because to me, 'nanny' means someone who constantly looks after a child because their parents cannot—or will not—do so themselves. You and Vanora are not going to be like that." Anah gave him a worried look. "Right?"

"No, of course not. Alright, I won't refer to you as a nanny, and I'll tell Vanora that in the morning."

"I would appreciate that, dear."

Moffitt was quiet for a few moments, looking back up at the ceiling. A thought struck him, and he returned his gray gaze to Anah. "My parents had hired someone to look after me and Michael for a few years until we were able to learn how to take care of ourselves. I never felt like Mother and Father weren't involved with our lives, though."

Anah looked down at his chest. "Back in Egypt, before… before I was taken to be sealed in the temple, the witch I originally served… she spent many months out of the year being cared for by someone who was not family. Her parents took many trips up and down the Nile, collecting potion ingredients and various magical objects, some of which were robbed from ancient tombs."

"Well, you already know Vanora and I don't do that," Moffitt said. "No, we'll all a family. Me, Vanora, the baby, and you." A lot of work goes into maintaining a good family. I don't know if I can do it.

Talking with Anah helped a little in getting Moffitt to sleep, but in the morning, he began wondering if he was doomed to never have a restful night again. He feared every night would be wracked with nerves from here on out. After a quick breakfast, he decided to make a call to Germany. Troy, Hitch, and Tully were currently serving in Korea, leaving Moffitt with only one other friend—Dietrich. The last year or so had been nice, though, as it gave Moffitt and Dietrich a multitude of chances to bond. Dietrich had become a very calming presence now that he was making great improvements in the fight against his depression. If anyone could help Moffitt's nerves, it was the skinny German who gave him and the Rats quite a bit of trouble in North Africa.

Despite it being an hour later in the day for Dietrich, he sounded like he had just gotten out of bed. Moffitt immediately felt bad for pestering him, but said anything, "Good morning, Dietrich. Do you… have a moment to talk?"

"Go ahead, but be warned that I only just started my coffee," Dietrich replied.

"Alright. Well, uh…" Moffitt ran his fingers through his hair. "Vanora's pregnant."

The sound of Dietrich spitting out his coffee in shock could easily be heard through the phone. "Hold on… repeat that please?"

"I said, Vanora is pregnant."

"Okay, so I did not mishear you. Goodness, that is not what I was expecting to hear today."

"I wasn't expecting to learn this yesterday, but it's true. We're going to have a baby."

"Congratulations, then. Are you calling to ask for my help when the baby arrives?"

"If you're offering, I wouldn't mind. I feel bad for Troy and the others. They'll learn by letter, but I'm sure they'd rather be here for me."

"Knowing them, absolutely."

"Truthfully, Dietrich, I'm calling because… I need reassurance. Something, anything to convince me that everything's going to be okay. Right now, I feel like I'm not going to be a good father."

"Well, you cannot be worse than my father, that is for sure. You have not let your combat fatigue beat you into the ground, and you would certainly not stand by and watch your wife abuse your children."

It hurt Moffitt to know Dietrich was speaking from experience. "No, I would never let that happen."

"This may sound a little strange, but I think the fact that you are worried is a good sign. You care. I can hear in your voice that you care—and the baby is not even here yet."

"No. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to when the baby arrives. I just… I'm worried I won't be able to raise him or her well."

"I think you will, even with some of your own problems."

"Really?"

"Well, you are aware of your problems. You are working to fix them, or make them a little more manageable. It will take time, yes, but it will not make raising a child impossible."

"You know better than anyone about fixing difficult problems with yourself."

"Yes." Dietrich trailed off. "I… do." He sighed.

"As much as things have changed between me and my own father, I already know I don't want to make the mistakes he did. I'm not going to be pushy or…" Moffitt paused, realizing what he was about to say. "Dietrich, can I trust you to keep this between just you and me?"

"Of course."

"I'm already deciding that I am not going to force my child to attend Cambridge—or any university. I want it to be his or her own decision to go or not. I know that Cambridge has been a tradition in my family for over two hundred years, but it… it didn't exactly make things pleasant with me and my father for a while. Studying the desert was truly fun in the beginning, but when that became my career, my path at the university, everything became just about my marks and nothing else. It came close to destroying all my relationships."

"Are you worried about what your family will say?"

"A little, yes."

"Well, no matter what they say, you know you have me, Troy, Hitch, and Tully with you all the way—especially Troy in this matter. You know his feelings about university."

"I know now, after he didn't tell us for so many years." Moffitt released his breath. "Thank you, Dietrich. I… I can't express in words how much this means to me."

"You are welcome, Moffitt. Let me know if you or Vanora need anything."

"I will." After saying his goodbye, Moffitt went into the parlor to sit with his wife. He nuzzled and kissed Vanora's face. "How are you, darling?"

"Doing alright for the moment," Vanora replied. "Anah told me you had a rough night."

"Ah. I… I did, yes. Did she mention why?"

"Yes. I know she already said this to you, but I'm going to say it again to reiterate the point—you're going to be a wonderful father, Jack."

Moffitt tried to let Vanora's words sink in. It was difficult with how dense his anxiety felt. "I hope so."

"You will be, love." Vanora kissed his cheek. "We talked about this quite a bit before we started trying."

"I know, but now… now it's real."

Vanora took Moffitt's hand. "I'm a little bit worried as well. You've met my parents and you know my upbringing… left much to be desired. We both want to give our child something better, and I think we can do that. I'm happy this is real and not just something we're daydreaming about."

"I think you're going to be a wonderful mother. You have a good point, about us wanting to do better than what we experienced growing up. Dietrich said something similar—by the way, he told us 'congratulations,' and he's offered to help out whenever we need it."

"Oh, that's good. I'm sure we'll be able to take him up on that offer." Vanora rested her head on Moffitt's shoulder. "Cuddle?"

Moffitt smiled, giving Vanora a hug and letting her lay against him. "Of course. Anything for you."

He had a lot of memorable moments throughout his life, but holding his newborn son in his arms for the first time nine months later was something he would rank as special as his wedding day. Jules Michael Moffitt was a quiet baby, and perfectly healthy, like his parents had prayed for. His father still worried at times about his ability to take care of Jules, but while pacing around Vanora's room at the hospital with the baby in his arms, Moffitt kissed his son's forehead, whispering, "I never thought I'd be here, but now that I am here, I'm going to my best to give you a happy and successful life. I promise."