A/N: Shocking everyone, including myself with this update, I never do next day updates, always prefer for it to simmer in people's minds a bit and also because I never have time, but it's bank holiday here and I have my first night shift tomorrow so trying to stay up and had a bit of spare time. You can thank Haneypots who specifically requested an early update (this is a one time thing! XD) and also Pyrenees for being ill as a get-well gift (pls don't make a habit of getting ill tho my friend XD). It's shorter one so I apologise for that, but it still packs a punch! I want to take another moment just to thank all of you, your excitement for this story just makes me more excited for it too.
Responses to guest reviews:
Haneypots: Lol Jin would totally be third wheeling if she came haha. You know what's funny, one other person said the opposite and that they still cringe hahaha, I guess I've sprinkled it in enough that its kinda the norm now huh? Life is never simple friend XD Exactly! It's like he's learning right alongside his son XD Oh no, I'm gonna need to buy some wigs to hide the baldness! XD You know what, your wish is my command, enjoy this early update ;)
A: What can I say, the guy has a thing for strong, caring women even with no memories XD I like that thought and its true for the most part, I don't think you can really stop loving someone, but there's just so much hurt mixed in that it's hard to be able to realise the love is still there. Well, I wouldn't want to torture you and everyone if they didn't…I don't think XD Ahh you chose the fluffy line that is literally the embodiment of Aang, good pick. I'm gonna see if I can work on writing more lines similar to that later on in the story XD
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2 Weeks Later:
Katara's POV:
I avoid my ex-husband like the plague for the next two weeks. The first week was easy because he ended up being called away for Avatar business. The second week was much harder when he came back, but I always made sure that whenever he came by to pick up Yatsu for an outing that it was Yun who greeted the man. I used the excuse of working a string of nights to dodge him. Except that excuse runs out today because Yun has to travel to an annual meeting in a different city, a few hundred miles away. Usually I'd also attend the meeting, but with the kids around and no available babysitters, it means one of us has to stay behind.
"You know you could give it a skip this year." I point out as I watch my fiancé pack the last things in his bag. The earthbender gazes at me with a half-smile as he pushes himself up to his feet.
"I've agreed to give a few presentations at the conference, so I can't bail I'm afraid. Besides, Fuki will be spending the next several days at her grandparents which gives you one less person to take care of." Yun explains as he picks up his suitcase. I chew my lip as I rest my hip against the doorway.
"I know, but...it will be strange being here without you and Fuki around." I mumble as the man comes to stand before me with a smirk.
"You mean, you're sad that you'll lose me as your physical barrier against your ex." The consultant points out slyly and I reach out to punch his bicep.
"Shhh." I hush, but the man laughs as he leans in to peck my forehead.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine. I'm only a call away if you need me. And try not to push yourself so hard, I've barely seen you take a break these last couple of weeks." Yun murmurs as he cups my cheek briefly. My lips twitch into a half smile.
"You worry too much. I'm switching back to day shifts after tomorrow anyway, so no need to worry." I say smoothly as he eyes me carefully.
"If you say so. I'll be off, but I think Aang mentioned he was swinging by in an hour to pick up Yatsu for a trip to the museum. Try not to give him a hard time." My fiancé requests with a grin. I snort and cross my arms.
"Just as long as he doesn't try to talk to me more than necessary then it will be fine." I throw back as I follow the man down the stairs and until the entrance of the house. "Take care." I bid as I lean forward to wrap him in a hug.
"I will. I'll see you in a few days." Yun bids as he pulls back from the hug and waves goodbye. I wait until his car leaves the driveway before closing the house door. I move to find Yatsu who's busy looking down his microscope. Seeing him actually use it weeks down the line makes me relieved and yet a biting sensation pierces through me each time I remember who he bought it with.
"Yatsu, don't forget to get ready for when your Dad comes." I say and the boy nods his head before going back to staring through the microscope lens. I sigh and shake my head to myself as I make my way upstairs to fold up the clothes.
On my way up, I notice my vision blurring and I almost take a misstep. I groan and hold onto the banister. 'Great, I've pushed myself too hard again. Maybe I'll just lie down for a few minutes.' I think to myself as I head to my bedroom. I can feel my temples beginning to throb with a headache and I grimace. 'I think I've forgotten to take my iron tablets.' I realise tiredly as I lie on my bed. I close my eyes. 'Just for a few minutes.' I think blearily as my head starts to feel fuzzy. I'm out like a light several moments later. I only awake when I feel someone shaking my arm.
"Katara? Katara!" A masculine voice calling my name urgently has me rousing from sleep.
"Daddy, Mummy gets ill a lot." When I hear Yatsu's voice and who he's referring to, my eyes snap open. Or at least they try to. It feels like my eyelids are too heavy to lift.
"She does?" I hear the man croak back as the shaking of my arm continues.
I groan and force my eyes open. Everything looks blurry, but after a few blinks, my vision clears. My ex-husband's face is the first thing I see and when he sees me awake his pinched face turns into relief. He pulls back when I move to sit up, but he remains perched on the edge of the bed.
"What are you doing here?" I mutter as I scoot slightly away from him. Instead of replying, my ex-husband stretches out his arm and rests his palm against my forehead. It's only then do I notice how cool his hand is compared to me.
"You're running a fever." The Airbender mutters as he turns to look at his son. "Sorry buddy, but I think we should give the museum a miss today. Your Mum's ill and I don't feel good about her leaving her alone." The Air Nomad apologises, but Yatsu nods with understanding.
"That's ok Daddy! Are you going to look after Mummy?" The boy queries, surprising the man.
"That's not necessary." I interrupt as I push back the duvet with the intention of standing up, but as soon as I move, my head spins and I find myself dipping forward. Two large hands grasp my shoulders to stop my fall. 'Shoot. Why did I have to become ill now?' I complain silently as I close my eyes briefly.
"Katara?" My ex-husband whispers gently and I re-open my eyes to realise that my head is resting against his chest. I jerk back quickly, only to end up flopping back onto the mattress.
"Ouch." I mumble as I bring a hand to my face and massage my forehead as my head throbs.
"I'll grab some towels." Yatsu announces and disappears out from the bedroom. The Air Nomad follows our son out with his eyes before returning his gaze to me as he frowns.
"It sounds like he's done this a lot before." My ex-husband notes with furrowed eyebrows. I stare at him from my position lying down and it just feels so uncomfortable for him to be this close to me.
"He's a bright boy." I say nonchalantly, purposely ignoring his silent question. He notices and his frown deepens.
"What did he mean that you get ill a lot?" My ex-husband asks seriously and my stomach clenches. 'I'm going to have to sit down with Yatsu and tell him what he shouldn't say in front of his Dad. That's the third time now that he's revealing things that I don't want the man to know.' I wave a hand in the air.
"It's nothing." I brush off, but the Airbender grasps my hand that's hovering in mid-air.
"Katara, I want to know." The Avatar requests firmly as he gazes deeply into my eyes. I swallow and push his hand away before rolling onto my side away from him.
"I'm just a little prone to getting sick is all. Nothing to worry about." I mutter, but a moment later I feel the mattress sinking beneath me and his head hovers over my face as he tries to catch my eye.
"But why? Have you always been like that?" The Airbender interrogates and I try to push him back, but my arm trembles from the exertion and I'm forced to drop the appendage back onto the mattress.
"No, I've not always been like that." I snap irritably, but it does little to deter the Airbender as he purses his lips.
"So, why?" The Air Nomad presses as he quirks an eyebrow as he eyes him critically. I squirm under the attention and flicker my eyes away from him.
"Just a bit of anaemia after having Yatsu." I mumble, hoping that would satiate his curiosity, but if anything he becomes more interested as he tilts his head to the side.
"Shouldn't that have resolved years ago?" The Air Nomad queries in confusion.
I glance up at him to find his stormy orbs waiting patiently for my response. I bite my tongue and look away from that earnest gaze of his. I don't reply for the longest time and when the man realises I'm not going to answer, he rests a light hand on my shoulder.
"Katara, tell me. Please?" My ex-husband pleads as I shrug his hand off me. I stare hard at the nearby wall.
"It was a difficult birth is all." I finally state, but he somehow picks up that I'm not telling him everything.
"Difficult how?" The Air Nomad probes as he rests his hand on the mattress adjacent to my back.
"Why are you so interested?" I fire back as I fixate my steely gaze on him. The Airbender doesn't flinch in the slightest as he meets my gaze with his own fiery one.
"If it concerns Yatsu, I want to know." The Avatar utters firmly.
The words feel like a punch to the gut and my eyes drop. 'Of course. There's no other reason why he would be interested. For all his insistence on wanting us to be friends, I forget that I'm basically a stranger to him. He doesn't have any form of attachment or pull towards me like he used to.' My heart feels heavy and it worsens my headache as the thoughts swirl around my head relentlessly. I close my eyes when my vision blurs again.
"Hey, are you ok?" My ex-husband whispers as he presses the back of his hand against my cheek.
"You don't have to keep touching me." I grit back, but his hand doesn't leave my face. In fact, I feel a gentle breeze emanating from his hand and it almost feels relaxing.
"You're really warm." The Airbender murmurs quietly. My lips tremble, but I still them by pressing my lips tightly together.
"It's normal, I'll bounce back in a couple of days." I voice, not sure why I feel the need to reassure him. Finally, he pulls his hand away, but the moment he does, the soothing coolness vanishes and I quickly feel too warm again.
"You had a C-section with Yatsu...was it an emergency one?" The Air Nomad observes and my breathing catches at his accurate guess. I release a breath before nodding.
"Yeah." I confirm as I re-open my eyes.
"Katara..." I hear him trail off and I sigh heavily when I realise he's not going to let up on this.
"He was a big baby, so they were worried he'd get stuck and decided to do a C-section, but I went into labour before they could do an elective one. They attempted an emergency C-section, because they mistakenly believed that he hadn't made it into the pelvis yet. They ended up having to break one of my pelvic bones to get him out safely. I lost a lot of blood and I guess my body never really fully recovered from it." I regale in a mono-tone.
To the untrained eye, it would look like that I don't care, but the whole experience was so traumatic that I find myself struggling to repeat the story unless I drain all my emotion from it. 'It was one of those rare times where I really wanted my husband. Apparently in my delirium, the nurses said I had shouted out his name, but I can't remember it myself.' When I hear the sound of raspy breathing, I shift to gaze at the Air Nomad who's staring at me with terrified eyes as his lips tremble.
"That...that sounds so scary. I can't...I can't believe you went through all that alone. I...I should've been there." My ex-husband chokes out as tears escape from their confines. I widen my eyes in alarm and on instinct reach out to cup his cheek.
"Hey, you can't blame yourself when I chose not to tell you." I argue which feels hypocritical of me when I very much blamed him for not being there. 'But if I have one weak spot, it's seeing him cry. Him and Yatsu's tears are able to penetrate straight through any barrier I put up.' I chew my lip for a moment before brushing his tears with the back of my thumb, but when I spot Yatsu's re-entering the bedroom, I immediately drop my hand from the man's face, praying that the boy didn't notice, but to my dismay he does.
"Mummy...do you still love Daddy?" Yatsu asks out of the blue as he passes the damp towels to his father. I choke at the question and start coughing violently until the air returns to my lungs.
"Why would you ask that?" I rasp out, ignoring the way that the Airbender's face has turned a deathly shade of white. Yatsu shrugs.
"That look you just gave Daddy looked like the look you give me sometimes." My son explains and I cringe at realising that my poker face slipped for the briefest of moments.
"Your Dad was just...no, I don't. You misinterpreted whatever you saw." I mutter just as my chest tightens. Yatsu throws me a dubious expression before pursing his lips.
"Daddy, do you still love Mama?" The boy asks as he turns his attention to his Dad who inhales deeply. I feel his eyes on me, but I stubbornly refuse to meet them. Too scared of the expression on his face and what he'll say.
"I...care about your Mama a lot, but...no. I already love someone else. I'm sorry buddy." My ex-husband reveals uncomfortably.
My stomach churns when I hear those words and before I know it I'm grabbing the nearby bin and vomiting my entire lunch until I'm just dry heaving. I drop the bin onto the ground and collapse back on the bed as my chest rises irregularly. My body feels drenched and sticky with sweat and the headache which was bearable before, has become a splitting and relentless pain across the front of my head.
"Spirits Katara, are you..." My ex-husband starts, but I stop him by raising my hand.
"I just need some rest." I croak as my eyes flutter to a close.
Awareness slowly ebbs away from me and I only become vaguely aware of background whispering and something damp placed gently over my forehead. After that, I fade in and out of consciousness. Sometimes, I catch sight of orange hue colours and other times it just feels like there's darkness all around me and I lose sight of what's real and what isn't.
When I finally awaken, I realise it's night time from how the room is shrouded in darkness. I sit up, the action has me feeling a little light headed, but nowhere near as bad as it was before. As I glance around the room, my eyes fall on a human figure sleeping upright in a chair adjacent to the bed. My jaw drops when I realise it's my ex-husband. 'Spirits, did he...did he stay here the entire time?!' I think in disbelief while biting my lip.
I shift off quietly from the mattress and shuffle towards him, bending down to his eye level as he inhales and exhales lightly, fast asleep. I gaze at him as conflicted feelings arise, but leaving him to sleep in such an uncomfortable position just doesn't sit right with me. 'Carrying him however is out of the question.' I chew my lip in thought until I finally shift him to the side with his head resting against a pillow. Just as I pull a duvet over him, he stirs. I hold my breath, hoping he'd just fall asleep again, but his eyes flutter open and fall on me. I cringe and drop the sheet.
"Katara?" My ex-husband calls out sleepily. With a sigh I reach forward to rest a hand lightly against his shoulder.
"Shh, go back to sleep. You look tired." I murmur gently, but the sleep seems to have vanished from his eyes as he leans forward to scrutinise me.
"How are you feeling?" The Airbender asks anxiously and I step away from him to cross my arms.
"Better, thank you. You didn't have to stay over though. I told you, this happens a lot." I chide lightly, but the Air Nomad stretches out a hand to rest it against my forehead. I'm just about to protest at his lack of awareness regarding boundaries when I hear him sigh in relief.
"Oh thank the spirits. Your temperature skyrocketed a few hours ago and I got really worried." My ex-husband utters as he drops his hand from my face. My lips part at the obvious concern in his voice and it takes me by surprise. 'Why...why does he care so much?' I wonder as discomfort runs through me.
"You don't need to worry about a fever." I point out mildly, but he shakes his head and the duvet falls slightly off him.
"You were delirious, started saying things you usually wouldn't. I almost took you to the hospital, but your fever started to break." The Air Nomad reveals seriously and I stare at him.
"What...what did I say?" I echo back numbly as fear starts to crawl up my spine. 'Shoot, I hope I didn't say something I shouldn't have.' I start to panic more when he averts his eyes.
"A lot of it were incoherent grumblings, but...you were crying a bit. And you said my name a few times which you never do." My ex-husband reveals dryly and I flinch at the thought that my subconscious seems to still call out for the man. "You were calling out for your Mum too." The Airbender adds and I stiffen up . 'Spirits, this always happens when I become delirious. I either call out for my Mum or I call out for him. Although it's rare that I called out for the both of them.' I pinch the bridge of my nose as I try to focus on controlling my breathing.
"Sorry about that " I mumble as I turn to give him my side.
"Are you close with your Mum? Maybe I could call her to come over and..." My ex-husband suggests, but trails off when he notices the tight look on my face.
"She's dead." I echo bluntly as I move back to my bed and tidy up the sheets.
"D...dead?" I hear him echo back.
"No need to be sympathetic; it was over a decade ago." I explain robotically as I pull back the duvet.
"Is that...that's why you were at the graveyard that one time." My ex-husband suddenly realises. I give him a one-shouldered shrug.
"I go from time to time." I state neutrally as I take a seat at the edge of the mattress.
When I do, I hear my clothes crinkle and when I look down, I become acutely aware that this was not the same clothes that I wore earlier. My head snaps up as I stare at the man, almost dreading the thought of asking him what's on my mind.
"Did...did you change my clothes?" My voice is quiet and strained as I speak and when the Air Nomad averts his eyes, I know that I already have my answer. My heart stops for a moment as emotion rages through me.
"You were drenched in sweat, I-I had to." My ex-husband stumbles, but my eyes flash with fury. I push myself back to my feet and move to grab his collar.
"You had no right to do that!" I say between grit teeth as the man gazes at me guiltily.
"I-I didn't want to! But your fever spiked and I knew all the sweating didn't help. I'm s-sorry!" The Airbender stutters, but my grip around his collar tightens.
"If I were a guy, it would've been fine, but you just violated my privacy." I yell as humiliation grates at me. 'My ex-husband saw me bare while I was unconscious, that is so wrong.' I think as anger envelops me.
"I'm sorry! I tried to be as respectful as I could." The Air Nomad falters and I can tell he isn't telling the truth. I narrow my eyes at him.
"How much did you see?" I demand as I tug at his collar until he stumbles forward, allowing me to check for any hints of deceit on his face . 'He saw some of my scars in the changing room, but they were quick flashes of them. If he undressed me...then he had time to look at them properly and I was knocked out for hours. How long did he look for? The thought makes me feel sick to the stomach.' I can feel my fingernails digging into the fabric of his collar as I glower at him.
"I...I..." His lip wobbles as he trails off anxiously. 'Shoot! He had a proper look at them.' I realise numbly and my free hand clenches tightly.
"If you don't answer me right now, then so help me..." I spit angrily and suddenly his hand starts tapping against my mine that's clutching his collar.
"K-Katara, I can't...I can't breathe..." The Air Nomad echoes back breathlessly and I keenly become aware of how tightly I'm holding his collar.
My hand snaps back instantly as I scrunch up my nose and take a step back from him as he starts spluttering and holding his neck. 'Shoot, I went overboard.' I realise with a pang of shame. I turn to give him my back as I run a half-haphazard hand through my hair. 'Spirits!' I curse silently as I run a hand down my face.
"I... I'm sorry." The Air Nomad pleads, but it doesn't reach me as my clenched hands shake by my sides.
"You know what kind of relationship we had before. This...this was so wrong of you." My voice cracks.
"I...I wasn't going to look, it's just...I...I saw so many scars. I didn't realise they extended to your legs that extensively, it just...shocked me." My ex-husband tries to explain, but I'm too busy shaking with anger. "I didn't remove your lower undergarments, if that's any..." He tries to say, but my hand goes flying into his face. An audible slap echoes in the bedroom as the man's face swings to the side. I bite the inside of my cheek hard as my jaws tighten. "S-sorry that...I shouldn't have said that." The Air Nomad mutters as he cups his red cheek.
"You think?!" I fire back venomously. The Airbender clenches his other hand that rests on his knee.
"I'm really, really sorry. I just...didn't realise you had as many scars as I did." My ex-husband whispers, his voice strained. Whatever quip I was about to throw back at him gets lost in my throat as an irrational sense of fear envelops me.
"What...what scars?" I croak back as I hear him shift behind me.
"Well, I've got that big one on my chest. But I've noticed I have a lot of tiny ones on my arms too. And also the odd couple on my back. Of course, I can't remember how I got any of them." The Airbender lists. When he mentions the ones on his arms, my breathing catches. 'I...had hoped he wouldn't have paid any attention to those ones.' I think numbly.
"I'm pretty sure you know how I got them though." My ex-husband adds after a pause.
I don't reply to him and instead move to create as much distance from him as possible, feeling vulnerable and exposed just by being near him. 'Shoot, shoot, shoot! He basically saw all of me. I almost took comfort in the fact that he couldn't remember anything of our intimate moments together and now...' I find my knees buckling underneath me and I sink to the ground.
"Katara!" I hear him call out in alarm as he jumps off his chair to cross the distance between us.
"Don't get near me!" I shout and his feet immediately pause. I dig my face into my knees as mortification continues to run through me.
"Please f-forgive me." The Airbender chokes back and I clench my jaws so tightly that my veins feel like they're going to explode. 'The sad thing is that if we were still together then this would've been completely acceptable. But...we're not. Any other woman would feel like they've been taken advantage of, but the messed up thing about it all, is that I don't feel like that, because I know that's the type of person he is. If anything, my anger is more from embarrassment and that he didn't ask my permission to do that. Even if he was acting in my best interests, it's just so wrong.' I press the base of my palms into my closed eye sockets in frustration.
"You shouldn't have thought it was ok for you to see me like that." I finally say after an age. I watch as he drops his head in shame.
"I promise I didn't have any ulterior motives, I just didn't want your fever to get worse. Your temperature improved afterwards." My ex-husband mumbles. I click my tongue against the roof of my mouth.
"Spirits Aang, don't you think I know that?! I've known you for half of my life. But you don't seem to understand how vulnerable you made me feel by doing that." I voice in frustration and instead of the guilt I expected to see on his face, the Airbender just stares at me with wide eyes. I frown. "What?" I demand irritably as he shakes his head.
"You...you just said my name." The Air Nomad breathes back in shock. My eyes widen in turn and I slap a hand over my mouth. 'Spirits! I haven't said his name in years. He just got me so riled up that it slipped out.' I jerk my head away from him.
"It's not happening again." I mumble as I rise to my feet. I hear the man's breathing hitch as he watches me.
"I...I like when you say my name." My ex-husband murmurs softly which makes me freeze on the spot. I eye him wearily as I feel my heart rate pick up. I clench my hand and turn away from him.
"Don't change the subject." I mutter stiffly.
"Katara...I'm sorry, but if you want to be angry with me then I'll respect that. But if it means you're well and healthy then I'd do it again even if it means you'd hate me for it." Aang voices seriously which makes my breathing catch. I turn around slowly to meet his gaze.
"Why? You don't have to care about me this much just because I'm the mother of your son." I utter, my voice becoming hoarse with emotion. The Avatar's lips part in surprise before he furrows his eyebrows.
"I care about you even if you weren't Yatsu's mother." The Airbender insists and I snort.
"That doesn't make sense, you have no reason to." I argue as I fold my arms over my chest. I feel the Air Nomad's eyes on me, scrutinising and assessing me. I start clenching my jaws when it starts to feel uncomfortable after a while.
"Do I have to have a reason to?" Aang finally whispers. I stare at him.
"You need some reason! You can probably count how many times you've seen me on two hands." I retort while the man mimics me and crosses his arms.
"But that isn't true, is it?" The Airbender counters as his eyes never waver. My lips part at that comeback. "You said it yourself, you've known me half of your life. Just because my memories are gone, doesn't mean they didn't happen." He reminds firmly, but I find myself wrinkling my nose in disagreement.
"So what? You care because we used to be married? That doesn't make sense when you have no recollection of it." I throwback with a snide tone, but I pause when I notice a throb at his jawline.
"It's because I look at you like a friend. It's what I want us to be. I don't want us to keep butting heads like this. I get it, I wasn't there when you needed me. I should've been with you throughout the pregnancy, then when you had that difficult labour and again when raising Yatsu. But you didn't tell me. I know you must have your reasons for it, more than what you've told me and I won't press you to tell me what they are. But...I'm not dropping out of your life, especially since there's Yatsu. So, can we please find a way to get along? I mean, you loved me once before so it must be possible. You don't have to see me as a friend, just know that you can rely on me." Aang urges steadfastly.
I'm rendered speechless for several moments. 'I spent so much time being mad at the man and telling him that he needed to fix things, but...maybe I didn't put enough effort on my part. And this man...Aang...he doesn't hold all the sins that his former self carried. It wouldn't be fair to continue being mad at him for things he can't remember.' I chew my lip vigorously in thought until I finally release a sigh.
"Alright. We can...do that. I won't be so brash anymore. I just ask that you appreciate those boundaries. Don't..." I avert my eyes and cough into my hand. "...don't do what you did today again and forget you saw anything, the scars and...everything else." I mutter before returning my blue orbs onto him. "Friends is as good a place as any to start." I finally agree reluctantly and his eyes beam with joy to the point that he hops into the air with a fist pump. My lips twitch slightly in amusement.
"It's a deal! Thank you Katara." The Airbender vows with a face splitting grin. I give him a half smile.
"It's pretty late, do you want to sleep here?" I offer courteously, while praying that he says no, but fortunately he shakes his head.
"No, it's fine, I promised Jin I'd be back soon, but before I go, are you feeling better?" Aang queries as he moves to take a closer look at me. I subconsciously lean back and wave a hand in front of my face.
"Much better...thank you for...for taking care of me." I mumble and somehow his grin broadens as he nods. At this distance, I can make out the light shade of pink on his cheek from where I slapped him and I wince at the sight.
"Of course! Well, I'll head out. Try to take it easy." Aang bids as he starts to turn away, but I grasp him by his sleeve to stop him from moving and he throws me a questioning look.
"Just hang on one sec." I utter as I bend some water from the air and move to rest my palm against his cheek. The room glows bright from the water and after a few moments, I draw my hand back and the water drops to the floor. Aang blinks twice as he gazes at me in surprise. His hand moves up to press against his cheek as if in a trance.
"You...you didn't have to do that." The Airbender murmurs quietly. I shrug one shoulder and step back from him, letting go of my grip on his sleeve.
"Well, I'm the one who gave it to you, so it's the least I could do." I brush off as I clutch my elbow. "Anyway, I'll see you around. I think you were picking up Yatsu in a couple of days?" I say just as the man drops his arms back to his side.
"Y-Yeah. Actually, I wanted to ask if you wanted to come with us? The Museum of Nations is meant to be pretty cool." My ex-husband asks cautiously. I'm just about to shoot down the offer when I realise I should at least try to make an effort of getting along with the man.
"Sure. I've been a few times when I was younger so it would be nice to see if anything has changed." I agree and the Airbender's eyes brighten up.
"Perfect! I'll see you tomorrow." Aang bids with a cheerful wave. I watch as he exits the room and wait until I hear his footsteps fade down the stairs.
I sigh and lean against the wall behind me as tiredness hits me all at once. 'Is...is it really a good idea to become friends again? What if...what if he finds out about his past again and reverts back to how he was before he lost his memories? I mean, that was the whole reason why I purposely avoided him over the years.' I chew my lip as doubt seeds itself into my brain. 'It will be fine. If he hasn't remembered anything after 6 years, he isn't going to start now and I'll just be careful not to tell him anything, but...'
I stop to run my fingers through my messy hair. '...why does it feel like I want his memories to come back?' I shake my head hard at that thought . 'No. His happiness is my priority. If he never remembers anything, that's fine. I don't need him to remember.' I think firmly as I walk back to my bed. My hand subconsciously moves to the chain around my neck. After a moments hesitation, I pull out the locket. 'I don't know why I put it back on after years of not wearing it when Yatsu was born, but...' I click it open and stare at the picture of him and I.
A sigh escapes me and I click it closed again. 'I hope he didn't look inside.' I wonder anxiously as I look down at the nightgown he dressed me in. 'I can tell he took great care with putting it on. No signs of manhandling, no crinkles in the clothing and he even left the top button undone to make it easy to breathe.' I sit lightly on the edge of the bed as I drop my head into my head. 'It's just like...like when he used to be that gentle with me when we first got together.' I think with a pained pang and I can feel my heart lurch into my throat at the thought.
I flop backwards onto the mattress and stare at the ceiling . 'I'm starting to wonder if being with Yun is really the right choice. I'm not expecting to get back together with...my ex-husband, but maybe being single is easier.' I contemplate to myself.
I bite my lip before rolling onto my front. 'I hate this. Decisions are always so hard to make sometimes.' I think with a groan. 'No. I'll...stick with Yun. I don't want to be alone again. I know I care about him at least and my heart does move when we're affectionate. I just...it doesn't move in the same way as when I was with...' I shake my head. 'Stop it brain. Comparisons don't help anyone.' I tell myself firmly. 'It's too early to make a decision.' I decide as I close my eyes and drift to sleep.
A/N: This chapter was a fun one, we have more embarrassed Katara who also finally says Aang's name for the first time in years, but don't get too happy about it, one slip-up doesn't mean she's just going to start calling him by his name that easily XD
Regarding Katara's anaemia, it's a bit of a loose one, but I wanted to quickly explain the medicine around it. It's called shoulder dystocia when a baby's shoulder gets stuck on the pubic symphysis bone of the mum's pelvis during labour, it's nearly impossible to predict in advance before it actually happens, but there are risks such as bigger babies. Now a C-section is only useful if the baby is still up in the womb, if the baby has already descended into the pelvis then a C-section is useless. Usually to get the baby out, you can do one of two things if the usual manoeuvres fail - either you break the pubic symphysis bone (symphysiotomy) of the mother OR you break the clavicle of the baby. Both are horrible. And since Katara is so selfless I felt it would make sense for her to choose to have her bone broken instead of her baby's. A labour this intense can cause a lot of blood loss and as a result anaemia. Long term anaemia is rare, but for the sake of the fic I thought to stretch it a bit since it's fiction XD Anyway sorry for the med dump, but thought it would help to clarify things!
You guys are really good at picking some of my fav lines that I enjoyed writing, so that deserves a serious round of applause XD Favourite line this chapter (and you know I'll choose the angsty one XD):
"Don't get near me!"
You guys will be happy to know the next two chapters are in Aang's POV! We haven't had that in this fic yet and I know a few of you were excited to have a look into his mind, so not long to wait now! XD Next chapter will be not this weekend, likely next weekend I'm afraid. Take care everyone until then.
25/8/24