06. Day - In 24 Hours: Septych - Fiction[NET]
"You're going to be a father." Deyanira finally managed to say softly, articulating her words carefully. "I'm pregnant. We're going to have a child."
Nathanial froze. He hadn't been expecting this one. What a wonder, it would take days for it to sink in and now things would have to change - they'd have to prepare. He gripped her hands as he stared off into space. Poor Deyanira, from the little he knew of what pregnant woman went though knew she wouldn't enjoy the time at all. He'd have to see if he could possibly get some time off from work - not all knights got it but few did for special cases, so the possibly was there. Wow. A child. They had created a human being. What would they call it? They'd have to choose a room for it, would they want one next to there's or at the other end of the house? Well, one right next door of course, their child was going to be perfect, it would never cry or scream or fuss or anything. And-
"Nath?" Deyanira sounded young and scared. "Nathanial? ...What do you think?"
Nathanial came back to the present and instantly realised how he must have made her feel, hearing that news and not saying a thing or reacting in any way.
"I think... our baby is going to be beautiful." he pulled her close and kissed her softly, slowly. Eventually he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, wrapping his arms around her in a cuddle. "This is wonderful news. We're going to have a child. Wow."
Deyanira laughed shyly, hiding her face against his shoulder as soon as she could. “You’re happy about it?”
“Of course I am.” Nathanial pulled her back so he could see her face. “Why wouldn’t I be? Aren’t you?”
“I thought you might be… I don’t know.” Deyanira struggled in his arms and he reluctantly let her burry her face against his shoulder once more. “I didn’t want to tell you. I mean, I didn’t know how to tell you.”
Nathanial remained quiet, letting her continue. He wrapped the blanket around her and then his arms, hugged her gently.
“I know you don’t like change. …And we decided we didn’t want kids for…years, ages yet! Until we were forced…”
“Didn’t want to try and have kids yet.” Nathanial correctly gently. “Having a child now is… great. It’s wonderful Nira.”
“For you.” She grumbled, comfortable now she was confident he was okay with the idea of a child. “I have to go through it all.”
“I have to hear all about it.” He replied with a grin.
“You’re asking for it, buddy.”
“I’m pretty confident you’re not going to move any time soon.”
Nathanial grinned to himself as she didn’t even attempt it. He shifted slightly in his chair so he was leaning back and hugged her comfortably to his chest.
“So this is what it will be like nursing a baby to sleep.” He teased, patting her back. “Seems easy enough.”
“You just keep digging the grave deeper and deeper, don’t you?” she remarked, but she sounded amused.
“Are you in the mood for dinner?” he asked hopefully, resting his head against hers.
“Eugh, the very thought of food makes my stomach roll. And mother gave me a list of foods I have to avoid and foods I have to try to eat more so I just don’t want to bother with the whole issue. You go have dinner though, I’ll wait here.”
“I’ll have mine brought up here, if you like?”
“I think the smell of food would be bad enough for me.” She kissed his cheek. “I guess these months ahead are going to be just as annoying for you as they’ll be for me. All the things you’re going have to change just to keep me happy…”
“I’ll just build a shed down the corner of our land and lock you there instead. So you don’t cause trouble for the rest of us.” He couldn’t help but snicker as she hit him roughly and pouted, pulling away from him to return to the day bed.
“I’m going to tell our child about this one day. When he’s all grown up I’ll say on the day your father found out about you he said he was going to lock me in a shed so we didn’t bother him!” Deyanira ranted, rugging herself up on the day bed again and looking at him mournfully. “And then our child will hate you.”
“You think we’ll have a boy?” Nathanial asked hopefully. “I mean, if we have a girl then that would be fantastic because we’d be able to dress her up and she’d be beautiful… but if I got to raise a boy…”
“We’re having a boy.” Deyanira replied confidently. “There’s no way in the world I’d have a daughter. I’d be a terrible mother to a daughter.”
“You’re going to be a fantastic mother no matter what we have.” Nathanial smiled at her lovingly over the short distance between them.
“You’re biased. And is everything fantastic to you? You’ve said that word 20 times in the past ten minutes.” she stuck her tongue out at him and lay down.
“These next months are going to be fun.” He stuck his tongue back out at her and folded his arms across his chest.
They sat in silence for a good while Deyanira closed her eyes. Nathanial gazed at her, wondering when it would all sink in. They were going to be parents. So that’s why she had gone to see her mother. That was fine, he could understand her going to her mothers for a reason like that.
All the people they would have to tell.
“What a fantastic day.” Nathanial moved to kneel on the floor before her and kissed her cheek and then her forehead. “Have you started to think about any names at all?”
“I want you to choose.” Deyanira took his hand in hers sleepily. “You’ll pick right.”
“I want us to choose together.” Nathanial touched her nose gently with a finger. “We’ll choose when we know we hear the right name.”
They sat in silence for a while longer before Nathanial’s stomach rumbled. Loudly.
“You go have something to eat.” Deyanira urged sleepily. “I’ll wait for you here.”
“You mean you’ll sleep.” Nathanial tapped her nose gently. “I’ll wake you when I get back.”
“You better.” Deyanira kissed his hand and the shoved him away. “Go eat.”
<--- 05. Evening || 07. Night --->
Nathanial froze. He hadn't been expecting this one. What a wonder, it would take days for it to sink in and now things would have to change - they'd have to prepare. He gripped her hands as he stared off into space. Poor Deyanira, from the little he knew of what pregnant woman went though knew she wouldn't enjoy the time at all. He'd have to see if he could possibly get some time off from work - not all knights got it but few did for special cases, so the possibly was there. Wow. A child. They had created a human being. What would they call it? They'd have to choose a room for it, would they want one next to there's or at the other end of the house? Well, one right next door of course, their child was going to be perfect, it would never cry or scream or fuss or anything. And-
"Nath?" Deyanira sounded young and scared. "Nathanial? ...What do you think?"
Nathanial came back to the present and instantly realised how he must have made her feel, hearing that news and not saying a thing or reacting in any way.
"I think... our baby is going to be beautiful." he pulled her close and kissed her softly, slowly. Eventually he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, wrapping his arms around her in a cuddle. "This is wonderful news. We're going to have a child. Wow."
Deyanira laughed shyly, hiding her face against his shoulder as soon as she could. “You’re happy about it?”
“Of course I am.” Nathanial pulled her back so he could see her face. “Why wouldn’t I be? Aren’t you?”
“I thought you might be… I don’t know.” Deyanira struggled in his arms and he reluctantly let her burry her face against his shoulder once more. “I didn’t want to tell you. I mean, I didn’t know how to tell you.”
Nathanial remained quiet, letting her continue. He wrapped the blanket around her and then his arms, hugged her gently.
“I know you don’t like change. …And we decided we didn’t want kids for…years, ages yet! Until we were forced…”
“Didn’t want to try and have kids yet.” Nathanial correctly gently. “Having a child now is… great. It’s wonderful Nira.”
“For you.” She grumbled, comfortable now she was confident he was okay with the idea of a child. “I have to go through it all.”
“I have to hear all about it.” He replied with a grin.
“You’re asking for it, buddy.”
“I’m pretty confident you’re not going to move any time soon.”
Nathanial grinned to himself as she didn’t even attempt it. He shifted slightly in his chair so he was leaning back and hugged her comfortably to his chest.
“So this is what it will be like nursing a baby to sleep.” He teased, patting her back. “Seems easy enough.”
“You just keep digging the grave deeper and deeper, don’t you?” she remarked, but she sounded amused.
“Are you in the mood for dinner?” he asked hopefully, resting his head against hers.
“Eugh, the very thought of food makes my stomach roll. And mother gave me a list of foods I have to avoid and foods I have to try to eat more so I just don’t want to bother with the whole issue. You go have dinner though, I’ll wait here.”
“I’ll have mine brought up here, if you like?”
“I think the smell of food would be bad enough for me.” She kissed his cheek. “I guess these months ahead are going to be just as annoying for you as they’ll be for me. All the things you’re going have to change just to keep me happy…”
“I’ll just build a shed down the corner of our land and lock you there instead. So you don’t cause trouble for the rest of us.” He couldn’t help but snicker as she hit him roughly and pouted, pulling away from him to return to the day bed.
“I’m going to tell our child about this one day. When he’s all grown up I’ll say on the day your father found out about you he said he was going to lock me in a shed so we didn’t bother him!” Deyanira ranted, rugging herself up on the day bed again and looking at him mournfully. “And then our child will hate you.”
“You think we’ll have a boy?” Nathanial asked hopefully. “I mean, if we have a girl then that would be fantastic because we’d be able to dress her up and she’d be beautiful… but if I got to raise a boy…”
“We’re having a boy.” Deyanira replied confidently. “There’s no way in the world I’d have a daughter. I’d be a terrible mother to a daughter.”
“You’re going to be a fantastic mother no matter what we have.” Nathanial smiled at her lovingly over the short distance between them.
“You’re biased. And is everything fantastic to you? You’ve said that word 20 times in the past ten minutes.” she stuck her tongue out at him and lay down.
“These next months are going to be fun.” He stuck his tongue back out at her and folded his arms across his chest.
They sat in silence for a good while Deyanira closed her eyes. Nathanial gazed at her, wondering when it would all sink in. They were going to be parents. So that’s why she had gone to see her mother. That was fine, he could understand her going to her mothers for a reason like that.
All the people they would have to tell.
“What a fantastic day.” Nathanial moved to kneel on the floor before her and kissed her cheek and then her forehead. “Have you started to think about any names at all?”
“I want you to choose.” Deyanira took his hand in hers sleepily. “You’ll pick right.”
“I want us to choose together.” Nathanial touched her nose gently with a finger. “We’ll choose when we know we hear the right name.”
They sat in silence for a while longer before Nathanial’s stomach rumbled. Loudly.
“You go have something to eat.” Deyanira urged sleepily. “I’ll wait for you here.”
“You mean you’ll sleep.” Nathanial tapped her nose gently. “I’ll wake you when I get back.”
“You better.” Deyanira kissed his hand and the shoved him away. “Go eat.”
<--- 05. Evening || 07. Night --->