Part of the reason for his terror was, frankly, the very immediate threat that he might drop her.
He didn't. Holding onto her was, in fact, not that difficult. She weighed a lot less than he'd been expecting1.
That didn't actually help with the terror. She was tiny. How did toes get that small without being constructed under a microscope? It didn't make any sense.
"Um," he said. "Hello. I'm giving you to your mother, now. Er... Mal...?"
1To be fair, if she'd matched up to William's expectations, he might have fallen straight through the floor upon taking possession.
Maladicta had thought she had learned what exhaustion was when she had gone cold bat. Then she'd thought she'd finally gotten a good grasp on it after being horribly sunburned during her first week on the island. Then she'd realized that was nothing compared to influenza, her great winter nemesis.
Then she'd lost true love. And then she'd gotten pregnant. It was as though once or twice a year, the hands of the universe reached gently down to wring her out like a rag until all her energy was gone, just to show her that, no, it could be worse.
Well, there. She'd given birth. It made carrying the thing around for nine months feel like a day at the baths1.
That wasn't a good thought.
And now, now, after the initial cry- which was good, allegedly, as it signified the tiny human's lungs were working- had subsided, here was William that bastard calling her the 'm' word and hovering uncertainly near bye. For a few long moments she kept her head turned away where it had lolled to once the pressure had gone, and breathed in and out a few
( ... )
"Olivia," William reminded her, sounding utterly bewildered as he did so. "Um, careful," he said, very gingerly passing her into Maladicta's arms.
It wasn't so much that he was afraid of Maladicta dropping her as he was... afraid of either of them doing it. There seemed so much potential risk in doing just about anything, he didn't know how it could be managed.
Maladicta accepted a weight that was completely -ing boggling. No way did something that heavy to walk around with end up being this small. She moved the blanket out of the way of Olivia's face, and one of her very tiny hands, and took in the slightly squinchy expression and shock of dark hair that was thicker than she'd expected. If she'd expected anything. When the little (very little. Tiny.) girl opened her eyes, albeit not very far, she saw they were blue, although sort of an indeterminate shade of it.
And there she was, this was Olivia. Maladicta stared, all judgment and expression gone from her face.
"Olivia," she repeated at a murmur, sounding as distant as she looked.
I came because the news was all over the IPD, and as a member of the IPD -- even if I only sat behind the desk -- I wanted to show solidarity. Also, I'd seen far too many disappearances and mayhem. I needed an affirmation of life.
The clothes box had kindly supplied me with an armful of baby clothes, and I carried these to where Miss Maladicta was resting. I tapped lightly, and waited to be invited in.
"Hi," I said quietly, so as not to disturb the baby. "I thought I'd drop by to see how you were." I lifted my bundle. "I thought I'd bring a gift. I hope I'm not disturbing her?"
Angua's experience with children was dubious. There was O-Ren, who was a little too...self-sufficient to really count, and there was Roger, who was perhaps a bit closer to the definition. If it hadn't been for Young Sam and Cori, Angua would probably find the tiny, wrinkly child in Maladicta's arms a bit of a mystery.
As it was, she was simply delighted, and all but dragged Dean into the room once the doctor said visitors were allowed.
"Are you sure we're allowed to go in?" Dean was saying, but Angua quickly shushed him.
"Of course--oh, look, oh, Maladicta, William, look how tiny she is!" Angua exclaimed in a hushed voice. She smiled up at the happy (albeit tired looking) parents.* "With the noises you were making I was getting a little worried."
She may have meant both of them. It was hard to tell.
* There was a slight flash of teeth, incisors to be precise, that said, if you tell anyone I just squealed I will hurt you, you understand, of course.
Dean had been on the point of drifting off in the hall - birth was, apparently, a lengthy process - but now he was wide awake and staring at the tiny person in Maladicta's arms. He grinned at the sight of the baby's open eyes, reaching out to brush his fingers over the fine hairs dusting her scalp before he could even think of doing otherwise.
William sat up a little straighter, not entirely sold on the concept of other people touching Olivia1, for all that the clinic staff had been doing it regularly.
"It was a stressful time," William said, which was vague enough that it sounded like it could apply mostly to Maladicta. "Er, if she knew what 'Hey' meant I'm sure she'd say it back."
1A problem that would recur in around 14 years' time.
It's the first time Kate's been this far away from home, but if anything is going to drag her out, it's the opportunity to see Maladicta hold a baby. One that she can't give back. She hitches Sam up onto her hip and raps on the wall.
Maladicta had spent all of her waking time since Olivia had been handed to her staring at the baby. It was a very strange little creature. She didn't really know how she felt about the whole situation. She did know, however, that if anyone ever tried to impede the health or well being of the infant she was holding, she would removed their spinal cord through their throat and beat them to death with it.
She looked up with surprise that was a little less bleary-eyed than her looks had been so far, and let out a huff of hair.
"It's kind of adorable," she admits, figuring Maladicta can't kick her ass all that badly from the bed. Jack should be here. He really, really wanted to see this if for the hilarity if nothing else.
Sam leans forward, suddenly very interested. "Look Sam, that's Olivia."
He straightens up and fixes Maladicta with a serious look, and repeats his one good word. "Hi."
Maladicta looked back at Sam and smiled a little, although it was a little freaked out.
"Hi. She can't say that yet," she told him, "but she'll figure it out eventually. Would you... like to come see?" Maladicta shifted a little so Olivia was higher in the crook of her arm, against her shoulder.
The IPD office being right next to the clinic and all that, it didn't take long for Vimes to catch wind of the fact that Maladicta was finally having her damn baby.*When the screaming started, he propped his feet up on his desk, smiled a secretive and strangely un-Vimes-like smile, and set to reading reports while he waited. And when things finally got quiet again next door, he set down his papers, fetched a cup of coffee from the kitchen and, when he was finally allowed, went into the clinic to meet the result of all the fuss.
Arms crossed over his chest, he peered at mother and child and raised an eyebrow. "So d'you think she knows that her father screams like a girl?"
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He didn't. Holding onto her was, in fact, not that difficult. She weighed a lot less than he'd been expecting1.
That didn't actually help with the terror. She was tiny. How did toes get that small without being constructed under a microscope? It didn't make any sense.
"Um," he said. "Hello. I'm giving you to your mother, now. Er... Mal...?"
1To be fair, if she'd matched up to William's expectations, he might have fallen straight through the floor upon taking possession.
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Then she'd lost true love. And then she'd gotten pregnant. It was as though once or twice a year, the hands of the universe reached gently down to wring her out like a rag until all her energy was gone, just to show her that, no, it could be worse.
Well, there. She'd given birth. It made carrying the thing around for nine months feel like a day at the baths1.
That wasn't a good thought.
And now, now, after the initial cry- which was good, allegedly, as it signified the tiny human's lungs were working- had subsided, here was William that bastard calling her the 'm' word and hovering uncertainly near bye. For a few long moments she kept her head turned away where it had lolled to once the pressure had gone, and breathed in and out a few ( ... )
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It wasn't so much that he was afraid of Maladicta dropping her as he was... afraid of either of them doing it. There seemed so much potential risk in doing just about anything, he didn't know how it could be managed.
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And there she was, this was Olivia. Maladicta stared, all judgment and expression gone from her face.
"Olivia," she repeated at a murmur, sounding as distant as she looked.
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The clothes box had kindly supplied me with an armful of baby clothes, and I carried these to where Miss Maladicta was resting. I tapped lightly, and waited to be invited in.
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For no discernible reason.
"Ah," she said, "hallo."
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Too late, apparently.
"Um, I don't think we need supplies just yet..." he said, looking at the bundle in Polly's hands.
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As it was, she was simply delighted, and all but dragged Dean into the room once the doctor said visitors were allowed.
"Are you sure we're allowed to go in?" Dean was saying, but Angua quickly shushed him.
"Of course--oh, look, oh, Maladicta, William, look how tiny she is!" Angua exclaimed in a hushed voice. She smiled up at the happy (albeit tired looking) parents.* "With the noises you were making I was getting a little worried."
She may have meant both of them. It was hard to tell.
* There was a slight flash of teeth, incisors to be precise, that said, if you tell anyone I just squealed I will hurt you, you understand, of course.
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She could defend William on that point, at least.
Olivia burbled softly and opened her eyes at the new voices, a sign of awareness that disturbed Maladicta to her core. She didn't let on.
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"Hey kiddo."
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"It was a stressful time," William said, which was vague enough that it sounded like it could apply mostly to Maladicta. "Er, if she knew what 'Hey' meant I'm sure she'd say it back."
1A problem that would recur in around 14 years' time.
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"Hey."
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She looked up with surprise that was a little less bleary-eyed than her looks had been so far, and let out a huff of hair.
"This is ridiculous."
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Sam leans forward, suddenly very interested. "Look Sam, that's Olivia."
He straightens up and fixes Maladicta with a serious look, and repeats his one good word. "Hi."
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"Hi. She can't say that yet," she told him, "but she'll figure it out eventually. Would you... like to come see?" Maladicta shifted a little so Olivia was higher in the crook of her arm, against her shoulder.
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Arms crossed over his chest, he peered at mother and child and raised an eyebrow. "So d'you think she knows that her father screams like a girl?"
*All the yelling helped.
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"If you're going to make fun, that better be for me."
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"...I'm not sure that's entirely allowed. Er."
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"Why?! It's out, isn't it?! There's no reason- why," she demanded, at which point Olivia yawned, squirmed, and turned half-open baby eyes on Vimes.
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