Terrified and Overwhelmed

Writers: Kaysea, Vix
Date Posted: 13th July 2008

Characters: Hartam, Tayette
Description: Hartam and Tayette settle in with their new babies
Location: Vintner Hall
Date: month 10, day 26 of Turn 4

Everyone had left, there were only the four of them now. Tayette lay on the bed, with the babes at her side looking from one to the other then up at Hartam. "We're so lucky." She said quietly, trying hard to keep her emotions in check.

He nodded, studying first their son and then their smaller daughter. He licked his lips, his mouth dry, hating to ask, but needing to know. "Are they. . . are they really alright?" "I think so..." she nodded, "Though I wll admit to being worried when Geni took Haryette out for such a long time."

Hartam had missed a good deal of that, had been passed out on the floor. At the reminder, he massaged the back of his head where a knot was starting to swell. "She didn't do that with Tayhar?" "No...well, yes, she did, but not for as long as she was with Haryette." she shook her head, a little confused at the events that had taken place over the past few candlemarks.

He breathed a sigh of relief at that. "Then it was just a normal part of childbirth, right?" "I think so..." though she wasn't altogether sure, "Anyway, they're both doing fine now." she smiled indulgently down on the two heads which peaked out from the swaddling Geni had wrapped them in. "They're here." she shook her head, part of her still not believing, even though the proof lay before her on the bed.

"They're definitely here," he replied with a chuckle, "and I still don't feel prepared." "I don't either, but Hartam, none of that matters." she shook her head, her eyes meeting his, "because they are a part of us, and something I never dreamed could happen. I'm just so happy."

"Oh, I'm happy, too, sweet." He smiled at her and then at the babies. "They. . . they're more than I ever expected to have in my life." He shook his head and looked to her again. "I just hope that I have enough energy to keep up with them. I'm not a young man, you know." "We'll take it one day at a time. We have a short time to enjoy them before they start making us chase them." she chuckled softly.

"They're tiny," Hartam told her. "It'll be turns before we actually have to follow them about." "You think so?" Tayette was amused by his naivety. "I hate to disillusion you, but they'll be crawling just into the new Turn." she may not have had children of her own, but the man she had been handfasted to before, had had children with the girl he replaced her with, and Tayette had had to play nursemaid to all of them. She knew only too well how quickly babies would develop into children.

"Not as tiny as they are," he insisted. "All we need is one of those pens they use for them, one of those wooden things? One of those would be useful and would hold them where we want them to be for several Turns. How fast could they grow when they start out this small?" "Once they start feeding..." she shrugged, "they won't stay this small for long."

"That seems impossible." He touched the tiny hand of his son – tiny and yet bigger than the girl-child's. "How can they grow that fast? They don't do anything yet, so they need to grow and learn to move and that'll take time." "They will eat Hartam, and eat a lot. And as they do they will grow. They may be small now..." she smiled down at the babies, she too, fascinated when she was the size of Hartam's hands next to their sons, "...but you watch, within the month you will barely remember them being this size."

"In a way that might be a good thing," her spouse told her. "They're so small now, so fragile, that I fear that any sudden move could hurt them." "They are delicate, but they will survive a cuddle from their father." Pushing herself up from bed she reached down and picked up Tayhar and passed him to his father, instructing Hartam in how to hold him so that they were both comfortable. "Would you like to hold both at once?" she asked, with a smile on her face.

Leaning back against the headboard of the bed, he felt fairly comfortable holding the older child. He glanced toward his even tinier daughter and felt his fear mounting, fear that he might hurt them. But instead he nodded. "Stay close to me though." "I will, my love." she carefully lifted their sleeping daughter and gently manouvered her into the crook of Hartam's arm. "I wish we had another harper here, right now, to record this moment with ink and paper." she commented as she looked at the three of them. "Are you happy, Hartam?" she asked, quietly.

"I am," he said softly, glancing from one baby to the other before looking up at her with a smile. "Terrified and overwhelmed, but happy just the same." "Good." she nodded, "I am too."

Last updated on the July 14th 2008

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Terrified and Overwhelmed