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"Nineteen hours, nineteen!" Toph emphasized to Lin. "Not fun!"
"Yes, I know, Mom. You've only mentioned that a dozen times," Lin retorted sharply. She picked up the dishes and carried them into the kitchen. Taking a couple of calming breaths, she pressed a hand against the growing bulge of her belly.
"Please don't take nineteen hours," she mouthed to her child, aware her mother could pick up even a whisper. "Please."
"Lin?" Toph called. "Where's dessert?"
"Oma and Shu, can't you wait ten seconds?" replied Lin. Taking down two smaller plates, she sliced into the berry tart and set a generous piece on each plate. Lin heard the chair creak and a soft thud.
"No feet on the table," Lin demanded, returning to the table. She put her own plate down, but withheld Toph's.
Her mother groaned. Toph swung her feet to the floor. She grumbled, "Spoilsport."
"My house, my rules," replied Lin. She handed Toph her dessert. "You always said so."
"This isn't a house," wheedled Toph. "It's an apartment."
"You know what I mean."
"Are you going to have it here?" Toph asked idly. "Cause it's going to be messy and loud and -"
"I haven't decided," Lin interrupted her. She swallowed hard, trying to ignore the uneasiness digging claws into her. "Have some pie, Mom. It's your favorite."
"You're just trying to shut me up," accused Toph. She took a large forkful of pie anyways. Chewing, she said, "Delicious."
Lin sighed and started in on her own dessert.
Slamming the suitcase shut, Lin groused, "I don't understand why we have to do this so early."
"Lin, you're eight months pregnant. This isn't early," Tenzin reminded her gently. He placed the last robe in his suitcase and closed it. Going over to his wife, he stroked the stiff line of her back. "Moving to the island now will let us get settled before baby comes and keep you near my Mother."
"I could still change my mind and have this baby in a hospital," said Lin petulantly.
"If you do, that's fine. In the meantime, you'll be more comfortable on the island," Tenzin said.
Lin grumbled, "Maybe. But what I am supposed to do? Meditate?"
"Rest. Read. Walk in the gardens. Relax?" suggested Tenzin.
"Wonderful," drawled Lin. "I'm going to be bored to tears."
"Lin…"
"My feet hurt, my back hurts, I always have to pee, I'm enormous," Lin ranted, "I'm tired, I can't do my job -"
Tenzin embraced her from behind; Lin stopped and leaned against him. He murmured, "One more month, Lin, that's all, and we'll be meeting our child. Until then, please let us take care of you."
"Okay," she agreed grumpily.
Lin waddled through the meditation garden of Air Temple Island. She winced as the child aimed a kick at her spine. As if conjured from thin air, an acolyte appeared and came towards her.
"Is something -" began the acolyte.
"I'm fine," Lin said curtly.
"Are you sure? Maybe I should go get Katara? You shouldn't take any chances with the baby - or with you?" babbled the acolyte, twisting her hands worriedly.
"I said I'm fine. Baby just kicked." Lin said, "Go back to whatever you were doing."
"Oh - the baby - can I feel -" Worry replaced by a smile, the acolyte extended a hand towards Lin's rounded stomach. Lin caught the woman's wrist before it touched.
"No, you can't," declared Lin. Releasing the wrist, Lin ordered, "Now go away."
The acolyte's face fell. Lin thought she looked like a child being denied a sweet. Lin intensified her glare, causing the woman to retreat.
Several minutes later, Lin found Katara in the kitchen.
"How do I get them to leave me alone?" she demanded. Lin eased into a seat at the little table along the wall.
"Huh? What - who - are you talking about?" asked Katara.
"Them!" Lin flapped her hands at the doorway. "The acolytes! Every time I turn around, there one is!"
"This is their home," Katara said. Lin snorted. Katara set down the shopping list she had been compiling. "Give them some leeway. They're excited, Lin."
"Can't they be excited from a distance?" Lin asked exasperated. She laid a protective hand on her bulge. "They keep trying to touch me."
"They don't mean any harm," said Katara. When Lin continued to scowl, Katara told her, "I'll ask them to be a less...present."
"Thanks."
Katara finished her grocery list while Lin rested quietly. Lin's hands rubbed circles on her stomach. Putting the kettle on, Katara joined Lin at the table.
"Have you decided on a midwife?" Katara asked. She and Lin had interviewed seven in the past three days. Refusing to choose, Lin had claimed she wanted time to consider. Lin's eyes flicked to Katara before dropping to her stomach. When Lin didn't answer, Katara prompted, "Lin?"
"I heard you." Lin entreated, "I have you. Why do I need some stranger? I haven't needed a midwife yet."
"Because you and the baby have been perfectly healthy and I have training," said Katara. She took Lin's hand. "But I don't have the experience in childbirth a proper midwife does. Tui and la forbid, if there are any complications during the birth, a midwife is best equipped to help you and the baby."
Katara would have sworn the hand in hers trembled, ever so slightly, and that Lin's pulse quickened, before Lin withdrew her hand and crossed her arms. Upon checking Lin's expression, Katara saw only mild irritation, a not uncommon sight recently. Still, Katara tucked away the trembling and quick pulse in her memory.
"You seemed to like the fourth one best," remarked Katara. "Megumi is one of the best in the city. I've worked with her before and I've always been impressed."
"Oh all right," conceded Lin with a huff. "If I have to have one, it might as well be her. At least she didn't talk to me like I was an idiot. From the way some of them were acting, you'd have thought I'd lost my mind, not gotten pregnant."
"I'll send a note asking her to come round tomorrow," said Katara decisively. "You can get to know her better, and ask her questions. So you'll be more comfortable when the time comes."
Something, Katara didn't know what, flitted across Lin's face. It was covered up with resignation. Lin said, "All right. Tomorrow."
Katara decided not to press Lin further, not to ask what was bothering her. Instinct told her Lin was hiding something. Knowledge of Lin told her trying to force Lin to talk would be futile but also that Lin wouldn't hide anything which would have the slightest chance of hurting her baby. However, Katara did resolve to speak to her son and gently recommend he attempt to find out what was wrong - and to keep a closer eye on Lin if he couldn't.
Instead, Katara asked Lin, "Do you know if your mother is coming to dinner?"
"Probably," replied Lin. "Sokka too."
"I'll make Camp Stew." The kettle whistled. Katara rose and prepared tea.
"No more baby talk, Aunt, please," conditioned Lin when she accepted a cup from Katara. Acceding with a nod, Katara turned the conversation to other matters - Toph's plans for a new substation, what vegetables to plant in the Temple gardens, Sokka's latest invention, and bills currently before the Council.
Tenzin paced.
When Aang suggested mediation, Tenzin gave him such a look of disbelief that Sokka laughed at it.
Lin had entered the early stages of labor in the predawn hours. Tenzin had been allowed to stay with her as she slept fitfully a little while longer. Then he had assisted her on slow walks throughout the morning and afternoon. Aang had retrieved Sokka, Toph, and the midwife. The family members had taken turns entertaining Lin. Katara and the midwife had prepared the room, a guest bedroom rather than Lin's and Tenzin's room as Lin had decided she didn't want to associate their room with childbirth.
When the contractions grew closer together, the men had been banished from the family quarters entirely. They had holed up in the Temple library.
Tenzin thought he would go mad. As her due date approached, Lin had had grown increasingly apprehensive. She had denied it, and cuffed his arm if he asked her if she was okay more than three times a day, but neither he nor his mother had been able to shake the notion she was treading the line between nervousness and outright fear.
From the moment of the first contractions, Lin had gone pale and quiet. She hadn't liked having him out of sight and had kept a tight grip on his hand whenever she could. Leaving her had been agonizing, especially as his mother and the midwife had been the ones insisting he leave rather than Lin herself. Lin had just managed to unclench her hand and to give him a nod. Ushering him out, Katara had committed him to the care of his father and Sokka.
Around sundown, Toph stormed into the room. She exclaimed, "They threw me out!"
"Is Lin -" started Tenzin.
"She's fine. Baby's fine - taking its own sweet time though," declared Toph. She flopped into a chair. She repeated, "They threw me out!"
Sokka was either the bravest or stupidest; he asked, "Why?"
"Apparently, I was not being helpful," Toph drawled. She started to pick her toes. None of three men elected to inquire further. Since Toph wouldn't be this calm if she thought anything was truly wrong, Tenzin simply didn't care about the details. Aang and Sokka didn't think they really wanted to know.
A half hour later, Katara entered the room. She beckoned to Tenzin who promptly reined in panic. Katara said, "Tenzin, a moment."
"Is Lin okay?" he asked, following his mother into the hallway. "The baby?"
"They're both doing fine, physically," replied Katara. She worried at her lip. Katara admitted, "She's scared. More than...more than I expected. I don't know why, she won't tell me, and it's making her tense. She's asked for you a few times - I'm hoping you might be able to calm her."
"I thought I wasn't allowed."
"Lin and my grandchild are more important than some stupid custom," declared Katara. Catching his arm before Tenzin could move, she locked gazes with him. In a grave tone, she stressed, "Childbirth is hard, Tenzin. Lin's in pain and she screams and it's very messy. If you can't be calm yourself, you'll only do more harm. Unless you're absolutely sure you can keep it together, you don't belong. I will throw you out myself if I have to. Do you understand?"
Tenzin sucked in a deep breath and nodded. He said firmly, "I understand."
"Okay. Give me a second to tell the others." Tenzin vibrated with impatience as Katara stuck her head into the library and announced, "Tenzin is coming with me. Lin and baby are all right."
She ignored their confusion, shutting the door behind her. She and Tenzin headed for Lin.
Once inside the room, Tenzin was blind and deaf to all but Lin. He didn't hear Katara silencing the protests from the midwife or from the two older acolytes Lin had chosen to older acolytes Lin had chosen to help. He didn't notice the sheets soiled with various fluids or smell the unpleasant odors which persisted despite an open window.
Upon seeing him, Lin sagged with relief and reached for him. Tenzin caught her hands, sitting on the bed.
"Tez," she gasped, squeezing so hard his bones ached. Her eyes were wider than he had ever seen them and she was shaking.
"It's okay. I'm here," he murmured. Gathering both her hands in his left, he palmed her cheek. "It's going to be okay."
"Don't go," she pleaded. "Don't. I can't - I can't -" She choked on a sob. Her breathing lost its rhythm. Tenzin pressed his forehead to hers.
"I'm not going anywhere," he promised. "And you can do this. I know you can. Now, listen to me and breathe in." Raggedly, she did so. "Now, out." Lin obeyed.
They got her breathing under control. Without letting go of her hands, Tenzin managed to arrange himself behind her, supporting her back, before the next contraction hit.
Time passed, measured by contractions and Lin's screams. Finally, at long last, a baby wailed. Lin collapsed onto Tenzin, both breathless as Katara wrapped the baby warmly.
"It's a girl," Katara proclaimed. Tears in her eyes and grinning, she laid her precious bundle in Lin's arms.
"A girl," whispered Tenzin, a finger on the edge of the blankets. Too exhausted and overcome to speak, Lin just stared half-bewildered, half-amazed at the baby. Neither parent realized they were crying.
…
Afterwards, while Katara and her helpers cleaned up Lin and the room, Tenzin carried his daughter to meet the rest of her family. They had been summoned to return to the family quarters, awaiting Tenzin in the sitting room.
Toph was the first to hold the sleeping baby. She cradled her granddaughter to her chest with one arm, lightly tracing the lines of the infant's face with the other hand. Aang and Sokka crowded round.
"Does she have a name?" murmured Aang so as not to wake the child.
"Sora," replied Tenzin, equally soft.
"Sky," whispered Sokka. "That's a good name."
"How's my daughter?" asked Toph, despite having already been told by the acolyte sent to fetch them that Lin was doing well.
"She's tired and sore, but otherwise good," answered Tenzin. "When I take Sora back, you should come with me. I'm sure she'd like to see you."
"As if you could stop me." In a grudging way, she asked Sokka and Aang, "I suppose you want to hold her too?"
"Pretty pretty please?" begged Aang. Toph surrendered Sora into his keeping. He murmured, "Hello, little one. I'm your grandfather. You're so beautiful." Sora shifted an arm. "Oh look, she moved, did you see it, she moved."
"Shhh...don't wake her," cautioned Tenzin. Already, he missed the weight of his daughter in his arms. "I have to bring her back soon."
"Sorry," mumbled Aang. He passed Sora to Sokka who crooned at her for a minute before returning her to her father.
Sokka asked, "Do you think we could all see Lin?"
"Just for a moment?" added Aang.
Tenzin considered, then nodded. "Just for a moment."
The three followed him back to the room. In a fresh nightdress and bedding, Lin stayed awake long enough to cuddle her daughter again, and to be kissed on the forehead and congratulated by each of the three. Tenzin slipped into bed beside her, taking Sora. Watching her child slumber, Lin fell asleep with her head on his shoulder.
Several days later, Tenzin asked Lin, "Can you tell me what made you so scared?"
They were laying in bed, Sora drowsing between them. Lin stroked a finger over the fuzz on Sora's head.
"Pushing this one out of me isn't a reason to be scared?"
"No - yes - I know there was something else, Lin, something more," Tenzin grasped her hand. "Please, tell me."
"I was afraid it would go wrong," she confessed in a small voice. "I was so afraid that - it wasn't the pain I was afraid of - I knew - but - my body, it does what I tell it to - but this - childbirth - was going to be out of my control."
She whispered, "I never told you because I - in my rookie year...there was a woman. She was in labor and I stayed with her while my partner went for help, but there was no one around and by the time he came back...it was too late. She died. Her baby died. I couldn't - I couldn't do anything. They just died, the healer said he thought nothing would have helped, and I - it scared me."
"Lin," Tenzin said, "why didn't you tell me or my mother? We could have helped. Mother would have told you that someone as healthy and strong as you with the best care possible -"
"Women die in childbirth, Tenzin, even in the best circumstances," Lin interrupted him. "Babies too. As to why I - I couldn't - every time I thought about giving birth, I - I didn't want to think about so I tried to pretend everything was going to be fine and I didn't need to think about it."
"Well, at least that explains why you kept changing your mind about the hospital versus the island and couldn't pick a midwife," said Tenzin. He squeezed her hand.
"Stupid, I know," Lin said. "Not much like me either."
"You've never been pregnant before. You're entitled to behave differently," countered Tenzin. He laid her hand on Sora's tummy, his hand atop hers. "What matters is you're fine and we have a healthy, beautiful baby girl."
"Yeah, we do, don't we?" murmured Lin, smiling.
"We do." Tenzin smiled too. They remained that way, listening to Sora breathe and feeling her chest rise and fall, until she woke and wailed for her next meal.