How Green Becomes Wood

"No you will not be," Dark replied flatly, not particularly interested in leaving the safety of his wife to someone recently licensed, even if he had a hand of teaching that person.

"Yes you will," Daizi said, lacking those same concerns, "I wish I could drive. Life is much harder when you can't, since the US has inadequate public transport and is rarely walkable," she buckled her seatbelt and then said, frowning, "work was fine, I guess. I wasn't really as focused as I might have been."
 
"That's understandable, all things considered. I know I would have a hard time focusing with a deadline like yours, but was there something specific on your mind? Something other than the obvious thing everyone jumps to?" Alec asked, still leaning forward to talk with her more easily.

Xander sat back and stretched out, enjoying being in the back seat with the full expectation that he wouldn't be back here much longer. He'd be the driver!
 
"No, it's just been uncomfortable. I was telling Dark--Xander, cover your ears and hum--she keeps wedging herself under my ribs, and since she's getting bigger, sometimes when she hits, she hits hard. It's like working with a hyperactive puppy all day. And that doesn't include the... Looming of it all. Only 14 weeks from now... Plus we're all trying to get my research ready enough to present in eight weeks, and that's stressful, and I know I won't even get to be there for the presentation, and I'm exhausted and everything hurts." She huffed, slinking down in her seat as much as she could.
 
Xander reacted promptly when Daizi told him to cover his ears and sat humming quietly to himself. He could tell Daizi was upset about whatever she was talking about, but she had Dark and Alec. Surely the two of them could help with whatever it was.

Alec reached up and gently rubbed Daizi's shoulders as best as he could at his awkward angle. "I'm sorry. I wish I could help, but I don't know anything at all about your research. I could man the copy station and staple things? Get coffee?"
 
"Thank you." Daizi sighed, pushing her hair back, "It's just, it's all really complicated, and it'd be stressful enough on it's own, but with everything else? And my boss has kids, she's been through this, and so have a lot of my coworkers, and I don't know how they did it, but they all can see, which I can't, and I don't like to make a big deal of that, but it's hard enough."

Dark looked over at her as he pulled away, "Your coworkers help though, yes? You are not alone?"

"No, they help, they help. I know they help," She sighed, "It'll be better, I'm just overwhelmed today."
 
"Only fourteen weeks," Alec said softly. "How is it that sounds so much shorter than when you put it in months? It's so close to happening! And then you'll have something different, at least, but for now, you can rest. Things will be better soon." He paused. "Do you want to try screaming a little to let it all out?"
 
"I know... November feels like so far from now, but 14 weeks from now feels right around the corner." She smoothed the front of her dress and then forced herself to sit up properly, since slouching down probably wasn't good for her back.

"It does," Dark agreed, and forced himself to take a breath as he turned onto their street.

Daizi shook her head, but laughed a bit at Alec's suggestion, "I'd try that, but Dark doesn't like screaming, and anyway my lungs are too crowded, I probably couldn't get enough air for it to feel worthwhile. I hope she's comfortable at least," she turned towards Dark, "Did anything new come for her today?"

"I have set up the changing table and I put up more of the decorations," He told her, which made Daizi sigh from relief. Less things to worry about.

"Okay, Xander, you can uncover your ears," she said, "Alec, would you let him know it's 'safe' now?"
 
Alec reached over and tapped his brother on the shoulder. "Xander?"

Xander took his hand away from one ear. "What? I was just getting to the good part of that one song from that Thor movie."

Alec had to think for a moment. "The Immigrant Song?"

"No, the battle song."

"The song is called 'Immigrant Song.'"

"Huh? Why?"

"No idea. Anyway, you can uncover your ears now."

Xander brightened and looked out the window. "Cool, we're almost home! What's for dinner?"
 
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"Do you ever think of anything else?" Dark asked blandly, which made Daizi laughed while he begrudgingly told Xander what they were going to have.

"I need to find something to do to relax," Daizi commented after they parked, as she got out, "but it's hard because I feel like I want to do something productive but also I'm so tired. Did we ever wash those clothes Sally sent us? We set up the dresser a few days ago, right? I can put them away."
 
"Isn't resting productive?" Alec asked as e scrambled out after Daizi. "But I can help you with putting things away. If you want. I can go do something else if you want to do it by yourself."

"Want some help making dinner?" Xander asked, following Dark.
 
"It doesn't feel productive." She said as they walked inside, "You can help me if you'd like. I know we've got time, I just really want that room ready. We need to still get more, we've got cloth diapers in the mail, and the..." She trailed off, "There's a lot still. We're getting the rocking chair this weekend still, right babe?"

"Yes," Dark replied, laying his hands on Daizi's shoulder and guiding her inside, "but how about, instead of folding anything, you try to think about anything other than the baby or your work? Anything else, my darling, anything else."

"I don't remember any of my hobbies."

"Go play music, you make beautiful music," He kissed the top of her head, and then after they had all taken off their shoes and touched the salt, he ushered her up the stairs, and begrudgingly she went, and while she did Dark lingered against the bannister and said, "I want to hear the muffled sounds of your harp or piano, I will know if you are up there stressing about our daughter or your job."

Daizi called down something unintelligible, and Dark shook his head, looking very much endeared by his wife, and then said, "You are welcome to help me, Xander. Alec, you may want to go be a watchdog with her."
 
Alec brightened. "I do love listening when she plays, and if she says it's not productive, maybe I can convince her to teach me to play the harp! Or advanced lessons in piano. But only if she stops enjoying herself." He scampered after Daizi, hanging back a bit to give her plenty of space.

"Cooking suits my brain better than music," Xander agreed, moving to help Dark.
 
"I like both," Dark replied, pausing to listen, and when he did hear the gentle sound of the harp, he smiled and said, "I love hers. There is no other music like that."

This suggestion of his, in fact, did wonders for Daizi's mood. Although she found the harp a bit more difficult to manage with her belly in the way, it wasn't too hard to adjust to it, and it was, shockingly, extremely relaxing to do something just for yourself. She did end up teaching Alec just a bit of it, but confessed she wasn't much in the mood for teaching, so mostly she just focused on the music, and by dinner she was much more pleasant.

And before she knew it, her second trimester had come to a close, and one day, in early September, after the twins, and Dark, had already returned to school, she woke up with amazement to the feel of her baby jumping around inside of her, very much alive, at the start of her third trimester. All those months ago, having that morning felt like an impossibility, but there she was. She sat up slowly and came downstairs late, taking the time to just enjoy it: enjoy the child she had been successfully creating, and the early morning, and the sounds of her family making breakfast downstairs. If she were honest, Daizi did very much miss her mornings with her husband, who since school had started was no longer lingering in bed with her late, but on this day it didn't matter, and it was wonderful to come downstairs, with steps lighter than she had even before she became pregnant, to let everyone know exactly how important that day was.

Come lunch on that day, most of the normal aches and pains and little irritants of her condition had reappeared, along with sone new ones, but they didn't really bother her so much, and she took out her phone to make a happy call to her friend, "Hi Sally!" she chirped as soon as the phone was answered, "Do you know what day it is today?"
 
"Good afternoon, Daizi," Sally responded warmly. "It is... Tuesday, isn't it? Or is it Wednesday?" There was a pause as she checked the calender. "Tuesday! So, what is so marvelous about this September Tuesday? I can tell you are dying to tell me!"
 
"It's the first day of my third trimester!" Daizi replied, and forced herself to give it a few minutes for it to sink in with the gravitas she felt it deserved. In the past, making it out of the first often seemed impossible, but now--! "Seven months! And my sweet little hummingbird is still alive and doing everything she's supposed to be! She's the size of an eggplant!"
 
Sally gasped and gave the tiniest of little squeals. "Oh, Daizi! That is the best news! Oh, simply marvelous. We have to celebrate! I'll bring a bottle of my best wine! We can..." She trailed off into a moment of silence. "I do believe that is the dumbest thing I have said all day." She chuckled at herself for suggesting the wine and said, "Never mind the wine, but we should celebrate! Your little hummingbird is a good deal bigger than a hummingbird now."
 
Daizi laughed at Sally's suggestion, "In three months we can have wine. You can have most of the bottle, but it'll be okay for me to have a tiny bit. I don't want any of it to affect my breastmilk, but if it turns out my body isn't good at that either, then it won't be a problem! Only three months, Sally, can you believe that? And you're right, she's really out paced the real thing, and believe me, I feel every inch of it," She laughed again and rocked a bit in her chair, itching her middle, "but I've decided today I'm not complaining about any discomfort, it's too special. And there are only twelve weeks left anyway, I can handle twelve more weeks. Although I feel like since I'm already so big in another twelve weeks I'll probably not fit through my door. But tomorrow we get to have her next ultrasound! I'm so excited, and I know Dark is dying to see her again... She really responds to the sound of his voice, I want him to get to see it on the screen."
 
"That is going to be such a special day," Sally sighed happily. "And then, the next thing you know, you'll be holding her in your arms. And then you'll have a whole new set of problems to deal with!" She chuckled gleefully at her words. "Oh! If you would like, I can get another printing for you of her current size if you save the pictures for me."
 
"I would love that!" Daizi replied quickly, and then paused thinking about it, "Or, well... I'll be holding her in only three months, now. Like you said. And her face is all developed now, so... Do you think it would be better to be surprised? Learning how she really looks when I get to hold her for the first time? It's so close to now. But then again, I'm so curious, and Dark gets to see her everytime. But he says, or said at our last appointment, that you can't really make out her features."
 
"Her face may be fully formed, but it will still be different from her last appointment. Very similar, of course, but different, and feeling a little 3D-printed statue is going to be a lot different from feeling the real thing when she arrives," Sally pointed out. "You think about it, and if you don't want one, I understand, but if you do want one for posterity's sake, I can get you one."
 
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