| Details for That's Not Indigestion |
| Summary: | Keenan and Veruca are waiting for the baby to decide to make it's debut in the world. |
| Date: | 16 June 1941 |
| Location: | The O'Shea Abode, Ladbroke Garden Terrace, London |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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There's a crack in the mudroom to the back of the house that the O'Shea's have agreed upon as their apparition place. However, as has been his habit the last few months, there is no call of greeting from the tall, ginger healer as he sheds his chartreuse robes, hanging them in the wizard locker by the door. Toeing off his shoes, he pads silently into the kitchen in wool stockinged feet, a paper sack in hand as he looks for his wife. He maintains his silence until he's able to ascertain if Rue is catching a nap that he doesn't wish to disturb.
That familiar crack is hard not to hear anywhere in their townhouse and Rue moves to the stairway to call down, "Upstairs, darling." They've had the baby's room complete for some time now, but she's been rearranging things again. It looks like the crib has been moved, it's place swapped with the changing table, and Rue is looking back into the room from the top of the stairs as she waits for Keenan, her wand held loosely in her hand.
Hearing her voice, Keenan steps more quickly, the long legs eating up the ground as he crosses through the front room to the stairs. Looking up, he smiles at the beautiful woman at the top of the stairs, and takes the steps two at a time until he can put an arm around her (the one holding the sack), leaning a bit over the belly holding their child to kiss her, his free hand resting over their child. Lifting his head, he glances past her towards the baby's room, and tilts his head curiously.
"How was your day?" Veruca asks as he comes up the stairs, but leaves off expecting an answer because there is something far more important. The kiss. It makes her smile and she notices his glance. Her voice turns a bit petulant, "Well I have to do something." Her hand covers his and she frowns down at her belly. "Honestly, by the time this baby comes out it'll be a toddler." She's only a day past the due date they were given, but clearly she's getting a wee bit impatient.
Keenan chuckles as he tucks her head against his shoulder. "Nobody's tyin' ye down, love," he tells her with a grin. "I do think that arrangement makes more sense, though." Then he looks down. "If that happens, then we won't have tae worry about teaching her teh walk. She'll traipse right on out." His grin is incorrigible as he knows he's equally likely to get smacked as get her to laugh at this time, and he's willing to take either.
Veruca leans, taking comfort in the nearness of her husband. "Now if I can just stop rearranging everything again." But there's a faint smile on her lips at Keenan's joke, which grows after a moment. He does get a swat, but it's light and playful. "Hush you. Don't give her any ideas." Her head tips down, raven hair held back in her usual, if slightly messier, chignon. "Don't you listen to him, your father isn't always quite right." There's a soft, resigned sigh as she looks back up, and as if it's released the last of her discontent, her posture relaxes a measure. "So how was your day?"
As she leans into him, Keenan's hands shift and his arms go around her, with just enough room for her to move as she wishes. "Of course I'm always right," he says, directing his attention down in the same direction as Rue does. "Except when your Mama says I'm not. Then we just smile and agree with her." He winks at the blue eyes that are turned up towards him as she repeats her question, and he gives a little shrug. "It was a day like any other day. I may be in a little trouble, though…" he says as he lifts the paper sack. "The nieces and nephews wanted teh make a little something for the baby's room. I have a feeling our little girl is going teh be very spoiled from many different sides."
There's a light frown as Keenan mentions trouble, but it reverses at once back into a smile as the sack is lifted. "Oh dear, how terribly sweet of them. I've no doubt that you're right, though, the little loves." Almost all side. It's not very likely that Veruca's parents nor much of her extended family will even acknowledge their child, much like they've barely acknowledged Keenan in the rare times Veruca speaks to them. But, she was never close to her parents, so that barely registers on her.
He hands over the paper sack. It has letters carved out of a thin sheet of wood, and the letters have been painted by different hands, with different little patterns. There are enough letters that spell out 'Nevina' and then some leftovers for her middle name as Keenan did try to keep from revealing boy or girl and what the name actually is. There are also some ribbons to thread through the holes bored at the tops of the letters so it can be strung together and hung on the wall.
Veruca peeks into the sack first, and gives a very un-Rue little squeak of excitement before taking Keenan by the hand and leading him into the baby's room. There, on the changing table, she lays out the letters, admiring each one, looking for the signatures on the back. "This had to have been your father's idea. How clever and lovely." She points over to the crib in it's new location. "We can put them on the wall right there. Oh, I'm so glad I decided to move that away from the window, it'll be just perfect now."
The squeak brings a broad smile, dimples creasing, to the ginger man, and he steps forward. "Well, I think, like most things, it was a collaboration between Mum an' Da. She likes teh keep the wee ones busy with creative activities, an' he likes teh make things with wood." He looks up to the wall she indicates, and dips his head in agreement. "It is perfect. May I help?" he asks, reaching for a piece of ribbon and a couple of letters. No doubt she will fix his bows later, but…
"Oh yes, please do!" Veruca says excitedly. She leans so their arms touch while they put together the letters with the ribbon, and just as she's connecting the E to the V she stops, standing stock still for a moment. She frowns slightly, looking in discomfort for a moment, then relaxes again. "Merlin, the indigestion this little one causes me."
Keenan glances down sideways to his wife as she pauses, and then he looks forward towards the wall, mentally starting a clock in his head. He nods slowly. "I have it on reliable authority that she'll cause much more when she's a teenager," he grins to her, calmly continuing to tie together the middle name letters.
There's a soft groan from Veruca, but it's at Keenan's words, and her fingers keep at their task of ribbon tying. "Please, darling, lets take one life change at a time." And there's a laugh as she nudges his arm gently with her own. A few minutes later, as she's tying the N to the A, she stops again, putting the wooden letters down and leaning on the table with both hands for a moment. "She's worse than spicy food." And again, it's over after a momentary discomfort.
Raising his eyebrows at the second stoppage, Keenan looks sideways to his wife. He starts to open his mouth, then he stops, and pulls out his wand. "Tell me when I have them in the right spot?" he suggests, and with a swish and flick, 'Nevina' floats over to the wall over the crib, following Rue's directions on where to place it, but a close look to his eyes would see that his attention is more on Rue as that mental clock keeps ticking in his head.
Rue is completely distracted with the task of getting the name placed just so on the wall, her head tilting, "Yes, that way just a bit. No, not quite that much, darling. Oh yes, that's so much better, don't you think?" Her hands wave back and forth with her instructions, as if nudging the letters. Finally she nods. "Perfect." She appears, still, to be just fine.
Looking at his handiwork, Keenan nods. "Would ye mind doing the sticking charm, love?" he suggests. "I'll just hold it in place while ye fix it." As the clock in his mind ticks by the minutes, reaching the 'false alarm' time, the little tight lines at the corners of his eyes begin to ease.
Picking her wand back up from the changing table, Rue doesn't have it fully raised when a third pain comes in her midsection. Instead of the charm, her hands, right still holding the wand, go to the rounded belly, and she draws in an audible breath that she then holds. Her eyes shift to Keenan, and she lets the breath out to say, "It may be a bit more than indigestion."
There's a little smirk from the healer as his wife catches up, and he nods. "Just might be," he agrees, giving a little twist of his wrist and the incantation to fix the letters to the wall. He tucks his wand back into his sleeve and walks over to put an arm around Rue. "Shall we go teh Mungo's, m'fhíorghrá? Although I feel capable of welcoming little Nevina, I'd rather we have a few midwives around."
Veruca takes a deep breath, letting it out briskly to clear the pain, ending it in a soft laugh. "I love you dearly, Keenan, and have every faith in you, but yes, I think I'd like that as well." She'd put a few things into a small travel case which is retrieved from their bedroom, and it takes them a few minutes and one more contraction before they're ready to leave. Veruca lifts one hand to gently stroke Keenan's cheek, looking up into his eyes with happiness and love. "Lets go meet our daughter."