Worth Everything

Writers: Heather, Miriah
Date Posted: 24th November 2015

Characters: Bahji, K'lvin
Description: Bahji meets her daughter
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 2, day 10 of Turn 8

Bahji reclined on the bed, her face drawn but not as pale as she heard footsteps come closer. She ached and occasionally sharp pains hissed on her abdomen and chest, but she refused any further fellis. She wanted desperately to hold her child and to feed her. Her head turned towards the sound and her face was hopeful. "K'lvin?"

"It's me," he told her. "And I have a visitor with me." Cradled in his arm was a small bundled swaddled in a pink blanket.

Giving a watery smile, Bahji gingerly held her arms out, making sure not to move too fast. "Can I have her? " She wanted to touch her daughter, to feel how she looked and to smell her.

"Of course. She is sick of looking at her Da's face already. She's quite ready to see her beautiful mother." K'lvin carefully placed their daughter in Bahji's arms.

Carefully, very carefully, Bahji found her daughter's face with delicate touches as her other arm cradled her gently. Her fingertips trailed over the little nose, the brows, the soft cheek and the pursed mouth. Bahji caught her breath and a tear leaked out of her cheek. "She's
beautiful. She's so beautiful. She has your mouth, K'lvin. And my chin and..." She brought the baby up close, pressing her cheek against the top of the baby's head. "My baby. My beautiful baby." Even as happy tears leaked down her face, she smiled and turned to press a soft kiss on the soft hair. "What color is her hair, K'lvin? Her eyes?"

K'lvin's voice was thick with emotion as he watched his weyrmate and daughter, "Right now her eyes are a brilliant blue, the healer said they might change and darken into another color. Her hair is a reddish-brown, kind of auburn I would say."

"I'll be the best mother I can be." Bahji carefully rocked the infant, pressing kiss after kiss on her daughter's head. "She's worth every stitch of pain. Everything." The baby turned her head, instinctively rooting towards Bahji's shoulder. Bahji paused and then spoke softly to K'lvin. "Can you help me unlace the back? Maybe I can feed her. Maybe she's hungry."

Reaching behind Bahji's neck, K'lvin carefully unlaced the gown she wore, and then he gingerly laid the front of the garment open, exposing his weyrmate to their searching daughter. "Have you thought of a name?" They had discussed a few over the course of the pregnancy,
but nothing had been set in stone.

It took several moments before Bahji answered, trying to align the baby's mouth to her nipple by touch alone. It was a bit frustrating, but as the child latched on and began greedily sucking, Bahji seemed to relax. Her expression became one of joy and pride. She was able to
feed her child; she had worried about her ability, but the babe seemed to know exactly what to do. Her head lifted, a slight glow on her cheeks even through the ache at her abdomen. "I liked the name you came up with. Kaliha. It's beautiful. Just like her."

K'lvin watched as Kaliha fed from Bahji, a tightness in his chest making it nearly impossible to breathe. In that moment K'lvin found it impossible to have more love for Bahji, or Kaliha. "She's beautiful like her mother."

Bahji's expression faded just a little as a thought occurred to her. "K'lvin...is she okay? Healthy I mean?" She struggled to complete her thought. "Is she like me? Can she see?"

Her worry tugged at K'lvin's heart. "She's perfectly healthy, and she can see."

The relief on her face was open and an unknown tension eased from her. "Thank Faranth." Bahji exhaled with relief, then smiled warmly. "She is worth every pain, K'lvin." She cuddled the child close as she fed. "She's everything."

K'lvin tenderly stroked his hand over Bahji's head and pressed his lips to her forehead, "Would you like to send Burst with a message to your mother? I can arrange to pick her up and bring her here for a visit."

Smiling at the gentle kiss, Bahji nodded. "Yes." Burst hadn't left her side from the moment the baby was born. "He knows where she is, if you could write the message."

"I will do that. Is there anything else I can get for you?" He reached up and scratched Burst's tiny headknob.

Bahji shifted, held the baby with one arm and stretched out her other one. "Just stay with me for a bit? If you have time?"

"Of course I have time." What were Wingseconds for, after all? K'lvin sat on the sliver of bed beside of Bahji and cradled her body against his.

Last updated on the November 30th 2015

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Worth Everything