Like Father, Like Daughter ((Virika's Baby))

[FaizahPandora]

IC Date: July 9th, 2012
IC Time: Noon

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Virika had been in the Infirmiry for a few days, with false labor pains, at the doctor's assistance that she needed to be watched over. And the doctor had been right. After three days of false labor, Virika was in for a hellish two more days.

The labor pains had started early in the morning, and by the evening they had grown in intensity. Virisk had to be allowed into the room to try and soothe Virika, but to no avail. Her screams could be heard throughout the entire Weyr, or so it seemed.

After two days of horrible labor, and with almost the entire Weyr on their toes over it, the labor finally came to an end. Virika let out one more shriek befor the weak gurgles of a newborn were heard. Doctors immediately swarmed Virika to stabilize her, as another set of doctors set out to make sure the baby was fine.

No one was allowed into the room until news on one or the other was given. Faizah was wearing a hole in the floor with her pacing, and she was so upset that even the stoic and calm Surth couldn't remain silent. His growls could be heard from inside the Infirmiry, even though the massive white had taken perch outside.

Even Kain, along with Nakia, Lakeen and Mentari, were waiting with the Weyrwoman. Kain tried to keep their spirits up with constant banter and jokes, but it didn't work. Even he fell into silence after the first hour.

Finally a doctor entered the waiting room. He had with him a bundle of pink, and immediatly handed it to Faizah. Faizah held the bundle gently, but gave the doctor a confused look.

"The baby is fine, but we need someone to watch her while we stabilize Virika. We have every doctor and nurse assisting us right now. Virika, before she passed out, named her Alexandria." He explained.

Faizah nodded and allowed the doctor to return to Virika. Then she moved the pink blanket slightly so she could look down at the very small infant. Almost immediately Faizah gasped, but a smile graced her lips.

"What is it?" Nakia asked, hurrying over to Faizah.

"Alexandria has her father's hair... White platinum blond." She laughed, tilting the baby up so that everyone could see.

[Stormy]

Garrik was beyond worried sick about Virika. Not only was he not allowed inside the room to try and help, he was forced to sit outside and merely listen to her screams of pain as she gave birth to their child, alone. Hell, he was past the point of feeling anything but sick.

Not only physically sick, but also emotionally sick. He could feel anger directed at himself, because if it weren't for him, she wouldn't be in this kind of hellish pain.

He could hear Faizah pacing, wearing out even the stone floors of the Weyr, but he was beyond the point of pacing. He could only summon enough will to move to continue to semi-lightly bang his head on the door, staring blankly at it. Even Garrisk, the big blue loveable lug that he was, couldn't cheer up His, and the wher didn't like it.

For two days, he stood there at the door. For two days, he didn't leave for anything but brief, necessary departures. Even food held no appeal to the anxious father-to-be, let alone sleep.

He had taken a momentary respite from his perch on the door when the doctor came out, collapsed in one of the chairs and staring miserably at the ceiling. However, when he heard the door open, he leapt up, but couldn't get a word out. He didn't need to...

His stomach did more than flips when he heard that Virika was in critical condition, and he collapsed back into the chair, eyes blank and panicked at the same time. He barely even reacted when Faizah gasped about his child's hair color, and only because Garrisk mentally nudged the distraught wherling.

Mine... the wher prodded gently.

Garrik looked toward the wher, who happened to be sitting behind Faizah from the chair he had chosen, and then he saw the little pink bundle. Saw the flash of near-white hair, and something inside him just broke. He abruptly leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees before bringing his hands up and burying his face behind his long fingers.

And then he started to sob. They were tears of fear, of hate, and of sheer, utter panic. He had barely had Virika, and now he was terrified he had lost her.

[FaizahPandora]

The sound of sobs reached the others, who's attention had been stolen by the baby. Faizah was the first to look over, a frown on her face. She knew that Garrik had been stressed during this whole ordeal. But she didn't believe he was this bad. Yet there he was, sobbing into his hands even though his daughter was here.

It made her wonder how deeply he cared for Virika. No normal man would sit there for two days, not leaving his post, banging his head against the door. And not any normal man would cry with fear and worry when their first child had been born.

Most men would be greeting their newborn...

Faizah shot Kain a glance, who had also noticed Garrik. She believed everyone had, but the others had chosen to ignore him. She couldn't blame them. There wasn't much else to do. They didn't know how to help him. And with Virika's wellbeing in question, they couldn't very well tell him that everything would be alright.

Kain nodded slightly, getting up from his seat and heading over to where Garrik was sitting. He took a seat next to the upset boy, leaning back. He waited a few moments, then leaned forward so he could speak quietly without Garrik being unable to hear him.

"From one father to another, you should probably try to calm down." He whispered in the wherling's ear.

He looked over at Faizah, still holding little Alexandria. She was obviously tired, stressed from the demands of Naktor and running the Weyr. The last thing she needed was another infant to look after.

Kain nodded once towards Faizah and the baby. "That's little girl is going to need you. As you know, her mother isn't able to take care of her right now. And its just not right for a child not to know their father..." Kain continued.

He waved Faizah over, discreetly. As Faizah approached, Kain gestured to the baby. "She needs you Garrik, like no one has ever needed you. She even has her mother's eyes." He said.

Faizah had reached them, standing only a step away from the two men. She hoped this was going to work. She didn't want Garrik to be so stressed, and Alexandria really should know her father. And, as if the child knew that her father was near, she started whining. Little gurgles and moans, waving her little fists weakly.

[Stormy]

Garrik didn't expect what happened next. While Kain was only trying to help calm him down, and he knew that, he couldn't help the sudden surge of anger that came rushing out. He toward Kain, hands dropping away from his face, a glower in his eyes.

"I know she needs me, but do you know who else needs me?! Virika! And she's the only one I can't get to!" he snarled. "I just found Virika not long ago, but I'm absolutely terrified I'm about to lose her!

"If I lose her...I'm not sure I can ever look our baby in the face. Her eyes...They'll haunt me..."

But then Garrik leapt back up, determination burning in his eyes. "But you know what?" he growled, glaring at the door. "I'm not going to let that happen! I'm not going to let anything happen to Virika!"

But if he couldn't get into the infirmary to get to her...How could he help her?

[FaizahPandora]

Kain remained in his seat, watching Garrik closely. Then he hung his head and sighed. He had obviously not done very well in the comforting part. All he had managed to do was anger the poor man. Kain glanced up at Faizah, a look on his face asking her what they should do next.

Faizah began to shake her head, but then paused. There was no sound suddenly, where before there had been the muffled sound of footsteps and scraping metal. Faizah's head snapped towards the closed door, wondering what was going on. Had something happened to Virika?

Faizah looked at everyone else, but none of them seemed to have noticed it. Her brows furrowed, and she wondered if she really was hearing nothing. At the same time she felt the blood drain out of her face. She felt dizzy, all the white trying to hear any sound from behind the door.

Faizah slowly sat down in a chair. "Lakeen? Come take the baby..." She muttered in a weak voice.

Lakeen came and did as Faizah said, gently taking the baby from her sister. Faizah leaned back against the chair, trying to calm herself down. There was nothing wrong with Virika. They had gotten her stabilized. That was all. That's why it was quiet. Things had simply calmed down...

[Stormy]

Faizah wasn't the only one to hear it; Garrik heard the silence, and his face went whiter than Faizah's.

"VIRIKA!" he roared, leaping over to the door, throwing his whole weight against it. The surge of emotions from Garrik had Garrisk on his feet, snarling and whining at the same time. "You can't keep me out!" he snarled, slamming on the door, tears streaming down his face.

"You have to let me in...!" he said through a sob, slamming his hands flat on the door. Garrisk howled in agony and frustration, then barreled into the door. Garrik, however, just felt his knees buckle as he slid down the door, cracking his head on the door. "Virika..." he sobbed, his shoulders slumping.

[FaizahPandora]

Everyone was silent, looking anywhere but at Garrik and Garrisk. They all feared the worst. But then the sounds of heavy footsteps came to their ears. Before anyone could even wonder what the sound meant, the door was swung angrily open.

A nurse stood there, her face obviously angry and her stance dominant. She glared down at Garrik, who was sitting on the floor in a heap, and glowered. She frowned at him before she spoke. "Can you shut up? We just got her stabilized, and here you are screaming like the fires of hell are burning you alive."

Faizah shot to her feet. "She's stable?" Faizah asked in disbelief.

The nurse sighed dramatically. "Yes, she's stable. And though I disapprove, the doctor has said you all can come in and see her. Only for a few minutes!" She all but growled.

[Stormy]

Garrik only stared up at the nurse for a moment after she spoke, her words not sinking in immediately. He blinked dumbly after a few minutes, and then her words actually began to organize themselves into the coherent statements she had actually said.

He leapt to his feet, his expression changing from sheer desperation to determination to get past the nurse. But first...

He looked at the nurse, a frowning scowl of his own on his face. "I'd like to see you get me out of that room. You won't be able to sedate me and drag me out because of Garrisk, and if you tried, you can bet whatever salary you get that I'll cause as much hell for you as I can before I go under," he growled.

He started to turn away, then stopped and looked back at her. "Oh, and as far as I was concerned, silence is a bad thing when all someone knows is that the woman he loves is trapped behind a door that no one would let him through. The fires of hell were starting a torture run, so don't snap at me to shut up again."

((He gets mean when he's mad. o.O))

[FaizahPandora]

Faizah gently put her hand on Garrik's shoulder. "Let's just go see Virika." She said quietly.

They went down the hall, taking only a minute of two to find Virika's room. And as they entered the room they noticed the doctor there, writing in Virika's chart. He turned and gave them a small smile, before speaking.

"The pregnancy was easy for her, but the birth was difficult, as you all know. What happened was that he contractions weren't strong enough, and the baby wouldn't detach from her uterine lining. A few weeks here and she should be fine." He explained. Faizah nodded, understanding what the doctor was saying.

After a moment he continued. "We don't know if this could happen again. So I don't suggest she get pregnant again. We've started her on the highest dosage of birth control that we can, to make sure she doesn't get pregnant again. Before she is released from the Infirmary we will check again."

He glanced over at Virika for a moment, who was stirring. He then turned back to the group and nodded. "She will probably wake up for a few minutes. We have her sedated, so it won't be long. After she falls back asleep, I ask that the majority of you leave." At this he turned to Garrik, a small smile on his face. "You, Garrik, I don't expect to leave her side. You're fine to stay."

The doctor had just one more thing to ask before he left the room. He glanced at the crowd and clapped his hands together. "Lastly, I am asking who is taking care of little Alexandria until her mother is released?"

Before anyone could answer, Virika raised her hand weakly. Her currently dark green eyes were focused on Garrik, and a tired smile graced her lips. "Garrik?" She asked quietly.

[Stormy]

As they traveled down the infirmary hall, Garrik hovered nervously by Faizah's shoulder, not sure what kind of condition to expect Virika to be in. The worry was starting to make his stomach flip, but some excitement might have seeped in too.

And then they were in the room. When the doctor was talking to them, Garrik couldn't even look at the man, focusing all of his attention on Virika. Especially when he mentioned why Virika had a hard labor and that she shouldn't get pregnant again. He couldn't deny the color he knew rushed to his cheeks with that statement.

When she started to stir, his attention snapped back to her, but then back to the doctor as he asked about Alexandria. He wanted to say that he would, but the man also had a point about him not leaving Virika's side. He wasn't sure who would watch the little girl, though. Faizah was already stressed out with one baby, as Kain had pointed out earlier, and Kain himself had at least one child to help look after. He just didn't know...

And then he heard his name. It was the most glorious sound he had heard in close to a week. He hurried over to her side, kneeling down next to the bed and gently taking her hand in both of his. "I'm here. I'd ask how you're feeling, little fox, but I think I can tell." He lifted her hand and pressed a light kiss to the back of her hand, blinking a few tears from his eyes. "I was worried about you."

[FaizahPandora]

Virika smiled slightly, watching Garrik as he knelt by her bedside. "I feel fine. Just very tired." She explained. She shook her head slightly, frowning at Garrik. "Don't cry..." She whispered tiredly.

The doctor quietly left the room, leaving them all alone. Kain had left along with the doctor, not wanting to disturb the family. Faizah and Nakia stuck closer to the door, watching Virika and Garrik. Lakeen and Mentari approached a little closer, Lakeen still holding Alexandria. They smiled at Virika while Alexandria had fallen asleep.

Virika noticed the bundle of pink, and smiled. She turned back to Garrik. "Have you seen her? She looks like you." Virika mumbled.

Her eyes started drifting closed. She fought the sleep, forcing her eyes open. She looked at Garrik. "I know you'll take good care of her." Virika muttered, her eyes drifting closed once more.