Realistic or Modern A Mother's Return

[GhastlySquash]

Halle's gaze fell below at the moment she mentioned being infertile. She'd never had any grandkids. That thought alone made Halle regret missing out on the last fifteen years.


As she sat down, Halle noticed one of the kids looked at her. "Hi there." She managed.


They're not even my flesh and blood. Halle thought darkly. In a way, that probably upset her the most. She wanted to be polite, to be grateful for the family she still had. But in a way, she felt alien. Lost in a world that wasn't hers but felt familiar in other aspects.

 

[PunkPrince]

Eva could hear the disappointment in her mother's voice as she spoke. She knew her mother was disappointed about not having biological grandkids, but Eva had always been able to love her adopted children as her own. She sighed and put the plate of spaghetti in front of her mother, ruffling Ronan's hair as she passed him. "Your dress looks nice, Ronan," she said. 


Ronan, though he could hear the forced emotion in Halle's voice, continued talking anyway. "My name is Ronan," he said. "And this is Hugo and this is Jupiter." He motioned to each of his siblings as he named them.  


Jupiter gave a small wave. Hugo didn't say anything, but he forced a small smile. He was never very open to new people, and the forced tone in Eva's mother's voice didn't really aid in relieving  his anxieties. He could tell right away that she wasn't exactly fond of them. Not in the way that Bea was, anyway. 

 

[GhastlySquash]

Halle chuckled at the simplicity of his statement. Still, she knew her disappointment was evident. It wasn't that she didn't hate the adopted kids. If anything, she just wished at least one of them was hers, biologically. Someone that could carry on the family.


Harold had always told Halle he wanted more children but Halle was lucky to have Eric. She still remembered the flashbacks when she'd come with the news.


--------------------------------------------


The doctor had sat both of them down as he read the paper. "Your wife can certainly have children, but there could be complications. If she did conceive, there's a chance she still might die."


Halle was, at the time, extremely nervous. She'd only married Harold for a year now and the doctor was telling them the dangers of Halle having the baby inside of her.


"Harold, I...I'm so sorry." Halle sighed. They'd been trying for so long to get a child, and now she realized she might not even get that chance.


------------------------------------------


(Did you want to play Harold in the flashbacks?)


Halle smiled at Ronan's dress. "I'm Halle's Mother." The formality in that statement surprised even her. She wasn't sure how to take that but she noticed that Eva seemed a little hurt by her indifference. To be fair, she really wanted to love them but she couldn't figure anything out.

 

[PunkPrince]

(Okay.)


"We know," Jupiter said. "Kennedy told us." They paused to look over the couch. Eva was still distracted with cleaning dishes from earlier' dinner. They looked back to Halle again. "She thought you'd died. She told us about you sometimes, but I think talking about you made her really sad. She used to spend the day she found out in bed every year."


"I'm glad you're back." Jupiter was surprised that Hugo had actually said something. Meeting strangers usually rendered him mute. He was looking anxiously toward Halle. "Maybe she won't be so sad."


---


Harold was silent for a moment, then let out a sigh. He had been worried that this might be the case. He put his hand on Halle's shoulder. "It's all right, Halle," he said softly. "Don't be sorry. I love you, that's what matters. Even if we never have children."


---


Eva had finished with the dishes and looked toward her mother. "Are you all right, Mom?" she asked, noting the sad look on her mother's face. 

 

[GhastlySquash]

"Well that's her father talking." Halle smiled. "I was...working abroad for a while. But I suppose some rumors get out of hand, which is why it's important to get all your facts straight!"


She leaned in. "Don't tell Eva this, but I was going to go through anything to have her."


-----------------------


Halle shook her head. "No, we already have this baby inside me and I'm not giving her up."


She looked at the doctor, her eyes tearing up. "Even...even if it comes to that."


------------------


"Looks like you guys are going to have a healthy baby boy!" The doctor smiled. "Congratulations!"


Halle saw the ultrasound, her heart beating with her new son, Harold by her side. She'd been taking more medication now. Precautions to guarantee a high rate of survival. And of course, even Halle was surprised when she turned to Harold and kissed him hard on the lips.


"Our first baby boy! Can you imagine it, Harry? Maybe...maybe we ought to move out." She'd been thinking about it. She didn't want her son growing up around bases and military regiment. She wanted him to have a peaceful life. Maybe in the suburbs. She could still work for the agency at a local hospital. Wouldn't be hard and she could find Harold a job.


---------------------------------


"Hmmm, oh I'm fine!" Halle smiled sweetly. "I'm just reminiscing."

 

[PunkPrince]

Eva smiled at her mother and returned to the sink to put the dishes into the cabinet. 


"Oh," Hugo said. Of course, he had no idea that his mother and Halle had gone to confront Eva's father. Kennedy had made a point not to tell him. Ronan looked up at that point, after meticulously placing another shard of mirror on his dress. 


"I don't think any of us would still be here without Eva and Kennedy," Ronan said, knowing that both his parents were out of earshot. Ronan himself had mostly recovered from his abuse, though on occasion, he still flinched at being touched. 


Harold was surprised as his wife kissed him. He beamed at the ultrasound. "I told you it was a boy!" he laughed. "We'll have to think of some names." Most of what they had thought up had been girl's names. 


At his wife's suggestion of moving out, he paused. "Perhaps," he said. Harold was quite fond of his life on the base, and the strict rules might help his son to grow up right. 


Eva turned back from the sink to look back at her mother. "I can show you where your room will be if you want," she offered. "It's getting late. You must be tired."

 

[PunkPrince]

Bump

 

[GhastlySquash]

None of us would be here without Eva and Kennedy. Halle chuckled at the thought. Eric had always been like her, there and always trying to accommodate people. Well, maybe not entirely like her. She'd tried to raise him a gentleman than a soldier.

-----------------------

The day Eric was born was filled with plenty of tension. Halle was quite sure her entire brain was slipping and she thought her entire world would collapse then and there. She was certain she was dying.

And then, amidst the pain, the doctor had presented her a tiny bundle.

"It's a boy." The doctor smiled.

Halle took her son in her arms. "Eric...his name's going to be Eric." She smiled, looking at Harold from the operating table.

------------------------------

Halle chuckled at the suggestion. "You know your father was the one who kept a normal sleeping schedule. I think I spent most of your baby years by the chair with a baby bottle."

She still remembered those days. Back then, all their friends had come to see the new baby. Even a few of Halle's friends from the CIA were in attendance, although they kept most of their conversations with her on a professional basis with her husband.

----------------

"Eric huh? What made you two come up with that name? Why not Harry or Henry?" Her co-worker had asked the couple.

"Harold tells the story better." Halle chuckled.