Vinegar 2: Happy
Title: Happy
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Vinegar 2 (may cause drowsiness), malt (Dear Santa: Ivy and Gina seeing their nephew and niece for the first time), caramel, fresh peaches ( You may feel like you're walking around in a daze, uncertain of your actions. Try to stay focused... Have some coffee.).
Word Count: 1241
Rating: PG.
Summary: Ivy and Gina in the waiting room at 3 AM.
Notes: Time for everyone's favorite: pointless fluff!
Ivy paused in the doorway of the hospital waiting room, styrofoam cups of coffee warming each hand, and burst out laughing.
"What?" Gina asked, indignantly, from her perch on the edge of the orange plastic seat backed up against the wall. "Why are you laughing at me?"
"How do you know I'm laughing at you?" Ivy got out, between giggles.
Gina gave her a flat look. "Do you see anyone else in this room? Why are you laughing at me?"
"You're vibrating," Ivy said, and laughed again, leaning on the doorframe for support. "Look at you! You're so excited."
"Hmph," Gina said, and crossed her arms. "I don't think that's a bad thing. The question is why aren't you excited. They're your niece and nephew."
Ivy smiled, probably the same big stupid grin she'd been grinning since that morning in December. "Yours too, now."
Gina looked down at the plain gold band on her left hand, and when she looked up she was wearing the same big stupid grin Ivy was. "That's right, they are mine now. Aunt Gina. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
Not as good as Mama Gina would, but Ivy wasn't going to bring that up just now. "It does," she said, instead. "Almost as good as Aunt Ivy."
"Glory hog," Gina said. "Come here and bring me that coffee, please. Being excited this late is hard work."
Ivy crossed the room and handed her wife one of the coffees in exchange for a quick kiss, then sat down on the hard plastic chair next to her. "Admit it. You only love me for my coffee-caddy skills."
Gina took the lid off hers, inhaled the fragrant steam, and smiled that smile of hers that always made Ivy's knees go rubbery. "It does add a certain luster to your other admirable qualities. So. When are we going to get to see them?"
"Soon as they're cleaned up and ready to go." Ivy sipped her own coffee and sighed as the blessed caffeine spread through her system. "Babies. Why do they always want to be born at ridiculous hours of the morning?"
"Felicity was born in the afternoon," Gina pointed out, and leaned her head on Ivy's shoulder. "And wasn't Summer born around noon? You do have a general sort of point though."
Ivy snorted. "Yeah, well, Felicity was also a full month premature and Summer started being born at four in the morning. They don't count."
"I know," Gina said. "That's why I said you have a point."
"Oh," Ivy said, and leaned her head sideways, onto Gina's golden hair. It was smooth against her cheek, like a pillowcase. A warm, comfortable pillowcase, nice and supporting, cradling her... Ivy blinked, and jerked herself awake, sitting straight up in an effort not to fall asleep.
"Not as easy as it looks, is it," Gina said, drowsily, from her shoulder.
Ivy rolled her eyes. Not like it was even particularly sleep-inducing in here; the walls were a bare white, the lights flourescent and the general atmosphere very tense. Still. She looked up at the clock. "It's two forty-five, Gina. I haven't been awake at two forty-five AM since grad school."
Her wife snickered against her shoulder. "Not true. You were awake at three on Friday night."
"What was I doing at..." The answer to her question flashed before her eyes in vivid detail, and heat gathered beneath her breastbone. "Oh, well, for that, sure."
"And you stay out late on Saturdays," Gina continued, putting her treacherously good memory to work. "Four AM the last time, I think, and that wasn't much more than a couple of months ago."
"Aaron was playing," Ivy said, feeling vaguely offended. "I had to go to support him. What are little sisters for if not?"
"And," Gina added, "about three weeks before that, the night before our wedding..."
Ivy rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said. "I haven't been awake this early on a weeknight since grad school. Happy?"
"Mm." Gina shifted on her shoulder, snuggling closer. "Ecstatic. And crashing. Is it bedtime yet?"
"Almost." Ivy yawned. "I'm telling you, if Aaron doesn't get here soon..."
With predictable timing, the door swung open and a harassed-looking nurse poked his head in. "You the Kendall aunts?" he asked.
Gina perked up immediately, and even Ivy felt a little more awake at that. "That’s us," she said. "Can we go see them now?"
"Yeah," he said. "Your brother's asking for you. Go see them and then go away and let that poor girl get some sleep."
Ivy blinked at him. Girl? Clara was rather baby-faced, but she didn't look that much younger than her thirty-five years. Still, not worth arguing about, not at this hour. "Okay," she said, stood up, and gave Gina a hand up as well. "Lead the way."
It was a good thing the walk wasn't very long, because Gina had gone back to vibrating with excitement, and Ivy wasn't sure she could take it. As exciting as it was... and yeah, she was excited... it was nearly three AM, she was tired, and they were only babies. They'd be there in the morning.
But she was their aunt: she was Aaron's closest relative apart from Summer and their parents, and Summer was still in DC. She'd probably come up with Clara's brother and father in a couple of days.
As for the new grandparents, Ivy had no idea where they were. But that was not her problem right now.
The nurse escorted them to a private room in the maternity ward, where he left them abruptly without so much as a fare-thee-well. Not that it mattered; Gina had already rushed to Clara, propped up in the bed with a baby in each arm, and Ivy went to her brother, who looked exhausted, stunned, and utterly joyful.
"Happy?" she asked, watching her wife fuss over the babies. They looked like regular babies to her, all crumpled red faces and tiny fists, but strangely adorable for all that, green knitted hats scrunched down tightly on their heads. She'd seen Clara knitting those hats months before the babies were born. It was slightly surreal seeing them actually in use now.
"Yeah," Aaron said, and beamed. "Like I'm walking on air. Is that a normal feeling?"
"Dunno," Ivy said. "You might just be delirious from lack of sleep. It is really late, you know."
He shrugged, without taking his eyes off his children or the grin off his face. "Maybe. I'm told I should get used to it. You lose enough sleep with one; two is going to be tough."
Ivy eyed him. "Okay, now I know you're delirious, because you're smiling while you're talking about sleep deprivation."
Annoyingly, Aaron didn't rise to the bait. Instead, he said, simply, "You'll get it when it's your turn."
Ivy looked at Gina, who'd somehow managed to get one of the twins in her arms-- she sat beside Clara now, cooing to the infant, and looking so right and natural that Ivy's heart went tight with longing. "Shouldn't be too long now," she managed, around the sudden lump in her throat.
"Didn't think so," he said, and gave her a one-armed hug around her shoulders.
"Man," Ivy said, and wiped at her eyes, which were inexplicably damp. "Now I'm delirious. Getting all weepy over this."
Aaron turned that beaming smile on her. "Nah," he said. "You're just happy."
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Vinegar 2 (may cause drowsiness), malt (Dear Santa: Ivy and Gina seeing their nephew and niece for the first time), caramel, fresh peaches ( You may feel like you're walking around in a daze, uncertain of your actions. Try to stay focused... Have some coffee.).
Word Count: 1241
Rating: PG.
Summary: Ivy and Gina in the waiting room at 3 AM.
Notes: Time for everyone's favorite: pointless fluff!
Ivy paused in the doorway of the hospital waiting room, styrofoam cups of coffee warming each hand, and burst out laughing.
"What?" Gina asked, indignantly, from her perch on the edge of the orange plastic seat backed up against the wall. "Why are you laughing at me?"
"How do you know I'm laughing at you?" Ivy got out, between giggles.
Gina gave her a flat look. "Do you see anyone else in this room? Why are you laughing at me?"
"You're vibrating," Ivy said, and laughed again, leaning on the doorframe for support. "Look at you! You're so excited."
"Hmph," Gina said, and crossed her arms. "I don't think that's a bad thing. The question is why aren't you excited. They're your niece and nephew."
Ivy smiled, probably the same big stupid grin she'd been grinning since that morning in December. "Yours too, now."
Gina looked down at the plain gold band on her left hand, and when she looked up she was wearing the same big stupid grin Ivy was. "That's right, they are mine now. Aunt Gina. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
Not as good as Mama Gina would, but Ivy wasn't going to bring that up just now. "It does," she said, instead. "Almost as good as Aunt Ivy."
"Glory hog," Gina said. "Come here and bring me that coffee, please. Being excited this late is hard work."
Ivy crossed the room and handed her wife one of the coffees in exchange for a quick kiss, then sat down on the hard plastic chair next to her. "Admit it. You only love me for my coffee-caddy skills."
Gina took the lid off hers, inhaled the fragrant steam, and smiled that smile of hers that always made Ivy's knees go rubbery. "It does add a certain luster to your other admirable qualities. So. When are we going to get to see them?"
"Soon as they're cleaned up and ready to go." Ivy sipped her own coffee and sighed as the blessed caffeine spread through her system. "Babies. Why do they always want to be born at ridiculous hours of the morning?"
"Felicity was born in the afternoon," Gina pointed out, and leaned her head on Ivy's shoulder. "And wasn't Summer born around noon? You do have a general sort of point though."
Ivy snorted. "Yeah, well, Felicity was also a full month premature and Summer started being born at four in the morning. They don't count."
"I know," Gina said. "That's why I said you have a point."
"Oh," Ivy said, and leaned her head sideways, onto Gina's golden hair. It was smooth against her cheek, like a pillowcase. A warm, comfortable pillowcase, nice and supporting, cradling her... Ivy blinked, and jerked herself awake, sitting straight up in an effort not to fall asleep.
"Not as easy as it looks, is it," Gina said, drowsily, from her shoulder.
Ivy rolled her eyes. Not like it was even particularly sleep-inducing in here; the walls were a bare white, the lights flourescent and the general atmosphere very tense. Still. She looked up at the clock. "It's two forty-five, Gina. I haven't been awake at two forty-five AM since grad school."
Her wife snickered against her shoulder. "Not true. You were awake at three on Friday night."
"What was I doing at..." The answer to her question flashed before her eyes in vivid detail, and heat gathered beneath her breastbone. "Oh, well, for that, sure."
"And you stay out late on Saturdays," Gina continued, putting her treacherously good memory to work. "Four AM the last time, I think, and that wasn't much more than a couple of months ago."
"Aaron was playing," Ivy said, feeling vaguely offended. "I had to go to support him. What are little sisters for if not?"
"And," Gina added, "about three weeks before that, the night before our wedding..."
Ivy rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said. "I haven't been awake this early on a weeknight since grad school. Happy?"
"Mm." Gina shifted on her shoulder, snuggling closer. "Ecstatic. And crashing. Is it bedtime yet?"
"Almost." Ivy yawned. "I'm telling you, if Aaron doesn't get here soon..."
With predictable timing, the door swung open and a harassed-looking nurse poked his head in. "You the Kendall aunts?" he asked.
Gina perked up immediately, and even Ivy felt a little more awake at that. "That’s us," she said. "Can we go see them now?"
"Yeah," he said. "Your brother's asking for you. Go see them and then go away and let that poor girl get some sleep."
Ivy blinked at him. Girl? Clara was rather baby-faced, but she didn't look that much younger than her thirty-five years. Still, not worth arguing about, not at this hour. "Okay," she said, stood up, and gave Gina a hand up as well. "Lead the way."
It was a good thing the walk wasn't very long, because Gina had gone back to vibrating with excitement, and Ivy wasn't sure she could take it. As exciting as it was... and yeah, she was excited... it was nearly three AM, she was tired, and they were only babies. They'd be there in the morning.
But she was their aunt: she was Aaron's closest relative apart from Summer and their parents, and Summer was still in DC. She'd probably come up with Clara's brother and father in a couple of days.
As for the new grandparents, Ivy had no idea where they were. But that was not her problem right now.
The nurse escorted them to a private room in the maternity ward, where he left them abruptly without so much as a fare-thee-well. Not that it mattered; Gina had already rushed to Clara, propped up in the bed with a baby in each arm, and Ivy went to her brother, who looked exhausted, stunned, and utterly joyful.
"Happy?" she asked, watching her wife fuss over the babies. They looked like regular babies to her, all crumpled red faces and tiny fists, but strangely adorable for all that, green knitted hats scrunched down tightly on their heads. She'd seen Clara knitting those hats months before the babies were born. It was slightly surreal seeing them actually in use now.
"Yeah," Aaron said, and beamed. "Like I'm walking on air. Is that a normal feeling?"
"Dunno," Ivy said. "You might just be delirious from lack of sleep. It is really late, you know."
He shrugged, without taking his eyes off his children or the grin off his face. "Maybe. I'm told I should get used to it. You lose enough sleep with one; two is going to be tough."
Ivy eyed him. "Okay, now I know you're delirious, because you're smiling while you're talking about sleep deprivation."
Annoyingly, Aaron didn't rise to the bait. Instead, he said, simply, "You'll get it when it's your turn."
Ivy looked at Gina, who'd somehow managed to get one of the twins in her arms-- she sat beside Clara now, cooing to the infant, and looking so right and natural that Ivy's heart went tight with longing. "Shouldn't be too long now," she managed, around the sudden lump in her throat.
"Didn't think so," he said, and gave her a one-armed hug around her shoulders.
"Man," Ivy said, and wiped at her eyes, which were inexplicably damp. "Now I'm delirious. Getting all weepy over this."
Aaron turned that beaming smile on her. "Nah," he said. "You're just happy."