Forge & Dani - Lamaze Class
Apr. 15th, 2005 01:13 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
x-mirage.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsYesterday, Forge and Dani head to the weekly lamaze class of horrors and Forge realizes that he's Going To Be In The Delivery Room. He doesn't pass out ;) so they decide to play hooky.
Hospitals always gave Dani the willies, although she didn't mind the medlab at school. The hospital was antiseptic with too much fake cheer trying to override the feel of pain and death whereas she just couldn't be too concerned with the medlab since it smelled of coffee and had beakers labled "Clarice" and large Cookie Monster stuffed animals around.
Clutching her pillow, Dani and Forge headed down the familiar hallway to the lamaze classroom.
Forge smiled at the now-familiar faces as they entered the room. By now, no one bothered to ask if he was the father when he sat by Dani's side during the class, or held her hand during the breathing exercises.
"So what is it tonight?" he joked. "More practice exhaling? I think I've got the hang of it myself. Heck, I'm ready to have a baby right now."
"The video," she said, pulling out the class schedule and checking the date on it, "The one of a real birth." The theory was that this would help them know what was going to be happening, but there were so many potentialities and possibilities about what could happen that it didn't make sense to show the movie to Dani.
Forge's smile slowly faded. "Wait, the what now? You're kidding, right?"
"Nope," Dani shook her head, the scrunchie that held her hair back almost falling out of her growing hair, "It's not real-time, we'd probably be here for hours if it was, but it's cut to fit the class time."
Slowly, Forge just tried to see where the nearest exit was. "This, uh... gee, couldn't we pass on this one, I mean... you know, you look hungry. They told us expectant mothers need to make sure they eat well, have you had enough Vitamin B today? Whatever has Vitamin B in it, I'm pretty sure they're serving it somewhere..."
Turning, Dani grabbed Forge's upper arm tightly, "You're staying, Hahkota," she told him sternly, "Ain't like you wont be in the delivery room anyways. It's practice."
"Practice. Right." Forge tried to stop shaking like a leaf. "I'll... uh... sure. Let's get to it, I suppose." Why me?
"You do know you're going to be in the delivery room, right?" Dani asked, suddenly unsure of what Forge had been thinking.
"Huh?" Forge replied, still in a half-stunned state. "Yeah, of course. Coaching, holding hand, breathing. All that. Right." And looking very intently at the wall, he thought to himself.
Sighing, Dani let go of his arm and headed into the classroom to take her usual seat, arms crossed over her chest angrily. It was too late to ask someone else and Forge was being irrational. Fine.
Forge sat down next to Dani. "Hey, I told you I'd do this, right," he explained. "It's just kind of weird, that's all."
"Now you say it's kinda weird," Dani huffed, annoyed, "What part of any of this hasn't been weird?! But you know, I'm adapting and not acting like someone just broke my favorite toy."
Forge sighed. "Sorry. Look, forget I said anything. This is just kind of weird, okay?" He hunched down in his seat as the instructor began the videotape. It took about twenty seconds before he began visibly flinching in his seat, casting occasional glances at Dani.
Dani was mesmerized and terrified. Some of the other women in the class who'd had a kid before, had told the others that it wasn't so bad, but now Dani knew that was a complete lie. You could not squeeze a watermelon through an orange no matter how many drugs they gave you. Even she knew that science said you couldn't. "Okay," she whispered, leaning over to Forge's desk, "I'm not having the baby now."
"Thank god," Forge whispered back, going slightly green at the footage of birth on the television. "Ow. I mean... ow... On behalf of all men, we're sorry..."
"No...I mean ever. No way."
Forge thought for a moment. "Maybe Clarice could just teleport the baby out? Save all the trouble?"
Dani poked him in the fleshy part of his arm with one finger, "Clarice? Hell no. No way," closing her eyes for a second, "The baby agrees."
"The baby agrees?" Forge stopped for a moment, then realized that with Dani's power, she probably COULD tell. "Maybe you can negotiate for a few more months to plan. Or develop a-" He winced visibly after an on-screen contraction. "-shrinking ray?"
"Inhibitor, idiot," Dani hissed, knowing what he was thinking. "It kicked. And I'm supposed to have 8 weeks anyways. I'm counting."
"In eight weeks, you think you'll be ready for... that?" He wasn't even trying to hide the flinching now, sliding lower in his chair despite the disapproving looks from the instructor.
Dani shook her head mutely, "In is much more fun than out."
Forge coughed weakly into his hand. "I'll take your word for it. It would," a scream from the television made his face go completely pale. "...have to be..."
"Why don't we take a break?" the instructor said, turning on the lights without warning. "And we'll meet back here in 15 minutes."
Blinking while her eyes adjusted, Dani headed out with the other women to the bathrooms down the hall. None of them seemed bothered by the video, except Dani.
Forge took the opportunity to stretch, pacing back and forth in the hall. A few quick glances back and forth with the other men present conveyed shared sympathy only possessed by those absolutely assured of Not Getting Any.
Coming back, Dani made a beeline for Forge instead of chatting with the others, "Let's get out of here. They think it's beautiful!" she shuddered.
"Sold," he agreed. "Come on, the Burger Shack's still open. Burgers have lots of Vitamin B."
"You are obsessed," Dani groused, grabbing her pillow and school bag before following him out, "But burger's sound good. And a milkshake with ketchup."
"Milkshake ... with ketchup." For a second Forge almost considered going back in for the video, then shook his head.
"Sure thing. The fancy dijon ketchup, even."
Hospitals always gave Dani the willies, although she didn't mind the medlab at school. The hospital was antiseptic with too much fake cheer trying to override the feel of pain and death whereas she just couldn't be too concerned with the medlab since it smelled of coffee and had beakers labled "Clarice" and large Cookie Monster stuffed animals around.
Clutching her pillow, Dani and Forge headed down the familiar hallway to the lamaze classroom.
Forge smiled at the now-familiar faces as they entered the room. By now, no one bothered to ask if he was the father when he sat by Dani's side during the class, or held her hand during the breathing exercises.
"So what is it tonight?" he joked. "More practice exhaling? I think I've got the hang of it myself. Heck, I'm ready to have a baby right now."
"The video," she said, pulling out the class schedule and checking the date on it, "The one of a real birth." The theory was that this would help them know what was going to be happening, but there were so many potentialities and possibilities about what could happen that it didn't make sense to show the movie to Dani.
Forge's smile slowly faded. "Wait, the what now? You're kidding, right?"
"Nope," Dani shook her head, the scrunchie that held her hair back almost falling out of her growing hair, "It's not real-time, we'd probably be here for hours if it was, but it's cut to fit the class time."
Slowly, Forge just tried to see where the nearest exit was. "This, uh... gee, couldn't we pass on this one, I mean... you know, you look hungry. They told us expectant mothers need to make sure they eat well, have you had enough Vitamin B today? Whatever has Vitamin B in it, I'm pretty sure they're serving it somewhere..."
Turning, Dani grabbed Forge's upper arm tightly, "You're staying, Hahkota," she told him sternly, "Ain't like you wont be in the delivery room anyways. It's practice."
"Practice. Right." Forge tried to stop shaking like a leaf. "I'll... uh... sure. Let's get to it, I suppose." Why me?
"You do know you're going to be in the delivery room, right?" Dani asked, suddenly unsure of what Forge had been thinking.
"Huh?" Forge replied, still in a half-stunned state. "Yeah, of course. Coaching, holding hand, breathing. All that. Right." And looking very intently at the wall, he thought to himself.
Sighing, Dani let go of his arm and headed into the classroom to take her usual seat, arms crossed over her chest angrily. It was too late to ask someone else and Forge was being irrational. Fine.
Forge sat down next to Dani. "Hey, I told you I'd do this, right," he explained. "It's just kind of weird, that's all."
"Now you say it's kinda weird," Dani huffed, annoyed, "What part of any of this hasn't been weird?! But you know, I'm adapting and not acting like someone just broke my favorite toy."
Forge sighed. "Sorry. Look, forget I said anything. This is just kind of weird, okay?" He hunched down in his seat as the instructor began the videotape. It took about twenty seconds before he began visibly flinching in his seat, casting occasional glances at Dani.
Dani was mesmerized and terrified. Some of the other women in the class who'd had a kid before, had told the others that it wasn't so bad, but now Dani knew that was a complete lie. You could not squeeze a watermelon through an orange no matter how many drugs they gave you. Even she knew that science said you couldn't. "Okay," she whispered, leaning over to Forge's desk, "I'm not having the baby now."
"Thank god," Forge whispered back, going slightly green at the footage of birth on the television. "Ow. I mean... ow... On behalf of all men, we're sorry..."
"No...I mean ever. No way."
Forge thought for a moment. "Maybe Clarice could just teleport the baby out? Save all the trouble?"
Dani poked him in the fleshy part of his arm with one finger, "Clarice? Hell no. No way," closing her eyes for a second, "The baby agrees."
"The baby agrees?" Forge stopped for a moment, then realized that with Dani's power, she probably COULD tell. "Maybe you can negotiate for a few more months to plan. Or develop a-" He winced visibly after an on-screen contraction. "-shrinking ray?"
"Inhibitor, idiot," Dani hissed, knowing what he was thinking. "It kicked. And I'm supposed to have 8 weeks anyways. I'm counting."
"In eight weeks, you think you'll be ready for... that?" He wasn't even trying to hide the flinching now, sliding lower in his chair despite the disapproving looks from the instructor.
Dani shook her head mutely, "In is much more fun than out."
Forge coughed weakly into his hand. "I'll take your word for it. It would," a scream from the television made his face go completely pale. "...have to be..."
"Why don't we take a break?" the instructor said, turning on the lights without warning. "And we'll meet back here in 15 minutes."
Blinking while her eyes adjusted, Dani headed out with the other women to the bathrooms down the hall. None of them seemed bothered by the video, except Dani.
Forge took the opportunity to stretch, pacing back and forth in the hall. A few quick glances back and forth with the other men present conveyed shared sympathy only possessed by those absolutely assured of Not Getting Any.
Coming back, Dani made a beeline for Forge instead of chatting with the others, "Let's get out of here. They think it's beautiful!" she shuddered.
"Sold," he agreed. "Come on, the Burger Shack's still open. Burgers have lots of Vitamin B."
"You are obsessed," Dani groused, grabbing her pillow and school bag before following him out, "But burger's sound good. And a milkshake with ketchup."
"Milkshake ... with ketchup." For a second Forge almost considered going back in for the video, then shook his head.
"Sure thing. The fancy dijon ketchup, even."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-04-15 06:30 pm (UTC)Have I mentioned how much I love the relationship between Dani and Forge? Because I do. The whole Dani, "You're my brother now!" and the Forge, "Er. What? OW! Okay..." thing and then the Dani love and aw... Love.
I might have just had coffee, but still. You guys rock.