xp_logs | Hank, Dani, Saturday afternoon

Hank and Dani have a brief talk, mostly about the baby. They bounce some names around, and Hank double-checks that she's still sure she wants to go through with this.

Hank had spotted Dani out by the pool and, on impulse, put a couple of slices of still-hot banana bread on a plate and headed out there. He... well, he hadn't talked to Dani much, since agreeing to adopt the baby. He couldn't help being afraid that she'd tell him she'd changed her mind. Still, he shouldn't avoid her. "Hello," he said cheerfully, crouching beside her and offering her the plate. "I brought you a snack. No processed sugar, and it's still warm."

Dani had been relaxing with her feet in the water. It was still a bit too chilly to go swimming, but it was wonderful to finally be able to sit in the sun without it being cold or wet outside the pool. "Hey Dr. McCoy, thanks, " she greeted him, accepting the plate. Food was one thing she rarely said no to, "How're you?"

"Well enough." He sat down beside her, and reached out to touch her stomach with a gentle fingertip. "How are you two doing?"

Ripping the bread in half, she offered a piece to Hank, "I've been told I'm fine, so I guess I am," she responded glaring at her stomach a little. At Hank's worried glance she sighed and relented a little, "I am fine. I'm just big and fat and uncomfortable, nothing having a baby wouldn't cure."

Hank nodded, and accepted the bread. "As a prospective parent to the baby, I believe it is my duty to provide you with backrubs and so forth," he suggested tentatively. "I'd be happy to do so. And..." He thought of something, and reached out to her stomach again. "May I?" At her nod, he carefully hitched up her shirt a bit, baring her stomach to the warm sun. "There. Now the baby can enjoy the sunlight too. It'll come through very dim and pink, but he or she will be able to see it."

"Really?" that wasn't something she had thought of. "I know it can hear music, but I never thought it could see inside me. That's just...weird. As its Dad and a doctor, I guess you know what kinda of names we should look at, huh?"

"The light only comes through in the latest months, when you're getting big, but it should definitely do so now. Like holding your hand up to the light and seeing pink through the edges of your fingers." Hank nodded. "And as for names... are there any in particular you like?"

Dani shrugged, noncommittal, "I ain't thought much about it. Thought you'd pick the name, since I'm giving it to you."

"It would be nice if we could agree on something," Hank said, dabbling his feet in the water. "I'd like Norton or Edna, for middle names depending on gender, if you don't mind... I know they're sort of dorky, but they're my parent's names. I wouldn't inflict them on the child as a first name, but for a middle one they should be all right."

Smiling sadly, Dani shook her head, "They ain't dorky, they're good names. I don't remember my parents, but they were William and Peggy. Died when I was a baby."

"Also good names. William is a good one and... Peggy is a diminutive of Margaret, although the name does stand alone now. Do you know which it was?" Hank reached out to pat her hand gently. He hated to see her sad...

"It was Peggy. My grandparents were Elise and Richard. Good names, you know? Solid. None of this "Apple" or "Moon Unit" whatever. Those ain't good names." Dani was adamant about what names she didn't like, even if she wasn't entirely certain on what she did like.

"Elise is a lovely name," Hank said approvingly. "We should definitely keep that in mind for a girl. But we shouldn't make any final decisions until after he or she is born, I think, to be sure the name is suited to the baby."

"Yeah..." nodding, Dani kicked the water a little, splashing Hank, "Can't give it a Cheyenne name until then."

"True." He laughed, splashing back a little. "And definitely not 'Apple' or 'Fifi', or anything like that. Although I'll admit to a weakness for flower names... Lily, Rose, and so on."

"Those're...okay," Wrinkling her nose showed Hank what Dani thought without words, even though she tried not to say she didn't like them.

Hank laughed. "Okay, no flower names," he said cheerfully. "Elise is still in the running, though." He tilted his head, giving her a serious look. "Danielle... you've had time to think about this. Are you still sure you want to give the baby up? You would have plenty of support and help if you decided to keep him or her."

"Why do you doubt me? Or yourself? Or whatever? I made my mind up, Dr. McCoy. It ain't easy and it wasn't fast, but I made my decision and I'm sticking to it," Dani was annoyed at his. He always felt like there was some doubt under everything else he was feeling and while it normally didn't bother her, today it did. It was nice out and he did not have to doubt.

"What I doubt is my astounding good fortune," Hank admitted, reminding himself that she was an empath, and that it was going to be harder to hide his underlying emotions from her. Not impossible, but harder. "You know how it is, when something you've wanted for a long time suddenly just happens... it's difficult to quite believe that it's real." He reached out to rest a gentle hand on her stomach, feeling a little flutter under his palm. "And I don't want you ever to regret this," he said softly. "It's such a big decision."

"And I still made it." Dani was firm. "I ain't gonna regret it because it's what's best. Ain't like it won't hurt sometimes...but it's still the best thing I can do."