Quality Time Part 2
by Sabine
Aeryn sat down on the couch. Her back was killing her and her feet were swollen. She hadn’t had a decent sleep for well over a monen and she was really hoping that the herbs she had gotten from Zhaan would help her.
“ Aeryn. Here…this will help you relax, my dear,” Zhaan spoke with a motherly tone as she handed a cup of tea to her Sebacean friend. Aeryn’s second pregnancy hadn’t exactly gone without a hitch and soon she would be giving birth to her second child. She remembered how happy Aeryn had been after finding out that the child would be a girl. Zhaan padded Aeryn on her shoulder as she joined Aeryn on the couch. D’Argo remained quiet, his gaze focussed on little Benjamin’s room as he sat in the large chair opposite to them. The cup of tea she had given him was placed on the table and would probably be left untouched until John would emerge our of his son’s room.
Aeryn shot her a grateful look and smiled sadly. * I wish I knew what is bothering your brother, little one* she thought as she lay her hand on her belly and was immediately rewarded with a kick from the baby. * I see that I am not the only one*
“ Don’t worry, Aeryn. I’m sure it is nothing. John is more than capable in finding out what is exactly bothering your son,” Zhaan tried to reassure. “ The boy is probably not having a good day. We all know what that feels like. Young children just deal with it in a different manner than we adults do.”
“ Thank you, Zhaan. I’m grateful for your attempt to cheer me up a bit, but I can’t help but worry about him. John and I haven’t spent as much time with him as we normally did. It’s just that we have been so busy preparing Meara’s room and…I…I’m afraid he feels left out.”
“ If that is the case, then we are all to blame, Aeryn,” D’Argo interceded. “ We have all been too wrapped up in finishing things before the baby arrives. The boy probably realized it and didn’t want to bother us. Children are fragile beings and they easily pick up on things.”
“ I should go to him…” Aeryn spoke as she looked over her shoulder at the figures of her husband and son sitting on the bed. She pushed herself off the couch and wanted to make her way over there, but was restrained from doing so by Zhaan’s hand.
“ No, Aeryn. You have been through a lot lately and you need any kind of rest that comes along. All of this worrying is not good for the baby and you, my dear. John can handle this perfectly and he wouldn’t want you to worry over nothing, now would he?”
Aeryn sighed and sat down on the couch again. “ You are right, Zhaan. That would lead to another lecture from him…and I really don’t want to hear another one of those again,” Aeryn noted dryly as she sipped from her cup of tea. She wondered how John was doing as she placed the cup back on the table in front of her.
John stared his 5 year old son and frowned. It appeared as if Ben didn’t want to talk to him, because his son’s gaze evaded his every time. Now he knew something was really bothering Benjamin. His best guess was that the boy felt jealous of his unborn sister and uncertain of the situation he was in. John remembered how he had felt as his mother was pregnant of his younger sister. His dad had taken him outside into the garden and had talked to him for a while. In the end that little talk had really helped John and he believed that he now had to do the same thing with his son.
John picked up the small Prowler toy from the floor. “ I believe this is yours, sport,” he spoke softly as he placed the toy on the bed next to Ben.
“ I didn’t mean to break it…honestly daddy. I would never try to break it. It’s my most favourite toy in the whole universe,” Ben said, his voice somewhat wavering as he looked up at the face of his father.
“ I know, sport. I know,” John smiled. He had finally succeeded in getting his son’s attention and now he could only hope that their conversation would go like he had planned it. “ I am going to ask you a couple of questions and I want you to be completely honest when you answer it. Can you do that for me?”
“ Yes daddy, I think I can.”
“ Even though you might not like them?”
Ben nodded.
“ Okay…are you angry with your mom and me for not spending as much time together as we used to do?”
“ No…”
“ Alright. So you are not angry with us?”
Ben vehemently shook his head. He opened his mouth to say something, but decided not to say what he intended to say and bit on his lip. John had quickly picked up on it and looked in his son’s blue eyes. When Ben said that he wasn’t angry, it meant that he really wasn’t, but he hadn’t told him everything either.
“Ben? Was there something you wanted to say…something else. I’m not going be angry with you, champ. Please tell me what’s eating away at you?”
“ Do you promise not to get angry with me, daddy?”
“ I promise…”
Ben paused a moment, trying to find the right words before he started to speak. “ I’m not angry, but I don’t like it either. Everyone is too busy to play with me and I’m bored. Really, really, really bored. Even pilot can’t help me every time and I…I know that I just have to find ways to keep myself from being bored, but…but it’s hard. Maybe if I had someone my age to play with it would be different…but I don’t.”
“ And you are a bit jealous of your sister, because everyone is busy preparing for the day when she is born…” John finally concluded.
Ben nodded again. “ Yes. I don’t want to be jealous, but I can’t help it. I’m sorry, daddy. I’m so sorry,” Ben sobbed. Tears started to form and follow a path down his cheeks. Ben didn’t want to look at his dad. He felt ashamed about how he felt towards his little sister. Suddenly Ben felt himself being pulled up and placed onto his father’s lap.
“ It’s okay, sport. There’s no need to apologize. You just need to realize that even though you will get a sister, your mommy and I still love you as much as the day we were first able to hold you in our arms. We will never stop loving you, Ben and we’ll never stop being there for you either,” John smiled as he wiped away the tears from his son’s face and cradled him in his arms.
“ Come on, sport. Your mom is probably worried sick about us and especially about you. Let’s go and surprise her, shall we? I think she would love to get a hug from you and uncle D’Argo and auntie Zhaan would love to see you as well,” John spoke as he let go off Ben and got up from the bed. Ben jumped off the bed following his father’s lead and quickly grabbed his hand.
TBC>>>>>>