Girl Time [Closed]

[Midori Hawkins]

There were only so many things Midori could pester Eli about.

This was one of those things she wasn’t sure she wanted to bug him with.

He’d already given her a great deal of information on pregnancy, and parenting. Even just a few chapters in, she was already feeling overwhelmed. And there were things weighing on her mind. Things that just weren’t covered in normal books. Things like… “is it safe for a shapeshifter to shift while pregnant?” She guessed not, but not knowing bothered her more than knowing the truth. There were other questions, too. Like how likely it was that her offspring would be meta, too.

Plus, Clarisse was a woman. Eli might be her best friend in the world, but he was still a man. She talked to him about a lot of things, but now… she wanted a little bit of girl time.

She trusted Clarisse. Plus, she was sort of like the school nurse. She didn’t expect her to have all the answers, but even if she had some, or even just wanted to talk, she’d be okay with it. She liked the woman. She’d talked to her before, and she just seemed like a nice person. A good person.

She walked down the hallway, taking a break from work. She’d already let James know where she was heading. She’d finally gotten the nerve to tell him what was going on. Considering she didn’t have to do another recruitment for a few days, she had the time to spare.

Mii poked her head into Clarisse’s office and knocked, nervously. “Um… Clarisse? Do you have a moment?” She offered a sheepish smile. “I… um… wanted to talk to you.”

[Clarisse Prideaux]

Clarisse looked up from her work, screening the medical files of some new employees, to her door. Had someone knocked? The sound was so soft...Her question was answered when Midori peeked her head in. While she wasn't completely familiar with the recruiter, she knew her face and name (and power of course). When Midori smiled, Clarisse stood up and beckoned her inside the office.

"Of course. I'm not doing anything that can't wait." She said genially, gesturing to the couch across from her desk. "Please come in, make yourself comfortable." Clarisse was often told she had the bedside manner of the nurses from old movies; screen sirens in silver who cooed and cried over fallen soldiers. While found that all a bit melodramatic, she couldn't deny that people usually calmed down around her. Part of being a medical specialist was being able to get the facts straight, and hysterics never helped. Ever.

Though frankly, Clarisse had no clue why Mii had popped in. Aside from a routine check-in some year or so ago, Clarisse rarely saw head or hair of Midori. Their jobs were in different operating sectors of the school: recruiters rarely interacted with the students by the time they needed Clarisse's help. Clarisse saw the most of the researchers and they were the ones who helped her have all of the answers. She herself only knew as much as she'd learned alongside them.

...or maybe she was just humble. The french woman certainly did know a lot.

[Midori Hawkins]

Much as Midori didn’t want to do this, she figured it was a good idea. And spending time with another woman close to her own age would be nice. Not to say that she disliked spending time with her male best friend at all. It would just be a nice change. So when she was beckoned into the office, she slipped inside and quietly shut the door behind her. To Clarisse, she offered a weak smile.

“Thank you,” she said softly, tucking her hair behind her ears as she headed to the couch and sat down. A light dusting of pink was present on her face. She didn’t know how to start. “I’m sorry to interrupt your work. I just, um... had a few questions to ask you.” If Clarisse had a winning bedside manner, that would make this whole thing easier. She’d never talked to the other woman very much, and now she needed her advice, she regretted that a bit. Still, she had to start somewhere, right?

Toying with the hem of her skirt, Mii thought hard about where to begin. By now, the important people knew about her... situation. She’d called James the other week, on her way out to do another recruit for Hammel, and she knew her time was limited in the field. Eli knew, he’d been the first she’d told. And... Darryl. Oh, Darryl knew. And she hadn’t talked to him much since then. She sighed and leaned back on the couch, resting her head on the back of it. “Well... I had some questions. About meta-humans and pregnancy.” At least she’d gotten it out. She just had to hope that Clarisse had some answers for her. She gave her another weak smile. “And I don’t think I’m going to get away with the old ‘I’m asking for a friend of a friend’ routine.” No, she really wasn’t. She was starting to show, slightly, and she knew it was only going to get worse. “... Do you... um... know anything about that kind of thing?”

[Clarisse Prideaux]

Something was wrong. Well, perhaps not wrong, but Midori was clearly not excited to be seeing Clarisse…even a touch embarrassed. Embarrassment was something Clarisse dealt with on a regular basis, but never adult embarrassment. Adults were usually self-aware enough to only embarrassed in front of a doctor for certain things.

…like pregnancy.

Clarisse blinked, then sat next to Midori (rather than across from her) on the couch and smiled serenely. “Well I have some answers.” She assured her, patting her knee for a moment before drawing her hand back into her lap. “While it wasn’t the focus of my work, it was certainly something I knew I’d eventually have to deal with.” Clarisse actually felt a minor sting of jealousy, if only for a moment. She was always too terrified to have children. What if she killed them during birth? What if she held them too tightly, burped them too strongly? She shivered imperceptibly and focused her attention back on Midori, who was the one who really needed her right now.

While Clarisse couldn’t be sure, she could figure that Midori was going at this alone. The father was not here with her, and there had been no appointment made. Midori was, for all intents and purposes, seeing and consulting Clarisse in secret. That was going to make things a bit awkward, but the French woman did her best to alleviate the tension by looking Midori in her eyes. As unobtrusively as possible she asked, “Can you tell me if the father was meta-human or not? That is a deciding factor in the status of the baby, as well as where you should seek prenatal care.” She said, nodding softly to emphasize her point.

[Midori Hawkins]

Wrong? Nothing was wrong. Not really. This kind of thing happened all the time. At least, that was what television would lead you to believe. Really, it wasn’t going to talk to Clarisse herself that had Midori so flustered. It was just the nature of the questions on her mind. Of course, she was an adult. She was mature. But did this really have to be so difficult? (Granted, it was only going to get worse when she spoke to Sean about it.)

She shifted a little when Clarisse settled next to her. There really was something calming about the woman. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she was comforting. She didn’t even mind the touch to her knee. At least she had some answers for her. That was a start. “I understand,” she said quietly, forcing herself to make eye contact. “I know you’ve focused on the side effects of our powers, but... I was hoping you could at least answer a few of my questions, before I had to go elsewhere. Plus, you’re a woman.” That made her blush, but it was true. This was difficult, no matter how she looked at it. But talking to woman didn’t seem nearly as frightening.

Technically, Mii wasn’t really going at this alone. She had two people willing to help. One, she knew she could rely on, but she wasn’t sure how much she wanted to burden him with. Just telling him had seemed like a lot. And then there was the father... who was willing to help. She just didn’t know if she wanted it. It wasn’t a great place to be. She sighed softly and glanced up at the French woman. “He’s meta.” And then her gaze was back down at her lap. This had been an awful thing to explain to Eli. “... He teaches here, actually.” If one more person guessed that Eli was the father, she might have to hit them. (Hormones, aren’t they wonderful?) At least that statement ruled him out. “But that’s not important. Um. I guess I just had a few questions. Like how likely the baby will be meta, too. And... I guess it’s not a good idea to shift while I’m pregnant, is it?” Was she flooding Clarisse with questions to avoid the topic of the father? No, of course not. Really. She wasn’t. ... Shh.

[Clarisse Prideaux]

Suppressing laughter--- because honestly it was funny to see Midori a little flustered about speaking with a woman for once in her life--- Clarisse simply smiled slowly. “I definitely understand.” She assured Midori, though she wasn’t really sure why the other woman was blushing. Frankly, pregnancy wasn’t anything to be embarrassed about to Clarisse. She would have been jumping for joy…then it occurred to her that Midori probably hadn’t planned this pregnancy. She bit her lip for a moment and tilted her head, her slight foot-in-mouth expression quickly leaving.

When Midori twitched a bit while telling her the (vague) identity of the father, Clarisse nodded knowingly. “You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to, Midori. But feel free to tell me as much as you like. Not only do you have my Hippocratic promise to confidentiality, but my promise as a friend and fellow woman.” She said with a curt nod. ChiChi’s front leg reared against the fall of the terrarium, groping against the glass as if to affirm her owner’s honesty. “I assume you’ve already told Mister Morrison about your pregnancy…if I may pry does he know the father? ” Clarisse wasn’t stupid. She’d written her doctoral thesis on Eli. He wanted nothing to do with sex really, let alone a child with someone Clarisse was sure he viewed in more of a sibling’s light. She didn’t really need Midori’s affirmation of the father’s identity. She twiddled her thumbs a bit. “I think what I’m really asking is…” She faltered a bit, but she couldn’t help but ask the personal question. “You do have a support group around you, right?” She asked carefully. To still her nerves, she laid her hands in her lap, one on top of the other.

“In my experience, Meta-human pregnancies are significantly more taxing than those carrying non-meta genes.” She said cautiously, not wanting to scare the poor woman. “Hormones are different.” She explained. “I just want you to be able to know you have someone---more than one someone--- to go to when you are feeling alone.” Clarisse added maternally, letting out a deep breath. There. She’d said it. Fellowship with another woman was one thing, but Midori would need more than that and more than the father (whoever that was) if she was going to survive the pregnancy with her brains intact.

“As for your questions…” Clarisse began slowly, shifting a bit to get more comfortable on the couch. “If the father is meta-human--particularly if you and he both come from meta-human parents-- it is likely that your child will posses the meta-human gene. However, the meta-human gene is recessive…its not as likely, but highly plausible that your child with not be meta.” Clarisse scratched the back of her neck absently. “unfortunately the research in that field is still so vague, its very difficult to predict.” She said apologetically. Tapping her lips, Clarisse continued to answer to the best of her ability. “As for shifting…I would not recommend it. The likelihood of your child having genes that are malleable enough to handle a shift-- for instance a non-fixed matter state or being a shifter itself-- are incredibly low. And even so, the meta-human gene would not be activated in your child.” Clarisse explained. “I can’t say what the effects on the baby would be, but I can certainly say that it would be dangerous for both of your lives.” She said with a slow nod.

[Midori Hawkins]

Midori just didn’t do well in these kinds of situations. Despite Clarisse being a woman, she still didn’t have a good handle on this. She supposed if the situation was different, if this had been planned, she’d be happier. She’d be excited, and rightly so. Things just seemed... backwards, right now. Like most women, she’d hoped for the man of her dreams, marriage, and [ii]then

[/i] a family. And with Darryl... she wasn’t so sure he was the one for her. But like it or not, he was the one that she was stuck with now.

The way Clarisse worded things, it was difficult not to trust her. She smiled and nodded, trying to keep herself calm. Apart from Eli, she hadn’t spilled the entire story to anyone, yet. Not even her parents. Even James had gotten the condensed version. There was no need for him to know exactly how the situation had arisen. But this was different. Her question startled her, though. “Um... y-yes. Eli was the first person I told about it. I... don’t know if he knows the father. He probably knows of him.” (Really, who in the school didn’t know about the flamboyant drama teacher?) She toyed with the hem of her skirt. “... I suppose I do. I mean, once I tell my family, I know they’ll be supportive. And Eli is there for me. ... And...” She sighed. She might as well get it over with now. “The father. ... Darryl. He said he wants to help. But I’m not ready to start thinking about that yet. I didn’t even want to date him.” She groaned softly and put her face in her hands for a moment. “It wasn’t supposed to happen. It wasn’t even a date.”

At least she could focus on something else. She looked up and actually made eye contact with Clarisse as she started to explain. Of course, it wasn’t all things she really wanted to hear. She wasn’t afraid of the hormones, or the fact that it would be taxing physically and mentally. She just swallowed and nodded, a lump growing in her throat. She’d cried at Eli’s place, because she’d been scared, and honestly upset over the whole thing. Now, she wasn’t upset. She was more overwhelmed at the idea that Clarisse was willing to be another person for her to go to. First Eli, then James, and now her. “Thank you, Clarisse. That means a lot.”

The questions were honestly what she was fearing the answers to. So there was still no way to tell for sure if her baby was going to be a meta human. She’d figured as much. It would just be a waiting game. The idea of research worried her, however. She hoped that their research department didn’t take some kind of special interest in her, now she was pregnant. Sure, it would be an opportunity to further their understanding. But she didn’t want to be the subject of research. Eli had done it, she knew that. But this was different. “That’s okay. I don’t mind not knowing yet.” As for shifting, she moved on the couch and looked worried. Well. Nine months without using her power. She could handle that. She didn’t have a need to use it. “No shifting. I swear. The last thing I want to do is hurt it. It’s not his fault he’s here.” And there she went, voicing her desire for a boy already. She was hopeless.[/justify]

[Clarisse Prideaux]

Clarisse listened to Midori’s response with casual calm, taking in the information as well as she could. Midori didn’t seem too stressed about her support network and the father---

Clarisse blinked.

Oh my god, the father.

Clarisse wasn’t a dumb woman. She could put two and two together. As far as she knew, Mr. Bond was the only teacher at Hammel with the name Darryl. Clarisse blinked again and looked somewhere between shocked, confused, and exceedingly angry.

“Midori…please excuse my reaction.” She said tightly, trying to calm her quickly mounting rage. What a dog. What a cad! How could her father a child by a woman he barely knew?! “It’s---“ She cut herself off and sighed.

“Please excuse me, but I feel its important to explain myself, even though this is very much not about me.” She had stood and moved to pace a few steps. God, this was almost as hard as admitting a pregnancy. “I’ve been seeing Darryl. And. This. Is.” Her words were short and punctuated.

“…Preposterous. Of him.” She added the last bit quickly, to prove to Midori she was still on her side. “I’d wondered why he’d been moping around school. Avoiding me.” Clarisse shook her head and finally sat back down on the couch, sighing heavily.

“Midori, doctor-patient confidentiality dictates that nothing leaves this room.” She managed to smile weakly. “I hope what I’ve said doesn’t diminish your trust in me. But I felt it was important to let you know that…” Clarisse looked slightly pained, proof it was difficult to say this. “I…don’t think Mr. Bond is going to be your most reliable resource.”

Oh, would she tear him a new one.

[Midori Hawkins]

Midori had thought that at the very least, mentioning the father’s name would be a good thing. In that it would show she wasn’t in denial. There was no point. It had happened. Regardless of the fact she didn’t want a lot to do with the father, at least she knew his name. But Clarisse’s reaction quickly had her backpedalling. Her expression baffled the young recruiter, until Clarisse explained.

Her face flushed.

Dear God.

Darryl had gotten her pregnant. While seeing Clarisse? Even if that had come afterwards... what the hell? She bit her lip. She’d never had much faith that Darryl would ultimately be reliable. This just secured that faith. She dropped her face into her hands. “Clarisse. I’m so, so sorry. It’s not like this was planned, it wasn’t supposed to happen.” Much like it had with Eli, not so long ago, the story began to spill out.

“He invited me over to help with his –“ Oh. She’d promised not to tell. ... Fuck it. “Garden. Flowers. He wanted my help with them. And I did. And then we went inside and there was alcohol and... it wasn’t supposed to happen.” The last part was said rather quietly, meekly. It was hard to admit it, in front of Darryl’s... girlfriend? It had been hard to admit in front of her best friend. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I’m so sorry.”

And of course, this diminished nothing between the two women. Mii glanced up, searching Clarisse’s expression. “Of course it doesn’t. And I think I already knew that. I know what he’s like. I know he’s offered help, but... I don’t even know that I want to take it.” If this was the kind of behaviour he wanted to exhibit, what kind of parent was he going to be? She didn’t think she wanted to know.

[Clarisse Prideaux]

Clarisse held up her hand, managing a kind smile despite her perturbance. Midori had nothing to do with her annoyance. It was all Darryl (and boy would he hear about it later). “No, Midori. Darling, don’t.” She cooed, shaking her head vigorously. “Its nothing to be sorry about. I’m not mad.” She scoffed. “Incredibly disappointed with Mister Bond for not stepping up and saying something. But how could you have known?”

She blinked. Garden? Well…she was beginning to realize how little she knew Darryl. Though it did explain his extensive knowledge of flowers. Again Clarisse patted Midori fleetingly on the shoulder. “Midori, you don’t have to apologize.” She said again, emphasizing it more strongly this time. Maybe that way it would get through to her.

Clarisse sat back down next to Midori, fearful that her temper would grab hold if she paced any longer. She huffed. “Unfortunately, you can’t…you can’t exactly deny his help if he offers it.” Clarisse sighed. “I’m not an expert on laws such as this, but he does have certain parental rights. Unless you want to go through some fairly messy legal affairs--” She looked hopelessly over Midori, not so much pitying her situation, but in a way that said she’d always be an ear to talk to. “-- you might be stuck with him.”

[Midori Hawkins]

Midori looked up at Clarisse in vague surprise. She expected her to be angry with her. Or at the very least, annoyed. But there was nothing coming. Not at her, anyway. Just Darryl. And it confused her. If she were in Clarisse’s position, she would have been at least a little irritated. She blushed slightly at the little pet name she was given. “I suppose. But I’m still sorry. ... And a little angry with Darryl.” If he was seeing Clarisse, he should have never fallen into bed with her, alcohol or no.

She didn’t even feel guilty for letting that little “secret” slip. She’d said she wouldn’t tell, but damn it, there were bigger things to worry about than his ridiculous hobbies. “I know,” she admitted softly. “But it feels like I do.” She gave a quiet, humourless laugh. “Funny, Eli told me the same thing. I apologized to him, too.” And she never could figure out why she’d said it. It had just seemed appropriate.

What she said next, however, made Midori frown slightly. She was positive that Corbin might have an idea of the laws surrounding situations like hers. If she ever talked to him about this. She sighed heavily and leaned back, closing her eyes. It wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “My brother’s a lawyer. He’d probably know, if I wanted to go into the details with him.” And that was a big if. “It’s awful, I know it’s awful, but I don’t want to be stuck with him. Clarisse, I don’t even like him like that. And I don’t even know if I could trust him with a baby.” Much as she didn’t want to drag anyone through a messy legal process, she didn’t want to face the alternative. Maybe she really did need to talk to Sean. “I hate him,” she mumbled softly. She didn’t really mean it, she’d never really hated anyone. But he certainly wasn’t on her list of favourite people at the moment.

[Clarisse Prideaux]

Clarisse smiled, laughing slightly and hoping to lighten the mood. “Well that makes two of us sorry and annoyed, dear.” She said with a good-natured wink. She was incredibly sorry. Sorry for bringing it up in the first place and letting her annoyance, however momentarily, distract her from helping Midori. Sorry for getting involved with Darryl in the first place, at this point. All the same, Sorrys weren’t going to fix anything.

“Well hopefully you’ll get over your sorry stage sooner rather than later.” Clarisse said, realizing that it was just Midori’s personality to apologize for everything: her fault or not. Clarisse had been through that, and she knew there was nothing that would snap her out of it…at least not until she realized it was in the best interest of her baby to be a little more selfish.

With a momentary look of pain, Clarisse sat down and rested her hand on Midori’s back. “No you don’t, Midori. You know that as well as I do.” She smiled weakly; Midori couldn’t hate anything, Clarisse didn’t think. “You probably want to give him a good crack on the head…but you don’t hate him.” After Midori’s reply, and a bit of silence, Clarisse sighed, and stood. “My best advice? Right now, lets go out for lunch. My treat. Or at least some tea to calm your nerves and get your mind off of this mess.”

She planted her hands on her hips and tilted her head. “What do you think?”

[Midori Hawkins]

Well, at least Midori wasn’t the only one sorry and annoyed. But Clarisse didn’t sound all that annoyed, not anymore. And that made all the difference in the world. She managed to meet Clarisse’s good nature with a genuine smile. The last thing she wanted was to be caught in the midst of the French woman’s anger. “I guess so. I’m just glad you aren’t angry with me.” She would understand if Clarisse was annoyed with her. But she understood more if her anger was directed at Darryl.

“I’ll try,” she managed. It really was in her nature to apologize. She’d always been that way, from the time she was little. It was just part of her submissive personality. Until she realized that it was in her best interest to be a little more selfish, she would continue down that pathway.

The gentle touch to her back made her sigh. Mii leaned into it, closing her eyes. There was definitely something comforting about Clarisse. “I know,” she admitted. “But I want to.” She really couldn’t hate anyone. Not Darryl, for unintentionally becoming her partner in this mess. Not her brother Zach, for being an all around bully, and moron. Not anyone. “I’d like to do a little more than a crack on the head, but I think I have a few friends and a couple of brothers that would be more than willing to step up to the plate.” She really, really didn’t want to hear Corbin’s reaction. She was quiet with that idea, for a moment, before listening to Clarisse’s suggestion and nodding.

“That sounds good, actually. Let me just let James know.” She didn’t have all that much to do today. She didn’t foresee it being an issue with her boss. Slowly, she let out a soft sigh, before looking back at Clarisse. “Thank you, Clarisse. So much.” At least she had one more person in her corner.