1-30: The Scientist

Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Take me back to the start

------------

"Stop pulling at it. Eden. Quit!"

Kiara smacked Eden's hand away from the top of her dress and procured a scowl from Eden in the process.

"It's so... tight. And I can't figure out why. This is lame. This thing fit me six weeks ago when I ordered it."

Eden scowled again, turning to examine her white dress in the mirror. Kiara raised an eyebrow, examining Eden's figure as she turned. She placed a hand on Eden's stomach and let out a breath. 

"Well... It kind of looks like you've grown a little bit. Your boobs and your stomach.

And I say that in the nicest way possible. Have you like... had your period and stuff?"

Eden narrowed her eyes, turning away from the mirror to look at her best friend. 

"I'm not pregnant. I mean, I'm a few days late, but I kind of figured it was just stress."

Kiara rolled her eyes, trying to flatten some of the kinks in her hair that being out in the rain had caused.

"How many days are we talking here?"

Eden bit down on her lip and shook her head slowly.

"Thirty."

She said it quietly, but Kiara definitely caught it. It was obvious in her groan.

"You are so pregnant. Eden Royale! Why didn't you say something?"

Eden shook her head again, more intensely. 

"Because my wedding is in three days and I didn't want to come to terms with the fact that I was going to be too fat to fit into my dress."

She pulled at the top of her dress again, groaning loudly. 

"Which is obviously the case. This is a mess."

Kiara sighed.

"You'll be fine. 

But can I say that I never pictured you as a mom of seven kids and owner of a mini van?"

Eden sat down on the chair in the dressing room and put her head in her hands.

"I'm not having seven kids. If I'm actually pregnant again, this is going to be the last one. And it better be a boy, because Storm and I have enough estrogen for the entire county. 

I have a two year old, I'm not ready for another baby. I was never planning on having another baby."

Kiara pulled the zipper on her own dress down, looking at her phone as she did so.

"Well, I can't say that I feel the same. With Lilith, and Jett, I still want another baby."

"Yeah, but, you aren't me. You and Atticus are great with kids. That's why my parents gave you custody of Jett in the first place. Mine stresses me out more than I ever thought possible.

And they just get older and more difficult. I can't imagine what it's going to be like having a teenager. 

If my kids are anything like me, I'm unbelievably screwed."

Kiara laughed, pulling her jeans back on and zipping the bag covering her bridesmaid's dress closed.

"Well, I guess you can just hope that they turn out like their dad. At least he's sane and had a normal childhood."

Eden sighed and turned so Kiara could unlace the back of her dress, her mind stuck on how exactly she was going to tell Xavier that she was expecting another baby. She didn't think he'd be unhappy... Just shocked. Things still weren't calm enough with his schooling for a new baby to be anywhere near a good idea. 

But it was too late now. 

As Eden was slipping on her shoes, her phone started buzzing in her pocket. She attempted to ignore it, a plan still trying to form in her mind, but it went off again. 

And again.

She pulled it out, annoyed, and slid the lock to the answer side.

"What do you want, Atticus? We're kind of busy here. I know you have three kids there with you, but I promise it won't kill you."

Atticus' sigh was loud and he followed it by clearing his throat.

"Well, I thought you might want to know that Storm is acting like she might be sick. She's running a low grade fever and she says that her tummy hurts. I gave her some Tylenol and took her up to her room. I tried to read her a story, and give her cookies, but I think she just really wants her mom."

Eden released a long, slow breath as Atticus finished talking and instantly regretted snapping at him the way that she had. Her nerves were so on edge, and Storm being sick was not going to help that.

But so goes being a mom.

"Alright. Just go back downstairs with your kids. We'll be there soon."

--------------

Storm didn't look completely worse for wear when Eden entered her room. She sat up in her bed and smiled at Eden, holding her arms up so she could be picked up. Eden let out a sigh and walked over to her, cuddling her to her chest.

"Hey there, princess. Are you okay?"

Storm shook her head and placed a hand on her chest, her big emerald green eyes piercing into Eden's. 

"It hurts, mommy."

Eden pressed a kiss to her forehead and brushed Storm's hair out of her eyes, nodding. Her skin felt hot, but not too hot. Hopefully this was something that Storm could just sleep off and feel better the next morning.

"That's what uncle Atty said. But you're going to be okay, aren't you big girl?"

Storm nodded intently, her smile wide on her lips. 

"I be okay."

Eden sat Storm on her feet on the floor and sat crossed legged in front of her, holding out her arms. Storm immediately went into them and snuggled her face in her mother's chest.

"Do you wanna know a secret?"

Eden whispered the words into Storm's hair, stroking the back of her curls. She felt her daughter nod into her shoulder and took a deep breath, like she was telling Xavier and not her two and a half year old daughter.

"You're gonna be a big sister. Mommy has a baby in her tummy."

Eden wasn't sure exactly what she expected, seeing as she was pretty sure that her daughter would have absolutely no idea what she was talking about. But she had expected a response of some kind.

Instead, Storm's chest rose and fell slowly, meaning she had fallen asleep before she had probably heard a word Eden had responded with.

"Okay. I told you. Now I just have to tell your daddy. Same thing, right?"

Not exactly.

Eden got to her feet, still clutching Storm to her chest and leaned over, laying her softly among the blankets and stuffed animals in her crib.

"Sleep tight, princess. Mommy loves you so much."

When Eden's eyes began to sting, she was ninety percent certain it was time to do something to distract herself. Hormones or not, she absolutely detested crying. She'd tell Xavier eventually... She just wasn't sure she was ready to do it before the wedding. 

They had enough to worry about.

-------------

"You look beautiful, Eden. Would you stop worrying? You're going to make yourself sick, and then throw up, and no one wants to clean that up. Least of all me."

Eden rolled her eyes, twisting a lock of hair around her finger and groaning.

"It's not even the kind of curls I wanted. What is this shit? I look like I got caught in the rain and left my hair the way it was."

Eden was brought out of her complaints by a soft sob leaving Storm's throat. She was still sick, and it almost seemed like it had gotten even worse, but Eden was trying to be convinced that she was going to be okay. She didn't want to worry too much about something that was probably just another common cold. Xavier had been so busy, but when he had seen Storm, he was convinced Eden was worrying for nothing.

Kiara rocked Storm on her hip and brushed her hair out of her eyes, but she still kept crying. Eden walked over to her, leaning and pressing her lips to her cheek. She was hot to the touch, even with Tylenol in her system. She took her in her arms and as Storm leaned back, a frown clear across her face, the heat in her body seemed to grow more apparent. 


This didn't seem like a common cold. This didn't seem like she was going to be fine. What if Xavier was wrong?

"Maybe we should call the wedding off. Take her to the emergency room."

Eden bit down on her lip and ran her finger across Storm's cheek, brushing the tears away.

Kiara tilted her head, concern in her eyes.

"We could ask Atticus to take her now. We can meet him there right after."

Kiara's voice didn't actually sound like she wanted to leave Storm at all, but she also sounded like she just didn't want something to ruin Eden's wedding day.

"But what if she's really sick and I'm not there? She keeps coughing and she shivers and Tylenol isn't helping."

Eden handed Storm back to her and Kiara nodded sympathetically, tucking Storm's head into her chest as she fell asleep. Her chest was still hitching with cries and Eden's stomach felt tight.

"Alright, get my phone, You can call Atticus right now."

Eden crossed the room to Kiara's jacket, searching through the pockets for her cell phone. When she finally found it, she punched in the lock code she had memorized a long time ago.

"Eden, wait. Something's wrong."

Eden instantly rushed to Kiara's side, and the look in her eyes was something that seemed very much like panic. Storm's face was pale, and her lips looked tinged with blue.

Something being wrong was an understatement.

"I can't get her to wake up."

Kiara lifted Storm's tiny arm, searching for a pulse point. Eden felt anxiety creep into her veins, her mouth going dry.

"Eden her pulse is weak and she's barely breathing. We have to go to the hospital. Now."

-------------

"Atrial Septal Defect."

Eden pulled at a string on the seat she was in, trying to understand the doctor's words but barely registering them. She glanced up at the man, her face blank, mascara down her face. They'd been in the hospital all night, Eden's wedding dress crumpled and forgotten in a chair after Xavier had brought her other clothes to wear. 

The nurse had told her that her daughter had pneumonia, but that it seemed more complicated than that. Test results were strange, and that a doctor would be there in the morning who specialized in the field.

Eden hadn't slept, no one had. Tension was high, and all she had wanted were answers. That she didn't get. Until now it seemed.

"Atrial... That's the heart isn't it?"

Her stomach contracted and she felt sick, she could barely even feel Xavier's grip as he squeezed her hand.

"It is, yes. Your daughter has a hole in her heart, for lack of better terminology.

In most cases, it's minor and doesn't do much. It can be treated with little to no complications. But in this case, it seems as if your daughter's is a little more serious than normal. 

Your daughter's growth is also well below average, and she seems to have developed pneumonia. Both of those can be attributed to an ASD.

I don't know how her doctor's have never noticed this, at her age, they should have by now.

But the good news is, we can help her. With surgery."

Eden felt tears slip down her cheeks and she took a shaky breath, her words cracking as she spoke.

"Surgery? Like heart surgery?"

The doctor nodded, a forced smile gracing his lips.

"Yes.

I will refer you to a pediatric cardiologist and you two can figure it out from there. 

But, Ms. Simon, this is treatable. Storm is going to be just fine.

We're going to give her treatment for her pneumonia, and then you can take her home."

The doctor issued them one more fake smile and left the room, the silence he left behind echoing in the room.

Xavier sighed, releasing Eden's hand and crossing his arms over his chest.

"We really do have some really terrible luck, Eden. Ever noticed?"

Eden blinked, bringing her eyes to Xav's face.

"Not at all."

Xavier reached a hand out, tracing a finger over Eden's lips. 

"Nah, me either. I have you so I guess there's gotta be some good luck in my life."

Eden rolled her eyes, shaking her head. She took a deep breath, keeping her eyes on the desk in front of her.

"That was so lame. Cheesy as fuck, Nile.

But..... speaking of luck. Yours apparently sucks more than you think.

Because I'm having another baby."

Xavier's eyes widened and he leaned back into his chair, dropping his head into his hands. It took him a while to respond, but he did eventually. His words shaky, but honest.

"I don't necessarily think that that's bad luck... Just horrible timing.

But we'll make it work.

We always do."

---------------
I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling your puzzles apart
Questions of science; science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart