Rain

Brian brought Khaat back, carrying bags and boxes with all sorts of clothing in it. Her father gave her his blessing to go to the beach and actively encouraged it. Angus had made a small additional list of groceries and gave it to his brothers when they brought the first shipments of food for the weekend. Brian went up and changed and helped Khaat remove the cast from her arm so she could go to the beach. He grimaced at seeing her coal black hand and arm that had been under the cast. It had gotten only more black.

"Maybe I shouldn't go," Khaat said, self conscious, tying the sarong around herself. She looked in the mirror. Her pregnancy was showing already, and she hadn't quite finished her first trimester. She was a lot farther along with Abbey before she had gotten anywhere near this size. And her black hand and wrist just didn't help.

"Hey," Brian came up behind her in his swim trunks and kissed her. "You look beautiful. Those are my babies you're thinking about. Let's go enjoy the sun. Come on."

"You and I both know they're Rob's," she sighed.

"Stop it. No guilt. You were bewitched. Just quit that. Lets go to the beach. Come on." He reached for her hand and took her to the beach.

"It took me awhile to convince her to come out of her room," Brian said to Jack and Jess.

"You really don't have to stay if you don't want, Jess," Khaat said. She understood what it was like to miss her kids. She believed that Brian could protect her alone if it became that much of an imperative for Jess to return home. Steven was already on days off. And if Jess and Jack wanted to go, that left her with Brian and Angus. They had done it before. They could certainly do it again if they had to. Khaat wasnt' going to ask anyone to stay with her who didnt' want to be here. She walked away from all of them, deciding to walk down the beach alone and get some air and some sun. Jess's moodiness was getting to Khaat badly. It was making her feel like she needed to let Jess go run her shop, raise her kids and live a normal life. Steven seemed to need Delilah. Khaat's own thoughts were becoming depressing, sad, full of guilt and a need to send her friends home to their own homes and families. She didn't think that list of people who wanted to be elsewhere included Brian, but at the moment, she wasn't all that sure.

Brian saw the shift in her moods. He hadn't seen her do that yet, but he had expected it to happen at any time, at least once in this pregnancy. He simply decided to let her have her space and he sat down on the sand to wait for her.

Brian gave Khaat a bit of space to just walk off her tensions and her frustrations. Then he went and caught up with her. "Jess is better," he told her. "Come back. Come enjoy yourself."

"I'm fine," Khaat said. "I"m sorry. I'm just stressed."

"Stop feeling responsible for how everyone else feels," he told her.

"What?" she looked at him.

"You can't fool me. I know exactly what's going on. You're feeling responsible because everyone seems to be upset being away. Look, we asked them about coming here. They all chose it and said it was a good idea when we asked them. You are not responsible for their happiness. Leave it alone. Come enjoy the beach with me." He took her hand and simply led her to the water's edge walking in the side with her just enough to get her ankles wet.

"I'm okay," Khaat said to Jess.

"I think we're entering that 'I'm taking everything personally' stage of the hormonal stuff," Brian laughed. "She's fine. "She'll figure out that its all good. Didn't you go through some of this with Abbey, Khaat?"

"No, not that I remember of. I was far too busy working, I guess," Khaat said. "Didn't have time for it. Maybe thats whats missing. Maybe I need to put in more hours at work."

"I fail to see how that will help one iota," Brian said. "Honestly. If overwork would benefit pregnant women, that would have been prescribed hundreds of years ago. Maybe double the babies means double the hormones."

"Great," Khaat sighed. "Then we only have 6 months to go."

"Not necessarily. Twins often deliver early."

"Maybe next week?" she looked at him.

"No. Not that early," he laughed. "Come on. Let's swim." She looked at him. That would mean she would have to take her cover up off. "You already took off the cast. Give up the sarong. It doesn't hide much anyway."

"This might be a long six months," Khaat sighed. "I didn't eat last time either--unless it was coffee or Rob's cheesecake." Brian reached down and swiped the sarong from her. Khaat suddenly felt naked. She let out a small shriek. He dropped the sarong on the sand and led her out into the water until she was up to her waist.

"Better?" he asked, knowing she'd feel more covered.

"Yes," she admitted.

"So, lets go for a swim," Brian said. "You and Jess have enough or are you up to a swim with us?" Brian asked. He knew Khaat's wrist would not hold out for a long swim but a bit of activity would do her good. Khaat knew she could swim even pregnant. That had been her exercise of choice with Abbey. The water made it easier to exercise. But she was glad that Brian was with her. "We're not going too far out," he told Khaat. "I don't trust your wrist. This is just for fun. Not for working out. We'll work out when your wrist heals."