Tuscany Trip

The lunch was great, and Khaat never minded simple fare. That was fine with her. The only thing that ever mattered to her was that it tasted good, whatever she ate. "Maybe I'll bake some shortbread this afternoon," Khaat said, "I can do most of that magically. What do you all think?"
She was thinking of two batches. One with almonds and fresh herbs, and one with chocolate chips. Shortbread was just awesome with fresh coffee or tea. And she really did believe she could manage that by mostly magical means. But then again, perhaps Ronata would enjoy either baking or helping to bake. She didn't know if she'd ever baked or not.

Steven chuckled as he sat back feeling rather filled with the meal "well to me it sounds wonderful " he said looking at Ronata as she tucked into her meal smiling.

Finishing she looked at Steven then to Khaat "ow I would love to do some backing with you Khaat" she said now feeling as if she had got her second wind she reached out and took Stevens hand feeling him grip hers as he held it his face still lit with a smile "you know when we get back you'll have to change that spare room to a nursery and i guess I'll have to book an appointment with your father or the midwives at St. Mongos for my first check up too" she said softly thinking so much to do.

"Well, we've stopped using a lot of the muggle ways of doing medicine," Khaat told her. "We have stopped using ultrasound and a lot of muggle technology. It just isn't as accurate as our own healers are. Its not that we get stuck doing things the old fashioned way, but what looks very advanced to muggles is really pretty primative by magic standards. I'm sure either of us could do what you need done here rather than waiting until you get back to London."

"You can bake cookies if you use magic," Brian told her firmly, "but no work. If anybody needs to take care of healing needs, I'll do it. I am in charge, according to your father, and I'm not going to let you push things. I have no desire to have to find you doing something asinine and having to reset a rib that I didn't have to do. Right now its in place because it isn't broken clear though. I refuse to let you overdo it. I like my job, and I intend to keep it. By the way, try either fresh rosemary or fresh lavender in the shortbread. We have both growing wild on the villa grounds. And they're very good in baking. I know. The cooks at the Paris office have made it both ways."

Ronata nodded "please I think we bothy would feel better If we knew that everything was fine and that there was only one in there" she said smirking at him "though knowing Steven there could well be" she said feeling him snake his arm around her.

Steven chuckled as she took his hand letting her know it was fine with him "nope no twins in my family" he said smiling at her as she breathed out in relief "though I know of an auntie who had triplets once" he saw Ronata wobble "but that back , way back in our history" he chuckled

"I'll check her myself, Khaat," Brian said. "Its not a problem. You just relax. You're resting today."

"I'm fine, Brian," Khaat sighed. "I'm just sore, that's all."

"I know," Brian said. Khaat looked at him. He took security very seriously. And he seemed to be blaming himself for the brawl Khaat had gotten into. Khaat did not blame anybody. She was accustomed to it.

"I can't sit here all day and do nothing. I'll clean up the kitchen. You guys just move on and do whatever it is you're going to do."

"This really will only take a moment," Brian told Ronata. He went over to her and laid his hand on her forehead and then on her abdomen. He checked her carefully and then said, "It's pretty early into it to make many predictions, but so far things look fine."

Ronata smiled and sighed "thank you" she said "Just those words put my mind at rest" she said smiling at Steven "I'll help clean up Khaat since it is my mess and all" she moved into the kitchen and started soon it was good as new.

Steven smiled at her when Brain said nothing was wrong "see told you everything would be fine " he said moving to hold her with a gentle kiss before she moved to the kitchen a started cleaning it up "I'll get to the nursery right away once were home but for now , relax" he said taking her out of the kitchen and sitting her down in a chair next to Khaat "I think that potion gave her too much energy " he said grinning at her.

"Nursery?" Khaat frowned. "You're not even through month one. Aren't you both pushing this entire thing just a wee bit?" Muggles might need months to create a nursery, but even they didn't need nine months to do that. Most muggle families did not start a nursery at 3 weeks into all this. Goodness! Even waiting until month 3 instead of week 3 seemed to make infinitely more sense to Khaat. Khaat saw miscarriages on a daily basis happen to women at this stage, and it seemed to nly add to the trauma and grief of the family when they had tried to prepare a nursery, name the baby, and all sorts of preparations before they knew if the pregnancy was going to be viable. They really were opening themselves to more trouble than they needed to do. She didn't know why they were doing that. Seemed to make no sense to her to deliberately be making some of the choices they were making.

Khaat really, really needed something to do. She felt like she needed something to keep herself busy, and she wasn't getting it. Normally, she would be going for a run to burn off her frustration and it would help her be less edgy. But she wasn't getting a chance to do that right now like she wanted to. Brian was very protective. Not that he didn't have reason to. But she wanted to have some sense of freedom at the same time.

Ronata stopped and looked at Khaat for a moment "I guess so " she said " but were not making the nursery, just planing it, I know to wait and so does Steven." she said moving away from her out to the patio a little upset she sat down in the same chair she had been in earlier.

Steven listened he understood about waiting but they could look in magazines and stuff for ideas and he wanted her to be happy. He looked at Brian "it was talk nothing more" he said before walking out to Ronata and sitting with her lifting her into his arms before sitting down with her

"Dont get rattled with her," Brian said. "Neither of you get it, and she's not asking you to. She's doing her best to keep all her feelings to herself. The healers see miscarriages every day of mothers who are in their the first trimester. Khaat has dealt with young mothers who have either attempted some sort of self harm or completed it because of their grief. These young moms have done what you are doing--begun plans for a nursery and all the rest of it from the instant they knew they were pregnant. And its left her a bit scarred, I think. Its one of those things she doesn't talk about with anybody. Not even with me. I've just seen how much of that pain she absorbs and brings home with her when it happens. She is very, very sensitive. Steven, you know her. You know she doesn't just become cold to something without very good reason. Think. Besides that, do you not think she has her own feelings about having to raise Abbey without Rob? Or having to raise her granddaughter? My being there for her or not--she's not with the man she started this with, and it hurts. It just plain hurts. Rob will always be her one true love, and without him she feels empty, and raising Abbey without him hurts. So she is withdrawing a bit from this whole thing. Its not intentional except to keep from going on some tyrade about how much she believes, especially now, in people taking their time to keep from ending up with broken hearts."

Ronata looked at Brian as he spoke slipping from Steven she walked back in to face Khaat she stood facing her " Khaat , I am sorry, I know how you feel a family in the next farm to ours they were expecting a baby but she lost it " he looked into her eyes "your right its too early to think of that yet, god forbid anything goes wrong then it was never meant to be , we can always try again further into out relationship" she said moving forward she did something she had never though she would do, she gave Khaat a hug "thank you for bringing me back to earth , there are more important things to do like eating right and having a little fun, but not too much, and wait and see" she said stepping back she smiled "all in good time and at the right speed, right" she pored a cup of hot French roast and made it float to Khaat and hover just in front of her.