How Green Becomes Wood

"I am aware," Dark dryly commented, recalling his 'grippy-socks vacations.' He was about to point out he had been very careful since the night before when Ivy squeaked, and catching him off guard, flopped her head right into his side, and even he broke his mask to wince. "Sweet girl," his voice was thin and tight as he tried to fight through it, setting her back upright, "I know you're not so good at sitting yet, but you need to give Baba some warning."

"Let me take her," Daizi offered.

"It is not her fault," He replied, exhaling, "Thank you for the tea, Sally."

Silently, Daizi got up again to bring him and ice pack, which she pressed against his ribs without asking, "When are you going to the doctor?"

"After I change." He looked up at Sally, colour returning to his face, "Neither of you need to worry, I am going to go, I am not trying to sneak my way out of it. I also do not think rushing myself, our Alec and Xander, is helpful."
 
"This is true. Rushing never helps anything," Sally agreed, pretending to have not noticed his pain. It seemed like the correct choice for his sake. "And you are welcome." She went to her basket and took out the treats she'd gotten specially for Dark and for Daizi, placing them on two seperate plates. She set one down in front of Dark and one in front of Daizi. "There we are. Since you have time before heading out." She had two cups out for Alec and Xander, but since neither had made an appearance - or reappearance in Alec's case - they were empty, the tea staying warm in the pot.
 
Dark and Daizi both thanked her, and eventually Dark did allow Daizi to take Ivy so he could drink tea and ice his ribs without worrying about another very loving accidental attack from his daughter, because it did hurt much more after she slammed into him. It wasn't her fault, she just liked to give kisses, and hadn't learned yet. Once Daizi had her, she offered her to Sally, knowing how her friend felt about babies.

When Dark had finished the tea, he stood, "I am going to check on the boys, and then we will probably leave. Thank you again, Sally, for this, and for the blanket." Then, he went upstairs. Typically he made a point of always knocking on the twins' door, but with Xander's concussion, instead he said, just loud enough to be heard, but still remaining a gentle, even tone, "May I come in?"
 
Sally lit up and gladly took Ivy. She smiled, cooed, and made funny faces at her, adoring her little face and all her little noises. "Daizi, my darling, you have the most adorable little baby!" she cooed, still looking at Ivy. "Truly the second most beautiful I have ever seen, but do not tell my sister I said that."

Xander lay on the bed, his face painful and bruised, looking truly awful now that the swelling and bruising had had time to set in. Alec lay next to him, dozing. Alec kept twitching fretfully in his sleep, a deep frown marring his features. Xander heard the call and returned it. "Come in."
 
"I'll keep the secret," Daizi grinned, glad to hear Ivy having the absolute time of her life if nobody else in the house was.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, handing him an additional ice pack. They were on a near constant rotation of it. Looking at Xander's bruising, he was pretty glad for his beard, it hid a lot of the damage he knew was hidden underneath his hair.
 
Sally pretended to eat Ivy's hand for a moment before admitting to Daizi, "In truth, my poor little nephew came out a truly ugly baby. All babies have a certain resemblance to a raisin when they are born, but they cuten up within a couple of days. He had a distinctly sour look about him until he was nearly eight months old! He was at least a decently sweet baby. Nothing like little Ivy, of course."

"Eh," Xander said with a shrug of one shoulder. "Could be worse. I guess." He shifted the pack carefully to his face. "Not great. Could be worse."

Alec twitched and muttered something unintelligible, prompting Xander to hold him a little tighter.
 
"How old is your nephew now?" Daizi asked, taking another sip of tea, "I used to be friends with this horrible woman named Beatrice, we met in high school and she never developed past it. She had a whole litter of children, and everyone thought they were just the most gorgeous babies alive. But they were all wild, unempathetic, little monsters because she never told them no. She wouldn't even fuss at them when they moved our chairs to the top of our steps--That was at the last apartment we had before having this house."

"I understand that," Dark said, sitting down on the edge of his bed with a small groan he attempted to stifle. "We are both alive, and sometimes that is all we get to say."
 
"Oh, that is awful!" Sally gasped, looking away from Ivy for the first time. "Oh dear, those poor children, and, of course, everyone who had to work with them."

Alec twitched again. Xander let go of his cold pack and shifted around to hold both of Alec's hands. "Hey," he said, giving him a gentle shake.

Alec yelped and came awake instantly. He would have flailed and would have definitely hit Dark if Xander hadn't been holding his hands. He looked around shakily. "Oh." He looked up at Dark. "Hi, Ba."
 
"She was mad at me for being upset that they almost killed me," Daizi huffed. "My darling Hummingbird gets away with a lot right now, but she's not getting free reign to do whatever she wants."

"Good morning, again," Dark said. The frightened look on Alec's face also reminding him of the day before, and his heart hurt worse than his ribs. He came very close to sharing he, too, had been having nightmares, but he didn't. He couldn't. That wasn't something he wanted them to know, "When you're ready, I need to take you both to the doctor's."
 
"Good." Sally gave Ivy a light kiss on the top of her head. "You are a cute little thing, but you are not allowed to become a menace to society. My nephew still tries to be sometimes, but he is thirteen and testing boundaries, like most teens." Glancing at Daizi, Sally said dryly, "I presume you two are no longer the closest of friends."

"Oh. Okay." Alec closed his eyes and shuffled so he was leaning up against Dark's leg. "That's a good idea. We should go."

"All of us?" Xander asked unhappily. "They said it was just a minor concussion." If Dark insisted even once, he'd go. He didn't have it in him to fight his father right now, but he wouldn't be Xander if he didn't at least voice his displeasure.
 
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Ivy squeaked, grinning up at Sally while Daizi finished the last of her tea and stood to clear the table. "You will be shocked to learn I do not keep in touch. Do you want to go to the living room? It's about the time I do Ivy's first tummy time of the day with her. She loves playtime."

Dark rubbed Alec's back, "A minor concussion is still a concussion. It is important to check it is as minor as the paramedic believes it to be, just to be sure." He ran his fingers lightly through the back of Alec's hair, where he knew Dex hadn't grabbed him, almost mentioning he thought it was extremely important to rule out any possibility of a brain bleed, but he knew Alec wouldn't cope well with hearing that, so instead he said, "And it is important you have a doctor's note so all of your teachers will grant you extensions on your assignments."
 
"Do you love playtime?" Sally asked Ivy. "I love playtime, too! I should take more playtime for myself, shouldn't I? Yes, I should! Something about aging makes you an old stick in the mud that forgets to play."

Xander groaned but nodded. Then regretted nodding. That hurt. "I guess extensions are worth it," he grumbled in agreement.

Alec tensed at first when Dark started playing with his hair, but then quickly relaxed when it didn't hurt. It didn't hurt, and Dark didn't grab. "I guess that means I have to get up, too," he said, enjoying the odd cuddle position he had going.
 
Daizi laughed lightly. Through all of the horrible moments the year prior, it had been nice to take time to herself with Ivy, because even when she was completely showing, her little baby still felt like her secret. And when everything felt impossible to cope with, she had first Ivy's little flutters, then her kicks, jabs, and rolls, and she knew her baby was alive, safe, and untouched by anything else that was happening. Then when Ivy was born, part of Daizi worried she had lost that small escape: Ivy wouldn't be untouched, anymore. And, since she came early, maybe she never was.

But there they were, in the midst of what was, perhaps, the worst thing they had experienced as a family, but Ivy was still smiling, and laughing, and ready to play. One day, Daizi knew, she'd be more aware, and would be more harmed by these tragedies and setbacks. Just not yet. So Daizi laughed, because Ivy was babbling at Ciara, and she lay out the playmat and took out the box of toys so they could set Ivy down and enjoy babyhood with her while they could.

"They are," Dark nodded, gently patting Alec's shoulder before moving away so he could get up. "It will also make Daizi glad. And," he took a breath and regretted it, "All three of us would be hypocritical if we refused to go." He looked solidly at both of them, "What would all three of us be saying if it was her in any of our situations?"
 
Sally followed Daizi and set Ivy down gently. Then she moved back, letting Daizi be the closer one to look after Ivy. Sally did adore babies, and she especially adored Ivy, but she was here to be with Daizi and ensure Daizi had a little company, not to indulge herself in baby play. "Where is she at in her mile markers?" she asked.

"Fine. You make good points," Xander grumbled.

Alec got up first and patted his hair lightly. "I look a mess, and I can't brush it," he lamented.

Xander followed him and started digging through Alec's clothes to get to his own. "Lean into the messy hair look and make it seem purposeful," he said.

"Not a bad idea," Alec agreed. To Dark he said, "We'll be ready in just a minute to prove we are not hypocritical."
 
"She's on track," Daizi said cheerfully, taking a pillow off the couch to make lying down on her stomach a little bit more comfortable, "On track for a five and a half month old, anyway. She's behind if you expect her to be on the same level as an almost seven month old baby." She reached forward and tickled Ivy's chin with one finger, "I forgot it's already almost the thirteenth. I can't believe it's already May." Saying this, she sat back up, gesturing at Ivy with one hand, "It's May. She's been here since October. It's hard to believe that."

"Does it hurt too much to untangle it with your fingers?" Dark asked, standing near Alec, "Ivy's brush is gentler, although it doesn't detangle particularly well. I should change, too." He looked down at his clothes. There was nothing wrong with them, but they were more casual than he liked, and he knew he would probably be expected to take off his shirt, something that didn't require lifting his arms above his head would be better. "I need to mend the shirt I was in yesterday, it ripped when..." A far away look came into his eyes, but he shook his head and it cleared out, "I will meet you downstairs."
 
"Oh my goodness, she has been," Sally half groaned in realization. "That is almost too incredible to believe. She is such a little miracle! She fits right into this family of miracles."

"I can do something with it," Alec promised. "And... I can mend your shirt for you. Just leave it with the wash. I'll remember."

Xander pulled out a black tank top and scuffed-up jeans. He normally worse this when working in his shop, but he wasn't ashamed to be seen in it, particularly at a hospital. He added a belt for good measure and waited for Dark to leave before getting dressed.

Alec chose jeans, as well, but nicer jeans, paired with a loose-fitting grey shirt. It was quite a bit more subdued than his normal wear, but he wasn't in the mood for sparkles. Not right now.
 
"Soon I'll have had here in the air for longer than I carried her in my belly," Daizi said, with a small twinge of sadness. There had been something special in having had her longer like that, and she hadn't considered that switch. Ivy really was getting big, and Daizi lay back down to be on Ivy's level and she danced a toy in front of her. "On the 23rd, when she'd be six months had she been born on time, we're giving her solid food for the first time. We're debating between sweet potato puree and chicken puree. Dark is absolutely thrilled, he's been dying to feed her."

Dark nodded lightly, and then went to his bedroom where he stared at himself in the mirror for a few minutes without really seeing himself. Then he touched his face, wincing, and moved his beard around to try to see what it looked like underneath his hair. Not great, as far as he could see. If the doctor wanted him to shave, he would probably just walk to into the sea. Not into a lake, he would walk to the sea, and then walk into the sea.

Then he changed, very much regretting putting on a t-shirt the night before. It hurt to take off. He only dressed himself in dark pants and a button down shirt, leaving the top four unbuttoned, which, in his defense, was not uncommon a look for him in the summer, but that day was just too exhausted. They were going to make him take off his shirt anyway, what was the point of doing it up higher. Then he went downstairs.
 
"Oh, that is so exciting! Are you doing your own purees, or are you buying them in those little bottles?" Sally asked.

The twins finished their preparations and wandered downstairs, arriving just ahead of Dark.

"Tummy time?" Alec asked with a little smile. "That looks like fun!"

"Looks hard," Xander said, looking at the floor.
 
"We wanted to make our down," Daizi answered, moving the toy in so Ivy could grab it, and leaning it forward so the toy would 'kiss' her. "Just to be safe. Hearing about those cases of lead in apple sauce freaked both of out a bit too much." When she heard the twins' voices, she sat back up, "I think it's probably both. How are you doing, Xander?"

"I think we are going to have to institute a limit on how often we can ask each other that question in a day," Dark said flatly, coming down behind them, but he still came over and looked down at his daughter, who squealed, babbled, and rolled onto her back for attention.
 
"A myth perpetrated by fearmongers, but certainly a reasonable concern," Sally assured her. "I never fully trusted the bottled stuff. It always tasted wrong." She smiled at the twins. "You both look better."

Xander was in the process of trying to locate his sunglasses. He hardly ever wore them and thus couldn't remember where they'd gone. "Doing fantastic."

Alec, surprisingly, found his and handed them to Xander.

Xander stared at the bright pink frames for a moment before resignedly slipping them onto his face. Better.
 
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