Epilogue – Thea
Epilogue
Thea
Skin to skin, she lay over my heart, fast asleep, and I watched her in complete wonder. She was perfect, my baby girl. My seedling.
Taran was standing over us, his vines and leaves swaying gently, creating a soothing breeze. The hospital room was all ours. The nurses had left us to enjoy these moments with our daughter after they’d made sure we were both fine.
The c-section went well. Despite my worries, there were no complications. The doctors and nurses were calm and reassuring. Taran had nearly lost his mind for a minute or two, and he’d had to go outside for a breath of fresh air. Now that his daughter was here and we were both healthy and happy, he could stop feeling guilty.
The pregnancy had been tough, I wasn’t going to lie. All my days and nights had been spent singing to our seedling. I tried putting on music, but she didn’t react the same as she did to my voice. Taran had tried singing to her, and it had been quite the disaster. His low, thick voice had made her poke me even harder. With tears in my eyes, I’d quickly ended the experiment.
She was here now, and all was forgotten.
Her skin was like polished wood. There was not a trace of bark on her body – not yet – but she had been born with hair on her head. Her hair was soft, like mine, and only behind her right ear I could see she was growing a thin vine. She was probably going to grow more in the weeks to come. Her body was hard, like Taran’s. The doctor was right. She was not a soft, squishy baby, and I found that I was relieved by that. I was going to be absolutely careful with her, but it was great to know she didn’t break easily. She was made to be strong.
Her limbs looked human, but now and then, as she stirred in her sleep, I’d notice how her fingers elongated and became more branch-like. She had her father’s ability to shape her body as she wished, and it was going to be interesting to see how it developed and how she learned to use it. That was going to be Taran’s department – to teach her how to control her body’s extraordinary abilities.
As for me, I was more concerned with what her choice of food was going to be. I had no milk for her, and that had been expected. The doctor had explained to me that because the fertilization of the egg hadn’t happened, then it was like my body hadn’t even known I was pregnant. I had my period as normal, my belly barely grew at all, and my breasts remained unchanged. When Taran had planted the seed inside me, all my womb had done was to accept it and allow it to attach itself to its walls. Once that happened, the seed first created a membrane, then started evolving into a seedling. The reason my daughter had more human traits than her father was because she’d taken her nourishment from me while in the womb.
It was all fascinating and unbelievable.
“My flowers,” Taran whispered from above our heads.
I smiled. From now on, I had a feeling that was how he was going to spend his free time – hovering over us.
There was a knock on the door, and one of the nurses poked her head in.
“You have visitors.”
Before going into surgery, I’d asked Taran to call Fiona and my brother to let them know. Fiona was my best friend, and when I found out I was pregnant, she’d taken over my work at our NGO. And Matthew was the only one in my family I still talked to. I sometimes called my mother, but she was always busy, so at some point, I gave up. I knew Matthew had given her the news, because she’d texted me to congratulate me. Since then, nothing. As for my relationship with my father... it was non-existent. The last time I’d spoken to him was the day I moved out.
So, when my parents walked in with Fiona and Matthew, I didn’t know how to react. Taran straightened beside me, and I reached out and wrapped my hand around the first branch I found. I felt him relax at my touch.
“Oh my!” Mom rushed to my side, eyes shining with moisture. “My baby girl has a baby! I can’t believe this! Oh, she is gorgeous! Look at her, Bill. Look at our granddaughter!”
Dad took a few steps into the room, hands held behind his back. He looked at Taran first, then at me. When I met his gaze, he averted his eyes, and looked back at Taran. It was awkward, and I was starting to feel annoyed that I had to share these beautiful moments with him and my mom.
Fiona and Matthew behaved normally, at least. They congratulated me and marveled at the perfection of my daughter.
“Dad, Mom... I’m glad you came.” What else could I say? There was no point in being nasty to them when I’d just been blessed with the most beautiful baby in the world, and she was all that mattered.
“I’m so proud of you, darling,” my mom said, brushing my cheek with her bejeweled knuckles. She looked like she’d aged ten years, though I’d seen her just a little over two months ago.
I nodded and waited for Dad to say something. He seemed to be more focused on Taran than on me and his first granddaughter.
“Dad?”
“I have to do something,” he said. “I’ve known it for a while now, I’ve thought about it, and I am ready.”
What on earth was he talking about? I tensed up, and my baby girl probably sensed it, because she let out a whimper. Fortunately, she didn’t wake up.
My father stepped in front of Taran. “I want to apologize to you. What happened to your friend, Rune, was horrible, and it was entirely my fault as the head of Everhart Furniture. I dismissed it when it was brought to my attention, and when the court ruled in my company’s favor, I put it out of my mind. I am sorry, and I am ready to offer you and Rune’s family any compensation you deem appropriate.”
Taran was silent for a moment, which made my dad feel uncomfortable. I held my breath. Then he did the last thing I expected him to do. He extended a branch towards my father. It took the shape of a hand, and after a moment of hesitation, my dad shook it.
“Thank you for your apology,” my husband said.
I couldn’t believe it! The injustice Taran had had to endure because of Everhart Furniture, and just like that, he was accepting my father’s apology. I, for one, had no intention of forgiving or forgetting. My relationship with my father was never going to be the same. In fact, once my parents left today, I would be happy to not see them for a few months, if possible. Unfortunately, they probably wanted to have access to their granddaughter.
Dad nodded, then finally stepped closer to the bed, where he looked at the baby for the first time.
“She’s beautiful, Thea.”
“Thank you.” Could he tell I’d said it through gritted teeth?
“Are you happy?” he asked in a low voice, as if he was asking me in confidence. Which was ridiculous, as the room was full of people.
“Yes.”
“That’s all I need to know.” He patted my hand and stepped back.
My mother gushed over the baby for a few more minutes, then Fiona rescued me by pointing out I’d just come out of surgery, and I needed peace and quiet. She herded my family outside, throwing me a wink over her shoulder.
“Well, that was interesting,” I said to Taran.
“They’ve ruined your day.” He brushed my hair out of my face, his spindly fingers lingering on the shell of my ear.
I smiled. “No. For that to happen, I have to let them. I’m done doing that.”
He bent forward and placed a kiss on my lips. His leaves brushed against my face, and I inhaled his fresh scent. To think I’d been afraid of trees just three months ago, and now I was married to one! Well, not a tree. A leshy.
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you, too.”
We both looked at our daughter, and we knew without saying it out loud – our journey was just beginning.
THE END