#atimeofwonder

[kailanimaris]

A Time of Wonder || Kailani & Thane

Maybe it was the unspoken stress of seeing her ex and the unwanted brush of his skin against hers, but Kailani had been experiencing vivid dreams that ticked her pulse up a few notches. When she asked her doctor about the nightmares, she reassured Kai that her hormones were likely the cause and she wouldn’t have such intense dreams once her body was back to normal. Despite her best attempts she couldn’t shake the feeling that this hadn’t been the case with Benji and that there was more to, what she described as, night terrors. With Bayoa busy with work, she still couldn’t bring herself to tell anyone she saw him and Malte kept quiet on the situation for fear that talking about it would make the situation turn up in a tabloid. After a week of sleep deprivation, Kai just wanted good company and a helping hand with Benji, who was a fully energized bunny in all of his waking hours. Not wanting to bug her staff to help on yet another task they weren’t hired to do, she called a friend, Thane.

Thane had always been there for Benji, Kai, and Bay. She knew it wasn’t just because he was Benji’s godfather either. To no one’s surprise, he said he’d come over and hang out with the one and a half year old while she unwound. Kailani waited patiently with Benji while Thane went through the usual security protocol. The little boy swung away from his mom as she held him by the hand, ready to run to Thane. Not wanting her son to fall as soon as she let him go she gave him a count down. “Are you ready to get Uncle Thane?” He looked at her with a smile so very like Bayoa’s that some of her stress vanished in that fleeting moment. “Fem, fire, tre, to...EN!” The little boy was off and quickly making little grabby hands to be picked up by Thane. Kai slowly waddled his way to close the distance and hug her close friend. “I really appreciate you stopping by. You know we love your visits and I really could use the quiet swim. I promise I’ll make us all a yummy lunch when I’m out in an hour.”

With quick pecks on the boys’ cheeks she headed toward the home’s pool. As soon as she was alone the stress found her again and she quickly slipped off her wrap dress and lowered herself into the pool. In her eagerness to feel the usual relief water brought her she sat on the edge of the deep end and scooted forward to get in. What normally happened was that the water around her felt like a hug, she would float on her back and let the water cover her ears to dull out the sounds around her. As soon as she was in, however, she felt a kick of pain that radiated from her back forward. Kicking her legs she reached for the edge of the pool to catch her breath before swimming toward the ladder at the middle of the long pool. The sensation was familiar, a contraction. It was to early for the baby to come and as she thought about the stress that put on Lucas and Taney she started to panic. Though in the back of her mind she knew it was likely Braxton Hicks, she could feel her chest tighten with fear.

Before Kailani could call out for help, unaware over ten minutes had passed, another contraction came. Her fingers dug at the cement at the edge of the pool as she kicked her legs and took deep breaths through the pain. When it passed she placed her palms on the edge of the pool and tried to lift herself out. She screamed as she used all her strength with no result. She slipped back into the pool, coughing for air before her head slipped under. Her legs were strong, but Kailani didn’t reach the bottom to push herself off. Kicking her legs, she angled herself across to the ladder. When she broke the surface, she gasped for air only to be met with another contraction. Standing neck-deep in the middle of the pool, Kai coughed and gasped for air, and somewhere in between started to loudly curse in frustrated French. Hopping toward the ladder, she held on as she tried, and failed, to get out once more.

Spent of all her energy, she held onto the ladder and waited for someone, anyone, as she took deep breaths and tried to calm her nerves. Logically, she could’ve held onto the edge of the pool and moved toward the shallow end, but the whole excursion had scared her. Every wave that had swept her up, every pool at a hotel where she got lost in the overcrowded space, all those memories found her as she became consumed with the negativity of the week. Eventually, someone did turn up- Thane. “I’m huge and I’m stuck.” She offered an apologetic smile only to be met with another thrash of pain. Through gritted teeth she managed, “This baby is very different from Benji.”