SGA fic: Gaijin, Part 17/40
Dec. 16th, 2008 09:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sam_gamgeeGaijin, Part 17/40
The complete header can be found in part 1.
Previous parts can be found here.
Rodney sighed again as he glanced at the curtain to his quarters from where he sat in front of Jean’s quarters. Kirby, Jean, and the rest of the elders had convened just after breakfast and no one had heard anything from them since. He wanted to know what was going on. He put down the Ancient device with another sigh, not caring that the Darshans where going to be here in a few days and he still had one more piece to do as well. It seemed a little ludicrous to be working on Ancient trifles when his, Jaelyn, and the baby’s fates were hanging in the balance.
Jean ducked through the curtain, caught his eye, and nodded grimly. Rodney stood and went across the commons to her. As he went, he wondered if the elder of each borough did all the leg work whenever a problem in their borough was dealt with. Jean definitely seemed to be doing so.
“Well?” he asked, expectantly.
“We will speak with you now,” she replied, “since we have been informed that there is something you wish to say.”
Rodney followed Jean into his quarters and looked around at the familiar faces gathered there and the serious expressions they all wore. He bit down on his tongue to keep from saying something – anything – to bring some levity to the situation to ease the tension and thereby get himself into more trouble. He also gripped the loose fabric of his pants to focus and keep himself from babbling profusely as he apologized and asked for forgiveness. He took a steadying breath as Jean seated herself next to Kirby.
“We’ve been told you have something you wish to say, Rodney-kun,” Kirby said calmly.
“I do,” Rodney replied, licking his lips. At Kirby’s nod, he continued, “I wanted to apologize to all of you for my actions. I knew better and yet I willfully disobeyed. I should bear the brunt of the punishment, seeing as how I overheard Jaelyn and Jennifer and I was the one who decide to pursue the subject. If I hadn’t, we probably wouldn’t be in this situation. I had thought that, by taking control, I’d be able to manage whatever Jaelyn was going through and we could deal with it before it became a bigger problem.” He laughed shakily. “That obviously isn’t the case at this point and I’ve obviously screwed things up big time. I’m sorry for that and humbly submit myself to whatever punishment you deem necessary, even if that means throwing me out into the middle of a sandstorm. All I’m asking is if Jaelyn conceives and has a child, that you don’t punish it. The baby is innocent of all of our actions.”
There was a quiet moment as the elders considered what Rodney had said. Then Jean spoke up and said, “We thank you for your apology and forthrightness, Rodney. We still have much to consider before we make a final decision on punishment. Would you please excuse us?”
“Yes, definitely,” he replied quickly. “Thank you all for this opportunity.” He made a quick bow to them before turning and leaving as quickly as possible without actually fleeing.
Jillian met him outside. “You need to eat,” she said, pushing a plate of food into his hands. “Considering how much you’ve been worrying, I’m surprised your empty stomach hasn’t caught up to you yet.”
“I thought –” He looked at her confused as he reflexively took the plate.
“You thought what?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Nothing,” he replied hastily. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she replied brusquely before returning to her work.
Rodney retreated across the commons as he ate and resumed his watch on his quarters. At random intervals, Jean would exit. First, she approached Jaelyn, to take her in to speak to the elders. Then it was Kelly’s turn, who was followed by Jennifer. Then Jaelyn’s parents and sister were summoned, followed by Jillian. In between, everything was quiet in the commons. When their neighbors returned for lunch, they ate in their own quarters and filed back out as quietly as they had come in.
Out of boredom, Rodney began working on the Ancient device again, needing something to divert himself from burning a hole in the curtain to his quarters. This device at least seemed mildly interesting, if not very useful in the grand scheme of things. As far as he could tell, all it did was play music. As cool as an Ancient iPod might be – especially to Atlantis’ sociologists and ethno-whoevers, Rodney was never sure what to call them – it wouldn’t be of any help to them unless the music had the ability to attack the Wraith’s central nervous system or something.
The device switched songs and the one that came on caught Rodney’s attention completely. It was so hauntingly beautiful that it made his chest hurt. He closed his eyes as he listened and let the emotions and images that the music evoked wash over him. It made him think of Atlantis – John teaching him how to fly the Jumpers, the sunset off the North Pier, grabbing a bite to eat with the rest of the team late at night after returning from a mission, the sight of the wormhole stabilizing in the ‘Gate. As the song faded out, Rodney let out a slow breath and smiled sadly. He still missed them, but would be forever grateful that he was able to spend part of his life with them. He hoped they were well and that they’d cross paths again one day.
He slowly opened his eyes, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light, and looked up to find Jean gazing down at him with a soft smile.
“I have never heard anything like it before,” she said. “It was… interesting. It is time for your punishment to be issued.”
Rodney nodded and stood, following her back into his quarters, where Jaelyn was waiting with her parents, Jillian, and the rest of the elders. Jillian stood next to Rodney and gave him a small smile of encouragement.
“We have come to a decision,” Jean said after she reseated herself next to Kirby. “You will both be exiled for the rest of this month, as well as the next two. You will be getting married as soon as the arrangements can be made and everything is in order. Until then, you will not be allowed to spend any time alone together.”
Focusing her gaze on Rodney, Jean continued, “Rodney, once it is certain that Jaelyn has conceived, in addition to fulfilling your normal duties, you will be completely in charge of the baby’s textiles for its first cycle and you are not to accept any hand-me-downs. We will enforce this. You will also be completely responsible for taking care of Jaelyn and the baby’s health. Do you understand?”
“I do,” Rodney replied with a nod, the punishment more fair and lenient than he was expecting.
Turning to Jaelyn, she said, “Jaelyn, you will be solely responsible for preparing for the wedding and your life together with Rodney. I understand that he already has some of the things you will both need, so you will need to acquire those things from him in order to see what you still need. Do you understand?”
“I do,” she replied quietly, looking beaten.
“Good. This matter is now settled.”
The elders stood and, except for Kirby, filed out of their quarters. “I suggest you both take some time to think about what you’ve done,” Kirby told them before leaving as well.
“That’s all I’ve been doing,” Rodney muttered under his breath as they followed him.
“I’d better get those items from you,” Jaelyn told Rodney.
He could hear the sadness in her voice and knew that she wasn’t happy about the turn of events. He refused to feel sympathy for her. She had known that something like this would be a possible outcome. “Okay,” he replied. “Let me go get them.”
Her parents waited outside as Jaelyn, her sister, and Jillian followed him back into his quarters and over to his area. He loaded their arms with a myriad of items before taking the last of it himself and they headed over to Jaelyn’s family’s quarters. They put the things there and Rodney and Jillian made a quick retreat before they were caught up in the conversation with Jaelyn’s anxious grandparents.
Rodney was surprised at how the “exile” worked. Things went on like they always had, except now the effort people made to avoid them was more noticeable. And every time he saw Jaelyn, she looked pensive and sad and Rodney hated himself for thinking it had been a good idea to go through with it in the first place.
And he didn’t spend much time with her, either. They were kept busy with their guilds, her work to prepare for the wedding, and his duties as a healer – which still weren’t being utilized as often as they had been. Rodney wondered if that was because of the exile or because they were still pissed at him for his lapse in judgment, but there was no way he was actually going to *ask*. They hardly even saw each other.
“We need to talk,” Jessica told him when he returned from the silk guild on the first day of their second month of exile. “And bring your medicine bag.”
“Okay,” Rodney replied. He went to his quarters and grabbed his bag before going to her family’s quarters. Everyone was there, looking at him expectantly. Jaelyn was sitting to one side, her hands on her stomach and her eyes closed. She looked pale and worn out.
“Jaelyn has conceived,” Jessica said once the curtain was closed. “She missed her female cycle this past month and she has begun feeling sick.”
“Are you sure it’s not stress over what’s been happening?” Rodney asked, not completely sure how the female body worked, but wanting to be certain of what Jessica was saying.
“I’m sure it’s not,” she replied archly. “I’d like to think I would know the difference, having borne two daughters myself and seeing them into womanhood.”
“Okay,” Rodney replied as placating as he could muster. “I just want to be certain. So, how are we going to handle this?”
“We are going to keep this as quiet as possible. Right now, there’s enough tension in the village over what the two of you have already done. We would rather not add to it by admitting that Jaelyn is, in fact, pregnant until we absolutely have to. I would like you to examine Jaelyn to see how she’s doing. And I want this to be as easy a pregnancy as you can possibly make it for her.”
“Okay,” Rodney replied as he went over to Jaelyn. “Hey,” he said quietly, crouching down next to her. “How do you feel?”
“Horrible,” she replied. “The morning sickness isn’t just in the morning and my stomach’s been hurting.”
Rodney felt her forehead. “Well, it doesn’t feel like your temperature’s elevated, so that should help with what I can give you. Tell me what your symptoms are so I can see what I can give you to help with the pain.”
As Jaelyn went through her symptoms, Rodney listened carefully, doing his best to tune out the quiet whispers of her family as they watched them together. While they had always been fair and accommodating, he wasn’t sure what they could do at this point, but he didn’t want to give them any reason to make either his or Jaelyn’s lives miserable if they felt either one or both of them was overstepping their bounds.
“I think I know what will work for you,” he said once she had finished. He pulled out an empty sachet bag and filled it with various leaves and some root pieces. “Make a tea out of this and drink it as soon as you can in the morning. It should help with the morning sickness and upset stomach. If it doesn’t, let me know and we’ll figure something else out, okay?” He gave her an encouraging smile.
“Okay,” she replied, taking the sachet.
“How are the wedding preparations coming?” he asked.
She made a face and replied, “They’re coming. It’s hard to decide what to do about the wedding dress, though. I don’t know how big I’ll be by the wedding and I don’t want it to be too big or too small. Laura’s been very accommodating, though, when I’ve talked with her about it.”
“If it helps, I don’t care what you get married in, as long as you’re happy,” Rodney replied. “Do we have a date yet?”
Jaelyn nodded. “It’s going to be the first day of the tenth month. Everything should be ready by then, it’ll be before we become too busy, and hopefully the baby won’t be born before then.”
“Hopefully not,” Rodney replied.
“How’s the baby?” she asked, brightening.
“It’s still too early to tell,” he replied. “You’ve only been pregnant for 15 days.”
Jaelyn looked crestfallen. “Do you think it knows what’s going on?”
“At this point, probably not,” Rodney replied. “It’s still too small. But I’ve heard that as it gets bigger, it does and that it usually responds to things like voices and music.”
“Music?” Jaelyn asked. “Is that the noise the Morykons have?”
“Yes,” Rodney answered with a laugh. “And many other cultures too – mine included.”
“You’ll do all the ceremonies for our baby, right?” she asked, looking at Rodney worriedly.
“Of course,” he replied, not sure which ones she was referring to and making a mental note to ask Kirby. “I promised the elders I would care for you and the baby and I believe that includes the necessary ceremonies too.”
“Good.” She laughed uneasily. “I’m sorry, Rodney. I’m just worried about our baby and I feel so helpless right now.” She gently rubbed her stomach.
“It’s understandable,” he replied with a warm smile. “I’d better go before your parents stare holes into my back, okay?” She nodded and stood with him. “I’ll check in on you in a couple days, if not sooner, to see how you’re doing.”
“Thank you, Rodney-chan,” she replied. “You’re more than I deserve with the way I’ve been treating you.”
Rodney said his good-byes to the rest of the family and left. Once he was in the commons, he took a few deep, steadying breaths. He was going to be married in just over eight months and a father soon after. He wasn’t ready for this. There was no way he *would* be ready for this. How was he supposed to be ready for this?
His first thought was to talk to Kelly about it, but didn’t know how valuable his advice would be aside from some comforting and well-meaning platitudes. In most situations, Rodney wouldn’t mind that – but right now he needed actual advice, help, direction, anything that would help him. Hopefully Kirby would be able to help him out.
“How are things going?” Kirby asked, looking up from the dice game he was playing when Rodney returned.
“Things are okay,” Rodney replied. “She’s already getting morning sickness and she’s been having an upset stomach. I gave her an herbal tea to help. Otherwise, she seems to be doing just fine physically. I think she’s scared about the whole marriage thing, now that it’s becoming real.”
“Then the two of you should have thought about that before you rushed into having a child if you weren’t sure about getting married,” Kirby replied dryly.
“Hey, I’m the one that’s been perfectly fine with getting married!” Rodney replied, getting defensive and crossing his arms over his chest. “She’s the one that didn’t want to get married.”
“So I gathered when we spoke with her,” Kirby answered mildly. “And I assume you had planned to find a way to force her to get married anyway to, at the very least, protect her and the baby?”
“Yes,” Rodney replied, his tone still slightly mulish, as if daring Kirby to challenge his motives.
“You’re worried about getting married, aren’t you?” Kirby asked, eyeing Rodney critically.
“Maybe a little,” Rodney admitted, relaxing a little as he did so. Sitting down next to Kirby, he asked, “Were you nervous when you married your wife?”
“I was *terrified*,” Kirby replied with a smile. “She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen and I was still in my growth spurt. I was convinced that she wouldn’t have me. But we got along great – it was like we were made for each other.” Sobering, he continued, “But not every match is that easy, Rodney-kun, as you’re finding out. And even my marriage wasn’t completely perfect. As long as you keep your eyes and ears open and are willing to put in the effort, then I’m sure you’ll both do fine.”
“I hope so,” Rodney replied. “I do care for her a lot, Kirby. Maybe even love her. I’m just not good at this sort of thing.”
“But you’re trying. And I’m sure that means a lot to Jaelyn, even if right now she feels that she can’t love you. It’s a common enough concern, so please don’t take it personally.”
“I’m trying not to,” Rodney replied, smiling self-depreciatingly. “But you know the history of my love life. And I really do want to make this work, so I’m willing to do whatever I can to make it work.”
“All I can tell you in the end is to not worry and that everything will work out for the best.”
Rodney breathed a sigh of relief when Jean told him that his exile was officially over. The past two and half months had been harder than he had expected them to be. A day of silence was one thing – it was a personal choice to not have contact with others and even then it was more about not speaking and keeping one’s self contained. Exile, on the other hand, was having it imposed by outside forces and not even being allowed the companionable understanding that the other Laprans provided because this time they were going out of their way to actually avoid you unless some sort of contact or communication was imperative and couldn’t wait. And two and a half months of it was downright inhumane.
At least now Rodney understood why the Laprans didn’t need a harsher penalty system. Being closed out like that by everyone was worse than being thrown out into the sandstorm – which would have been an easy out, but not as effective.
“So, how does it feel to be back?” Kelly asked when he came over after dinner that night for a game of dice.
“Pretty good,” Rodney replied with a grin. “Maybe I should get exiled more often – everyone’s been acting like they miss me.”
Kelly’s horrified look at the mere thought of being exiled turned to laughter. “We *have* missed you, Rodney-chan. Just because you were the one that was exiled doesn’t mean that we liked it either.”
“I think the best part is everyone wanting to tell me everything that’s been going on the past two and half months – even though I’ve been right here *the* *whole* *time*.” Rodney chuckled, rolling the dice. “I never thought I’d say this, but the kids have to be the best. They’re so damn excited and eager to be the first to tell me things.”
Kelly chuckled as well before picking up the dice. “Admit it, Rodney-chan, behind that gruff exterior you have a soft spot for kids.”
Rodney nodded as he pursed his lips into a tight smile, his eyes still laughing. “I think I do – just don’t let it get out or my reputation could be ruined.”
“I won’t tell anyone, cross my heart.” Kelly drew an X over his heart before handing over the dice. “I think you’ll be a great father when the time comes.”
“I certainly hope so,” Rodney replied, turning serious. “We’ll find out in a few months, now won’t we?”
“Oh, believe me, you’ll be fine. If Beth and Chris’s children are turning out fine, yours will be great.”
“They are a little out there, aren’t they?” Passing the dice back and forth between hands as he changed topics, Rodney said, “I do have something I need to ask you. Will you be my best man for the wedding?”
“Best man?” Kelly asked, giving Rodney a confused look.
“It’s a custom among my people that someone – traditionally a man – helps the groom prepare for his wedding and helps him during the ceremony. I figured it would be a good idea to make it ‘official’,” he used air quotes around the word, “since you were going to be guiding me through the whole process anyway.”
“Of course. I would be honored to ‘officially’ do it.” He repeated Rodney’s gesture with a laugh. “How are the plans for the wedding coming, by the way?” He took the dice out of Rodney’s hand.
“I honestly have no idea,” Rodney replied. “Jaelyn has been taking care of it and we haven’t talked about it the last few times I’ve been over to check on her. I’m assuming there aren’t any problems because I know Jessica would either have made Jaelyn tell me or would have told me herself.”
“You better ask her the next time you see her. While there’s practically no chance of the two of you getting out of it now, I don’t want there to be any unexpected surprises on your wedding day.”
“Good idea,” Rodney replied, rolling the dice. “I’ll be seeing her this afternoon.”
“And I think it’ll be a good idea if you propose to her again as an act of good will to her family to show that you really do care for her and that you really do mean what you said about marrying her.”
Rodney grimaced. “I don’t think I ever proposed to her to begin with. It always seemed like everyone just expected and assumed that we would get married.”
“Well, your whole courtship has been a kind of proposal,” Kelly explained, “so if things were going well and had continued that way, then you wouldn’t have had to worry about the actual proposal ceremony. But considering how the two of you bungled things with deciding to have a baby before you were married, I think it would be a good idea if you did it as an act of goodwill to show your concern for what they think of you and your impending marriage to their daughter.”
“And should this be done as soon as possible?”
“I think so, especially since Jaelyn’s already set a date for the wedding.” Kelly gave Rodney the dice. “But this means that you should talk to Jaelyn first to find out what’s going on with your wedding – even if she doesn’t want to talk about it. Because it’ll reflect poorly on you if you don’t know what’s going on with your own wedding, even if the elders made Jaelyn in charge of it. And ask her to set it up with her parents. I think that’ll help both of you as well. If you try to set it up, they’ll think you’re trying to take control of the wedding again. If Jaelyn does it, it could be seen as a concession on her part – an ‘I realize we messed up and we’re trying to fix it by doing the right thing’ sort of thing.”
“I’m surprised you know all this stuff without every having gotten married yourself,” Rodney told him.
Kelly shrugged as he rolled the dice in his hands. “A lot of this we’re taught from a young age to prepare us. Other things I’m inferring from the things I do know.” He stood. “It’s getting late, so I’d better go. But you should definitely talk to Jaelyn tomorrow.”
“I will,” Rodney replied with a nod as he also stood. Grinning, he said, “I’m glad we can spend time together again, Kelly.”
“Me too,” Kelly replied with a warm smile. “Tell Jillian and Kirby I said hi when they get back in.”
Rodney nodded as he watched Kelly leave. He shook his head at himself after the curtain dropped back into place. He didn’t know what had made him think of it, but whatever momentary physical attraction he had felt for Kelly was completely gone now and in its wake was a deep affection and admiration for him. Along with a profound gratitude that he knew what to do because Rodney knew that without him, he would have screwed things up royally a long time ago.
The next day, Rodney went to Jaelyn’s quarters after dinner and Keith let him in. Jaelyn’s grandparents were especially curious how he had held up during his exile – which Rodney found to be both amusing and heart-warming. After exchanging pleasantries with the whole family, he pulled Jaelyn aside to give her a check-up.
“How are you doing?” he asked after they had sat down.
“Good,” she replied with a shy smile. “Still a little sore, but the morning sickness is gone.” She worried her bottom lip. “There’s still a bit of blood, but not much.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to Kirby about it since I don’t know what else we can do. How’s your appetite?”
“Good, I guess. I’m getting hungrier more often. This must be what you feel like,” she teased.
“Not quite,” he replied with an amused smile. “Mine happens a little more quickly, whereas I think your hunger is a little more constant, am I right?”
Jaelyn nodded. “And is wanting weird things normal?”
“Among my people it is,” Rodney replied. “What have you been wanting?”
“Curried darchnans.”
“Huh.” Rodney looked at her with a speculative look. “I’ve never thought of that combination before.” He thought for another moment and how the spices would mix with the sweet fruit. “But I can see how it might taste good.” He grinned. “The fruit on my plants is almost ripe, so we’ll have to try it.”
Jaelyn grinned too. “You’re the best, Rodney-chan.”
When they finished, Rodney said, “I need to talk to you about the wedding.”
“What about it?” she asked apprehensively.
Rodney shrugged casually. “I just wanted to see how things were going. We haven’t really talked about it, at all, and I was just curious.”
Jaelyn half-shrugged. “The wedding plans are coming. I’ve talked with some of our trade allies that can get things for us that we’ll need and have made deals with them. The ones you’ve already made deals with are still expecting your items.”
“I know.” Rodney nodded. “They’ll be ready on time.”
“I told you that Laura and I have talked about the dress and have decided to wait until we get closer to see how big I’m going to get. I really don’t want to be as big as a pregnant yak and have a dress that fits the way I am now.”
“I’d suggest we get married now, but I doubt that would go over very well,” Rodney replied with a quick laugh.
“I doubt it,” Jaelyn replied with a level look.
“I think you should mention to your parents that I want to officially propose to you.”
“Oh, really?” Jaelyn answered, arching an eyebrow. “Was this your idea or Kelly’s?”
“Well… uh… Kelly’s,” he sputtered. “I was going to ask them myself, but he convinced me that it would be better for both of us if you asked them for me and made it sound like it was your idea.”
Jaelyn thought about it for a moment. “He does have a point. I’ll tell them. Come prepared to do it at the check-up after the next one. I’m sure it will take a while for you and Kelly to prepare, since he tends to be a perfectionist.” She rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath. “I can see now why my mother warned me when you first broached the subject of courting. Bond friends can be exasperating if you’re not careful.”
“Kelly isn’t exasperating,” Rodney defended. “And I think Jennifer’s quite nice.”
Jaelyn let out a sharp laugh. “It’s a woman thing, Rodney-chan. We tend to get jealous easily when someone else is spending time with our betrothed, even if it is his bond friend.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it, though. I know that most of my jealousy comes from Kelly spending so much time with you because he is your bond friend, plus he’s teaching you a lot of the things you need to know.” She frowned. “Why isn’t Kirby teaching this stuff to you?”
Rodney shrugged. “Kelly just took it upon himself to teach me. And I think Kirby felt like I might actually pay attention if Kelly taught me all these things.”
“You’re not that bad a student, are you?” she asked, giving him a sharp look.
“I hope not,” Rodney replied. “I paid very good attention to him when he was teaching me the healing arts.”
“Which he admits to,” Jaelyn agreed.
“And I did just fine in the silk guild,” he added with a chuckle. “I think Kirby was just tired of having to answer all my questions.”
Keith approached them. “You’ll have to excuse us, Rodney-sensei. It’s time we started preparing for sleep.”
“Sure, no problem,” Rodney replied as he and Jaelyn stood. “Jaelyn’s doing well,” he told Keith. “And I’ll be back in a few days to check on her again,” he said to both of them. Turning to Jaelyn, he added, “But don’t hesitate to come see me before then if anything changes, okay?”
“Okay,” she replied with a nod.
“I feel like I’ve done this before,” Rodney commented dryly to Kelly as he mimed going through the motions for the tea ceremony again.
“It’s because you have,” Kelly replied in exasperation.
“Then remind me why we’re doing it again?”
“Because I want to make sure you’re absolutely perfect for the proposal ceremony. You’re not going to mess anything up if I can help it.”
“Maybe you should’ve helped me plan the ‘picnic’ then,” Rodney muttered.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Kelly replied sharply. “I got an earful for even *knowing* about it. We’re not even going to go there.”
Rodney suddenly laughed, an image of Kelly doing a traditional wedding. “You know, you’d make great wedding coordinator where I’m from.”
“Wedding coordinator?” Kelly asked, carefully trying the words out, as if he didn’t know what they meant.
“Yeah.” Rodney set an empty cup in front of Kelly. “It’s someone that plans weddings for others and takes care of most of the details. You definitely seem to be enjoying helping – and pestering – me with mine.”
Kelly blushed and ducked his head. “I am enjoying it more than I thought I would be. And I want to make this work for you, Rodney. I think you deserve something special after all you went through to adjust to us and our ways.”
“Thank you, Kelly,” Rodney replied, touched by Kelly’s sentiment. “And how did you learn all of this?”
“Some of it we learn growing up. And the rest I learned from Kirby. I think it was a bit of a test to see who would become his second until he could have time to fully train someone.”
“And what happened?”
Kelly laughed. “Birthing season. We had a record number of calves that cycle. I think all of our cows were pregnant. And since it was just my dad and I…. I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this.”
Rodney nodded. “What’s the use of being able to heal people if they don’t have anything to eat? I get it.” He frowned. “Haven’t you and your dad ever thought of getting more help?”
Kelly shrugged. “Most days we don’t need it. And since people are willing to help on the days we do need it….” He shrugged again. Seeing Rodney was done going through the tea ceremony, he said, “Okay, good. Now do it again – but this time for real.”
Rodney rolled his eyes. “Oh, you’ve *got* to be kidding me.” But he obediently gathered everything up and reset it to begin again.
“What is the purpose of the proposal ceremony?” Kelly asked him.
“To verbally and explicitly state my intention to marry Jaelyn – both to her and her family,” Rodney answered as he poured the water into the kettle and set the kettle over the fire.
“And why would you need to, if the courtship has been going well?” Kelly relaxed back against Rodney’s cot, his arms resting on top of his knees.
“It could be done because her parents are traditionalists, or as a sign of respect from me to her family, or because something got royally screwed up – as in my case.”
“Good. Now, what are you going to say to Jillian?”
After Kelly left, Jillian sat down across from Rodney. “I think you’re doing a great job,” she told him with a grin.
“Thanks,” Rodney replied, letting out a tired sigh. “Kelly’s a hard teacher.”
“But at least he’s looking out for you. Look, I know you know that the proposal ceremony is a big thing for a lot of reasons, but, as your sister – sort of, I want to make sure you understand something else. The proposal ceremony is something that’s romanticized among us women. We like the idea – however unrealistic it is – that the man who we’ve been matched to will court us and completely sweep us off our feet and that he’ll perform the perfect proposal ceremony so that our parents will say yes and let us marry so we can live happily ever after.”
Rodney started to open his mouth, but she glared at him and continued, “And while I doubt Jaelyn still feels that way, if she ever did, I want you to know that deep down, she might still feel that way. So *please* don’t screw this up, if only for me.”
Rodney laughed, not knowing how else to respond. “Don’t worry, Jillian-kun. I promise to make this ceremony as perfect as possible.” Anticipating her next comment, he added, “And I promise to tell you everything when I get back.”
She grinned. “Great. I know you’ll do it perfectly.”
“Nervous?” Kirby asked Rodney as he adjusted Rodney’s shirt and brushed off some invisible dust.
“A little,” Rodney replied. He paused before admitting, “Okay, a lot.”
Kirby smiled. “You’ll be fine, I promise. With the number of times Kelly has put you through the ceremony, I have no doubt that you’ll get a yes from Keith and Jessica.”
“I certainly hope so,” Rodney replied as he gathered up the things he would need to make dinner and tea. With a wry smile, he added, “Don’t wait up for me.”
“Go,” Kirby replied, “before Jaelyn comes to drag you over. Besides, the sooner you go over, the sooner you’ll be able to finish and get back to put Jillian, Kelly, and yourself out of your collective misery.”
Rodney laughed. “I’m going. I’m going.”
Jamie was waiting for Rodney at the entrance to her family’s quarters when he arrived. “Don’t be nervous,” she whispered to him.
“Am I that obvious?” he replied.
“Yeah, kind of. You look like you’re going to a burial.”
“To my native people, asking a woman’s parents to marry her is practically the same thing.”
Jamie giggled as she took a cuple of the items in Rodney’s arms and stepped aside for him to enter. “I’ve been told to assist you with whatever preparations you need to make, but that otherwise you’re on your own.”
“Thanks,” Rodney replied as he entered. He bowed to Jaelyn and the rest of her family, who were looking at him expectantly.
Without any preamble, Rodney went to work setting up the items for the tea ceremony and the dinner he would be preparing, using the time to center himself and focus on what he needed to do. He was grateful for Jaime’s help, even if it was only as an extra set of hands, as he prepared dinner.
As they ate, Keith initiated the conversation Rodney had been dreading. “I understand there’s a specific reason you’re here tonight, Rodney-sensei,” he said. “And it has nothing to do with making us a good dinner.”
Rodney nodded as he swallowed. “That’s right,” he replied as he turned to Jaelyn. “Jaelyn, I have enjoyed the time we’ve spent together these past few months and I have a question to ask you. You don’t have to answer me right away and I won’t be offended if you want to take time to think about it.” He took a deep breath as she looked at him expectantly. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Jaelyn grinned and replied, “I will.”
Rodney turned back to Jessica and Keith. “Keith and Jessica, I want to thank you for allowing me to court your daughter. And I’m sorry that I broke your trust with my actions. I realize that having your consent to marry Jaelyn is as important as her consent is and I would greatly appreciate your consideration in allowing me to marry her, regardless of your final decision.”
Keith and Jessica exchanged quiet whispers and Jaelyn gave Rodney a supportive smile. “Rodney-sensei,” Keith answered in a serious tone, “Like our daughter, we have already made up our minds. Even though you lost some of our trust with your actions, you have earned it back with how you have treated our daughter, with your actions before and after the ‘incident’ and with how you’ve handled yourself with maturity throughout your time here. Jessica and I are agreed that you are allowed to marry our daughter, provided,” he smiled, “that your tea ceremony is as good as the last time you demonstrated it for us.”
“It’s as good, if not better,” Rodney replied, feeling relief wash through him as he stood to gather the finished dinner dishes and accept congratulations from Jaelyn’s grandparents. Now he just had to get through the actual wedding and the birth.
Continue to Part 18
The complete header can be found in part 1.
Previous parts can be found here.
Rodney sighed again as he glanced at the curtain to his quarters from where he sat in front of Jean’s quarters. Kirby, Jean, and the rest of the elders had convened just after breakfast and no one had heard anything from them since. He wanted to know what was going on. He put down the Ancient device with another sigh, not caring that the Darshans where going to be here in a few days and he still had one more piece to do as well. It seemed a little ludicrous to be working on Ancient trifles when his, Jaelyn, and the baby’s fates were hanging in the balance.
Jean ducked through the curtain, caught his eye, and nodded grimly. Rodney stood and went across the commons to her. As he went, he wondered if the elder of each borough did all the leg work whenever a problem in their borough was dealt with. Jean definitely seemed to be doing so.
“Well?” he asked, expectantly.
“We will speak with you now,” she replied, “since we have been informed that there is something you wish to say.”
Rodney followed Jean into his quarters and looked around at the familiar faces gathered there and the serious expressions they all wore. He bit down on his tongue to keep from saying something – anything – to bring some levity to the situation to ease the tension and thereby get himself into more trouble. He also gripped the loose fabric of his pants to focus and keep himself from babbling profusely as he apologized and asked for forgiveness. He took a steadying breath as Jean seated herself next to Kirby.
“We’ve been told you have something you wish to say, Rodney-kun,” Kirby said calmly.
“I do,” Rodney replied, licking his lips. At Kirby’s nod, he continued, “I wanted to apologize to all of you for my actions. I knew better and yet I willfully disobeyed. I should bear the brunt of the punishment, seeing as how I overheard Jaelyn and Jennifer and I was the one who decide to pursue the subject. If I hadn’t, we probably wouldn’t be in this situation. I had thought that, by taking control, I’d be able to manage whatever Jaelyn was going through and we could deal with it before it became a bigger problem.” He laughed shakily. “That obviously isn’t the case at this point and I’ve obviously screwed things up big time. I’m sorry for that and humbly submit myself to whatever punishment you deem necessary, even if that means throwing me out into the middle of a sandstorm. All I’m asking is if Jaelyn conceives and has a child, that you don’t punish it. The baby is innocent of all of our actions.”
There was a quiet moment as the elders considered what Rodney had said. Then Jean spoke up and said, “We thank you for your apology and forthrightness, Rodney. We still have much to consider before we make a final decision on punishment. Would you please excuse us?”
“Yes, definitely,” he replied quickly. “Thank you all for this opportunity.” He made a quick bow to them before turning and leaving as quickly as possible without actually fleeing.
Jillian met him outside. “You need to eat,” she said, pushing a plate of food into his hands. “Considering how much you’ve been worrying, I’m surprised your empty stomach hasn’t caught up to you yet.”
“I thought –” He looked at her confused as he reflexively took the plate.
“You thought what?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Nothing,” he replied hastily. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she replied brusquely before returning to her work.
Rodney retreated across the commons as he ate and resumed his watch on his quarters. At random intervals, Jean would exit. First, she approached Jaelyn, to take her in to speak to the elders. Then it was Kelly’s turn, who was followed by Jennifer. Then Jaelyn’s parents and sister were summoned, followed by Jillian. In between, everything was quiet in the commons. When their neighbors returned for lunch, they ate in their own quarters and filed back out as quietly as they had come in.
Out of boredom, Rodney began working on the Ancient device again, needing something to divert himself from burning a hole in the curtain to his quarters. This device at least seemed mildly interesting, if not very useful in the grand scheme of things. As far as he could tell, all it did was play music. As cool as an Ancient iPod might be – especially to Atlantis’ sociologists and ethno-whoevers, Rodney was never sure what to call them – it wouldn’t be of any help to them unless the music had the ability to attack the Wraith’s central nervous system or something.
The device switched songs and the one that came on caught Rodney’s attention completely. It was so hauntingly beautiful that it made his chest hurt. He closed his eyes as he listened and let the emotions and images that the music evoked wash over him. It made him think of Atlantis – John teaching him how to fly the Jumpers, the sunset off the North Pier, grabbing a bite to eat with the rest of the team late at night after returning from a mission, the sight of the wormhole stabilizing in the ‘Gate. As the song faded out, Rodney let out a slow breath and smiled sadly. He still missed them, but would be forever grateful that he was able to spend part of his life with them. He hoped they were well and that they’d cross paths again one day.
He slowly opened his eyes, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light, and looked up to find Jean gazing down at him with a soft smile.
“I have never heard anything like it before,” she said. “It was… interesting. It is time for your punishment to be issued.”
Rodney nodded and stood, following her back into his quarters, where Jaelyn was waiting with her parents, Jillian, and the rest of the elders. Jillian stood next to Rodney and gave him a small smile of encouragement.
“We have come to a decision,” Jean said after she reseated herself next to Kirby. “You will both be exiled for the rest of this month, as well as the next two. You will be getting married as soon as the arrangements can be made and everything is in order. Until then, you will not be allowed to spend any time alone together.”
Focusing her gaze on Rodney, Jean continued, “Rodney, once it is certain that Jaelyn has conceived, in addition to fulfilling your normal duties, you will be completely in charge of the baby’s textiles for its first cycle and you are not to accept any hand-me-downs. We will enforce this. You will also be completely responsible for taking care of Jaelyn and the baby’s health. Do you understand?”
“I do,” Rodney replied with a nod, the punishment more fair and lenient than he was expecting.
Turning to Jaelyn, she said, “Jaelyn, you will be solely responsible for preparing for the wedding and your life together with Rodney. I understand that he already has some of the things you will both need, so you will need to acquire those things from him in order to see what you still need. Do you understand?”
“I do,” she replied quietly, looking beaten.
“Good. This matter is now settled.”
The elders stood and, except for Kirby, filed out of their quarters. “I suggest you both take some time to think about what you’ve done,” Kirby told them before leaving as well.
“That’s all I’ve been doing,” Rodney muttered under his breath as they followed him.
“I’d better get those items from you,” Jaelyn told Rodney.
He could hear the sadness in her voice and knew that she wasn’t happy about the turn of events. He refused to feel sympathy for her. She had known that something like this would be a possible outcome. “Okay,” he replied. “Let me go get them.”
Her parents waited outside as Jaelyn, her sister, and Jillian followed him back into his quarters and over to his area. He loaded their arms with a myriad of items before taking the last of it himself and they headed over to Jaelyn’s family’s quarters. They put the things there and Rodney and Jillian made a quick retreat before they were caught up in the conversation with Jaelyn’s anxious grandparents.
Rodney was surprised at how the “exile” worked. Things went on like they always had, except now the effort people made to avoid them was more noticeable. And every time he saw Jaelyn, she looked pensive and sad and Rodney hated himself for thinking it had been a good idea to go through with it in the first place.
And he didn’t spend much time with her, either. They were kept busy with their guilds, her work to prepare for the wedding, and his duties as a healer – which still weren’t being utilized as often as they had been. Rodney wondered if that was because of the exile or because they were still pissed at him for his lapse in judgment, but there was no way he was actually going to *ask*. They hardly even saw each other.
“We need to talk,” Jessica told him when he returned from the silk guild on the first day of their second month of exile. “And bring your medicine bag.”
“Okay,” Rodney replied. He went to his quarters and grabbed his bag before going to her family’s quarters. Everyone was there, looking at him expectantly. Jaelyn was sitting to one side, her hands on her stomach and her eyes closed. She looked pale and worn out.
“Jaelyn has conceived,” Jessica said once the curtain was closed. “She missed her female cycle this past month and she has begun feeling sick.”
“Are you sure it’s not stress over what’s been happening?” Rodney asked, not completely sure how the female body worked, but wanting to be certain of what Jessica was saying.
“I’m sure it’s not,” she replied archly. “I’d like to think I would know the difference, having borne two daughters myself and seeing them into womanhood.”
“Okay,” Rodney replied as placating as he could muster. “I just want to be certain. So, how are we going to handle this?”
“We are going to keep this as quiet as possible. Right now, there’s enough tension in the village over what the two of you have already done. We would rather not add to it by admitting that Jaelyn is, in fact, pregnant until we absolutely have to. I would like you to examine Jaelyn to see how she’s doing. And I want this to be as easy a pregnancy as you can possibly make it for her.”
“Okay,” Rodney replied as he went over to Jaelyn. “Hey,” he said quietly, crouching down next to her. “How do you feel?”
“Horrible,” she replied. “The morning sickness isn’t just in the morning and my stomach’s been hurting.”
Rodney felt her forehead. “Well, it doesn’t feel like your temperature’s elevated, so that should help with what I can give you. Tell me what your symptoms are so I can see what I can give you to help with the pain.”
As Jaelyn went through her symptoms, Rodney listened carefully, doing his best to tune out the quiet whispers of her family as they watched them together. While they had always been fair and accommodating, he wasn’t sure what they could do at this point, but he didn’t want to give them any reason to make either his or Jaelyn’s lives miserable if they felt either one or both of them was overstepping their bounds.
“I think I know what will work for you,” he said once she had finished. He pulled out an empty sachet bag and filled it with various leaves and some root pieces. “Make a tea out of this and drink it as soon as you can in the morning. It should help with the morning sickness and upset stomach. If it doesn’t, let me know and we’ll figure something else out, okay?” He gave her an encouraging smile.
“Okay,” she replied, taking the sachet.
“How are the wedding preparations coming?” he asked.
She made a face and replied, “They’re coming. It’s hard to decide what to do about the wedding dress, though. I don’t know how big I’ll be by the wedding and I don’t want it to be too big or too small. Laura’s been very accommodating, though, when I’ve talked with her about it.”
“If it helps, I don’t care what you get married in, as long as you’re happy,” Rodney replied. “Do we have a date yet?”
Jaelyn nodded. “It’s going to be the first day of the tenth month. Everything should be ready by then, it’ll be before we become too busy, and hopefully the baby won’t be born before then.”
“Hopefully not,” Rodney replied.
“How’s the baby?” she asked, brightening.
“It’s still too early to tell,” he replied. “You’ve only been pregnant for 15 days.”
Jaelyn looked crestfallen. “Do you think it knows what’s going on?”
“At this point, probably not,” Rodney replied. “It’s still too small. But I’ve heard that as it gets bigger, it does and that it usually responds to things like voices and music.”
“Music?” Jaelyn asked. “Is that the noise the Morykons have?”
“Yes,” Rodney answered with a laugh. “And many other cultures too – mine included.”
“You’ll do all the ceremonies for our baby, right?” she asked, looking at Rodney worriedly.
“Of course,” he replied, not sure which ones she was referring to and making a mental note to ask Kirby. “I promised the elders I would care for you and the baby and I believe that includes the necessary ceremonies too.”
“Good.” She laughed uneasily. “I’m sorry, Rodney. I’m just worried about our baby and I feel so helpless right now.” She gently rubbed her stomach.
“It’s understandable,” he replied with a warm smile. “I’d better go before your parents stare holes into my back, okay?” She nodded and stood with him. “I’ll check in on you in a couple days, if not sooner, to see how you’re doing.”
“Thank you, Rodney-chan,” she replied. “You’re more than I deserve with the way I’ve been treating you.”
Rodney said his good-byes to the rest of the family and left. Once he was in the commons, he took a few deep, steadying breaths. He was going to be married in just over eight months and a father soon after. He wasn’t ready for this. There was no way he *would* be ready for this. How was he supposed to be ready for this?
His first thought was to talk to Kelly about it, but didn’t know how valuable his advice would be aside from some comforting and well-meaning platitudes. In most situations, Rodney wouldn’t mind that – but right now he needed actual advice, help, direction, anything that would help him. Hopefully Kirby would be able to help him out.
“How are things going?” Kirby asked, looking up from the dice game he was playing when Rodney returned.
“Things are okay,” Rodney replied. “She’s already getting morning sickness and she’s been having an upset stomach. I gave her an herbal tea to help. Otherwise, she seems to be doing just fine physically. I think she’s scared about the whole marriage thing, now that it’s becoming real.”
“Then the two of you should have thought about that before you rushed into having a child if you weren’t sure about getting married,” Kirby replied dryly.
“Hey, I’m the one that’s been perfectly fine with getting married!” Rodney replied, getting defensive and crossing his arms over his chest. “She’s the one that didn’t want to get married.”
“So I gathered when we spoke with her,” Kirby answered mildly. “And I assume you had planned to find a way to force her to get married anyway to, at the very least, protect her and the baby?”
“Yes,” Rodney replied, his tone still slightly mulish, as if daring Kirby to challenge his motives.
“You’re worried about getting married, aren’t you?” Kirby asked, eyeing Rodney critically.
“Maybe a little,” Rodney admitted, relaxing a little as he did so. Sitting down next to Kirby, he asked, “Were you nervous when you married your wife?”
“I was *terrified*,” Kirby replied with a smile. “She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen and I was still in my growth spurt. I was convinced that she wouldn’t have me. But we got along great – it was like we were made for each other.” Sobering, he continued, “But not every match is that easy, Rodney-kun, as you’re finding out. And even my marriage wasn’t completely perfect. As long as you keep your eyes and ears open and are willing to put in the effort, then I’m sure you’ll both do fine.”
“I hope so,” Rodney replied. “I do care for her a lot, Kirby. Maybe even love her. I’m just not good at this sort of thing.”
“But you’re trying. And I’m sure that means a lot to Jaelyn, even if right now she feels that she can’t love you. It’s a common enough concern, so please don’t take it personally.”
“I’m trying not to,” Rodney replied, smiling self-depreciatingly. “But you know the history of my love life. And I really do want to make this work, so I’m willing to do whatever I can to make it work.”
“All I can tell you in the end is to not worry and that everything will work out for the best.”
Rodney breathed a sigh of relief when Jean told him that his exile was officially over. The past two and half months had been harder than he had expected them to be. A day of silence was one thing – it was a personal choice to not have contact with others and even then it was more about not speaking and keeping one’s self contained. Exile, on the other hand, was having it imposed by outside forces and not even being allowed the companionable understanding that the other Laprans provided because this time they were going out of their way to actually avoid you unless some sort of contact or communication was imperative and couldn’t wait. And two and a half months of it was downright inhumane.
At least now Rodney understood why the Laprans didn’t need a harsher penalty system. Being closed out like that by everyone was worse than being thrown out into the sandstorm – which would have been an easy out, but not as effective.
“So, how does it feel to be back?” Kelly asked when he came over after dinner that night for a game of dice.
“Pretty good,” Rodney replied with a grin. “Maybe I should get exiled more often – everyone’s been acting like they miss me.”
Kelly’s horrified look at the mere thought of being exiled turned to laughter. “We *have* missed you, Rodney-chan. Just because you were the one that was exiled doesn’t mean that we liked it either.”
“I think the best part is everyone wanting to tell me everything that’s been going on the past two and half months – even though I’ve been right here *the* *whole* *time*.” Rodney chuckled, rolling the dice. “I never thought I’d say this, but the kids have to be the best. They’re so damn excited and eager to be the first to tell me things.”
Kelly chuckled as well before picking up the dice. “Admit it, Rodney-chan, behind that gruff exterior you have a soft spot for kids.”
Rodney nodded as he pursed his lips into a tight smile, his eyes still laughing. “I think I do – just don’t let it get out or my reputation could be ruined.”
“I won’t tell anyone, cross my heart.” Kelly drew an X over his heart before handing over the dice. “I think you’ll be a great father when the time comes.”
“I certainly hope so,” Rodney replied, turning serious. “We’ll find out in a few months, now won’t we?”
“Oh, believe me, you’ll be fine. If Beth and Chris’s children are turning out fine, yours will be great.”
“They are a little out there, aren’t they?” Passing the dice back and forth between hands as he changed topics, Rodney said, “I do have something I need to ask you. Will you be my best man for the wedding?”
“Best man?” Kelly asked, giving Rodney a confused look.
“It’s a custom among my people that someone – traditionally a man – helps the groom prepare for his wedding and helps him during the ceremony. I figured it would be a good idea to make it ‘official’,” he used air quotes around the word, “since you were going to be guiding me through the whole process anyway.”
“Of course. I would be honored to ‘officially’ do it.” He repeated Rodney’s gesture with a laugh. “How are the plans for the wedding coming, by the way?” He took the dice out of Rodney’s hand.
“I honestly have no idea,” Rodney replied. “Jaelyn has been taking care of it and we haven’t talked about it the last few times I’ve been over to check on her. I’m assuming there aren’t any problems because I know Jessica would either have made Jaelyn tell me or would have told me herself.”
“You better ask her the next time you see her. While there’s practically no chance of the two of you getting out of it now, I don’t want there to be any unexpected surprises on your wedding day.”
“Good idea,” Rodney replied, rolling the dice. “I’ll be seeing her this afternoon.”
“And I think it’ll be a good idea if you propose to her again as an act of good will to her family to show that you really do care for her and that you really do mean what you said about marrying her.”
Rodney grimaced. “I don’t think I ever proposed to her to begin with. It always seemed like everyone just expected and assumed that we would get married.”
“Well, your whole courtship has been a kind of proposal,” Kelly explained, “so if things were going well and had continued that way, then you wouldn’t have had to worry about the actual proposal ceremony. But considering how the two of you bungled things with deciding to have a baby before you were married, I think it would be a good idea if you did it as an act of goodwill to show your concern for what they think of you and your impending marriage to their daughter.”
“And should this be done as soon as possible?”
“I think so, especially since Jaelyn’s already set a date for the wedding.” Kelly gave Rodney the dice. “But this means that you should talk to Jaelyn first to find out what’s going on with your wedding – even if she doesn’t want to talk about it. Because it’ll reflect poorly on you if you don’t know what’s going on with your own wedding, even if the elders made Jaelyn in charge of it. And ask her to set it up with her parents. I think that’ll help both of you as well. If you try to set it up, they’ll think you’re trying to take control of the wedding again. If Jaelyn does it, it could be seen as a concession on her part – an ‘I realize we messed up and we’re trying to fix it by doing the right thing’ sort of thing.”
“I’m surprised you know all this stuff without every having gotten married yourself,” Rodney told him.
Kelly shrugged as he rolled the dice in his hands. “A lot of this we’re taught from a young age to prepare us. Other things I’m inferring from the things I do know.” He stood. “It’s getting late, so I’d better go. But you should definitely talk to Jaelyn tomorrow.”
“I will,” Rodney replied with a nod as he also stood. Grinning, he said, “I’m glad we can spend time together again, Kelly.”
“Me too,” Kelly replied with a warm smile. “Tell Jillian and Kirby I said hi when they get back in.”
Rodney nodded as he watched Kelly leave. He shook his head at himself after the curtain dropped back into place. He didn’t know what had made him think of it, but whatever momentary physical attraction he had felt for Kelly was completely gone now and in its wake was a deep affection and admiration for him. Along with a profound gratitude that he knew what to do because Rodney knew that without him, he would have screwed things up royally a long time ago.
The next day, Rodney went to Jaelyn’s quarters after dinner and Keith let him in. Jaelyn’s grandparents were especially curious how he had held up during his exile – which Rodney found to be both amusing and heart-warming. After exchanging pleasantries with the whole family, he pulled Jaelyn aside to give her a check-up.
“How are you doing?” he asked after they had sat down.
“Good,” she replied with a shy smile. “Still a little sore, but the morning sickness is gone.” She worried her bottom lip. “There’s still a bit of blood, but not much.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to Kirby about it since I don’t know what else we can do. How’s your appetite?”
“Good, I guess. I’m getting hungrier more often. This must be what you feel like,” she teased.
“Not quite,” he replied with an amused smile. “Mine happens a little more quickly, whereas I think your hunger is a little more constant, am I right?”
Jaelyn nodded. “And is wanting weird things normal?”
“Among my people it is,” Rodney replied. “What have you been wanting?”
“Curried darchnans.”
“Huh.” Rodney looked at her with a speculative look. “I’ve never thought of that combination before.” He thought for another moment and how the spices would mix with the sweet fruit. “But I can see how it might taste good.” He grinned. “The fruit on my plants is almost ripe, so we’ll have to try it.”
Jaelyn grinned too. “You’re the best, Rodney-chan.”
When they finished, Rodney said, “I need to talk to you about the wedding.”
“What about it?” she asked apprehensively.
Rodney shrugged casually. “I just wanted to see how things were going. We haven’t really talked about it, at all, and I was just curious.”
Jaelyn half-shrugged. “The wedding plans are coming. I’ve talked with some of our trade allies that can get things for us that we’ll need and have made deals with them. The ones you’ve already made deals with are still expecting your items.”
“I know.” Rodney nodded. “They’ll be ready on time.”
“I told you that Laura and I have talked about the dress and have decided to wait until we get closer to see how big I’m going to get. I really don’t want to be as big as a pregnant yak and have a dress that fits the way I am now.”
“I’d suggest we get married now, but I doubt that would go over very well,” Rodney replied with a quick laugh.
“I doubt it,” Jaelyn replied with a level look.
“I think you should mention to your parents that I want to officially propose to you.”
“Oh, really?” Jaelyn answered, arching an eyebrow. “Was this your idea or Kelly’s?”
“Well… uh… Kelly’s,” he sputtered. “I was going to ask them myself, but he convinced me that it would be better for both of us if you asked them for me and made it sound like it was your idea.”
Jaelyn thought about it for a moment. “He does have a point. I’ll tell them. Come prepared to do it at the check-up after the next one. I’m sure it will take a while for you and Kelly to prepare, since he tends to be a perfectionist.” She rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath. “I can see now why my mother warned me when you first broached the subject of courting. Bond friends can be exasperating if you’re not careful.”
“Kelly isn’t exasperating,” Rodney defended. “And I think Jennifer’s quite nice.”
Jaelyn let out a sharp laugh. “It’s a woman thing, Rodney-chan. We tend to get jealous easily when someone else is spending time with our betrothed, even if it is his bond friend.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it, though. I know that most of my jealousy comes from Kelly spending so much time with you because he is your bond friend, plus he’s teaching you a lot of the things you need to know.” She frowned. “Why isn’t Kirby teaching this stuff to you?”
Rodney shrugged. “Kelly just took it upon himself to teach me. And I think Kirby felt like I might actually pay attention if Kelly taught me all these things.”
“You’re not that bad a student, are you?” she asked, giving him a sharp look.
“I hope not,” Rodney replied. “I paid very good attention to him when he was teaching me the healing arts.”
“Which he admits to,” Jaelyn agreed.
“And I did just fine in the silk guild,” he added with a chuckle. “I think Kirby was just tired of having to answer all my questions.”
Keith approached them. “You’ll have to excuse us, Rodney-sensei. It’s time we started preparing for sleep.”
“Sure, no problem,” Rodney replied as he and Jaelyn stood. “Jaelyn’s doing well,” he told Keith. “And I’ll be back in a few days to check on her again,” he said to both of them. Turning to Jaelyn, he added, “But don’t hesitate to come see me before then if anything changes, okay?”
“Okay,” she replied with a nod.
“I feel like I’ve done this before,” Rodney commented dryly to Kelly as he mimed going through the motions for the tea ceremony again.
“It’s because you have,” Kelly replied in exasperation.
“Then remind me why we’re doing it again?”
“Because I want to make sure you’re absolutely perfect for the proposal ceremony. You’re not going to mess anything up if I can help it.”
“Maybe you should’ve helped me plan the ‘picnic’ then,” Rodney muttered.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Kelly replied sharply. “I got an earful for even *knowing* about it. We’re not even going to go there.”
Rodney suddenly laughed, an image of Kelly doing a traditional wedding. “You know, you’d make great wedding coordinator where I’m from.”
“Wedding coordinator?” Kelly asked, carefully trying the words out, as if he didn’t know what they meant.
“Yeah.” Rodney set an empty cup in front of Kelly. “It’s someone that plans weddings for others and takes care of most of the details. You definitely seem to be enjoying helping – and pestering – me with mine.”
Kelly blushed and ducked his head. “I am enjoying it more than I thought I would be. And I want to make this work for you, Rodney. I think you deserve something special after all you went through to adjust to us and our ways.”
“Thank you, Kelly,” Rodney replied, touched by Kelly’s sentiment. “And how did you learn all of this?”
“Some of it we learn growing up. And the rest I learned from Kirby. I think it was a bit of a test to see who would become his second until he could have time to fully train someone.”
“And what happened?”
Kelly laughed. “Birthing season. We had a record number of calves that cycle. I think all of our cows were pregnant. And since it was just my dad and I…. I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this.”
Rodney nodded. “What’s the use of being able to heal people if they don’t have anything to eat? I get it.” He frowned. “Haven’t you and your dad ever thought of getting more help?”
Kelly shrugged. “Most days we don’t need it. And since people are willing to help on the days we do need it….” He shrugged again. Seeing Rodney was done going through the tea ceremony, he said, “Okay, good. Now do it again – but this time for real.”
Rodney rolled his eyes. “Oh, you’ve *got* to be kidding me.” But he obediently gathered everything up and reset it to begin again.
“What is the purpose of the proposal ceremony?” Kelly asked him.
“To verbally and explicitly state my intention to marry Jaelyn – both to her and her family,” Rodney answered as he poured the water into the kettle and set the kettle over the fire.
“And why would you need to, if the courtship has been going well?” Kelly relaxed back against Rodney’s cot, his arms resting on top of his knees.
“It could be done because her parents are traditionalists, or as a sign of respect from me to her family, or because something got royally screwed up – as in my case.”
“Good. Now, what are you going to say to Jillian?”
After Kelly left, Jillian sat down across from Rodney. “I think you’re doing a great job,” she told him with a grin.
“Thanks,” Rodney replied, letting out a tired sigh. “Kelly’s a hard teacher.”
“But at least he’s looking out for you. Look, I know you know that the proposal ceremony is a big thing for a lot of reasons, but, as your sister – sort of, I want to make sure you understand something else. The proposal ceremony is something that’s romanticized among us women. We like the idea – however unrealistic it is – that the man who we’ve been matched to will court us and completely sweep us off our feet and that he’ll perform the perfect proposal ceremony so that our parents will say yes and let us marry so we can live happily ever after.”
Rodney started to open his mouth, but she glared at him and continued, “And while I doubt Jaelyn still feels that way, if she ever did, I want you to know that deep down, she might still feel that way. So *please* don’t screw this up, if only for me.”
Rodney laughed, not knowing how else to respond. “Don’t worry, Jillian-kun. I promise to make this ceremony as perfect as possible.” Anticipating her next comment, he added, “And I promise to tell you everything when I get back.”
She grinned. “Great. I know you’ll do it perfectly.”
“Nervous?” Kirby asked Rodney as he adjusted Rodney’s shirt and brushed off some invisible dust.
“A little,” Rodney replied. He paused before admitting, “Okay, a lot.”
Kirby smiled. “You’ll be fine, I promise. With the number of times Kelly has put you through the ceremony, I have no doubt that you’ll get a yes from Keith and Jessica.”
“I certainly hope so,” Rodney replied as he gathered up the things he would need to make dinner and tea. With a wry smile, he added, “Don’t wait up for me.”
“Go,” Kirby replied, “before Jaelyn comes to drag you over. Besides, the sooner you go over, the sooner you’ll be able to finish and get back to put Jillian, Kelly, and yourself out of your collective misery.”
Rodney laughed. “I’m going. I’m going.”
Jamie was waiting for Rodney at the entrance to her family’s quarters when he arrived. “Don’t be nervous,” she whispered to him.
“Am I that obvious?” he replied.
“Yeah, kind of. You look like you’re going to a burial.”
“To my native people, asking a woman’s parents to marry her is practically the same thing.”
Jamie giggled as she took a cuple of the items in Rodney’s arms and stepped aside for him to enter. “I’ve been told to assist you with whatever preparations you need to make, but that otherwise you’re on your own.”
“Thanks,” Rodney replied as he entered. He bowed to Jaelyn and the rest of her family, who were looking at him expectantly.
Without any preamble, Rodney went to work setting up the items for the tea ceremony and the dinner he would be preparing, using the time to center himself and focus on what he needed to do. He was grateful for Jaime’s help, even if it was only as an extra set of hands, as he prepared dinner.
As they ate, Keith initiated the conversation Rodney had been dreading. “I understand there’s a specific reason you’re here tonight, Rodney-sensei,” he said. “And it has nothing to do with making us a good dinner.”
Rodney nodded as he swallowed. “That’s right,” he replied as he turned to Jaelyn. “Jaelyn, I have enjoyed the time we’ve spent together these past few months and I have a question to ask you. You don’t have to answer me right away and I won’t be offended if you want to take time to think about it.” He took a deep breath as she looked at him expectantly. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Jaelyn grinned and replied, “I will.”
Rodney turned back to Jessica and Keith. “Keith and Jessica, I want to thank you for allowing me to court your daughter. And I’m sorry that I broke your trust with my actions. I realize that having your consent to marry Jaelyn is as important as her consent is and I would greatly appreciate your consideration in allowing me to marry her, regardless of your final decision.”
Keith and Jessica exchanged quiet whispers and Jaelyn gave Rodney a supportive smile. “Rodney-sensei,” Keith answered in a serious tone, “Like our daughter, we have already made up our minds. Even though you lost some of our trust with your actions, you have earned it back with how you have treated our daughter, with your actions before and after the ‘incident’ and with how you’ve handled yourself with maturity throughout your time here. Jessica and I are agreed that you are allowed to marry our daughter, provided,” he smiled, “that your tea ceremony is as good as the last time you demonstrated it for us.”
“It’s as good, if not better,” Rodney replied, feeling relief wash through him as he stood to gather the finished dinner dishes and accept congratulations from Jaelyn’s grandparents. Now he just had to get through the actual wedding and the birth.
Continue to Part 18
