Chapter 4: Monsters under the bed
Just like any child, Nikolas had chores. Mostly just washing the dishes, as Luke was so paranoid about keeping everything spotless that Tara had to remind him to leave the dishes for their son.
He took to his easel straight away. Tara was not sure what sort of scene he was painting, but it was cute.
Tara and her son liked to eat dinner together, though Tara had to explain why she could eat ice cream.
After Nikolas had done the washing up, Tara asked him about his painting. she wanted to know if he wanted it in his bedroom. Nikolas just shook his head.
"No Mom. It's for the baby."
"No Mom. It's for the baby."
Tara awkwardly hugged her son. She was relieved that he was so accepting of her pregnancy. Tara had been worried that he would suffer from lack of attention or get jealous.
One night before bed, Nikolas became convinced that there were monsters under his bed! He was scared to pieces.
Nikolas tried to make it to the toilet, but he ended up wetting himself. He mopped up. Maybe his parents wouldn't have to find out.
Nikolas fell asleep on the floor in the living room. Tara found him when she woke up in the middle of the night craving watermelon. Instead she cleaned up her son.
She woke Luke up and got him out of the bed so Nikolas could sleep with her. She'd already tried to get him back in his own bed but that was not going to happen.
So Luke slept in his son's bed, just for the night. He didn't see any monsters. That was proof enough for Nikolas. There were no more monsters under his bed.
Nikolas started school. He was bright, but he liked painting more than subtraction so he maintained a B average.
Tara often slept late in the mornings. Though she tried not to show it, this pregnancy was much tougher on her than her first one had been. Money was still tight so Luke was already typing away at his novels on the computer by the time Nikolas was up. Nikolas got in the habit of eating by himself.
Tara had been telling Luke to go and register as a self-employed writer so he could track how much money he made. It took his computer breaking for him to finally get up and go do it.
Nikolas was having trouble with his math homework. Luke was much better at math than Tara; still, she could handle the basic things Nikolas was working on.
Besides, Luke was busy fixing the computer.
Tara's due date was growing ever nearer. Though she did not change, the full moon still made her restless. Even when she was stuck in her human form everything looked different, like she was seeing through the eyes of a werewolf.
Everyone else was carrying on as usual. Luke was writing.
Nikolas was playing with his toy rocket.
Tara stood and went to wash a dish Nikolas had put off doing. Tara hadn't eaten. She just didn't feel hungry. Doing the dishes helped her restlessness.
She was just about to return to her show when she was hit with a contraction. Tara gritted her teeth and told Nikolas to go to his room. Tara bit back a yelp. Something was wrong. Luke wasn't much of a help. Tara had to call the taxi to the hospital herself.
The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever. Tara's contractions were coming faster. She was beginning to feel frantic. Between her wolf and human instincts, Tara could tell something was wrong.
Tara was correct. There were complications in the birth. The baby was fine, but Tara would not be able to have any more children. The doctors wanted to keep Tara and the baby overnight for observation, but the full moon was still in the sky. Tara didn't know how much longer she could control herself. She had to go home. Transforming in the middle of a hospital was not something she wanted.
Tara placed her daughter in her crib. She had a daughter.
Tara had just placed the baby in the crib when she could contain herself no longer. She transformed. The baby started to scream. Exhausted, Tara went and woke Luke. The littlest Lupin needed her father and Tara needed to rest.
Luke comforted his newborn. He left the hospital under the impression that he would be back in the morning to pick up his wife and child. He needed to make sure Nikolas was in bed safely and relieve the babysitter he'd called while Tara was in labor. He wished his wife had stayed at the hospital, but he knew she couldn't.
The next morning when Nikolas woke up the house was silent. He went to go make himself some breakfast and found a note on the table.
Your baby sister was born last night. Her name is Larisa. You can meet her after school today.
xoxoxoxox
-Mom and Dad
Nikolas grinned as he ate his cereal, blissfully unaware of the drama that had unfolded during the night. He had a B average, a mom who helped with homework and a dad who told the greatest stories, a baby sister, and no monsters under his bed. Of course Mom was a werewolf, but Nikolas didn't count that as a monster. She wouldn't fit under his bed anyway.
Your baby sister was born last night. Her name is Larisa. You can meet her after school today.
xoxoxoxox
-Mom and Dad
Nikolas grinned as he ate his cereal, blissfully unaware of the drama that had unfolded during the night. He had a B average, a mom who helped with homework and a dad who told the greatest stories, a baby sister, and no monsters under his bed. Of course Mom was a werewolf, but Nikolas didn't count that as a monster. She wouldn't fit under his bed anyway.