Building the Nursery

by Amy DeMeritt

  “Kayla, give this to Aura.”

  Shannon hands me a steel dish with cubed meat. I open the back door and whistle for Aura. She comes running over from under the built-in bench seats on the deck. I pet her head and scratch her chin and neck, before bringing her in the house. I set her dinner down next to her water bowl and she licks my leg before bending down to eat.

  I pull the futon mattress out of the closet, lay it next to the fireplace, and I build a fire – for the ambiance and not the warmth, since its summer. While the stew simmers, we lay down in each other’s arms. We play with each other’s hair, talk, or just lay quietly while enjoying being close together.

  When the stew is ready, I help Shannon fill bowls and slice and butter warm crusty bread. We eat out on the deck with Aura at our feet so we can watch the sunset. It’s a really nice night out. The sky is clear, there’s a cool gentle breeze, and the woods are bright green and full of life. The sounds of birds and insects are quieting down for the night, but their song hangs low on the gentle cool breeze that’s cooling the heat of the day as night takes over our side of the planet.

  After cleaning up, we reclaim our position on the futon, with Awenasa and I lying next to each other, Madison on my chest, Shannon on Awenasa’s, and Sam lying in the middle, with her body on me, but her head on Awenasa’s chest. Aura walks around our snuggle-huddle a few times, either trying to see if there is somewhere for her to fit, or in a protective way, and then she lays down just behind our heads. Awenasa tilts her head to the side to look at me with a loving smile, gives me a kiss, and then with our foreheads pressed together, she closes her eyes.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  We have a lot of family coming into town today, and since we’ve finished making preparations and cleaning, we’re sitting around the ledge of the jacuzzi, waiting for the home pregnancy test to be ready to check. It’s been two weeks since the insemination attempt. The first pregnancy test after one week was inconclusive, which is normal. We read that most tests won’t work till three to six weeks after conception or two weeks after the first missed menstrual cycle.

  The family knows we’re trying to have a baby, so we know one of the first things out of their mouths will be to ask if we know yet. We’re hoping to have good news to give them when they arrive.

  This has to be the longest two minutes of my life. I keep getting up and pacing, but my wives keep pulling me back down to sit impatiently with them. Shannon checks her watch, and gently squeezes my knee.

  “Ok, it’s been…”

  I jump up before she can finish and I grab the little wand off of the vanity. My wives hover around me and I pull the plastic cap off with shaking hands. All of us release a deep breath in unison.

  “Positive. Its positive. You’re pregnant. We’re having a baby. We’re having a baby!”

  I spin around and wrap my arms around my wives. All of us laugh and cry a little as we hold Awenasa in the middle of us. I kiss her face and neck in a fast-excited flutter, before I fall to my knees, wrapping my arms around her waist, and give her many soft kisses all over her lower stomach.

  “Hello, tiny baby. You are going to have an army of mommies who love you. You’re going to have the absolute best family and life. It’s going to be nine months before we can hold you and kiss you, but we’re going to talk to you all the time. And your other mommies will sing for you too – not me, because I’m no good at that.” My wives laugh in a happy way, and rub my head and shoulders, while I continue to kiss and talk to Awenasa’s womb. “Oh, and we’re going to rub your little mommy cocoon all the time so you can learn how our hands feel while you’re in there.”

  “I love you, puppy.” I look up at Awenasa and smile really big. She has tears in her eyes, but looks immensely happy. “I love you so much. I love all of you. I’m so happy we’re going to have a baby. We’re having a baby!”

  I scream it as I jump up and throw my arms around my wives, making them laugh again. We just hold each other for a couple minutes, occasionally kissing Awenasa or each other, and telling her we love her and how happy we are. A surge of energy flares through my body like electricity and I throw my head back, releasing a loud happy war cry, making my wives laugh. I disentangle from my wives, take Awenasa’s hand, and we run out of our bedroom and into the hallway.

  “We’re having a baby!”

  Within moments of me screaming it, the entire squad comes out of their bedrooms, or up from downstairs. I release Awenasa’s hand and run and leap into Jaime’s arms. I squeeze her tightly, lifting her off of the floor, and spin her around. Jaime laughs and kisses my forehead as I set her down. I hug and lift Symone next, and as I’m setting her down, my wives and everyone else has converged around us.

  Sara grabs my arm and roughly pulls me into a tight hug with tears in her eyes. As I rest my head on her shoulder, my emotion overwhelms me and I start to cry. I’m not a hysterical sobbing mess, but the tears flow down my cheeks and my chest heaves with my sniffling breaths.

  “Congratulations, baby sister. I’m so happy for all of you.” I laugh a little and lift my head, wiping my eyes. “Thank you. You’re going to be an aunt soon.”

  Sara smiles really big and pushes me away to pull Awenasa into a hug.

  Aura headbutts me in the thigh with a whimper and gently paws at my thigh, as if she’s trying to make sure I’m ok. I bend down and wrap my arms around my beautiful snow-white wolf. She licks my face as I pull back and I smile and scratch her head and back. I kiss her head and then stand up to pull my wife into a hug again.

  “Thank you for all of the craziness you’re allowing your body to go through so we can have a baby. We’re going to take really good care of you. I’ll even carry you everywhere you want to go if you want me to.” Awenasa laughs and kisses my lips. “I know you will.”

  “Sara, we need to celebrate. We should go get the firepits ready for a big feast. The families will be arriving soon.”

  All of us look at Keira with big smiles and pull her into a tight hug. She laughs a little and gives each of us a firm kiss on our cheeks. She takes the sides of Awenasa’s face, kisses her forehead, and wipes a small tear out of her eye.

  “I am so happy for you. It’s kind of exciting that my first niece or nephew on Sara’s side is going to be a part of my wedding when you marry us in September.”

  “Thank you. I’m glad you feel that way and don’t feel like we’ll be taking something away from your special day.”

  “No, sweetie, your pregnancy will only add to the beauty of the day.”

  Tonya and Jade push Keira out of the way, making us laugh, and they wrap Awenasa in a hug and tell her how happy they are for her. Jade comments that she can’t wait to see the baby in the nursery she helped create with her art, and all of us sandwich her in a hug, making her get emotional – which she complains about with a laugh.

  “Ok, we’re going to go start on feast preparations. Congratulations.”

  Sara gives us another hug, kisses Awenasa’s cheek, and then they turn to walk downstairs.

  Symone and Jaime hesitate, waiting for the others to disappear down the stairs, and then look at Awenasa with matching looks of longing. Awenasa smiles and extends her hands to them. Both of them smile and pull her into a hug, loosely sandwiching her between them.

  Symone presses a hand to Awenasa’s cheek, and while looking in her eyes, she says, “I know you have four wives to help you, and you probably won’t need me, but I want you to know I’m here for you, for anything.”

  “Symone stole the words out of my mouth.”

  Symone and Awenasa smile at Jaime and Awenasa gives both of them a lingering kiss on their lips. While her lips are pressed to theirs, in turn, their eyes are closed and they look like it’s the most natural thing for them to be doing. After another hug, they release my wife with happy content smiles and head for the stairs.

  My wives and I start to walk back to our bedroom, but I stop at the nursery and lean against the doorframe to look around
the room. Happiness surges inside me, like that first deep breath of warm spring air after a cold winter, filling my belly and chest, making my face spread into a big smile. I feel like I can see each of us walking around the room, holding our baby, rocking him or her to sleep, reading stories, and tickling his or her little feet and tummy.

  Awenasa wraps her arm around my waist as she rests her chin on my shoulder.

  “Come on, puppy, we should help with the feast preparations.”

  I take a deep breath, and allow my wife to pull me away from the visions of us and our baby.

  Half of the squad is in the kitchen pulling food out of the fridge, while Sara, Keira, and Jade are outside working on getting the firepits ready. Awenasa hands me a basket and asks me to go see if we have any berries ready to harvest so they make a cobbler for dessert.

  We’ve been getting at least a pint of berries every couple of days for the past few weeks and they’re delicious. I take Aura with me, and while we walk across the lawn to the woods, I have a basket in one hand, and a ball in the other that I throw in various directions for Aura to fetch and bring back to me.

  I immediately spot a plump blackberry, nearly the size of my thumb, and in my greed, I pop it in my mouth instead of the basket.

  “Oh, man, that’s good. Here, girl, have a few.”

  I pluck a few more berries and Aura carefully nips them from my palm. Denver told us Aura’s diet should mainly consist of fresh meat and fish, but that she occasionally can have very small amounts of berries, and that she even likes worms and grasshoppers. We don’t deviate much from the carnivorous diet because we don’t want to disrupt her digestive system, but she really likes berries, so I like to give her a few occasionally.

  I collect about a pint each of blackberries and blueberries, then we walk across the lawn to the fruit orchard. A couple weeks ago, there weren’t many peaches that were ready to be picked, but every fourth peach I test is ready to be picked. I pick so many that they won’t fit in my basket I brought for the berries. I don’t feel like walking across the lawn to the house to get another basket, so I decide to improvise. I’m closer to the woods than I am to the house, so I go to the edge of the woods to see what I can use to create a vessel for the peaches.

  I grab several flexible pencil thin tree branches and a few thicker branches off of the floor of the woods. I tear off a long length of English ivy vines growing around the edge of the woods and strip it mostly bare of its leaves. I use the vines to tie four one-inch thick branches together and set it up like a tipi. I then weave the thin flexible branches through the support branches, creating a loosely woven three-foot-tall basket. I use more vines to weave lengthwise through the thin branches to give it more strength, and then turn my basket up on its peaked end to appraise it.

  “That’s a fine basket, Mighty Wolf.”

  I smile really big and spin around. Sequoia, Awenasa’s mother, is standing several feet back with a big proud smile on her face. Sequoia is basically just an older version of Awenasa, so she’s very beautiful. It’s hot out, so she’s dressed in a pair of sage green capris and a cream-colored tank top. In my excitement, I let the basket fall and I sprint into her arm. She laughs as I squeeze her tightly and spin her around.

  “Have you seen Awenasa yet?” She nods and firmly kisses my lips. “She just told me the wonderful news. You are going to be a great mother to my grandchildren.”

  “I hope so. What was the hardest part of raising Awenasa?”

  Sequoia takes my hand and pulls me to sit under the shade of the peach tree. While holding my hand, she leans her back against the trunk of the tree.

  “I think the hardest part of being a mother for me was and still is the constant need to know she’s safe and happy. It’s a constant worry, even when you can see that your child is happy and safe. You’re always in a state of alertness – ready to jump into action if the need arises. Having the wolf totem means you pretty much live in that state with everyone you care about. Your need to protect and provide is already strong, and will only increase when you hold your baby for the first time.”

  “That’s actually all that keeps going through my head. I just want our children to have the best life and I don’t want them to know pain and suffering. I don’t want any of our children to have to go through the things I’ve gone through.” Sequoia smiles and brushes her fingers through my hair. “Pain and suffering are a part of life – we can’t avoid them completely, nor should we try. If you had avoided all circumstances you could experience pain and suffering, you wouldn’t have any wives, and all of those people you’ve saved would have perished. Our pain and suffering come with a cost, but it can also come with great rewards. Would you give back the pain and suffering you’ve experienced if you could?”

  “No, definitely not. The idea of one of my children being like me terrifies me though.” Sequoia laughs and wraps her arms around me. “You are a wonderful person, Kayla. If your children turn out like you, the world will truly be blessed. It’s not easy having to watch those moments – the moments when you’re risking your life for others, but when you’re safe and your healing begins, the fear subsides and is replaced with deep pride. I’ve been watching you grow and discover who you are since you were a toddler. I love you like you are my own daughter, and I couldn’t be prouder of the woman you’ve become.”

  “Thank you. It really means everything to me that you believe in me. I’ve always looked up to you and admired you. I’ve always wanted to be like you and my mom – you’re both the definition of a perfect mother. I keep trying to relate my concerns of being a mom to what you two did for us growing up so I can figure out how to handle things the right way.”

  Sequoia smiles and kisses my forehead.

  “You’ve always been extremely attentive to the teachings of your elders and you have an uncanny memory and ability to apply the lessons you’ve learned to your everyday life. I have no doubt that you’ll fit the definition of a perfect mother. You and your wives are going to be phenomenal mothers.”

  I take a deep breath and lean back, resting my back against the tree with her, causing my shoulder to press against hers. She wraps her arm around me, pulling me in close. I lay my head on her shoulder, and she runs a hand over my cheek and through my hair.

  “Your family will be here soon. Let’s collect these peaches you picked and go back to the house.”

  Sequoia gives me a kiss on my temple, before releasing me so we can stand up. I hold the basket upright, and Sequoia helps me carefully load it with the couple dozen peaches I picked.

  While I carry the heavy peach basket on my hip, Sequoia carries the basket of berries. Aura had run off into the woods while I was picking peaches, so I whistle for her, and before we get halfway back to the house, she comes sprinting over to my side. Sequoia stops with a broad smile.

  “Aura, meet Sequoia. She’s the mother of Mommy Awenasa.” Sequoia giggles and bends down to pet Aura for a moment. “She’s beautiful. Her blue eyes are intense and look so much like yours.”

  “Thank you.”

  After Sequoia and Aura get acquainted, we regain our pace towards the house. Sara and Tahoma, Awenasa’s father, are working on the long rectangular firepit my dad came in the early spring (between the TV tour and leaving for Florida) to help us build. As Tahoma turns to grab another log to put on the fire, he sees us and his face spreads into a wide proud smile.

  “Seeing my beautiful wife flanked by two wolves, and carrying a basket of fresh berries is a lovely sight. Hello, Kayla.”

  He comes over and relieves me of my basket of peaches, before leaning in and giving me a hug and kiss on my cheek.

  “This is a nice basket. Did my wife help you make this?”

  “She made it by herself.” Sequoia pets my head with a proud smile. “Very nice. I’m glad to see you’re putting to use the skills our daughter taught you. It means our ways will continue on with our grandchildren you’re making us, and that is a great relief. Come on in, we ha
ve something for all of you.”

  Tahoma turns with a smile, and we follow him back in the house. There’s music on, and my wives and the dance squad are dancing around the kitchen and dining room while they make preparations for the feast. I smile really big and laugh a little. All of them are twirling each other, or wrapping their arms around each other for a moment while they rock and slide their bodies against each other.

  Awenasa has her arms wrapped around Shannon and she’s laughing and kissing her neck while they rock in beat to the music and Shannon cuts zucchini into thick rounds. Awenasa looks over at us with such a happy smile that it makes heat burst in my chest and escape my lips as a small laugh. She firmly kisses Shannon’s cheek and then comes hopping over, throwing her arms around the three of us.

  “Can your mother and I borrow you and your wives? We have a gift for you.”

  Awenasa giggles and kisses her dad on the cheek, before calling out over the celebration for our wives to join us. Tahoma carefully props the peach basket in a chair, and Sequoia places the berries on the table, before leading us out of the kitchen. We sit down in the family room with them, and Sequoia places a handmade hand-carved wooden box on the coffee table. It’s about the size of a cinderblock, but that’s the only similarity it has to the ugly concrete block. The box looks old, and is smooth to the touch, as if softened by generations of hands gliding across its beautiful carved surface. The sides are etchings of Native American geometric patterns, and the top is a woodland scene with several animals.

  “This box has been passed down in Tahoma’s family for several generations. Inside, are several hand-carved wooden animals. They’re the first toys that each generation in Tahoma’s family had as infants. Since he is the oldest of his siblings, Tahoma inherited the box, and these wooden animals became Awenasa’s first toys when she was an infant. Now, we get to pass them on to all of you, and they’ll become the first toys for each of your children.”