DIE ANOTHER DAY
BY: RACHAEL HEUPEL
(Warning, this NCIS fan fiction contains implied gay pairings. But these are done in jest and are done to make fun of the pairings as seen on fanfiction.net. I don’t own NCIS. I own Lunaris, her twins, Luca, Kinutatsu, and Mau-mau. Kimi Otowari belongs to my friend Darien, who generously lent her character to me for this fanfic. I want to say thanks to my mom, Darien, the people that created NCIS, and to all those who’ve read Piense!!)
DiNozzo walked, rather snuck, to his desk at NCIS headquarters in Washington, DC. He was late, but his anger at the late summer DC traffic would have to wait. A familiar silver haired teenage girl was sitting at his desk. She was a former brown haired beauty named Lunaris Karatana, who was Donald “Ducky” Mallard’s niece. Her dual eye color, her left eye was dark brown the right eye was a beautiful blue color which was hidden by colored contacts to match the other eye, freaked him out. Lunaris seemed to have decided that his desk was a perfect place to sleep until Gibbs got there. He strode over to his desk.
“Hello, Lulu. Why are you sleeping at my desk?” he said, dodging a punch that she threw.
“Tony, what have I told you about calling me Lulu? Only Kinutatsu, my blind older brother and former marine, can call me that. And I’m waiting for Gibbs to arrive from getting his coffee,” she said, her eyes still firmly shut.
DiNozzo chuckled and shook his head. He looked around for McGee and Ziva and noted that they had yet to arrive from whatever job they were doing. He looked at the semi-conscious Lunaris and became concerned. She wouldn’t be there looking for Gibbs unless she was in trouble, nor would she be semi-conscious at his desk and look like hell. He looked around for her uncle, and then he swung around to where she was sitting.
“Lunaris Marie Karatana, did someone hurt you?” he said.
Lunaris opened her eyes and looked around cautiously. To DiNozzo, she was too cautious and he knew that she’d been crying. He looked into those odd eyes and made her look into his eyes.
“Tony… I’ve been raped and I’m pregnant. I was raped 5 months ago and I’m terrified. I’m only 18 years old. I’m not ready for a kid yet nor am I ready to settle down and raise a family. Tony, you know more about women than I know about men. And, yes. I’ve already gone to the police. It was Luca, the same man that caused my brother to go blind last year. The Blade Runner killed him in front of a ton of witnesses. But that doesn’t take back the memories of the rape. It doesn’t reverse the fact that I’m pregnant. And it doesn’t help the fact that…”
“DINOZZO, YOU IDIOT! YOU GET RID OF YOUR NEW TOY RIGHT NOW!” Gibbs yelled.
“Uncle Gibbsy, you’re here!” Lunaris cried.
Gibbs, a tough ex-marine sniper with greying hair, looked shocked as Lunaris glomped him. He apparently had forgotten that she usually didn’t call him before she arrived in NCIS nor when she was in the area. He hugged the young woman he’d known for the last 16 years. And then he smiled at his adopted niece. Lunaris dragged Gibbs out of DiNozzo’s hearing range and she explained why she was there and he reacted the way that Lunaris thought he would. Rage filled his eyes and voice.
“Luna, where is Luca now? He deserves to be neutered for what he did to you,” he said.
“The b*****d’s dead. She came and killed him at his favorite café while he drank whatever swill he called coffee. Gibbs, he deserved to die,” Lunaris said rather fiercely.
Gibbs looked into her eyes and nodded to her in approval. But the rage didn’t fade from his eyes until she smiled at him in a childish way that made him smile back at her. He knew that she felt safer at NCIS than anywhere else.
“Uncle Gibbs, can I go and visit Abby?” she asked.
“Sure, but make sure that she isn’t busy at the moment with a case. And take a peace offering of Caff POW. She hasn’t had one yet today and she probably has crashed,” he said.
Lunaris smiled and nodded. She almost ran to the elevator and punched the down button and headed to the lab. She could hear the bass of Abby’s hard rock music and had a Caff POW in her hand. Lunaris quietly entered the room, which still had some dog hair in the air. Abby was busy at the computer, her black widow on a spider’s web tattoo gleaming with an evil aura that didn’t describe the kind woman that was hidden behind the tattoos. Abby looked over when Lunaris placed the Caff POW on her desk. The look on her face was classic. Apparently, Abby was expecting Gibbs.
“Luna, what are you doing here?” Abby asked, accepting the Caff POW in suspicion.
“What? Can’t I come and visit my favorite Forensic Scientist at NCIS without getting interrogated by my best friend? Abby, you insult me and your favorite drink,” Lunaris said, making a faux grab for the Caff POW.
“No, this is MY Caff POW! No touching my caffeine,” Abby said, pulling the Caff POW away from the 18-year-old girl.
“Relax, Abbs. I’m not a fan of Caff POW. Besides, I’m on a strict no coffee diet for the next four months. I’m pregnant and the father’s dead,” she said.
Abby looked like she wanted to bite someone’s head off and drink the blood like a vampire. Lunaris told Abby every detail, right down to the nasty details of getting raped by a family friend. She waited for her friend to calm down before saying anything more.
“Luna, you were forced into a bad situation and you’re now paying for it by getting pregnant. I know that you’re worried. But we’re all here to help you, even Ducky. Kinutatsu knows that you need all the support that you can get. Besides, I’m here for you. And so are Gibbs, McGee, DiNozzo, and Ziva,” Abby said.
“Wait, who’s Ziva? And where’s Catie?” Lunaris asked.
“You didn’t know? Cate died last year. She was killed by a sniper around the same time that your brother went blind. I thought that you knew that,” Abby replied nervously.
Lunaris looked like she was going to collapse. Abby wheeled a chair around and Lunaris sat down. Tears streamed down her face. She couldn’t believe that Caitlyn Todd, a Secret Service Agent that had become like a mother to her, was dead.
“I want to meet this Ziva. Maybe she can tell me what happened,” she said, drying the last of her tears away.
“Right, as if that'll work. Ziva David is a Mossad agent that came in when Ari, her half-brother came in and killed Cate. Then Ziva killed Ari,” Abby said.
Lunaris nodded and went back upstairs. She went over to Gibbs’s desk and noticed an Israeli woman sitting at Cate’s desk. ‘So this is David.’ Lunaris thought rather bitterly. Lunaris went up to the woman and put her hands on the desk.
“Can I help you?” the woman asked.
“I’m Lunaris Karatana, Ducky’s niece. I want to welcome you to NCIS and wanted to personally thank you for taking Catie’s place and killing the man responsible for her death,” she said.
Ziva looked at Lunaris in confusion for a moment. Then she smiled a tense smile.
“I am Ziva David, liaison for NCIS. I did not know that Ducky had a niece, at least not until now,” Ziva said.
Lunaris had an odd feeling in her stomach, like she’d eaten something off the night before, and she sat down. She watched the Israeli woman with cautious eyes. Then McGee spotted her.
“Silver, what do you think you’re doing here?” he asked.
“I’m here on personal business, Timmy. Gibbs might or might not tell you why I’m here. But it’s bad news on my part, because I didn’t think about coming here 5 months ago,” Lunaris replied.
McGee looked at Lunaris’s stomach. He could tell that she was pregnant, but his look grew concerned and he sighed.
“Luna, you look a little big for 5 months. Maybe you should go see a doctor. I know that you absolutely despise going to any doctor’s offices ever since the accident last year,” he said.
“I’m not going to a doctor unless I absolutely need to. Timmy, I don’t even know what the hell’s going on anymore. I’m 5 months pregnant and I look bigger than I should. Plus, I’m moody as hell,” she said.
“I could take a quick look, if you want me to,” a familiar voice said from behind Lunaris.
“Hello, Uncle Ducky. It’s been a while since we last spoke or saw each other,” she said through clenched teeth.
Lunaris turned around and looked at her uncle, an older British man with a bowtie and glasses. They hadn’t spoken in almost 4 years, which was right after Kinutatsu joined the marines as a lieutenant. She’d hoped that she would never see him again in any situation. Her eyes were cold, but her eyes softened when she saw his hand. He had been stabbed a few days ago and his hand had gauze on it. It was the same hand that she had held 16 years ago when he’d brought her to NCIS so she and her brother wouldn’t get into trouble.
“Uncle Ducky, what happened to you?” she asked.
“Oh, you mean this little thing? This is normal wear and tear. Just a confused woman stabbed my hand. I’ll be just fine. How’s Kinutatsu doing now?” he asked.
“Kinu’s doing better now that he’s adjusted to life in my apartment and being blind. Please, Ducky, I don’t want to go to a doctor. Ever since the accident, I’ve found that I can’t trust them, but I trust you. I don’t know why my stomach’s feeling weird. You’re my uncle, Ducky. I really need your help,” Lunaris begged.
Ducky sighed and looked at his young niece. ‘She’s grown to be such a beautiful young lady, Janet and Sai. No wonder all the men she knows keep throwing themselves at her.’ he thought. Then, he nodded and led her to the autopsy room. Lunaris felt nervous until she saw Jimmy Palmer.
“Jimmy, it’s great to see you again!” she said.
Jimmy turned towards her, but he didn’t seem to recognize her because of her eyes. She poked him in the way that he would remember.
“Oh my God, Lunaris, what did you do to your hair?” he asked.
“It’s a very long story, Mr. Palmer. Do we still have that ultrasound machine?” Ducky asked.
“Yes, doctor. We do still have it. I’ll go get it,” Jimmy replied as he left.
“You know what, Lunaris? I haven’t used that damned contraption since your mother was pregnant with you. It will be 19 years ago tomorrow that you were born, if you can believe that at all. But look at you, now you’re just as beautiful as your mother was when she came in here when she found out that she was expecting your brother 29 years ago and was she nervous. Your personality is just like my sister’s, but your arrogance comes from your father, may they both rest in peace. I remember when your father came in here the night you were born. ‘Ducky,’ he said, ‘you are the luckiest man in the world tonight. Janet has just had a beautiful baby girl. Her name’s Lunaris Marie Karatana.’ I nearly lost my nerve dissecting the brain of a marine that had been killed. But, I smiled and thanked him. I came to the hospital that night after finishing my duty and went to see you. Oh, you were the quietest babe I had ever seen. You hated being held by your father for some reason, but once you got into my arms, you went quiet. Now, you’re a 19-year-old beauty that deserves far more than this,” he said.
Lunaris sighed and realized that she’d been wrong about him and that Ducky cared about her very much. Jimmy returned with the ultrasound and she laid down on one of the autopsy tables. She closed her eyes and relaxed. She heard both men gasp and she opened her eyes.
“What is it? Is something wrong with the baby?” she asked.
“Luna, you’re having twins. That odd feeling in your stomach is them kicking. Nothing’s wrong, per say, unless you know something about the father that we don’t,” Ducky said.
Lunaris lost consciousness on the table. When she woke up, Lunaris found herself in a strange house. She looked around to assess the situation. Gibbs came up the steps and sighed.
“You’re awake, Lunaris. When you blacked out, Ducky called all of us down and asked all of us to take turns helping you out. DiNozzo went to your apartment to find that it was trashed. Your brother and Mau-mau are alright. I can’t say the same for the burglars. Kinutatsu knocked them out and tied them up. He’s spending time at DiNozzo’s place,” he said.
“What about my poor little kitty, Mau-mau? Who’s taking care of her? Where is she?” she asked.
An Egyptian Mau came from a litter box and wound herself around Gibbs’s legs before going to Lunaris.
“I told Abby that I would take care of her. Mau-mau seems to not like her very much, but she loves everyone else on the team. How about we take her in tomorrow morning and introduce her to Ziva and Jenny?” the ex-marine asked.
“You mean it? This will be interesting because Ziva’s the new kid and Jenny loves the pictures of Mau-mau that I sent her some time ago when Mau-mau was a kitten,” she said.
Gibbs nodded and Lunaris fell asleep with Mau-mau curled up around her feet. The next morning, Lunaris loaded Mau-mau into the carrier and went to NCIS with Gibbs. She went to Gibbs’s desk and sat down. Ziva saw the carrier and got curious.
“Morning, Ziva. You’re early this morning,” she said as Ziva approached.
“Good morning, Lunaris. What is in the carrier?” Ziva asked.
“Please, call me Luna. Everyone calls me Luna. Oh, I almost forgot to introduce you to my pet. Ziva David, this is Mau-mau. Mau-mau is my cat,” she said, opening the door to the carrier.
Mau-mau came out of the carrier and gave Ziva a piercing gaze that almost felt like the cat was gazing into the Israeli woman’s soul. But Mau-mau came up to her and jumped onto the desk. Ziva held out her hand to the exotic cat and Mau-mau sniffed her hand. Then, she rubbed up against Ziva’s hand. Ziva smiled slightly and stroked the cat behind the ears.
“Mau-mau seems to like you. She’s like the Japanese Baneko, the welcoming cat. She seems to be a good luck charm around here. The only person she doesn’t like is Abby, even though Abby got rid of Jethro. And she’s never met the director,” Lunaris said.
Then, Mau-mau suddenly bolted up the stairs towards MTAC. Lunaris got up and chased after the poor cat.
Mau-mau got into MTAC and chaos ensued behind the door. Several people were yelling angrily and Lunaris got inside to find her cat.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t know that she was gonna do that! I’ll catch her and… PLEASE! DON’T SHOOT MY KITTY!” she screamed.
Director Jenny Shepard had drawn her gun and was aiming at the cat. Lunaris got in between the two of them and caught the frightened cat. The director put her gun away.
“Lunaris Karatana, owner of the Egyptian Mau known as Mau-mau?” Jenny said, looking at the frightened animal in surprise.
Mau-mau shook in Lunaris’s arms and meowed in a frightened way. Lunaris hummed a lullaby to calm her down and stop her from running off again.
“Yeah, Mau-mau is all grown up and so am I. Unfortunately, Jenny, I’ve grown up too fast. I’m 6 months pregnant with twins,” she said.
Jenny looked at Lunaris in shock. She couldn’t believe that the 19 year old was pregnant and showing this early.
“Luna, that’s great news! And happy 19th birthday,” she said.
“Oh! I actually forgot that today’s my birthday. I’ve had a rough couple of months, plus a near miss with Kinutatsu. I’ve been busy and haven’t been as faithful to NCIS and visiting like I used to. Plus, I’ve come to terms with my uncle. I still can’t go over to his house and visit grandma because of my severe allergy to dogs. Last time I went there, I nearly died,” Lunaris said.
“You really need to have your life slow way down and relax. Even now, in your current condition you need more rest. Hey, have they started kicking yet?” she asked.
Lunaris nodded as one of the twins nudged her side gently. She guessed that they were hungry and that she needed to relax too. Being nervous was not on the top of her list, but she felt nervous enough to make her sick to her stomach. Lunaris and Jenny chatted for a moment and then they parted ways. Lunaris went back to her desk and waited for Gibbs to return from his business, wherever that was. She sighed and tried to sooth the still shaking cat. She put Mau-mau back into the carrier and dozed off. Lunaris woke up to find a cupcake and a note. She knew that these were instructions and that she needed to follow them. Lunaris sniffed the cupcake and found out that it was a fake one. She headed down to Abby’s lab and noted another note and one of Abby’s favorite dog collars lying next to it. She panicked, not knowing where everyone was. For two hours, she was following directions and finally made it back to Gibbs’s desk. Lunaris was exhausted and was hungry. She was worried when she laid out the clues on the desk. A dog collar from Abby, the plastic cupcake from Gibbs, the ring from Ducky, Ziva’s knife, a movie guide from DiNozzo, and a key to an unknown place from McGee. These items were special to the individuals that owned them. Lunaris then looked closer at the items and noticed little scraps of paper in the handwriting from each person. She arranged them and read the word that it created. It read “Look up” and she looked up to see Mau-mau was out of the carrier and meowing like crazy at a closed door.
“How did you get up there, silly?” she said, gently.
She went up the stairs and caught the cat again. Lunaris noticed a large piece of paper caught in the collar. She read it and groaned loudly. She went back down the steps and went towards interrogation. Once there she sat in the room and dozed off. When she awoke, her brother was standing there with his back turned to her. Kinutatsu was a handsome man of 29, with brown eyes and black hair. The only thing that disfigured his handsome facial features was a thin scar that zigzagged across his eyes and made him blind. Other than that, he was well built with a marine body and the mentality of an older man. Lunaris felt confused when she saw her older brother standing with his back to her.
“Is your full legal name Lunaris Marie Karatana?” he asked.
“Yes, it is,” she replied.
“Were you born August first, 1992 in Washington, DC?”
“Yes, I was.”
“Are you currently a mechanic at Luna’s Junkyard Auto Repair?”
“I am. And I am also the owner of the Junkyard. Kinutatsu, what is this all about?” she asked.
“Miss Karatana, do you realize that we have 6 missing NCIS agents? All of them went missing right after you spoke with Director Jenny Shepard. Do you have any idea where they might be?” he growled.
“Yes, I noticed that Gibbs, Abby, Uncle Ducky, Tony, Ziva, and McGee are missing. I have absolutely no idea where they are at this time,” she replied.
Kinutatsu swung around and looked in her general direction and looked angry. Behind the one way glass, the “missing” agents were watching in interest at Lunaris’s reaction to being interrogated by her brother. They were waiting for her to break under the pressure of interrogation, or for Kinutatsu to give up and quit.
“Then why did we find articles that belong to the missing agents covered in your fingerprints? Answer that one, Karatana!”
“I… I found them and took them back to Gibbs’s desk for evaluation. I didn’t realize that I was not supposed to pick them up. Plus, my cat got out and I had to chase her down again. I’m tired of running around and chasing ghost leads, especially since I’m pregnant with that b*****d’s twins! If you want any answers out of me, you’ll have to force them out. I seem to be the only one around here that has no idea what’s going on right now!” she snarled.
Behind the glass, DiNozzo looked over at McGee and Ziva.
“Pay up, you two. I told you that she’s hormonal and she’d get moody and evil,” he said.
The two of them paid up and continued to watch. Lunaris was totally angry at her brother for leading her on a wild goose chase. She got up and turned towards the door.
“We’re done here. I’m really pissed off at the way you’re treating me. And, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be leaving now,” she said.
“That’s my cue,” Ducky said.
The elderly British man exited the room and went into the interrogation room.
“Sorry to interrupt, Kinutatsu. We went out for lunch and forgot to tell Lunaris that we were going and we would’ve gladly grabbed her something to eat if she’d wanted anything,” he said.
Lunaris did the unexpected and fainted. She had gotten over excited and it caused her body to temporarily shut down. When she woke up, she was in Abby’s lab and surrounded by everyone she knew. She looked around in confusion, and then everything registered in her mind.
“I fainted again, didn’t I?” she asked.
Everyone nodded and she instantly put her hand on her swelling midsection to feel if her twins were alright. She felt a reassuring pair of kicks to her hand and she relaxed.
“Luna, happy 19th birthday,” Abby said.
Lunaris realized that the interrogation, the fake kidnapping, and the weird, catnip reaction from Mau-mau was all just a test to see if she could put up with everything that could’ve happened if something had gone wrong. Other than that, she had a great time with Gibbs and the rest of the team. She also realized that she’d started her 6th month and didn’t have anything for the unborn twins yet. The next day, while she was sleeping, Gibbs went out and bought some things that he thought that Lunaris might need. He let her sleep and went to work alone that day.
Two months passed by, and Lunaris’s body had changed a lot. Just because she was carrying twins, Gibbs kept her in his sight at all times. She got rather snappy with him a few times, but he dealt with it. Right in the middle of her eighth month, she was with Gibbs and McGee. She suddenly felt this oddly sharp pain go through her body. McGee looked up from his paperwork and saw her wince.
“Luna, are you alright?” he asked.
“I… I think that I might be in labor. Get my uncle and ask him what the hell is going on with me,” she said, wincing again.
McGee nodded and went and asked Ducky what he could do to help her. He came back a few moments later with a relieved look on his face.
“He said that you’re experiencing false contractions. He said to relax and ride out the pain. You’ll be fine,” McGee said.
Lunaris nodded and tried to relax. She lay on the floor and closed her eyes. When she opened them, Gibbs was panicking and barking orders.
“Gibbs, could you please be quiet? I’m just resting a little,” she said.
Gibbs looked down and looked paler than a piece of paper. Then he relaxed and sat down at his desk. Lunaris gently got up and looked for an empty chair to sit in. DiNozzo offered her his chair and she sat down.
“Thanks, Tony. Gibbs, listen closely. I was lying down because I was having false contractions and couldn’t relax in a chair. I’m due next month and should probably stay somewhere where I can have somebody watching over me, just in case I go into early labor,” Lunaris said.
“Yeah, I have a solution to that. Get a roommate, preferably someone that you can get along well with and not fight with constantly. I enjoy hanging out with your brother, Luna. He’s a really great guy and he enjoys other male company,” DiNozzo said.
“I thought that you and McGee were sleeping together.”
“THAT WAS ONLY ONE ISOLATED INCIDENT! I’m not sleeping with McGeeksquad. We were very, VERY, drunk when that happened,” DiNozzo said, blushing furiously.
“You two kissed, admit it. I know that you know that I’m telling the truth,” Lunaris said, smirking in delight.
“Our drinks were possibly drugged. How did you know about that, Lunaris?”
“I can’t reveal that information to you, DiNozzo.”
Lunaris then turned her attention to the newspaper that was on DiNozzo’s desk. There was a classified article and it caught her attention immediately.
“‘Single pregnant 19-year-old girl seeks female roommate in DC. Must not drink, do drugs, or smoke. Roommate must be able to help with chores and miscellaneous projects. Roommate must also not be allergic to cats. Please call Luna’s Junkyard Auto Repair for details.’ DiNozzo, did you authorize this?” she asked.
He sighed and nodded. Her cellphone started to ring and she answered.
“Hello, Luna’s Junkyard Auto Repair. Lunaris Karatana speaking,” she said.
“Hi, Lunaris, I have a question. Is the roommate offer still open?” a woman asked.
“Yes, it is. What are your name, age, and occupation?” Lunaris asked.
“Kimi Otowari, age 29, psychologist and pre and post pregnancy doctor, specializing in safe birth procedures. I was wondering if I could come over tonight and see what I’m going to need to move in. If you want me to come over, of course,” Kimi said.
“Sure, you can come over tonight. What time do you think that you’ll be over?” Lunaris said in an excited voice.
“How about 6:00 tonight?”
“Perfect, Miss Otowari. I’ll see you then.”
Lunaris hung up and hummed happily. DiNozzo looked worried at her behavior change. But he relaxed when he saw how happy she was.
Lunaris left early to clean her apartment and get things ready for her new roommate. At 6:00, the doorbell rang and Lunaris waddled to the door. A woman stood outside the door with a calm face. She had light blue eyes and long, platinum blond hair.
“Can I help you, Ma’am?” Lunaris asked.
“Yes, I’m looking for Lunaris Karatana. Are you her?” she asked.
“I’m Lunaris. Please, call me Luna. You must be Kimi Otowari. Come on in and sit down,” Lunaris replied.
Kimi came into the room and sat down on one of the couches and sighed.
“Luna, how far along are you?” she asked.
“I’m in the middle of my eighth month with twins and I’ve had my false contractions,” Lunaris replied.
“May I take a look?”
“Sure. Just tell me what to do.”
“Lay flat down on your back, please.”
Lunaris nodded and lay on her back across the floor. Kimi put a cold, but gentle hand on Lunaris’s stomach. Lunaris shuddered inwardly but relaxed. Kimi swept her hand over the baby bump and felt where the twins were and looked surprised when one kicked her hand. But it didn’t stop her from continuing to inspect her new roommate’s pregnant belly. The room became deadly silent as the minutes passed.
“Is there something wrong?” Lunaris asked after a long period of silence.
“No. I’m almost done here. It feels like they’re healthy and strong,” Kimi replied.
Lunaris nodded and suddenly coughed. She’d been behind on her sleep because of her bad dreams and from the twins and she was feeling pretty sick and tired. Kimi sensed the exhaustion and sighed.
“You want to talk about your exhaustion?” Kimi asked.
“No. I don’t like talk about it,” Lunaris replied.
“Tell me, please. I might be able to help you feel better about what happened and you might be able to sleep and feel less stress and a lot less exhausted.”
Lunaris told Kimi about her brother, the accident, and the rape. Kimi listened intently and nodded in the appropriate spots. When Lunaris finished, she was crying really hard.
“I can help by using this new therapeutic device that another psychologist used. It’s called hypnotherapy, which works by using techniques to calm down the mind of the person that the memories belong to,” Kimi said softly.
Lunaris winced as one of her twins kicked her side really hard. She felt stressed out and confused about what Kimi had offered.
“I’ll do it, but I need to get something to eat. I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast this morning and should probably get some food. I… OUCH!” she said.
Lunaris had gotten up too fast and had received a punishing kick from both twins at the same time. Kimi put an arm across Lunaris’s back and held her upright.
“Luna, relax. You can’t sit up that fast, or you’ll only get kicked harder and they can, and will, damage some of your internal organs and make the birth process too risky without a C-section birth. Luna, I don’t have the equipment here to do that. I know that it hurts you to draw a deep breath, but I need you to do it. Please,” Kimi said.
Lunaris didn’t answer for a moment, because the kick had left her breathless for a minute. Kimi waited for her to catch her breath. Lunaris took a painful deep breath and looked at Kimi.
“I don’t have the time to relax. I have a blind brother to take care of and an uncle that constantly worries about our safety. And I can’t afford to take care of a pair of twins along with a job and going to school,” Lunaris said.
“You need to relax. I don’t care what your schedule is, just take care of…” Kimi said, starting to cough.
“Are you alright, Kimi?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I just happen to be a tad bit under the weather right now. Just don’t ask any more questions about what’s going on or I will hurt you.”
Lunaris looked at Kimi in a skeptical way. Kimi was ill with tuberculosis, but she didn’t want Lunaris to find out and worry about her when she got sick. Kimi hid the blood on her hand and helped Lunaris to bed. She knew that Lunaris needed rest and relaxation.
“For a while, I’m restricting you to total bed rest until you have enough sleep to keep yourself alive,” Kimi said.
Lunaris looked at Kimi and sighed. She really didn’t care what Kimi said, she just wanted sleep.
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