Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Duty Versus Love ❯ Being a Father 101 Part 2 ( Chapter 14 )

Chapter XVI: Being a Father 101, Part II

 

The next morning, Sokka went to wake up Aang. For the first time in months, he had no problem walking into Aang's room unannounced since Katara was back at the Southern Air Temple.

Sure enough, the Avatar was still asleep. Sokka shoved his shoulder. “Aang, wake up. It's morning.”

Aang groaned and looked up. “What're you talking about, Sokka? It's still dark.”

“Aang, its summer in the South Pole. It's always dark.”

“Oh, oh yeah.” Aang slowly started to get up. Sokka watched the young Avatar with concern. Aang had always been a morning person. To see him acting like… everyone else in the morning was strange.

“Are you feeling all right?” Sokka asked.

“Not really.” Aang confessed.

“Okay.” Sokka grabbed an unlit torch. “Light this.” Aang lit it with a simple Firebending move without complaint. “Take it and sit down.” Sokka forced the torch into Aang's hands and sat him down on the bed. “This is something we do for our children. Sit there and stare into the flames for at least ten minutes.”

“How is this supposed to help?” Aang asked.

“Something about the darkness really messes with your mind. The light helps. Just trust me.”

“Okay, Sokka. I'll try it.” Aang said, settling in to stare into the flames.

“Ten minutes.” Sokka reminded him.

“Yeah, yeah.” Sokka left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ten minutes later, Aang was shocked to admit that he did feel a little better. When Sokka woke him up, he just felt tired, angry, and irritable; not at all like himself.

However, now he felt like he was in a much better mood, and more like himself. He silently vowed to trust Sokka's advice on handling the extreme seasons of the South Pole.

Now that he had finished his light therapy and finished dressing in the clothes given to him by the Southern Water Tribe, he left the room to meet up with Hakoda and Sokka.

As they guessed, they were in the dining hall, which was where the Chief normally ate as opposed to the banquet hall, which was used pretty exclusively for feasts and banquets.

“Hey, Aang, are you feeling better?” Sokka asked.

“Yeah, a lot better.” Aang said. “Thanks for showing me that thing with the fire.”

“The darkness.” Hakoda asked.

“Yeah, Aang was acting just a little bit off this morning.” Sokka said.

“Summer and winter is, without a doubt, the hardest part of living at the Poles.” Hakoda said with understanding. “It gets the best of even the toughest warriors sometimes.” He began to eat. “So, you two want to know what it takes to be a father?” Sokka and Aang nodded. “To tell you the truth, nobody really knows. It's something that each man learns for himself. But, if you want, I can give you both some advice.”

“Anything.” Sokka said.

“Aang probably all ready knows this, but pregnancy is no picnic. The most important thing you could do for your wives is be there for them and give in to their every demand.”

Aang nodded. He did know this part, but Sokka looked like he was on the verge of taking notes.

“Now, in the last three months, things will get really hard on a pregnant woman. Their bodies will ache, their feet will swell, and they'll feel unattractive. Little things like massages on their lower backs or feet will work wonders. And always remind her how beautiful she is.” Hakoda said. “And, when she gives birth, the best advice I can get is to wait until it's over.”

Sokka nodded in agreement, but Aang spoke up. “But, I kind of all ready promised Katara that I'd be there for her.”

Sokka rounded on Aang. “You did WHAT?!? Do you have any idea of the horror that you've subjected yourself to? Don't you remember what happened in the Serpent's Pass?”

“What happened at the Serpent's Pass?” Hakoda asked curiously.

“We were on our way to Ba Sing Se when we ran into this pregnant woman and her family.” Aang explained. “They couldn't take the ferry to Ba Sing Se because someone stole their passports. So we took them across the Serpent's Pass. We got across the pass fine, but the woman went into labor and Katara had to deliver the baby.”

“Exactly! You were there!”

“Sokka, you do remember that I was only twelve years old at the time?” Aang asked. “Toph and I were not allowed in the Earth Tent. I spent the whole time sitting outside the tent, covering my ears.”

“And I suggest you do it again!” Sokka said. “I went in there and saw…” He shuttered. “EVERYTHING! There's no way a guy can be prepared for a view like that!”

Aang remembered that Sokka had gone into the tent and had fainted. He was starting to feel less sure about his promise to be there for Katara.

“Don't worry, Aang. It will be fine.” Hakoda assured him. “It will make things easier for Katara if you are there. But there are still a few things you should know. The first is that Katara will be in a lot of pain, the sort of pain a man can never know. That pain might make her say things she doesn't mean.”

“Like what?”

“Well, I was there for my wife, Kya, when Sokka was born. It was like my presence comforted and angered her at the same time. At first, she yelled about how the pregnancy was all my fault and I was never touching her again. Then she started threatening to… remove my manhood.” Aang and Sokka winched. “By the end, she was just yelling how she was going to kill me. Katara may threaten to do all sorts of things to you. But remember, she doesn't mean it. It's just the pain talking. Once the baby is born, she won't remember a thing she said.”

“Okay.”

“The second, and most important piece of advice I can give is don't look.” Hakoda said.

“I knew it.” Sokka said.

“It will be tempting to look. But Sokka's right. There are some things…” Hakoda trailed off. “Birth is a miracle, but it is messy, ugly miracle. And I doubt that Katara will appreciate it if your first look at your baby causes you to vomit or pass out. Keep your attention focused on her during the birth. There'll be plenty of time for you to see your child once it's over.”

Aang decided that it would be a good idea to listen to Hakoda. He trusted Sokka's advice, and Hakoda agreed with him. So he would try his hardest to keep his eyes adverted from the birth.

“And as for raising a child…” Hakoda paused. “That is something that all fathers have to discover on their own. But I promise that if you love your children and always put their needs first, you'll be great fathers.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Sokka said.

“Aang, my next piece of advice is for you only.” Hakoda said. “Since you will have an exceptionally large family and have children from several different women, it is important that you never show favoritism.”

“Favoritism?” Aang asked.

“You must never let the children born of the other women thing that you love their half-siblings from Katara more.” Hakoda said. “No matter what you feel or don't feel about their mothers, they are still your flesh and blood. You must love them all equally. If you can't do that, you should back out of this plan now.”

Aang didn't respond to Hakoda for several minutes, examining his feelings. “Katara's always said that I was destined to have a large family. I have enough love for any number of children.”

“Okay, Aang, I trust that you know yourself.” Hakoda said. “Just keep in mind that when a parent shows favoritism, it is the children that suffer.” Hakoda got up and left to take care of Water Tribe business.

Aang stared down at his untouched food thoughtfully.

 

LES: What was ironic about writing this chapter was as I was writing this, our Health class started talking about human sexuality and reproduction. Anyway, we had to watch this video with a pretty graphic birth scene. (As in you see EVERYTHING!!!) I bet you can imagine some of the guy's reaction to the video. In fact, most of the guys looked like that guy in the painting “The Scream” by Edvard Munch! That's the sort of stuff that makes a girl never wanna have kids… little monsters in sheep's clothing! Anyway, the next chapter is coming soon.