Annette Pierce
January 16, 2022 7:12 PM
Like us, but different
by Annette Pierce
Co-written With: Annabelle Pierce
The baby came on the summer solstice, three days after Annette's due date. Annette had not been happy about that. They were on a schedule here, and tardiness was not an attractive quality. The doctor wasn't worried though, and the midwife promised it was perfectly normal for babes to ignore their expected delivery date.
Annabelle managed to maintain the ruse despite the three extra days of covering for Annette. They had taken fewer dress orders than they normally did at this time of year (summer was their biggest wedding season), and she'd delivered all of the dresses they had promised for events all the way out until August now, so they were in the clear for a good long maternity break.
When the contractions had become regular and longer, the midwife had come out to the apartment as previously arranged. It was a witches' apartment, but they'd managed to hide (they were pretty sure) everything suspiciously magical to allow the muggle inside for the birth. Annette had not wanted to attempt to navigate a muggle Hospital and all its associated paperwork and whatnot, and Annabelle had been perfectly agreeable on the point.
There were, fortunately, no complications, and twenty-one hours after the first contraction (and nine hours of active labor that Annette never wanted to revisit), the Anns had a baby girl.
The midwife gave the baby its first check-up, and then gave Annabelle some final instructions on infant and maternal care and then their family was on its own and one bottle sucking infant larger. (Annette had noped breast feeding right off.)
When the first bottle was done, and Annette had taken a very nice and well needed bath, and Annabelle had used a whole slew of cleaning charms to get the bodily fluids involved in childbirth eliminated from their home, they sat in the nursery, Annette resting in the rocking chair with their daughter sleeping in her arm, the twins looked at each other and smiled already-exhausted smiles.
"So, one week of just us getting to know our baby, let my body recover some so I don't look so much like I just gave birth, and then we tell Mother and Father that the adoption came through," Annette reviewed the plan.
Annabelle nodded in confirmation. "It's a closed adoption and we know nothing about the birth mother except she was a pureblood out of wedlock, and Merlin only knows who the father was."
Annette nodded in turn. "Right. We've been planning this for about two years, but we didn't want to tell anyone until it was official."
Annabelle leaned over and touched the baby's soft black hair. "You said you couldn't decide until you saw her. Here she is. What are your favorite names for her?"
"I was strongly considering just Ann," Annette admitted, looking down at the little head resting in the crook of her elbow, her tiny features still ruddy from the trauma of birth, "but I think she needs her own name, not just the common overlap between ours."
Annabelle nodded. "I agree. I was thinking maybe Druscella? Earn some points and leeway by honoring her?"
Annette immediately made a face of disgust. "Absolutely not." She frowned, thoughtfully for a moment. "Isabelle? It's kind of like your name, but different."
"And Linette is kind of like yours, but different."
"So Isabelle Linette Pierce then," Annette said, giving it a tone of unarguable finality.
Annabelle nodded and smiled. "Isabelle Linette Pierce."
1
Annette Pierce
Like us, but different
247
1
6
Annabelle Pierce