Support and growth

Khaat frequently worked in the OB-BYN section because so many of the women simply preferred to see a woman, even though, in Khaat's own personal opinion, her father was more skilled in the art of delivering babies safely He had years and years of more experience, but she also understood their feelings of being more comfortable with a woman.

She had gotten the chart of her next patient. Chase. Ah, yes. She knew this situation, but she refused to betray Eli's confidence. She went in to see Chase and introduced herself.

"So, you're Chase? I"m Khaat Lupin. It says here you believe you might be pregnant. So, let's find out. We don't do this in a muggle way here. It is very different." She got out a test tube and poured a clear potion into it.

"The way this works is very simple. I need just a couple of your hairs. You put them into the vial. This clear potion will turn color when you add the hairs. If you're pregnant, the potion will turn green. If you're not, it will turn pink. There is never an inbetween, just like you're either pregnant or you're not. This will tell us. So, if you would be so kind as to add a couple of your hairs to the vial, then we'll know. "

Khaat swirled the vial to help the potion to react to the hairs but it really didn't need it. The vial turned a brilliant, beautiful hue of sparkling emerald green. Almost the same shade as the enchanted necklace Khaat wore that had become, in a way, her signature.

"Well," she said. "It looks like you're going to be a mother. From the color of this vial, I would say this is a relatively new development. You should be due about graduation time, I would guess. It'll be close. So, tell me. You're going to need some help to get through this. Someone who will be in your corner and coach you along. Do you have someone in mind?" She didn't know Chase well, but she did know Eli. She didn't want to insert herself where perhaps she was not wanted but Khaat was more than willing to help both Chase and Eli through this new adjustment. It was not going to be easy for either of them.

"Chase," Khaat took a deep breath and decided, with a bit of anxiety, to lay her cards on the table. "You don't need to plan on Eli's biological family for anything. Here's the thing--I am Eli's guardian. If his family was worth much, he wouldn't have needed me. Viktor was never a down to earth sort of guy, and I don't think his mother is either. However, I do try to be.

"The point is, Eli and you will get through this because my family will help you. I still have my parents. You've met my father. My mother is very healthy and active. I have a whole network of friends, and I have...my boyfriend." That sounded strange even coming from her own mouth. She'd known Brian her whole life, and this was the very first time she had referred to him as her boyfriend.

"I will get you the vitamins you need, and I'll send you with a book of not only diet changes but also some do's and don't's on how to take care of yourself. You and Eli are going to have to talk. Brian and I can take care of anything you need, and I do realize money is not an option. I"m not worried about that either. I'm talking about the things money cant' buy. Like real support to help you both learn how to take care of a baby and take care of yourselves and all your other obligations at the same time." She opened the door and called a nurse and ordered the vitamins, a particular potion, and the standard book they used for new mothers.

The nurse brought back a bottle of vitamin pills, a tall bottle of a fushia colored potion, and a book. Khaat took them and handed them to Chase. "Vitamins. One daily. Potion--for morning sickness or fatigue. Use as the label tells you only. And the book. Read it and then get back to me with every question you have. Write them down. And get with Eli. You and Eli and Brian and I need to talk. Really talk. Sound good to you?"

"You're not alone," Khaat said, hugging Chase. "Once the two of you talk, then we can start helping you two make some temporary plans. A word of advice from one who has been there? Don't start looking at 'forever's.' You and Eli will be connected together for good because of this child. But that does not mean that it is necessarily going to all turn out in fairy tale bliss. My husband and I are a perfect example of that. However, it doesn't mean you'd be alone and miserable either. Rob and I aren't together, but I am not alone or lonely either one. I have more friends than I've ever had, and if I ever got into trouble, any one or all of them would come running. I am very, very happy," She told Chase deliberately so she knew that just because a woman wasn't worth the baby's father didn't mean that life was over.

"Don't look too far ahead. Do this, at least for awhile, one step at a time. Don't look at any more than the very next step in front of you. Let me look at the rest of the journey. I've seen that journey before. I know what to expect. It won't come as a surprise to me. And we will get through it." She reached for a tissue and handed it to Chase. "Here. Dry your eyes. It's a life change but it isn't a bad thing. I'm just going to have another grandchild, that's all," she smiled, with a small laugh.

"Don't quit school," Khaat said. "Its all workable. It isn't going to be easy, but its manageable. If it gets tough, you know where to find me. I'm usually here or at Sparks or at the MInistry. Usually one of the three. And when I"m not here, most of the time, my father is. Its rare that one or the other of us isn't here. Personal advice. What I had to learn to do was to enjoy my pregnancy. Every little moment. No matter what anyone else thought. I wanted my daughter more than about anything else in the world, and I spent a lot of time at first worrying if I was doing the right thing. Don't do that. I discounted the people around me who loved me and thought I had to do it myself. No one ever truly raises a child alone. A child is raised by everyone in that child's town. You know, the old saying that says it takes avillage to raise a child. Well, its true. Don't let yourself get into that 'Me,Myself, and I'' kind of thinking. It won't help you because its a lie. Look at it from how many people will be involved and who want to help."