No time to Die

7

Katara knocked on the door as she was fumbling with her hands nervously. She took a few deep breathes trying to collect her thoughts but gasped when the door open before her.

She looked down seeing Ren who opened the door.

"Your my old mans friend," Ren stated looking up at her.

"Y-yea, is he here?" Katara asked rubbing her neck not looking the child in the eyes.

"Yea, hes taking care of aito, hes getting his medicine" Ren walked away from the door and went back to the table to color while aito was coloring in a book on the couch with a thick blanket around him, a wet cloth on the back of his neck.

"Hi," aito whispered looking up at her.

"How are you feeling?" Katara asked gently.

"Not good," he looked down and coughed into his hand harshly.

"Ai, I need you to take your medicine I know it tastes yucky," Zuko walked back but paused seeing Katara standing in the main room.

"Okay papa," aito sniffled as he set the book and charcoal pencil down.

"What are you doing here?" He looked at the other adult unamused when he gave his son the herbal medicine.

"I came to help," Katara told him gently.

"I do not want your help," he snarled.

"Zuko I think aito isn't going to break his fever soon enough," she crossed her arms.

"Did I fucking ask? You don't touch him, not to heal and nothing else," Zuko glared standing in front of his boys.

"They don't need a healer just cause you're impatient," he sneered.

"I'm just trying to... to help," Katara scoffed shaking her head.

Zuko rolled his eyes.

"Help? Thats real rich coming from you, why are you still here?" He ran his hand through his hair moving it to the side.

"There's still a war," she glared back.

"I mean in here, my home, I built myself a life from having nothing, I don't need you in here to ruin it," he scoffed.

"Toph and sokka won't stop bothering be bout helping aito," Katara huffed crossing her arms shaking her head.

"Tell them I said no!" Zuko was fed up with repeating himself.

"I don't exactly want to be here either!" She raised her voice.

"Hey!" Aito yelled to them, his voice sounded raspy and painful. "Take it outside, yelling hurts my head!"

Ren nodded with his twin as they both looked unamused. They weren't scared of the yelling they were annoyed.

"Sorry boys," Zuko sighed softly and they went into zukos bedroom.

"You left without looking back, I needed help but where were you? No one knew," he whispered when he closed his door.

"I'm not asking for forgiveness, I know you hate me, I know I can't do anything to change that, I'm not trying to trick you," Katara looked down narrowing her eyes.

"Agni, you've changed, the Katara that I knew wouldn't be like this as a 'oh well that sucks that's just life'," Zuko told her disappointed with what happened to her with the time Thats passed by.

Katara hugged herself shaking her head.

"I can compare myself to what you went through that day, but what happened after is all on you," Zuko whispered frowning.

She looked at him angrily, but she was angry with herself more. He had every right to be upset but this was the first time they've ever talked about it.

"But I was there with you Katara, I would never have left you in the state you were in, our life was just starting and I didn't think anything would tear us apart," Zuko covered his face turning around.

"What if I didn't get better?" She whispered.

"Well we're never going to know, I learned along the way and I was able to get better, you just ignored the problem and pretended we didn't exist!" he snapped a little.

"They are the reason I want to live, they are the only reason," he spat in a low voice and Katara stared at him trying to not cry. Her jaw trembling but she wouldn't look weak.

They were silent but Zuko broke away from her gaze first.

"If you want to try healing aito go ahead," he waved her off shaking his head.

"Yea, alright..." Katara hugged her chest nervously.

"Thank you for not telling our children how horrible and selfish I am," she rubbing her forehead. Zuko looked at her coldly.

"I taught them how to walk, read, talk, those are my boys, you might be their mother but they aren't your children," he told her sternly.

"You raised them well," she agreed.

"I'm done talking," Zuko walked past her to go back out to the main room where the boys where sitting.

He stopped seeing Ren was explaining how he drew his animals to aito who listened and drank his tea very invested.

"Hey aito, can you tell Katara where it hurts? She's going to try making you feel better," Zuko sat with him as Katara followed out quietly.

"My chest, it hurts to breathe, and my head, and my shoulders, and my neck" aito sat up and touched his neck with pain in his eyes.

Katara inhaled deeply looking at the twin with blue eyes like hers.

••

"Hey, hey she's looking pale, can a doctor do something?! Katara hang in there! please!"

••

"I'm going to do my best to make you feel better okay?" Katara smiled gently sitting with him and bender water from her side pouch.

"Yes ma'am," aito nodded and watched amazed by the glowing water that covered her hand as Katara gently touched his neck.

The first time she has ever touched aito, she held ren as he was the second born, but she never held aito, their youngest baby.

••

"My baby? Why isn't it crying?" Katara sobbed as the doctor held a stillborn infant seeing she wouldn't wake up.

"I'm sorry but your baby, she didn't make it," the doctor told them. "But you aren't don't, you have another baby on the way,"

"I lost my baby?" Katara whispered as tears dripped off her chin, she cried in pain and sorrow as Zuko held her hand tightly in support, she pressed her forehead against his chest as Zuko squeezed her hand, they both cried for their lost.

"Get ready miss," the doctor called as the nurses around them tried to help the grieving couple.

She was dizzy and her vision was fading, she couldn't even lift her head from her fiancés.

"Katara?" Zuko felt her grip loosening and her head falling off him.

"Katara!"

••

Authors note:
I apparently can't used the italic font anymore??? So when they talk from flashbacks and such I'm just going to put ••