Ficlet: A Job for Kit (Dawsey/Juliet)
Jul. 2nd, 2018 08:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessA job for Kit. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. Universal. Juliet Ashton/Dawsey Adams, Kit McKenna. 913 words.
Summary: Juliet and Dawsey are forced to have a certain conversation with Kit.
Author's Note: Post-canon. Inspired by the film, but I think in keeping with the book.
A job for Kit: shallowness
Dawsey came in from tending to the pigs to find Juliet waiting for him, not sitting at her table in front of her typewriter or poring over her notes. She’d been writing up a storm of late. He raised his eyebrows at her as he washed his hands.
“We have to tell her,” she said. “Kit heard me throwing up earlier. I’ve told her I’m not ill. She pretended to accept it, but she’s not going to believe I ate something that didn’t agree with me every day for the next however-long-it-is. Besides, I don’t like keeping secrets from her.”
Dawsey dried his hands quickly and put his hands on Juliet’s shoulders. He had known women got morning sickness, but living under the same roof as a sufferer made him wish Juliet had been spared. His joy at the news she was expecting their child had been tempered by what she was going through because of it.
They’d wanted to put off telling Kit a little longer. For one thing, if Kit knew, the Society would too. Juliet had hoped to keep the secret until she was showing. Dawsey had wanted to believe that they’d make it, although Amelia had asked him if he was all right at the last meeting.
For another thing, Dawsey could only hope that Kit would be as pleased as he was. He and Juliet were her parents now, legally and as far as Kit was concerned, but he doubted she’d ever considered sharing them. Perhaps they should have prepared her for the possibility, but he hadn’t dared do it, as if by talking about Juliet and him having a child, he’d extinguish any chance of it happening. It was a superstitious fear he shouldn’t have indulged in. He should have learned from not saying anything to Juliet for so long.
Kit’s world would change drastically again—sooner if they told her now—and she, though so very little, had been through so much. Dawsey hoped her next six years would be filled with laughter, reading out loud and the clack of the typewriter. He wanted peace and plenty of food and books for her. Just as desperately, he wanted it for the child that was coming.
Juliet rested her hand on his, the touch bringing him back to the moment.
“I’ve had an idea about how we can tell her.”
“Tell me what it is,” he said.
Juliet insisted the news would come best from both of them, and because Kit had gone outside, it was outside that they told her. Kit was scowling a little as they came upon her, and Dawsey realised Juliet was right, she didn’t believe that Juliet wasn’t ill – vomiting meant illness to Kit’s way of thinking.
He nodded at Juliet, who approached Kit and crouched down so that she was looking into her eyes.
“Kit,” she said in that confiding voice that gave him hope this would go well. “We have something to ask you.”
Kit looked at her seriously.
“There’s a very important job that I need your help with. It’s one that only you can do, and it’s extremely special.”
Kit didn’t react immediately, thinking it through. Juliet had the patience to wait her out.
“What is it?” Kit asked in a voice that wasn’t committing to anything yet.
“I—we need you to be a big sister.”
Kit frowned.
“But I haven’t got a sister or a brother.”
“No, not yet,” Juliet agreed. “Now, when I told you I wasn’t ill, I was telling the truth. But I did throw up for a reason. My body is acting a little strangely because I’ve got a baby growing inside of me.” Dawsey watched them both, the business of breathing set aside for now. He saw the moment Kit’s eyes widened.
“Like the sow who had a litter,” Kit said, her hand reaching out towards Juliet’s stomach. Dawsey let out a breath. He’d touched Juliet there a lot of late, even though he knew and she kept reminding him that it was too early for there to be any sign.
“Well, not quite, I’m having a baby, not a litter of piglets, I hope,” Juliet said, not even trying to hide her smile. “And when that baby is born, he or she is going to need a big sister to look after them and show them how the world works in ways that we grown-ups can’t.” She turned to look at Dawsey.
“Will you do it, Kit?” Dawsey asked, daring to come join them, remembering Juliet’s caution not to baby Kit. “Will you do this job?”
She looked up at him. Dawsey saw Elizabeth and Christian in her face in that moment as she nodded so fervently her hair flew about.
“Good,” Dawsey said, letting his hands rest on both Juliet and Kit’s heads.
“We knew we could rely on you. I think you’ll be wonderful at it, the best big sister anyone could wish for.” Juliet said.
Eventually Kit removed her hand after Juliet explained that the baby was very, very small at present. Then Juliet stood up, and Kit ran off.
“You were right. I think that worked,” Dawsey observed.
“I hope so. We’ll keep an eye on her. Now, I’d better get back to my book if I’m going to produce it before this baby.”
Dawsey laughed softly, but not at Juliet, because he knew she’d bring both into the world, and he would love them all.
Summary: Juliet and Dawsey are forced to have a certain conversation with Kit.
Author's Note: Post-canon. Inspired by the film, but I think in keeping with the book.
Dawsey came in from tending to the pigs to find Juliet waiting for him, not sitting at her table in front of her typewriter or poring over her notes. She’d been writing up a storm of late. He raised his eyebrows at her as he washed his hands.
“We have to tell her,” she said. “Kit heard me throwing up earlier. I’ve told her I’m not ill. She pretended to accept it, but she’s not going to believe I ate something that didn’t agree with me every day for the next however-long-it-is. Besides, I don’t like keeping secrets from her.”
Dawsey dried his hands quickly and put his hands on Juliet’s shoulders. He had known women got morning sickness, but living under the same roof as a sufferer made him wish Juliet had been spared. His joy at the news she was expecting their child had been tempered by what she was going through because of it.
They’d wanted to put off telling Kit a little longer. For one thing, if Kit knew, the Society would too. Juliet had hoped to keep the secret until she was showing. Dawsey had wanted to believe that they’d make it, although Amelia had asked him if he was all right at the last meeting.
For another thing, Dawsey could only hope that Kit would be as pleased as he was. He and Juliet were her parents now, legally and as far as Kit was concerned, but he doubted she’d ever considered sharing them. Perhaps they should have prepared her for the possibility, but he hadn’t dared do it, as if by talking about Juliet and him having a child, he’d extinguish any chance of it happening. It was a superstitious fear he shouldn’t have indulged in. He should have learned from not saying anything to Juliet for so long.
Kit’s world would change drastically again—sooner if they told her now—and she, though so very little, had been through so much. Dawsey hoped her next six years would be filled with laughter, reading out loud and the clack of the typewriter. He wanted peace and plenty of food and books for her. Just as desperately, he wanted it for the child that was coming.
Juliet rested her hand on his, the touch bringing him back to the moment.
“I’ve had an idea about how we can tell her.”
“Tell me what it is,” he said.
Juliet insisted the news would come best from both of them, and because Kit had gone outside, it was outside that they told her. Kit was scowling a little as they came upon her, and Dawsey realised Juliet was right, she didn’t believe that Juliet wasn’t ill – vomiting meant illness to Kit’s way of thinking.
He nodded at Juliet, who approached Kit and crouched down so that she was looking into her eyes.
“Kit,” she said in that confiding voice that gave him hope this would go well. “We have something to ask you.”
Kit looked at her seriously.
“There’s a very important job that I need your help with. It’s one that only you can do, and it’s extremely special.”
Kit didn’t react immediately, thinking it through. Juliet had the patience to wait her out.
“What is it?” Kit asked in a voice that wasn’t committing to anything yet.
“I—we need you to be a big sister.”
Kit frowned.
“But I haven’t got a sister or a brother.”
“No, not yet,” Juliet agreed. “Now, when I told you I wasn’t ill, I was telling the truth. But I did throw up for a reason. My body is acting a little strangely because I’ve got a baby growing inside of me.” Dawsey watched them both, the business of breathing set aside for now. He saw the moment Kit’s eyes widened.
“Like the sow who had a litter,” Kit said, her hand reaching out towards Juliet’s stomach. Dawsey let out a breath. He’d touched Juliet there a lot of late, even though he knew and she kept reminding him that it was too early for there to be any sign.
“Well, not quite, I’m having a baby, not a litter of piglets, I hope,” Juliet said, not even trying to hide her smile. “And when that baby is born, he or she is going to need a big sister to look after them and show them how the world works in ways that we grown-ups can’t.” She turned to look at Dawsey.
“Will you do it, Kit?” Dawsey asked, daring to come join them, remembering Juliet’s caution not to baby Kit. “Will you do this job?”
She looked up at him. Dawsey saw Elizabeth and Christian in her face in that moment as she nodded so fervently her hair flew about.
“Good,” Dawsey said, letting his hands rest on both Juliet and Kit’s heads.
“We knew we could rely on you. I think you’ll be wonderful at it, the best big sister anyone could wish for.” Juliet said.
Eventually Kit removed her hand after Juliet explained that the baby was very, very small at present. Then Juliet stood up, and Kit ran off.
“You were right. I think that worked,” Dawsey observed.
“I hope so. We’ll keep an eye on her. Now, I’d better get back to my book if I’m going to produce it before this baby.”
Dawsey laughed softly, but not at Juliet, because he knew she’d bring both into the world, and he would love them all.
