birthrightgreen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
birthrightgreen) wrote2007-01-23 02:33 pm
birthrightgreen) wrote2007-01-23 02:33 pm
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TM #162: I never thought I’d say this, but…
"Mother Night, that hurts," Surreal gritted out between clenched teeth. Women did not do this every day. It was impossible to think that anyone went through this much pain for something that was supposed to be a joyous event.
Of course, said joyous event was weeks early, which had to mean it wasn't even the actual pain she would have later. She squeezed her eyes shut, fingernails biting into her palm until she drew blood, trying to deflect the pain from her abdomen and the tightening there. She had held off her moontime before, and knew how horrid it would be the month she let it come, and somehow she had expected it to be like that, not this.
She had fought. She had been beaten. She had been raped. And, possibly, if she really cast her memory back to the latter she would admit that pain was far worse than this, but that wasn't somewhere she liked for her memory to go, and so right now she clung tightly to the thought that this was possibly the worst pain she had ever felt. Making it worse was that laced over the pain was fear, cold and clutching at her in a way nothing had since possibly that night at Briarwood.
It was too soon. She didn't know nearly enough about babies and how they were supposed to come, but Morghann had said not until the beginning of March, at least, possibly the middle of the month, and it was not anywhere near that yet.
Another contraction clutched at her, and she felt tears seep out from under her squeezed tight eyelids.
Scared, and hoping he could somehow stop this betrayal of her body of her and the baby it carried, she sent for Samael, and then she did something else she never thought she would do.
She prayed.
Of course, said joyous event was weeks early, which had to mean it wasn't even the actual pain she would have later. She squeezed her eyes shut, fingernails biting into her palm until she drew blood, trying to deflect the pain from her abdomen and the tightening there. She had held off her moontime before, and knew how horrid it would be the month she let it come, and somehow she had expected it to be like that, not this.
She had fought. She had been beaten. She had been raped. And, possibly, if she really cast her memory back to the latter she would admit that pain was far worse than this, but that wasn't somewhere she liked for her memory to go, and so right now she clung tightly to the thought that this was possibly the worst pain she had ever felt. Making it worse was that laced over the pain was fear, cold and clutching at her in a way nothing had since possibly that night at Briarwood.
It was too soon. She didn't know nearly enough about babies and how they were supposed to come, but Morghann had said not until the beginning of March, at least, possibly the middle of the month, and it was not anywhere near that yet.
Another contraction clutched at her, and she felt tears seep out from under her squeezed tight eyelids.
Scared, and hoping he could somehow stop this betrayal of her body of her and the baby it carried, she sent for Samael, and then she did something else she never thought she would do.
She prayed.
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Sam popped in with a loud bang and something less than his usual magical grace. It sounded urgent.
"What's wrong?"
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"I think something's wrong..."
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"Ohhhh..."
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"It's too early."
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"OH!"
He took a breath. Started to go over to her, stopped, turned and grabbed her robe and went back to throw it around her shoulders. Blinked a couple of times.
"Should I... I should go fetch Morghann. Find her. She'd be at her house, yes?"
It was possible he was very scattered now.
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"Can't you make it stop?"
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All kinds of horrible, bloody images were playing through his head. None of them worth repeating. He was at least together enough to know that.
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"... I don't want to leave you alone..."
Pause.
Stuck his head out the door. "JULIANNA...!!"
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"Can you... I mean, I have to go... Morghann..."
"I'll watch her." Julianna took him by the shoulders and shoved him in some direction that seemed to be more away than anything else. "Go. Shoo. Not the door!"
As Sam seemed to have forgotten he could teleport again. He gave both women a sheepish look before poofing out.
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"I don't need watching," she half-snapped, half-fretted at Julianna.
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"And then I'll fetch some water and towels, because this is going to be a very messy process."
As the other woman may or may not have guessed. Likely had guessed, but would not appreciate until it happened to her.
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"Early, yes, but plenty of children have been born earlier and lived full and healthy lives with no ill effects."
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And about that time Sam popped in, still with less grace than usual, with a slightly wild-haired Morghann who looked...
...actually rather as though she had come from the stables, with her clothes all teleported off and roughly back onto her in approximately the same positions as they had lain originally.
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"He thought it would be faster if he magicked all the dirt and straw off of me rather than wait for me to change clothes," she explained.
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"Their lovers or wives go into labor and their brains turn to mush. How far apart are the contractions? How much pain is there?" Pillows to prop her up, and she reached into the pouch at her side.
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There. She had a handful of some rather nasty smelling root. "Ordinarily I'd brew it and lace it with wine but I'm afraid you'll have to settle for chewing. It should ease the pain somewhat."
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"Let's see how far along you are."
Sam actually twitched and had to keep from turning away when Morghann started to take down Surreal's clothes, to see.
"Oh, don't be such a baby," Juli told him.
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"Don't you dare flinch..."
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He did manage to make his legs unfreeze, going over and half sitting next to her on the bed. Really, leaning against the bed, one knee and leg up on it and taking her closest hand in both of his.
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Julianna handed a wet cloth to Sam, or rather, placed it in his hand and curled his fingers around it. "While you're there, you might as well make yourself useful. For her forehead," she explained, when he gave her a blank look. "And other parts that are sweaty and need cleaning. The cool will be at least a little soothing."
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Sam freed one hand to slide his arm around her shoulders, pausing at a headshake from Morghann.
"Don't..." she told him, moving to physically straighten them both up. "Posture is important. I know it's hard, but ...Well."
Sam fidgeted. But he did try, at least, to keep them both in an upright and settled posture that didn't put undue pressure on her spine to bend in one way or the other.
Julianna was preparing a bassinet for the baby, laying down clothes that could be easily removed and cleaned, making sure everything was quite clean and ready.
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"Why would anyone do this more than once?" she ground out.
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"Can I push?"
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Sam was thinking that it was a damn good thing he wasn't human, nor subject to human injury.
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"I don't think this is going to work," she said, slightly panicking. "There's no way this is going to work."
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"Now! Now you can push..."
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Morghann made all the usual encouraging noises, knowing that 'its over' was probably what Surreal really wanted to hear right now. Also knowing that it would be several more very long moments before it was over.
And then, suddenly, in a rush of fluid and sticky, it was.
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"Meet your daughter."
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