Labour Pains (Part 1)

Writers: AL, Kaysea
Date Posted: 28th July 2008

Characters: Fog, Eliste
Description: Eliste's labour intensifies and Fog goes and gets the midwife.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 11, day 14 of Turn 4

"You should probably send for the healer." Eliste suggested as another
contraction waxed, then waned. That one had left her a bit breathless.
Things were starting to heat up, so to speak.

"I think you're right." Fog extricated his hand from her tight grip.
"I'll be back as soon as I can." he reached for the towel he had been
patting her forehead with, and rolled it up before passing it to her.
"Grip this if I'm not back before the next contraction hits." He
dropped a light kiss on her forehead before crossing the room in a few
short strides, with not even a glance back at her, he made his way
quickly towards the main buildings.

Eliste watched Fog go, then stood and began to pace the room. A few
minutes later, another contraction hit and she moaned as it peaked,
then finally ebbed away. She began counting and two more contractions
hit before she heard Fog at the door. She opened her eyes and turned
toward the door, straightening a bit from where she had bent over
during the contraction.

"Well, well." The midwife smiled warmly as he stepped into the room
behind Fog. "Looks like we're going to have a baby today." Behind
him stepped in another person, this time a woman whose smile was as
bright as the midwife's.

"Are you alright?" Fog asked, crossing the room quickly, his arms
encirlcing her.

"I'm fine." Eliste wriggled out of Fog's grasp and began moving once
more. She stopped when another contraction hit and braced both hands
against one of the walls, leaning and moaning, wagging her head from
side to side.

"Is this normal?" a confused Fog turned to ask the midwife. "I've
never seen a woman in labour before." he confessed with a helpless
shrug.

"Oh yes." The midwife confessed. He turned to the woman and murmured
something and she nodded, then hurried out of the room. "She's going
to be in a lot of pain, but that doesn't mean there aren't things we
can do to help. He turned and put the bag he had been carrying upon
the table, taking out some oil and redwort.

The Eliste relaxed quite visibly once the contraction eased and turned
back around.

"All right my dear," The midwife stated jovially and held out his hand
to her. "Let me see if I can check you before you have another
contraction.

Eliste nodded and moved over to the bed, reclining on it. The midwife
lifted her skirt and began to ask questions cheerfully. "How long ago
did it start?"

"A while before the dawn." Eliste admitted, her face screwing up. It
was never comfortable, but it was considerably less so during labour.

"Ah, so you've been at this for a little bit already." The midwife
straightened and covered Eliste back up, then patted her knee. "Doing
well. Almost completely effaced and at a five."

Fog was more than a little confused by the conversation, and the medics
words - but all appeared to make sense to Eliste and that was all that
mattered. "Can I do anything to help?" he asked, nearing the bed
again.

Eliste didn't answer for another contraction hit and she immediately
rolled over to get on her hands and knees, her head wagging again, and
vocalising.

"Yes you can." The midwife stepped forward and guided Fog to stand
behind Eliste. "Press on her back, like this." He took his palms and
placed them on her lower back, just above her hips and pressed against
them. "It will help with the pain."

Fog stood bent over Eliste, his hands rubbing back and forth as the
midwife had shown him. He wasn't sure he was doing it right, her
moans had grown considerably. Was she moaning because of thebaby or
because he was hurting her, he looked back over his shoulder towards
the midwife, "Am I doing this right, she seems worse?" he face creased
in a worried frown.

"Just press, don't rub." The midwife seemed amused at the
situation. "And things are going to get worse. She just needs to
listen to her body and we need to just listen and be there for
her...and catch the baby too."

"Catch the bab-?" Fog looked up with a pained expression on his face,
"Oh... you're joking?" his voice cracked.

"Nope." The midwife shook his head as Eliste relaxed for a moment,
gone silent, eyes closed. "She does all the work, I'm just here to
catch the baby, pretty much. Unless you want to do that part."

"Oh Faranth NO!" Fog shook his head, "No - I'll - I'll leave that up to
you." he could feel a tremor rocking through his body at the
suggestion, "Shards! This is the first baby I've seen born." he
exclaimed to the amused healer.

The contraction evidently ebbed for Eliste got up and began walking
around the room just as the assistant returned carrying two bundles,
one small one and a larger. The smaller one contained some fruit and
meatrolls and the young woman offered them to Eliste. Eliste snatched
one and managed to down it quickly before another contraction hit. A
moment later, Eliste was soaked as her water broke.

"Ah, now we're really moving along." The midwife rubbed his hands
together. He moved over to Eliste and murmured something her ear. She
managed to gasp out a 'yes' to his question and the midwife strolled
out of the room and into the bathing room.

The assistant helped Eliste out of her skirt and began to clean up the
water while Eliste paced, then paused vocalising. It was easy to
detect the ebb and flow of the contraction just by listening to her.
She 'sang', nonsensical syllables, the pitch staying within a few notes
of one another, but the volume growing louder as the worst of the
contraction assaulted her, then ebbed.

A few moments later, the midwife strolled back into room. "Help me
guide her into the tub." He stated, encouraging Fog with a smile.

Fog had turned from Eliste as she had begun to disrobe. He hadn't
really thought the whole birth process through properly, he thought to
himself as he looked elsewhere - anywhere but at Eliste. The healers
words had him flummoxed, did the healer think this baby was his? He
obviously thought Fog and Eliste had seen each other naked before,
with his face the colour of an overripe redfruit, he turned back to
them. "Yes, yes of course." he nodded, averting his eyes from the
warm body his arms were assisting, he focused his eyes ahead of them
into the bathing room.

With Fog's help, Eliste was lowered into the water. The effect of the
warmth was obvious as her vocalisations, while they were still as
intense during the peak of the contractions, they would stop
completely during the valleys, and she was able to relax a lot more.
"You can get in with her if you like." The midwife tried his best to
hide his amused smile at the look upon Fog's face.

"Oh? Erm, no," he shook his head, "No, I...I er think I'd be better for
her out here, I won't crowd her as much here." he was still trying to
focus anywhere but on Eliste, while attempting to still support her.

"Here." The assistant stepped forward and thrust a small bucket into
his hands. "Use this to pour the water over her. That will help her
feel better too."

Last updated on the July 28th 2008

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Labour Pains (Part 1)