The Happy Occasion

Writers: Paula, Eimi
Date Posted: 20th August 2007

Characters: Birigundi, Telemon, Rigella
Description: Rigella gives birth, but the occasion isn't as happy as it should be.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 11 of Turn 4

Birigundi

Rigella groaned and her finger's curled around the railing when another contraction hit her. The wave passed and she straightened, aware of her surroundings again. Her water had broken on wee hours of the pre-dawn.

"The pace is now seven minutes and they are regular," Telemon observed calmly.

"I've noticed," Rigella said bitingly and resumed pacing around the infirmary. Where was Birigundi? He had promised to be here. She had sent her hastily scribed message with Fellis: the baby is borning, come to the infirmary.

Birigundi could barely contain his excitement as he flew into the room. "Its time? Is it real labor?" Nia had woken up with a round of false labor before Lyndi had been born, so he was trying not to get his hopes up too high, but it was certainly about time for their child to be born!

"Yes, it is," Rigella replied and moaned when another contraction came.

"It's a real thing," Telemon confirmed. At this stage, he was more observer than taking active part in the process. In his experience, most women really didn't help until the actually pushing part started. If everything went normally, that is. So far Rigella's labour had been straight out of apprentice books.

As he rushed to her side, Birigundi took her and wrapped an arm around her waste to support her. He winced slightly as he remembered going through this stage with Nia. She had looked to be in so much pain, and he had wished that he could have taken it away from her. But it was something she had to do herself. His roll was merely moral support. "It won't be long now," he assured her.

"Thank Faranth you here!" Rigella sighed. "And women want go through this several times?" She wondered rhetorically.

"Yeah," Birigundi chuckled softly. "Whoever said that women were the weaker sex obviously never watched a childbirth."

Rigella grunted and wiped her forehead.

"How's your back? Do you want me to rub it for you?" he asked softly. With Nia that had seemed to help ease the pain a little.

"Let's try it," Rigella agreed.

The next candlemark passed with the gap between contractions growing smaller and smaller. Telemon finally ordered Rigella to bed, so he could examine her progress. "You can start pushing as soon as you feel like it," he said. "This delivery is a fast one," he predicted.

"See," Birigundi murmured, kissing her forehead softly as his hand slipped into hers, "it won't be long now."

Rigella's contractions suddenly moved from waves of pain to a muscle convulsion. "What I do now?" she asked, sounded alarmed and worried.

"Now you start pushing," Telemon replied encouragingly.

"Don't worry, Rigella," Birigundi murmured soothingly. "Your body knows what its doing. Just follow its lead. Everything's going to be just fine." If only his advice to Nia had been so praticed!

Rigella grunted and pushed. Grunted and pushed.

"Couple more, I can see the head!" Telemon urged her on. He felt the familiar excitement he always felt during births. It was something you never grew bored with.

Rigella pushed again and baby's head came out. Telemon took a hold of it, so it wouldn't slip back when the muscles relaxed. He knew something was wrong as soon as he saw the baby's face. "The head's out, shoulders should come out with next contraction," he said but his voice lacked the previous excitement. It had turned tense.

Birigundi was still feeling the edge of excitement as he gently urged her on. "Just a little more, Rigella. Just a little more."

Rigella pushed again, and she felt how the baby's body slipped out from her.

"It's a boy," Telemon announced, but his voice lacked the normal jubilation he felt in these situations. He quickly cleaned the baby's mouth and nose and cut the cord without offering Birigundi a change to do it, as he usually did. The baby's cry was weak. He wrapped him to a blanked and rushed to the next stall, pulling the curtains closed behind him.

His behaviour alarmed Rigella. "What's wrong?" she demanded to know. She would had gotten up, but her knees felt weak and she still have afterbirth's to deliver. "Birigundi, find out what's wrong! There's something wrong!"

Birigundi was already on his way, following the Healer to the closed curtain. He knew this was not the way it was supposed to be! "Telemon, tell me what's going on! What's happening! Telemon!"

Telemon was just putting on stethoscope. This kind of blueness in newborn he had encountered before. The baby was too blue for a one that been born so quickly and easily. "It's the baby, he's not all right," Telemon replied and placed the stethoscope against the baby's chest.

"What do you mean?" Birigundi demanded, fear gripping at him. "What's wrong with my son? Telemon, talk to me! Tell me what is wrong with my son!"

"He is...deformed," Telemon said hesitantly. He was quiet for long moment while he listened the baby's chest. "And he's born with a heart defect. I'm sorry," the healer sounded sad. He felt truly sorry for the parents and for the baby. Such a bad start for life. Life that could be very short.

"But... He will live, won't he? I mean... You'll take care of him, right?" The was an edge of panic in Birigundi's voice.

"Well, it depends how severe the heart defect is and if he is able to eat," Telemon said slowly. There was no kind way to tell the bad news. "He has something called cleft palate, and it may prevent him nursing,"
Telemon explained and handed the baby to his father. "Look at him. Look how blue he is. That means his lungs aren't getting enough blood. We are going to do our best to keep him alive," Telemon said. "He was fine while he was in womb, fed my umbilical cord and with no need to breathe."

Biriduni looked down at his tiny son's face. It was indeed an unhealthy shade. And his lips were purple. If you could call them lips. Where his one upper lip should be there were two, split right up the center and straight up into his nostrils. "Shards..." he whispered, realizing just what a mountain his little boy had to climb. It wasn't supposed to happen this way... Birigundi could feel the tears welling up in his eyes as he craddled the baby close to him. "His name is Rigmor," he whispered. "We wanted to name him after Rigella's father who... died..."

Telemon nodded and put a comforting hand over the young man's shoulder. "We need to break the news to Rigella..."

"I should do it," Birigundi whispered, though he made no move to hand the baby back to the healer. He had so many dreams of Lyndi and this little baby playing together. Growing together. The reality was much too bitter. Looking at his son's face, the child looked misshapened and discolored. He had a moment when the thought **This can't be _my_ baby** flashed through his head. But he knew it was true, and deep down, he was sure he knew why. If only Rigella hadn't... "Here," he said finally, turning back towards Telemon and offering him the child. "I'll speak to Rigella first."

"All right," Telemon said. He still have to measure the baby and bath him.

Birigundi took a deep breath and pulled back the curtain. "Rigella?"

"Yes? Did you find out what it was?" she asked tensely. A journeyman had arrived to take care of her.

"Yes." She was a healer. It was best to just tell it straight. She'd know better then he what it all meant. "He has a heart defect and something called a cleft palate." He walked over and took her hand. "I know they'll do everything they can for him..."

Rigella was silent for a long moment. "Deformed.. heart defect..," she murmured and tears welled to her eyes. "It's all my fault," she sobbed. "If I hadn't tried to kill him."

Birigundi reached out for him. Comforting half truthes poured easily from his lips as he pulled her close. "We don't know that, Rigella. These things just happen sometimes."

Last updated on the October 22nd 2008

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The Happy Occasion