Misty slowly climbed the stairs. She knew Cordelia had been feeling unwell for weeks, but the headmistress had put it down to stress – Hank's death, the attack on the Voodoo witches, Fiona in the background as a constant threat, the Seven Wonders, her new responsibilities as a Supreme, Fiona's death – and Misty had heard the witch cry some nights.
But the truth was that stress wasn't the cause of Cordelia's illness. When the doctor told her that she was indeed pregnant, Cordelia couldn't do anything else but cry and lock herself in her room. One day, when she thought she was alone, she saw the pictures of Hank she had in her room (now fitted in a box) and took them on her hands, ripping up them before throwing them.
But that night, there was nothing. No one cried; no one ripped pictures up. The house was in complete and worrying silence. Misty knocked on the headmistress door. There was no answer. She pushed open the door, finding the woman sitting perfectly still on the edge of her bed, staring at the wall. Cordelia hadn't acknowledged her when she opened the door. She approached and sat on the edge of the bed, not saying anything. Misty put her fingers under Cordelia's chin and guided her face to look at her, but the woman's eyes were blank, still focused on an undetermined point of the room. Cordelia seemed empty, and was petrified.
"What's wrong Cordelia? Ya're scaring me." Misty whispered.
"I'm pregnant." Cordelia muttered, collapsing on the bed and leaving Misty speechless. Misty didn't know what to do, she wasn't good in these situations, but she knew a heart that was breaking, so she ignored her instinct to run and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling without touching the headmistress. Eventually, Cordelia stopped crying and her hitched breathing returned to normal. Misty tentatively reached out her hand and laid it softly on the headmistress' back.
"I went to the doctor, knowing that my restored health would mean that I could have a baby. But now that I'm pregnant, I feel that I can't do this. I can't have a baby, Misty. Not on my own. I'm not strong enough to raise it alone. I can't have this baby, Misty. I can't."
"Yes you can, Cordelia. I'll be with you." Misty said, taking the woman's hand between her own. "All of us will be with you."
During the next few months, Misty helped as much as she could. She helped out with the academy, she helped out with the greenhouse, she helped out with some of the weird cravings that Cordelia had, she helped out with anything that she was able to do.
"Do you need anything else?" she asked, helping Cordelia sit on the bed. The seven-months-pregnant woman was wearing a sleeveless black maternity dress that covered her legs to the knee.
"No, Misty, I'm okay." the headmistress answered.
"Really? Do you want a book? Another pillow?"
"No, darling, it's okay. Really." Cordelia answered with a smile. "Come, sit down with me." she added, patting the spot next to her. Misty obeyed, sitting next to the woman and resting her head on the woman's shoulder.
"Is it painful?"
"What?"
"Being pregnant."
"No. It's more exhausting than painful."
"Okay."
"Thanks."
"For what?"
"For being with me all of this time."
Cordelia thought that when she was in her ninth month of pregnancy she was going to feel ugly and fat. She kept watching herself in the mirror, pulling her nightgown up, watching her baby bump and caressing it carefully. She smiled to herself in the mirror before going to sleep.
"Misty!" the swamp witch heard someone call her from the adjacent bedroom. It was three in the morning. "Misty!" Cordelia's voice repeated a little bit louder. "Misty please, come! The baby is coming!"
"What?!" Misty shouted, running barefoot to the corridor and storming on the woman's bedroom. Misty had been sure that she would have to be the calm one when this moment came, because Cordelia would be rushing around panicking, trying to organize everything, and Misty would be the one in charge of getting the three of them (Cordelia, the baby and herself) to the hospital on time. However, reality was different: Misty running around the bedroom trying to find any sort of clothing to change into, panicking because she couldn't find the bag for the hospital, or the keys of Cordelia's car, looking for her phone; while the Supreme sat calmly on the end of the bed, caressing her belly and trying to breathe like she had learned to do in the pregnancy classes. Cordelia genuinely got scared for her life as Misty sped towards the hospital. Once they were there the doctor took over.
"When did the contractions start?"
"About an hour ago, I think." Cordelia said before feeling another one. "Ugh."
"Just two more inches and we'll take you to the delivery room. You are almost there Miss Goode, don't worry." the doctor said, walking out of the room.
"Are you okay, Dee?" Misty asked, grabbing the woman's hand with her own.
"Ughhhh." was everything Cordelia managed to say, feeling another contraction. A nurse entered the door.
"Cordelia, how are you?"
"I'm…" she sighed, closing eyes and leaning her head on the pillow, squeezing the witch's hand. "…fine."
"Do you have any questions that you want to ask before it's time?"
"No."
"Do you want me to stay here?"
"No, I've… I've got Misty."
"Okay." the nurse said, looking at the swamp witch. "I'll be on the corridor. If you need anything just call me. Oh, I almost forget to tell you. Your students are in the waiting room."
"Okay." Misty said.
Five minutes later, Cordelia felt another contraction. She was sure it was time.
"Ow, Misty!" the woman panicked. "Call, call the…"
"I'll get the nurse!" the swamp witch said before rushing out of the room, as another contraction hit again. The nurse took her to the delivery room, where the doctor waited. The longer it took them to set up, the more it hurt.
"Ok, Miss Goode, it's time for you to start pushing."
In that moment Misty decided that giving birth was just as tough watching it as going through it, although she was sure Cordelia wouldn't agree if she shared that with her. "Fuck!" she heard the Supreme yell, feeling the pain travel through her body.
"Okay Miss Goode, big breath and push again, this time harder. Come on, there you go…"
"Breathe." Misty said. She hated seeing Cordelia in pain. She hated that she couldn't do anything to help her. All she could do was hold her hand, and that's what she did, even when she was sure that Cordelia would break some of the bones if she pressed more tightly. "C'mon, Dee, look at me." Misty said, her gaze meeting Cordelia's eyes. The woman had been crying because of the pain since the first push. "I know you can." Misty said. "I love you. You can do this."
"What did you just say?!" Cordelia exclaimed, suddenly forgetting the fact that she was delivering a baby in that exact moment. Her enraged expression made Misty shiver.
"I… I love you?"
"DO YOU THINK THIS IS THE TIME TO TELL ME THAT, MISTY?! COULDN'T YOU SAY IT WHEN I'M NOT GIVING BIRTH TO OUR DAUGHTER?!"
"Our daughter?" Misty said, suddenly freeing the woman's hand.
"One more big push, okay?" the doctor stated.
"UGHHHHH!"
She just told me she loves me. I'm having a baby. I just told her that it's our baby. She doesn't know I love her too. Can this be more complicated?, Cordelia thought before hearing an intense scream that filled the room and, to Cordelia's surprise, it wasn't hers. She opened her eyes and tried to see her baby, but her body still felt awfully painful.
"Look at that. What a beautiful little lady we've got here." one of the nurses said.
"Let Misty cut the cord." Cordelia whispered, still recovering for the intense pain that she had felt seconds before. "Let Misty cut the cord. She's her mother too." she stated, still breathing heavily. Misty looked at her friend with curiosity. "I love you." the headmistress stated. "And if you want this can be your baby too."
"Of course I want, Cordelia. I love you. I love both of you."
Minutes later, Misty walked in the waiting room with s big smile on her face. Zoe and Queenie were sitting on a corner of the room, half asleep.
"How's Cordelia?" they asked, stretching a little.
"She's fine. Exhausted, but fine."
"And the baby?"
"She's amazingly beautiful."
"Did Cordelia already give her a name?"
"Yes. Renée." Misty said, with happy tears slowly running down her face. "Renée Sophia Goode."