Inhale.
The sound of rustling sheets. A murmur of encouragement.
Exhale.
Everything in the Redmont fief seemed to be holding it's breath in anticipation. The crickets ceased to hum their tunes, the birds stopped whistling their songs, and the wind halted it's caress among the trees and the grass. The moments were just filled with silence and waiting.
Inhale.
A moan.
A reassuring squeeze of Pauline's hand.
Exhale.
The only noise was Alyss's labored breathing and Will's and the midwives comforting words.
Halt and Pauline sat in the small cabin outside the bedroom which all time seemed to be revolving around. The grey bearded ranger sat holding his wife's hand as the minutes and hours passed by. Halt couldn't quite remember a time he had been this worried. He had been through wars, killed men, survived deathly wounds, and yet this moment was everything Halt feared. A moment where he could do nothing but stand by and let others suffer.
The ranger felt Pauline's grip tighten as another jolting moan moved through the air. The couple looked at each other in fear. The courier's lips were pale with worry, the only sign of her internal agony showing through her normally unreadable face. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it quickly. Nothing could be said or done. Only waiting, Halt mused.
He and Pauline had been readying themselves for bed when the news had arrived. They knew before seeing who was at their door that the message was about Alyss. Her pregnancy had been a trying one as the months had progressed and they had all been told to 'hope for the best, but expect the worst' by the midwife. Halt scuffed to himself. If anyone could pull through this it would be Alyss. As strong and persistent as she was, there was no way she would let this baby defeat her.
All around them, the cabin showed the hurried signs of a child coming too early. A mostly finished crib sat in one of the bedrooms, nearly done except for some finishing details. A full cup of coffee sat on the table where it was left hurriedly by Will as Alyss had told him it was time.
Another moan returned Halt's attention to the other room as the door swung open. The midwife briskly walked out carrying, to Halt's dismay, sheets spotted with blood. Before she had closed the door behind her, he had looked into the bedroom.
Alyss lay across her and Will's bed looking pale and exhausted. Her shift spotted with sweat and other fluids was hiked up around her waist, and Halt caught the barest of glimpses of her legs before looking away. What troubled him the most though was not the blood or the exhaustion seeping out of her body or even her tired face. No, it was the look on his former apprentices face who sat by the bed holding Alyss's hand.
His brown eyes, normally so filled with warmth and happiness, showed his fear. He knew what this labor would bring if Alyss's couldn't get the baby out. Even if she did, they wouldn't be out of the woods. Halt and Will's eyes met before the door closed and a message passed between them, Be prepared.
Pauline stood up and grabbed the dirty linen as the midwife walked back into the room. Her round, motherly figure suggestion she had seen many births and experienced them herself. She closed the door behind her as she returned back to work as Halt and Pauline stayed in their respective spots for a few more moments. Halt looked up and noticed Pauline, the woman who was trained in the art of keeping her thoughts to herself, had fear written plainly across her face. He stood and grabbed her arm, filled with dirty clothes and walked outside knowing that they needed to get fresh air. They couldn't break down. Not yet, not while Alyss still struggled to deliver the baby.
The hot night air hit them as they walked outside. Pauline placed the bundle of linen into barrel filled with water and looked toward Halt.
"Did you see their faces?" She whispered. Halt nodded as Pauline struggled with the possible future. As a courier she knew death, despite being a courier. Her business dealt with talking and negotiation, but dealing with trauma and violence was also apart of their training that they learned early on. She couldn't stop the emotions though as they crossed her face. The baby of the young woman she had raised like her own daughter might be a still born.
"We must stay strong for the both of them," Halt said holding back his worries, "she could still pull this thing off." A whiny from the stables expressed Abelard's agreement with that statement seeming to say It's not over yet.
The night continued on silently as Halt and Pauline sat on the veranda waiting. The older man sat thinking of one of the first lessons he had taught Will which was to stay calm under very stressful scenarios. The key was to breath and as he made an effort to move the oxygen through his body, he could only hope this event in his former students life wouldn't end with death.
Inhale. Exhale.
….
A screech moved through the cabin and struck Halt right in the heart, and then an even more worrying moan and then silence. Halt could feel his adrenaline racing knowing that that sound of pain could only mean one thing. A baby had been born after hours of suffering, but alive or dead he didn't know.
Everything seemed to tense in those few moments. The horses in the barn stopped their eating and swivled their heads toward the cabin. Ebony, the black and white shepard, lifted her eyes and her nose sniffed wildly in an effort to pick up a new scent, for there was a new scent hidden behind the smell of blood and sweat.
A cry pierced the air that seemed to remove the stillness of the earth. Things began to move and breath again as a baby took its first breath. A smile split across Halt's face in a display of rare emotion. It was a strange sight, Pauline thought, as Halt rarely showed much emotion but this was an exception. Her own face smiled with relief as the tiny cries continued proving that he or she was alive. They moved in from the veranda at the front of the house towards the living room. They both stood near the unused fireplace waiting for the wooden door to open. Inside the room, they could hear Will's voice talking quietly, almost crooning. The midwife opened the door and smiled as she took in the older couple. She knew their own struggle they had been going through as Alyss had pushed through the night and waved them in while placing a finger to her lips to symbol quiet.
There was no need for there was no words to say as Halt and Pauline walked into the bedroom which held a new member of the family. The smell of sweat lingered in the room despite the window being open and a warm breeze moving through the room. Halt's eyes fell to the bed where Will sat on the side of the mattress next to Alyss. The young woman looked utterly spent Halt admitted, but hours of pushing tended to do that to person. A smile sat on both the new parent's faces as they peered into the bundle in Alyss's arms. Halt silently moved a bit closer not wanting to disturb the baby.
"How are you, Alyss?" Pauline asked to the pale mother. Alyss shrugged. She was tired, but knew that all her efforts were worth it the second her son had been placed in her arms. She looked down at him once again amazed that she and Will had made such an amazing being. Despite the baby's bits of wispy, blond hair, Alyss knew he was going to turn out more like his father. His facial features held the same friendliness of Will's own face, with the same nose and mouth. She just knew that when the baby opened his eyes they would be the most beautiful chocolate brown.
"He won't bite Halt," Alyss laughed quietly noticing his keen eyes taking in the small baby.
"He?" Pauline smiled next to Halt trying but failing to give the new family some space. Will nodded and looked at Halt. A new new glint was shining in his eyes, Halt noticed. It was a look that only a father could achieve that showed the true love and adoration he held for his new son. Will and Alyss shared a brief look. Will carefully picked up the baby wrapped in a white cloth and settled the tiny head into the crook of his arm. He walked slowly over to Halt and looked into his eyes.
"I want you to meet our son Daniel Halt Treaty," he said with an air of pride. Halt felt tears well in his eyes for the first time that night. He felt honored that his son like figure would bestow such an honor on him. He had no words as Will paced Daniel over to him. Pauline looked on at the exchange seeing how Halt's softer side taking over his normally gruff exterior. Never had Halt held something as precious in his hands. His calloused fingers gently touched the sleeping baby's face in his arms.
Halt knew with one look that this baby was the most beautiful thing in the world. He sensed Pauline moving up beside him to take in Daniel's face. She too felt feelings she never thought possible. A complete sense of peace filled her and she and Halt starred onto their new grandchild as the world breathed in the new life.